Air-Blown Sheet Separation in Friction Sorters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Friction sorters in printing machines and copiers often cause electrostatic charging of sheets, leading to sticking issues during processing, especially with colored paper, and may mistakenly pick multiple sheets at once, while vacuum sorters are more expensive and less reliable.
Innovation Solution
A vertical friction sorter with air-blown sheet separation at each station, using local fans to create an air film between sheets, preventing electrostatic charging and reducing the risk of multiple sheets being picked simultaneously, with a specially designed nozzle for efficient air flow and individual control of air pressure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a friction sorter is used to pick sheets from piles, then the sorter is robust and reliable in operation, but electrostatic charging occurs causing sheets to stick together
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by introducing an air film between sheets before the picking operation occurs. The air blow device creates separation in advance, preventing electrostatic charging during the friction-based picking process, thereby maintaining reliability while eliminating the harmful electrostatic effect
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses air as an intermediary substance between the friction sorter and the sheets. The air film acts as a mediator that prevents direct contact and electrostatic charge transfer during sheet picking, allowing the friction sorter to operate reliably without causing electrostatic charging
2Device complexity
If a friction sorter is used to pick sheets, then the structure is simple and cost-effective, but multiple sheets may be mistakenly picked simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
The air blow device performs preliminary separation of sheets before the picking operation, creating an air film that prevents multiple sheets from being picked simultaneously. This maintains the simple friction sorter structure while improving picking precision through pre-separation
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs pneumatic principles by using an air blow device to create an air film between sheets. This pneumatic separation mechanism improves sheet picking precision without adding complex mechanical structures, maintaining device simplicity while preventing multiple sheet pickup
3Adaptability or versatility
If colored paper is processed in a friction sorter, then color printing and copying capabilities are provided, but electrostatic charging increases causing greater sticking problems
Solution Approach 1:
The air blow device performs preliminary separation before colored sheets are picked, creating an air film that prevents electrostatic charging. This allows color printing and copying versatility while eliminating the increased sticking problems associated with colored paper
Solution Approach 2:
Air is introduced as an intermediary between the friction sorter and colored sheets, preventing direct contact that causes electrostatic charging. This enables color printing capability while eliminating the harmful electrostatic effects that are particularly pronounced with colored paper
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 air-blown separation method effectively prevents electrostatic charging and reduces the likelihood of multiple sheets being picked, simplifying the construction and making friction sorters more reliable and cost-effective, comparable to vacuum sorters, while maintaining efficient sheet separation regardless of stack height.
Implementation Method 1
blowing a substantially vertical air curtain through the stack of sheets so as to separate the sheets (1) of the pile
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~5
AI summary
A vertical friction sorter comprises a plurality of stations (8) arranged above each other, each one of which is intended to contain a pile of sheets of paper (1) lying on each other, one sheet at a time being intended to be picked from the stations in a predetermined order for further processing. In a device for separating sheets of paper (1) by blowing air in such a friction sorter, at least one fan (3) is arranged in each station (8) beside the storage surface (2) for the stack of sheets for blowing air essentially horizontally through the pile in order to separate sheets (1) of the pile.