The present exemplary embodiments relate to printing or copying systems and, in particular, printing devices which utilize an intermediate transfer service such as a transfer drum which is intended to engage a receiving medium such as paper for imparting a desired image from the drum to the medium. The subject embodiments are especially applicable to printing devices which utilize a supply of colored inks to be communicated to a print head for document printing wherein the inks are supplied as solid ink sticks which must be heated to a liquid form before communication to the print head. Such systems are commercially available under the PHASER® mark from Xerox Corporation. The heating of the ink to effect the solid-to-liquid phase change is usually associated with corresponding heating of other components of the assembly, such as the drum and the medium itself before engagement with the drum. The subject embodiments are particularly directed to the structure and method of operation of the heater for the preheating of the medium prior to the transfer process.
All printers and copying machines have to be designed with an appreciation that at some time a power control failure may occur within the system and that such failure should not expose an operator or a repairman to a dangerous situation such as exposure to electrical shock or thermal burning. Indeed, a typical safety requirement (UL required) is that any component that has line voltage and is accessible by a user or operator must have enough insulation protection to have a dielectric strength of at least 3 KV between the user accessible parts, ground plane, secondary circuits and the line. This safety regulation must be met not only by new componentry but also by componentry that has been exposed to thermal run-away conditions that can damage the insulation.
The subject embodiments concern the operation and assembly of a medium preheater in a printing system, which preheater is a typical component subject to the above safety requirements. The conventional construction of such a heater involves a pattern of heat traces laminated to a metallic support plate. The support plate is disposed to engage the medium for the heating of the medium immediately prior to its engagement with the intermediate transfer drum and the imparting of a desired image from the drum to the medium. Laminating of the heat traces to the support plate involves insulating a layer therebetween which under normal use conditions would satisfy the 3 KV dielectric strength requirement. However, the heat traces in such a system are typically capable of reaching relatively extreme temperatures (about 1200° C.) which is a temperature that is easily capable of burning away an insulating layer between the heat traces and the support plate. The plate would then function as a ground plane for the electrical supply to the traces thereby grounding the line voltage to the component. Such an occurrence would fail to meet the above-referenced safety requirements.
There is a need for a heater assembly which is properly fused to interrupt this supply of electrical power to the heater in the event of a thermal run-away and at a point in time prior to the thermal run-away causing unacceptable damage to the pattern of heat traces themselves and/or the insulating layer separating the heat traces from the metallic support plate.
The present exemplary embodiments satisfy this need as well as others to provide a power control system for medium heaters in phasing printing systems that can provide the desired safety protection against power control failures that may cause thermal run-aways in the system.
A printing system is provided wherein a transfer drum imparts a desired image on a medium for imprinting the image on the medium. A heater is provided for preheating the medium to a selected temperature prior to the imprinting for facilitating reception of the image on the medium from the drum. The heater preferably includes two fuses, one fuse on the line lead and the other on the neutral lead, for interrupting a supply of power to the heater upon an undesired increase in the power supply and consequent overheating of the heater. The heater comprises a pattern of heat traces bonded to a support plate. The fuses are disposed in electrical series with the pattern of heat traces for opening the power supply circuit upon the opening of the fuses. The fuses comprise thermal fuses. A thermal storage member is associated with the pattern of heat traces and disposed relative to the fuses for communicating the thermal energy increase to the extent to open the fuses before more damaging thermal run-away.
Of particular importance for the subject application is the construction and operation of the heater 21 for preheating the substrate 28 prior to imprinting of the desired image thereon from the transfer drum 14.
With particular reference to
With reference to
The heater foil 44 operates to disperse thermal energy generated by the traces 34 in two directions, both towards the plate 30 and back towards the fuses 38 as will be explained more in detail later. The foil 44 is adhered to insulating layer 46 by adhesive 48. Heat traces 34, are sandwiched between insulating layers 46, 48 and adhered thereto by adhesive layers 50, 52. The construction of the assembly is accomplished by intimately co-curing foil 44 with the remaining layers of the assembly and then adhering the heater 32 to the plate 30.
As noted above, the overall objective of the subject embodiments is to provide a thermal mass 44 that will provide sufficient energy (a thermal flywheel) to assure that the second thermal fuse will open after the first fuse opened, dielectrically isolating both ends of the heater from electrical power, see
In one embodiment though, the insulating dielectric material 42 between the traces 34 and the support plate 30 is robust enough to avoid thermal degradation during such a trace melt down. In this embodiment storage foil 44 would be unnecessary, but the expense of putting a significant enough thermal resistance between the traces 34 and the plate 30 would cause a thickness in the dielectric which would be expected to cause a significant rise in heater costs. In addition, the thermal insulation and resistance between the traces 34 and the plate 30 would cause a reduction in efficiency of thermal communication to the plate 30. However, the thermal run-away would be significant enough to cause the opening of the fuses 38 prior to degradation of the insulating layer 42 and a resulting short between the traces and the plate.
A second embodiment of the invention comprises the inclusion of the thermal storage foil 44 between the traces 34 and the plate 30. In this embodiment, thermal run-away in the pattern of heat traces 34 is expeditiously communicated from the areas of the foil immediately contiguous to the pattern of heat traces to the area contiguous to the thermal fuses 38. It should be kept in mind that the foil 44 is intended to be coplanar with the overall heater area 32, and not just with the immediate area of the heat traces 34. In other words, those areas which are more densely formed with heat trace patterns will have increased temperature rises during thermal run-away than areas not so close to the traces, i.e., the location of the fuses 38. Accordingly, foil 44 will communicate thermal energy so generated in the areas immediately adjacent the traces to the areas of the foil near the fuses 38. In addition, during thermal run-away it is conceivable that the insulation and adhesive layers 46, 48, 50 between the heater trace 34 and the foil 44 could be so degraded due to thermal burn up that a short may occur between the foil and the traces. In such circumstances, the power to the traces will not be serially interrupted as the foil may itself serve as the necessary serial conductor. However, the continuous ramp up of the temperature in such a situation will eventually communicate enough temperature to the area of the foil contiguous to the fuses 38 so that the fuses will open and electrical energy to the traces will be interrupted so the traces are electrically isolated and unable to effect a short to the plate 30.
In another embodiment, the foil 44 is not interposed between the plate 30 and the heat trace 34 but is disposed adjacent to insulating layer 48, i.e., essentially on top of the trace and intermediate the trace pattern 34 and the fuses 38 for an even more efficient communication of thermal run-away to the fuses 38. However, the embodiment of
The subject embodiments operate to satisfy the safety requirements to avoid a ground short between user accessible parts, even in the case of thermal run-away conditions.
The exemplary embodiments have been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.