Sheet Conveyance Relay Unit for Flexible Image Forming
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image forming systems struggle to meet the increased diversity of operational jobs and improve printing productivity due to limited flexibility in combinations between image forming and post-finishing apparatuses.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveyance relay unit that includes a convergence unit to merge recording sheets from multiple image forming apparatuses into a single path and a divergence unit to sort and convey sheets to multiple post-finishing apparatuses, enabling flexible and efficient distribution of sheets across multiple apparatuses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a single post-finishing apparatus is combined to a single image forming apparatus, then the system structure is simple, but the system cannot meet the increased diversity of operational jobs and has limited productivity improvement
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet conveyance relay unit is segmented into multiple functional components: a convergence unit with multiple sheet receiving sections that accept sheets from different image forming apparatuses, a common sheet-conveyance section that merges these into a single conveyance path, and a divergence unit with multiple sheet feed-out sections that distribute sheets to different post-finishing apparatuses. This segmentation enables flexible combination of multiple image forming apparatuses with multiple post-finishing apparatuses while maintaining manageable system complexity through modular design.
2Productivity
If multiple image forming apparatuses are combined with multiple post-finishing apparatuses, then the system can handle diverse jobs and improve productivity, but the system complexity increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple sheet conveyance paths from different image forming apparatuses into a single common sheet-conveyance section, and then merges this single path into multiple distribution paths leading to different post-finishing apparatuses. This merging approach allows multiple image forming apparatuses to be combined with multiple post-finishing apparatuses through a standardized relay unit, improving productivity by enabling parallel processing while controlling system complexity through unified conveyance logic.
3Adaptability or versatility
If conventional systems are used, then the system structure is straightforward, but the systems barely meet the increased types of operational jobs and cannot improve printing productivity
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet conveyance relay unit acts as an intermediary between image forming apparatuses and post-finishing apparatuses. It includes a convergence unit that receives sheets from multiple image forming apparatuses through multiple sheet receiving sections, merges them into a common conveyance path, and a divergence unit that distributes sheets to multiple post-finishing apparatuses through multiple sheet feed-out sections. This intermediary structure enables flexible matching of image forming and post-finishing capabilities, allowing the system to adapt to diverse operational jobs and improve productivity by optimizing the combination of apparatuses.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveyance relay unit, including: a convergence unit, including: a convergence section, in which a plurality of sheet receiving sections are respectively connected to a plurality of image forming apparatuses, to receive recording sheets, wherein the convergence section makes the recording sheets, conveyed from the plurality of the sheet receiving sections, to merge into a single sheet conveyance path; and a first common sheet-conveyance section, which conveys the recording sheets from the convergence section to a sheet feeding outlet, and a divergence unit, including: a second common sheet-conveyance section, which conveys the recording sheets, conveyed from the convergence unit; a plurality of sheet feed-out sections, which are combined to a plurality of post-finishing apparatuses; and a divergence section, which sorts the recording sheets, conveyed by the second common sheet-conveyance section, onto the plurality of the sheet feed-out sections.