Tray Pull-Out Mechanism for Compact Media Conveying
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medium conveying apparatuses face challenges in downsizing their device size while maintaining the ability to accommodate and eject various sizes of media, as existing designs require increased space to accommodate inclined ejection trays for improved alignability.
Innovation Solution
The medium conveying apparatus incorporates a tray system with a guide portion and engaging protrusions that allow the ejection tray to be pulled out and positioned at a predetermined angle, enabling efficient accommodation within a compact housing by using a pair of rails inclined upward and protrusions that slide between them, allowing for stable clamping and orientation change.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a tray is pulled out from an accommodation portion to enable medium ejection, then medium ejection capability is improved, but device size increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tray is nested within an accommodation portion of the housing, allowing it to be stored compactly when not in use and pulled out only when needed for medium ejection, thereby maintaining a compact device size while enabling ejection functionality
Solution Approach 2:
The tray transitions from a static stored position to a dynamic pulled-out position, allowing the device to adapt its configuration based on operational needs, enabling medium ejection only when the tray is extended while maintaining compact dimensions when retracted
2Manufacturing precision
If the tray is inclined upward to improve medium alignability, then medium alignability is improved, but the space required for accommodation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The tray utilizes the width direction (perpendicular to the medium ejecting direction) as an additional dimension for accommodation, allowing the inclined tray to be stored in a compact space by extending in the width direction rather than requiring increased length or height
3Manufacturing precision
If two protrusions are provided on the tray to engage with rails, then positioning precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The engaging portion is segmented into two separate protrusions that can be independently formed and positioned, allowing for precise positioning when engaged with the rails while maintaining simple manufacturing processes for each individual protrusion
Data Source
AI summary
A medium conveying apparatus includes a housing including an accommodation portion provided with a guide portion at an end portion in a width direction, a tray accommodated in the accommodation portion so as to be pulled out, and including a placing surface for placing an ejected medium, and an engaging portion provided on a side surface of the tray, to engage the guide portion. The guide portion includes a pair of rails inclined upward and having a predetermined width. The engaging portion includes two protrusions provided so as to slide between the pair of rails and located apart from each other by a predetermined distance. By locating the two protrusions between the pair of rails, the tray is positioned at a predetermined position with respect to the housing with a front end portion of a downstream side in the medium ejecting direction located upward.