Fixing Unit Shutter Positioning With Magnetic Open Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in precisely positioning a shutter due to manufacturing tolerances of interlocking members, making it difficult to ensure safe and efficient operation of the fixing portion.
Innovation Solution
The image forming apparatus incorporates a shutter mechanism with an urging portion and an abutment portion to precisely position the shutter at open and closed positions, using a torsion coil spring to maintain high precision and reduce the risk of user contact with high-temperature components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a shutter is urged toward a closed position by an interlocking member, then safety is improved by closing the opening, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to tolerance accumulation in interlocking mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical interlocking member system with a magnetic field-based positioning system. The shutter is equipped with a first magnet and the abutment portion has a second magnet, creating magnetic attraction that automatically positions the shutter at the open position without requiring complex mechanical interlocking mechanisms. This substitution eliminates tolerance accumulation issues while maintaining safety functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the positioning mechanism from mechanical force transmission to magnetic field interaction. By utilizing magnetic attraction force between the first magnet on the shutter and the second magnet on the abutment portion, the system achieves precise positioning through field-based parameters rather than mechanical dimensions, thereby improving manufacturing precision while maintaining reliability.
2Ease of operation
If an interlocking member is used to move the shutter, then the shutter can be positioned at the open position, but device complexity increases due to additional components and assembly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the interlocking member by substituting it with a magnetic positioning system. The shutter includes a first magnet that is attracted to a second magnet on the abutment portion, automatically positioning the shutter when the cover is opened. This removes the need for complex interlocking mechanisms while maintaining the shutter opening function, thereby reducing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The magnetic positioning system enables the shutter to self-position automatically through magnetic attraction between the first magnet on the shutter and the second magnet on the abutment portion. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for external interlocking members to force the shutter open, simplifying the overall device structure while maintaining operational ease.
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
The solution ensures precise positioning of the shutter, reducing the risk of sheet jamming and user injury while maintaining a compact design and improving usability for maintenance operations.
Implementation Method 1
an urging portion configured to urge the shutter toward the open position
Implementation Method 2
a first magnet provided on the shutter and a second magnet provided on the abutment portion, and the shutter positioned at the open position by attraction between the first magnet and the second magnet
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion configured to form a toner image on a sheet, a fixing portion configured to heat and pressurize the sheet bearing the toner image to fix the toner image to the sheet, a shutter provided to be movable to an open position at which the shutter opens an opening that the sheet being conveyed toward the fixing portion is able to pass through, and a closed position at which the shutter closes the opening, an urging portion configured to urge the shutter toward the open position, and an abutment portion that the shutter urged toward the open position by the urging portion abuts to be positioned at the open position.