Printing Apparatus Cutter Flap Shutter Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing printing apparatuses, the movable blade may fail due to abutment with the shutter, leading to operational issues and potential paper jamming.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus design featuring a flap with a shutter that moves between two positions to open and close an opening, allowing the first blade of the cutter to advance and retreat without direct contact, thereby preventing blade failure and ensuring smooth paper transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the movable blade abuts on the shutter to open the opening, then the opening can be opened and closed, but the movable blade may fail due to abutment
Solution Approach 1:
The opening mechanism is segmented into two independent components: the shutter that opens/closes the opening, and the movable blade that performs cutting. The shutter is actuated by a separate operation member while the blade is actuated by a separate blade actuating mechanism, eliminating direct abutment between the blade and shutter.
Solution Approach 2:
The shutter acts as an intermediary element between the opening operation and the blade. Instead of the blade directly abutting the shutter to open it, the shutter is independently controlled by an operation member, mediating the opening action without requiring blade contact.
2Reliability
If the movable blade moves freely without abutting the shutter, then blade failure is prevented, but the mechanism for opening the opening becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The operation member that controls the shutter serves multiple functions: it opens the opening by actuating the shutter, and it can also influence the blade position indirectly through the system's coordinated design. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The control of the shutter and the actuation of the blade are merged into a coordinated system where both are controlled by the operation sequence initiated by the operation member, rather than requiring completely separate independent mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing apparatus includes a transportation roller that transports recording paper in a transporting direction, a head that performs printing on the recording paper, a cutter that has a second blade located at a position facing an opening located downstream in the transporting direction of the head and the transportation roller and a first blade configured to move from the opening to the second blade and configured to cut the recording paper together with the second blade, and a flap that has a shutter configured to open and close the opening and is configured to move between a first position and a second position, and when the first blade moves from the opening to the second blade, the flap moves from the first position to the second position, and the shutter opens the opening, and when the first blade moves away from the second blade, the flap moves from the second position to the first position, and the shutter closes the opening.