Flat Cable Holder Prevents Detachment in Scanner
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Solution Overview
Problem
In conventional image reading apparatuses, the flexible flat cable's end portion can detach from its holder due to reciprocating movement and restoring force, leading to image-reading quality deterioration as it may contact the supporter and interrupt the carriage's movement.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs a dual holder system where the first holder contacts the lower surface of the flat cable's end portion and the second holder contacts its upper surface, ensuring secure engagement through integrated engaging portions, preventing detachment and maintaining the cable's position during reciprocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If adhesive means such as double-sided adhesive tape is used to attach the flat cable to the holder, then the cable can be easily installed, but the cable may detach during reciprocating movement due to load on the adhesive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces adhesive attachment with a mechanical pressing structure. The pressing portion applies continuous mechanical pressure to clamp the flat cable against the holder, substituting the chemical bonding mechanism (adhesive) with a physical constraint mechanism that remains reliable under dynamic loading conditions during carriage reciprocation.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing portion acts as an intermediary element between the holder and the flat cable. It distributes and maintains contact pressure on the cable, ensuring stable attachment without requiring adhesive materials, thereby solving both the ease of installation and reliability concerns.
2Ease of operation
If the flat cable is allowed to move freely during reciprocation, then the carriage can reciprocate smoothly, but the cable may contact the supporter and interrupt movement
Solution Approach 1:
The flat cable is nested within the holder structure, with the holder providing a protective enclosure. The pressing portion ensures the cable remains nested securely, preventing it from protruding or contacting external surfaces like the supporter during carriage movement, thus maintaining both smooth operation and continuous reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The holder and pressing portion structure provides preventive constraint on the flat cable before any potential contact with the supporter can occur. By maintaining constant pressure and proper positioning in advance, the system prevents harmful contact interruptions before they can happen during reciprocating motion.
3Device complexity
If a single holder is used to hold the flat cable, then the device complexity is reduced, but the cable may shift from its predetermined position under load
Solution Approach 1:
The holder structure is segmented into distinct functional portions: the holder body that provides structural support and positioning, and the pressing portion that applies localized constraint force. This segmentation allows the cable to be held at a predetermined position with high precision while keeping the overall structure relatively simple and manufacturable.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing portion provides localized quality enhancement by concentrating constraint force at the specific location where the cable contacts the holder. This localized pressing ensures precise position maintenance without requiring the entire holder structure to be complex, achieving high positioning precision with minimal added complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An image reading apparatus includes a base, a supporter supporting a reading object, a reader provided on a mover and disposed between the base and the supporter. The image reading apparatus further includes a flexible flat cable. A first holder provided on the mover and holds a portion of the flat cable in a state in which the first holder is held in contact with a surface of the flat cable. A second holder holds the portion of the flat cable together with the first holder in a state in which the second holder is held in contact with a surface of the flat cable. The flat cable is interposed between the first holder and the second holder and held by the first holder and the second holder.