Switchback Roller Sheet Jam Discharge Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In printing systems with multiple connected printers, sheet jams lead to increased labor for removing sheets due to long conveyance routes and additional mechanisms required for handling jams, which also enlarge the system size.
Innovation Solution
A conveying apparatus with a switchback roller mechanism that reverses sheet conveyance direction upon jam occurrence, allowing controlled discharge from an intermediate port and stopping conveyance to reduce remaining sheets without additional size-increasing mechanisms.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an intermediate sheet discharge tray is provided in an intermediate apparatus to reverse sheets upside down, then the number of sheets remaining in the conveyance route is reduced and labor for removing sheets is reduced, but the system size increases due to additional driving mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The switchback roller is designed to perform both normal sheet conveyance and reverse sheet discharge functions using a single mechanism. By controlling the rotation direction of the same roller, the system achieves both forward movement during printing and backward discharge during jams, eliminating the need for separate driving mechanisms for each function.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding a separate mechanism to discharge sheets backward, the invention utilizes the existing switchback roller and inverts its rotation direction. When a jam occurs, the roller rotates in reverse to feed sheets back from the downstream conveyor to the discharge port, achieving sheet discharge without additional hardware.
2Productivity
If multiple printers are connected in series with optional apparatuses, then printing speed and functionality increase, but the sheet conveyance route becomes long and labor for removing sheets increases
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge port is positioned downstream of the switchback roller in advance, and the controller is pre-programmed to detect sheet jams and activate the reverse rotation of the switchback roller immediately upon jam detection. This preliminary arrangement allows for rapid sheet discharge without requiring additional mechanical structures along the extended conveyance route.
3Reliability
If additional mechanisms are added to handle sheet jams, then sheet discharge capability is improved, but the system size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The switchback roller serves dual purposes: it conveys sheets forward during normal printing operations and discharges sheets backward when jams occur. This multi-functional design ensures reliable sheet discharge capability while avoiding the need for dedicated jam-handling mechanisms, thereby preventing system size increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The existing switchback roller mechanism, already part of the printing system, is utilized to handle sheet jams without requiring external or additional specialized components. The system uses its own existing mechanical element to resolve the jam condition, achieving self-service functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A controller, upon occurrence of a sheet jam in a downstream conveyor, discharges a sheet in an upstream conveyor from a discharge port by controlling an operation of a switchback roller depending on an operation status of the switchback roller at a time of the occurrence of the sheet jam and then stops sheet conveyance by a conveyor.