Fixing Device Non-Contact Heating and Rear Surface Air Blowing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing fixing devices in image forming apparatuses face challenges in controlling the heating temperature due to the gradual heating of the feeding section, which affects the rear surface of the recording medium and the fixed image, especially when the rear surface is in contact with device components or not in a no-wind condition.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device is designed with a heating section that heats the front surface of the recording medium in a non-contact manner, accompanied by a maintaining section that ensures the rear surface, particularly in the image region, remains in a non-contact state. This is achieved through the use of air blowers that maintain a non-contact state between the rear surface and the device components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the rear surface of the recording medium is in contact with device components during feeding, then the feeding section can be structurally simple, but the rear surface is gradually heated and causes complicated temperature control
Solution Approach 1:
An air blowing section is introduced as an intermediary between the rear surface of the recording medium and the device components. This air flow prevents direct contact and heat transfer from the feeding section to the rear surface, while allowing the feeding section to maintain its simple structural design with components like feed rollers.
2Device complexity
If the rear surface is in contact with device components, then structural simplicity is achieved, but heat is transferred to the fixed image causing quality degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The air blowing section serves as a thermal intermediary that blocks heat transfer from the feeding section to the rear surface of the recording medium. This prevents the heated air and direct contact from transferring thermal energy to the fixed image, protecting image quality while keeping the feeding section structure simple.
3Device complexity
If air is not blown to the rear surface (no-wind condition), then the structure is simpler, but heat influence from the rear surface increases
Solution Approach 1:
The air blowing section introduces a controlled air flow as an intermediary layer between the feeding section and the rear surface. This air layer acts as a thermal barrier that reduces heat transfer to the recording medium, while the air blowing system itself remains relatively simple in structure.
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 the influence of heat received from the rear surface of the recording medium, preventing overheating and maintaining consistent temperature control in the heating section, thereby ensuring proper image fixation without complications.
Implementation Method 1
a heating section that heats in a non-contact manner a front surface of a recording medium
Implementation Method 2
This is achieved through the use of air blowers that maintain a non-contact state between the rear surface and the device components
Data Source
AI summary
A fixing device includes: a heating section that heats in a non-contact manner a front surface of a recording medium; a feeding section that feeds the recording medium while causing the front surface to be opposed to the heating section; and a maintaining section that, in order to enable the recording medium to be fed by the feeding section while a rear surface that is opposite to the front surface, and that is in an image region where an unfixed-image is formed on the front surface is in a non-contact state, maintains the non-contact state.