Sheet Conveyance Device Separation Control via Sensor Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sheet conveyance devices face challenges in efficiently separating overlapping documents during the conveyance process, leading to potential jamming and skew issues, which can disrupt the smooth operation of image forming apparatuses.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a sheet conveyance device equipped with a sheet feed portion, a separating portion, a conveyance portion, a first sensor, and a second sensor, which detects the presence of sheets at specific positions to switch between separating and non-separating operations, ensuring that documents are conveyed and separated correctly, even when overlapping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a separating roller is provided to separate overlapping documents, then document separation capability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit receives signals from sensors detecting document presence at different positions and adjusts the separating roller operation accordingly. When a document is detected at the first position but not at the second position within a predetermined time, the control unit determines overlap occurrence and activates the separating roller to return the lower document to the document table, achieving reliable separation through feedback-based control.
Solution Approach 2:
The separating roller automatically returns overlapping documents to the document table without requiring external intervention. The system self-regulates by detecting overlap conditions through sensors and autonomously activating the separating roller to resolve the overlap, eliminating the need for manual separation or additional complex mechanisms.
2Reliability
If the separating roller rotates reversely to return overlapping documents, then document separation is achieved, but operation time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The separating roller operates periodically rather than continuously. It rotates reversely only when overlap is detected by the sensors, returning the lower document to the document table. Once separation is achieved, the separating roller stops and allows normal document conveyance to resume, minimizing interruption to the overall operation time while ensuring reliable separation when needed.
3Measurement precision
If sensors are used to detect document positions, then separation control precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Sensors are positioned to detect document presence at specific locations along the conveyance path. The control unit uses this feedback information to determine when overlap occurs (when a document is detected at the first position but not at the second position within the expected time) and activates the separating roller accordingly, achieving precise separation control through minimal sensor placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensors act as intermediaries between the physical document position and the control system. Rather than using complex direct measurement systems, simple presence-detecting sensors provide sufficient information to the control unit, which then makes separation decisions based on the timing and pattern of sensor signals, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining detection precision.
Data Source
AI summary
In a sheet conveyance device, if a sheet has not been detected at a second position when a predetermined time has elapsed since the sheet has been detected at a first position, a separating portion switches operation thereof from a separating operation to a non-separating operation of conveying the sheet from upstream to downstream in a sheet conveyance path, and a sheet feed portion continues a feeding operation. If the sheet has not been detected at the second position by the time a predetermined time has elapsed since the separating portion has started the non-separating operation, the separating portion and the sheet feed portion stop driving, and if the sheet has been detected at the second position by the time, the separating portion switches operation thereof from the non-separating operation to the separating operation, and the sheet feed portion continues the feeding operation.