Sheet Roll Dust Protection in Image Forming Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses face challenges in preventing dust adherence to sheet rolls and maintaining image quality due to exposed sheet rolls, which complicates the configuration and increases production costs, while also increasing the overall size of the device.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus employs a sheet roll supporter positioned below the main body, with a discharge guide unit and stacking unit that cover the upper and front parts of the sheet roll, ensuring reliable discharge and preventing dust adherence without a complex configuration, using a discharge bucket that is detachably attachable to the image forming apparatus.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a withdrawable sheet feed tray is provided to completely cover the sheet roll, then dust adherence to the sheet roll is prevented, but the configuration becomes complicated and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts only the necessary protective function from the complete sheet feed tray, implementing a partial cover structure that shields only the critical upper and front portions of the sheet roll where dust adherence most significantly impacts image quality, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining protective effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The guide unit and stacking unit are designed to provide localized protection specifically at the upper and front parts of the sheet roll, concentrating protective functionality where it is most needed rather than uniformly covering the entire sheet roll, thus reducing material and structural complexity
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a sheet feed tray covering the sheet roll is provided, then dust adherence is prevented, but the depth of the image forming apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes unnecessary structural extensions from the sheet feed tray design, implementing a compact partial cover that provides adequate protection without extending the apparatus depth beyond what is minimally required for functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The guide unit and stacking unit are positioned and oriented to provide protection in specific spatial dimensions (upper and front parts) rather than requiring extended coverage in all directions, thereby reducing the depth requirement while maintaining protective effectiveness
3Reliability
If a dedicated discharge guide member is disposed above the sheet roll supporter, then the sheet is prevented from contacting the sheet roll, but the configuration becomes complicated
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the discharge guide function with the existing guide unit and stacking unit structures, integrating multiple functions into unified components rather than adding separate dedicated discharge guide members, thereby reducing overall configuration complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The guide unit and stacking unit are designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: guiding the discharged sheet, preventing sheet contact with the sheet roll, and providing dust protection, thereby eliminating the need for additional dedicated components
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus including a sheet roll supporter disposed below a main body of the image forming apparatus to support a sheet roll such that a sheet is fed from the sheet roll, an image forming unit to form an image on the sheet fed from the sheet roll, a sheet discharger disposed downstream from the image forming unit in a direction of conveyance of the sheet to discharge the sheet having the image thereon in a sheet discharging direction, a guide unit to guide the sheet discharged from the sheet discharger to the front of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and a stacking unit on which the sheet passing the guide unit is stacked. Upper and front parts of the sheet roll are covered with the guide unit and the stacking unit across a width direction of the sheet perpendicular to the sheet discharging direction.