Printing Device Sheet Segmentation and Reuse Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming apparatuses face issues with paper jams and inefficiencies when cutting sheets to match specific job sizes, as cut blank sheets can become entangled with feeding rollers, leading to conveyance problems.
Innovation Solution
A printing device with a cutting unit positioned downstream of the image recording unit, which cuts sheets into two parts of different sizes, with a second conveying passage for the blank sheet to prevent entanglement, allowing for reliable reuse of the blank sheet without returning it to the feeding tray.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If blank sheets are returned to the feeding cassette for reuse, then sheet reuse is achieved, but the cut sheets become entangled with the first feed roller causing paper jams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the conveying system into two separate passages: a first conveying passage for sheets with images and a second conveying passage for blank sheets. This segmentation prevents blank sheets from entering the feeding cassette and becoming entangled with the feed roller, while still enabling their reuse in subsequent printing operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts blank sheets from the main feeding cassette flow and directs them through a separate second conveying passage. This extraction removes the harmful element (blank sheets) from the problematic environment (feeding cassette) where they would cause entanglement, while preserving their utility for future use.
2Manufacturing precision
If sheets are cut to match specific job sizes, then printing precision is improved, but cut blank sheets become entangled with feeding rollers causing conveyance problems
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the sheet conveying path into two distinct routes: one for printed sheets and another for blank sheets. This segmentation ensures that cut blank sheets follow a separate path that avoids the feeding roller, eliminating conveyance problems while maintaining precise sheet size cutting.
Solution Approach 2:
The second conveying passage acts as an intermediary pathway for blank sheets. Instead of directly returning blank sheets to the feeding cassette, the system uses this intermediate conveying passage to transport them safely, avoiding entanglement with the feeding roller while still enabling their eventual reuse.
Data Source
AI summary
A printing device includes: a feeding tray on which a sheet can be mounted; a first conveying passage; an image forming unit disposed along the first conveying passage and configured to record an image on the sheet; a cutting unit disposed along the first conveying passage downstream of the image recording unit and configured to cut the sheet; a second conveying passage connected to the first conveying passage; and a controller configured to perform: conveying the sheet mounted on the feeding tray to the image recording unit; recording an image on the sheet by the image recording unit; cutting the recorded sheet at a cutting position on the sheet to divide the sheet into a first sheet on which the image has been recorded and a second sheet on which the image has not been recorded; discharging the first sheet; and conveying the second sheet to the second conveying passage.