Optical Print Head Cleaning Path Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in maintaining the cleanliness of the light emission faces of the optical print head's lenses, leading to contamination and deterioration in image quality due to toner fallout, and existing cleaning mechanisms are complex and hinder the compact design of the apparatus.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a movement mechanism that reciprocally moves the optical print head between exposure and retracted positions, incorporating an abutting portion to stop the print head and an insertion portion for a rod-shaped cleaning member to clean the light emission face, ensuring the cleaning path does not intersect with the movement path of the print head, allowing for effective cleaning without increasing the apparatus' size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a cleaning mechanism is added to clean the light emission faces of lenses, then contamination is prevented and image quality is maintained, but the device complexity increases and the apparatus size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The optical print head is designed to be manually removable and washable by the user. The housing includes a cleaning hole that allows water or cleaning solution to be applied directly to the light emission faces of the lenses. This self-service approach eliminates the need for complex automated cleaning mechanisms while maintaining image quality through user-performed cleaning.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical print head is extracted as a separate, removable component from the housing. This allows the cleaning function to be separated from the main apparatus structure, enabling simple manual cleaning through the cleaning hole without requiring integrated cleaning mechanisms within the housing.
2Volume of moving object
If the optical print head is positioned close to the photosensitive drum to reduce apparatus size, then the apparatus is compact, but the light emission faces of lenses are contaminated by toner fallout
Solution Approach 1:
The close positioning of the optical print head to the photosensitive drum is maintained for compactness, but the system accepts that contamination will occur. Instead of preventing contamination through complex shielding or positioning mechanisms, the design enables easy user cleaning through the removable print head and cleaning hole, allowing users to maintain the system themselves.
3Ease of repair
If the optical print head is made removable for easy maintenance, then maintenance ease is improved, but the cleaning mechanism becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The removable optical print head design is combined with a simple cleaning hole in the housing that accommodates a brush or cleaning tool. This allows users to perform both removal/maintenance and cleaning operations themselves without requiring complex automated cleaning mechanisms, thus improving maintenance ease while avoiding increased device complexity.
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 solution effectively prevents contamination of the light emission faces, maintains image quality, and allows for a more compact design by ensuring the cleaning process does not interfere with the optical print head's movement, thus enhancing the apparatus' efficiency and size reduction.
Implementation Method 1
multiple lenses for condensing light emitted from the multiple light-emitting elements onto the photosensitive drum. The multiple lenses are disposed facing the surface of the photosensitive drum, having been arrayed in the direction of array of the light-emitting elements, between the multiple light-emitting elements and the photosensitive drum. Light emitted from the multiple light-emitting elements is condensed on the surface of the photosensitive drum through the lenses
Data Source
AI summary
The length of an abutting pin of an optical print head is decided such that the upper end of the abutting pin when at a cleaning position is on the opposite side of a movement path of a cleaning member, from the upper end of another abutting pin of the optical print head when in an exposure position.