METHOD OF MANUFACTURING GEAR AND GEAR

Abstract

A gear includes a center portion and a peripheral portion. The center portion includes a rotation support portion and an inner web. The peripheral portion includes an annular rim having teeth and an outer web, and made of a material different from a material of the center portion. One portion of the outer web is configured to hold one portion of the inner web. An outer surface of the one portion of the outer web is sloped such that a thickness of the outer web increases as the outer web extends from the rotation support portion toward the rim.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a gear by using a fixed mold and a moving mold which are configured to form a cavity used to injection-mold a center portion of the gear and a cavity used to injection-mold a peripheral portion of the gear, the fixed mold comprising a plurality of slide pieces configured to form one portion of an inner web of the gear, the moving mold comprising a forming surface configured to form one portion of an outer web of the gear, the method comprising: causing a bottom surface of each of the plurality of slide pieces and the forming surface to abut against each other to form the cavity used to form the center portion, wherein the bottom surface of each slide piece is sloped with respect to a slide direction of the slide piece, and the forming surface is sloped with respect to the slide direction, injecting a first material from a first gate to the cavity to form the center portion, sliding each of the plurality of slide pieces along the slide direction of each of the plurality of slide pieces to separate the bottom surface of each of the plurality of slide pieces from the forming surface, moving the moving mold, holding the center portion, to a position where the moving mold forms the cavity used to form the peripheral portion with the fixed mold, and injecting a second material from a second gate to the cavity to form the peripheral portion, the second material being different from the first material.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming surface comprises a sloped portion whose contour lines are concentric circles.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming surface comprises a plurality of flat portions whose sloping directions are different from each other.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cavity used to form the peripheral portion is a cavity to form an annular groove in the peripheral portion, between the outer web and a rim of the gear.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second gate is disposed at a position that corresponds to the outer web to be formed.

6. A gear comprising: a center portion comprising a rotation support portion and an inner web; and a peripheral portion comprising an annular rim having teeth and an outer web, and made of a material different from a material of the center portion; wherein one portion of the outer web is configured to hold one portion of the inner web, and wherein an outer surface of the one portion of the outer web is sloped such that a thickness of the outer web increases as the outer web extends from the rotation support portion toward the rim.

7. The gear according to claim 6, wherein the outer surface of the one portion of the outer web is sloped such that contour lines of the outer surface are circles formed around a rotation axis of the gear.

8. The gear according to claim 6, wherein the outer surface of the one portion of the outer web comprises a plurality of flat surfaces sloped such that the thickness of the outer web increases as the outer web extends from the rotation support portion toward the rim.

9. The gear according to claim 6, wherein an annular groove is formed in the peripheral portion, between the one portion of the outer web and the rim.

10. The gear according to claim 6, wherein a gate mark is formed on the one portion of the outer web, and wherein the gate mark is formed when the peripheral portion is injection-molded.

11. An image forming apparatus comprising: the gear according to claim 6, and a photosensitive drum on which an electrostatic latent image is to be formed.

12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 11, wherein a driving mechanism that rotates the photosensitive drum comprises the gear.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] FIG. 1A is a plan view of a gear of a first embodiment.

[0031] FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of the gear of the first embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of one portion of FIG. 1B.

[0033] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the gear of the first embodiment.

[0034] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a first member of the gear of the first embodiment is formed.

[0035] FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a mold starts to open after the first member of the gear of the first embodiment is formed.

[0036] FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of one portion of FIG. 4A.

[0037] FIG. 4C is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a moving piece of a moving mold is moved downward while holding the first member.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a second member of the gear of the first embodiment is formed.

[0039] FIG. 6A is a plan view of a gear of a second embodiment.

[0040] FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the gear of the second embodiment.

[0041] FIG. 6C is an enlarged view of one portion of FIG. 6B.

[0042] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the gear of the second embodiment.

[0043] FIG. 8A is a plan view of a gear of a third embodiment.

[0044] FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view of the gear of the third embodiment.

[0045] FIG. 8C is an enlarged view of one portion of FIG. 8B.

[0046] FIG. 9A is a plan view of a gear of a fourth embodiment.

[0047] FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view of the gear of the fourth embodiment.

[0048] FIG. 9C is an enlarged view of one portion of FIG. 9B.

[0049] FIG. 10A is a plan view of one example of conventional gears.

[0050] FIG. 10B is a cross-sectional view of the one example of conventional gears.

[0051] FIG. 11A is a plan view of one example of conventional composite gears.

[0052] FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the one example of conventional composite gears.

[0053] FIG. 11C is an enlarged view of one portion of FIG. 11B.

[0054] FIG. 12A illustrates a process to form a first member of a conventional composite gear.

[0055] FIG. 12B illustrates a process to form a second member of the conventional composite gear.

[0056] FIG. 13 illustrates a state in which the first member is left on a fixed mold in a conventional mold.

[0057] FIG. 14A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a slide piece is retracted in the conventional mold.

[0058] FIG. 14B is an enlarged view of one portion of FIG. 14A.

[0059] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of an image forming apparatus including a gear of any one of the first to the fourth embodiments.

