Drive unit, and image forming apparatus and process cartridge incorporating same

• Main Authors: Uchida, Toshiyuki, Murakami, Hiroaki, Tosaka, Akihiko, Kobayashi, Kazuhiro
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 21.10.2020
• Subjects: CINEMATOGRAPHY; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS

A drive unit (51) for rotating a first rotary member (1) and a second rotary member (9a; 9c) disposed around the first rotary member (1) includes a drive source (52), an output gear (52a) driven by the drive source (52), a first gear (53) configured to engage the output gear (52a), a first joint member (55) projecting from the first gear (53) coaxially and coupled to the first rotary member (1), a second gear (54) smaller in diameter than the first gear (53) and connected between the first gear (53) and the first joint member (55), a driven gear (56) to engage the second gear (54) to be driven thereby, disposed within an area of the first gear (53) in a radial direction thereof, and a second joint member (57) projecting from the driven gear (56) coaxially and connected to the second rotary member (9a; 9c). The first gear is greater in diameter than the output gear, and the driven gear is smaller in diameter than the first gear.