Registration Roller Swing Mechanism for Consistent Sheet Nip Pressure

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing sheet conveyance systems face challenges in maintaining consistent nip pressure across multiple nip portions, leading to failures in sheet conveyance, particularly in image forming apparatuses with multiple registration roller pairs.

Innovation Solution

A sheet conveyance apparatus featuring first and second driving rollers with adjustable tilt angles and pivot axes, along with a separation mechanism that switches between abutment and separation states, utilizing steering and pivot mechanisms to correct skew and lateral deviation of sheets.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If multiple registration roller pairs are disposed in the sheet width direction, then sheet conveyance capability is improved, but nip pressure consistency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesheet conveyance capabilityVSAvoidnip pressure consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The driven roller is configured to pivot around a pivot axis that intersects both the sheet conveyance direction and the sheet width direction, allowing dynamic adjustment of the roller position and nip pressure in response to sheet variations, thereby maintaining consistent nip pressure across multiple nip portions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the positional parameter of the driven roller by allowing it to pivot around the pivot axis, adjusting the nip pressure parameter dynamically to maintain consistency across multiple registration roller pairs disposed in the sheet width direction

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Adaptability or versatility

If pre-registration driven roller is moved relative to pre-registration driving roller, then separation state switching is achieved, but structural complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveseparation state switchingVSAvoidstructural complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The separation mechanism is integrated with the existing registration roller structure, combining the driven roller, driving roller, and separation mechanism into a unified assembly that shares common components and mounting structures, thereby reducing overall structural complexity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS20250381786A1Sheet conveyance apparatus and image forming apparatus

Publication Date: 2025.12.18 CANON KK

AI summary

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a first driving roller and a second driving roller, a first steering portion, a second steering portion, a first driven roller, a second driven roller, and a separation mechanism configured to switch a state of the first driven roller and the second driven roller between an abutment state and a separation state. The separation mechanism includes a swing member configured to support the first driven roller and the second driven roller and swing around a first swing axis extending along the sheet conveyance direction. The first swing axis is positioned between the first driven roller and the second driven roller in the sheet width direction.