Erasing Device Thermal Head Localized Heat Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing erasing devices wastefully consume energy and accelerate deterioration of recording media by applying heat or light to the entire medium, rather than targeting specific image areas.
Innovation Solution
An erasing device equipped with a line scanner and a thermal head with heat generating elements, where the positions and heat quantities of these elements are controlled based on image data from the line scanner to selectively erase images, reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If heat or light is applied to the entire recording medium, then images can be erased, but energy is wastefully consumed and deterioration of the recording medium is accelerated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies heat locally only to areas where images are formed on the recording medium, rather than heating the entire medium. The thermal head is positioned and controlled to target specific regions containing images, thereby reducing overall energy consumption and minimizing deterioration of areas without images.
Solution Approach 2:
The erasing process is segmented into targeted zones based on image detection. The thermal head processes different sections of the recording medium separately, applying heat only where needed rather than treating the entire medium as a single unit, which reduces total energy expenditure and localized stress on the medium.
2Loss of energy
If light is irradiated on a wide section of the recording medium, then images can be erased, but energy is still wastefully consumed and deterioration of the recording medium is still fast
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a thermal head that can be positioned to apply heat locally to specific areas containing images. By controlling the thermal head's position and activation, heat is applied only where images need erasure rather than irradiating light across the entire wide section of the recording medium, thus reducing energy waste and medium deterioration.
3Manufacturing precision
If the thermal head is positioned downstream of the line scanner, then heat can be applied based on detected image positions, but the recording medium must be conveyed through the system
Solution Approach 1:
The line scanner detects image positions on the recording medium before the thermal head applies heat. This preliminary detection allows the system to prepare the heating pattern in advance, ensuring that when the recording medium reaches the thermal head, heat is applied immediately at the correct positions without delay or repositioning.
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 solution allows for efficient energy use by only heating specific areas where images are formed, thereby minimizing energy wastage and slowing down the deterioration of the recording medium.
Implementation Method 1
a thermal head set downstream in a recording medium conveying direction of the line scanner and on the same side as the line scanner with respect to a conveying path for the recording medium and including plural heat generating elements
Data Source
AI summary
An erasing device includes a line scanner on an upstream side in a recording medium conveying direction, includes a thermal head downstream in the recording medium conveying direction of the line scanner, and includes a platen in a position opposed to the thermal head as a heating device across a recording medium conveying path. The erasing device causes the heat generating elements of the thermal head in positions corresponding to color and density sensors in positions of an image detected by the line scanner to generate heat. The erasing device controls, according to detected colors or density, a quantity of heat to be generated.