Pre-Heating Pattern Optimization for Fusing Process of Laser Printers

In this paper, the temperature control of the fusing process of laser printers is considered. The central issue is how to determine the heater input pattern to guarantee the printing quality and the energy saving simultaneously. The process is modeled by a switching system representing two phases with and without the paper between the rollers. The total energy minimization under the fusing temperature and the heater power constraints is formulated and solved in the form of a linear programming. The effectiveness of the proposed method is demonstrated though numerical simulations.