Paper Feeding Cassette Buffer Member for Impact Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing paper feeding cassettes in image forming apparatuses often cause collision sounds and inefficient sheet tray operation when inserted or removed, leading to potential damage and user notification issues due to the lack of effective mechanisms to absorb the falling sheet tray's energy upon withdrawal.
Innovation Solution
A paper feeding cassette design featuring a rotatably attached sheet tray with a push-up member and a buffer member that absorbs the falling tray's energy by elastic deformation, reducing impact and noise during insertion and removal, and incorporating a latch mechanism and detection system for secure insertion and size detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the sheet tray is allowed to fall freely when the cassette is removed, then the operation is simple and quick, but collision sound is generated and potential damage occurs
Solution Approach 1:
A buffer member is provided between the sheet tray and the bottom of the cassette case. When the cassette is removed from the apparatus, the sheet tray can fall freely under gravity, but the buffer member absorbs the impact energy before the tray reaches the bottom, preventing collision sound and potential damage while maintaining simple operation.
2Reliability
If the sheet tray is prevented from falling when the cassette is removed, then collision damage is avoided, but the operation becomes slower and more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer member is pre-positioned between the sheet tray and the cassette case bottom. This allows the sheet tray to fall freely during cassette removal without requiring active control mechanisms, maintaining fast operation speed while protecting against collision damage through passive energy absorption.
3Loss of energy
If the buffer member is positioned at the distal end of the sheet tray, then it can absorb the most impact energy, but it interferes with the stacked sheets
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer member is positioned at a specific location on the sheet tray - not at the distal end where sheets are stacked, but at a position that still allows effective impact absorption. This localized positioning ensures the buffer member absorbs impact energy while avoiding interference with the stacked sheets during normal operation.
4Reliability
If a complex latch mechanism is added to prevent the sheet tray from falling, then collision damage is avoided, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a complex active latch mechanism to prevent the sheet tray from falling, a simple passive buffer member is positioned between the tray and the cassette case bottom. This buffer member automatically absorbs impact energy when the tray falls during cassette removal, achieving reliable protection without increasing device complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively reduces the impact and noise of the sheet tray's fall, ensuring smooth operation and user notification of low sheet levels, while maintaining the cassette's size and functionality.
Implementation Method 1
a buffer member configured to be nipped by the cassette case and the sheet tray and elastically deformed when the sheet tray rotates in the other direction
Data Source
AI summary
A paper feeding cassette includes: a cassette case configured to store sheets; a sheet tray on which the sheets are stacked, the sheet tray being rotatably attached to the cassette case; a push-up member configured to push up the sheet tray and rotate the sheet tray in one direction when driving force is input and release the push-up of the sheet tray to allow rotation of the sheet tray in the other direction when the input of the driving force is interrupted; and a buffer member configured to be nipped by the cassette case and the sheet tray and elastically deformed when the sheet tray rotates in the other direction. The buffer member is located, when viewed from a stacking direction of the sheets, in an area closer to a rotation axis of the sheet tray than a distal end of the sheet tray that is most distant from the rotation axis in the sheet tray.