Document Feeding Speed Control for Mixed-Size Paper Handling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing document reading apparatuses face challenges in efficiently feeding and reading documents of varying sizes, leading to skew feeding and reduced productivity when mixed sizes are placed together, as they often require adjusting feeding speeds to accommodate smaller documents, which can result in inefficiencies.
Innovation Solution
A document reading apparatus with a control unit that adjusts the feeding speed based on document width, using a detection unit to differentiate between documents of different sizes and adjust the feeding speed accordingly, ensuring that documents are stacked with smaller widths positioned higher, allowing for optimal feeding and reading.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the feeding speed is reduced to prevent skew feeding of small-size documents, then feeding reliability is improved, but productivity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The feeding speed is made dynamically adjustable based on document width. The control unit changes the feeding speed according to the detected document size, using a lower speed for narrow documents to prevent skew feeding and a higher speed for wide documents to maximize productivity. This dynamic adjustment resolves the contradiction by adapting the feeding speed to the specific document being processed rather than using a fixed speed for all documents.
Solution Approach 2:
The feeding speed parameter is changed based on the document width parameter. The control unit detects the document width and adjusts the feeding speed parameter accordingly, creating a relationship where the feeding speed is a function of document width. This parameter change approach allows the system to optimize both reliability and productivity by matching the feeding speed to the document characteristics.
2Productivity
If documents of various sizes are fed at the same speed, then productivity is improved, but feeding reliability deteriorates due to skew feeding
Solution Approach 1:
The feeding speed parameter is changed based on the document width parameter. The control unit detects the document width and adjusts the feeding speed parameter accordingly, creating a relationship where the feeding speed is a function of document width. This parameter change approach allows the system to optimize both reliability and productivity by matching the feeding speed to the document characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the detection unit that measures document width to adjust the feeding speed. The control unit receives information about document size and uses this feedback to automatically adjust the feeding speed, ensuring that each document is fed at the appropriate speed for its size. This feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction by enabling real-time adaptation to document variations.
3Reliability
If a detection unit is added to detect document width, then feeding reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection unit serves multiple functions: it detects document width for feeding speed control, and can also provide information for other document handling operations. By making the detection unit multi-functional, the patent justifies the added complexity through enhanced versatility and improved feeding reliability, as the same sensor infrastructure supports multiple operational requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A document reading apparatus includes a stacking portion on which a plurality of documents are stacked, a feeding unit configured to feed the plurality of documents in a feeding direction, a reading unit configured to read the documents, a drive source configured to drive the feeding unit, and a control unit configured to execute a mode in which the plurality of documents having different sizes are fed by the feeding unit and read by the reading unit. The control unit is configured to control the drive source in the mode such that the feeding unit feeds a first document at a first feeding speed, and the feeding unit feeds a second document following the first document at a second feeding speed higher than the first feeding speed in a case where the width of the first document is larger than a predetermined width.