Variable Warm-up Temperature Control for Quick Output in Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses face challenges in reducing warm-up time without compromising copying efficiency, especially when dealing with large volumes of copies, as existing methods to shorten warm-up time either prolong copying time or fail to meet user demands for quick output.
Innovation Solution
An image forming apparatus with a control section that adjusts recording material conveyance speed and warm-up completion temperature, allowing for a quick output mode that sets the conveyance speed to a lower value at a lower warm-up completion temperature when activated by the user, thereby shortening warm-up time without sacrificing fixing ability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If the fixing speed is lowered to compensate for reduced heat from lower fixing temperature, then warm-up time is shortened, but copying time becomes extremely longer when the number of copies is large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the warm-up completion temperature variable rather than fixed. The control section dynamically adjusts the warm-up completion temperature based on whether quick output mode is selected, allowing the system to adapt its heating behavior to different operational requirements. This resolves the contradiction by enabling both fast warm-up (lower temperature) when quick output is needed and sufficient heating (higher temperature) when copying many documents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of warm-up completion temperature from a fixed value to a variable that can be adjusted based on operational mode. By introducing a second, lower warm-up completion temperature for quick output mode, the system can optimize between warm-up speed and fixing quality, directly addressing the technical contradiction between reducing warm-up time and maintaining copying efficiency.
2Loss of time
If a lower warm-up completion temperature is used to shorten warm-up time, then warm-up time is reduced, but fixing ability becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the warm-up completion temperature based on operational mode. In normal mode, a higher temperature ensures sufficient fixing ability, while in quick output mode, a lower temperature is acceptable because the trade-off prioritizes speed. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between warm-up time and fixing ability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces multiple warm-up completion temperature parameters (first warm-up completion temperature for normal mode, second lower warm-up completion temperature for quick output mode). This parameter change allows the system to achieve both short warm-up time and adequate fixing ability by selecting the appropriate temperature parameter for the current operational requirements.
3Reliability
If the fixing speed is reduced to maintain fixing quality at lower temperature, then fixing quality is maintained, but copying efficiency decreases for large volume copying
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts operating parameters based on mode selection. In quick output mode, it accepts lower fixing quality in exchange for faster processing, while in normal mode, it maintains high fixing quality. This dynamic behavior resolves the contradiction between fixing quality and copying efficiency for different workloads.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the warm-up completion temperature parameter to have different values for different modes, which indirectly allows different fixing speeds to be used. The lower temperature parameter enables faster warm-up with acceptable fixing quality for quick output, while the higher temperature parameter ensures high fixing quality for large volume copying, thus resolving the efficiency-quality trade-off.
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 enables quick and efficient image output with sufficient fixing performance, ensuring high-quality images are produced promptly, even under high-volume copying demands, by optimizing warm-up and fixing processes based on user settings.
Implementation Method 1
a heat fixing device wherein an unfixed toner image is heated so that toner is heated and melted to be fixed on a recording material
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus having a short warm-up time desired by a user, wherein a quick output section is provided, and when a quick output mode is set by the quick output section, warm-up completion temperature is set to be low, and thereby, warm-up time is made to be short.