Image Reading Apparatus Vibration Attenuation via Compartmentalized Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vibration in image reading apparatuses due to sheet collisions and cooling fan vibrations leads to inaccurate image reading and unstable illuminance, increasing production costs with existing dampers and component fixes.
Innovation Solution
An image reading apparatus with a cooler fixed to the conveyer housing, attenuating vibrations through a separate frame and conveyer housing configuration, and a straight conveying path to reduce contact forces and maintain stable illuminance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If the cooling fan is fixed to the housing of the reader to cool the lighting unit, then the illuminance stability is improved, but the vibration is transmitted to the interior of the reader causing reading inaccuracies
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the reader housing into two separate compartments: a first compartment housing the lighting unit and cooling fan, and a second compartment housing the image sensor and optical components. This segmentation isolates the vibration source (cooling fan) from the sensitive reading components, allowing the cooling fan to be fixed to the housing without transmitting vibration to the image sensor, thus maintaining both illuminance stability and reading accuracy.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If dampers are used to fix the cooling fan to the housing, then the vibration is reduced, but the number of components and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the cooling fan from the main reader housing structure by placing it in a separate first compartment. The cooling fan is fixed to the housing in this isolated compartment, which naturally decouples the vibration transmission path to the sensitive components in the second compartment. This structural extraction eliminates the need for additional dampers or vibration isolation components, reducing overall device complexity while still achieving vibration reduction.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the reader components are fixed with dampers, then the vibration is reduced, but the precision of the fixed positions of mirrors and CCD deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the reader into two compartments with the cooling fan isolated in the first compartment, the patent avoids the need to dampen components in the second compartment. The mirrors and CCD in the second compartment can be fixed with high precision without dampers, maintaining manufacturing precision while still protecting them from vibration through the compartmentalization approach.
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
The solution effectively reduces vibrations from sheet collisions and cooling fan sources, ensuring accurate image reading and stable illuminance, while minimizing production costs by avoiding complex damper configurations.
Implementation Method 1
a cooler which cools the lighting unit
Implementation Method 2
a frame which separately fixes the reader and the conveyer housing, wherein the cooler is fixed to the conveyer housing
Data Source
AI summary
An image reading apparatus includes a reader, a conveying path, a conveyer, a conveyer driving unit, a conveyer housing, a lighting unit, a cooler, and a frame. The reader reads an image on a sheet at a predetermined reading position. The conveying path guides the sheet having the image to the reading position and guides the sheet read by the reader in an ejecting direction. The conveyer conveys the sheet along the conveying path. The conveyer driving unit drives the conveyer. The conveyer housing supports the conveying path, the conveyer, and the conveyer driving unit. The lighting unit is fixed to an interior of the reader and illuminates the sheet conveyed by the conveyer to the reading position. The cooler cools the lighting unit. The frame separately fixes the reader and the conveyer housing. The cooler is fixed to the conveyer housing.