Curved Sheet Guide with Domical Support for Burr Separation

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sheet conveyance apparatuses face difficulties in separating recording sheets with burrs, as the lengthening of separating pieces can damage sheets with higher resilience, such as gloss paper, while failing to effectively separate sheets with burrs due to varying manufacturing and lot differences.

Innovation Solution

A sheet conveyance apparatus with a support member, feed unit, and guide member featuring a curved inclined surface and domically bent support surfaces to efficiently separate sheets, where the peak of the domical shape abuts against the separating member, ensuring effective sheet separation without damaging sheets.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the separating pieces projecting from the inclined surface are lengthened to improve the ability to separate recording sheets with burrs, then the separation ability is improved, but sheets with higher resilience (such as gloss paper) are liable to suffer greater damage due to abutment against the separating pieces

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesheet separation abilityVSAvoidsheet damage

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The inclined surface is designed with different curvature radii in different regions: a first curved surface with a larger curvature radius and a second curved surface with a smaller curvature radius. This local differentiation allows the sheet to be gently guided initially while providing sufficient separation force at the critical region where the separating member is located, thus preventing damage to resilient sheets while maintaining separation effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The inclined surface is designed as a curved surface rather than a straight line, specifically with a first curved surface having a larger curvature radius for gentle guidance and a second curved surface with a smaller curvature radius for effective separation. This curvature design allows the sheet to follow a smooth path while ensuring the front end portion properly engages with the separating member, reducing impact damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

2Object-affected harmful factors

If the separating pieces are made shorter to reduce damage to sheets, then sheet damage is reduced, but the ability to separate recording sheets with burrs deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesheet damageVSAvoidsheet separation ability

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The inclined surface is designed with different curvature radii in different regions: a first curved surface with a larger curvature radius and a second curved surface with a smaller curvature radius. This local differentiation allows the sheet to be gently guided initially while providing sufficient separation force at the critical region where the separating member is located, thus preventing damage to resilient sheets while maintaining separation effectiveness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The inclined surface is designed as a curved surface rather than a straight line, specifically with a first curved surface having a larger curvature radius for gentle guidance and a second curved surface with a smaller curvature radius for effective separation. This curvature design allows the sheet to follow a smooth path while ensuring the front end portion properly engages with the separating member, reducing impact damage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

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 apparatus improves sheet separation efficiency by ensuring the peak of the domically bent sheets abuts the separating member first, effectively guiding and separating the topmost sheet while preventing underlaid sheets from moving, thus reducing damage to sheets with higher resilience.

Implementation Method 1

the underlaid sheets, which are attached to the topmost sheet due to friction force and the like and moved in the conveyance direction

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Implementation Method 2

a part of the front end portions of the sheets is bent by abutting against the separating pieces, and passes over the separating pieces because of the intension of the sheets (that is, the resilience of the sheets)

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectResilience (Elasticity): Elasticity

Implementation Method 3

the underlaid sheets, which are attached to the topmost sheet due to friction force and the like and moved in the conveyance direction, are stopped by the separating pieces

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectFriction force: Friction

Data Source

PatentUS9834396B2Sheet conveyance apparatus, image recording apparatus and feed tray

Publication Date: 2017.12.05 BROTHER KOGYO KK

AI summary

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes: a support member having a support surface configured to support sheets, a feed unit configured to feed the sheets stacked on the support surface in a feed direction, a guide member provided on the downstream side of the support member in the feed direction, and a separating member projecting from an inclined surface of the guide member toward the support surface. The inclined surface is curved such that a separating area where the separating member is provided comes closest to the side of the support surface. The support surface has a first support surface located on the immediate upstream side in the feed direction to correspond to the separating area, and second support surfaces arranged respectively on both sides of the first support surface in a direction orthogonal to the feed direction to be lowered than the first support surface.