Sheet Transport Device Regulating Unit for Small Sheet Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet transport devices in image reading and forming apparatuses often result in disorderly orientation of small-size sheets on the output tray due to lack of effective regulation of the output position.
Innovation Solution
A sheet transport device equipped with a side-edge positioning unit and a rotatable regulating unit, where the stopper is positioned to collide with the downstream edge of the sheet, ensuring proper alignment and preventing disorderly stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If no regulating unit is provided, then the device complexity is reduced, but the sheets are output in a disorderly orientation
Solution Approach 1:
The stopper is positioned in advance at a location that corresponds to the minimum sheet width, so that when the side-edge positioning unit moves to this position, the stopper is already ready to regulate the output position of small-size sheets, preventing disorderly orientation before it occurs
Solution Approach 2:
The stopper is made rotatable about a rotation shaft, allowing it to dynamically adjust its position and orientation based on the sheet size being processed, enabling it to effectively regulate both small-size and standard-size sheets
2Stability of the object's composition
If a regulating unit with a rotatable stopper is provided, then the sheet orientation order is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotatable stopper serves multiple functions: it regulates the output position of small-size sheets when the side-edge positioning unit is at the minimum width position, and it can be rotated to different positions to accommodate various sheet sizes, making a single component handle multiple sheet dimension requirements
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet transport device includes a sheet load tray on which a sheet is loaded, a side-edge positioning unit, and a regulating unit. The side-edge positioning unit comes into contact with a side edge of the sheet in a direction intersecting a sheet transport direction at an upper surface of the sheet load tray and positions the side edge of the sheet to a normal position. The regulating unit is provided in a rotatable manner about a rotation shaft at a lower surface of the sheet load tray and regulates an output position of the sheet by rotating a stopper of the regulating unit to a position where the stopper is capable of colliding with a downstream edge of the sheet to be output in an output direction when the side-edge positioning unit moves to a position corresponding to a minimum width of the sheet.