Sheet Conveying Device Movable Roller Encoder Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet length measuring devices for image forming apparatuses require a universal joint to connect the length measuring roller with the rotary encoder, increasing costs and apparatus size, and are not adaptable to sheets of varying thicknesses.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveying device with a movable driven roller and a rotary encoder that moves along with it, eliminating the need for a universal joint by using a support member and sliding bearings to reduce friction and allow precise rotation measurement without a universal joint.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a universal joint is used to connect the length measuring roller with the rotary encoder, then the rotary encoder can detect the rotation amount of the roller, but the cost and apparatus size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The rotary encoder is directly integrated with the rotational shaft of the driven roller, eliminating the need for a universal joint. The encoder unit is combined with the roller assembly as a single integrated structure, reducing both cost and complexity while maintaining measurement precision
Solution Approach 2:
The universal joint is removed from the system entirely. The patent extracts this unnecessary intermediate component and replaces it with a direct connection between the rotary encoder and the roller shaft, simplifying the overall structure
2Adaptability or versatility
If the length measuring roller is made movable in the thickness direction to accommodate sheets of various thicknesses, then adaptability improves, but a universal joint is required which increases cost and size
Solution Approach 1:
The movable nature of the driven roller is directly combined with the rotary encoder design. The encoder moves together with the roller shaft, creating an integrated movable measurement unit that adapts to different sheet thicknesses without requiring a universal joint
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from a static encoder connection to a dynamic one where the rotary encoder moves with the roller shaft. This dynamic configuration allows the measurement system to adapt automatically to varying sheet thicknesses while maintaining a simple structure
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveying device includes a conveying unit configured to convey a sheet by a first rotating body and a second rotating body that is provided so as to be movable in a contacting/separating direction with respect to the first rotating body; a rotation amount measuring unit configured to measure a rotation amount of the second rotating body, the rotation amount measuring unit being provided so as to be movable in the contacting/separating direction along with the second rotating body; and a conveying distance calculating unit configured to calculate a conveying distance of the sheet based on a measurement result obtained by the rotation amount measuring unit.