Sheet Feeding Control Using Selective Dehumidification for Coated Paper
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses face issues with simultaneous feeding of sheets, particularly coated papers, due to difficulty in separating stacked sheets, which can be exacerbated by humidity.
Innovation Solution
A feeding device equipped with a dehumidification unit comprising a fan and heater, controlled by a control unit that determines the internal environment and activates dehumidification only when necessary to prevent simultaneous feeding, thereby optimizing power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If hot air is continuously applied to sheets to perform dehumidification, then sheet separation is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary dehumidification processing before sheet feeding by detecting humidity levels with a humidity sensor. When humidity exceeds a threshold, the heater and fan are activated in advance to reduce humidity, preventing simultaneous feeding issues before they occur. This ensures reliable sheet separation only when necessary, reducing unnecessary power consumption during normal low-humidity operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs a humidity sensor to continuously monitor the internal humidity level and provides feedback to the control unit. Based on this feedback, the control unit intelligently activates or deactivates the heater and fan, ensuring dehumidification is performed only when humidity levels require it. This feedback mechanism prevents continuous operation of heating components, thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining effective sheet separation when needed.
2Use of energy by moving object
If dehumidification is performed only when humidity is high, then power consumption is reduced, but sheet separation reliability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The humidity sensor continuously monitors internal humidity and provides real-time feedback to the control unit. When humidity exceeds a predetermined threshold, the system activates the heater and fan for dehumidification. This feedback-based approach ensures dehumidification is performed reliably when humidity conditions threaten sheet separation, while avoiding unnecessary operation when humidity is already at acceptable levels, thus balancing power consumption with sheet separation reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters of the heater and fan based on detected humidity levels. When humidity is high, both devices are activated at specific power levels to effectively reduce humidity. When humidity drops below the threshold, the system reduces or stops their operation. This dynamic parameter adjustment ensures reliable sheet separation during high-humidity conditions while minimizing power consumption during normal conditions.
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 prevents simultaneous feeding of sheets while minimizing power consumption by selectively activating the dehumidification unit based on environmental conditions, ensuring efficient sheet separation.
Implementation Method 1
The fan blows air to the sheet on the set plate
Implementation Method 2
The heater heats the air to be blown to the sheet on the set plate
Implementation Method 3
The temperature and humidity sensor detects an internal temperature and an internal humidity of the feeding device
Data Source
AI summary
A feeding device includes a set plate, a feeding unit, a fan, a heater, a control unit and a temperature and humidity sensor. When the control unit receives a feeding start command, if the sheet to be fed by the feeding unit is coated paper, the control unit performs condition determination processing to determine whether an internal environment satisfies a predetermined condition. When the control unit determines that the predetermined condition is satisfied, the control unit starts driving of the fan and the heater, and then starts the feeding of the sheet. When the feeding of the sheet is completed, the control unit stops the driving of the heater and continues the driving of the fan regardless of whether the internal environment satisfies the predetermined condition.