Printer Stacking Guide Flapper for Sheet Size Adaptation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printing apparatuses require manual adjustment of positioning members for different sheet sizes, leading to low accessibility and workability during operation, especially when stacking sheets of varying lengths.
Innovation Solution
A printing apparatus with a conveyance unit, print head, discharge port, and a holding unit that moves between holding and releasing positions, allowing for automatic adjustment of sheet stacking based on size, using a guide flapper unit and auxiliary rollers to guide and stack sheets without manual intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a positioning member is disposed in an inmost part of the stacker to adjust sheet stacking height, then sheet stacking precision is improved, but user accessibility and workability deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a guide flapper unit as an intermediary component between the user and the positioning member. The guide flapper unit is disposed at a more accessible location and guides the sheet to the positioning member, allowing users to interact with the system at a convenient location while maintaining precise sheet positioning through the positioning member in the inmost part of the stacker.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds a vertical dimension to the sheet guidance system by introducing the guide flapper unit that can move vertically to guide sheets of different sizes. This dimensional addition allows the system to maintain precise positioning capability while providing user accessibility at a different spatial location.
2Device complexity
If manual adjustment of positioning member is required for different sheet sizes, then device complexity is reduced, but productivity and operational efficiency deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-service mechanism where the guide flapper unit automatically adjusts its position based on the sheet size, eliminating the need for manual intervention. The system self-regulates the sheet guidance and positioning process, maintaining low device complexity while significantly improving operational efficiency and productivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide flapper unit performs preliminary action by pre-positioning and guiding the sheet before it reaches the positioning member. This preliminary guidance ensures that sheets are properly oriented and positioned in advance, reducing the need for manual adjustments and improving overall operational efficiency without adding significant complexity.
3Ease of manufacture
If sheets are stacked with leading end directed downward on an inclined portion, then sheet stacking is simplified, but sheets of short length cannot be properly stacked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic elements to the stacking system, including a movable guide flapper unit that can adjust its position vertically and a positioning member that can be dynamically positioned. This dynamic capability allows the system to adapt to sheets of varying lengths while maintaining the simplified leading-end-downward stacking approach, thereby improving sheet size adaptability without sacrificing stacking simplicity.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a printing apparatus includes a conveyance unit configured to convey a sheet in a conveyance direction, a print head configured to perform printing on the sheet conveyed in the conveyance direction by the conveyance unit, a discharge port from which the sheet printed by the print head is discharged, a stacking portion located below the discharge port and configured to stack the sheet discharged from the discharge port in a state where a leading end of the sheet is directed to an upstream side in the conveyance direction, and a holding unit disposed in a sheet discharge path below the discharge port and configured to move between a holding position in which the holding unit holds the sheet and a releasing position in which the holding unit releases the sheet.