Buffer Control for Image Forming System Page Order
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming systems face challenges in preventing paging disorder when feeding multiple sheets to post-processing sections, often resulting in sheet jamming and complex mechanisms required to maintain accurate overlapping orders.
Innovation Solution
The system introduces a buffer mechanism where the image forming order of sheets in the buffer section differs from those not in standby, using a calculating unit to determine the number of sheets to stand by and setting the image forming order based on this calculation, allowing sheets to be fed in an overlapped state without jamming and maintaining accurate page order.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple sheets are fed to the post-processing section simultaneously, then productivity is improved, but paging disorder occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by making sheets stay in the buffer section in advance before feeding them to the post-processing section. The control section calculates the optimal stay time for each sheet based on post-processing duration, ensuring that sheets are ready in the correct order when needed, thus preventing paging disorder while enabling simultaneous processing of multiple sheets
Solution Approach 2:
The control section uses feedback from the post-processing section to dynamically adjust sheet feeding timing. By monitoring when post-processing completes and calculating required stay times, the system feeds subsequent sheets at precisely timed intervals, maintaining page order accuracy even when multiple sheets are processed simultaneously
2Ease of operation
If sheets are made to stay in the buffer section in the same order as image formation, then ease of operation is improved, but paging disorder occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the stay time of each sheet in the buffer section based on real-time conditions. Rather than using a fixed ordering rule, the control section calculates individual stay times for each sheet according to post-processing duration and feeding requirements, allowing flexible adaptation to different processing scenarios while maintaining simple operation
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the temporal parameter (stay time) for each sheet in the buffer section based on calculation results. By varying the duration each sheet remains in the buffer before feeding, the system optimizes the feeding sequence to match post-processing completion times, ensuring correct page order without complex mechanical reordering mechanisms
3Device complexity
If a single buffer section is used, then device complexity is reduced, but sheet jamming occurs when feeding overlapped sheets
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs periodic action by feeding sheets to the post-processing section at calculated time intervals rather than continuously or simultaneously. The control section determines optimal feeding periods based on post-processing duration, ensuring that overlapped sheets are separated and fed at appropriate times, thus preventing sheet jamming while using only a single buffer section
Solution Approach 2:
The buffer section acts as an intermediary between the sheet feeding mechanism and the post-processing section. By introducing calculated stay times in this intermediate buffer, the system decouples the feeding rate from the processing rate, allowing overlapped sheets to be temporarily held and released at appropriate intervals, preventing jamming without requiring multiple buffer sections
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is an image forming system having a simple buffer mechanism and capable of preventing paging disorder when image-formed sheets are fed to a processing section. The present invention is featured in that an image forming order of a plurality of sheets to be made to stand by in a buffer section of a conveying path for guiding the sheets to a processing section is made different from an image forming order of sheets that are not made to stand by. To realize this, the system includes an image forming section, an accumulating section that accumulates image-formed sheet for processing, a conveying path along which the sheet is conveyed from the image forming section to the accumulating section, a buffer section disposed in the conveying path, in which the sheet to be fed to the accumulating section is made to temporarily stay, and a control section that controls the image forming section and the accumulating section.