Sheet Feeding Device Side Regulators Air Emission
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet feeding devices experience double feeding and quality degradation when trying to feed thin, highly adhesive sheets, as excessive air accumulation between sheets leads to lifting in bundles, causing waste and mixing of printed sheets.
Innovation Solution
The sheet feeding device incorporates side end regulating members with emission portions that allow surplus air to escape, preventing air accumulation and reducing contact resistance, ensuring sheets are separated effectively without lifting in bundles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If air is blown between sheets to separate them, then sheets are lifted and separated, but excessive air accumulation causes sheets to lift in bundles leading to double feeding
Solution Approach 1:
The emission portions extract the harmful accumulated air from the system by providing dedicated escape paths through the side end regulating members, allowing excess air to be removed from the space between sheets and preventing bundle lifting
Solution Approach 2:
The side end regulating members with emission portions act as intermediary structures that mediate between the blowing unit and the sheets, controlling air flow distribution and providing a controlled path for air to escape, thereby preventing harmful air accumulation
2Reliability
If side end regulating members are added with emission portions, then air accumulation is prevented, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The side end regulating members serve multiple functions: they regulate the position of sheet side ends for proper alignment and simultaneously provide emission portions as air escape paths, thereby preventing air accumulation without requiring separate dedicated components
Solution Approach 2:
The emission portions are integrated into the side end regulating members, merging the sheet positioning function and the air emission function into a single structural element, thus avoiding additional complexity while achieving both objectives
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
This solution enables reliable feeding of thin, adhesive sheets by eliminating air accumulation and reducing contact resistance, preventing double feeding and improving transportation quality.
Implementation Method 1
a blowing unit (1) which is disposed adjacent to an uppermost sheet among the plurality of sheets loaded on the sheet feeding tray (21) and blows a wind to one end portions of the sheets to lift end portions of the uppermost sheet (P1) and sheets near the uppermost sheet (P2) and separate the sheets from each other
Implementation Method 2
the uppermost sheet is sucked to and transported by the belt
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet feeding device includes a loading tray configured to receive a plurality of sheets thereon; a sheet transporting unit which transports the uppermost sheet among the sheets to an image forming unit; a blowing unit which blows air to one end portions of the sheets to lift the end portion of the uppermost sheet to separate the sheets from each other; a rear end regulating member which is disposed behind the rear ends of the sheets; and side end regulating members which are disposed next to both side ends of the sheets. A portion of the side end regulating members at which the side end regulating members come in contact with the sheet is provided with an emission portion allowing air to be emitted from the blowing unit.