Medium Aligning Device with Play Mechanism to Prevent Rear End Disturbance
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medium processing apparatuses face issues with aligning sheet edges and rear ends during processing, leading to disturbed alignment states and potential paper dust generation due to the interconnected movement of side and rear end restricting sections.
Innovation Solution
A medium aligning device with a stacking tray, side end aligning portion, rear end aligning portion, and transmission portion, where play is provided between the side end aligning portion and the transmission portion to prevent the rear end aligning portion from following the side end aligning portion's movement, and an advance and retreat restricting section to manage the rear end aligning portion's position during processing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the side end aligning portion and rear end aligning portion are connected by a transmission portion that transmits movement, then the aligning operation is simplified and coordinated movement is achieved, but the rear end aligning portion moves unnecessarily when the side end aligning portion moves in small increments, disturbing the aligning state and generating paper dust
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful connection between the side end aligning portion and rear end aligning portion by removing the transmission portion that transmits movement between them. This allows the rear end aligning portion to remain stationary during side end aligning operations, preventing it from disturbing the aligning state or generating paper dust, while still maintaining the ability to perform coordinated movement when needed through selective engagement.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the movement stroke of the side end aligning portion is set longer than the rear end aligning portion, then the arrangement layout of the bundle discharging section is not restricted, but the rear end aligning portion cannot maintain its position independently when the side end aligning portion moves
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the connection between the side end aligning portion and rear end aligning portion conditional rather than fixed. The transmission portion can be selectively engaged or disengaged, allowing the system to switch between connected mode (for coordinated movement) and disconnected mode (for independent positioning). This dynamic configuration enables the side end aligning portion to have a longer movement stroke while the rear end aligning portion maintains its position independently when needed.
3Device complexity
If the sheet end restricting section moves completely following the side end aligning section, then the structure is simplified, but the sheet end restricting section rubs the rear end of the sheet and generates paper dust during side aligning operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the harmful connection between the side end aligning section and sheet end restricting section by eliminating the transmission mechanism that causes the sheet end restricting section to follow the side end aligning section's movement. This prevents the sheet end restricting section from rubbing against the sheet rear end and generating paper dust, while maintaining structural simplicity through selective rather than continuous connection.
Data Source
AI summary
A medium aligning device includes a stacking tray that stacks a medium discharged by a discharge section that discharges the medium, a side end aligning portion that is movable in a width direction that is a direction intersecting with a medium discharge direction of the discharge section, and positions and aligns a side end in the width direction of the medium stacked on the stacking tray, a rear end aligning portion that is movable in the width direction and positions and aligns a rear end that is an upstream end of the medium stacked on the stacking tray in the discharge direction, and a transmission portion that transmits the movement of the side end aligning portion in the width direction to the rear end aligning portion, in which a play in the width direction is provided between the side end aligning portion and the transmission portion.