Sheet Position Adjustment in Image Forming Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming systems face challenges in accurately adjusting the position of sheets in the intersecting direction, leading to skew and misregistration, especially when handling varying sheet sizes and types, which affects the quality of printed images.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a transport position adjuster and a load-position moving unit that adjusts the sheet position in the intersecting direction, minimizing the adjustment amount, and utilizing an integrated controller to measure and calculate the necessary shifts, thereby reducing skew and improving alignment performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a transport position adjuster is used to adjust sheet position in the intersecting direction, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The load-position moving unit performs preliminary action by adjusting the sheet position in the intersecting direction at the feed section before the sheet enters the transport section. This preventive adjustment reduces the burden on the transport position adjuster, allowing for simpler design while maintaining high alignment precision throughout the transport path.
2Manufacturing precision
If the transport position adjuster increases adjustment amount to correct skew, then alignment precision is improved, but sheet skew increases
Solution Approach 1:
The load-position moving unit performs preliminary position correction at the feed section, adjusting the sheet orientation before transport. This prevents excessive skew during transport while achieving the required alignment precision, as the sheet is pre-positioned correctly rather than being forced into alignment during high-speed transport.
Solution Approach 2:
The load-position moving unit acts as an intermediary between the sheet feed and the transport position adjuster. It handles preliminary position correction, allowing the transport position adjuster to focus on fine-tuning alignment with minimal adjustment amounts, thus avoiding sheet skew while maintaining precision.
3Manufacturing precision
If the load-position moving unit moves sheet position in advance, then alignment precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The position adjustment function is segmented into two independent units: the load-position moving unit at the feed section for preliminary adjustment, and the transport position adjuster for fine-tuning during transport. This segmentation allows each unit to be optimized for its specific task with simpler design, while collectively achieving high alignment precision.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming system includes a feed section, a transport section, a transport position adjuster, and a load-position moving unit. The feed section feeds a sheet. The transport section transports the sheet fed from the feed section. The transport position adjuster adjusts a position of the sheet in an intersecting direction that intersects with a transport direction of the sheet transported by the transport section. The load-position moving unit moves the position, in the intersecting direction, of the sheet loaded in the feed section so as to reduce an adjustment amount by which the position is adjusted in the intersecting direction by the transport position adjuster if the adjustment amount is larger than a predetermined amount.