Sheet Alignment Structure for Buckle-Free Skew Correction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet aligning devices fail to effectively correct the inclination of sheets entering an image forming part, leading to oblique image formation due to buckling when sheets are abutted against a reference member with a single side contact and subsequent movement.
Innovation Solution
A sheet aligning device with a conveying roller, reference member, and aligning roller configuration, where the reference member has a first and second side surface, allowing the sheet to be abutted against the reference member without buckling, with the aligning roller positioned closer to the boundary between these surfaces to minimize deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the sheet is abutted against the reference member by a roller moving the sheet in a direction intersecting the conveyance direction, then the sheet can be aligned against the reference member, but the sheet buckles because one end contacts the reference member before the other end, preventing effective inclination correction
Solution Approach 1:
The reference member is positioned upstream in the conveyance direction so that the sheet contacts it before reaching the image forming part. This preliminary alignment action ensures the sheet is corrected in inclination before critical operations, preventing buckling during subsequent processing.
Solution Approach 2:
A guide member is introduced as an intermediary component between the sheet and the reference member. The guide member facilitates smooth contact and alignment of the sheet against the reference member, distributing the contact force and preventing localized buckling that occurs with direct roller-to-sheet contact.
2Manufacturing precision
If a registration roller is used to correct sheet inclination, then the sheet can be aligned, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The complex registration roller mechanism is extracted and replaced with a simpler reference member structure. The reference member provides the necessary alignment function through its geometric configuration and positioning, eliminating the need for complex roller mechanisms while maintaining alignment precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The reference member is designed to automatically align the sheet through its fixed geometric configuration and strategic positioning in the conveyance path. The sheet itself performs the alignment action by contacting the reference member during normal conveyance, eliminating the need for active correction mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet aligning device includes a conveying roller, a reference member, and an aligning roller. The conveying roller conveys a sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction along a conveyance path. The reference member defines one boundary of the conveyance path. By the aligning roller, the sheet conveyed by the conveying roller is abutted against the reference member. The reference member has a side surface on a side of the aligning roller. The side surface has a first side surface and a second side surface. The first side surface is along the boundary of the conveyance path. The second side surface is provided contiguous with the first side surface at least on one of an upstream and downstream sides of the first side surface in the conveyance direction, and is further separated from the conveyance path as it is farther from the first side surface.