Document Feeding Clutch Control for Image Distortion

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Solution Overview

Problem

Image reading apparatuses face distortion issues due to changes in document conveying speed, as existing methods fail to maintain constant line thinning during image reading, leading to discrepancies between the read and original images.

Innovation Solution

An image reading apparatus with a feeding mechanism, conveying mechanism, reading unit, control unit, motor, and clutch that ensures documents are fed and conveyed at constant intervals, with the clutch turned off after the trailing edge of a document passes the reading position to prevent changes in conveying speed.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the clutch is turned off during document feeding to enable individual document conveyance, then document feeding control is improved, but conveying speed stability deteriorates causing image distortion

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedocument feeding controlVSAvoidconveying speed stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The clutch is turned off in advance before the document feeding operation begins, ensuring that the feeding mechanism can individually convey documents without speed fluctuations affecting the reading process. This preliminary action prevents speed changes that would otherwise cause image distortion.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If documents are fed at constant intervals to maintain reading precision, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to coordination requirements

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereading precisionVSAvoidcoordination complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The clutch mechanism is extracted as a separate control element that can be independently switched on and off. This allows the feeding mechanism to operate independently at constant intervals while the clutch provides the necessary power transmission control, simplifying the overall coordination complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

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 effectively prevents distortion in read images by maintaining consistent conveying speed, ensuring that the read image accurately represents the original document.

Implementation Method 1

a clutch (20) that transmits a power from the motor (13) to the feeding mechanism (37)

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectFriction: Friction

Data Source

PatentEP2913991B1Image reading apparatus
Publication Date: 2019.07.24 OKI DATA CORP
  • EP2913991B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2913991B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2913991B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

An image reading apparatus includes a feeding mechanism that individually feeds documents, a conveying mechanism that conveys the document fed by the feeding mechanism so that the document passes a reading position, a reading unit that reads the document at the reading position, and a control unit that controls the feeding mechanism and the conveying mechanism. When the control unit causes the feeding mechanism and the conveying mechanism to feed and convey a plurality of documents at constant intervals, the control unit causes the feeding mechanism to stop feeding after a trailing edge of a preceding document passes the reading position.