Discharge Tray Illumination for Document Visibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional image reading apparatuses fail to illuminate and thus remind users to remove documents of smaller sizes from the discharge tray, leading to document jams due to unremoved papers.
Innovation Solution
The image reading apparatus includes a discharge tray illumination portion positioned outside the sheet supporting region in the width direction perpendicular to the discharge direction, ensuring that the illumination can reach the discharge space and alert the user to remove documents of all sizes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the illumination portion is disposed above the document discharge portion below the supporting tray, then the visibility of large documents is improved, but small documents cannot be illuminated and remain invisible
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination portion is repositioned from a vertical arrangement (above the discharge portion) to a lateral arrangement (at the lateral end of the discharge tray). This spatial reconfiguration allows light to reach documents of various sizes that extend beyond the tray boundaries, solving the limitation where small documents were not illuminated.
Solution Approach 2:
The illumination is localized to the discharge tray region rather than being positioned centrally above it. By placing the light source at the lateral end, the system provides targeted illumination specifically where discharged documents rest, ensuring both small and large documents within the discharge area are visible.
2Productivity
If documents are not removed from the discharge tray, then the apparatus continues to operate, but document jams occur when new documents are read
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination portion provides visual feedback to users about discharged documents on the discharge tray. By making all documents visible regardless of size, users are reminded to remove them, preventing accumulation that would lead to jams while maintaining continuous operation capability.
3Illumination intensity
If the illumination portion is positioned inside the sheet supporting region, then it can illuminate documents, but it shields light and cannot illuminate documents extending beyond the tray
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination portion is extracted from the interior region (inside the sheet supporting region) and relocated to the exterior lateral end of the discharge tray. This extraction eliminates the shielding problem where the tray structure blocked light from reaching documents that extended beyond the tray boundaries.
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 configuration ensures that documents of all sizes are easily visible for removal, preventing jams by ensuring the user is alerted to discharge smaller documents, which were previously overlooked.
Implementation Method 1
an illumination portion disposed further on an outside than a sheet supporting region of the second supporting portion in a width direction perpendicular to a sheet discharge direction and configured to illuminate the second supporting portion. The illumination portion is provided such that a light emission direction of the illumination portion is directed to the sheet discharge direction.
Data Source
AI summary
An image reading apparatus includes a first supporting portion, a sheet conveyance portion, an image reading portion, a second supporting portion, and an illumination portion. The image reading portion is configured to read an image of the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveyance portion. The second supporting portion is disposed below the first supporting portion and configured to support the sheet whose image has been read. The illumination portion is disposed further on an outside than a sheet supporting region of the second supporting portion in a width direction perpendicular to a sheet discharge direction, configured to illuminate the second supporting portion, and provided such that a light emission direction of the illumination portion is directed to the sheet supporting region.