Flap Cutout for Double-Sided Printing Jam Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image recording apparatuses face issues with jamming and cockling of recording media during double-sided printing, where the media deforms and becomes unstable when conveyed by rollers, leading to jams between the flapper and feed roller.
Innovation Solution
An image recording apparatus with a re-feeding roller and a flap extending from the upstream to downstream in the conveying direction, where the flap's downstream end has a cutout portion to support and introduce the one-side recorded medium to the re-feeding roller, stabilizing the media and preventing jams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the third sheet flapper supports the entire width of the recording medium immediately before the U-turn feed roller, then the recording medium is stable for feeding, but cockling occurs causing jamming
Solution Approach 1:
The flapper is divided into multiple functional regions: a first region that supports the recording medium and a second region with a cutout portion that allows cockling. This segmentation enables the flapper to simultaneously provide stability and accommodate deformation, preventing jamming while maintaining feeding reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the flapper have different properties: the first region provides full support for stability, while the second region with the cutout portion allows localized cockling. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction between maintaining stability and preventing jamming.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the flapper extends fully from upstream to downstream end, then the recording medium is well-supported, but the height is unstable due to cockling
Solution Approach 1:
The flapper is segmented into a first region for support and a second region with cutout for height compensation. This allows the flapper to maintain overall support while accommodating height variations caused by cockling, thus preserving precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The cutout portion acts as an intermediary element that absorbs the instability caused by cockling. It mediates between the support function and the precision requirement, allowing the flapper to maintain both support stability and height precision.
3Speed
If the recording medium is conveyed by rollers along the width direction, then the medium is transported, but cockling occurs between adjacent rollers
Solution Approach 1:
The invention converts the harmful cockling effect into a beneficial feature by providing a dedicated cutout portion on the flapper. Instead of preventing cockling entirely, the design allows controlled cockling in a specific region, transforming the deformation from a problem into an acceptable characteristic that prevents jamming.
Data Source
AI summary
The image recording apparatus includes: a recording head; a re-feeding roller configured to re-feed a one-side recorded medium toward the recording head; and a flap provided on an upstream side of the re-feeding roller in a conveying direction of the one-side recorded medium. The flap extends from an upstream end to a downstream end in the conveying direction. The downstream end of the flap is closer to the re-feeding roller than the upstream end in the conveying direction. The flap is configured to support and introduce the one-side recorded medium to the re-feeding roller. A downstream end portion of the flap has: a first region opposing the re-feeding roller; and a second region except the first region. The downstream end portion has a cutout portion provided in at least a part of the second region.