Cover Opening Structure With Integrated Damping and Locking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing cover opening/closing structures in image forming apparatuses lack efficient mechanisms for gentle operation and secure locking, often resulting in rough movements and potential damage during maintenance or operation.
Innovation Solution
A cover opening/closing structure featuring a strap member with a projection portion and a hold member that provides both damper and locking functions, utilizing a pinching mechanism with ribs and a pressing portion to control sliding resistance and secure the cover member in place, allowing for smooth opening and closing operations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a simple hinge structure is used for cover opening/closing, then device complexity is reduced, but the cover operation becomes rough and may cause damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the damper function and locking function into a single integrated hold member structure. The hold member includes a pressing portion that provides damping during cover movement and a projection portion that engages with a groove to lock the cover in the closed position, eliminating the need for separate damper and latch mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The strap member acts as an intermediary element between the cover and the hold member. It transmits the cover's opening/closing motion to the hold member's projection portion, enabling the transfer of mechanical energy for both damping and locking functions through a single mediating component
2Reliability
If multiple separate components are used for damper and locking functions, then functional reliability is improved, but device complexity and assembly difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hold member integrates multiple functions: the pressing portion provides damper function by contacting the strap member during movement, while the projection portion provides locking function by engaging with the groove. This single component replaces what would traditionally require separate damper and latch mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The hold member is designed as a multi-functional component that simultaneously performs damping, locking, and structural support functions. The pressing portion and projection portion work together within a single component to achieve multiple objectives, reducing the overall part count while maintaining functional reliability
3Reliability
If friction resistance is increased to prevent rough movement, then cover operation smoothness is improved, but the force required to open/close the cover increases
Solution Approach 1:
The friction resistance provided by the pressing portion is not continuous but periodic - it acts strongly during the opening and closing transitions to prevent rough movement, then releases when the cover reaches the closed position for locking. This periodic application of friction control provides smooth operation without continuously high force requirements
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 structure ensures gentle and controlled opening and closing of the cover member, preventing rough operations and potential damage, while reducing the number of parts and simplifying assembly, with adjustable friction for optimal performance.
Implementation Method 1
a pressing portion that presses the strap member from the inside in the left-and-right direction with the opening/closing operation of the cover member, and that gives sliding resistance to the strap member
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a cover opening/closing structure including a cover member that performs an opening/closing operation with one end side as a rotation center with respect to an apparatus body, a supporting member that includes one end portion fixed to the cover member and the other end portion locked to the apparatus body to support the cover member in an opened state, and an engaging member that is provided at the apparatus body to give resistance to the supporting member with the opening/closing operation of the cover member, and that engages a portion to be engaged, which is provided at the supporting member to maintain the cover member in a closed state.