[0060] FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of one portion of the image forming apparatus including a gear of any one of the first to the fourth embodiments.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

[0061] Hereinafter, a gear of a first embodiment of the present invention, a method of manufacturing the gear, and a mold used to manufacture the gear will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0062] FIG. 1A is a plan view of the gear of the first embodiment. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line E-E of FIG. 1A. FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of a portion F of FIG. 1B. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the gear of the present embodiment.

[0063] A composite gear 10 includes an annular rim in which a tooth portion 31 is formed, a rotation support portion which is formed around a central axis 51, an inner web 55, and an outer web 32. The rim and the rotation support portion are joined with each other via the inner web 55 and the outer web 32. The rotation support portion includes a cylindrical portion 54 having an inner surface 52 and an outer surface 53. The shape of the rotation support portion and the method of supporting the rotation support portion may be selected as appropriate in accordance with the configuration of a corresponding mechanical product. For example, the rotation support portion may be supported by fitting a resin or metal shaft into a hole of the rotation support portion formed by the inner surface 52, or by providing a bearing on the outer surface 53.

[0064] The composite gear 10 includes a first member 50 which is a center portion, and a second member 30 which is a peripheral portion. The first member 50, which is a center portion, is made of a material having a main component of a synthetic resin, and includes the rotation support portion and the inner web 55. The second member 30, which is a peripheral portion, is made of a material which has a main component of a synthetic resin and which is softer than that of the first member; and includes the annular rim in which the tooth portion 31 is formed and the outer web 32.

[0065] The first member 50 is made of the material harder than that of the second member 30. That is, Young's modulus of the material of the first member is larger than that of the second member 30. The selection of the material is made in consideration of stress which is applied to each part of the gear when the gear is rotated to transmit power. Specifically, the material of the first member 50 has a larger Young's modulus, because the first member 50, which includes the rotation support portion and the inner web 55, receives higher stress than that of the second member 30 when the gear is rotated by the driving force applied to the gear. In contrast, the material of the second member 30 is softer than that of the first member 50, because the second member 30 receives lower stress than that of the first member 50 and needs to have lower sliding resistance and noise. Here, the bending modulus of elasticity measured under IS0178 may be estimated. In this case, the bending modulus of elasticity of the material of the first member 50 may be equal to or larger than 5 [GPa] and equal to or smaller than 15 [GPa], and the bending modulus of elasticity of the material of the second member 30 may be equal to or larger than 1 [GPa] and smaller than 5 [GPa].

[0066] For example, the first member 50 may be made of material having a main component of a resin material, such as polyacetal, polybutylene terephthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, polyamide, or nylon. The second member 30 may be made of a material having a smaller bending modulus of elasticity than that of the first member 50 and a main component of resin material, such as polyacetal.

[0067] In the present embodiment, an outer circumferential portion of the inner web 55 of the composite gear is joined with an inner circumferential portion of the outer web 32. As illustrated in FIG. 1C, the outer circumferential portion of the inner web 55 is joined with the inner circumferential portion of the outer web 32 such that an outer edge portion of the inner web 55 is covered with and sandwiched between an upper portion and a lower portion of the outer web 32. Thus, the inner web 55 and the outer web 32 are firmly joined with each other. The bottom surface of the outer web 32 is sloped at an angle of a with respect to a direction in which the outer web 32 extends from the inner web 55 toward the tooth portion 31 and which is orthogonal to the rotation axis. With this slope, the thickness of the outer web 32 increases as the outer web 32 extends from the inner web 55 toward the tooth portion 31.

[0068] In the perspective view of FIG. 2, lines of the bottom surface of the outer web 32 are contour lines illustrated for convenience of description. As can be seen from FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the thickness of the outer web 32 increases along four directions as the outer web 32 extends from the rotation support portion toward the tooth portion 31. That is, the thickness of the outer web 32 increases along four planes which are sloped toward different directions. Thus, since the thickness of the outer web 32 increases as the outer web 32 extends toward the tooth portion 31, the slide piece of the mold can be easily moved in a later-described manufacturing process. Consequently, the durability of the mold and the efficiency in mass production can be increased.

[0069] Next, with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, a method of manufacturing the composite gear of the first embodiment, and a mold used to manufacture the composite gear will be described.

[0070] A mold 1 of the present embodiment is an injection molding mold used to form the composite gear 10 by injection-molding the first member 50 and the second member 30 by using the DSI method. The mold 1 includes a fixed mold located on the upper side in FIG. 3, and a moving mold located on the lower side in FIG. 3. In other words, the mold 1 includes the fixed mold and the moving mold which can form a cavity used to injection-mold the center portion of the gear and a cavity used to injection-mold the peripheral portion of the gear.

[0071] A slide piece 2 of the fixed mold is a piece to form the outer circumferential side surface and one portion of the bottom surface of the inner web 55. When the mold 1 is closed, the slide piece 2 is positioned by sliding the slide piece 2 into the space beneath the lower surface of the inner web 55 so that the top surface of a tip portion of the slide piece 2 forms the bottom surface of an outer edge portion of the inner web 55.

