Movable Guiding Member for Sheet Folding Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet folding devices face challenges in performing multi-sheet folding due to increased feeding resistance and alignment issues caused by varying sheet thickness and curl, which can lead to folding errors and jamming.
Innovation Solution
A sheet folding device with a movable guiding member that adjusts the feeding gap for single-sheet and multi-sheet folding, using a pair of folding rollers and a conveying unit to ensure accurate alignment and reduce resistance by increasing the gap as the number of sheets increases, allowing for high-precision folding regardless of sheet thickness or curl.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the guiding member is moved close to the folding roller nip for single-sheet folding, then folding position accuracy is improved, but feeding resistance increases and multi-sheet folding fails
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding member is made movable between a first position (close to the folding roller nip) for single-sheet folding and a second position (far from the folding roller nip) for multi-sheet folding. This dynamic repositioning allows the system to optimize the feeding gap based on the number of sheets being fed, resolving the contradiction between achieving high folding position accuracy and maintaining low feeding resistance.
2Force
If the guiding member is positioned far from the folding roller nip for multi-sheet folding, then feeding resistance decreases, but folding position accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The guiding member's position is dynamically adjusted: positioned far from the folding roller nip when feeding multiple sheets to reduce feeding resistance, and moved close to the folding roller nip when feeding a single sheet to ensure high folding position accuracy. This dynamic adaptation resolves the contradiction between feeding resistance and folding position accuracy.
3Device complexity
If a single feed path is used for both single-sheet and multi-sheet folding, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability decreases due to feeding failures
Solution Approach 1:
By making the guiding member movable between two positions within a single feed path, the system achieves the reliability of dedicated feed paths for single-sheet and multi-sheet folding without the complexity of multiple separate feed paths. The dynamic position adjustment ensures reliable operation for both folding types.
Solution Approach 2:
The single feed path is made universal by enabling it to handle both single-sheet and multi-sheet folding operations through the movable guiding member. This multi-functionality allows one feed path to serve multiple purposes with high reliability by adapting its configuration based on the operation type.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet folding device for performing single-sheet folding and multi-sheet folding with a single feed path, the device including: a conveying unit that conveys a sheet; a restraining unit that stops a leading edge of the sheet; a pair of folding rollers that fold the sheet; and a guiding member that guides a bend of the sheet to a nip between the pair of folding rollers, wherein the guiding member is positioned at different sheet-guiding positions for single-sheet folding and multi-sheet folding.