Sheet Transport Device Corner Orientation Inversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet transport devices in image forming apparatuses often result in skewed images due to improper orientation and handling of sheets, leading to potential damage and inefficiencies in the image formation process.
Innovation Solution
A sheet transport device with a rotating section that adjusts the sheet's angle and a moving section that aligns it with butting portions, ensuring the leading edge is oriented away from the butting areas, thereby preventing damage and ensuring smooth transport.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If sheets are transported with the leading end oriented toward the butting portions, then the sheets can be easily aligned and butted, but the leading end corner is likely to be damaged and image skewing occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by orienting the leading end of the sheet away from the butting portions rather than toward them. The sheet is butted at the trailing end while the leading end is positioned at a location where no butting portions are provided, thereby preventing corner damage and image skewing while maintaining alignment capability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a sheet rotating section as an intermediary mechanism between the sheet feeding and butting sections. This rotating section adjusts the sheet orientation to the appropriate angle, enabling the sheet to be butted correctly without the leading end contacting the butting portions, thus preventing damage and skewing
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the sheet is rotated to increase the angle relative to the transport direction, then the leading end is oriented away from butting portions, but additional rotating mechanisms are required
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet rotating section serves multiple functions: it not only rotates the sheet to the appropriate angle for preventing leading end damage, but also facilitates proper alignment and coordination between the sheet transport and butting operations. This multi-functionality justifies the addition of the rotating mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The sheet rotating section performs the sheet orientation adjustment in advance, before the sheet reaches the butting portions. This preliminary action ensures that when the sheet is butted, the leading end is already positioned away from the butting portions, preventing damage before it can occur
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet transport device includes a transport path along which a sheet is transported in one direction, the sheet being transported with a corner at a leading end of the sheet being located on a first lateral side of the path, a sheet rotating section that rotates the sheet so as to increase an angle of the sheet and so as to orient the leading end, a sheet moving section that moves the sheet toward the first lateral side, and plural sheet butting portions that are arranged side-by-side in the one direction, on the first lateral side, the sheet butting portions allowing the moved sheet to be butted thereagainst to orient the sheet in the one direction. When the sheet is butted against the sheet butting portions to be oriented in the one direction, the corner is located at a position where no sheet butting portions are provided.