Sheet Feeding Door Damping With Elastic Force Balance
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Solution Overview
Problem
The use of metal feeding guides in image forming apparatuses increases the weight of the feeding guide door, leading to poor operating properties due to either unintentional closure or requiring excessive force for opening and closing, as seen in existing damping mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A sheet feeding device with a rotatable door equipped with a damping mechanism and an engaging portion using elastic members to balance the resisting forces, ensuring the door's moment of self-weight exceeds the damping mechanism's resistance during specific positions, allowing for controlled rotation and improved operability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a metal feeding guide is used to guide thick paper, then the feeding capability is improved, but the weight of the door increases and operating property deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the anti-weight principle by positioning the center of gravity above the rotation shaft, creating a counterbalancing effect that reduces the perceived weight of the door during operation. This allows the door to be operated more easily despite the heavy metal feeding guide, resolving the contradiction between feeding capability and ease of operation.
2Ease of operation
If a damper with small resistance is used, then the door can be opened easily, but the door unintentionally rotates toward closed position
Solution Approach 1:
By positioning the center of gravity above the rotation shaft, the patent creates a gravitational counterbalance that prevents the door from unintentionally rotating to the closed position. This counterbalancing effect allows the use of a low-resistance damper while maintaining door position stability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If a damper with large resistance is used, then the door position stability is improved, but excessive force is required to operate the door
Solution Approach 1:
The counterbalancing effect achieved by positioning the center of gravity above the rotation shaft reduces the effective weight that the damper must resist. This allows the use of a low-resistance damper while maintaining adequate door position stability, eliminating the need for excessive operating force.
4Ease of operation
If the center of gravity is positioned above the shaft, then the operating property is improved, but the door requires larger space for rotation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the vertical dimension by positioning the center of gravity above the rotation shaft, rather than requiring additional horizontal space. This vertical arrangement achieves the counterbalancing effect while maintaining a compact overall structure, resolving the contradiction between operating property and rotation space.
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 compatibly enhances the damping and operating properties of the door, reducing unintentional closure and minimizing the required operational force, while also allowing for a more compact design by optimizing the damper's placement.
Implementation Method 1
an engaging portion including an elastic member for imparting a second resisting force to the door by being elastically deformed when the door is rotated toward the closed position
Implementation Method 2
a damping mechanism configured to impart a first resisting force to the door when the door is rotated in a second direction opposite to the first direction
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet feeding device includes a feeding roller pair, a first guide, a door including a second guide and rotatable between a first direction and a second direction opposite to the first direction through first to third positions, a damping mechanism, and an engaging portion including an elastic member. A first resisting force is set so that moment acting around a shaft by a self-weight of the door is larger than the first resisting force of the damping mechanism when the door is positioned between the second position and the third position. A resultant force of the first resisting force of the damping mechanism and a second resisting force of the elastic portion is set so that the moment acting around the shaft by the self-weight of the door is larger than the resultant force when the door is positioned between the second position and the third position.