Heating Body Segmentation for Fixing Temperature Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming apparatuses face challenges in preventing excessive temperature increases in non-sheet passing regions of fixing devices, which can lead to inefficiencies and potential damage.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a heating body unit with a heat transmission member and a control unit that allows selective heat generation within the sheet-passing region, using multiple heating body elements arranged along the cylindrical film, and a heat transmission member that contacts the heating body unit to manage temperature across the sheet's width, preventing excessive temperature rise outside the sheet-passing area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a heater substrate with heating elements is used to fix images on sheets, then image fixing efficiency is improved, but excessive temperature increase occurs in non-sheet passing regions
Solution Approach 1:
The heater substrate is divided into multiple independent heating body elements (first, second, third heating body elements) that can be independently controlled. This segmentation allows selective heating of different regions, enabling the controller to activate only the heating elements corresponding to the sheet passing region while keeping non-sheet passing regions cool, thus resolving the contradiction between image fixing efficiency and temperature control in non-sheet passing areas
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the heater substrate are equipped with different heating body elements that can be independently controlled. The first heating body element corresponds to the sheet passing region and is activated during image fixing, while heating body elements in non-sheet passing regions can be deactivated. This local differentiation ensures efficient image fixing where needed while preventing excessive temperature rise in non-sheet passing regions
2Stability of the object's composition
If heating body elements are arranged to cover the entire heater substrate width, then uniform heating is achieved, but temperature cannot be selectively controlled in different regions
Solution Approach 1:
The heater substrate is segmented into multiple heating body elements (first, second, third heating body elements) arranged in the width direction. Each heating body element can be independently controlled by the controller, allowing selective activation of only those elements corresponding to the sheet passing region. This segmentation enables both uniform heating across the sheet width and selective temperature control to prevent overheating in non-sheet passing regions
Solution Approach 2:
The heating body elements are designed to be dynamically controllable, with the controller able to selectively activate or deactivate specific heating elements based on the sheet position and size. This dynamic control allows the system to adapt to different sheet formats and conveyance conditions, maintaining temperature uniformity across the sheet passing region while preventing excessive temperature rise in non-sheet passing regions
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 solution effectively inhibits excessive temperature increases outside the sheet-passing region, ensuring consistent and efficient image fixing across various sheet sizes, while maintaining optimal temperature within the sheet-passing area for image formation.
Implementation Method 1
a heating body unit (arrangement) that includes a heating body and comes into contact with a first surface inside the cylindrical body
Implementation Method 2
a heat transmission member that contacts the heating body unit
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit, a film-shaped cylindrical body, a heating body unit, a first member, and a control unit. The image forming unit forms an image on a sheet. The cylindrical body has a sheet-passing region coming into contact with the sheet to fix the image to the sheet moving in a first direction. The cylindrical body is broader than the sheet-passing region in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The heating body unit includes a heating body and comes into contact with a first surface inside the cylindrical body. The first member is disposed on a second surface opposite to the first surface of the heating body. The first member has an outer end disposed outside an outer end of the sheet-passing region in the second direction. The control unit allows the heating body to generate heat inside the outer end of the sheet-passing region in the second region.