Duplex Conveyance Path with Merging Guide for Long Sheet Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses face challenges in stabilizing the conveyance of long sheets during duplex printing, as the extended inverting conveyance path is prone to jams due to alignment accuracy issues and increased pathway length, which complicates maintaining the necessary gap between guide members.
Innovation Solution
The image forming apparatus incorporates a double-side conveyance path with a merging pathway that connects to the main conveyance path upstream of the image forming section, featuring conveyance rollers and a guide system to ensure stable conveyance of long sheets by reversing the conveyance direction, and includes a merging conveyance path with additional rollers and a wheel to prevent scratches and maintain accurate gap alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the inverting conveyance path is extended to handle long sheets, then the capability to process long sheets is improved, but the likelihood of jams increases due to alignment accuracy issues and increased pathway length
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance path is divided into multiple segments with individual guide members (first guide member, second guide member, third guide member) that can be independently adjusted. This segmentation allows precise alignment control in each section, reducing jams while maintaining the extended path length needed for long sheet processing
Solution Approach 2:
Different sections of the conveyance path have locally optimized guide members positioned at specific locations. The first guide member is positioned downstream of the fixing device, the second guide member is positioned upstream of the image forming device, and the third guide member is positioned in the inverting conveyance path. Each guide member provides localized alignment control to prevent jams in critical areas
2Ease of repair
If the inverting conveyance path is made movable from and into the apparatus body, then ease of maintenance and jam handling is improved, but alignment accuracy between the inverting conveyance path and the fixed conveyance path deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guide members are pre-positioned and pre-adjusted during assembly to establish accurate alignment between the movable inverting conveyance path and the fixed conveyance path. This preliminary alignment action ensures that when the inverting conveyance path is moved for maintenance, the guide members maintain their relative positions and alignment accuracy is preserved
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes alignment detection mechanisms that monitor the positional relationship between guide members in the movable inverting conveyance path and the fixed conveyance path. When misalignment is detected, the system provides feedback to adjust the positions of guide members, ensuring accurate alignment is maintained even after movement for maintenance
Data Source
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AI summary
An image forming apparatus capable of stable conveying of a long sheet when forming images on both sides of the long sheet is provided. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming section for forming a toner image on a long sheet; a fixing section for fixing the toner image formed on the long sheet; a main conveyance path for conveying the long sheet to the image forming section and the fixing section; and a double-side conveyance path which branches off from a first side, in the main conveyance path, downstream of the fixing section in a conveyance direction of the long sheet, and which conveys the long sheet to a second side upstream of the image forming section by reversing the conveyance direction at a point of switching back to invert the long sheet. The double-side conveyance path includes, in a downstream side in the conveyance direction before the switching back, a merging pathway connected to the second side upstream of the image forming section in the main conveyance path, and a first introducing member for introducing into the merging pathway a head of the long sheet in the conveyance direction before the switching back.