Automatic Document Feeder Tray and Roller Height Adjustment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic document feeders in enterprise scanners face challenges in accommodating large scan jobs without increasing the machine's height, leading to higher manufacturing and shipping costs and an aesthetically unpleasing design.
Innovation Solution
An automatic document feeder device with a document tray and rollers that adjust height independently using controllers, a flexible slide, and sensors to alter the media pathway distance, allowing for increased input and output capacity without increasing the overall machine height.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the input height and output height of the automatic document feeder are increased to accommodate more sheets, then the document feeder input capacity is improved, but the entire machine height increases
Solution Approach 1:
The document tray and output rollers are made independently adjustable in height through controllers that respond to sensor inputs. This dynamic adjustability allows the system to optimize media pathway length for different document quantities without permanently increasing machine height, resolving the contradiction between input capacity and overall height.
Solution Approach 2:
The height adjustment mechanism is divided into independent segments: the document tray height can be adjusted separately from the output rollers height. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, enabling increased media pathway length for higher capacity while maintaining compact overall machine dimensions through coordinated movement of individual segments.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the document tray height and rollers height are adjusted independently, then the media pathway distance can be optimized for different media amounts, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors detect the amount of media on the document tray and provide feedback to controllers, which automatically adjust the document tray and output roller heights accordingly. This closed-loop feedback system enables adaptive media pathway optimization while managing complexity through automated control based on real-time media quantity detection.
Solution Approach 2:
The independent height adjustment mechanism serves multiple functions: it accommodates different media quantities, optimizes media pathway length, prevents media jamming, and maintains proper document alignment. This multi-functionality justifies the added complexity by providing versatile adaptation to various operating conditions through a single integrated adjustment system.
Data Source
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AI summary
An example automatic document feeder device includes a document tray, a pair of rollers, at least one controller that automatically adjusts a height of the document tray and the pair of rollers based on an amount of media contained on the document tray, and a slide aligned to the pair of rollers to alter a media pathway distance as the height of the pair of rollers changes. The controller may adjust the height of the document tray independently from adjusting the height of the pair of rollers. A guide may be provided adjacent to the document tray, wherein the guide may bend as the height of the document tray increases. A sensor may determine a thickness of media contained on the document tray.