Conveyance Roller Cleaning via Periodic Web Contact
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleaning devices for image forming apparatuses are inefficient in maintaining the cleanliness of conveyance rollers, leading to sheet conveyance failures and image defects due to ink adherence on the rollers.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning device comprising a strip-shaped web, a support roller, a take-up roller, a pressing roller, and a controller with a separation and contact mechanism, which monitors the number of conveyed sheets and controls the web's contact with the conveyance roller to effectively remove dust and ink, ensuring prolonged cleaning with a web of limited length.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the web is continuously pressed against the conveyance roller to clean it, then the cleaning effectiveness is improved, but the web length is有限 and will be consumed quickly
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing roller is moved to contact the web with the conveyance roller at specific intervals based on cumulative sheet count thresholds. Instead of continuous contact, the system periodically activates cleaning only when necessary (every N sheets), thereby extending web life while maintaining cleaning effectiveness when needed most.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller预先 sets threshold values for sheet counts before cleaning is needed. By monitoring and comparing cumulative sheet counts against these pre-set thresholds, the system prepares for cleaning operations in advance and executes them at optimal moments, maximizing web utilization.
2Reliability
If the web is brought into contact with the conveyance roller frequently to remove ink adherence, then the image quality is improved, but the cleaning device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cleaning system monitors its own usage through the sheet count and automatically determines when cleaning is needed. The controller tracks cumulative sheets and autonomously activates the pressing roller at appropriate intervals, making the system self-regulating without requiring external intervention or complex manual control.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller receives feedback from the sheet count monitoring and adjusts cleaning operations accordingly. By comparing cumulative sheet counts against threshold values, the system creates a feedback loop that automatically regulates cleaning frequency, ensuring image quality is maintained while avoiding unnecessary cleaning operations.
3Reliability
If the web take-up operation is performed every time the resist roller is cleaned, then the web surface renewal is improved, but the productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
Both the cleaning operation and web take-up are performed periodically based on cumulative sheet count thresholds rather than continuously. This synchronized periodic operation ensures the web surface is renewed only when cleaning is actually needed, maintaining productivity while ensuring cleanliness when it matters.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller预先 determines when web renewal is needed by monitoring sheet counts against thresholds. By planning and executing take-up operations only at predetermined intervals based on actual usage, the system avoids unnecessary interruptions and maintains optimal productivity while ensuring web surface quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device ensures reliable cleaning of the conveyance rollers, preventing sheet conveyance failures and image defects by efficiently removing paper dust and ink, thus maintaining the apparatus's performance and image quality.
Implementation Method 1
The pressing roller is brought into contact with the web between the support roller and the take-up roller, and presses the web to the conveyance roller
Implementation Method 2
The web cleans the surface of the conveyance roller by being brought into contact with the surface of the conveyance roller
Implementation Method 3
leading to sheet conveyance failures and image defects due to ink adherence on the rollers
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning device includes a separation and contact mechanism that separates a web from a conveyance roller and brings the web into contact with the conveyance roller, and a controller. The controller includes a conveyed sheet number determination unit and a separation and contact control unit. The conveyed sheet number determination unit monitors a conveyed sheet number of both-surface image forming sheets where image forming processing is applied to both a first surface and a second surface with respect to the sheets conveyed by the conveyance roller, and determines whether or not a cumulative value of the conveyed sheet number has reached a predetermined threshold value. The separation and contact control unit controls the separation and contact mechanism so as to allow the web to be pressed to the conveyance roller by a pressing roller when the cumulative value of the conveyed sheet number has reached the threshold value.