Conveyance Guide Cleaning Mechanism for Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses face issues with paper dust accumulation on conveyance guides, leading to conveyance faults and image defects, and existing cleaning methods are inefficient, especially when only one guide is drawn out, risking damage to internal components during maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveying apparatus with a first and second conveyance guide, where the second guide can be drawn out intersecting the sheet conveyance direction, accompanied by a cleaning unit that includes a cleaning member and a pushing member to effectively clean the first guide surface, ensuring thorough cleaning without exposing operators to internal components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If only one conveyance guide is drawn out for cleaning, then operator safety is improved (prevention of damage to image bearing members), but cleaning completeness deteriorates (inability to fully clean the conveyance guide remaining in the apparatus main body)
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance guide system is divided into two separate guides: a first conveyance guide that remains fixed in the apparatus main body, and a second conveyance guide that can be drawn out. This segmentation allows the second guide to be safely removed for cleaning while the first guide remains in place, resolving the contradiction between operator safety and cleaning completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The first conveyance guide acts as an intermediary element that remains in the apparatus main body to maintain sheet conveyance function, while the second conveyance guide is drawn out for cleaning. This mediator approach allows cleaning operations to be performed on the second guide without requiring removal of the first guide, ensuring both safety and cleaning effectiveness.
2Ease of operation
If both upper and lower conveyance guides are drawn out as a unit, then cleaning accessibility is improved, but positioning accuracy deteriorates (attachment position deviation)
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance guides are segmented into a first conveyance guide (fixed) and a second conveyance guide (movable). Only the second guide is drawn out for cleaning, eliminating the positioning accuracy issues that would occur if both guides were moved as a unit. This segmentation maintains precise attachment positions while providing cleaning accessibility.
3Ease of repair
If the conveyance guide is made drawable for cleaning, then maintenance ease is improved, but structural complexity increases (need for drawable configuration)
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance guide system is segmented into a fixed first guide and a movable second guide. The second guide is designed with a simple drawable configuration that can be easily removed and reattached, providing maintenance ease without requiring complex mechanisms. This segmentation allows cleaning access while maintaining relatively simple overall structure.
Data Source
AI summary
An upper conveyance guide is provided at an apparatus main body. A guide surface of a lower conveyance guide is provided facing a guide surface of the upper conveyance guide, and can be drawn out in the direction intersecting the sheet conveyance direction with respect to the apparatus main body. A cleaning unit is provided on the back side in the drawing-out direction of the lower conveyance guide, moves together with the lower conveyance guide when the lower conveyance guide is drawn out from the apparatus main body, and cleans the guide surface of the upper conveyance guide.