Fixing Device Preheating Control for Image Quality
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixing devices in image forming apparatuses face challenges in maintaining consistent temperature during continuous printing, leading to uneven image quality and increased reload times due to heat loss, which results in issues like uneven gloss and curling of sheets.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device with a heating member, pressing member, and a control system that includes a recording-medium data receiver and preheating-time adjuster, which adjusts the preheating time based on acquired data to maintain a consistent temperature, ensuring heat storage is optimized for the number and type of sheets being printed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the fixing member temperature is raised when the number of sheets is greater, then fixing reliability is improved, but the amount of heat given to each sheet differs significantly causing uneven image quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by preheating the fixing member before the actual fixing process. The preheating time is determined based on the number of sheets to be processed, ensuring the fixing member reaches the appropriate temperature in advance. This prevents temperature fluctuations during continuous fixing, maintaining consistent heat application to each sheet and ensuring uniform image quality while preserving fixing reliability.
2Reliability
If the setting temperature of the fixing member is raised to prevent fixing failures, then fixing reliability is improved, but the reload time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the preheating time adjustable based on the number of sheets to be processed. The preheating-time adjuster dynamically sets the appropriate preheating duration: longer preheating for larger sheet numbers to ensure sufficient heat storage, and shorter preheating for smaller sheet numbers to reduce reload time. This dynamic adjustment maintains fixing reliability while optimizing reload time according to actual processing needs.
3Loss of time
If pressure between the fixing member and pressing member is changed to control temperature, then reload time is reduced, but the structure becomes more complicated and image quality fluctuates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature control function from the pressure control mechanism. Instead of changing pressure to control temperature, the invention introduces a separate preheating-time adjuster that controls temperature through adjusted preheating duration. This separates the pressure control (for speed) from temperature control (for quality), simplifying the overall structure while achieving both reduced reload time and stable image quality.
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 prevents fixing failures by maintaining a consistent temperature across all sheets, reducing reload time and improving image quality by optimizing heat storage based on the number and type of sheets, thus ensuring consistent image output.
Implementation Method 1
a heating member that heats the fixing member
Implementation Method 2
the heating member heats the fixing member to a predetermined temperature set in advance and preheats the fixing member while maintaining the temperature of the fixing member
Data Source
AI summary
A fixing device includes a fixing member, a heating member to heat the fixing member, a pressing member to press against the fixing member with a predetermined pressure, forming a nip where an image is fixed on a recording medium with heat and pressure, a heating controller to cause the heating member to heat the fixing member to a predetermined temperature set in advance and to preheat the fixing member while maintaining the temperature of the fixing member, a recording-medium data receiver to acquire recording-medium data before a fixing process is started, and a preheating-time adjuster to adjust a preheating time during which the heating member preheats the fixing member based on the data acquired by the recording-medium data receiver.