Heating Element Control for Image Gloss Uniformity
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Image heating devices with small heat capacities cause significant gloss differences across adjacent heating regions due to varying control target temperatures, leading to noticeable inconsistencies in images with uniform density.
Innovation Solution
An image heating device with a heating unit comprising a substrate and multiple heating elements, where the control portion adjusts power supply based on image density information to ensure the difference in control heating amounts among heating regions remains within a predetermined range, thereby minimizing gloss differences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If selective heating is performed based on image density information for each heating region, then power consumption is reduced, but gloss differences arise at boundaries between adjacent heating regions with different control target temperatures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by setting different control target temperatures for different heating regions based on image density information. Specifically, heating regions are classified into first heating regions (with higher image density) and second heating regions (with lower image density), and different control target temperatures are assigned to each class to optimize both power consumption and gloss uniformity locally in each region
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control target temperature parameter differently for first and second heating regions. By adjusting the control target temperature according to image density characteristics of each heating region, the system achieves efficient power consumption while maintaining gloss uniformity across the entire image area
2Productivity
If control target temperatures are set differently for adjacent heating regions to match image density variations, then heating efficiency is improved, but significant gloss differences occur at the boundaries between these regions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements local quality by categorizing heating regions into first heating regions (with higher image density) and second heating regions (with lower image density), and assigning appropriate control target temperatures to each category. This allows efficient heating tailored to local image characteristics while maintaining overall gloss consistency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies equipotentiality by ensuring that control target temperatures are set such that gloss levels become uniform across heating region boundaries. By carefully selecting control target temperatures for adjacent first and second heating regions, the system eliminates gloss differences at boundaries while maintaining heating efficiency
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 approach effectively reduces gloss differences across contiguous image portions formed across multiple heating regions, enhancing image uniformity and gloss consistency.
Implementation Method 1
a heater that is in contact with an inner surface of the fixing film... heating elements dividedly provided on the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
In a case where an image formed on a recording material includes a contiguous image portion formed across a plurality of heating regions at a given density, power supplied to a plurality of heating elements that heat the plurality of heating regions is controlled by correcting respective control heating amounts of the plurality of heating regions set in accordance with respective maximum densities of image regions resulting from dividing the image into the plurality of heating regions, so that a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the control heating amounts among the plurality of heating regions in which the image portion is heated from among the plurality of heating regions, lies within a predetermined range.