Upstream Removing Unit Prevents Contamination in Rotating Cleaning Device

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing image reading devices face issues with foreign matter adhering to cleaning units, which can contaminate the reading surface and affect image quality, as the removal of substances often results in them falling onto the object being cleaned, potentially causing reading errors or soiling.

Innovation Solution

A cleaning device with a rotating support unit and a removing unit positioned upstream, where the cleaning unit contacts the removing unit to remove adhering substances before they reach the cleaning section, ensuring they are retained and not deposited on the reading surface.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the removing unit is disposed downstream of the cleaning section, then the cleaning unit can be cleaned after passing through the cleaning section, but the removed substances may fall onto the cleaning section and contaminate it

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecleaning effectivenessVSAvoidcontamination of cleaning section

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by placing the removing unit upstream of the cleaning section instead of downstream. This reversal ensures that substances are removed from the cleaning unit before it contacts the cleaning section, preventing contamination while maintaining cleaning effectiveness

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The removing unit performs the removal of substances from the cleaning unit in advance, before the cleaning unit reaches the cleaning section. This preliminary action prevents the substances from being deposited on the cleaning section, solving the contamination problem

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

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 configuration effectively prevents foreign matter from adhering to the reading surface, maintaining image quality by ensuring substances are removed before they can contaminate the reading area, thus enhancing the reliability of the image reading process.

Implementation Method 1

a support unit that supports the cleaning unit, the support unit rotating about a rotation center to cause the cleaning unit to pass the cleaning section in a direction along a transporting direction

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectRotation:

Data Source

PatentUS20240091818A1Cleaning device, reading device, and image forming apparatus

Publication Date: 2024.03.21 FUJIFILM BUSINESS INNOVATION CORP

AI summary

A cleaning device includes: a cleaning unit that cleans a cleaning section by coming into contact with the cleaning section, the cleaning section being disposed in a transport space through which a medium is transported; a support unit that supports the cleaning unit, the support unit rotating about a rotation center to cause the cleaning unit to pass the cleaning section in a direction along a transporting direction in which the medium is transported; and a removing unit that is disposed upstream of the cleaning section in the transporting direction of the medium and that comes into contact with the cleaning unit to remove a substance adhering to the cleaning unit.