Sheet Cutting Apparatus Compact Design for Half-Folded Bunches
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet cutting apparatuses for half-folded sheet bunches are large in size due to the need for a significant distance between the cutting blade and registration member, making them unsuitable for limited spaces and reducing the capacity of sheet stacking trays.
Innovation Solution
A sheet cutting apparatus with a conveying member, registration member, and cutting member configuration that allows skew feed correction and cutting with a shorter distance between the registration and cutting members, enabling the half-folded sheet bunch to protrude outside the apparatus for cutting, thus reducing the overall size of the apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a large distance is provided between the cutting blade and registration member to accommodate half-folded sheet bunches, then the sheet cutting function is achieved, but the apparatus size becomes very large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional arrangement by positioning the cutting blade upstream of the registration member rather than downstream. This reversal allows the half-folded sheet bunch to be fed through the registration member first, then through the cutting blade, eliminating the need for a long distance between these components while maintaining the sheet cutting function.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension by arranging the registration member and cutting blade in a stacked configuration rather than a linear horizontal arrangement. The registration member is positioned above the cutting blade, allowing both components to occupy the same horizontal space while maintaining their functional separation in the vertical dimension.
2Manufacturing precision
If a large plate-like pressing member is used to press flat the half-folded sheet bunch, then the sheet cutting is performed satisfactorily, but the apparatus size is increased
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of using a large plate-like pressing member that covers the entire sheet area, the patent employs a pressing member with localized pressing portions positioned at specific locations where the half-folded sheet bunch requires flattening. This localized approach achieves the necessary sheet preparation for quality cutting while significantly reducing the overall size of the pressing member and apparatus.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a large trimmer unit is attached to the sheet post-processing apparatus, then the sheet cutting function is provided, but the footprint of the image forming system becomes extremely large
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sheet cutting function with the existing sheet post-processing apparatus by integrating the cutting blade and registration member into the same housing structure. The trimmer unit is configured to be attached to the side of the sheet post-processing apparatus, sharing common structural elements and space, thereby providing the sheet cutting function without significantly increasing the overall footprint of the image forming system.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet cutting apparatus, including: a conveying member configured to convey a half-folded sheet bunch in a conveyance path in which the conveying member is provided; a registration member which comes into contact with a leading edge portion of the sheet bunch to correct a skew feed of the sheet bunch; a cutting member positioned upstream of the registration member to cut a trailing edge portion of the sheet bunch; and a discharging member provided at an outlet of the conveyance path to discharge the sheet bunch, wherein the leading edge portion of the sheet bunch is positioned outside the discharging member when, after the skew feed is corrected, the sheet bunch is conveyed downstream in the conveying direction by the conveying member and the trailing edge portion of the sheet bunch is conveyed to a cutting position of the cutting member to cut the trailing edge portion.