Movable Platen and Roller Mechanism for Jam Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image recording apparatuses face difficulties in easily clearing jams around the platen, requiring users to manually access and operate internal mechanisms, which can be cumbersome and inconvenient.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a movable platen and roller mechanism that allows the platen and lower roller to separate downward, providing access to the first conveyance path through a rear opening, enabling easy removal of jams without the need for users to manually manipulate internal components.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the platen and roller are fixed in position, then the structural stability is improved, but the ease of clearing jams deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The platen and lower roller are designed to move vertically between a first position (for printing) and a second position (for jam clearing). This dynamic configuration allows the system to switch between operational modes, enabling easy access to the conveyance path for jam removal while maintaining structural stability during normal printing operations.
2Manufacturing precision
If the platen is positioned closer to the recording head, then the printing precision is improved, but the ease of accessing the conveyance path deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The platen's vertical movement capability allows it to be positioned close to the recording head for high-precision printing, then moved downward to create access space for jam clearing. This dynamic positioning resolves the contradiction by separating the printing and maintenance spatial requirements temporally.
3Ease of repair
If the apparatus height is increased to accommodate internal mechanisms, then the ease of maintenance is improved, but the overall device size deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By making the platen and lower roller vertically movable rather than fixed, the system provides maintenance access without requiring increased apparatus height. The components move to expose the conveyance path, eliminating the need for additional vertical space that would be required if manual access mechanisms were built into a fixed-height structure.
4Reliability
If the platen and roller remain in contact during operation, then the printing reliability is improved, but the ease of jam removal deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system maintains roller-platen contact for reliable printing, then dynamically separates them vertically for jam removal. This controlled separation and reconnection allows the system to switch between reliability and ease of maintenance modes, resolving the contradiction between continuous contact for printing and separation for access.
Data Source
AI summary
A roller pair includes lower and upper rollers that contact each other at a conveyance path. A platen is located downstream of the roller pair in the conveyance path, and has an end facing toward a surface. A recording head faces the platen from above and ejects ink to a sheet. A movement mechanism moves the platen and the lower roller in conjunction with movement of a tray in a drawing direction such that: the end of the platen moves from a first support position at which the platen supports a sheet to a first lower position at which the platen is separated farther downward from the recording head than at the first support position; and the lower roller moves from a contact position at which the lower roller contacts the upper roller to a second lower position at which the lower roller is separated downward from the upper roller.