Transmitting module and multi-functional printer using the same

A transmitting module and a multi-functional printer (MFP) using the same are provided. The transmitting module includes at least two shafts and a conveyer belt. Each shaft has a circumference surface and multiple first fixing structures, and the first fixing structures are arranged in a row encircling the circumference surface. The conveyer belt encircles the shafts, and the conveyer belt has a body and multiple second fixing structures, where the fixing structures are arranged in a row on a bottom of the body. When the conveyer belt rotates along with the shafts, the second fixing structures engage with the first fixing structures correspondingly.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 100144961, filed on Dec. 7, 2011. The entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this specification.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to a module and an equipment, in particular, to a transmitting module and a multi-functional printer (MFP) using the transmitting module.

2. Description of Related Art

Along with the coming of the information society, office automation equipment (OAE), such as a scanner, a photocopier, and a printer, is disposed in an office, so that users may perform word processing operations by using the OAEs. It should be noted that, when the various OAEs are disposed in the office at the same time, they occupy a large space. Therefore, a multi-functional printer (MFP) having functions such as photocopying, printing, and scanning integrated has been developed to solve the above problem.

Specifically, a scanning module and a printing module in the MFP all need a conveyer belt and shafts. When the shafts rotate, the conveyer belt is driven to drive the scanning module to rotate, so as to perform scanning, or the conveyer belt carries carbon powder and cooperates with a photoreceptor drum assembly and a transfer roller, so as to perform printing.

However, the conveyer belt is only sleeved on a transmission shaft, so the conveyer belt tends to snake with respect to the shafts in an axial direction of the shafts, and in this way, the scanning result or printing quality may be affected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a transmitting module, in which a conveyer belt has desired fixity with respect to shafts.

The present invention is further directed to a multi-functional printer (MFP) using the transmitting module.

The present invention provides a transmitting module, which includes at least two shafts and a conveyer belt. Each shaft has a circumference surface and multiple first fixing structures, and the first fixing structures are arranged in a row encircling the circumference surface. The conveyer belt encircles the shafts, and the conveyer belt has a body and multiple second fixing structures, where the fixing structures are arranged in a row on a bottom of the body. When the conveyer belt rotates along with the shafts, the second fixing structures engage with the first fixing structures correspondingly.

In an embodiment of the transmitting module of the present invention, one of the shafts is a driving shaft, and the other one of the shafts is a driven shaft.

In an embodiment of the transmitting module of the present invention, the first fixing structures are protrusions while the second fixing structures are recesses, or the first fixing structures are recesses while the second fixing structures are protrusions. In addition, the protrusions are arranged in a battlement shape. The protrusions are bumps or salient points, and the recesses are blind holes or through holes. Further, the protrusions are of a bilateral symmetrical shape.

In an embodiment of the transmitting module of the present invention, the second fixing structures and the body are formed integrally.

In an embodiment of the transmitting module of the present invention, a material of the conveyer belt is rubber.

The present invention further provides an MFP, which includes a main body, a scanning module, a driving module, and a transmitting module according to any embodiment described above. The scanning module, the driving module and the transmitting module are all disposed in the main body, and the transmitting module is connected between the driving module and the scanning module.

In an embodiment of the MFP of the present invention, a scanning platform disposed in the main body is further provided. The scanning module is located on the scanning platform, the transmitting module is located beside the scanning platform, and the scanning module is suitable for moving with respect to the scanning platform.

The present invention further provides an MFP, which includes a main body, a transmitting module according to any embodiment described above, a photoreceptor drum assembly, and a transfer roller. The transmitting module, the photoreceptor drum assembly, and the transfer roller are all disposed in the main body. The photoreceptor drum assembly and the transfer roller all contact with the conveyer belt, and the photoreceptor drum assembly has no physical contact with the transfer roller.

In an embodiment of the MFP of the present invention, a pick up roller and a paper heating element are further provided, and the transfer roller is located between the pick up roller and the paper heating element.

In view of the above, in the transmitting module of the present invention, the first fixing structures of the shafts and the second fixing structures of the conveyer belt cooperate with each other to enable the conveyer belt and the shafts have desired fixing effect. Therefore, when the transmitting module is operating, the conveyer belt will not snake with respect to the shafts. The MFP using the transmitting module may have desired scanning or printing effect.

In order to make the above features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, embodiments are illustrated in detail below through accompanying drawings.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

First Embodiment

FIG. 1is a schematic three-dimensional view of a transmitting module according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIG. 1, a transmitting module100includes at least two shafts110,120and a conveyer belt130. The shafts110,120each has a circumference surface112and multiple first fixing structures114, and the first fixing structures114are arranged in a row encircling the circumference surface112. The conveyer belt130encircles the shafts110,120, and the conveyer belt130rotates along with rotation of the shafts110,120. The conveyer belt130has a body132and multiple second fixing structures134, and the second fixing structures134are disposed on a bottom surface132of the body132. A part of the second fixing structures134engage with a part of the first fixing structures114.

Specifically, a material of the conveyer belt130may be rubber, and the second fixing structures134and the body132are formed integrally. Moreover, the shape of the second fixing structures134fits with the shape of the first fixing structures114, so that the second fixing structures134are well-engaged with the first fixing structures114. In this embodiment, the first fixing structures114are protrusions, and the second fixing structure134are recesses, where the protrusions are rectangular bumps, the protrusions are arranged in a battlement shape on the circumference surface112, the recesses are rectangular through holes, and the recesses are disposed at positions corresponding to the protrusions. In other embodiments not shown, the first fixing structures114may also be circular salient points and the second fixing structures134may be circular blind holes, and the salient points are engaged in the blind holes correspondingly. Alternatively, the first fixing structures114may be recesses, and the second fixing structures134may be protrusions, which depends on the requirements. In addition, one shaft110(or120) is a driving shaft, and the other shaft120(or110) is a driven shaft.

