Light Emitting Element Controller for Uniform Image Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
The degradation of light-emitting elements in image forming devices leads to non-uniform light emission, reducing print quality, as increasing drive currents to maintain light emission accelerates degradation and using light emission for alignment further advances this degradation.
Innovation Solution
An image forming device with a processor-controlled light-emitting unit that stores cumulative light emission times and adjustment times, controlling light-emitting elements to emit light only until their cumulative time equals the adjustment time, thereby maintaining uniform light emission and reducing degradation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If drive currents of light-emitting elements are increased to maintain uniform light emission, then light emission uniformity is improved, but degradation rate of light-emitting elements accelerates
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by controlling light-emitting elements to emit light during periods when they would naturally be inactive, specifically by generating data opposite to the electrostatic latent image data to activate elements with shorter cumulative emission times. This preliminary action equalizes the cumulative light emission times across all elements before degradation becomes problematic, preventing future non-uniformity without requiring increased drive currents.
2Illumination intensity
If light emission from light-emitting elements is used for aligning light emission time, then uniformity of light emission is improved, but degradation of light-emitting elements is accelerated
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary alignment actions by controlling elements to emit light during inactive periods based on their cumulative emission time history. This preliminary alignment equalizes the operational burden across all elements before degradation becomes significant, avoiding the need for continuous high-current operation that would accelerate degradation while maintaining uniformity.
3Manufacturing precision
If cumulative light emission times of light-emitting elements are equalized, then print quality is maintained, but additional light emission control operations are required
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically tracking cumulative light emission times for each light-emitting element and autonomously determining which elements need additional emission time. The processor monitors each element's usage and automatically generates opposite data patterns to equalize cumulative times, eliminating the need for manual intervention or complex external control systems while maintaining print quality.
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
This approach maintains uniform light emission from light-emitting elements, reducing print quality issues and slowing down their degradation by optimizing light emission times.
Implementation Method 1
a light-emitting unit with a plurality of light-emitting elements which form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming device according to an embodiment includes a photosensitive drum and a light-emitting unit with a plurality of light-emitting elements which form an electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive drum. A processor controls a storage unit to store a cumulative light emission time of each light-emitting element. The processor further controls the storage unit to store an adjustment time which is shorter than a longest cumulative light emission time of the light-emitting elements. When a predetermined condition is satisfied, the processor controls at least one of the light-emitting elements that has a cumulative light emission time which is shorter than the adjustment time to emit light until the cumulative light emission time thereof equals the adjustment time.