Fixing Device Reciprocating Mechanism for Edge Damage Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing fixing devices for image forming apparatuses face issues with surface damage from the lateral edges of recording materials, leading to unsmoothness, especially when processing sheets of varying widths, and require upsizing to accommodate maximum width sheets, which is inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device with a reciprocating mechanism that adjusts its position in the widthwise direction for smaller sheets but remains stationary for maximum width sheets, ensuring proper alignment and reducing edge flaws without the need for extended heating unit lengths, thus preventing device upsizing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the fixing device is reciprocated in the widthwise direction to reduce edge damage, then edge flaws are reduced, but the device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing device employs a reciprocating mechanism that dynamically adjusts the position of the fixing member in the widthwise direction based on sheet width detection. For maximum width sheets, the fixing member remains stationary at the center position, while for smaller sheets, it reciprocates to prevent edge damage. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by making the reciprocation conditional rather than continuous, avoiding unnecessary device size increases.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameter (reciprocation) based on the detected sheet width parameter. When a small width sheet is detected, the reciprocation amplitude and frequency are activated; when a maximum width sheet is detected, reciprocation is deactivated. This parameter-based control allows the same device to handle both edge protection needs and full-width processing without requiring physical size increases.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the fixing member length is extended to process maximum width sheets, then maximum width sheets can be processed, but the device becomes larger
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a fixed long fixing member, the system uses a shorter fixing member that dynamically positions itself via reciprocation. The fixing member length is determined by the maximum processing width requirement, but its effective coverage is extended through controlled reciprocating motion. This allows the device to process sheets of various widths without requiring a physically large fixing member, thus avoiding device size increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing process is segmented into multiple positional stages through reciprocation. Rather than requiring a single long fixing member to cover all widths simultaneously, the system segments the processing into discrete width-based positions, activating reciprocation only when needed for smaller sheets. This segmentation allows versatile sheet width processing with a compact device structure.
3Reliability
If reciprocation is always activated to protect the fixing member surface, then surface damage is reduced, but processing efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the reciprocation parameter based on sheet width detection. Reciprocation is activated only when small width sheets are detected, and deactivated when maximum width sheets are processed. This conditional parameter change maintains surface integrity when needed while preserving processing efficiency during full-width operations, resolving the contradiction between reliability and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The fixing device performs self-protection through conditional reciprocation based on its own detection of sheet width. The system automatically determines when reciprocation is necessary for surface protection and when it can be omitted for efficiency, without external intervention. This self-service approach maintains surface integrity while optimizing processing speed based on actual operating conditions.
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 effectively reduces edge flaws on the heating belt, improves image quality, and extends the device's lifespan without the need for increased size, ensuring efficient operation across various sheet widths.
Implementation Method 1
a heating belt (first rotatable member) having a heat generation unit that generates heat to heat the sheet with the toner image to be fixed
Data Source
AI summary
A fixing device includes a fixing unit including a first roller and a second roller which form a nip to fix a toner image on a sheet, the fixing unit being capable of fixing the toner image on a maximum width sheet and a small width sheet; a reciprocating mechanism for reciprocating the fixing unit in a widthwise direction; and an operating device for operating the reciprocating mechanism, wherein the operating device operates the reciprocating mechanism for a fixing operation on the small width sheet, and the operating device does not operate the reciprocating mechanism for the fixing operation on the maximum width sheet.