Conveyance Roller Soiling Prevention via Nip Region Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Soiling of the surface of conveyance rollers in medium conveying apparatuses leads to variations in roller radius and medium conveyance speed, causing fluctuations in imaging positions and image expansion/contraction.
Innovation Solution
The medium conveying apparatus includes a feed roller, a separation roller, and multiple conveyance and facing rollers with strategically positioned nip regions to prevent soiling by maintaining a specific distance between inner and outer edges of nip regions, ensuring ink or graphite does not adhere to the rollers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If conveyance rollers are used to convey the medium, then the medium can be transported through the apparatus, but the roller surface becomes soiled with ink or graphite causing variation in roller radius and conveyance speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the roller system into multiple segments: feed roller, separation roller, and multiple conveyance rollers with facing rollers. Each segment performs a specific function and is positioned to create distinct nip regions. The separation roller specifically prevents soiling by creating a nip region that excludes contaminated areas from contact with conveyance rollers, thereby maintaining consistent conveyance speed without requiring the entire roller system to be cleaned frequently.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation roller acts as an intermediary between the feed roller and the conveyance rollers. It creates a controlled nip region that mediates the transfer of the medium while preventing direct contact between the medium's soiled surfaces and the conveyance rollers. This intermediary mechanism ensures that ink or graphite does not adhere to the conveyance rollers, maintaining reliable and consistent conveyance speed.
2Productivity
If the conveyance roller surface is soiled, then ink or graphite adheres to the roller, but this causes variation in roller radius and fluctuation in medium conveyance speed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the roller system into feed, separation, and conveyance rollers with distinct functions. The separation roller creates a nip region that specifically prevents soiled areas of the medium from contacting the conveyance rollers. This segmentation ensures that even if some parts of the medium are soiled, the conveyance rollers maintain their precision and radius consistency, thereby maintaining imaging position accuracy while preserving conveyance efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the soiling problem from the conveyance function by using the separation roller to remove or isolate contaminated areas of the medium before they can contact the conveyance rollers. The separation roller's nip region effectively 'takes out' the harmful soiled portions from the conveyance path, allowing the conveyance rollers to operate with consistent radius and precision without adhering to ink or graphite.
3Reliability
If multiple conveyance rollers are used to maintain medium contact, then conveyance reliability is improved, but the complexity of the roller arrangement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the conveyance function into multiple discrete roller pairs (conveyance rollers with corresponding facing rollers), each creating a distinct nip region. This segmentation allows for reliable medium contact at multiple points along the conveyance path while maintaining a relatively simple overall structure. Each roller pair is independently positioned to create controlled nip regions, ensuring reliable conveyance without requiring complex interlinked mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the functions of multiple rollers into coordinated pairs, where each conveyance roller works with a facing roller to create a nip region. This merging approach simplifies the control and arrangement complexity by organizing rollers into functional pairs rather than managing individual rollers separately. The coordinated action of these pairs maintains reliable medium contact while keeping the overall system architecture straightforward and manageable.
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
This configuration effectively suppresses soiling of the conveyance rollers, maintaining consistent medium conveyance speed and image quality by preventing ink or graphite adherence, thus minimizing variations in imaging positions and image expansion/contraction.
Implementation Method 1
a feed roller to feed a medium, a separation roller located to face the feed roller... a first pressing part to press one of the feed roller and the separation roller to the other such that a first nip region is formed
Implementation Method 2
a second pressing part to press one plurality of rollers of the plurality of conveyance rollers and the plurality of facing rollers to the other plurality of rollers such that a plurality of second nip regions are formed at positions where the plurality of conveyance rollers and the plurality of facing rollers are respectively in contact with each other
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a medium conveying apparatus to suppress soiling of the surface of a conveyance roller. A medium conveying apparatus includes a plurality of conveyance rollers located on a downstream side of the feed roller and the separation roller in a medium conveying direction and spaced in a direction perpendicular to the medium conveying direction to convey the medium, and a plurality of facing rollers located to respectively face the plurality of conveyance rollers. The plurality of conveyance rollers and the plurality of facing rollers are located such that, in a width direction perpendicular to the medium conveying direction, a distance between inner edges of a plurality of second nip regions formed at positions where the plurality of conveyance rollers and the plurality of facing rollers are respectively in contact with each other is greater than a distance between outer edges of a first nip region formed at a position where the feed roller and the separation roller are in contact with each other and less than a minimum width of a medium supported by the medium conveying apparatus.