Removable Assembly Structure for Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in efficiently attaching and detaching assembly components, such as the fixing unit, due to complex interlinking mechanisms that require precise positioning and risk mechanical degradation from improper attachment or detachment.
Innovation Solution
A removable structure featuring a link member and a holding device that switches between positions to facilitate easy attachment and detachment of the fixing unit, utilizing a coil spring and lock member to secure the link member in the correct position, ensuring proper alignment and reducing mechanical stress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a complex interlinking mechanism is used to attach and detach assembly components, then the connection strength and positioning precision are improved, but the device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The interlinking mechanism is segmented into distinct functional components: a connection member with protrusions on the assembly, a corresponding recess on the receiving member, and a separate locking mechanism. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently, simplifying the overall mechanism while maintaining positioning precision through the protrusion-recess interface.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection member acts as an intermediary element between the assembly and the receiving member. It provides a standardized interface that facilitates easy attachment and detachment while ensuring precise positioning, thereby reducing the complexity of direct connection mechanisms between the assembly and receiving member.
2Manufacturing precision
If a complex interlinking mechanism is used to attach and detach assembly components, then the connection strength and positioning precision are improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism incorporates a movable latch that can transition between locked and unlocked states. This dynamic element allows the assembly to be securely held in the attached position during operation, while enabling quick and easy detachment when needed, thus improving ease of operation without compromising positioning precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection mechanism is designed to be self-aligning and self-locking. The protrusions on the connection member automatically align with the recess on the receiving member during attachment, and the locking mechanism automatically engages to secure the connection, reducing the need for complex manual positioning operations.
3Manufacturing precision
If precise positioning is required during attachment and detachment, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but the risk of mechanical degradation from improper operation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The locking mechanism is designed to prevent improper attachment before it can cause mechanical degradation. The latch securely holds the assembly in the correct positioned, and the interlocking protrusions and recesses guide the assembly into proper alignment, cushioning against misalignment forces that could cause mechanical damage.
Solution Approach 2:
The connection mechanism incorporates preliminary anti-action by designing the protrusions and recesses to engage in a specific sequence that prevents improper positioning. The locking mechanism engages only when the assembly is correctly positioned, actively preventing forces that could lead to mechanical degradation from ever occurring.
Data Source
AI summary
An assembly removable structure includes an assembly that includes a connectable member and that is attached to and removed from a receiving member of an apparatus body in a first direction, a connection member disposed on the apparatus body to be movable forward and backward in a cross direction that crosses the first direction, the connection member being connected to the connectable member while being in a projecting state, a switch member operated independently of a lid member and capable of switching the connection member between a first position, in which the connection member is connected to the connectable member, and a second position, in which the connection member is removed from the connectable member, the lid member rendering the receiving member open and closed, and a holding device that holds the switch member in the second position when the assembly is removed from the receiving member.