Image Forming Apparatus Sequential Adjustment Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming apparatuses lack efficient mechanisms for collectively executing and reflecting adjustment operations across multiple adjustment items, leading to increased user workload and potential re-adjustment needs.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a control device that executes collective adjustment operations in a predetermined order, generates new settings such as alignment profiles or custom stocks, and displays progress information, allowing for immediate reflection of adjustment results during operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If adjustment operations are executed individually for each adjustment item, then the user can control each adjustment separately, but the user workload increases and multiple adjustments may be needed to achieve desired results
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple adjustment operations into a single collective adjustment process. The control device executes multiple adjustment items (e.g., alignment, density, color) simultaneously or sequentially in one operation, rather than requiring separate adjustments for each item. This merging reduces user workload while the system manages the complexity internally.
Solution Approach 2:
The control device is designed to perform multiple adjustment functions through a single unified adjustment mechanism. One adjustment operation can simultaneously adjust multiple parameters (alignment, density, color balance), making the system multi-functional and reducing the need for separate adjustment procedures for each parameter.
2Loss of information
If adjustment results are reflected immediately during execution, then the user can see progress and make informed decisions, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by displaying adjustment progress information to the user during the collective adjustment execution. The display unit shows which adjustment items are being executed and their status, allowing users to monitor the process in real-time. This feedback mechanism informs users about adjustment progress without requiring complex additional hardware.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by displaying information about what adjustments will be made before full execution begins. Users can see the planned adjustment sequence and make decisions about whether to proceed or modify settings beforehand, reducing information loss during the adjustment process.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple adjustment items are executed collectively in a predetermined order, then adjustment accuracy improves and re-adjustment needs are minimized, but the time required for completion increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary planning by determining a predetermined execution order for multiple adjustment items before starting the collective adjustment process. This preliminary sequencing optimizes the adjustment sequence to achieve better accuracy while managing time efficiently, avoiding random or suboptimal adjustment orders that would require re-adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The collective adjustment process executes multiple adjustment items continuously without interruption, maintaining the adjustment state throughout the process. By keeping the adjustment action continuous and sequential rather than interrupting for manual interventions, the system achieves higher accuracy while minimizing total time compared to stop-and-go individual adjustments.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming device that forms an image on a recording material. The apparatus further includes an adjuster that sequentially executes adjustment operations corresponding to plural adjustment items which are selected in advance. The apparatus further includes a display that displays information indicating that a setting in which an adjustment result is to be reflected is newly generated when the setting is newly generated during execution of the adjustment operations.