[0072] A moving piece 3 of the moving mold has a piece 3a and a piece 3b. The piece 3a is used to form the inner surface 52 of the cylindrical portion 54 of the gear, and the piece 3b is used to form the outer surface 53 of the cylindrical portion 54 of the gear and one portion of the bottom surface of the inner web 55. After the first member 50 is formed, the moving piece 3 which is holding the first member 50 can be moved, in the mold 1, to a position which allows the second member 30 to be formed. The piece 3b of the moving mold has a forming surface which forms one portion of the outer web 32 when the second member 30 is formed.

[0073] FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the moving piece 3 is positioned at a position which allows the first member 50 to be formed in the mold 1, and in which the first member 50 is being formed. In the mold 1, the slide piece 2 is disposed in the fixed mold located on the upper side in FIG. 3, at a position which allows the first member 50 to be formed and which is located on the left side in FIG. 3. In addition, a gate 4 is disposed in the fixed mold, as a first gate. From the gate 4, melted resin, which is a first material supplied via a runner 5, is injected into the cavity used to form the first member 50.

[0074] FIG. 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the mold 1 starts to open after the first member 50 is formed of the first material that is a relatively-harder resin material. FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion G of FIG. 4A.

[0075] When the mold 1 starts to open, the slide piece 2 is retracted laterally, and separated from the inner web 55 of the first member 50. Here, the direction in which the slide piece 2 slides is referred to as a slide-piece moving direction SD, for convenience. The slide-piece moving direction SD is normally orthogonal to the central axis 51 of the rotation support portion of the composite gear.

[0076] In the present embodiment, the parting surface of the slide piece 2 and the parting surface of the moving piece 3 (piece 3b), that is, the surface of the slide piece 2 and the surface of the moving piece 3 which contact each other when the mold 1 is closed are not parallel to the slide-piece moving direction SD, in which the slide piece 2 is retracted; and is sloped at an angle of . That is, the bottom surface of the slide piece 2 and the top surface of the moving piece 3 (piece 3b) contact each other in a plane not parallel to the slide-piece moving direction SD but sloped at the angle .

[0077] If the abutment surfaces of the slide piece 2 and the moving piece 3 (piece 3b) are parallel to the slide-piece moving direction SD as in a conventional mold, the bottom surface of the slide piece 2 will continue to contact the top surface of the moving piece 3 while the slide piece 2 is moved in a state where the mold 1 is closed. Thus, the pieces will be significantly abraded, deteriorating the durability of the mold. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the slide piece 2 is sloped at the angle . Thus, when the slide piece 2 is moved laterally and retracted in a state where the mold 1 is closed in the vertical direction, the bottom surface of the slide piece 2 and the top surface of the moving piece 3 (piece 3b) are immediately separated from each other, and the slide piece 2 does not continue to slide on the moving piece 3 (piece 3b). As a result, the abrasion of the pieces can be significantly reduced, and thus the durability of the mold and the efficiency in mass production of the composite gear can be improved.

[0078] Here, the angle is preferably equal to or larger than 0.5 degrees and equal to or smaller than 5.0 degrees. Theoretically, if the bottom surface of the slide piece 2 and the top surface of the moving piece 3 are sloped even a little with respect to the slide-piece moving direction SD, the slide piece 2 can be prevented from sliding on the moving piece 3. However, if the angle is small, the bottom surface of the slide piece 2 and the top surface of the moving piece 3 are required to have high accuracy in flatness, which will increase production cost of the pieces. For this reason, the angle is preferably equal to or larger than 0.5 degrees. On the other hand, if the angle is too large, the thickness of the outer web 32 in the vicinity of the tooth portion 31 may become unnecessarily large (the thickness of the outer web 32 of the gear increases as the outer web 32 extends toward the tooth portion 31). If the thickness of a portion of the outer web 32 in the vicinity of the tooth portion 31 becomes too large, the volume of a portion (in the vicinity of the tooth portion) of the cavity used to form the second member 30 becomes large. Thus, when the melted resin is injected into the cavity, heat will be hardly dissipated from the portion of the cavity. As a result, when the resin is cooled, a sink mark (i.e. deformation caused by contraction) easily occurs, possibly deteriorating the accuracy of shape of the tooth portion 31. For this reason, the angle is preferably equal to or smaller than 5.0 degrees.

[0079] Then, as illustrated in FIG. 4C, the moving piece 3 of the moving mold moves down while holding the first member 50, and the mold 1 is temporarily opened.

[0080] The moving piece 3 then moves rightward in FIG. 4C, while holding the first member 50, to a position which is directly under the fixed mold used to form the second member 30. Then the moving piece 3 moves upward while holding the first member 50, and closes the mold 1. With this operation, the cavity to form the second member 30 is formed.

