Image Forming Apparatus Emergency Stop Carrier Damage Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses, the carrier adhering to the image holding body during emergency stops can cause damage due to intense pressing by the transfer member during return operations, leading to defects in the formed images.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a return operation controller that reduces or eliminates the pressing force between the transfer unit and the image holding body during the clean-up process, ensuring the carrier passes through the developing operation area without intense pressure, thereby preventing damage to the image holding body.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the transfer member presses intensely against the image holding body to suppress vibrations and form high-quality images, then image quality is improved, but the carrier adhering to the image holding body during emergency stop is pressed intensely against it, causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing force of the transfer member is made dynamically adjustable based on the operational state. During return operations after emergency stop, the pressing force is reduced or eliminated temporarily, while during normal image formation operations, the pressing force is maintained at high levels to suppress vibrations and ensure image quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing force parameter of the transfer member is changed based on the operational context. The control unit adjusts the pressing force to be reduced or zero during clean-up operations after emergency stop, and恢复正常 pressing force during normal image formation, thus resolving the contradiction between image quality and damage prevention.
2Productivity
If a return operation is performed after emergency stop to clean the image holding body, then the apparatus can resume normal operation, but the carrier adhering to the image holding body is pressed against it by the transfer member, potentially causing damage
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs a preliminary action by detecting the emergency stop state and temporarily reducing or eliminating the pressing force of the transfer member before the clean-up operation proceeds. This preliminary adjustment prevents carrier-induced damage while allowing the return operation to complete successfully.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit uses feedback from the emergency stop detection to adjust the pressing force parameter. When an emergency stop is detected, the system feedback-adjusts the pressing force to be reduced or zero during the subsequent return operation, and restores normal pressing force after the return operation completes, thus preventing damage while maintaining productivity.
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 suppresses the occurrence of damage to the image holding body, ensuring high-quality image formation by preventing the carrier from causing harm during the return operation after an emergency stop.
Implementation Method 1
The carrier is drawn to the developing roller by a magnetic force
Implementation Method 2
The charger charges the image holding body with electricity
Implementation Method 3
The exposure unit exposes the image holding body to light to form an electrostatic latent image
Implementation Method 4
The developing unit develops the electrostatic latent image with the toner and causes the image holding body to hold a toner image
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image holding body that rotates, an image forming unit, and a return operation controller. The image forming unit includes a charger, an exposure unit, a developing unit, a transfer unit, and a cleaning unit. The return operation controller causes a clean-up step to be executed in which the image holding body is cleaned while rotating the image holding body when returning from an emergency stop. In the clean-up step, the return operation controller reduces or zeroes out a pressing force between the transfer unit and the image holding body at least until a developing operation area on a surface of the image holding body that is stopped upon the emergency stop facing toward a direction in which the developing unit operates passes through a pressing area pressed by the transfer unit.