Image Forming Apparatus Hinge and Cover Interlocking Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses with integrated printer and scanner units are bulky due to the placement of partition members, leading to increased size and potential errors in paper settings during paper changes, as users may forget to update paper information, resulting in erroneous printing conditions.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a paper feed tray positioned on the rear side with a pivotally movable inner cover and scanner unit, allowing for downsizing by reconfiguring the hinge structures and sensors to detect paper changes accurately, ensuring appropriate paper settings without increasing the apparatus's depth or height, and preventing foreign matter from entering the feed port.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a partition member is disposed on the rear side of the scanner to prevent foreign matter from falling into the feed port, then the reliability of the apparatus is improved, but the depth of the apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the feed port from the rear side to the front side of the apparatus, changing the spatial dimension of the feed port location. This allows the removal of the partition member that was previously needed to prevent foreign matter entry, thereby reducing the apparatus depth while maintaining the same protective function through a different spatial arrangement
Solution Approach 2:
The partition member is completely removed from the apparatus structure. Instead of keeping the partition and accepting increased depth, the invention extracts this component and replaces its protective function with an alternative design where the feed port is positioned at the front, eliminating the need for the partition entirely
2Adaptability or versatility
If the feed port is disposed at the rear side to accommodate the scanner unit, then the adaptability of the integrated apparatus is improved, but the depth of the apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The feed port is relocated from the rear side to the front side of the apparatus, fundamentally changing the spatial arrangement. This repositioning allows the scanner and printer units to be integrated in a different configuration that reduces the overall depth while maintaining functional adaptability
Solution Approach 2:
The inner cover is designed to be pivotally movable between an open state and a closed state, providing dynamic adaptability. When opened, it allows paper loading; when closed, it protects the feed port. This dynamic mechanism enables the apparatus to maintain compact dimensions while accommodating the integrated scanner unit
3Ease of operation
If the inner cover is made pivotally movable to enable paper loading, then the ease of operation is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The opening/closing detection function is merged with the existing scanner cover open/close sensor. The same sensor that detects scanner cover status is utilized to detect inner cover position, combining multiple detection functions into a single sensor system and reducing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The scanner cover open/close sensor serves dual purposes: detecting the scanner cover position and detecting the inner cover position. This multi-functional use of the sensor simplifies the control system by eliminating the need for a separate sensor dedicated solely to inner cover detection
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2A~2B
Figure 3A~3B
AI summary
There is provided an image forming apparatus including a scanner unit configured to be openable on an apparatus front side with respect to a printer unit due to a first hinge portion on an apparatus rear side, a cover to cover a feed port configured to be openable due to a second hinge portion on the apparatus front side of the feed port, wherein a rotation axis of the first hinge portion is positioned on the apparatus rear side of a rotation axis of the second hinge portion in an apparatus depth direction. Interlocking with an operation to open the scanner unit, the cover moves while a portion thereof is in contact with a surface of the paper feed tray or the sheet placed thereon to open the cover in an interlocking manner.