Sheet Conveyance Guide Ribs for Noise Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet conveying apparatuses in image forming devices experience significant conveyance friction noise, particularly when using sheets with lower surface smoothness, and are prone to sheet skewing due to curved guide surfaces and misalignment with guide ribs.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveying apparatus with a nonlinear conveyance path, featuring a first conveyance roller pair capable of nipping sheets of minimum width and a guide plate with curved surfaces, along with guide ribs positioned within the conveyance width to minimize friction noise and prevent skewing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If guide ribs are provided almost throughout the width in sheet passing direction to prevent contact between sheet and guide plate, then conveyance resistance is reduced, but friction noise between guide ribs and sheet increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The guide ribs are selectively positioned only in the sheet conveyance direction at specific locations (not throughout the width), creating local guidance functionality. This localized arrangement reduces the contact area between guide ribs and sheet, thereby reducing friction noise while still preventing sheet contact with the guide plate in critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide plate surface is segmented by providing discrete guide ribs rather than a continuous surface. The guide ribs are spaced apart in the sheet passing width direction, creating gaps that reduce frictional contact while maintaining guidance function. This segmentation allows the sheet to be guided without continuous frictional engagement.
2Ease of operation
If guide plate with curved guide surface is placed in sheet conveyance path to guide sheet, then sheet guidance is improved, but friction noise occurs when sheet hits guide ribs
Solution Approach 1:
The curved guide surface is combined with locally positioned guide ribs only in the conveyance direction, creating targeted guidance zones. This localized approach provides necessary sheet guidance through the curved surface while minimizing friction noise by reducing the extent of guide rib-sheet contact to only where conveyance guidance is needed.
3Volume of moving object
If sheet conveyance path is curved with small curvature to downsize apparatus, then apparatus size is reduced, but sheet leading edge may buckle or hit guide ribs causing sheet skew
Solution Approach 1:
Guide ribs are positioned only in the sheet conveyance direction rather than extending across the entire width, creating localized guidance zones. This localized arrangement allows the sheet to navigate the curved path more smoothly by providing guidance only where needed, reducing the likelihood of buckling and skewing while maintaining the compact curved design.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide plate is segmented with spaced guide ribs that allow the sheet to flex and conform to the curved path without continuous constraint. This segmented guidance system reduces resistance to sheet bending in the curved section, preventing buckling and maintaining conveyance stability in the compact apparatus configuration.
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 effectively reduces conveyance friction noise and prevents sheet skewing by ensuring guide ribs only interact with sheets within the conveyance width, maintaining smooth conveyance even for sheets with varying sizes and surface smoothness.
Implementation Method 1
friction between the guide ribs and the sheet to be carried would cause a conveyance friction noise
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveying apparatus includes: a sheet conveyance path designed so as to include nonlinear portions; a first conveyance roller pair which is provided at predetermined positions of the sheet conveyance path and which has a conveyance width capable of nipping and conveying a sheet having the minimum size sheet passing width among sheets to be passed through the sheet conveying apparatus; a guide plate which is placed in a downstream side or an upstream side of the first conveyance roller pair in a sheet conveyance direction and has a curved guide surface; and a plurality of guide ribs which are extended on the guide surface in the sheet conveyance direction and are provided in a sheet passing width direction of the sheet in a region corresponding to the conveyance width of the first conveyance roller pair.