Image Forming Apparatus Drying Unit Control for Print Quality
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses, when printing is stopped, the print medium remains inside the drying apparatus for an extended period, leading to excessive heating and potential deformation or unevenness of the print substrate, resulting in deteriorated print quality.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes a control unit that after interrupting image formation, conveys the printed portion to an ejection position outside the drying unit, preventing further drying and potential deformation by stopping the conveyance there, thereby maintaining print quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the conveyance apparatus is stopped when printing is interrupted, then the printing operation can be paused for maintenance or operator intervention, but the printed portion remaining inside the drying apparatus will be excessively heated causing partial unevenness, deformation, or change in print substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the printed portion from the drying apparatus by conveying it to a storage position outside the drying unit before stopping the conveyance apparatus. This separation removes the harmful thermal environment from the printed portion while maintaining the ability to pause printing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary action by conveying the printed portion out of the drying apparatus before the conveyance apparatus is stopped. This advance movement prevents the printed portion from being excessively heated during the pause period, thereby maintaining print substrate quality.
2Reliability
If the printed portion remains inside the drying apparatus for a predetermined time, then the drying function can be maintained during operation pauses, but it is impossible to prevent excessive heating and deterioration of print quality
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the printed portion from the drying apparatus to a storage position outside the drying unit. This extraction maintains the drying function's reliability by keeping the drying unit ready for operation while preventing excessive heating that would deteriorate print quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing different environmental conditions to different portions of the system: the drying apparatus maintains its heating function for incoming printed portions, while the storage position provides a cooler environment for paused printed portions, thereby maintaining both drying reliability and print quality.
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 method effectively prevents overdrying and deformation of the printed medium, ensuring consistent print quality by ensuring the printed portion is removed from the drying apparatus before it can become excessively heated.
Implementation Method 1
a drying unit configured to dry the print medium on which an image has been formed in the image forming unit
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus comprises a conveyance unit configured to convey a long-shaped print medium in a longitudinal direction, an image forming unit configured to form an image on the print medium, a drying unit configured to dry the print medium on which an image has been formed in the image forming unit, and a control unit configured to, after interrupting image formation on the print medium by the image forming unit, control the image forming unit and the conveyance unit so as to convey and then stop at an ejection position a portion of the print medium, on which image formation has been performed, from inside of the drying unit.