Sheet Discharge Tray With Swing Guide For Mixed-Size Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet discharging apparatuses struggle to maintain good alignment of sheets of various sizes, particularly when handling different kinds of sheets with varying lengths, due to the challenges posed by inclined surfaces in discharge trays.
Innovation Solution
The discharge tray is designed with a swing guide that overlaps with a first supporting portion and swings upward when pushed by a sheet, combined with specific geometric configurations of supporting portions and inclined surfaces to regulate sheet positioning, ensuring alignment of sheets of different sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If an inclined surface is provided on the discharge tray to help sheets align, then sheet alignment is improved, but maintaining good alignment for sheets of various sizes becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge tray is divided into multiple supporting portions (upstream supporting portion, first supporting portion with first inclined surface, second supporting portion with second inclined surface) that independently control sheet positioning for different sheet sizes. Each supporting portion can be optimized for specific sheet dimensions, allowing the system to maintain alignment precision across various sheet types without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the discharge tray are given different functional properties through the multiple supporting portions with varying inclined surface configurations. The upstream supporting portion, first supporting portion, and second supporting portion each have specific geometric characteristics tailored to handle particular sheet size ranges, enabling localized optimization of alignment for different document types.
2Adaptability or versatility
If sheets of various sizes are fed by the ADF, then processing versatility is improved, but alignment precision deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge tray is segmented into multiple supporting portions that can independently manage different sheet sizes. The upstream supporting portion handles shorter sheets, while the first and second supporting portions with their inclined surfaces accommodate longer sheets, allowing the system to maintain alignment precision across diverse document types without compromise.
Solution Approach 2:
The swing guide mechanism provides dynamic adjustment capability, swinging upward when pushed by sheets to accommodate different sheet lengths and positions. This dynamic response allows the discharge tray to adapt to various sheet sizes while maintaining alignment precision through the coordinated action of multiple supporting portions.
3Productivity
If high conveyance speed is used to enhance productivity, then processing speed is improved, but sheet alignment and positioning control worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The multiple supporting portions with inclined surfaces are designed to preemptively guide and position sheets as they enter the discharge tray, before they can become misaligned during high-speed conveyance. The upstream supporting portion and the inclined surfaces of the first and second supporting portions work together to establish correct sheet positioning in advance, preventing alignment issues that would otherwise arise at high speeds.
Solution Approach 2:
The swing guide mechanism provides a form of mechanical feedback, swinging upward when pushed by incoming sheets to regulate their position. This passive feedback mechanism helps correct positioning deviations that occur during high-speed operation, ensuring sheets align correctly with the discharge tray edges without requiring active control systems.
Data Source
AI summary
An image reading apparatus includes a support tray on which a sheet is supported, a feeding portion to feed the sheet supported on the support tray, a reading portion to read an image from the sheet fed by the feeding portion, and a discharging portion to discharge the sheet, from which the image has been read by the reading portion, in a sheet discharge direction. In addition, a stack tray on which the sheet discharged by the discharging portion is stacked is provided, and a swing member is supported swingably by the support tray and comes in contact with an upper surface of the sheet stacked on the stack tray. The stack tray includes a first rib extending in the sheet discharge direction and comes in contact with the swing member.