Irregular Cleaning Web for Sheet Conveyance Member
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional cleaning mechanisms for sheet conveyance members in image forming apparatuses are inefficient in removing solid substances like ink and paper dust, leading to potential staining of printed images and foreign matter transfer.
Innovation Solution
A cleaning device with a web having an irregular surface rougher than the sheet conveyance member is used, which makes relative movement with the member to effectively remove adhering substances by trapping them in recessed portions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional cleaning mechanism with a smooth web is used, then the cleaning device is simple in structure, but it cannot effectively remove solid substances like dried ink from the sheet conveyance member surface
Solution Approach 1:
The web is designed with a specific local property: its surface is made rougher than the sheet conveyance member surface it cleans. This local quality difference (surface roughness) enables the web to effectively remove solid substances like dried ink through mechanical interlocking, while the rest of the cleaning device structure remains relatively simple.
2Reliability
If voltage application is used to make paper dust polarity reverse, then paper dust sticks to the web, but solid substances like dried ink cannot be effectively removed
Solution Approach 1:
The invention replaces the electrical field-based cleaning mechanism (voltage application to reverse polarity) with a mechanical field-based mechanism (relative movement between rough web and conveyance member surface). This substitution enables effective removal of solid substances like dried ink through mechanical abrasion and trapping, achieving both high reliability and productivity.
3Reliability
If a smooth web contacts the sheet conveyance member, then the cleaning mechanism is simple to operate, but solid substances adhere strongly and cannot be removed
Solution Approach 1:
The web surface is given a specific local quality (roughness) that is higher than the sheet conveyance member surface. This local quality enables the web to mechanically interlock with and remove adhering solid substances through relative movement, achieving reliable cleaning without complicating the overall operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of making the conveyance member surface rough to remove dust, the invention inverts the approach by making the cleaning web surface rougher than the conveyance member. This inversion allows the cleaning web to actively engage and remove solid substances through its rougher surface texture.
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
The cleaning device ensures reliable removal of solid substances from the sheet conveyance members, preventing image staining and foreign matter transfer, even when dealing with dried and solidified ink.
Implementation Method 1
The contact surface is an irregular surface rougher than the surface of the sheet conveyance member... The irregular surface is an irregular surface configured to take away the solid substance adhering to the surface of the sheet conveyance member when the cleaning member makes the relative movement
Data Source
AI summary
A cleaning device cleans a surface of a sheet conveyance member which conveys a sheet in an image forming apparatus that executes image forming processing using a recording material, the surface carrying a solid substance that originates from the recording material and that adheres to the surface. The cleaning device includes a cleaning member including a contact surface configured to come in contact with the surface of the sheet conveyance member. The contact surface is an irregular surface rougher than the surface of the sheet conveyance member. At cleaning of the surface, the cleaning member makes a relative movement to the surface of the sheet conveyance member. The irregular surface is an irregular surface configured to take away the solid substance adhering to the surface of the sheet conveyance member when the cleaning member makes the relative movement.