Multifunction Printer Rear Discharge Unit Design
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Multifunction peripherals with integrated printers and scanners face increased dimensions due to the design of image reading devices, which obstruct the recording paper discharge section, making it inconvenient to remove discharged media.
Innovation Solution
A recording apparatus design featuring a lower unit with a medium discharge section that reverses and discharges media towards the rear, and an upper unit with a document reading section that is shorter and closer to the front, allowing the medium receiving section to be exposed at the rear, reducing overall dimensions and improving media removal convenience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the image reading device extends toward the front of the image recording device, then the reading section can be positioned to read documents, but the dimension in the front-rear direction increases and the recording paper discharge section is covered
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the medium receiving section from a horizontal extension to a vertical arrangement. The medium receiving section is disposed on the apparatus rear side with respect to the medium discharge section, facing a lower side of the upper unit. This vertical stacking in the front-rear direction allows the medium receiving section to be exposed at the rear of the upper unit, reducing the overall front-rear dimension while maintaining accessibility for media removal.
2Length of stationary object
If the upper unit is positioned to cover the recording paper discharge section, then the apparatus has a compact design, but media removal becomes inconvenient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the apparatus into distinct functional units with clear spatial separation. The lower unit contains the medium discharge section while the upper unit contains the medium receiving section. This segmentation allows each unit to be optimized independently, with the medium receiving section exposed at the rear for convenient media removal while the upper unit remains compact.
3Ease of operation
If the medium receiving section is positioned behind the upper unit, then media removal is convenient, but the upper unit must be shorter than the lower unit
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension and rear-side positioning to resolve the dimensional constraint. By disposing the medium receiving section on the apparatus rear side with respect to the medium discharge section, and having it face a lower side of the upper unit, the design achieves convenient media removal exposure without requiring the upper unit to extend beyond the lower unit in the front-rear direction.
Data Source
AI summary
A recording apparatus includes a lower unit having a recording section configured to perform recording on a medium, and an upper unit disposed on the lower unit, the upper unit including a reading section configured to read an image of the document, in which the lower unit includes a medium discharge section configured to discharge the medium toward the rear of the apparatus, and a medium receiving section disposed on the apparatus rear side with respect to the medium discharge section, the medium receiving section being configured to receive the medium discharged, and the upper unit is shorter than the lower unit in the apparatus front-rear direction and the upper unit is closer to the apparatus front with respect to the lower unit such that an end portion of the medium receiving section in the medium discharging direction is exposed at the rear of the upper unit.