Sheet Conveyer Sensor Control for Manual Feed
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing printing apparatuses face challenges in accurately determining whether a manually inserted sheet is being withdrawn or successively inserted, leading to unnecessary stopping of printing operations, which can cause inconvenience to users.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveyer system with a manual-feed path, first and second sensors, and a controller that measures presence-detecting duration to differentiate between sheet withdrawal and successive insertion, allowing for precise control of the printing operation based on calculated sheet lengths and predetermined thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the printing operation is stopped when the second sensor detects sheet absence after a short presence-detecting duration, then sheet withdrawal can be detected, but unnecessary stopping occurs when successive sheets are inserted
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of presence-detecting duration threshold to differentiate between sheet withdrawal and successive insertion. By comparing the measured duration against a predetermined threshold, the system accurately identifies sheet withdrawal events without falsely triggering on normal successive sheet insertion, thus maintaining printing operation continuity while ensuring reliable withdrawal detection
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the second sensor's detection signals to adjust printing operation control. The controller continuously monitors the presence-detecting duration and provides feedback to determine whether to stop or continue the printing operation, enabling dynamic response based on actual sheet status
2Productivity
If the printing operation continues without stopping, then productivity is maintained, but sheet jams may go undetected
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses parameter change in presence-detecting duration to identify abnormal conditions. When the duration significantly deviates from expected values for normal sheet conveyance, the system triggers a sheet jam detection, allowing continuous operation under normal conditions while maintaining reliability through anomaly detection
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveyer, including a manual-feed conveyer path; a first sensor to detect presence of the sheet inserted in the manual-feed conveyer path; an upstream-side conveyer and a downstream-side conveyer to convey the sheet toward a downstream side; a second sensor to detect presence of the sheet in a downstream position with respect to the upstream-side conveyer, the second sensor being switchable between a presence-detectable state and an absence-detectable state; and a controller is provided. The controller measures presence-detecting duration of the sheet by the second sensor and controls the downstream-side conveyer to continue conveying the sheet if the first sensor is detecting presence of the sheet when the second sensor is switched to the absence-detectable state, and if a difference between a value calculated based on the measured presence-detecting duration and a reference value obtained based on a reference sheet length is smaller than a predetermined threshold.