Image Forming Apparatus Meandering Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing image forming apparatuses experience increased misregistration of images formed on a downstream side of a change roller, particularly when the distance between second image forming bodies is larger than or equal to the distance between first image forming bodies, leading to registration errors and image displacement.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus includes an annular formation target body with first image forming bodies arranged at a first distance on the upstream side of a change roller and second image forming bodies arranged at a second distance, which is smaller than the first distance, on the downstream side, along with a steering roller that adjusts its angle to minimize meandering and maintain image registration accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the second distance between multiple second image forming bodies is made larger than or equal to the first distance between multiple first image forming bodies, then the image forming apparatus can maintain consistent spacing, but the misregistration amount between images increases on the downstream side of the change roller
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by differentiating the spacing between image forming bodies based on their position relative to the change roller. Specifically, the second distance between second image forming bodies downstream of the change roller is made smaller than the first distance between first image forming bodies upstream of the change roller. This localized adjustment compensates for the meandering effect caused by the change roller, maintaining image registration accuracy in the critical downstream region where misregistration would otherwise accumulate.
2Manufacturing precision
If the second distance between multiple second image forming bodies is reduced to suppress misregistration, then image registration accuracy improves, but the horizontal dimension of the image forming apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the spacing configuration adaptive to the transport path geometry. The change roller changes the angle of the transport path, causing meandering that accumulates over distance. By dynamically adjusting the second distance to be smaller than the first distance in response to this geometric change, the patent compensates for the meandering effect without requiring excessive horizontal space, as the adjustment is localized to the downstream region affected by the angle change.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes: an annular formation target body to be transported; a change roller that is in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the formation target body so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis and that is capable of changing an angle of the rotation axis with respect to a width direction of the formation target body; multiple first image forming bodies that are arranged at a first distance from each other along the formation target body on an upstream side of the change roller in a transport direction of the formation target body, and that form images on the formation target body; and multiple second image forming bodies that are arranged at a second distance smaller than the first distance from each other along the formation target body on a downstream side of the change roller in the transport direction of the formation target body, and that form images on the formation target body.