Recording Apparatus Medium Support Section Dynamics
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Solution Overview
Problem
Recording apparatuses face challenges in supporting long media sheets without increasing installation space, leading to reduced usability due to the need for larger trays in an expanded state.
Innovation Solution
A recording apparatus with a medium support section that can switch between a stored and protruding state, where the support surface extends by utilizing the apparatus' space, allowing for the feeding of long media sheets while minimizing the protrusion and installation space required.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the length of the entire tray is increased to support longer sheets, then the support capability for long media is improved, but the installation space required increases and usability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is designed to be movable between a retracted position (stored state) and an extended position (expanded state). This dynamic configuration allows the tray to provide extended support for long media sheets only when needed, while maintaining a compact footprint during normal operation, thus resolving the contradiction between tray length and installation space requirement
Solution Approach 2:
The tray structure is divided into multiple segments or sections that can be extended or retracted independently. This segmentation allows the tray to extend its length to support longer sheets only in the specific region where media support is needed, rather than requiring the entire tray structure to be permanently extended, thereby reducing the overall installation space required
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a medium support section that forms a support surface that supports a medium before feeding; a feeding roller that sends out the medium supported by the medium support section in a feeding direction; and an apparatus main body, the medium support section is configured to switch between a stored state of being stored in the apparatus main body and a protruding state, the protruding state being a state where protrudes from a first side surface which is one of side surfaces that form a periphery of the apparatus main body, and in the protruding state of the medium support section, a downstream end of the support surface in the feeding direction is at a position close to a second side surface, which is a side surface opposite to the first side surface, between the first side surface and the second side surface.