DRIVE BELT TENSIONING APPARATUS FOR PRINTER
A drive belt tensioning apparatus for a printer is provided having a tensioning member pivotally mounted to the printer housing so as to contact and thereby tension a drive belt about a drive shaft of a motor and a roller so as to impart rotational driving force of the motor to the roller for transporting media through the printer, a brace member mounted to the housing about a slotted arm of the tensioning member, and a locking screw fixed to the housing through the brace member and slotted arm. The pivoted position of the tensioning member relative to the housing determines the amount of tension imparted on the drive belt. The locking screw locks the pivoted position of the tensioning member. The brace member is fixedly mounted to the housing so that rotation of the locking screw is not imparted to the slotted arm during fixing of the locking screw.
1 . A drive belt tensioning apparatus for a printer, the apparatus comprising:
a tensioning member pivotally mounted to a housing of the printer so as to contact and thereby tension a drive belt about a drive shaft of a motor and at least one roller so as to impart rotational driving force of the motor to the roller for transporting media through the printer, the pivoted position of the tensioning member relative to the housing determining the amount of tension imparted on the drive belt;
a brace member mounted to the housing about a slotted arm of the tensioning member; and
a locking screw fixed to the housing through the brace member and slotted arm to lock the pivoted position of the tensioning member, the brace member being fixedly mounted to the housing so that rotation of the locking screw is not imparted to the slotted arm during fixing of the locking screw to the housing
2 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a spring for biasing a bushing of the tensioning member against the drive belt thereby imparting the tension on the drive belt.
3 . An apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the brace member is elongate and has pins at either end which are snugly received within respective holes of the housing such that the brace member is unable to rotate relative to the housing.
4 . An apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the slotted arm has a curved slot through which a screw hole of the housing is exposed through plural pivoted positions of the tensioning member.
5 . An apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the brace member has a hole which is aligned with the exposed screw hole in the housing.
6 . An apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the locking screw is fixed within the exposed screw hole via the hole in the brace member.