Sheet Conveyance Scooping Structure for Small-Sheet Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image reading and forming apparatuses face challenges in handling small-sized sheets, such as business cards and receipts, as they can get caught under side regulating members during conveyance, leading to potential damage.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveyance apparatus with a movable side regulating member featuring a scooping portion that extends from the supporting surface to below the stacking surface, ensuring the sheet is smoothly guided onto the supporting surface, preventing it from getting caught.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a side regulating member with a scooping portion is used to prevent sheet skewing, then sheet positioning reliability is improved, but small-sized sheets may still enter below the regulating member and get damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The scooping portion extends in the feeding direction (longitudinal dimension) rather than only in the width direction. This dimensional extension creates a protective zone that reaches below the supporting surface, preventing small sheets from slipping underneath while maintaining positioning reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The scooping portion is positioned in advance at the downstream end of the supporting surface to intercept small sheets before they can enter below the regulating member. This preliminary protective action prevents damage before it occurs during the sheet feeding process.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the side regulating member is moved to fit different sheet widths, then adaptability to various sheet sizes is improved, but small sheets may be out of reach of the scooping portion and enter below the regulating member
Solution Approach 1:
The side regulating member is designed to be movable in the width direction to accommodate different sheet sizes. The scooping portion dynamically adjusts its position relative to the sheet as the regulating member moves, ensuring continuous protection for sheets of various dimensions including small business cards and receipts.
Solution Approach 2:
By extending the scooping portion in the feeding direction dimension, the design creates a protective zone that moves with the regulating member. This ensures that even when the regulating member is positioned for small sheets, the scooping portion remains effective in preventing sheets from entering below.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the scooping portion extends below the stacking surface to catch small sheets, then sheet damage is prevented, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The scooping portion is merged with the side regulating member as an integrated feature rather than a separate component. This combining of functions (positioning and protection) into a single structure prevents sheet damage while avoiding the complexity of additional separate mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The scooping portion is localized at the downstream end of the supporting surface where it is most needed to prevent sheet damage. This targeted local feature provides protection without requiring complex modifications to the entire side regulating member structure.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a stacking tray having a sheet stacking surface, a feeding roller configured to feed the sheet in a feeding direction, and a first side regulating member disposed in the stacking tray to be movable in a width direction and configured to regulate a position of one end of the sheet in the width direction, the first side regulating member having a first regulating surface to contact with the one end of the sheet, and a first supporting surface configured to support the sheet, wherein the first side regulating member has, at a downstream side end of the first supporting surface in the feeding direction, a first scooping portion that is configured to scoop the sheet onto the first supporting surface when the first side regulating member moves and that extends from the first supporting surface to below the sheet stacking surface.