Accordingly, when the transmitting module100is operating, illustration is made by taking the shafts110connected to a power source as an example. The power source may be a motor, and the operation of the motor impels the shaft110serving as the driving shaft to drive the conveyer belt130to rotate, thereby driving the shaft120serving as the driven shaft to rotate. Specifically, the first fixing structures114being the protrusions are embedded in the second fixing structures134being the recesses correspondingly, so that no speed difference is generated between the conveyer belt130and the shaft120, the conveyer belt130will not skid with respect to the shaft120, and therefore, the conveying of objects is controlled. Moreover, the first fixing structures114being the protrusions may be designed to be bilateral symmetrical, which further increases the fixing effect between the conveyer belt130and the shaft110(or120), and the conveyer belt130will not snake in an axial direction A of the shaft110(or120).

Second Embodiment

FIG. 2is a schematic view of a second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the transmitting module inFIG. 1is applied in an MFP, and cooperates with a scanning module of the MFP, so as to provide the function of scanning. Referring toFIG. 1andFIG. 2, an MFP200in this embodiment includes a main body210, a scanning module220, a driving module230, the transmitting module100according to the first embodiment, and a scanning platform240. The scanning module220, the driving module230, the scanning platform240and the transmitting module100are all disposed in the main body210. The scanning module220is disposed on the scanning platform240, and the transmitting module100is located beside the scanning platform240and connected between the driving module230and the scanning module220. The transmitting module100is suitable for driving the scanning module220to rotate with respect to the scanning platform240.

Specifically, the driving module230is a combination of a motor and gears. One shaft110of the transmitting module100is connected to the driving module230, and the other shaft is not shown inFIG. 2. The scanning module220is connected to the conveyer belt130, and the scanning module220is driven by the rotation of the conveyer belt130.

When performing a scanning procedure, the driving module230starts to operate, and then drives the shaft110of the transmitting module100to drive the conveyer belt130to rotate, and the scanning module220is driven by the conveyer belt130to move with respect to the scanning platform240, so as to perform the scanning procedure.

In the transmitting module100, the conveyer belt130and the shaft110have no speed difference and have desired fixing effect, and the conveyer belt130will not skid nor snake along the shaft110, so the scanning procedure performed by using the MFP200may obtain the scanning effect with desired quality.

Third Embodiment

FIG. 3is a schematic view of a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the transmitting module inFIG. 1is applied in an MFP, and cooperates with a transfer roller and a photoreceptor drum assembly, so as to provide the function of printing.

Referring toFIG. 1andFIG. 3, an MFP300of this embodiment includes a main body310, the transmitting module100, a photoreceptor drum assembly320, and a transfer roller330. In this embodiment, the transmitting module100has 4 shafts110, and for clarity of the drawing, the shafts are all labelled by110. The conveyer belt130of the transmitting module100contacts with the photoreceptor drum assembly320and the transfer roller330respectively, but the photoreceptor drum assembly320has no physical contact with the transfer roller330.

Moreover, the MFP300further has a pick up roller340and a paper heating element350. The pick up roller340, the paper heating element350, the transfer roller330and the transmitting module100together define a paper transmission path P. Specifically, the pick up roller340enables a paper to enter the paper transmission path P, and pass through the transfer roller330and the paper heating element350sequentially for printing. Further, the pick up roller340drives the paper (not shown) to move to the transfer roller330along the paper transmission path P, and after carbon powder is distributed on the paper through the cooperation of the photoreceptor drum assembly320, the conveyer belt130of the transmitting module100, and the transfer roller116, the paper is transmitted to the paper heating element350for being heated, so that the carbon powder may be fixed on the paper.

The conveyer belt130and the shafts110of the transmitting module100have no speed difference, and fixing effect between the conveyer belt130and the shafts110is good, so the delivery of the carbon powder is well controlled, and the conveyer belt130will not snake along the shafts110. Therefore, the printing procedure performed by using the MFP300may obtain desired printing quality.

The second and third embodiments are only examples for illustrating the possible applications of the transmitting module, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The transmitting module of the present invention may be applied in any situation requiring avoiding the conveyer belt to snake with respect to the shaft, for example, conveying of a precise object, so as to prevent the precise object from being damaged due to collision of inner parts caused by shaking.

In view of the above, in the transmitting module of the present invention, the engagement between the first fixing structures of the shafts and the second fixing structures of the conveyer belt enable the conveyer belt and the shafts to have desired fixing effect, thereby preventing the conveyer belt from snaking with respect to the shafts during the operation of the transmitting module. The transmitting module is applied in the MFP, and together with the use of the scanning module, the MFP is enabled to have a desired scanning effect; together with the use of the printing module (such as the transfer roller, the photoreceptor drum assembly and the heating element), the MFP is enabled to have a desired printing effect. Moreover, the transmitting module may be further applied to the conveying of other precise products, so as to prevent the precise products from being damaged due to collision of inner parts caused by shaking of the conveyer belt, thereby improving the yield of the precise products before delivery.