Fuser Film Guide Geometry for Stable Rotation and Sheet Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image heating devices based on the film heating system face challenges in maintaining film rotation stability and effectively separating recording materials from the film.
Innovation Solution
The image heating device incorporates a tubular film with a heater, a roller forming a nip, a film guide that guides the film's inner surface, and a flange member that stabilizes film rotation and ensures effective separation by specific distance and position configurations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If a film heating system is used for image fixation, then power saving characteristics are improved, but film rotation stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a tubular film as the heating element that rotates with the pressurizing roller. The film is configured to be flexible enough to conform to the roller surface while maintaining structural integrity for stable rotation. The film's thin-walled tubular structure allows it to rotate smoothly while providing sufficient heating surface area, resolving the contradiction between energy efficiency and rotation stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The film heating system is segmented into discrete functional zones along the tubular film, with heating elements positioned at specific intervals. This segmentation allows different portions of the film to perform specialized functions (heating, guiding, separating), improving overall rotation stability while maintaining power efficiency through localized heating zones.
2Loss of energy
If a film heating system is used for image fixation, then power saving characteristics are improved, but the ability to separate recording material from the film deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular film's flexible thin-walled structure enables it to easily release the recording material after fixation. The film can deform and separate from the recorded surface without requiring excessive force, improving separation ability while maintaining the power-saving benefits of the film heating system.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of using a rigid heating element that requires forceful separation, the patent inverts the approach by using a flexible film that naturally detaches after heating. The film's flexibility is exploited in reverse - rather than being a disadvantage for separation, it becomes the mechanism that enables easy release of the recorded material.
3Productivity
If the film is driven by rotation of the pressurizing roller, then heating function is achieved, but film rotation stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The tubular film is specifically designed with optimal wall thickness and material properties to rotate smoothly with the pressurizing roller while maintaining dimensional stability. The flexible film structure absorbs rotational variations and maintains consistent heating performance, resolving the contradiction between heating function and rotation stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The tubular film serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as the heating element, the rotating component, and the separation medium. By integrating these functions into a single multi-functional component, the system achieves efficient heating while the film's inherent properties ensure stable rotation, eliminating the need for separate stabilization mechanisms.
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 enhances film rotation stability and improves the ability to separate recording materials from the film, preventing buckling and ensuring smooth operation, particularly at higher speeds.
Implementation Method 1
heats, with heat of the heater, an image formed on a recording material sandwiched and conveyed by the nip
Data Source
AI summary
A flange member is adapted such that a first distance between a first position at which a part thereof on an upstream side in a recording material conveyance direction comes into contact with a film inner surface and a nip center that is an intersection of a first virtual line and a second virtual line is longer than a second distance between a second position at which a region of an outer surface of the flange member facing the film inner surface intersects the first virtual line and the nip center, and a film guide is adapted such that a third distance between a third position that faces the film inner surface on the upstream side and the nip center is longer than a fourth distance between a fourth position that faces the film inner surface on the downstream side and the nip center on the first virtual line.