Tray Guide Arm Mechanism for Disk Recording Apparatus
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing recording apparatuses that support both sheet-shaped and plate-shaped recording media require increased size and cost due to the need for complex mechanisms to prevent damage during plate-shaped media recording, and high part accuracy in the platen and spur stay is necessary for accurate positioning.
Innovation Solution
A recording apparatus with a movable tray guide that includes arm portions to push the spur stay upward relative to the rotary shaft, allowing the medium tray to pass through the space between the sheet discharge roller and spurs, eliminating the need for a dedicated space and reducing apparatus size and cost while maintaining high-quality image recording.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a mechanism is provided outside the width of the sheet conveyance region to separate the spur from the sheet discharge roller, then the plate-shaped recording medium can be protected from damage, but the apparatus size and costs increase due to dedicated space requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The invention moves the spur separation mechanism from a horizontal arrangement (outside the sheet conveyance width) to a vertical arrangement (above the sheet discharge roller). The spur stay is positioned above the roller and can be raised or lowered vertically, eliminating the need for lateral space while achieving the same protective function.
Solution Approach 2:
The spur stay is made movable between a raised position (where spurs are separated from the roller) and a lowered position (where spurs contact the roller for sheet discharge). This dynamic positioning allows the same structure to serve dual purposes: protecting plate-shaped media during recording and assisting sheet discharge during normal operation.
2Manufacturing precision
If the platen is designed with great part accuracy, rigidity, and attachment accuracy to improve the positional accuracy of the sheet discharge roller with respect to the spur stay, then the positional accuracy is improved, but the apparatus size and costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The tray guide arm acts as an intermediary component that directly positions the spur stay relative to the sheet discharge roller. By using the tray guide arm as the reference and positioning mechanism, the invention eliminates the need for high-precision platen manufacturing, as the tray guide arm provides the necessary positional reference through its mechanical linkage.
Data Source
AI summary
A tray guide for guiding a medium tray holding a disk medium and being inserted includes arm portions, and as the tray guide is moved, the arm portions enter between a shaft of a sheet discharge roller and a spur stay while coming into contact with the shaft and the spur stay to push the spur stay upward with respect to the shaft so that spurs are separated from a roller portion to form a space through which the medium tray is to be conveyed.