Sheet Feed Apparatus with Separation Claw for Overlapped Feeding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional feed apparatuses are prone to overlapped feeding of sheets due to the inclination of the support unit and the distance between the separation claw and the feed roller, leading to variations in conveyance force and potential gaps between stacked sheets.
Innovation Solution
A feed apparatus with a support unit, a feed roller, a first arm, a second arm, a biasing member, and an operation lever, where the second arm is biased towards the first position to push sheets onto the support surface, and the engagement portion separates from the second arm when the feed roller abuts, allowing independent swinging to prevent overlapped feeding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the support unit is inclined to support multiple sheets, then sheets can be easily loaded and fed by gravity, but sheets are more likely to move along the inclination causing overlapped feeding
Solution Approach 1:
The separation claw is positioned upstream of the feed roller to preemptively separate sheets before they are fed by the roller. This preliminary separation action counteracts the tendency of sheets to move along the inclined support unit, preventing overlapped feeding before it occurs.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation claw acts as an intermediary element between the stacked sheets and the feed roller. It mediates the sheet separation process by inserting between sheets to prevent them from moving together along the inclination, ensuring reliable single-sheet feeding while maintaining the inclined support configuration.
2Ease of manufacture
If there is distance between the separation claw and the feed roller, then the structure is simpler and easier to manufacture, but gaps form between stacked sheets causing variation in conveyance force
Solution Approach 1:
The separation claw performs sheet separation action before the feed roller engages the sheets. By positioning the separation claw upstream, it preliminarily ensures sheets are properly separated and aligned before feeding begins, preventing gaps from forming during the feeding process while maintaining structural simplicity.
3Device complexity
If the feed roller pushes sheets with its own weight, then the mechanism is simpler without additional actuators, but overlapped feeding occurs due to sheet movement along the inclination
Solution Approach 1:
The separation claw positioned upstream of the feed roller provides preliminary anti-action by separating sheets before the feed roller pushes them. This prevents the feed roller's weight from causing overlapped feeding, maintaining mechanism simplicity while improving feeding accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The separation claw serves as an intermediary between the gravity-fed sheets and the feed roller. It mediates the feeding process by ensuring sheets are separated before the feed roller engages them, preventing overlapped feeding while maintaining the simple gravity-based feeding mechanism.
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 the likelihood of overlapped feeding by ensuring consistent sheet alignment and conveyance force, allowing sheets to be easily inserted into the support unit.
Implementation Method 1
a biasing member configured to bias the second arm toward the first position
Implementation Method 2
each of the sheets is fed obliquely downward along the inclination of the support unit... pushed to the support unit by the own weight of a feed roller
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a feed apparatus including: a support unit supporting a sheet; a feed roller; a first arm; a recess portion; a second arm; a biasing member; an operation lever; and an engagement portion. The engagement portion is configured to be separated from the second arm at the first position in a case that the feed roller abuts against the support surface. The engagement portion is configured to be engaged with the second arm in a case that the first arm swings in a direction in which the feed roller is separated from the support surface. The second arm is configured to swing from the first position to the second position in conjunction with swing of the first arm in a direction in which the feed roller is further away from the support surface.