Printer Guide Portion Prevents Sheet Tip Skew

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing recording devices face challenges in maintaining image quality due to skew correction operations, where the sheet tip may come into contact with upstream peripheral surfaces of transport rollers before reaching the shutter member, leading to potential deterioration in image formation.

Innovation Solution

A recording device is designed with a transport path, a transport roller pair, a gate portion, and a guide portion. The gate portion switches between advance and retreat states to control contact with the sheet tip, while the guide portion protrudes radially beyond the outer periphery of the first roller, ensuring the sheet tip follows the gate portion and avoids upstream peripheral surfaces.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the sheet transport path is opened toward the upstream peripheral surface of the transport roll and transport roller, then the sheet can be transported smoothly, but the tip of the sheet may come into contact with the upstream peripheral surface before contacting the shutter member, causing skew correction issues and image quality deterioration

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesheet transport smoothnessVSAvoidskew correction accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the transport rollers and the shutter member. The guide member has a guide surface that directs the sheet tip to contact the shutter member at the correct position, preventing premature contact with the upstream peripheral surfaces of the transport rollers while maintaining smooth transport through the open path configuration

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Device complexity

If the sheet transport path is opened toward the upstream peripheral surface, then the structure is simplified, but the tip of the sheet may contact the upstream peripheral surface causing harmful effects on image quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransport path structureVSAvoidimage quality deterioration

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The guide member serves as a mediator that allows the transport path to remain open and simple in structure, while simultaneously preventing the harmful effect of the sheet tip contacting the upstream peripheral surfaces. The guide surface of the guide member redirects the sheet tip to the correct contact position on the shutter member

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The guide member performs preliminary action by directing the sheet tip along the correct path before it reaches the shutter member, preventing the harmful contact with upstream peripheral surfaces from occurring in the first place, thereby preserving image quality without complicating the overall structure

Inventive Principle:

Principle #9Preliminary anti-action

Data Source

PatentUS12240226B2Recording device

Publication Date: 2025.03.04 SEIKO EPSON CORP

AI summary

A printer includes a curved path through which a medium is transported toward a line head, a transport roller pair provided in the curved path, pinching the medium by a driving roller and a driven roller at a pinching position, and transporting the medium, a gate portion having a contact surface configured to switch between a contact position located upstream of the pinching position in a transport direction in the curved path and a retreat position at which the contact surface does not contact with the medium, and a guide portion guiding a tip of the transported medium to the contact surface located at the contact position.