[0081] FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which the moving piece 3 has moved, in the mold 1, to a position which allows the second member 30 to be formed, and in which the second member 30 is being formed. In the fixed mold, a gate 90 is disposed as a second gate. From the gate 90, the melted resin, which is a second material supplied via a runner 91, is injected into the cavity used to form the second member 30. In addition, a gear piece 8 used to form the tooth portion 31 is disposed in the fixed mold, at a position which allows the second member 30 to be formed. Since the top surface of the moving piece 3 (piece 3b) is sloped at the angle as illustrated in FIG. 4B, the outer web 32 of the second member 30 is also sloped at the angle so that the thickness of the outer web 32 increases as the outer web 32 extends toward the tooth portion 31.

[0082] In the present embodiment, the slide piece 2 of the mold 1 is constituted by four pieces such that, when viewed from above of the mold 1, the slide-piece moving direction SD is constituted by four directions, each having an angle of 90 degrees with respect to an adjacent direction. In addition, each slope of the outer web 32 is not a curved surface but a flat surface having the angle . Since the forming surface of the moving piece 3 (piece 3b) is formed in accordance with the shape of the slide piece 2, the outer web 32 of the composite gear of the present embodiment is formed such that the thickness of the outer web 32 increases along the four directions, as illustrated in FIG. 2, as the outer web 32 extends from the rotation support portion toward the tooth portion 31.

[0083] In the above-described composite gear of the present embodiment, since the second member firmly holds and joins with the first member, and the first member is made of the high-stiffness material, the deformation of the gear, caused by the torsional moment and the thrust component of force when the gear is rotated, can be suppressed. In manufacturing the gear, since the second member is formed without the first member being separated from the moving mold, the accuracy in coaxiality of the rotation support portion and the tooth portion can be increased. In addition, since the bottom surface of the slide piece (used to form the first member) of the fixed mold, and the top surface of the moving piece of the moving mold are sloped at the angle with respect to the slide-piece moving direction, the abrasion of the mold can be reduced, which can improve the efficiency in mass production. Thus, the method of the present embodiment for manufacturing the composite gear, and the injection molding mold used for the method can ensure the durability of the mold, firmly join the first member and the second member of the composite gear, and ensure the accuracy in coaxiality of the rotation support portion and the tooth portion.

Second Embodiment

[0084] Next, a composite gear 11 of a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6C and FIG. 7.

[0085] FIG. 6A is a plan view of the composite gear of the second embodiment. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line H-H of FIG. 6A. FIG. 6C is an enlarged view of a portion I of FIG. 6B. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the composite gear 11 of the second embodiment. Here, a component identical to that of the composite gear of the first embodiment is given an identical symbol, and duplicated description thereof will be omitted.

[0086] The rotation support portion and the inner web 55 of the first member 50 of the composite gear 11 of the second embodiment are the same as those of the composite gear 10 of the first embodiment. However, the shape of the bottom surface of the outer web 35 of the second member 33 of the second embodiment is different from that of the outer web 32 of the second member 30 of the composite gear 10 of the first embodiment.

[0087] In the perspective view of FIG. 7, a plurality of concentric lines of the bottom surface of the outer web 35 are contour lines illustrated for convenience of description. As can be seen from FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the thickness of the outer web 35 increases evenly in all directions as the outer web 35 extends from the inner web 55 toward the tooth portion 31. Specifically, the bottom surface of the outer web 35 is sloped like a rotationally symmetric mortar.

[0088] In the first embodiment, the thickness of the outer web 32 increases toward the four directions along planes of a quadrangular pyramid as the outer web 32 extends from the rotation support portion toward the tooth portion. In the second embodiment, however, the thickness of the outer web 35 increases radially along the surface of a cone or a mortar. The shape of the forming surface of the moving piece 3 (piece 3b) of the second embodiment is formed in accordance with the shape of the bottom surface of the outer web 35. In the first embodiment, the thickness of the outer web 32 changes along the circumferential direction. In the second embodiment, however, the thickness of the outer web 35 does not change in the circumferential direction. Thus, the resin of the outer web 35 does not unevenly contract in the manufacture of the gear, and thus the accuracy of shape of the tooth portion hardly changes in the circumferential direction. Consequently, the gear with high accuracy can be formed. In addition, the rotationally symmetric outer web 35 of the present embodiment is well-balanced when the gear is rotated, and hardly causes turbulence of the air. Consequently, the gear with quietness can be formed.

[0089] The gear of the present embodiment can also be made by using the same manufacturing method as that of the first embodiment.

[0090] Also in the gear of the present embodiment, since the thickness of the outer web increases as the outer web extends toward the tooth portion, the abrasion, caused when the slide piece slides on the moving piece in the mold in the manufacturing process, can be suppressed. Consequently, the durability of the mold and the efficiency in mass production can be increased.

Third Embodiment

[0091] Next, a composite gear 12 of a third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8C.

[0092] FIG. 8A is a plan view of the composite gear of the third embodiment. FIG. 8B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line J-J of FIG. 8A. FIG. 8C is an enlarged view of a portion K of FIG. 8B. Here, a component identical to that of the composite gear of the first embodiment is given an identical symbol, and duplicated description thereof will be omitted.

