Upper Cover Air Damper for Heavy Printer Supply Loads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing printer designs with cushioning members, such as torsion springs, fail to effectively support the upper cover when the weight of supplies like ink ribbons increases, leading to insufficient cushioning and rapid closure of the cover.
Innovation Solution
A printer apparatus with a cushioning member comprising a cylinder with varying inner diameters, a reciprocating piston, and a piston rod, which acts as an air damper to slow down the closure of the upper cover, ensuring it can support increased loads without requiring excessive force for opening and closing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the supply (ink ribbon) accommodated in the upper cover increases, then the load supporting the upper cover increases, but the cushioning member becomes insufficient and the upper cover closes rapidly
Solution Approach 1:
The cushioning member uses a pneumatic mechanism with a cylinder containing gas and a piston that reciprocates within the cylinder. When the upper cover closes, the piston moves within the cylinder, utilizing gas compression and expansion to provide cushioning force that slows down and controls the closure motion, effectively handling increased loads from larger supplies
2Reliability
If the cushioning member is designed to support increased load, then the cushioning effect improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cushioning member employs a pneumatic system with a cylinder and piston, utilizing gas compression and expansion to provide progressive cushioning force. This approach achieves effective load support with a relatively simple structure compared to mechanical spring systems, as the gas spring automatically adjusts to varying loads without complex adjustment mechanisms
Solution Approach 2:
The cushioning member provides dynamic cushioning force that automatically adjusts to the load. The gas spring's force varies with compression distance, providing softer cushioning for lighter loads and stronger cushioning for heavier loads, eliminating the need for fixed-force mechanisms or complex adjustment devices
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 cushioning member effectively maintains the upper cover in an open state by absorbing shock and maintaining a constant operating force, preventing rapid closure and allowing easy operation even with heavy supplies.
Implementation Method 1
The cushioning member effectively maintains the upper cover in an open state by absorbing shock and maintaining a constant operating force
Implementation Method 2
A printer apparatus with a cushioning member comprising a cylinder with varying inner diameters, a reciprocating piston, and a piston rod, which acts as an air damper
Data Source
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AI summary
There is provided a printer apparatus (1) including a cushioning member (36) coping with a weight increase of an upper cover (21). The printer apparatus includes a lower housing (22), the upper cover, and the cushioning member. The lower housing has an opening on one surface. The upper cover is rotatably connected to the lower housing and covers the opening. The cushioning member includes a cylinder (365) that is fixed to the lower housing and has a cylindrical shape with different inner diameters in a longitudinal direction, a piston (367) that can reciprocate along the longitudinal direction in the cylinder, and a piston rod (366) that moves the piston along an inner wall of the cylinder and is fixed to the upper cover.