Image Forming Apparatus with Winding-Correction Roller for Toner Registration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses experience misalignment of images formed by multiple image formers due to non-integral multiple distances between photoconductor units, leading to increased misregistration of toner images on the image forming target.
Innovation Solution
The image forming apparatus incorporates an image forming target winding motion correcting roller to adjust the distance between photoconductor units to integral multiples of the outer peripheral length of the steering and driving rollers, reducing misregistration by maintaining consistent belt speed and adjacency distances.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If the distance between photoconductor units is not an integral multiple of the outer peripheral length of the driving roller, then the apparatus can be more compact and flexible in design, but image misalignment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a winding motion correcting roller as an intermediary component between the driving roller and the photoconductor units. This roller acts as a mediator that adjusts the effective distance between photoconductor units to be an integral multiple of the driving roller's outer peripheral length, thereby resolving the misalignment issue while preserving design flexibility in the overall apparatus configuration
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of distance between photoconductor units by using the winding motion correcting roller to adjust this distance to be an integral multiple of the driving roller's outer peripheral length. This parameter adjustment eliminates the cumulative error in belt speed that causes image misalignment, while allowing the apparatus to maintain flexible and compact design
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple image formers are positioned on the downstream side of the winding motion correcting roller, then more colors can be formed, but misalignment increases due to non-integral multiple distances
Solution Approach 1:
The winding motion correcting roller serves as a mediator that ensures the distance between each photoconductor unit is an integral multiple of the driving roller's outer peripheral length. This allows multiple image formers for different colors to be positioned on the downstream side without causing cumulative misalignment, thereby enabling versatile multi-color image formation with high precision
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the distance between photoconductor units into integral multiples of the driving roller's outer peripheral length. This segmentation approach allows each photoconductor unit to be independently positioned while maintaining precise alignment, enabling the addition of multiple color image formers without degrading image quality
Data Source
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AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming target to be transported along one direction, three or more image formers arranged away from each other along the one direction and configured to form images on the image forming target, and an image forming target winding motion correcting roller rotatably in contact with an inner peripheral surface of the image forming target and positioned on a downstream side of the image former at an upstream end in a transport direction of the image forming target so that plural image formers are positioned on a downstream side of the image forming target winding motion correcting roller. A distance between the plural image formers positioned on the downstream side of the image forming target winding motion correcting roller is an integral multiple of an outer peripheral length of the image forming target winding motion correcting roller.