Image Forming System Selective Paper Discharge Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming systems require emergency stops when paper jams occur, leading to increased power consumption and user intervention to remove residual paper sheets, as they often stop all devices involved in paper conveyance, including those not necessary for discharging.
Innovation Solution
An image forming system with a controlling unit that determines whether to continue or stop paper conveyance based on specific instructions, allowing for selective operation of paper feed and discharge devices to automatically discharge conveyable paper sheets without emergency stops, reducing unnecessary device operation and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If all devices are driven for a predetermined period to discharge paper sheets after emergency stop, then paper discharge function is achieved, but power consumption increases due to unnecessary device operation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the paper discharge function into two distinct modes: automatic discharge mode for conveyable paper and manual intervention mode for non-conveyable paper. The controlling unit divides the discharge process by first attempting automatic discharge, then evaluating success to determine whether manual removal is needed, thereby avoiding unnecessary operation of all devices throughout the entire discharge process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback control by having the controlling unit evaluate whether paper discharge was successful after the automatic discharge attempt. Based on this feedback, the system determines the next action: if discharge succeeded, the process ends; if it failed, the system transitions to manual intervention mode. This feedback mechanism prevents continuous unnecessary operation of devices.
2Reliability
If emergency stop is made when paper jam occurs, then paper feeding issue is addressed, but residual paper sheets remain inside device requiring user removal
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by attempting automatic paper discharge immediately after emergency stop before requiring user intervention. The controlling unit initiates the automatic discharge sequence, driving relevant devices to convey and discharge residual paper sheets. Only if this preliminary automatic action fails does the system require manual user removal, thereby reducing but not eliminating user intervention requirements.
3Reliability
If all devices are stopped when poor paper feeding is detected, then paper feeding issue is addressed, but conveyable paper sheets cannot be automatically discharged
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the device operation state flexible rather than static. After emergency stop, the controlling unit dynamically determines whether to drive devices for automatic discharge based on real-time evaluation of paper conveyability. The system transitions from stopped state to operational state for automatic discharge attempt, then back to stopped state or to manual intervention state based on discharge success, thereby enabling automatic discharge capability while maintaining paper feeding reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an image forming system that automatically discharges paper sheets other than poorly fed ones without making an emergency stop, even when poor paper feeding is caused due to a paper jam or the like. At paper feeding, information showing poor paper feeding is transmitted when the poor paper feeding is detected in supplying the paper sheets. At image forming, a determination is made whether the paper conveyance in forming the image is continued or stopped when an instruction, based on the information showing the poor paper feeding. At paper discharging, a determination is made whether the paper conveyance in discharging the paper sheets is continued or stopped when an instruction, based on the information showing the defective conveyance.