Image-Forming Fixing Heater Control for Jam-Clearing Toner
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses that selectively heat image portions, toner adheres to the fixing film or pressure roller during a jam clearing process, especially when non-image areas are repeatedly heated after a pause, making it difficult to remove.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus changes the distribution of control target temperatures for the heater before and after a pause, increasing the temperature of non-image areas by a larger margin to facilitate the removal of adhered toner.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If the apparatus selectively heats image portions using a heater with independently controllable heat-generating elements, then power consumption is reduced and energy efficiency is improved, but toner adheres to the fixing film or pressure roller during jam clearing process when non-image areas are repeatedly heated
Solution Approach 1:
The control portion changes the distribution of control target temperatures for the heater before and after a pause. Specifically, after a pause, the control target temperature for non-image areas is increased by a larger margin than for image areas. This parameter change allows the heater to selectively heat non-image areas to a higher temperature, which facilitates the removal of adhered toner while maintaining energy efficiency during normal operation.
2Ease of operation
If the apparatus maintains the same control target temperature distribution before and after a pause, then operational simplicity is maintained, but adhered toner cannot be effectively removed during subsequent image formation
Solution Approach 1:
The control portion dynamically adjusts the distribution of control target temperatures based on the operational state. Before a pause, the heater uses a standard temperature distribution for energy-efficient image portion heating. After a pause, the system transitions to a different temperature distribution that prioritizes heating non-image areas, enabling effective toner removal. This dynamic adjustment ensures reliable toner removal while maintaining operational simplicity through automated control.
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
Prevents toner from sticking and being repeatedly heated, ensuring effective removal of adhered toner during subsequent image formation.
Implementation Method 1
a heater having a plurality of heat-generating elements aligned along a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording material, wherein the fixing portion is configured to heat the image formed on the recording material utilizing heat of the heater at the nip portion to fix the image on the recording material
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a fixing portion, and a control portion. The fixing portion forms a nip portion to nip a recording material and includes heat-generating elements along a direction orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording material. The fixing portion fixes the image on the recording material using heat. The image forming apparatus changes a control target temperature for each heating area heated by each of the heat-generating elements in accordance with the image to be formed on the recording material. When forming the image after a jam clearing process in which the recording material nipped in the nip portion is removed, the control portion changes a distribution of a control target temperature of the whole heater in the direction in which the heat-generating elements are aligned to a second distribution different from a first distribution corresponding to the image.