Dynamic Fixing Temperature Control for Image Forming Apparatus
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face productivity issues due to delayed start times in print operations caused by the time-consuming rasterizing process needed to set the fixing temperature for thermal fixing, which results in excessive energy consumption and reduced productivity, especially during high-volume print jobs.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus that analyzes Page Description Language (PDL) data to acquire character number, spacing, and size information, allowing for early judgment on fixability at lower temperatures, thereby setting the fixing temperature promptly to reduce energy consumption while ensuring fixability, by comparing these parameters with reference values to determine if thermal fixing at a lower temperature will maintain image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the fixing temperature is set to the target temperature to ensure fixability under all print conditions, then fixability is improved, but electrical power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing temperature is made dynamic rather than fixed. The control unit adjusts the fixing temperature based on the printing rate calculated from PDL data. When the printing rate is high (more toner deposited), the fixing temperature is set to the target temperature to ensure fixability. When the printing rate is low (less toner deposited), the fixing temperature is reduced to save energy. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between ensuring fixability and reducing power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing temperature parameter is changed based on print conditions. Instead of using a single target temperature for all cases, the system calculates the printing rate from PDL data and adjusts the fixing temperature parameter accordingly. This allows the system to use lower temperatures for low-density prints (reducing power consumption) while maintaining the target temperature for high-density prints (ensuring fixability).
2Use of energy by moving object
If the rasterizing process is performed to calculate printing rate for setting fixing temperature, then energy saving is improved, but start time of print operation is delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary analysis of PDL data to calculate the printing rate before the actual print operation starts. By analyzing the PDL data structure (which contains information about image density and toner deposition) in advance, the control unit can determine the appropriate fixing temperature beforehand. This preliminary action allows the system to avoid time-consuming rasterizing processes during the print operation, thus reducing start time delay while still enabling energy-saving temperature control.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts only the necessary information from PDL data (such as image region details and toner deposition patterns) to calculate the printing rate, rather than performing complete rasterization. By extracting key parameters from the PDL data structure directly, the system can estimate the printing rate quickly without converting the entire PDL data to raster format, thus reducing the time delay while maintaining energy saving benefits.
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 approach enables earlier start times for print operations, preventing productivity decreases and achieving energy savings by promptly setting the fixing temperature based on PDL data analysis, ensuring both fixability and reduced energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
thermally fixes the toner image
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
An image forming apparatus (1) forms a toner image of text on a recording sheet (S) based on PDL data prescribing text data and one or more print conditions thereof, and thermally fixes the toner image, and includes: condition acquisition unit (605) analyzing the PDL data to acquire, as the conditions, one or more of character number, character spacing, and line spacing from the PDL data; judgment unit (60) judging for each condition, by comparing the condition with reference value, the judgment indicating whether the condition is suitable for ensuring fixability of the toner image if thermally fixed at a temperature that is lower than predetermined temperature; and temperature control unit (80), when the judgment unit judges negatively for at least one condition, setting a fixing temperature for thermally fixing the toner image to the predetermined temperature, when the judgment unit judges affirmatively for all conditions, setting the fixing temperature to the lower temperature.