Sheet Feeding Apparatus Pivotable Regulating Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
In existing sheet feeding apparatuses for image forming devices, the leading end positioning member and stopper can engage excessively firmly, making it difficult to release the engagement, which can cause sheet jams during feeding.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveyance apparatus with a pivotable sheet regulating unit and a stopper portion that abuts against the regulating unit from the opposite side, allowing easy release of engagement by moving in a direction parallel to the tangential direction of the regulating unit's surface, preventing excessive firm engagement and facilitating smooth sheet feeding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the sheet bundle is made to abut hard against the leading end positioning member, then the positioning is more secure, but the engagement between the leading end positioning member and stopper becomes excessively firm and difficult to release
Solution Approach 1:
The leading end positioning member is designed to pivot between a positioning state (engaged with stopper) and a retracted state (disengaged from stopper). This dynamic transformation allows the member to provide firm positioning when needed while enabling easy release when the pickup roller advances, resolving the contradiction between secure positioning and ease of release.
Solution Approach 2:
The leading end positioning member is divided into a positioning portion (that contacts the sheet bundle) and a stopper engagement portion (that engages with the stopper). This segmentation allows independent optimization of positioning firmness and release ease, as the pivot connection decouples these two functions.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the engagement between leading end positioning member and stopper is not released, then the positioning is maintained, but the fed sheet is disturbed causing a jam
Solution Approach 1:
The pivotable leading end positioning member dynamically transitions from a fixed positioning state to a retracted state as the pickup roller advances. This ensures the member releases timing is synchronized with sheet feeding, maintaining positioning stability during stacking while preventing jams during conveyance.
Solution Approach 2:
The leading end positioning member is positioned to engage with the stopper before sheet feeding begins, establishing stable positioning in advance. The member then automatically releases as the pickup roller moves downward, ensuring smooth sheet conveyance without disturbance.
Data Source
AI summary
Let a point at which a lock member and a leading end positioning member abut against each other when a roller holding member is located at a feeding retracted position be represented by a contact point. A tangential direction of a surface of the leading end positioning member at the contact point is substantially parallel to a direction in which the roller holding member moves to a feeding position from a feeding retracted position.