Inclined Guide Plate Curved Surfaces Glossy Sheet Damage
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet supplying apparatuses often damage the recording surface of glossy sheets due to strong resisting forces from guide members, especially when a power transmission device is omitted or sheet-convey rollers are not used, leading to issues with sheet separation and surface damage.
Innovation Solution
A sheet supplying apparatus with an inclined guide plate and a sheet-separate body that includes projecting portions with curved surfaces, which guide and separate recording sheets without strongly pressing the trailing end against the sheet-separate portions, preventing damage and ensuring smooth feeding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If sheet-convey rollers are omitted or power transmission device is removed to simplify the structure, then device complexity is reduced, but the recording surface of glossy sheets is damaged due to strong resisting forces from guide members
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by providing guide surfaces with curved shapes instead of sharp edges. Specifically, the first guide surface and second guide surface are formed with curved portions that guide the trailing end of the sheet along a smooth arc-shaped path, preventing the sheet from being strongly pressed against the guide member and avoiding damage to the recording surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameters of the guide surfaces by defining specific curvature radii (R1 and R2) for the curved portions. This parameter optimization ensures that the sheet is guided smoothly without excessive contact pressure, resolving the contradiction between simplified structure and surface protection.
2Reliability
If projecting portions are arranged close to sheet-separate body to improve sheet separation, then sheet separation performance is improved, but trailing end of sheet is strongly pressed against sheet-separate portions causing surface damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces curved guide surfaces as intermediary elements between the projecting portions and the sheet-separate body. These curved surfaces act as mediators that redirect the trailing end of the sheet away from the sheet-separate portions, maintaining effective sheet separation while preventing direct contact that would cause surface damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent resolves the spatial conflict by utilizing the vertical dimension through curved guide surfaces. The curved portions elevate and redirect the trailing end of the sheet in a different spatial dimension, allowing the projecting portions to remain close to the sheet-separate body for effective separation without causing damage.
3Ease of operation
If guide members are positioned to effectively guide sheet movement, then sheet guidance is improved, but trailing end is forcedly engaged with guide members causing surface damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces sharp-edged guide members with curved guide surfaces having optimized radius of curvature. This allows effective sheet guidance through the curved path while eliminating the strong resisting forces that occur with sharp edges, thus preventing recording surface damage.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet supplying apparatus, including a sheet holder which accommodates recording sheets stacked on each other; a feeding device which feeds an uppermost one of the stacked sheets in a sheet-feed direction; an inclined guide plate which is provided downstream of the sheet holder in the sheet-feed direction, wherein the inclined guide plate has a sheet-guide surface which guides a movement of each sheet while changing a direction of the movement thereof; a sheet-separate body with which the sheet feeding device cooperates to separate and feed the sheets, one by one, wherein the sheet-separate body is supported by the inclined guide plate, and includes sheet-separate portions which are arranged in the sheet-feed direction and which project from respective portions of the sheet-guide surface; and a projecting portion which is supported by the inclined guide plate, at a position distant from the sheet-separate body in a widthwise direction of the sheet holder, and which has a curved surface projecting from the sheet-guide surface.