Scanner Bottom Plate Reinforcement for Thermal Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming apparatuses face challenges in reducing thermal-induced variations in distance between the scanning section and the original document, leading to potential misalignment and user safety issues during sheet ejection.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a bottom plate with reinforcing members extending in the direction of sheet ejection, creating a sheet ejection space that expands for easy access and reduces the likelihood of user hand contact with these members, enhancing mechanical strength and safety.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of moving object
If the bottom plate is made thinner to reduce weight, then the weight of the scanning section is reduced, but the bottom plate becomes more susceptible to deformation from thermal influence and external forces
Solution Approach 1:
The bottom plate is segmented by adding reinforcing members that divide the plate into multiple sections. These reinforcing members are strategically positioned to maintain dimensional stability while allowing the overall plate to remain thin and lightweight. The segmentation creates rigid zones that resist thermal deformation without requiring the entire plate to be thick.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom plate transitions from a uniform thin structure to a non-uniform structure with locally added reinforcing members. These members are placed only in specific areas where structural support is needed, such as near the scanning section and exit tray interface, maintaining thinness in other areas while providing localized reinforcement against thermal and mechanical stresses.
2Stability of the object's composition
If reinforcing members are added to the bottom plate to prevent deformation, then the dimensional stability is improved, but the complexity of the bottom plate structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The reinforcing members are designed as discrete, segmented elements rather than a continuous complex structure. This segmentation allows for simplified manufacturing and assembly while achieving the desired dimensional stability. The members can be individually positioned and secured, reducing overall structural complexity compared to a monolithic reinforced design.
Solution Approach 2:
Reinforcing members are applied only where needed on the bottom plate surface, creating a non-uniform distribution that addresses specific stability requirements without adding unnecessary complexity throughout the entire structure. This localized approach simplifies the overall design by concentrating reinforcement only in critical areas.
3Ease of operation
If the sheet ejection space is expanded for easy access, then the ease of operation is improved, but the distance from the scanning section to the original document may increase due to thermal expansion
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of expanding the sheet ejection space in a way that pushes the bottom plate outward, the design uses reinforcing members to anchor the bottom plate position. The reinforcing members counteract the outward thermal expansion tendency, effectively inverting the usual expansion behavior and maintaining precise spacing while still allowing adequate ejection space for user access.
Solution Approach 2:
The bottom plate structure uses local reinforcement to maintain precise dimensional relationships in critical areas (scanning section positioning) while allowing greater flexibility and space in other areas (sheet ejection zone). This creates a non-uniform structure that simultaneously achieves both precision and ease of operation.
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image scanning section, an exit tray, and an upper housing. The image scanning section scans an image of an original document. The exit tray is disposed below the image scanning section. A sheet bearing an image is ejected onto the exit tray. The upper housing houses the image scanning section. The image forming apparatus has a sheet ejection space that is formed between the exit tray and the upper housing. A user's hand is inserted into the sheet ejection space for taking out the sheet from the exit tray. The upper housing includes a bottom plate having a surface that faces the exit tray. The bottom plate includes a plurality of reinforcing members that are disposed on the surface of the bottom plate and that extend in a direction in which the user takes out the recording medium from the exit tray.