Image Forming Device with Switched Readers for Maintenance Continuity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming devices face challenges in accurately determining image failure or no-failure while maintaining productivity, particularly due to issues like dust adherence, paper particles, and variations in light emission and reception characteristics, leading to reduced productivity and unreadable ranges during maintenance operations.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of multiple image readers that allow for simultaneous image reading and maintenance operations by switching between different numbers of readers, enabling failure/no-failure determination and maintenance without reducing productivity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple image readers are used to maintain productivity during maintenance operations, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the image reading function into multiple independent image readers (first image reader and second image reader). This segmentation allows one reader to perform maintenance operations while the other continues to read images, thereby maintaining productivity without requiring a completely separate dual-reader system for all functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic switching between different numbers of active image readers. The controller can switch from using both readers to using only one reader during maintenance operations, and back to using both readers during normal operations. This dynamic adjustment optimizes the balance between productivity and complexity at different operational states.
2Ease of repair
If image reading is halted for maintenance operations, then maintenance can be performed, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image reading function into multiple independent readers, allowing maintenance of one reader without halting the other. This enables maintenance operations to be performed while image reading continues, eliminating the need to choose between maintenance access and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent ensures continuous image reading capability by having multiple readers available. When one reader requires maintenance, the other reader continues to perform image reading operations without interruption. This maintains the continuity of the useful action (image reading) during maintenance operations.
3Device complexity
If a single image reader is used, then device complexity is reduced, but unreadable ranges occur during maintenance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the image reading function into multiple independent readers, ensuring that when one reader is undergoing maintenance and becomes unreadable, the other reader can still perform image reading. This segmentation eliminates the complete failure mode that would occur with a single reader during maintenance operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares for maintenance scenarios by having multiple readers available before maintenance is needed. This beforehand cushioning ensures that when maintenance occurs, the system already has redundant capability to prevent unreadable ranges, rather than reacting to the problem after it occurs.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming device includes: an image forming unit that forms an image on a transfer medium; and a controller that controls multiple image readers capable of performing image reading for the same surface of the transfer medium, and acquires reading results from the image readers. The controller is capable of performing failure/no-failure determination for the image on the transfer medium based on the reading results, of switching image reading by the multiple image readers between reading by a first number of image readers and reading by a second number of image readers, the second number being smaller than the first number, and of enabling, while the second number of image readers perform reading, at least one of the other image readers to execute a maintenance operation for the at least one of the other image readers.