Looping Medium Drying Device for Compact Print Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medium drying devices, particularly in recording systems, face challenges in ensuring thorough drying of media due to residual liquid components near the surface, leading to integrity issues during processing, and often require multiple heating units which increase costs and device size.
Innovation Solution
A medium drying device with a transport unit and a single heating unit that allows the medium to pass through a heating area multiple times, utilizing a loop-like transport path and a heating roller pair with adjustable nip pressure, to ensure comprehensive drying while minimizing device size and manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple heating units are arranged side by side in medium transport direction, then drying effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing costs and device size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The medium is conveyed through the heating unit multiple times in a continuous manner, allowing the same heating unit to perform drying action repeatedly on the medium until sufficient drying is achieved, eliminating the need for multiple heating units
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying system dynamically adjusts the medium's path through the heating unit, enabling the medium to pass through the heating area multiple times with controlled intervals, maximizing the utilization of a single heating unit for thorough drying
2Reliability
If multiple heating units are arranged side by side in medium transport direction, then drying effectiveness is improved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple drying actions that would traditionally require multiple heating units are merged into a single heating unit by implementing a conveying system that recycles the medium through the same heating area repeatedly, reducing component count and manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 2:
The heating unit operates continuously on the medium through multiple passes, maintaining effective drying action without requiring additional heating units, thereby reducing manufacturing complexity and costs
3Device complexity
If a single heating unit is used with multiple passes, then device size is reduced, but drying time may increase
Solution Approach 1:
The medium undergoes periodic heating cycles as it passes through the heating unit multiple times, with each pass contributing to progressive drying, achieving thorough drying without excessive time delay
Solution Approach 2:
The conveying system replaces the need for multiple heating units by using mechanical motion to repeatedly expose the medium to the same heating source, achieving efficient drying with reduced device size and acceptable time
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 solution effectively dries the medium by allowing multiple passes through the heating area, enhancing drying reliability and reducing costs and size, while maintaining efficient operation and processing integrity.
Implementation Method 1
When the medium is dried by applying heat to the medium from the outside with a heating unit such as a drying roller pair, a liquid component near the surface of the medium is evaporated.
Implementation Method 2
one heating unit that heats the medium transported by the transport unit... a drying roller pair that heats a medium while holding the medium
Data Source
AI summary
A medium drying device includes a transport roller pair as a transport unit that transports a medium and a heat roller pair as one heating unit that heats the medium transported by the transport roller pair and is provided in a transport direction of the medium, in which the medium is configured to be transported to a heating area by the heat roller pair a plurality of times.