Rotating Fixing Roller for Image Carrier Lubricant
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Solution Overview
Problem
The wear of the fixing blade in electrophotographic image forming apparatuses leads to a decrease in contact pressure at the contact nip between the fixing blade and the image carrier, resulting in insufficient lubricant fixation, which causes fluctuations in the surface potential and toner density, affecting image quality.
Innovation Solution
A rotatable fixing roller is used to maintain contact with the image carrier, and a controller manages its rotation based on wear state, ensuring consistent lubricant fixation by bringing unused regions into contact, thereby maintaining surface pressure and preventing lubricant loss.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixing blade is used to fix lubricant on the image carrier, then the lubricant fixation is effective initially, but the contact pressure decreases over time due to wear, resulting in insufficient lubricant fixation
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing blade is designed to be movable in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum, allowing its position to be dynamically adjusted. This enables the blade to be shifted to a new position on the drum surface when wear occurs, effectively renewing the contact area and restoring proper contact pressure without replacing the entire blade assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
When the fixing blade wears at its current contact position, the system discards the worn contact area by shifting the blade axially to engage a fresh portion of the blade with the photoconductor drum. This recovers the lubricant fixation function by utilizing the unused, unworn sections of the fixing blade.
2Device complexity
If the fixing blade contact pressure decreases due to wear, then the structure remains simple, but the lubricant passes through without fixation, causing image quality fluctuations
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing blade assembly is designed to enable operators to perform position adjustment themselves without requiring specialized tools or complex procedures. The movable design allows the blade to be repositioned along the axial direction of the photoconductor drum, enabling the system to self-renew its effective contact area and maintain image quality consistency.
3Device complexity
If the fixing blade is stationary, then the structure is simple, but the contact pressure cannot be maintained, leading to lubricant loss and increased friction
Solution Approach 1:
The fixing blade is designed to be movable in the axial direction of the photoconductor drum, allowing its position to be dynamically adjusted. This enables the blade to be shifted to a new position on the drum surface when wear occurs, effectively renewing the contact area and restoring proper contact pressure without replacing the entire blade assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
When the fixing blade wears at its current contact position, the system discards the worn contact area by shifting the blade axially to engage a fresh portion of the blade with the photoconductor drum. This recovers the lubricant fixation function by utilizing the unused, unworn sections of the fixing blade.
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 prevents lubricant loss and maintains consistent surface potential, reducing toner fluctuations and improving image quality, while extending the life of the fixing roller.
Implementation Method 1
a brush that supplies the lubricant of the lubricant rod to the image carrier
Implementation Method 2
a fixing blade that fixes the lubricant supplied onto the image carrier
Implementation Method 3
a contact state between the fixing blade and the image carrier changes with the lapse of a use time from an initial use. Specifically, as the wear of the fixing blade progresses, a contact pressure at a contact nip between the fixing blade and the image carrier
Implementation Method 4
a fixing blade that fixes the lubricant supplied onto the image carrier
Implementation Method 5
A rotatable fixing roller is used to maintain contact with the image carrier
Implementation Method 6
ensuring consistent lubricant fixation by bringing unused regions into contact, thereby maintaining surface pressure
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
There is provided an image forming apparatus (1) capable of suppressing deterioration in quality of a formed image. An image forming apparatus (1) includes: a lubricant supplier (210) that supplies a lubricant onto an image carrier (413); a fixing member (221) that is rotatable, and comes into contact with the image carrier (413) to fix the lubricant supplied onto the image carrier (413); and a controller (70) that controls rotation of the fixing member (221). When the lubricant is fixed by the fixing member (221), the controller (70) stops the rotation of the fixing member (221), and when a first refresh operation is executed, the controller (70) rotates the fixing member (221) to bring a region different from a contact region of the fixing member (221) in contact with the image carrier (413) into contact with the image carrier (413).