Automatic Document Feeder Tray Segmentation for Small Paper Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic document feeders struggle with picking up small documents like business cards due to insufficient gap between the document tray and paper discharge tray, causing dispersion and alignment issues during discharge.
Innovation Solution
An automatic document feeder with a paper discharge guide and a second tray that includes a groove-shaped storage unit below the first tray, allowing for easy alignment and collection of discharged documents, featuring a rotatable paper discharge guide to prevent dispersion and facilitate easy retrieval.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the gap between the document tray and paper discharge tray is reduced to accommodate small documents, then small documents can be discharged, but the discharge space becomes insufficient causing document dispersion and alignment issues
Solution Approach 1:
The paper discharge tray is divided into two levels: a first tray for general documents and a second tray (storage unit) for small documents. This segmentation allows small documents to be discharged to a dedicated area with sufficient space, preventing dispersion while maintaining compact overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The storage unit is positioned below the first tray, utilizing vertical space rather than horizontal space. This dimensional change allows the discharge area for small documents to be sufficiently large without increasing the gap between trays horizontally, thus preventing document dispersion while maintaining compact structure.
2Length of stationary object
If the paper discharge tray is made shallower to reduce device height, then device compactness is improved, but small documents cannot be properly stacked and are difficult to retrieve
Solution Approach 1:
The discharge tray is segmented into two levels with different depths. The first tray has a shallower depth for general documents, while the second tray (storage unit) has a greater depth specifically designed to accommodate and easily retrieve small documents like business cards.
Solution Approach 2:
The paper discharge guide acts as an intermediary component that directs small documents into the storage unit. This guide ensures proper positioning and orientation of small documents in the storage unit, making them easily retrievable while maintaining compact overall device height.
3Device complexity
If a fixed paper discharge guide is used, then the structure is simple, but small documents disperse during discharge requiring user alignment
Solution Approach 1:
The paper discharge guide is made rotatable rather than fixed, allowing it to be adjusted to different angles. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the guide to direct small documents precisely into the storage unit, preventing dispersion during discharge while maintaining relatively simple structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotatable paper discharge guide allows preliminary positioning and orientation of small documents before they enter the storage unit. By adjusting the guide angle in advance, the system ensures documents are properly aligned during discharge, eliminating the need for user alignment afterward.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, provided is an automatic document feeder including a conveying unit, a first tray, a storage unit, and a paper discharge guide. The conveying unit is configured to convey paper to the paper discharge tray. The first tray is a paper discharge tray on which paper discharged by the conveying unit is stacked. The storage unit is a groove-shaped hole provided below the first tray. The paper discharge guide is a member for guiding paper having a predetermined size discharged by the conveying unit to the storage unit.