Segmented Fixing Roller for Uniform Heating and Energy Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing fixing devices face challenges in maximizing thermal efficiency and maintaining uniform heating, leading to issues such as uneven heating, energy wastage, and reduced fixing quality, particularly in color printing, due to the wide dispersion of heat energy and high heat capacity requirements.
Innovation Solution
A fixing device with a determination means to identify the image forming area, a heating system comprising an endless rotating body with divided heat-generating members, and a switching unit that selectively conducts heat-generating members corresponding to the paper's path, ensuring focused heating only where necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If heating is performed with Joule's heating by using electromagnetic induction, then thermal efficiency is improved, but heating unevenness occurs in the perpendicular direction to paper transport direction
Solution Approach 1:
The heating roller is divided into multiple independent heating sections along the paper transport direction, with each section controlled by separate electromagnetic induction coils. This segmentation allows independent temperature control for each heating zone, enabling uniform heating across the width while maintaining high thermal efficiency through targeted electromagnetic induction heating.
Solution Approach 2:
Different heating sections are assigned different heating characteristics based on their position and function. The central heating section uses strong electromagnetic induction for rapid heating, while side sections use reduced power to prevent overheating. This local differentiation resolves the heating unevenness problem while preserving overall thermal efficiency.
2Use of energy by moving object
If heat capacity of components is reduced to maximize thermal efficiency, then energy consumption is decreased, but temperature at non-passing portions becomes extremely increased causing warpage and deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The heating roller is segmented into multiple independently controlled heating sections. Non-passing portions correspond to specific heating sections that can be independently deactivated. This allows the system to maintain low heat capacity for high thermal efficiency while preventing temperature extremes in non-passing areas by simply turning off the corresponding heating sections when no paper is present.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating sections are activated periodically based on paper detection. When paper is detected in a section, heating is activated; when no paper is present, heating is deactivated. This periodic activation pattern maintains thermal efficiency through reduced heat capacity while preventing the extreme temperature increases that would cause warpage and deterioration.
3Area of stationary object
If heating is performed in a wide area, then heating coverage is improved, but heat energy dispersion occurs making it difficult to heat the nip portion intensively
Solution Approach 1:
The heating roller is divided into multiple heating sections along the paper transport direction, with each section having controlled width and power output. This segmentation enables the system to provide wide heating coverage across the paper width while concentrating heat energy intensively at the nip portion by activating only the relevant heating sections during the nip phase, thus resolving the contradiction between wide coverage and intensive heating.
Solution Approach 2:
The heating system dynamically adjusts which heating sections are active based on paper position and transport phase. During the nip portion, only specific heating sections are activated to concentrate energy; during other phases, different sections may be active to maintain wide coverage. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between wide heating area and intensive heating at the nip.
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 enables stable, concentrated heating of the paper passing area, improving fixing quality and reducing energy consumption by preventing abnormal heat generation and useless heating in non-passing areas, thus enhancing thermal efficiency and environmental sustainability.
Implementation Method 1
a method of performing heating with Joule's heating by using electromagnetic induction is put into practical use as a heat source of a fixing device
Implementation Method 2
heating with Joule's heating by using electromagnetic induction
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a fixing device includes determination means for determining a size of an image forming area of a medium, heating means for including an endless rotating body, plural heat-generating members which are formed in a perpendicular direction to a transport direction and divided by a predetermined length, and are disposed so as to come into contact with an inner side of the rotating body, and a switching unit which switches individual conduction of these heat-generating members, and heats the medium, pressing means for forming a nip by performing pressing and contact at a position of the plural heat-generating members, and nipping and carrying the medium in the transport direction along with the heating means, and heating control means for controlling the switching unit to select and conduct heat-generating members and controlling the heating means to heat the medium.