Offset Roller Nip for Wrinkle-Free Paper Conveyance
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Solution Overview
Problem
In paper conveying apparatuses, separating image capture units to accommodate thicker paper leads to issues like wrinkled paper, blurred images, and uneven brightness, resulting in poor image quality during capture.
Innovation Solution
A paper conveying apparatus design with a first image capture unit and a second image capture unit arranged above the first, featuring a pair of conveyor rollers with offset axes of rotation and a guide mechanism that directs the paper to turn downward, ensuring stable conveyance and maintaining image quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the image capture surfaces of the image capture units are separated to accommodate thicker paper, then the paper conveyance capability is improved, but the paper quality during capture deteriorates (wrinkled paper, blurred images, uneven brightness)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by positioning the nip position of the conveyor rollers above the extended plane of the top surface of the first image capture unit, rather than symmetrically between the two image capture units. This asymmetric positioning allows the paper to be pressed flat by the roller nip before reaching the image capture surfaces, preventing wrinkles and maintaining image quality while still accommodating thicker paper.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by arranging the conveyor rollers upstream of the first image capture unit, so that the paper is conveyed and flattened through the roller nip before it reaches the image capture surfaces. This preliminary flattening action ensures that the paper is in optimal condition for image capture, preventing wrinkles, blurring, and brightness unevenness while maintaining the ability to handle thicker paper.
2Volume of moving object
If the image capture units are arranged closer together to shorten the transport route, then the apparatus size is reduced, but the paper conveyance stability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses asymmetric positioning of the conveyor rollers relative to the image capture units, with the roller nip positioned above the extended plane of the first image capture unit's top surface. This asymmetric arrangement allows for optimized paper path control within a compact space, maintaining conveyance stability while reducing the overall apparatus size.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses the space constraint by utilizing the vertical dimension - positioning the roller nip above the extended plane of the image capture unit surface rather than arranging components only in the horizontal plane. This vertical positioning allows the paper to be effectively controlled and flattened without increasing the horizontal footprint, thus reducing apparatus size while maintaining stability.
3Manufacturing precision
If the nip position of the conveyor rollers is positioned above the extended plane of the image capture unit, then the paper flattening effect is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The asymmetric positioning of the roller nip above the extended plane of the image capture unit creates an effective paper flattening mechanism. The offset position allows the roller to press the paper at an optimal point before it reaches the image capture surface, achieving excellent flattening quality without requiring complex additional mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The conveyor rollers serve multiple functions: they convey the paper forward and simultaneously flatten it through the strategically positioned nip. By positioning the roller nip above the extended plane of the image capture unit, the same roller structure performs both transport and flattening functions, avoiding the need for separate flattening mechanisms and thus not increasing device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
There are provided a paper conveying apparatus that can prevent a drop in quality of the image data while enabling stable conveyance of paper. The paper conveying apparatus includes a first image capture unit, a second image capture unit, a pair of conveyor rollers including a first roller and a second roller, a first conveyor guide, and a second conveyor guide, wherein a nip position of the pair of conveyor rollers is arranged above an extended plane of a top surface of the first image capture unit extended to the pair of conveyor rollers side, an axis of rotation of the second roller is arranged offset to the first image capture unit side compared with an axis of rotation of the first roller at projections on the extended plane, and the first conveyor guide guides the medium conveyed to above from the extended plane, to make the medium turn downward.