Image Forming Device Warm-Up Timing Optimization
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing early warm-up techniques for image forming devices result in engine idling, which can decrease the lifespan of the device and lead to delays in printing, as they warm up before completing the creation of the first page of an output image.
Innovation Solution
An image forming device and an external device communicate to determine an optimal warm-up start time based on predicted print preparation times, allowing the device to start warming up only when necessary, thereby minimizing idle time and ensuring timely printing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the driving signal is transmitted to the engine as soon as the user inputs the print command (early warm-up), then the warm-up is completed early, but the engine idles for a certain time period after warm-up completion, decreasing the lifespan of the engine
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by transmitting the driving signal to the engine in advance (early warm-up) to complete warm-up before printing is needed. However, it optimizes this preliminary action by calculating the optimal warm-up start time based on predicted print preparation time, ensuring the engine stops idling exactly when the first page creation is completed, thus resolving the contradiction between early warm-up completion and engine lifespan.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback mechanisms by measuring the actual print preparation time and comparing it with the predicted print preparation time. This feedback loop allows the system to adjust and optimize the warm-up start time, ensuring that the engine operates only when necessary and stops idling at the optimal moment, thereby protecting engine lifespan while maintaining efficient warm-up.
2Loss of time
If the driving signal is transmitted to the engine as soon as the user inputs the print command (early warm-up), then the warm-up is completed early, but printing may be delayed because the engine completes warm-up before the first page creation is completed
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies dynamics by making the warm-up start time flexible and adaptive rather than fixed. It calculates the optimal warm-up start time dynamically based on the predicted print preparation time, allowing the system to adjust the warm-up timing to match the actual printing workflow. This dynamic approach ensures that warm-up completion coincides with the completion of first page creation, eliminating printing delays while maintaining early warm-up benefits.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of warm-up start time from a fixed early value to a calculated optimal value based on predicted print preparation time. This parameter change allows the system to optimize both warm-up completion time and printing start time, ensuring that the engine stops idling exactly when needed and printing begins without delay.
3Reliability
If the engine operates for a long time to complete warm-up before printing, then the image forming device is ready for printing, but the engine idling time increases, leading to energy waste and reduced device lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs the necessary warm-up action in advance but optimizes its duration and timing. By calculating the optimal warm-up start time based on predicted print preparation time, the system ensures that the engine operates only for the necessary duration and stops idling when the first page creation is completed, thus achieving printing readiness while minimizing energy waste.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from measured print preparation times to optimize future warm-up operations. By comparing actual print preparation time with predicted time, the system adjusts the warm-up start time to minimize engine idling while ensuring printing readiness, thereby reducing energy waste without compromising reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming device includes a communication unit to transmit data to and receive data from an external device, an image forming job unit to perform printing, and a controller to control warming up of the image forming job unit to perform the printing, such that the image forming job unit performs the printing after the warming up is completed. The controller is to receive a print execution request to perform the printing and a predicted value of a print preparation time for the image forming device to create output image data, to perform the printing, from the external device via the communication unit, determine a warm-up start time of when to start the warming up of the image forming job unit by using the received predicted value of the print preparation time, and control the image forming job unit to start the warming up at the determined warm-up start time.