Sheet Feeder Side Fence Locking Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet feeders in image forming systems face issues with convenience in adjusting side fences and maintaining sheet alignment, leading to potential skewing during feeding due to lack of rigidity and proper fixation at the top surface.
Innovation Solution
A sheet feeder design incorporating a side fence with a vertically-extending slide shaft, a link member that swings and pivots, and an anti-slide lock mechanism to prevent swing, allowing for easy locking and unlocking of the side fence at desired positions, ensuring proper sheet alignment without creating clearance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the side fence is made movable to be adjustable to diverse sheet sizes, then the adaptability to different sheet sizes is improved, but the ease of operation deteriorates due to the trouble of refastening thumb screws
Solution Approach 1:
The side fence is designed with a movable structure that can be easily adjusted along guide rails, replacing the static thumb screw fastening system. This allows the side fence to dynamically adapt to different sheet sizes while maintaining ease of operation through smooth sliding movement rather than complex fastening and unfastening procedures.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates the thumb screw fastening mechanism from the side fence structure. By removing this complex fastening component, the design achieves simpler adjustment operation while maintaining the ability to securely hold side fences at desired positions through alternative locking mechanisms.
2Ease of manufacture
If the side fence is fixed at basal end portions only, then the ease of manufacture is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to clearance creation at the top surface
Solution Approach 1:
The side fence fixation is segmented into multiple fixed points: basal end portions and top surface portions. This segmentation allows the side fence to be reliably fixed at multiple locations, preventing clearance creation at the top surface while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through standardized fixation structures at each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The side fence is pre-configured with fixation structures at both basal end portions and top surface portions during manufacturing. This preliminary arrangement of multiple fixation points ensures that when the side fence is assembled, it automatically maintains proper sheet alignment without requiring additional adjustment or complex assembly procedures.
3Quantity of substance
If the side fence height is increased to load large number of sheets, then the sheet loading capacity is improved, but the device complexity increases due to longer side fence structure
Solution Approach 1:
The side fence structure is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a structural support for holding large numbers of sheets and as a guide mechanism for sheet feeding. The guide rails and guide members integrated into the side fence structure enable it to perform multiple functions simultaneously, increasing sheet loading capacity without proportionally increasing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention merges the side fence structure with guide rails and guide members into an integrated assembly. This combination allows the side fence to fulfill multiple functions (supporting sheets, guiding movement, maintaining alignment) through a unified structure, thereby increasing sheet loading capacity without requiring separate complex components for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet feeder is disclosed for feeding sheets from a stack by one sheet in a sheet feeding direction, the one sheet being an uppermost sheet of the sheet stack. The sheet feeder includes: a sheet stacker for accommodating the sheet stack therein; a side fence to regulate side ends of the sheets and movable in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction; a slide shaft arranged in the side fence and extending in a vertical direction; a link member that swings as the side fence moves, a first end of the link member configured to be slidable along the slide shaft, and a second end of the link member configured to be pivotable about a pivot point, which is arranged on a side wall of the sheet stacker at a position lower than the first end; and a swing stopper unit that stops swing of the link member.