[0093] The rotation support portion and the inner web 55 of the first member 50 of the composite gear 12 of the third embodiment are the same as those of the composite gear 10 of the first embodiment. However, a second member 36 of the third embodiment differs from the second member 30 of the first embodiment in that an annular groove 38 is formed in the outer web 32 in the vicinity of the tooth portion 31 so that the thickness of the outer web 32 becomes constant in the circumference of the outer web 32. Preferably, the groove 38 is formed along a circle formed around the central axis 51.

[0094] In the first and the second embodiments, since the bottom surface of the outer web 32 is sloped at the angle , the thickness of the outer web 32 increases as the outer web extends toward the tooth portion. If the thickness of a portion of the outer web 32 in the vicinity of the tooth portion 31 is too large, heat is hardly dissipated from the portion in the manufacture of the gear, possibly affecting the shape of the tooth portion 31 when the outer web 32 is cooled. That is, if the thickness of the portion of the outer web 32 in the vicinity of the tooth portion 31 is too large, the deformation of the outer web 32 called sink mark may deteriorate the accuracy of shape of the tooth portion 31.

[0095] In the present embodiment, even if the thickness of the outer web 32 would increase as the outer web 32 extends toward the tooth portion 31, the groove 38, formed in a position where the tooth portion 31 and the outer web 32 meet with each other, can suppress the contraction of a thick portion of the outer web 32 from affecting the shape of the tooth portion 31.

[0096] Here, in the first embodiment in which the thickness of the outer web changes in the circumferential direction, the outer web easily contracts unevenly in all directions, possibly causing the accuracy of shape of the tooth portion to be uneven in the circumferential direction.

[0097] In the present embodiment, however, the groove 38 is formed in the outer web 32 in the vicinity of the tooth portion 31 so that the thickness of the outer web 32 becomes constant in the circumference of the outer web 32. As a result, even when the outer web 32 contracts unevenly in all directions in the manufacture of the gear, the present embodiment can suppress the contraction from affecting the accuracy of shape of the tooth portion 31.

[0098] The gear of the present embodiment can also be made by using the same manufacturing method as that of the first embodiment. Also in the gear of the present embodiment, since the thickness of the outer web increases as the outer web extends toward the tooth portion, the abrasion, caused when the slide piece slides on the moving piece in the mold in the manufacturing process, can be suppressed. Consequently, the durability of the mold and the efficiency in mass production can be increased.

Fourth Embodiment

[0099] Next, a composite gear of a fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C.

[0100] FIG. 9A is a plan view of the composite gear of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along a line L-L of FIG. 9A. FIG. 9C is an enlarged view of a portion M of FIG. 9B. Here, a component identical to that of the composite gear of the first embodiment is given an identical symbol, and duplicated description thereof will be omitted. In FIG. 9A, oblique lines given to the outer web 32 and extending in four directions are contour lines illustrated for convenience of description.

[0101] A composite gear 13 of the fourth embodiment is substantially the same as the composite gear of the first embodiment, but is different from the first embodiment in that the position of the gate, used to inject the resin into the cavity in the formation of the second member, is changed. That is, the gate is positioned at or near a position where the outer web 32 will have its minimum thickness, to inject the resin into the cavity to form the outer web 32. In other words, the gate is positioned at or near a position where the outer web 32 will hold the inner web, to inject the resin into the cavity. The composite gear of the present embodiment has a gate mark formed on the outer web 32, at a position where the outer web 32 has a small thickness.

[0102] The gate for the second member is formed to inject the resin into the cavity used to form the second member. In the present embodiment, the gate is formed within an area corresponding to a portion of the outer web 32 whose thickness is less than 50% of the maximum thickness of the outer web 32. Specifically, in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the resin is injected from a position at which a gate mark 9 is formed, to form the composite gear 13.

[0103] In the present embodiment, since the resin is injected from the gate positioned at or near a position where the outer web 32 holds the outer edge of the inner web 55, a cavity space used to form the holding portion of the outer web 32 can be reliably filled with the resin. Consequently, the composite gear in which the joining strength between the inner web 55 and the outer web 32 is ensured can be manufactured at a high yield.

[0104] The gear of the present embodiment can also be made by using the same manufacturing method as that of the first embodiment. Also in the gear of the present embodiment, since the thickness of the outer web increases as the outer web extends toward the tooth portion, the abrasion, caused when the slide piece slides on the moving piece in the mold in the manufacturing process, can be suppressed. Consequently, the durability of the mold and the efficiency in mass production can be increased.

Modifications

[0105] The present invention, however, is not limited to the first to the fourth embodiments, and the embodiments may be appropriately modified or combined.

[0106] For example, the rotation support portion of the gear may not be cylindrical, and may be shaped like a right prism or a column.

[0107] The first member including the rotation support portion may be formed by metal-injecting a magnesium alloy by using Thixomolding method. In this case, the second member including the tooth portion may be formed by injection-molding a resin material which is softer than the magnesium alloy.

