Dual-Sided Cooling Device for Recording Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recording-material cooling devices face challenges in effectively cooling both sides of a sheet-type recording material to prevent toner blocking and ensure image quality, as previous solutions either reduce cooling efficiency or lead to uneven temperature distribution.
Innovation Solution
A recording-material cooling device with a belt conveyance unit and dual cooling units, where each cooling unit has a heat-absorbing surface that protrudes beyond the ends of the transport direction, allowing for overlapping heat absorption from both sides of the recording material, enhancing cooling efficiency and preventing toner blocking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a clearance is formed between the belt and contact member to reduce resistance, then resistance between belt and contact member is reduced, but cooling efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The contact member is designed with a protruding portion that locally extends into the clearance space between the belt and contact member. This protruding portion creates a localized cooling channel that maintains adequate clearance for reduced resistance while providing targeted cooling in the previously dead zone, thus resolving the contradiction between resistance reduction and cooling efficiency.
2Productivity
If cooling is applied to both faces of recording material to enhance cooling efficiency, then cooling efficiency is enhanced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The contact member serves multiple functions: it acts as a structural support element, a cooling channel formation element, and a heat transfer interface. The protruding portion of the contact member creates cooling channels that cool both faces of the recording material simultaneously, eliminating the need for separate cooling mechanisms for each face and thus reducing overall device complexity while maintaining high cooling efficiency.
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 solution provides enhanced cooling efficiency and prevents toner blocking by ensuring both sides of the recording material are cooled effectively, maintaining image quality and preventing adherence issues.
Implementation Method 1
a first heat absorbing surface to contact the first belt to absorb heat of the recording material
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3
AI summary
A recording-material cooling device (9) includes a belt conveyance unit (30) that includes a first cooling unit (33a) and a second cooling unit (33b) to cool a recording material conveyed in a transport direction by a first belt (56) and a second belt (59). The first cooling unit (33a) is disposed at a first face side of the material and has a first heat absorbing surface (34a, 34b, 34c). The second cooling unit (33b) is disposed at a second face side opposite the first face side and has a second heat absorbing surface (34a, 34b, 34c). Each of the first and second heat absorbing surfaces (34a, 34b, 34c) has an inner area protruding outward beyond both ends thereof in the transport direction. The first and second heat absorbing surfaces (34a, 34b, 34c) are arranged to overlap each other in a direction crossing the transport direction.