Sheet Folding Mechanism With Movable Stopper Guide Plate
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet folding mechanisms with curved stopper conveying paths experience box-folding issues due to speed differences between the upper and lower sheets, leading to poor folding and potential image smudges, especially during multi-fold processes like inner threefolds.
Innovation Solution
A sheet folding mechanism with a curved conveying path, a pair of folding rollers, an abutting stopper member, a flexure assist member, a movable stopper guide plate, and a control unit that adjusts the guide plate's movement range based on sheet size and folding mode to synchronize the sheet's speed and reduce conveying load, preventing box-folding.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If a curved stopper conveying path is used to perform sheet folding in a conserved space, then space utilization is improved, but speed difference between upper and lower sheets occurs causing box-folding
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate is made movable along the sheet conveying path instead of being fixed. The driving unit adjusts the guide plate's position dynamically based on sheet size and folding mode, allowing the guide plate to move forward during sheet conveyance to eliminate speed difference while maintaining the curved conveying path's space efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The movable guide plate acts as an intermediary element between the curved conveying path and the sheet. By moving the guide plate forward during conveyance, it mediates the speed difference issue without changing the overall curved path structure, thus preserving both space utilization and folding accuracy.
2Device complexity
If the guide plate is fixed during sheet conveyance, then the structure is simple, but speed difference causes box-folding and poor folding quality
Solution Approach 1:
The guide plate transitions from a fixed structure to a movable one, driven by a driving unit that adjusts its position along the conveying path. This dynamic adjustment eliminates speed difference between sheet layers while adding only minimal structural complexity through the driving mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide plate's position parameter is changed dynamically during the folding process. The control unit adjusts the guide plate's location based on sheet size and folding mode parameters, enabling precise control over sheet conveyance speed to prevent box-folding without permanently complicating the structure.
3Manufacturing precision
If the guide plate moves along the conveying path, then speed difference is eliminated preventing box-folding, but the control system becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit adjusts the guide plate's position parameter based on input parameters such as sheet size and folding mode. This parameter-based control approach achieves precise folding accuracy while keeping the control logic relatively simple by relying on pre-programmed adjustments rather than complex real-time sensing and calculation.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit receives information about sheet characteristics and folding requirements, then adjusts the guide plate position accordingly. This feedback mechanism ensures folding accuracy while maintaining manageable control system complexity through automated decision-making based on predefined criteria.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet folding mechanism includes a sheet conveying path that is curved in a sheet conveyance direction; a pair of folding rollers that are disposed at a downstream side of the sheet conveying path; an abutting stopper member that is disposed at the downstream side of the folding rollers in the sheet conveyance direction and that abuts and restricts a leading edge of a conveyed sheet; a flexure assist member that assists flexure forming of the sheet abutted to the abutting stopper member; a curved conveying guide plate that is located at the sheet conveying path; a movable stopper guide plate that is a part of the curved conveying guide plate as being movable along the sheet conveying path; and a control unit that performs control to vary a movement range of the movable stopper guide plate in accordance with size and folding mode of the sheet.