[0108] In the first embodiment, the slide piece 2 of the mold 1 is constituted by four pieces such that, when viewed from above of the mold 1, the slide-piece moving direction is constituted by four directions, each having an angle of 90 degrees with respect to an adjacent direction. However, the configuration of the slide piece 2 is not limited to the above-described configuration. For example, the slide piece 2 may be constituted by six pieces such that the slide-piece moving direction is constituted by six directions, each having an angle of 60 degrees with respect to an adjacent direction. Thus, the number of the pieces and directions in which the pieces move forward and backward may be changed as appropriate. In addition, the bottom surface of the slide piece of the fixed mold and the top surface of the moving piece of the moving mold, that is, the parting surfaces may be flat or curved surfaces as long as the parting surfaces are sloped with respect to the slide-piece moving direction. Thus, the outer surface of the outer web of the composite gear may be flat or curved as long as the thickness of the outer web increases as the outer web extends toward the tooth portion. Alternatively, the outer surface of the outer web may be a surface in which a flat surface and a curved surface are combined.

Application Example of Gear

[0109] Next, there will be described an example in which a gear of the present invention is applied to a driving mechanism of a laser beam printer.

[0110] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a laser beam printer 200, which is one example of image forming apparatuses. The laser beam printer 200 includes a deck 201 that stores a recording sheet P, which is a recording material; and a pickup roller 202 that sends the recording sheet P from the deck 201.

[0111] The laser beam printer 200 further includes a feed roller 203 and a retard roller 204. The feed roller 203 conveys the recording sheet P sent by the pickup roller 202. The retard roller 204 forms a pair, together with the feed roller; and prevents multi-feeding of the recording sheet P. On the downstream side in a conveyance direction in which the feed roller 203 conveys the recording sheet P, a conveyance roller 205 and a registration roller pair 206 are disposed.

[0112] The conveyance roller 205 conveys the recording sheet P downstream from the feed roller 203. The registration roller pair 206 conveys the recording sheet P in synchronization with an image forming operation. On the downstream side of the registration roller pair 206, a process cartridge C is detachably attached to an apparatus body of the laser beam printer 200. The process cartridge C constitutes an image forming unit that forms a toner image on a photosensitive drum 208 in accordance with a laser beam emitted from a later-described laser scanner 207.

[0113] The process cartridge C includes the rotatable photosensitive drum 208, a charging roller 209, a development unit 210, and a cleaning unit (not illustrated). The charging roller 209, the development unit 210, and the cleaning unit are disposed around the photosensitive drum 208. When an image is formed, the process cartridge C causes the charging roller 209 to uniformly charge the surface of the photosensitive drum 208. The surface of the photosensitive drum 208 is then selectively exposed by the laser scanner 207 disposed in the apparatus body of the laser beam printer 200. With this operation, a latent image (electrostatic latent image) is formed on the photosensitive drum 208, and the latent image is developed into a visible image by the development unit 210 by using toner. The toner image is transferred onto the recording sheet P having been conveyed to the photosensitive drum 208, by applying a transfer bias voltage to a transfer roller 211.

[0114] On the downstream side of the transfer roller 211, a conveyance guide 212 and a fixing apparatus 213 are disposed. The fixing apparatus 213 heat-fixes the toner image transferred on the recording sheet P. The fixing apparatus 213 includes a sheet separation apparatus.

[0115] Then the recording sheet P is sent to a discharging roller 215 by a conveyance roller pair 214, and discharged by the discharging roller 215 onto a discharging tray 216 disposed on a top surface of the apparatus body. With this operation, a series of processes is completed.

[0116] Here, the photosensitive drum 208 and a driving mechanism of the process cartridge C, which functions (rotates) with the photosensitive drum 208 to charge and expose the photosensitive drum 208, are required to have higher accuracy of rotation as the quality of image has been improved in recent years. However, such a driving system, which typically includes a brushless motor and a gear driving mechanism, may deteriorate the quality of image because the vibration of the driving motor and gears engaged with each other in a gear driving portion affects the photosensitive drum 208 and other components. Thus, a gear of the present invention may be applied to the driving system of the process cartridge C to reduce the vibration.

[0117] FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram in which a gear of the present invention is applied to a drum driving portion of the laser beam printer 200.

[0118] FIG. 16 illustrates the photosensitive drum 208, a drum shaft 231 which supports the photosensitive drum 208 so that the photosensitive drum 208 can rotate, and a helical gear 232 attached to the drum shaft 231 and capable of driving the photosensitive drum 208. FIG. 16 also illustrates a motor 233 which is a driving source, a metal plate 234 which supports the motor 233 and the drum shaft 231, and a motor pinion 235 which meshes with the helical gear 232. The helical gear 232 is a gear of the present invention. In FIG. 16, an inner web and an outer web of the helical gear 232 are not illustrated because they are located at positions where they are not seen in FIG. 16.

[0119] As illustrated in FIG. 16, when the motor 233 serving as a driving source rotates, the motor pinion 235 into which the leading end of the motor shaft is press-fitted (or which is formed integrally with the motor shaft) rotates, rotating the helical gear 232. When the helical gear 232 rotates, the photosensitive drum 208 is rotated at a predetermined number of rotations.

[0120] In recent years, since laser beam printers are required to achieve both of improved quality of image and increased process speed (printing speed), they have a driving motor with a large number of rotations. However, the increased number of rotations of the driving motor causes vibration and noise, possibly causing displeasure of a user when the printer is used on a table.

