Dual Decoloring Section Sheet Erasing Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image erasing apparatuses for sheets, such as MFPs, face inefficiencies in heating both surfaces of a sheet, leading to excessive power consumption and potential underheating or overheating, as well as mechanical challenges in guiding the sheet due to bending or folding, which affects decoloring quality and stability.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus features a dual decoloring section configuration with opposing heating members and rollers on each surface, where the first section efficiently heats the sheet's upstream surface and the second section heats the downstream surface with reduced pressure, optimizing temperature distribution and power usage, and includes a scanner for image data reading and sheet guidance to ensure stable decoloring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If both surfaces of the sheet are heated simultaneously in a single decoloring section, then complete decoloring of both surfaces can be achieved, but excessive power is consumed and the sheet may not be sufficiently preliminarily heated before reaching the platen roller
Solution Approach 1:
The decoloring apparatus is divided into a first decoloring section that heats the front surface and a second decoloring section that heats the rear surface. This segmentation allows each section to operate independently with optimized power consumption, avoiding the excessive energy use of simultaneous dual-surface heating while ensuring complete decoloring of both surfaces.
Solution Approach 2:
The first decoloring section performs preliminary heating of the front surface before the sheet reaches the platen roller. This preliminary action ensures the sheet is sufficiently heated in advance, allowing the second decoloring section to complete the decoloring process without requiring excessive power at any single moment.
2Temperature
If high temperature is applied to the sheet to ensure sufficient heating before reaching the platen roller, then preliminary heating is achieved, but heat higher than necessary is applied leading to overheating
Solution Approach 1:
The heating process is segmented into two sections with different temperature profiles. The first decoloring section applies moderate heat for preliminary heating, while the second decoloring section applies the necessary heat for complete decoloring. This segmentation prevents overheating by distributing the thermal load across two independent sections rather than applying excessive heat in a single section.
3Productivity
If the sheet is conveyed to the decoloring apparatus, then the sheet can be processed for decoloring, but the leading end portion of the sheet is likely to be bent or folded making it difficult to guide the leading end to the nip section in a stable state
Solution Approach 1:
The first decoloring section performs preliminary heating and flattening of the sheet's leading end portion before it reaches the nip section. This preliminary action stabilizes the sheet by reducing bends and folds in advance, allowing the sheet to be guided smoothly through the decoloring apparatus without compromising processing productivity.
4Device complexity
If a single heating member is used to heat both surfaces of the sheet, then the device complexity is reduced, but the heating efficiency and temperature distribution are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The heating system is segmented into a first heating member for the front surface and a second heating member for the rear surface. Each heating member is independently controlled and optimized for its specific surface, achieving superior temperature distribution and heating efficiency while maintaining reasonable device complexity through modular design.
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
This configuration allows for efficient decoloring of both sheet surfaces with reduced power consumption and mechanical load, ensuring thorough image removal and stable sheet handling by preheating and aligning the sheet before reaching the nip areas, thus improving decoloring quality and operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
High temperature is applied the decolorable coloring agent to erase the decolorable coloring agent. Therefore, when the sheet is reused, the sheet is heated using an erasing apparatus to erase the image formed on the sheet.
Implementation Method 2
The decoloring apparatus conveys the sheet to between the platen roller and the heat source to thereby heat the sheet and erase the decolorable coloring agent.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, an erasing apparatus for a sheet includes a conveying path configured to convey a sheet on which an image is formed with a coloring agent that is erased by heating, a first erasing section including, on an upstream side of the conveying path, a first heating member provided on one surface side of the sheet and a first rotating roller provided to be opposed to the first heating member, and a second erasing section including, on a downstream side of the first erasing section, a second heating member provided on the other surface side of the sheet and a second rotating roller provided to be opposed to the second heating member.