Conveyance Guide for Roller-Movable Imaging Unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing medium conveying apparatuses face challenges in satisfactorily imaging media with various thicknesses, as they require a movable imaging unit and rollers to adjust to the thickness of the conveyed medium, which can lead to jamming and inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A medium conveying apparatus with a movable imaging unit and a roller pair, where the first roller is movable perpendicular to the conveying surface and the conveyance guide on its rotation shaft moves in conjunction with the roller, ensuring the medium is properly aligned and guided between the imaging units.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the imaging unit and rollers are made movable to adjust to various medium thicknesses, then the adaptability to different media is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance guide is integrated with the roller assembly, forming a unified movable structure that adjusts together with the medium thickness, eliminating the need for separate adjustment mechanisms and reducing overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The movable roller assembly serves multiple functions: it conveys the medium, adjusts to different thicknesses, and guides the medium through the imaging gap, allowing a single structure to perform multiple roles that would otherwise require separate components
2Volume of moving object
If the imaging unit is positioned close to the rollers for compact design, then the device size is reduced, but the risk of medium jamming increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance guide extends upstream from the nip portion to prepare and align the medium before it enters the imaging gap, preventing misalignment and potential jamming before they can occur
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyance guide acts as an intermediary element between the rollers and the imaging unit, providing a smooth transition path that prevents direct contact and potential jamming while maintaining compact spacing
3Manufacturing precision
If the conveyance guide extends upstream from the nip portion, then the medium alignment is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The conveyance guide is merged with the roller assembly as an integral component, so the alignment function is achieved without adding separate alignment mechanisms or increasing overall structural complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A medium conveying apparatus includes an imaging unit provided to be movable in a direction perpendicular to a conveying surface for conveying a medium, to image the medium, a roller pair provided on an upstream side of the imaging unit in a medium conveying direction, the roller pair including a first roller provided to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the conveying surface, and a second roller facing the first roller, and a conveyance guide provided on a rotation shaft of the first roller, to move in conjunction with a movement of the first roller. The conveyance guide includes a guide surface extending at least from a downstream end portion of a nip portion of the roller pair to an upstream end portion of the imaging unit in the medium conveying direction and being flush with a lower surface of the imaging unit.