Sheet Folding Device With Movable Guide For Precise Fold Lines
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet folding devices lack efficient mechanisms for forming precise fold lines on sheets post-image formation, often resulting in wrinkles or breakage due to inadequate guiding and folding processes.
Innovation Solution
A sheet folding device with a first folding roller pair, a first folding guide, and a conveyance roller system that forms a folding nip and guides the sheet through a series of folding stages, including Z-folding and three-folding processes, using assist roller pairs and pivotable guides to manage sheet deflection and folding without excessive load.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a folding guide is disposed close to the folding nip to effectively guide the sheet, then the guiding effect is improved, but the guide structure occupies space on the sheet conveyance path and may interfere with sheet conveyance
Solution Approach 1:
The folding guide is designed to be movable rather than fixed, capable of moving between a folded position (close to the folding nip for effective guidance) and a retracted position (away from the conveyance path). This dynamic configuration allows the guide to provide precise fold line guidance when needed while retracting to avoid interfering with normal sheet conveyance, thus resolving the contradiction between guiding effectiveness and device complexity.
2Manufacturing precision
If the folding guide is always positioned to guide the sheet to the folding nip, then folding accuracy is improved, but the guide cannot be retracted when folding is not needed, obstructing sheet conveyance
Solution Approach 1:
The folding guide is configured to move between a folded position (where it guides the sheet to the folding nip for accurate folding) and a retracted position (where it does not obstruct the sheet conveyance path). This dynamic positioning allows the system to optimize for fold line accuracy during folding operations while maintaining smooth sheet conveyance during non-folding operations, thus resolving the contradiction between folding accuracy and conveyance smoothness.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the pivot fulcrum is disposed on the upstream side of the folding nip, then the guide can be moved to the folding position, but the guide structure becomes complex and requires additional space
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of placing the pivot fulcrum on the upstream side of the folding nip (conventional approach), the invention inverts the arrangement by placing the pivot fulcrum on the downstream side. This inverted configuration allows the folding guide to be moved to the folding position while simplifying the guide structure and reducing the space required, thus resolving the contradiction between position adjustability and structural complexity.
4Area of stationary object
If the folding guide is disposed far from the folding nip to avoid interference, then conveyance path space is preserved, but the guiding effect for forming precise fold lines is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The folding guide is designed to move between a retracted position (far from the folding nip, preserving conveyance path space) and a folded position (close to the folding nip, providing effective guidance for precise fold lines). This dynamic positioning allows the system to optimize for conveyance path space during non-folding operations while achieving high fold line precision during folding operations, thus resolving the contradiction between space preservation and fold line precision.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet folding device includes a sheet conveyance path, a first folding conveyance path, a first folding roller pair, a first folding guide, and a conveyance roller. The first folding roller pair is composed of a first roller and a second roller forming a first folding nip by being brought into pressure contact with an upstream side of the first roller. The first folding guide is movable between a folding position at which it approaches the first folding nip, guiding a to-be-folded part of a sheet to the first folding nip, and a retracted position at which it is away from the first folding nip. The conveyance roller forms, together with the second roller, a first assist roller pair that conveys the sheet along the sheet conveyance path. The first folding guide has a pivot fulcrum on a downstream side relative to the first folding nip in the conveyance direction.