Recording Material Conveyance Device with Branching Route and Abnormality Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming devices, detecting recording material characteristics can lead to a decrease in productivity due to the need to stop or slow down conveyance, causing preceding materials to remain in the conveyance route and preventing the discharge of succeeding materials.
Innovation Solution
A recording material conveyance device with a first conveyor, a second conveyor branching off from the first, and a third conveyor, along with detectors and a controller that stops detection by the second detector when an abnormality is detected by the first detector, allowing for continuous conveyance of subsequent materials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the detector detects recording material characteristics at normal conveyance speed, then productivity is maintained, but detection accuracy decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance route is divided into multiple segments with different conveyance speeds. The first conveyor conveys at a first speed, the second conveyor at a second speed, and the third conveyor at a third speed, allowing detection to occur at optimized speeds in different segments without stopping the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyance speed is dynamically adjusted along the conveyance route. By varying the conveyance speed in different conveyor sections (first, second, and third conveyors), the system optimizes both detection accuracy and productivity by matching speed to operational requirements at each stage.
2Measurement precision
If the detector stops or slows down conveyance to improve detection accuracy, then detection accuracy improves, but productivity decreases due to materials remaining in the conveyance route
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the conveyance route into multiple independent conveyor sections, allowing speed adjustment in specific segments without affecting the entire system. This enables localized speed control for detection while maintaining overall productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyance operation continues without interruption through multiple conveyor sections. By maintaining continuous conveyance across different speed zones rather than stopping entirely, the system preserves productivity while enabling accurate detection in specific segments.
3Device complexity
If a single conveyor is used for conveyance and detection, then device complexity is reduced, but the ability to maintain both high detection accuracy and productivity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The single conveyor is segmented into multiple independent conveyor sections (first, second, and third conveyors) that can operate at different speeds. This segmentation enables sophisticated speed control for optimization while keeping each individual conveyor section relatively simple.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-conveyor system serves multiple functions: high-speed conveyance for productivity, controlled-speed zones for accurate detection, and coordinated operation for overall system optimization. Each conveyor section performs multiple roles depending on operational requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A recording material conveyance device that can suppress a decrease in productivity when detecting characteristics of the recording material is provided. A recording material conveyance device includes: a first conveyor that constitutes a conveyance route for a recording material; a second conveyor and a third conveyor that branch off from the first conveyor and constitute the conveyance route for the recording material on a downstream side of a recording material conveyance direction of the first conveyor; a first detector that detects recording material characteristics of the recording material disposed in the first conveyor; a second detector that detects the recording material characteristics disposed in the second conveyor; and a controller that stops detection by the second detector and discharges the recording material that is being detected by the second detector when the first detector detects an abnormality in a detection result of the recording material characteristics.