Flexible Shaft Sheet Guiding Mechanism for Curved Conveyance
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Solution Overview
Problem
In image forming apparatuses, the sheet guiding mechanism struggles to accurately guide sheet materials along curved conveying paths, leading to variations in advancing direction, increased friction, and potential generation of wrinkles, especially when the space between guide portions is small, affecting image quality and causing paper powder degradation.
Innovation Solution
A sheet guiding mechanism incorporating a pair of first and second rotators, a shaft member, and guide rollers that can bend under tension, reducing friction and guiding the sheet material along a curved path with minimal angle deviation, while a displacement restricting portion limits shaft deformation to prevent excessive curvature and maintain precise direction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the space between guide portions is reduced, then the apparatus size is minimized, but the sheet material cannot be accurately guided and friction increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft member is designed with flexibility to dynamically adapt its shape based on sheet tension. When tension is applied between the first and second rotators, the shaft bends to follow the sheet material's curvature, maintaining optimal guide surface contact and reducing friction while accommodating the limited space between guide portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft member's physical state changes from rigid to flexible under tension. This parameter change allows the guide rollers to adjust their position and orientation, enabling accurate guidance of the sheet material through the curved path while minimizing friction and preventing wrinkles in the constrained space.
2Device complexity
If rigid guide structures are used, then the structure is simple and stable, but friction increases and sheet material wrinkles
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft member transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure that adapts to sheet tension. This allows the guide rollers to follow the sheet material's natural curvature, reducing friction and preventing wrinkles while maintaining structural simplicity without complex active control mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The shaft member functions as a flexible element that bends under tension to conform to the curved conveying path. This flexibility reduces the contact pressure and friction between the guide rollers and sheet material, preventing wrinkles while maintaining a simple structural design.
3Manufacturing precision
If the shaft member is made flexible to reduce friction, then sheet guiding accuracy improves, but the shaft deformation must be controlled
Solution Approach 1:
The shaft member's flexibility is dynamically controlled by the tension applied through the sheet material. The shaft bends only to the extent necessary to follow the sheet's curvature, and the displacement restricting portion ensures the deformation remains within acceptable limits, maintaining both guiding accuracy and structural stability.
Solution Approach 2:
The displacement restricting portion is pre-configured to limit the shaft's deformation before excessive bending can occur. This preliminary constraint ensures that the shaft member follows the sheet material's curvature accurately while preventing over-deformation that would compromise structural integrity or guiding precision.
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 solution effectively reduces friction and variation in the sheet material's advancing direction, minimizing wrinkles and improving image quality by guiding the sheet material with reduced tension and curvature, ensuring accurate transfer at the transfer position.
Implementation Method 1
The shaft member has flexibility such that the shaft member is bent by a pressure applied from the sheet material to the plurality of guide rollers when a tension is applied to the sheet material between the pair of first rotators and the pair of second rotators
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet guiding mechanism includes a pair of first rotators and a pair of second rotators provided in a conveying path for a sheet material, a first sheet guide portion, a second sheet guide portion, a shaft member, and a plurality of guide rollers. The first sheet guide portion and the second sheet guide portion form guide surfaces for the sheet material on both sides of the conveying path. Both end portions of the shaft member extending along a width direction are supported by the second sheet guide portion. The guide rollers are in contact with the sheet material conveyed in the conveying path, and rotate to follow the sheet material. The shaft member is bent by a pressure applied from the sheet material to the guide rollers when a tension is applied to the sheet material between the pair of first rotators and the pair of second rotators.