[0121] However, if the gear of the present invention is applied to the printer, the vibration and the noise can be suppressed to a minimum level, and a comfortable office environment can be provided.

[0122] In the above description, the gear of the present invention is applied to the helical gear 232 that transmits a driving force to the photosensitive drum 208. However, another gear of the present invention may be applied to a process unit which exerts an effect on the photosensitive drum 208, or may be used as a gear which transmits a driving force to a sheet feeding mechanism used to convey a paper sheet.

EXAMPLES

Example 1

[0123] A concrete example of the first embodiment will be described as an example 1, and compared with comparative examples made by using conventional methods.

[0124] The example 1 is the composite gear illustrated in FIGS. 1A to 1C and FIG. 2. The first member 50 is made of a polybutadien terephthalate resin (with a glass fiber content of 30%), and the second member 30 is made of a polyacetal resin (copolymer). In specifications of the gear, a module m is 0.5, a pressure angle is 20, the number of teeth is 91, a helix angle is 20, and a tooth width t is 10 mm. In addition, by using the mold and the manufacturing processes illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5, the first member 50 was first formed, and then the second member 30 was formed.

[0125] A comparative example 1 is a conventional resin gear as illustrated in FIGS. 10A and 10B, and is made of polyacetal (POM) resin alone. A comparative example 2 has the same shape as that of the comparative example 1, but is made of a polybutadien terephthalate (PBT) resin alone. A comparative example 3 is a composite gear as illustrated in FIGS. 11A to 11C. In the comparative example 3, the first member is made of the same material as that of the first member of the example 1, and the second member is made of the same material as that of the second member of the example 1. However, the outer web of the second member of the comparative example 3 is not sloped.

[0126] On the example 1 and the comparative examples 1 to 3, total meshing error measurement and rotation-transmission error measurement were performed. In the latter measurement, a transmission error caused by one tooth was measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 Nm, and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm. In addition, abrasion of the mold was examined after 1,000 pieces of gear were made.

[0127] Table 1 illustrates the results.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 COMPARISON COMPARISON COMPARISON EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 2 EXAMPLE 3 EXAMPLE 1 MATERIAL POM PBT PBT + POM PBT + POM WEB NOT SLOPED NOT SLOPED NOT SLOPED SLOPED MOLD STATE NOT ABRADED NOT ABRADED ABRADED NOT ABRADED (AFTER 1000 PIECES OF GEAR WERE MOLDED) TOTAL MESHING ERROR (m) 25.2 45.5 30.3 28.4 ROTATION-TRANSMISSION 3.5 2 0.4 0.5 ERROR (m) * * The rotation-transmission error is a transmission error caused by one tooth and measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 N m and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm.

[0128] In comparison between the example 1 and the comparative example 1, the rotation-transmission error of the comparative example 1 is significantly larger than that of the example 1. This is probably because the gear was deformed by the torque produced when the gear was rotated, because the rotation support portion and the tooth portion of the comparative example 1 are both made of the same material, polyacetal, having relatively low stiffness. Regarding the total meshing error, although the comparative example 1 has a slightly smaller value than that of the example 1, the difference is not significant.

[0129] In comparison between the example 1 and the comparative example 2, the total meshing error of the comparative example 2 is significantly larger than that of the example 1. This is probably because the gear of the comparative example 2, all of which is made of the polybutadien terephthalate resin which contains glass fiber, has affected by the fiber orientation than the gear made of the polyacetal resin, and the fiber orientation deteriorated the accuracy.

[0130] In comparison between the example 1 and the comparative example 3, there is no significant difference in the total meshing error and the rotation-transmission error. However, when the mold was examined after 1,000 pieces of gear were made, the mold used for the comparative example 3 was abraded, whereas the abrasion of the mold used for the example 1 was not detected. This is probably because the inner web of the first member of the comparative example 3 was formed by using the slide piece which was not sloped, and the slide piece was abraded during the slide performed before and after each molding. In contrast, in the example 1 of the present invention, the abrasion of the slide piece was reduced because the slide piece was sloped.

Example 2

[0131] A concrete example of the second embodiment will be described as an example 2, and compared with comparative examples made by using conventional methods.

[0132] Materials and specifications of the example 2 are the same as those of the example 1. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 6A to 6C and FIG. 7, the bottom surface of the outer web of the second member of the example 2 is sloped like a mortar, so that the thickness of the outer web is constant in the circumferential direction.

[0133] On the example 2 and the comparative examples 1 and 3, the total meshing error measurement and the rotation-transmission error measurement were performed. In the latter measurement, a transmission error caused by one tooth was measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 Nm, and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm. In addition, abrasion of the mold was examined after 1,000 pieces of gear were made.

[0134] Table 2 illustrates the results.

TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 COMPARISON COMPARISON EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 3 EXAMPLE 2 MATERIAL POM PBT + POM PBT + POM WEB NOT SLOPED NOT SLOPED SLOPED MOLD STATE NOT ABRADED ABRADED NOT ABRADED (AFTER 1000 PIECES OF GEAR WERE MOLDED) TOTAL MESHING ERROR (m) 25.2 30.3 25 ROTATION-TRANSMISSION 3.5 0.4 0.4 ERROR (m) * * The rotation-transmission error is a transmission error caused by one tooth and measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 N m and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm.

