Unit Moving Apparatus Rotation Control for Image Formers

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional image forming apparatuses face challenges in ensuring high attachment reliability and operability of units, such as sheet feeding cassettes, due to unevenly applied loads and resulting rotation moments during attachment, which can lead to image quality degradation and increased operational force requirements.

Innovation Solution

A unit moving apparatus is designed with a main-body guide portion to restrict rotation, a pull-in unit to apply a controlled pulling force, and a unit restriction portion that limits rotation within a specific angle to counteract the rotation moment generated by the pulling force and applied loads, ensuring secure attachment without degrading user operability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a unit pull-in mechanism is used to automatically pull in the unit against the load, then attachment reliability is improved, but a large pulling force is required which degrades user operability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment reliabilityVSAvoiduser operability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The guide portion is pre-configured with a specific shape that restricts the unit's rotation during the attachment process. This preliminary structural arrangement prevents excessive rotation before the unit reaches the attachment completion position, thereby reducing the pulling force needed by the pull-in mechanism while maintaining attachment reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The guide portion's geometric parameters are specifically designed to limit the unit's rotation angle during attachment. By changing the physical constraints through the guide portion's shape, the rotation is controlled within an acceptable range, which reduces the required pulling force and improves operability without sacrificing attachment reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If the pulling force of the unit pull-in mechanism is set large to ensure attachment completion, then attachment reliability is improved, but a large force is required to pull out the unit which degrades operability

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveattachment completion reliabilityVSAvoidunit pull-out ease

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The guide portion is pre-configured with a specific shape that restricts the unit's rotation during the attachment process. This preliminary structural arrangement prevents excessive rotation before the unit reaches the attachment completion position, thereby reducing the pulling force needed by the pull-in mechanism while maintaining attachment reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The guide portion's geometric parameters are specifically designed to limit the unit's rotation angle during attachment. By changing the physical constraints through the guide portion's shape, the rotation is controlled within an acceptable range, which reduces the required pulling force and improves operability without sacrificing attachment reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If the unit is allowed to rotate freely during attachment, then the unit can accommodate uneven loads, but rotation moment increases which requires larger pulling force

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveload accommodation capabilityVSAvoidpulling force requirement

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSForce

Solution Approach 1:

The guide portion's geometric parameters are specifically designed to limit the unit's rotation angle during attachment. By changing the physical constraints through the guide portion's shape, the rotation is controlled within an acceptable range, which reduces the required pulling force and improves operability without sacrificing attachment reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of completely preventing rotation, the guide portion converts the harmful unrestricted rotation into a controlled limited rotation. This allows the unit to accommodate uneven loads through small controlled rotations while preventing excessive rotation that would increase the pulling force requirement.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Data Source

PatentUS9671736B2Unit moving apparatus and image forming apparatus

Publication Date: 2017.06.06 CANON KK

AI summary

A unit moving apparatus includes a unit provided to a main body in such a manner so as to be attached to and pulled out from the main body, a main-body guide portion provided to the main body and configured to guide the unit while restricting rotation of the unit at a time of attaching and pulling out the unit, a pull-in unit configured to apply a pulling force to the unit to pull the unit into the main body, and a unit restriction portion configured to restrict rotation of the unit in such a manner that the units rotates within an angle smaller than an angle to which the main-body guide portion restricts the unit's rotation when a rotation moment is generated by the pulling force of the pull-in unit applied to the unit and a load applied to the unit in a direction opposite to an attachment direction.