Snap ring, rotator device, fixing device, and image forming apparatus

• Main Authors: Azeyanagi, Yuta, Watanabe, Yohhei, Suzuki, Naoto, Kawata, Teppei, Nagata, Haruki, Suzuki, Michiharu, Honjoh, Kenji, Kuwabara, Nobuo
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.02.2022
• Subjects: BEARINGS; BLASTING; CINEMATOGRAPHY; DEVICES FOR FASTENING OR SECURING CONSTRUCTIONAL ELEMENTS ORMACHINE PARTS TOGETHER, e.g. NAILS, BOLTS, CIRCLIPS, CLAMPS,CLIPS, WEDGES, JOINTS OR JOINTING; ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; ELEMENTS OR CRANKSHAFT MECHANISMS; ENGINEERING ELEMENTS AND UNITS; FLEXIBLE SHAFTS; GENERAL MEASURES FOR PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING EFFECTIVEFUNCTIONING OF MACHINES OR INSTALLATIONS; HEATING; HOLOGRAPHY; LIGHTING; MAGNETOGRAPHY; MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; PHOTOGRAPHY; PHYSICS; ROTARY BODIES OTHER THAN GEARING ELEMENTS; SHAFTS; THERMAL INSULATION IN GENERAL; WEAPONS

A snap ring is set to a set portion of a shaft of a rotator from a direction orthogonal to an axial direction of the shaft. The snap ring includes a first arcuate portion and a second arcuate portion facing each other, being elastically deformable in directions away from each other, holding the set portion by elastic deformation restoring force. One ends of the first and second arcuate portions are away from each other to form an insertion portion to insert the set portion. When the snap ring is not used, the first arcuate portion has a same radius of curvature as the second arcuate portion and the set portion, and a center of curvature closer to the second arcuate portion than the first arcuate portion, and the second arcuate portion has a center of curvature closer to the first arcuate portion than the second arcuate portion.