Rotating Switching Guide for Compact Document Conveyance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image reading apparatuses with U-turn paths face challenges in reducing their size and setting space due to the movement of guides that switch between conveying paths, leading to increased apparatus dimensions.
Innovation Solution
The apparatus incorporates a rotating switching guide that can be positioned at either a U-turn path guide position or a straight path guide position, allowing the document to be conveyed to either path after reading, with the guide's rotation axis arranged below the plane of the conveying paths to minimize space usage and prevent document deformation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a switching guide is provided to switch between conveying paths, then document conveyance flexibility is improved, but the apparatus size and setting space increase
Solution Approach 1:
The switching guide is configured to rotate about a rotation axis that extends in the width direction of the apparatus. By positioning the rotation axis below the plane formed along the first conveying path and upstream of the vertical plane contacting the roller edge, the switching guide utilizes the width dimension and depth dimension rather than extending in the longitudinal direction, thereby reducing the apparatus setting space while maintaining conveyance flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of positioning the rotation axis above the conveying path plane (conventional approach), the invention inverts the arrangement by placing the rotation axis below the plane. This inversion allows the switching guide to pivot without increasing the apparatus footprint, as the rotation occurs beneath the document path, effectively using unused space to achieve compact dimensions
2Area of stationary object
If the rotation axis is positioned to minimize space usage, then apparatus size is reduced, but document conveyance reliability may deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The switching guide is designed with differentiated functional zones: an upstream portion that contacts documents for guiding, and a downstream portion that rotates about the axis. The rotation axis is positioned to ensure the upstream portion maintains stable document contact for reliable conveyance initiation, while the downstream portion provides the rotation function. This local differentiation ensures reliability is maintained in the critical document interaction zone even with the compact axis positioning
Solution Approach 2:
The switching guide acts as an intermediary element between the document and the conveying roller. By positioning the rotation axis below the plane and upstream of the roller contact point, the switching guide mediates the document transfer, guiding documents onto the roller at the appropriate location. This intermediary function ensures reliable conveyance despite the unconventional axis positioning, as the switching guide controls the document path precisely
Data Source
AI summary
An image reading apparatus includes a reading device that reads an image on a document that is conveyed through a first conveying path, a switching guide that is supported so as to be able to rotate about a rotation axis, guides the document to a second conveying path by being disposed at a first position, and guides the document to a third conveying path by being disposed at a second position; and a roller that conveys the document to one of the second conveying path and the third conveying path after the reading device reads the document, wherein the second conveying path is arranged above a plane that is formed along the first conveying path, and the rotation axis is arranged below the plane and on an upstream side of a vertical plane that comes in contact with an edge of a downstream side of the roller.