[0135] In comparison between the example 2 and the comparative examples 1 and 3, the total meshing error of the example 2 is almost the same as that of the comparative example 1, and is smaller than that of the comparative example 3. Although the total meshing error of the example 1 is slightly larger than that of the comparative example 1, the total meshing error of the example 2 is decreased because the outer web of the second member of the example 2 is formed like a mortar and the uneven thickness of the outer web in the circumferential direction is reduced. In addition, the rotation-transmission error of the example 2 is smaller than that of the comparative example 1, and the abrasion of the mold used for the example 2 was significantly reduced compared to the comparative example 3.

Example 3

[0136] A concrete example of the third embodiment will be described as an example 3, and compared with comparative examples made by using conventional methods.

[0137] Materials, specifications, and the sloped outer web of the example 3 are the same as those of the example 1. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 8A to 8C, the example 3 is provided with the groove in a position where the tooth portion and the outer web meet with each other so that the thickness of the outer web becomes constant in the whole circumference of the outer web.

[0138] On the example 3 and the comparative examples 1 and 3, the total meshing error measurement and the rotation-transmission error measurement were performed. In the latter measurement, a transmission error caused by one tooth was measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 Nm, and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm. In addition, abrasion of the mold was examined after 1,000 pieces of gear were made.

[0139] Table 3 illustrates the results.

TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 COMPARISON COMPARISON EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 3 EXAMPLE 3 MATERIAL POM PBT + POM PBT + POM WEB NOT SLOPED NOT SLOPED SLOPED MOLD STATE NOT ABRADED ABRADED NOT ABRADED (AFTER 1000 PIECES OF GEAR WERE MOLDED) TOTAL MESHING ERROR (m) 25.2 30.3 24 ROTATION-TRANSMISSION 3.5 0.4 0.4 ERROR (m) * * The rotation-transmission error is a transmission error caused by one tooth and measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 N m and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm.

[0140] In comparison between the example 3 and the comparative examples 1 and 3, the total meshing error of the example 3 is almost the same as that of the comparative example 1, and is smaller than that of the comparative example 3. In addition, the total meshing error of the example 3 is slightly smaller than those of the examples 1 and 2. This is probably because the groove is formed in the outer web in a position where the tooth portion and the outer web meet with each other so that the thickness of the outer web becomes constant in the whole circumference of the outer web. Here, even when the outer web has a plurality of slopes, as illustrated in FIG. 2, which cause the thickness of the outer web to change in the circumferential direction, the thickness of the outer web is constant in the vicinity of the tooth portion. Thus, the accuracy of shape of the tooth portion hardly changes in the circumferential direction, which allows the gear to have high accuracy. In addition, even if the sloped outer web has a thickness larger in the vicinity of the tooth portion, the adverse effect by the thickness can be reduced by the groove.

Example 4

[0141] A concrete example of the fourth embodiment will be described as an example 4, and compared with comparative examples made by using conventional methods. Materials, specifications, and the shape of the outer web of the example 4 are the same as those of the example 1. However, as illustrated in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the gate used to form the second member was positioned, to form the gear, at or near a position where the outer web has its minimum thickness.

[0142] On the example 4 and the comparative examples 1 and 3, the total meshing error measurement and the rotation-transmission error measurement were performed. In the latter measurement, a transmission error caused by one tooth was measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 Nm, and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm. In addition, abrasion of the mold was examined after 1,000 pieces of gear were made.

[0143] Table 4 illustrates the results.

TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 COMPARISON COMPARISON EXAMPLE 1 EXAMPLE 3 EXAMPLE 4 MATERIAL POM PBT + POM PBT + POM WEB NOT SLOPED NOT SLOPED SLOPED MOLD STATE NOT ABRADED ABRADED NOT ABRADED (AFTER 1000 PIECES OF GEAR WERE MOLDED) TOTAL MESHING ERROR (m) 25.2 30.3 24.5 ROTATION-TRANSMISSION 3.5 0.4 0.4 ERROR (m) * * The rotation-transmission error is a transmission error caused by one tooth and measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 N m and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm.

[0144] The rotation-transmission error is a transmission error caused by one tooth and measured when the gear was rotated at a torque of 6.0 N.Math.m and at a rotational speed of 25 rpm.

[0145] In comparison between the example 4 and the comparative examples 1 and 3, the total meshing error of the example 4 is almost the same as that of the comparative example 1, and is smaller than that of the comparative example 3. In addition, the total meshing error of the example 4 is slightly smaller than those of the examples 1 to 3. This is because, as illustrated in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the gate used to form the second member of the example 4 was positioned at a position where the outer web has its small thickness, and thereby the resin was facilitated to flow toward a portion of the cavity corresponding to a thick portion of the outer web, improving filling performance.

Other Embodiments

[0146] While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. The scope of the following claims is to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

[0147] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2018-090875, filed May 9, 2018, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.