Sheet Stacking Device Return Roller Pressing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional sheet stacking devices face challenges in preventing sheets from being pushed out or misaligned due to electrostatic inter-sheet clinging, particularly with coated paper, which has high smoothness and low stiffness, leading to issues in maintaining aligned stacks and requiring additional space for return rollers and pressing members.
Innovation Solution
A sheet stacking device that uses a single driving source to operate both return rollers and pressing members, where the pressing members press the trailing end of a discharged sheet after it has been moved back by the return rollers, preventing subsequent sheets from being pushed out by electrostatic clinging, and allowing for compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a return roller is used to move back discharged sheets to a normal position, then sheet alignment is improved, but the device size increases due to additional space requirements for the return roller and its drive mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the return roller and pressing member into a single integrated unit that performs both functions. The return roller moves discharged sheets back to the normal position, while the pressing member simultaneously presses the sheets to prevent electrostatic clinging. This merging eliminates the need for separate drive mechanisms for each component, thereby reducing device size while maintaining sheet alignment functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated unit serves multiple functions: it acts as a return roller to reposition sheets, a pressing member to prevent electrostatic clinging, and both functions are controlled by a single drive mechanism. This multi-functionality reduces the overall device complexity and space requirements while achieving the desired sheet alignment and stacking quality.
2Reliability
If a pressing member is added to prevent sheets from being pushed out by electrostatic clinging, then sheet stackability is improved, but the device complexity increases due to additional components and drive mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The pressing member is integrated with the return roller into a single unit that is driven by one drive mechanism. This integration reduces device complexity by eliminating separate drive systems while maintaining the pressing function necessary to prevent sheets from being pushed out by electrostatic clinging forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The pressing member applies pressure to the discharged sheets in advance to counteract the electrostatic clinging forces that would otherwise cause sheets to push out of alignment. By applying this counteracting force proactively, the system maintains reliable sheet stacking without requiring complex additional mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If separate drive mechanisms are used for the return roller and pressing member, then operational control is improved, but the device size increases due to additional space for mounting multiple drives
Solution Approach 1:
The return roller and pressing member are driven by a single shared drive mechanism, which reduces device size by eliminating the need for separate drive motors and control systems. The integrated design maintains operational control through coordinated movement, as the single drive can be controlled to perform both return and pressing functions in sequence.
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 solution ensures accurate sheet alignment and prevents misalignment due to electrostatic clinging, while reducing the device's size and cost by using a shared driving mechanism, thus providing effective and space-efficient sheet stacking.
Implementation Method 1
a return-roller pair that performs a moving-back operation of conveying the stacked sheet in a direction opposite to the sheet discharging direction
Implementation Method 2
the pressing members press a trailing end of the conveyed sheet in a sheet thickness direction, thereby preventing a subsequent sheet from being pushed out by another sheet due to inter-sheet close contact
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet stacking device includes: a stacking unit that stacks thereon a sheet discharged in a sheet discharging direction; a conveying unit that performs a moving-back operation of conveying the stacked sheet in a direction opposite to the sheet discharging direction; a pressing unit that performs a pressing operation of pressing the conveyed sheet; and a driving unit that drives the conveying unit and the pressing unit by a same driving source.