Image Recording Cutter Assembly With Transparent Jam Cover
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image recording apparatuses require careful operation and increased time and effort to deal with sheet-like medium jams near the cutter, posing a risk of finger injury.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a scanning mechanism to move cutters in a scanning direction parallel to the sheet, a tray design with angled path members to guide sheets smoothly, and a cover mechanism to expose intermediate rollers, reducing jam likelihood and facilitating easy access for jam resolution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the cutter is disposed downstream of the recorder in the conveying direction, then the sheet can be cut after image recording, but the user's fingers may be injured when dealing with sheet jams near the cutter
Solution Approach 1:
A transparent cover is introduced as an intermediary component between the user's fingers and the cutter. The cover allows visual monitoring of the cutting process and sheet conveyance while physically preventing direct contact between fingers and the cutter blade, thus eliminating the injury risk while maintaining continuous operation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent cover is installed in advance to prevent potential finger injuries before they can occur. It creates a protective barrier that anticipates and blocks the harmful interaction between user fingers and the cutter, allowing safe handling of sheet jams without exposing fingers to the blade
2Productivity
If the cutter is disposed downstream of the recorder, then cutting can be performed after image recording, but time and effort increase when dealing with sheet jams
Solution Approach 1:
The transparent cover serves as a mediator that enables safe and quick access to the cutting area. Users can visually identify jam locations and retrieve sheets without removing protective components, significantly reducing jam handling time while maintaining the downstream cutter configuration for continuous processing
3Device complexity
If a fixed cutter configuration is used, then the structure is simple, but the cutter cannot adapt to different sheet positions or types
Solution Approach 1:
The cutter configuration is changed from fixed to movable along the conveying direction. The cutter can dynamically adjust its position to match different sheet lengths and types, enabling versatile cutting operations while maintaining relatively simple structure through linear movement mechanisms rather than complex reconfiguration systems
Data Source
AI summary
An image recording apparatus includes a conveyer configured to convey a sheet-like medium along a conveying path in a conveying direction, a recorder configured to record an image on the sheet-like medium conveyed by the conveyer, a cutter unit including one or more cutters and configured to cut the sheet-like medium in the conveying path, and a scanning mechanism configured to move at least one of the one or more cutters included in the cutter unit in a scanning direction parallel to the sheet-like medium lying along the conveying path and intersecting with the conveying direction. The scanning mechanism includes a support member extending in the scanning direction and configured to support the cutter unit. The conveyer includes a path member fixed to the support member and defining a portion of the conveying path upstream of the cutter unit in the conveying direction.