Alignment Plate Skew Correction for Duplex Sheet Image Registration
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in accurately aligning images on both faces of a recording sheet during duplex printing, particularly when the printed materials are bound into a book, due to issues like transverse shift and skew with respect to the transport direction.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a skew correction mechanism with an alignment plate and an inclination angle adjustment mechanism, along with a detection device and control system to calculate and correct the skew and transverse shift by adjusting the alignment plate's angle based on detected corner positions, and notifies the user of necessary adjustments.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a skew correction mechanism with alignment plate is introduced, then manufacturing precision of image alignment is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The skew correction mechanism is divided into separate functional components: an alignment plate for geometric reference, an inclination angle adjustment mechanism for angular control, and a detection device for measurement. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently while working together to achieve precise image alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The alignment plate serves as an intermediary element between the recording sheet and the image forming device. It provides a stable geometric reference that mediates the correction process, allowing the inclination angle adjustment mechanism to precisely control the sheet's orientation without direct mechanical coupling.
2Manufacturing precision
If inclination angle adjustment mechanism is added to correct skew, then manufacturing precision is improved, but ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The detection device measures the actual inclination angle of the recording sheet and provides feedback to the control device. The control device then calculates the required adjustment amount and notifies the user, creating a closed-loop system that guides operation and improves precision without requiring complex manual adjustment procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically detects the sheet's inclination angle and calculates the necessary correction parameters without requiring manual measurement or complex user input. The notification to the user provides clear guidance for simple adjustment operations, making the system largely self-sufficient while maintaining high precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If detection device and control system are introduced to calculate deviation amount, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system replaces complex mechanical measurement and adjustment mechanisms with an automated detection and calculation system. The detection device optically or electrically measures corner positions, and the control device computes the deviation amount and required angle adjustments, eliminating the need for complex mechanical gauges or manual measurement procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection device creates a digital representation (copy) of the recording sheet's geometric state by detecting corner positions. This digital copy is then processed by the control device to calculate deviations and determine correction parameters, replacing the need for direct physical measurement and complex mechanical adjustment systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes a skew correction mechanism having an alignment plate extending parallel to a transport direction of a recording sheet, and configured to correct a skew of the recording sheet with respect to the transport direction, by pressing a side of the recording sheet extending along the transport direction, against the alignment plate, an inclination angle adjustment mechanism that enables manual adjustment of the inclination angle of the alignment plate with respect to the transport direction, a calculator that calculates a distance between the leading edge corner and the trailing edge corner in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction, detected by the detection device, as a deviation amount of the recording sheet, and calculates an adjustment amount of the inclination angle that reduces the deviation amount, and a controller that notifies the adjustment amount of the inclination angle calculated by the calculator, to a user.