Saddle Unit Fold-Enhancing Roller Mechanism for Thick Paper Bundles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet post-processing apparatuses face challenges in achieving accurate middle folding of paper sheets, particularly when dealing with small paper sizes and thick bundles, leading to bulged booklets due to insufficient force transmission.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a saddle unit with a folding blade, a middle-folding roller pair, and a fold-enhancing unit featuring a roller mechanism that pinches and presses the sheets at a nip, along with a roller guide pair to ensure proper alignment and prevent paper jam, enhancing the folding accuracy and quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a second folding roller is used to reciprocate the folded portion multiple times to ensure the folded state, then the folding quality is improved, but when the sheet size is small or the bundle is thick, the force is not transmitted sufficiently and the booklet becomes bulged
Solution Approach 1:
A fold-enhancing unit is introduced as an intermediary mechanism between the middle-folding roller and the final folded state. This unit includes a fold-enhancing roller that applies additional pressing force specifically to the folded portion, ensuring adequate force transmission even for small sheets or thick bundles that would otherwise bulge.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding process is segmented into two distinct stages: first folding by the middle-folding roller, and then enhancing the fold by the fold-enhancing unit. This segmentation allows each component to specialize in a specific aspect of the folding process, with the fold-enhancing unit dedicated to ensuring sufficient force application for difficult-to-fold cases.
2Ease of operation
If the stapler portion is configured as a single unit that can be drawn out for paper jam release, then ease of operation is improved, but complete removal of jammed paper becomes difficult and assembly accuracy is impaired
Solution Approach 1:
The stapler portion is segmented into separable components rather than a single unit. This allows the folded paper to be accessed and removed from specific locations without requiring complete disassembly, maintaining both ease of operation and assembly accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The ability to access and extract jammed paper is extracted as a separate function from the main stapling mechanism. This allows the paper removal function to be performed without compromising the precision assembly of the stapler unit.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly improves the accuracy and quality of middle folding, preventing bulging and ensuring proper alignment even with thick bundles, while maintaining ease of jam removal and reducing the risk of paper damage.
Implementation Method 1
a fold-enhancing roller pair that pinches and presses the sheets of paper folded in the middle at the nip
Implementation Method 2
a roller guide pair which is provided at the front and rear in the direction of advancement of the fold-enhancing roller mechanism so as to define an opening at the nip
Data Source
AI summary
A saddle unit provided with a fold-enhancing unit for performing fold enhancement of sheets of paper folded in the middle. The fold-enhancing unit includes a fold-enhancing roller mechanism which performs the fold-enhancing operation in the direction orthogonal to the sheet carrying direction. The fold-enhancing roller mechanism includes a fold-enhancing roller pair that pinches and presses a bundle of sheets at a nip. The roller guide pair provided in the fold-enhancing roller mechanism guides the sheets of paper to the nip of the fold-enhancing roller pair when enhancing the fold of the sheets of paper. The saddle unit changes one or both of the number of times and the velocity of the reciprocating movement according to one or both of the number of sheets of paper and the quality mode which is entered and set by the user from the operation panel of an image forming apparatus or job-set by the personal computer by a user.