Medium Conveyance Abnormality Detection Using Floating and Skew Sensors
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Solution Overview
Problem
Medium conveying apparatuses face issues with detecting conveyance abnormalities, such as paper jams, when dealing with folded or stapled media, leading to potential damage and operational disruptions.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a floating sensor and a skew sensor, along with a processor, to detect medium floating and skewing, determining conveyance abnormalities by analyzing output signals from these sensors and determining that a jam has occurred when both conditions are met.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the separation and feeding function is enabled for folded or stapled media, then the medium is not properly separated, but enabling this function allows processing of diverse media types
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of medium state (floating and skew) before conveyance to predict potential separation failures. By detecting these conditions in advance, the system can adjust separation force or disable the separation function appropriately, preventing jamming while maintaining versatility in handling folded or stapled media
2Device complexity
If only bounce amount is used for feeding abnormality determination, then simple detection is possible, but accurate determination of conveyance abnormalities is difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The detection process is segmented into multiple independent detection stages: bounce detection, floating detection, and skew detection. Each stage uses dedicated sensors and evaluation criteria, allowing the system to comprehensively assess medium state without requiring a single complex detection mechanism
Solution Approach 2:
The system transitions from single-dimensional bounce detection to multi-dimensional detection by adding floating detection (vertical position) and skew detection (angular orientation). This dimensional expansion enables comprehensive abnormality determination that accounts for various failure modes
3Measurement precision
If floating sensor and skew sensor are added to improve detection accuracy, then conveyance abnormality determination is more accurate, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The floating sensor and skew sensor are integrated into the existing control system, which universally handles multiple detection functions (bounce, floating, skew). The control unit processes all sensor inputs through a unified abnormality determination algorithm, reducing the need for separate dedicated processing circuits for each sensor type
Data Source
AI summary
A medium conveying apparatus includes a floating sensor located on an upstream side of a first roller in the medium conveying direction to detect a floating of the medium placed on a medium tray, a skew sensor located on a downstream side of a second roller in the medium conveying direction to detect a skew of the medium conveyed by the second roller, and a processor to determine whether the floating of the medium has occurred based on an output signal from the floating sensor, determine whether the skew of the medium has occurred based on an output signal from the skew sensor, and determine that a conveyance abnormality of the medium has occurred when the processor determines that the floating of the medium has occurred and the processor determines that the skew of the medium has occurred.