Fixing Heater Segmentation for Uniform Heat Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing fixing devices in image forming apparatuses face issues with maintaining consistent heat distribution across the heating elements, leading to potential image quality deterioration due to uneven heating, especially when handling sheets of different sizes.
Innovation Solution
The fixing device incorporates a heater with a plurality of electrodes and heating element pieces arranged through a gap portion in the main scanning direction, where the ratio of the gap portion's surface area to the heating element pieces' surface area is optimized to reduce material usage and ensure efficient heat transfer, with the heating element pieces being shaped as squares, rectangles, parallelograms, or trapezoids to enhance heat distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of substance
If heating element pieces are arranged with larger gaps between them, then material usage is reduced and cost decreases, but heat distribution uniformity deteriorates leading to image quality issues
Solution Approach 1:
The heating element is divided into multiple heating element pieces arranged in the main scanning direction. This segmentation allows for reduced material usage while maintaining effective heating coverage by strategically positioning multiple smaller heating zones rather than using a continuous heating element.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the heater are designed with different gap sizes between heating element pieces. The gap ratio is controlled to be 0.05 or less, ensuring that local variations in gap size do not compromise overall heat distribution uniformity. This local optimization allows material reduction while preventing image quality deterioration.
2Manufacturing precision
If heating element pieces are arranged with smaller gaps between them, then heat distribution uniformity is improved, but material usage increases and cost rises
Solution Approach 1:
The gap ratio parameter between heating element pieces is precisely controlled to be 0.05 or less. By optimizing this specific parameter, the patent achieves uniform heat distribution across the heating surface while minimizing material usage. This parameter optimization allows for reduced material consumption without sacrificing heating performance.
3Manufacturing precision
If continuous heating elements are used, then heat distribution is uniform, but electricity consumption increases and lifespan decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous heating element is replaced with multiple discrete heating element pieces. This segmentation reduces overall material usage and electricity consumption while maintaining uniform heat distribution through optimized gap control. The segmented structure allows for more efficient energy utilization compared to a continuous heating element.
Solution Approach 2:
By using discrete heating element pieces instead of a continuous element, the patent enables selective replacement and maintenance of individual heating zones. This approach extends the overall lifespan of the heating system by allowing partial recovery and replacement of heating elements without replacing the entire heating 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
This configuration effectively reduces the likelihood of image quality deterioration by ensuring consistent heat application across various sheet sizes, extending the lifespan of the heating elements and optimizing electricity usage.
Implementation Method 1
a fixing heater in which resistive heating elements are formed on the surface of a substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A heater includes electrodes and heating element pieces. The electrodes energize the heating element pieces with electricity. The heating element pieces are connected to the electrodes and arranged through a gap portion in the heater in a main scanning direction. A ratio of a second surface area of the gap portion to a first surface area of the heating element pieces is 0<(second surface area of the gap portion)/(first surface area of the heating element pieces)≤0.5.