Fixing Belt Refreshing Roller for Glossiness Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixing devices in image forming apparatuses face challenges in uniformly fixing toner images onto recording media while maintaining optimal glossiness, as they often result in unevenness due to irregularities in the fixing belt surface.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device with a refreshing roller that rotates in a direction different from the fixing belt, scratching its outer peripheral surface to create fine scratches, thereby reducing unevenness in glossiness. The refreshing roller is designed to rotate at a different peripheral velocity, forming scratches of specific lengths (200-300 μm) to ensure uniformity without causing streak-like patterns.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a fixing belt is used to fix images onto recording media, then image fixing is achieved, but unevenness in glossiness occurs due to irregularities in the fixing belt surface
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful effect of surface irregularities into a beneficial one by intentionally creating controlled scratches on the fixing belt surface. These scratches, formed by the refreshing roller, prevent toner accumulation in irregularities and ensure uniform toner transfer, thereby converting the original surface defects into a feature that promotes uniform glossiness.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the surface parameters of the fixing belt by creating scratches with specific characteristics (length of 200-300 μm, formed by a refreshing roller rotating at a different peripheral velocity). This parameter change transforms the surface from having random irregularities to having controlled, uniform scratch patterns that prevent glossiness unevenness.
2Manufacturing precision
If a refreshing roller rotates in the same direction as the fixing belt at the same speed, then surface contact is maintained, but no scratching effect occurs to reduce glossiness unevenness
Solution Approach 1:
The invention applies the refreshing roller in the opposite rotational direction to the fixing belt. This inversion creates relative motion between the two rollers, enabling the scratching effect that removes surface irregularities and prevents glossiness unevenness, which would not occur if both rollers rotated in the same direction at the same speed.
3Manufacturing precision
If the refreshing roller rotates at high speed to create scratches, then glossiness uniformity improves, but streak-like patterns may form on the fixed images
Solution Approach 1:
The invention precisely controls the rotational speed parameter of the refreshing roller to create scratches of optimal length (200-300 μm). This parameter optimization ensures that scratches are sufficient to prevent glossiness unevenness but not so long as to create streak-like patterns on the fixed images, achieving a balance between uniformity and pattern avoidance.
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 effectively reduces unevenness in glossiness, ensuring that the fixed images have a visually acceptable surface finish and maintains the processing time within acceptable limits, preventing the formation of streaks and maintaining the surface evenness of the fixing belt.
Implementation Method 1
the reducing member and the heater contacting each other and rotating at different speeds, and the reducing member scratching an outer peripheral surface of the heater
Data Source
AI summary
A fixing device includes a heater that transports a recording medium while rotating in a first direction and fixes an image formed on the recording medium to the recording medium by heating the image, a reducing member that rotates in a second direction different from the first direction, the reducing member and the heater contacting each other and rotating at different speeds, and the reducing member scratching an outer peripheral surface of the heater, and a moving device that moves the heater with respect to the reducing member in a direction of a rotational axis of the reducing member.