Image Reading Discharge Unit Guide Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image reading devices face challenges in stably stacking sheets on the discharge tray due to excessive posture change of sheets during discharge, leading to potential pushing out of sheets by those being discharged.
Innovation Solution
The image reading device incorporates a discharge unit with a first and second discharge guide that are bendably connected, maintaining a constant angle with respect to the sheet supporting surface, preventing excessive posture change and ensuring stable stacking by maintaining the second discharge guide's inclination angle constant during movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the discharge guide is rotated to change the discharge direction, then the sheet can be discharged to the discharge tray, but the posture change of the sheet becomes excessive causing instability in stacking
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge guide is divided into two separate rotatable components: the first discharge guide (rotatable around first axis) and the second discharge guide (rotatable around second axis). This segmentation allows independent adjustment of each guide's angle, enabling discharge direction control while maintaining stable sheet posture through coordinated rotation of both segments.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the discharge unit moves upward as sheets decrease, then the discharge opening separates from the discharge tray, but the angle change causes sheets to push each other out
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge guide components are designed with rotatable connections that allow dynamic angle adjustment during the upward movement of the discharge unit. As the discharge unit moves from the third position to the fourth position, the first and second discharge guides can rotate around their respective axes to maintain appropriate discharge angles, preventing excessive posture change and sheet instability.
Data Source
AI summary
A discharge unit includes a first discharge guide which guides the sheet conveyed by the conveyance guide, a second discharge guide which includes the discharge opening, and guides the sheet guided by the first discharge guide toward the discharge tray, and a discharge roller and a discharge pinch roller which are provided in the second discharge guide. The first discharge guide is rotatable around a first axis which is parallel with an axial direction of the discharge roller. The second discharge guide is connected to the first discharge guide to be rotatable around a second axis which is parallel with the first axis. An angle at which the second discharge guide is inclined with respect to a sheet supporting surface in the discharge tray is constant while the discharge unit is moving from the third position up to the fourth position.