Sheet Tray Guide Portions Prevent Vertical Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional extendable sheet trays in image forming apparatuses experience significant deflection deformation at their central portions when supported only at the ends, leading to potential large clearances between trays, which can affect the stability and efficiency of sheet feeding.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a sheet tray system with a first tray and a second tray, each with guiding portions and separation regulating parts that engage vertically to prevent excessive separation, ensuring stable sliding movement and maintaining tray alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the sheet tray is supported only at ends thereof in the width direction, then the structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but deflection deformation is larger at a central portion, leading to large clearance between trays
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet tray is divided into a first tray and a second tray that can be assembled together. The second tray is slidable with respect to the first tray, allowing the structure to be segmented into functional portions while maintaining overall integrity and reducing clearance issues through the guide portion mechanism.
Solution Approach 2:
Guide portions are introduced as intermediary elements between the first tray and second tray. These guide portions regulate the relative position and slide movement between the two trays, acting as mediators that prevent excessive clearance while maintaining the simple supported structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the second tray is extended with respect to the first tray, then the sheet feeding capacity is improved, but a relatively large clearance is formed between the central portions of the trays
Solution Approach 1:
The second tray is designed to be slidable with respect to the first tray along the width direction, introducing dynamic adjustability. This allows the tray configuration to adapt to different sheet feeding requirements while the guide portions maintain stability by regulating the slide movement and preventing excessive clearance.
Solution Approach 2:
The guide portions are specifically positioned to regulate the central portions of the trays where clearance is most problematic. This local quality approach addresses the alignment issue at the critical central region while allowing the extended tray structure to maintain overall stability during slide movement.
3Stability of the object's composition
If guide portions are added to regulate tray separation, then tray alignment stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The guide portions are merged with the tray structure itself, forming an integrated assembly. The guide portions are provided on both the first tray and second tray, creating a combined structure that regulates separation and alignment while minimizing the addition of separate, complex components.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet tray provided with first and second trays respectively having first and second supporting surfaces. The second tray slidably assembled, in a first direction, to the first tray. The first and second supporting surfaces are configured to support sheets thereon. The first tray and the second tray have a first guide portion and a second guide portion which are formed at central parts, in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, respectively. The second guide portion is configured to slidably contact the first guide portion to guide the slide movement of the second tray. A first separation regulating part formed on the first guide portion, and a second separation regulating part formed on the second guide portion are configured to engage with each other in the vertical direction to prevent separation of the first and second trays in the vertical direction, exceeding a particular dimension.