Sheet Feeding Tray Fan Layout for Special Paper Separation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electrophotographic image forming apparatuses face challenges in separating and feeding special papers like coated paper and thick paper due to their high smoothness, leading to sheet sticking and difficulty in single-sheet feeding, and existing solutions that blow air to separate sheets increase device size.
Innovation Solution
The image forming apparatus incorporates a blowing fan on the tray, positioned opposite to the sheet stacking side, to generate air flow perpendicular to the sheet width, reducing the need for external space and allowing for a more compact design.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a blower is protruded outside of a sheet stacking region to blow air on side ends of a sheet bundle, then sheet separation is achieved, but device size increases due to space required to dispose the blower
Solution Approach 1:
The blowing fan is nested within the tray structure, specifically positioned in a space underneath the stacking surface. This allows the fan to be housed inside the existing device footprint without requiring additional external space, thereby resolving the contradiction between achieving sheet separation and maintaining compact device size
Solution Approach 2:
The blowing fan is positioned in the vertical dimension underneath the stacking surface, rather than extending horizontally outside the sheet stacking region. This dimensional repositioning allows air blowing functionality to be achieved without increasing the device's horizontal footprint, thus resolving the space conflict
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This configuration effectively separates sheets without increasing the device's size, improving usability and reducing noise while ensuring stable single-sheet feeding of special papers.
Implementation Method 1
a blowing fan mounted on the tray and configured to generate air blown to a side end of the sheet
Data Source
AI summary
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming portion, a tray rotatably provided on a side surface of a main assembly and including a stacking surface, a feeding portion; and a blowing fan mounted on the tray and generating air blown to a side end of a sheet in a sheet widthwise direction perpendicular to a feeding direction of the sheet by the feeding portion. The blowing fan is disposed on an opposite side to a side where the sheet is stacked on the stacking surface so that a position of at least a part of the blowing fan with respect to the sheet widthwise direction is overlapped with a position of the stacking surface with respect to the sheet widthwise direction.