Sheet Supporter Guide Hook Coupling for Wobble Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing sheet supporting devices in automatic document feeders tend to wobble and hinder smooth movement due to the coupling position of guides and sliders, which leads to inefficient sheet conveyance.
Innovation Solution
A sheet supporting device with guides and sliders coupled through an elongate opening in the sheet supporter, where the guide includes a first hook positioned downstream of the opening, allowing for stable and smooth movement by preventing wobbling and floating.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the guide and slider are coupled at the central portion of the guide in the conveyance direction, then the coupling structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the guide tends to be lifted up away from the sheet supporter causing wobbling and hindering smooth movement
Solution Approach 1:
The patent adds a new spatial dimension to the coupling system by introducing a hook structure that extends in the conveyance direction (third dimension) rather than only coupling at a single central point. This dimensional extension allows the guide to be restrained at multiple positions along the conveyance direction, preventing the lifting and wobbling issues while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through the use of a straightforward hook geometry.
Solution Approach 2:
The hook structure acts as an intermediary element between the guide and the sheet supporter. Instead of directly coupling the guide and slider at the center, the hook mediates the connection by engaging with the sheet supporter at a position downstream of the elongate opening, thereby transmitting forces and preventing guide instability without complicating the overall coupling structure.
2Device complexity
If the guide is coupled at the central portion, then the structure is compact, but the guide wobbles and creaks when operated
Solution Approach 1:
By extending the coupling arrangement into the conveyance direction through the hook structure, the patent resolves the operational issues of wobbling and creaking. This dimensional extension distributes the mechanical stresses along the guide's length rather than concentrating them at the central coupling point, enabling smooth guide operation while keeping the overall structure relatively compact.
3Ease of manufacture
If the coupling member is positioned at the center of the guide, then the assembly is easy to manufacture, but the guide is likely to wobble and creak when being operated
Solution Approach 1:
The hook structure extends the coupling arrangement along the conveyance direction, creating a distributed restraint system that prevents guide wobbling and ensures smooth operation. This dimensional extension maintains manufacturing ease by using a simple hook geometry that can be easily formed and assembled, while effectively eliminating the operational problems associated with central-point coupling.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet supporting device, including: a sheet supporter having a support surface; a guide disposed on one side of the sheet supporter on which the support surface is provided and having a guide surface configured to come into contact with an edge, in a width direction, of a sheet on the sheet supporter; and a slider disposed on the other side of the sheet supporter, wherein the sheet supporter has an elongate opening, wherein the guide and the slider are coupled to each other through the elongate opening, such that the guide and the slider are movable together in the width direction of the sheet, and wherein the guide includes a first hook hooked on a portion of the sheet supporter and configured to be movable in the width direction of the sheet along the portion of the sheet supporter.