Twisting Abutment Member for Inkjet Sheet Cockling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional ink-jet recording apparatuses experience cockling issues where the sheet swells and floats, causing distortion and clogging due to uneven pressure distribution from projections on the recording-sheet pressing plate, which are either integrally formed or complex to install as separate components.
Innovation Solution
An image recording apparatus with an abutment member having multiple abutment portions and connecting portions that twist to absorb deformation, ensuring consistent pressure and maintaining a desired waved state of the sheet.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the projections are formed integrally in the recording-sheet pressing plate, then the manufacturing process is simplified, but the pressure distribution becomes uneven causing unwanted deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting portions are segmented into multiple independent elements that can rotate relative to each other. This segmentation allows each abutment portion to independently apply pressure to the sheet without transmitting deformation forces through rigid connections, thereby achieving uniform pressure distribution while maintaining manufacturing simplicity through modular design.
2Manufacturing precision
If the projections are molded independently as separate components, then the pressure distribution becomes uniform, but the installation operation becomes complex and the shape becomes unstable
Solution Approach 1:
The abutment portions and connecting portions are merged into a single integrally molded pressing plate. The connecting portions incorporate rotational freedom through built-in hinge structures or clearance designs, allowing independent movement of abutment portions without requiring separate installation steps. This merging approach maintains manufacturing precision while simplifying installation and improving structural stability.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the connecting portion is rigid, then the structural stability is high, but the deformation force is transmitted to adjacent projections causing unwanted sheet deformation
Solution Approach 1:
The connecting portions are designed with rotational degrees of freedom, transforming the rigid structure into a dynamic system. The hinge joints or clearance-based connections allow the connecting portions to rotate and absorb deformation forces, preventing force transmission to adjacent abutment portions while maintaining overall structural stability through controlled movement.
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
The solution effectively suppresses unwanted deformation of projections, maintaining a stable waved state of the sheet, preventing cockling and improving image quality by ensuring consistent pressure distribution.
Implementation Method 1
the connecting portion is configured to twist so as to rotate with the width direction as a rotation axis under a condition that the plurality of abutment portions abuts against the sheet
Data Source
AI summary
An image recording apparatus includes: a recording section configured to record an image on a sheet conveyed in a conveyance direction in a conveyance route; and an abutment member having a plurality of abutment portions which are arranged apart from each other in a width direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction so that the plurality of abutment portions abut against the sheet convened in the conveyance route respectively, and a connecting portion connecting adjacent abutment portions among the plurality of abutment portions. The connecting portion twists so as to rotate with the width direction as a rotation axis, under a condition that the plurality of abutment portions abuts against the sheet.