Fixing Device Sliding Sheet Wrinkle Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixing devices in image forming apparatuses face challenges with assemblability and an increased number of components, particularly due to the complexity of sliding sheet installations which can lead to wrinkles and image defects.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device design featuring an endless belt, a pressing member on the inner side, a support member, and a pressurizing member on the outer side, with a sliding sheet wound loosely around the pressing member, where the sheet's upstream and downstream regions are interposed between the pressing member and support member, and fixed by the pressurizing member's pressing force, reducing friction and preventing wrinkles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sliding sheet is wound tightly around the pressing member without clearance and fixed with fixtures such as screws and a leaf spring, then the sliding sheet can be securely fixed, but the assemblability becomes complex and the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the complex fixing fixtures (screws, leaf springs) from the assembly by extracting their fixing function and replacing it with a simple clearance-based design where the sliding sheet naturally positions itself between the pressing member and support member without requiring additional fastening components
Solution Approach 2:
The sliding sheet performs its own positioning and fixing function by being interposed between the pressing member and support member through its own elastic deformation, eliminating the need for external fixing mechanisms. The sheet's elasticity enables it to self-anchor in the assembly
2Reliability
If the sliding sheet is fixed with multiple fixtures such as screws and a leaf spring, then the sliding sheet can be securely held, but the number of components increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the fixing function with the structural support function by integrating the sliding sheet directly between the pressing member and support member. This eliminates the need for separate fixing components (screws, leaf springs) and reduces the total component count while maintaining fixing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and removes the additional fixing components (screws, leaf springs) from the assembly, relying instead on the sliding sheet's elastic deformation and the clearance design to provide sufficient fixing without these extra parts
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 design enhances assemblability, reduces the number of components, and prevents image defects by stabilizing the fixing belt and sheet interaction, ensuring smooth operation and efficient toner image fixation.
Implementation Method 1
a sliding sheet member having a small friction coefficient is installed on a sliding surface of the pressing member in order to improve slidability between the pressing member and the belt
Implementation Method 2
a pressurizing member that is arranged on an outer side of the belt and forms the fixing nip with the belt by pressing, from the outer side of the belt, a part of the belt pressed by the pressing member
Data Source
AI summary
A fixing device fixes a toner image onto a piece of paper by conveying the piece of paper formed with the toner image while nipping the piece of paper at a fixing nip, and includes: an endless belt that is rotated; a pressing member that presses the belt; a support member that supports the pressing member; a sheet wound around the pressing member along the conveyance direction; and a pressurizing member that forms the fixing nip with the belt, wherein a part of an upstream region of the sheet existing more on an upstream side in a winding direction than a contact region contacting the belt and the pressing member and a part of a downstream region of the sheet existing more on a downstream side in the winding direction than the contact region are interposed between the pressing member and the support member, and are fixed by pressing force.