Heating Unit Heat Management for Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in efficiently fixing images onto sheets of varying sizes due to inadequate heat distribution, which can lead to malfunction of electronic components located near the heating source.
Innovation Solution
A heating unit with a housing that supports rotatable members forming a nip area, where an electronic component is positioned to overlap the smallest sheet size in the long-side direction, reducing heat transmission to the component and maintaining a compact device size by aligning the connector and heating roller vertically.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the electronic component is positioned near the heating source to reduce device size, then device complexity is reduced, but heat transmission to the electronic component increases causing malfunction
Solution Approach 1:
The electronic component is repositioned from a horizontal arrangement near the heating source to a vertical arrangement below the heating roller. This dimensional change in the long-side direction allows the component to overlap the smallest sheet size position, utilizing the space dimension to simultaneously reduce device size and avoid heat exposure.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating unit creates a localized heat distribution pattern where the temperature varies across different positions in the long-side direction. By positioning the electronic component at a specific location (overlapping the smallest sheet size), the design exploits the local quality of heat distribution to place the component in a cooler zone while maintaining compact dimensions.
2Device complexity
If the heating unit is designed for compact size, then device complexity is reduced, but heat distribution efficiency decreases causing inadequate image fixing
Solution Approach 1:
The design changes the positional parameter of the electronic component along the long-side direction to optimize both compactness and heat distribution. By aligning the component with the smallest sheet size position, the heating roller can efficiently heat all sheet sizes while maintaining a compact device footprint.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the electronic component is positioned to overlap the smallest sheet size, then heat transmission to the component is reduced, but device complexity increases due to precise positioning requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The positioned electronic component serves multiple functions: it acts as a connector, position reference, and heat protection element simultaneously. This multi-functionality reduces the need for additional protective structures, thereby maintaining device simplicity while achieving precise positioning for heat avoidance.
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 heat transmission to the electronic component, preventing malfunctions and allowing for a more compact design by ensuring the connector overlaps the smallest sheet size, thus maintaining efficient image fixing across various sheet sizes.
Implementation Method 1
a first rotatable member that generates heat
Data Source
AI summary
A heating unit includes a first rotatable member that generates heat; a second rotatable member that forms, in combination with the first rotatable member, a nip area through which sheets of different sizes pass one by one; a housing that supports the first and second rotatable members such that the first and second rotatable members are rotatable; an electronic component that is fixed to the housing and includes a portion that overlaps a smallest one of the sheets passing through the nip area in terms of a position in a long-side direction of the nip area; and an other member that is provided between the first rotatable member and the electronic component.