Printer Platen Roller Bushing Support Structure for Shaft Deflection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional printers with small-diameter rotary shafts for platen rollers suffer from insufficient rigidity, leading to bending when pressed by a print head, due to reduced weight and manufacturing cost considerations.
Innovation Solution
A support structure comprising a frame with bushings that include a projection or protrusion to receive the force applied by the print head, reducing deflection by distributing the force effectively across the platen roller's outer surface and frame interface.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If a small-diameter rotary shaft is used to reduce weight and manufacturing cost, then weight and cost are reduced, but rigidity becomes insufficient and the platen roller may bend when pressed by the print head
Solution Approach 1:
The bushing is designed with a projection that locally reinforces the support structure at the critical contact point where the platen roller meets the frame. This localized structural enhancement provides the necessary rigidity support exactly where the small-diameter shaft is most vulnerable to bending, without requiring to increase the overall shaft diameter throughout its entire length.
2Weight of moving object
If a small-diameter rotary shaft is used to reduce weight and manufacturing cost, then weight and cost are reduced, but the platen roller may bend when pressed by the print head
Solution Approach 1:
The projection on the bushing creates a localized reinforcement zone that stabilizes the platen roller at the critical support point. This local structural feature prevents excessive deflection and maintains operational stability without compromising the overall lightweight design achieved through the small-diameter shaft.
3Strength
If the shaft diameter is increased to improve rigidity, then rigidity is improved, but weight and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of uniformly increasing the shaft diameter throughout, the invention applies rigidity enhancement locally through the bushing projection. This allows the shaft to maintain its small diameter and lightweight properties in non-critical areas while receiving targeted structural support where bending forces are applied during printing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bushing with its projection acts as an intermediary structural element between the small-diameter shaft and the frame. It mediates the load transfer, providing the necessary rigidity support to the shaft without requiring the shaft itself to be larger and heavier. The bushing projection serves as the intermediate feature that bridges the gap between the lightweight shaft design and the rigidity requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A support structure for a detachable platen roller of a printer that rotates to feed paper, or the like includes a frame that holds the platen roller and a pair of bushings attached to the frame. Ends of a shaft of the platen roller are inserted into the bushings. A part of either the frame or each of the bushings located around the shaft and closer to a guide surface of the platen roller than the frame in a longitudinal direction of the platen roller forms a support part that receives a force applied by a print head pressing against the platen roller.