Image Forming Apparatus Sheet Winding Detection and Orientation Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses, such as copying machines and printers, the winding of sheets around photoconductor drums due to burrs on cut surfaces leads to increased jamming and difficulty in separating sheets, as existing technologies like electrostatic separation control struggle to distinguish between curl caused by conveyance rollers and burrs, resulting in inefficient sheet release and increased jam clearing operations.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus equipped with a winding detecting section that monitors sheet winding and a controller that adjusts sheet placement direction based on detection signals, displaying instructions for sheet-turning inside out or conveyance direction reversal to mitigate burr-induced winding, thereby reducing jamming by altering the sheet's orientation to prevent wrapping around the drum.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If electrostatic separation control is used to separate sheets from photoconductor drums, then sheet separation is improved, but the system cannot distinguish between curl caused by conveyance rollers and burrs, leading to ineffective separation control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces complex mechanical detection systems with a simple optical sensor to detect sheet winding. The winding detection section uses light reflection characteristics to distinguish between sheets wound by burrs versus those with natural curl, enabling accurate identification without complex mechanical mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a winding detection section as an intermediary between the sheet feed system and the separation control system. This intermediary detects the cause of sheet winding (burr-induced vs. natural curl) and provides feedback to the control section, enabling differentiated separation control strategies.
2Productivity
If sheets are fed with burrs on cut surfaces, then sheet feeding is possible, but burrs cause sheets to wind around photoconductor drums, increasing jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback loop where the winding detection section continuously monitors sheets during feeding, detects burr-induced winding, and sends signals to the control section to adjust separation control. This real-time feedback enables dynamic prevention of jamming while maintaining continuous sheet feeding.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection of sheet winding causes before sheets reach the photoconductor drum. The winding detection section identifies burr-induced winding early in the feed path, allowing the control section to prepare appropriate separation control measures in advance, preventing jamming before it occurs.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If sheet placement direction is changed to prevent burr-induced winding, then jamming is reduced, but additional control mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the sheet placement direction dynamic rather than fixed. The control section can switch between different placement directions (normal and reversed) based on real-time detection signals from the winding detection section, optimizing jam prevention adaptively without requiring complex mechanical adjustments.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses conveyance path reversal as a simple inverse approach to prevent burr-induced winding. When burrs are detected to be causing winding, the control section reverses the conveyance direction, causing sheets to feed in the opposite direction, which prevents the burrs from engaging with the photoconductor drum in the harmful manner.
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 reduces sheet winding phenomena caused by burrs, minimizing jam clearing operations and ensuring smoother sheet separation by changing the sheet's orientation to prevent wrapping around the photoconductor drum, thus enhancing the operational efficiency of image forming devices.
Implementation Method 1
a winding detecting section which detects whether a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section is wound around the image carrier or not
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance section having a sheet storing member to store sheets that have been aligned in a prescribed placing direction, which conveys a sheet stored in the sheet storing member; an image forming section having an image carrier, which forms an image on the image carrier; an image transfer section which transfers the image formed on the image carrier onto a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section; a winding detection section which detects whether or not the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance section is wound around the image carrier; and a controller which controls to instruct an operator to conduct a change operation of the placing direction of the sheets stored in the sheet storing member based on a sheet winding detection signal outputted from the winding detection section.