Biased Document Backing for Flatbed Scanner Alignment

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Solution Overview

Problem

Flatbed image captures often result in missing document portions due to positioning tolerances with the document backing, leading to undesirable cropping of scanned images.

Innovation Solution

The image capture system incorporates a document backing with bias structures that resiliently urge the backing into position, ensuring accurate alignment and minimizing gaps between the backing and the platen frame, thereby reducing the need for excessive cropping during image processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If the document backing is positioned without bias structures, then the device complexity is reduced, but the manufacturing precision and positioning accuracy deteriorate, causing portions of the document to be missing from the scanned image

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning accuracy of document backingVSAvoidcomplexity of document backing structure

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The document backing is designed with bias structures that allow it to dynamically adjust its position. The backing can shift within a tolerance range to accommodate positioning variations, ensuring that documents remain fully captured regardless of initial placement accuracy. This dynamic positioning capability resolves the contradiction by maintaining high positioning accuracy without requiring complex fixed-positioning mechanisms.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bias structures modify the positional parameters of the document backing by allowing controlled movement and adjustment. Instead of fixing the backing at a precise location, the system changes the parameter approach by permitting a range of positions while maintaining capture accuracy through the bias mechanism. This resolves the contradiction between simplicity and precision.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If cropping is increased to account for positioning tolerances, then the reliability of capturing complete documents is improved, but the loss of information increases as portions of the document are cut off

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecompleteness of document captureVSAvoiddocument information lost to cropping

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system uses dynamic positioning with bias structures that allow the document backing to adjust to documents of varying sizes and positions. This ensures that the entire document is captured within the scan area without requiring excessive cropping margins, thereby maintaining both reliability and information completeness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bias structures are pre-configured to anticipate positioning tolerances and document size variations. By preparing the backing to accommodate these variations in advance, the system ensures complete document capture without needing to apply excessive cropping, thus preventing information loss while maintaining capture reliability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

3Ease of operation

If the document backing is made fixed and centered, then the ease of operation is improved, but the adaptability to documents of varying sizes and positions deteriorates, causing cropping issues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesimplicity of document backing operationVSAvoidadaptability to different document sizes and positions

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The document backing transitions from a fixed design to a dynamic one with bias structures that enable movement and adjustment. This maintains ease of operation while significantly improving adaptability to various document sizes and positions, as the backing can shift to accommodate different scanning scenarios without requiring complex manual adjustment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The bias-structured document backing serves multiple functions: it provides a simple operational interface like a fixed backing, while simultaneously adapting to various document sizes, shapes, and positions. This multi-functionality resolves the contradiction by making the single backing structure versatile enough to handle diverse scanning requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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

This solution significantly reduces the extent of cropping required, preserving more document information by ensuring accurate registration of the document backing, resulting in a 45% to 67% decrease in cropping values in certain embodiments.

Implementation Method 1

bias structures that resiliently urge the backing into position

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectElasticity: Elasticity

Data Source

PatentUS9264571B2Biased document backing

Publication Date: 2016.02.16 HEWLETT PACKARD DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LP

AI summary

A document backing extending in a plane is resiliently biased in a direction substantially parallel to the plane.