Image Forming System Defect Handling Without Escape Area
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming systems require an escape area to handle non-defective sheets when an image defect is detected, leading to increased structural complexity.
Innovation Solution
An image forming system with an image forming section, image reading section, post-processing section, and controller that bundles sheets and continues processing until the last valid bunch, then initiates a recovery operation to minimize sheet invalidation without an escape area by determining the number of sheets from the defective sheet to the next bunch and adjusting transportation accordingly.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If an escape area is provided to transport non-defective sheets when an image defect is detected, then the system can handle defective sheets, but the structural complexity of the image forming system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the defect handling function from a separate physical escape area and integrates it into the existing sheet transportation path. The controller identifies defective sheets and redirects them to the waste tray using the existing transportation infrastructure, eliminating the need for a dedicated escape area while maintaining defect handling capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing sheet transportation path and waste tray are made multi-functional. The transportation path serves both normal sheet delivery and defective sheet redirection, while the waste tray handles both normally discarded sheets and defective sheets. This universal usage eliminates the need for separate escape area infrastructure.
2Reliability
If non-defective sheets are transported to an escape area when a defective sheet is detected, then defective sheets can be separated, but the number of sheets invalidated increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller performs preliminary identification of defective sheets through image reading before they are fully processed. Once a defective sheet is detected, the controller immediately redirects only that specific sheet to the waste tray using the existing transportation path, preventing unnecessary invalidation of subsequent non-defective sheets.
Solution Approach 2:
The image reading section provides real-time feedback about sheet quality to the controller. This feedback mechanism enables the controller to make immediate decisions about defective sheets and adjust the transportation path accordingly, ensuring that only actually defective sheets are redirected to the waste tray while minimizing sheet waste.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming system which reduces the number of sheets invalidated upon detection of an image defect, without an escape area. The image forming system includes an image forming section, an image reading section, a post-processing section, and a controller. When the controller detects an image defect on a sheet, if the number of sheets from the spoilage sheet to the sheet in the first bunch of sheets on the border of the bunch is smaller than the number of sheets from the spoilage sheet to the last sheet, the controller continues the process to make sheet bunches up to the sheet bunch including the last sheet. Then, the controller starts recovery operation for copies (bunches) remaining to be made as requested by job information plus a copy equivalent to the sheet bunch including the spoilage sheet.