Auxiliary Guide Mechanism for Document Skew Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Image scanning apparatuses struggle to pick up documents of various sizes without causing skewing, especially when smaller documents are stacked with larger ones, leading to potential damage or image cuts due to improper support.

Innovation Solution

The apparatus incorporates an auxiliary guide system with a rotating shaft and guide arm that adjusts according to the height of the document, supported by a rail member and fixing members, to provide precise support for documents of different widths, preventing skewing by ensuring proper alignment during the scanning process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the movement guide guides documents based on documents of large size, then large documents can be properly supported, but small documents become skewed

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument support accuracyVSAvoidcompatibility with various document sizes
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The guide arm is made rotatable relative to the support member through a rotating shaft, allowing it to dynamically adjust its angle according to the height of documents. This enables the guide arm to adapt to both large and small documents by changing its orientation, resolving the contradiction between supporting large documents properly and preventing skewing of small documents.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the angular parameter of the guide arm to match different document heights. By adjusting the angle of the guide arm relative to the support member, the system optimizes the guiding position for different document sizes, ensuring that small documents are properly supported without being skewed by the movement guide designed for large documents.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Device complexity

If a fixed guide structure is used for the feed tray, then the structure is simple, but it cannot accommodate documents of various widths without causing skew

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveguide structure simplicityVSAvoiddocument alignment accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of a completely fixed guide structure, the guide arm is made rotatable relative to the support member. This adds minimal complexity while significantly improving document alignment accuracy for various sizes. The rotatable joint allows the guide arm to adapt to different document heights, ensuring precise alignment without requiring a complex adjustable mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The guide arm automatically adjusts its angle based on the document height through its rotatable connection. The system self-adjusts to accommodate different document sizes without requiring external control mechanisms, maintaining relative simplicity while achieving high alignment accuracy for mixed document widths.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3128734B1Image scanning apparatus and image forming apparatus having the same
Publication Date: 2021.03.10 HEWLETT PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LP
  • EP3128734B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3128734B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3128734B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

An image scanning apparatus which reduces misalignment of documents includes a scanning unit configured to scan images from a first document and a second document having a width that is smaller than a width of the first document, and a document transfer unit configured to automatically feed the first document and the second document. The document transfer unit includes a frame including a feed tray on which the first document and the second document are stacked, a pickup module mounted on the frame, and configured to pick up the first document and the second document and to transfer the first document and the second document, and an auxiliary guide installed in the frame, and configured to change a position according to a height of the first document stacked on the feed tray and to support one side in width direction of the second document.