Medium Conveyance Sensor Timing for Tilt Angle Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In medium conveyance systems, such as scanners, changes in the tilt angle of conveyed media can lead to incomplete image capture or paper jams, as the media may strike the conveyance path walls.
Innovation Solution
A medium conveyance apparatus equipped with multiple sensors (first, second, and third sensors) and a processor to determine tilt angle changes based on detection times, ensuring accurate positioning and preventing jams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple sensors are used to detect medium tilt angle, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The detection system is segmented into three independent sensors positioned at different locations (first sensor at upstream center, second sensor at downstream center, third sensor at downstream side). Each sensor independently detects medium passage timing, and the processor segments the analysis by comparing timing differences between sensors to determine tilt angle changes, resolving the contradiction by distributing detection functions across multiple simple sensor units rather than using a single complex sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from detecting only positional information to detecting temporal information across multiple dimensions. By arranging sensors in different spatial positions (upstream/downstream, center/side) and measuring the time dimension (detection timing), the system infers tilt angle changes through the relationship between space and time, effectively adding a temporal dimension to the detection process.
2Reliability
If sensors are positioned to accurately detect tilt angle changes, then reliability is improved, but difficulty of detecting and measuring increases
Solution Approach 1:
The processor continuously monitors the detection timing from multiple sensors and provides feedback about tilt angle changes. When the timing relationship between sensor detections deviates from the expected pattern (first sensor first, third sensor second, second sensor third), the system identifies a tilt angle change and can respond by adjusting conveyance parameters or alerting the operator, thereby improving reliability through continuous feedback monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution replaces complex mechanical tilt detection mechanisms with a simpler optical/electrical sensing system. Instead of using mechanical inclinometers or complex mechanical linkages to detect tilt, the patent uses simple optical sensors that detect the timing of medium passage, allowing the processor to calculate tilt angle changes through temporal analysis rather than direct mechanical measurement.
Data Source
AI summary
A medium conveyance apparatus includes a first sensor located at a center part in a direction perpendicular to a medium conveyance direction; a second sensor located at a downstream side from the first sensor in the medium conveyance direction and at the center part in the direction perpendicular to the medium conveyance direction, a third sensor located at a downstream side from the second sensor in the medium conveyance direction and at the one side in the direction perpendicular to the medium conveyance direction, and a processor to determine whether a tilt angle of the medium being conveyed has changed based on a time from when the first sensor detects the medium to when the second sensor detects the medium when the first sensor detects the medium first, the third sensor detects the medium second, and the second sensor detects the medium third.