Medium Ejection Device Wall Portion Geometry for Jam Prevention
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Medium ejection devices face challenges in stacking ejected media in a desirable manner, leading to jams and damage due to improper alignment, which increases user effort and reduces productivity.
Innovation Solution
The medium ejection device incorporates a housing with an ejection roller, an opposing roller, and a tray, featuring a tilted medium conveyance path and strategically positioned wall portions with holes to guide the ejected media, preventing rear end contact with the wall and ensuring smooth alignment on the tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the medium conveyance path is tilted to eject media downward, then media alignment on the tray is improved, but media may contact the wall portion causing jams or damage
Solution Approach 1:
The housing is divided into multiple wall portions (first wall portion, second wall portion, third wall portion) that segment the conveyance path and ejection space. Each wall portion is strategically positioned to guide media without causing contact, resolving the contradiction between alignment and damage prevention.
Solution Approach 2:
The wall portions act as intermediary structures between the ejection roller and the tray. They guide the media through the conveyance path and control the ejection trajectory, ensuring media lands on the tray without contacting harmful surfaces, thus preventing both misalignment and damage.
2Manufacturing precision
If wall portions are positioned to guide media, then media alignment is improved, but media rear end may contact the wall causing jams
Solution Approach 1:
Different wall portions are designed with specific local qualities and positions. The first wall portion is positioned at a specific distance from the nip surface, the second wall portion is positioned downstream, and the third wall portion is positioned to prevent rear end contact. This localized optimization ensures alignment without causing jams.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution addresses the alignment problem by considering three-dimensional positioning of wall portions relative to the media path. The wall portions are positioned in multiple dimensions (distance from nip surface, downstream position, vertical position) to create optimal guidance without contact, resolving the contradiction between alignment and jam prevention.
3Device complexity
If the ejection system uses simple roller and tray configuration, then device complexity is reduced, but media stacking quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The wall portions serve multiple functions: they guide media through the conveyance path, control ejection trajectory, prevent media contact with harmful surfaces, and ensure proper stacking on the tray. This multi-functionality achieves high stacking quality without adding complex specialized components.
Solution Approach 2:
The tilted conveyance path and wall portion configuration enable the media to guide itself during ejection. The geometry of the conveyance path and positioning of wall portions naturally direct media to the correct stack position on the tray without requiring additional active control mechanisms, maintaining simplicity while ensuring quality.
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 allows for efficient stacking of media without jams or damage, reducing user effort and improving productivity by ensuring proper alignment and smooth media fall onto the tray.
Implementation Method 1
The medium conveyance path is tilted such that the medium conveyance path is lower toward a downstream end of the medium conveyance path in a medium ejecting direction to eject the medium downward
Data Source
AI summary
A medium ejection device includes a housing, an ejection roller, an opposing roller, and a tray. The housing includes: a medium conveyance path tilted to be lower toward a downstream end of the path in a medium ejecting direction to eject a medium downward; and a wall portion disposed below a nip surface between the ejection roller and the opposing roller. The wall portion is not overlapped, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the medium ejecting direction, with a circle that is centered at an intersection point between an extension line of the nip surface and a placement surface of the tray and passes through a point closest to the intersection point on outer circumference surfaces of the ejection roller and the opposing roller such that, when the ejected medium falls down, a rear end of the medium does not come into contact with the wall portion.