Humidifying Roller Pressure Release for Uniform Sheet Moisture
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet humidifying devices face issues with uniform humidification due to foreign matters like paper dust adhering to rollers, which disrupts the even distribution of water on sheets, leading to incomplete humidification and curling.
Innovation Solution
A sheet humidifying device with a pair of humidifying rollers forming a nip portion, a water-supply roller, and a pressure-contact releasing section that regulates the pressure contact between the rollers, ensuring efficient water supply and minimizing foreign matter accumulation, thereby maintaining uniform humidification.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If water is supplied continuously to humidifying rollers, then humidification efficiency is improved, but foreign matters accumulate on the rollers and disrupt uniform water distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic release of pressure contact between the humidifying rollers and water-supply roller. During operation, pressure contact is maintained for water supply, then periodically released to prevent foreign matter accumulation. This periodic action allows continuous humidification while preventing contamination that would disrupt uniform water distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system discards accumulated foreign matters by releasing pressure contact, allowing the rollers to be cleaned or reset. This discarding of contaminants restores the rollers to a clean state, enabling recovery of uniform water distribution capability while maintaining continuous operation.
2Reliability
If pressure contact between humidifying rollers is maintained continuously, then water supply to sheets is improved, but foreign matters from sheets transfer to rollers and contaminate the water supply system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic release of pressure contact between humidifying rollers at intervals during operation. This periodic action maintains reliable water supply during contact phases while creating interruption phases that prevent foreign matter accumulation and transfer to the water supply system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system skips or rushes through the potential contamination phase by quickly releasing pressure contact before foreign matters can significantly accumulate. This allows the system to maintain reliable water supply during necessary contact periods while minimizing exposure to harmful foreign matter transfer.
3Quantity of substance
If water-supply roller is continuously dipped in water container, then water supply to humidifying rollers is ensured, but foreign matters in water container re-adhere to rollers and spread contamination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic release of pressure contact between the water-supply roller and humidifying rollers. This periodic action ensures sufficient water supply during contact phases while creating interruption phases that prevent foreign matters from the water container from re-adhering to the rollers and spreading contamination.
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 consistent and uniform humidification of sheets, preventing curling and maintaining efficient water distribution over the entire sheet surface, even during continuous image forming cycles.
Implementation Method 1
a pair of porous rollers which convey a sheet and form a nip portion
Implementation Method 2
water-supply rollers which are in contact with the humidifying rollers to supply water
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet humidifying device includes a pair of humidifying rollers which form a nip portion by pressure contacting against each other and giving water to a sheet passing through the nip portion, a water-supply roller that pressure contacts the humidifying roller and supplies water to the humidifying roller, a water vessel that stores water to be supplied to the water-supply roller, and a pressure-contact releasing section that releases pressure-contact of the pair of humidifying rollers and releases pressure-contact between the humidifying roller and the water-supplying roller.