Adjustable Lower Read Sensor for Stiff Media Transport
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image reading apparatuses face challenges in accurately transporting documents with varying stiffness, leading to increased transport resistance and potential jamming, especially when handling thick or stiff media.
Innovation Solution
An image reading apparatus with a transport path that includes an upper and lower read section, where the lower read section can be switched between forward and rearward positions based on the stiffness of the document, controlled by a sensor system to optimize the reading accuracy and reduce transport resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the transport path is narrowed to enable each transported medium to come into close contact with the read section, then reading accuracy is improved, but transport resistance increases when transporting stiff media
Solution Approach 1:
The lower read section is made movable between a forward position (close to the upper read section) and a rearward position (farther away), allowing the system to dynamically adjust the transport path width based on medium stiffness. This resolves the contradiction by enabling narrow path configuration for accurate reading of flexible media while allowing wide path configuration to reduce transport resistance for stiff media.
2Measurement precision
If the lower read section is positioned in the forward position to narrow the transport path, then reading accuracy is improved, but the risk of document jamming increases when transporting stiff media
Solution Approach 1:
The lower read section transitions from a fixed position to a dynamically adjustable position between forward and rearward configurations. This allows the system to select the forward position for accurate reading of flexible documents and the rearward position to prevent jamming of stiff documents, thereby resolving the contradiction between reading accuracy and jamming risk.
3Ease of operation
If the lower read section is positioned in the rearward position to reduce transport resistance, then transportability of stiff media is improved, but reading accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs a movable lower read section that can be positioned in the rearward configuration to facilitate easy transport of stiff media with reduced resistance, then moved to the forward configuration to ensure high reading accuracy when the medium is being scanned. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction between transportability and reading accuracy.
4Measurement precision
If a fixed narrow transport path is used, then reading accuracy is maintained, but the system cannot adapt to different medium stiffness
Solution Approach 1:
The lower read section is designed to move between forward and rearward positions, enabling the transport path width to be dynamically adjusted according to the stiffness of the transported medium. This resolves the contradiction by maintaining a narrow path for accurate reading of flexible media while widening the path to accommodate stiff media, thereby achieving both high reading accuracy and adaptability to different medium properties.
Data Source
AI summary
A lower read sensor is configured such that a lower read surface of the lower read sensor can be switched between a forward position in which the lower read surface is moved toward an upper read surface of an upper read sensor and a rearward position in which the lower read surface is moved away from the upper read surface farther than the forward position, and a controller switches the lower read sensor to the rearward position to transport a first medium having a predetermined stiffness and switches the lower read sensor to the forward position to transport a second medium having a stiffness lower than that of the first medium.