Sheet Folding Roller Coupling for Stable Gear Pitch
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet post-processing apparatuses experience issues with speed and quietness due to the driven roller moving away from the driving roller, causing gear pitch variation during the folding process.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs a configuration where one of the driving and driven rollers pivots about a pivoting shaft to maintain contact, with direct coupling of the driving shaft to one roller's rotation shaft and indirect coupling via transmission gears to the other, ensuring consistent pressure and reducing gear pitch variation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the driven roller pivots about a pivoting shaft to be pressed against the driving roller via a spring, then the sheet can be conveyed and folded, but the driven roller may move away from the driving roller causing gear pitch variation and impairing speed and quietness
Solution Approach 1:
A elastic element (spring) is introduced as an intermediary between the driven roller and the driving roller. This spring maintains continuous contact pressure between the rollers, preventing the driven roller from moving away during operation and thereby stabilizing gear pitch while enabling smooth sheet folding
Solution Approach 2:
The contact pressure between the driven roller and driving roller is dynamically adjusted through the elastic element. By changing the pressure parameter to maintain optimal contact, the system ensures reliable gear engagement and prevents pitch variation during the folding operation
2Reliability
If the driven roller is kept in pressed contact with the driving roller, then gear pitch is stabilized, but the structure becomes more complex requiring direct or indirect coupling mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The driven roller is designed to pivot about a pivoting shaft, allowing dynamic adjustment of its position. This dynamic capability enables the roller to maintain pressed contact with the driving roller through the elastic element while absorbing operational variations, achieving stable gear pitch without requiring overly complex rigid coupling structures
Solution Approach 2:
The coupling mechanism is segmented into two independent parts: the driven roller with its pivoting shaft and the elastic element. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function - the pivoting shaft provides positional adjustment while the elastic element maintains contact pressure - reducing the need for a single complex integrated coupling 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
This design enhances the speed and quietness of the folding process by preventing the driven roller from separating from the driving roller, thereby stabilizing the gear pitch and improving operational efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a elastic element that biases the driven roller in a sheet conveyance direction toward the driving roller
Implementation Method 2
one of the driving and driven rollers pivots about a pivoting shaft so as to be pressed against the other
Implementation Method 3
The other of the rotation shaft of the driving roller and the pivoting shaft is coupled to the driving shaft via a driving transmission gear
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet post-processing apparatus includes a sheet conveyance passage along which a sheet is conveyed and a driving roller and a driven roller that are arranged opposite each other across a folding conveyance passage branching off the sheet conveyance passage and that are kept in pressed contact with each other. The sheet post-processing apparatus double-folds the sheet passing through a nip portion between the driving and driven rollers and conveys the double-folded sheet. The nip portion is formed with one of the driving and driven rollers pivoting about a pivoting shaft to be pressed against the other. To one of the rotation shaft of the driving roller and the pivoting shaft, the driving shaft of the driving motor is directly coupled. The other of the rotation shaft of the driving roller and the pivoting shaft is coupled to the driving shaft via a driving transmission gear.