Slidable Sheet Roll Holder for Compact Image Recording Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing image recording apparatuses face challenges with spatial efficiency and user workability due to long conveyance paths and the need for extensive space for roll body insertion and external cover operation, leading to increased size and complexity.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a slidable sheet roll holder, a supporting member, and a conveyer system within a compact housing with a guide roller and nip rollers, allowing for easier roll replacement and reduced conveyance path length, enhancing spatial efficiency and user accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the conveyance path from the roll body to the printing part is made relatively long, then the sheet can be properly conveyed and positioned, but the spatial efficiency in arranging components decreases and the apparatus size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent reconfigures the conveyance path to extend in the right-left direction rather than only in the front-rear direction. The sheet conveyer includes a conveyer roller and guide rollers arranged to create a conveyance path that utilizes the lateral space within the housing, effectively changing the spatial dimension used for sheet transport and reducing the apparatus's front-rear length.
2Ease of operation
If the roll body insertion opening is made wider to allow easy attachment of the roll body, then the attachment operation becomes easier, but a larger external cover is required which needs more space
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the housing into separate sections: a fixed housing body and a detachable external cover. The external cover can be detached to provide wide access to the internal space for roll body attachment, while when attached, it maintains a compact external footprint. This segmentation allows the insertion opening to be effectively large during operation while keeping the overall apparatus size compact.
3Volume of stationary object
If there is not sufficient space around the apparatus, then the apparatus can be more compact, but it becomes difficult for users to visually recognize the internal space, resulting in poor workability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates a detachable external cover that can be removed to provide users with visual and physical access to the internal space for sheet setting operations. When the cover is attached, the apparatus maintains a compact size. The dynamic ability to open and close the cover allows the apparatus to switch between a compact operational state and an accessible maintenance state, resolving the contradiction between compactness and user workability.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided an image recording apparatus having a housing having a front wall and a rear wall, and a right wall and a left wall defining an internal space of the housing, a sheet roll holder configured to hold a sheet roll, a supporting member configured to support the sheet roll, the supporting member extending in an axial direction of the sheet roll and being supported by the sheet roll holder, a sheet conveyer arranged in an internal space of the housing, the sheet conveyer being configured to convey a sheet unwound from the sheet roll, and a recording device configured to record an image on the sheet unwound from the sheet roll and conveyed by the sheet conveyer. The sheet roll holder is configured to be slidable with respect to the housing so as to be detachable from and attachable to the housing.