Sheet Post-Processing Device Shifting Controller for Stapled Sheaf Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet post-processing devices face challenges in accurately detecting the height of stapled paper sheaves on an exit tray, leading to potential misalignment and instability, which can cause stapled sheets to fall off during ejection.
Innovation Solution
A sheet post-processing device incorporating a stapler, an exit tray that can be elevated and lowered, a detector to measure the height of the sheet sheaf, and a shifting controller that adjusts the sheaf's position to match the detector's detection point, ensuring accurate height detection and stable ejection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the detector detects the height of the sheet sheaf at a fixed position, then the detection process is simple, but the stapled sheets may be misaligned and fall off during ejection
Solution Approach 1:
The shifting controller shifts the sheet sheaf in the conveyance direction before ejection so that the stapled location aligns with the detection point of the detector. This preliminary positioning action ensures that the height detection is performed at the correct location, preventing misalignment and sheets falling off during ejection.
2Manufacturing precision
If the exit tray is elevated and lowered to match sheet height, then stacking alignment is improved, but the system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detector detects the height of the sheet sheaf on the exit tray, and the shifting controller uses this feedback information to adjust the position of the sheet sheaf. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables precise alignment of stacked sheets while maintaining a relatively simple system structure by combining height detection with conveyance direction shifting.
Data Source
AI summary
A post-processing unit in an image forming apparatus includes a stapler, an exit tray, a height detector, and a shifting controller. The stapler staples a sheet sheaf. The exit tray is configured to be elevated and lowered and to receive the sheet sheaf stapled by the stapler. The height detector detects a height of the sheet sheaf on the exit tray. The shifting controller shifts the sheet sheaf to be ejected in a situation in which the stapler staples one location at a trailing end of the sheet sheaf in a conveyance direction of the sheet sheaf. The shifting controller shifts the sheet sheaf in a front-rear direction, which is a direction perpendicular to a vertical direction and to the conveyance direction of the sheet sheaf, so that the stapled location in the sheet sheaf on the exit tray matches a detection point of the height detector.