Sheet Conveyor Cover Structure for ADF Accessibility
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing automatic document feeders (ADFs) in image reading apparatuses have exposed support members and guides that can cause user operations to be difficult due to the risk of hands or sheets getting caught, making it challenging to place or retrieve sheets efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveyor system with a supporter having a movable guide and a cover structure that reduces exposure, featuring a support surface with a cutout and varying height regions to minimize the risk of interference during sheet placement and retrieval, and includes a guide system with a cutout and inclined surfaces to enhance visibility and accessibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If the support member and guide members are exposed at the front side of the ADF, then the user can easily access and operate the device, but the user's hand or sheet may get caught on the exposed components, creating a safety hazard and operational difficulty
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful exposed portions of the support member and guide members by covering them with a cover structure. The cover removes the dangerous exposed edges while maintaining functional access to the support surface and guide members through openings or gaps in the cover, thus eliminating the catching hazard while preserving operational accessibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover acts as an intermediary element between the user and the exposed support member/guide members. It provides a protective barrier that prevents direct contact with dangerous edges while still allowing the user to perform necessary operations through designated access points, thus mediating between safety requirements and operational needs.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a cover is added to reduce exposure of support members and guide members, then safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is segmented into multiple regions (first region, second region, third region) with different heights and functions. This segmentation allows each region to serve a specific purpose: the first region covers the dangerous support member edge, the second region provides access to guide members, and the third region offers structural support. This modular segmentation achieves safety coverage while maintaining operational accessibility without requiring a completely complex redesign.
Solution Approach 2:
Different regions of the cover have different local qualities (heights, thicknesses, or material properties) tailored to their specific functions. The first region has sufficient height to cover the support member edge for safety, while the second region has reduced height to allow guide member access. This local differentiation achieves optimal safety and functionality without uniformly increasing complexity throughout the entire structure.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the cover has varying height regions to cover different components, then safety and visibility are improved, but the manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is designed with pre-defined height variations and positioning features that are established during the design and manufacturing planning stage. The first, second, and third regions are configured with predetermined heights and positions that correspond to the locations of the support member and guide members. This preliminary configuration allows standard manufacturing processes to achieve the required precision without requiring complex real-time adjustments or high-precision custom fabrication.
Solution Approach 2:
The cover structure with its varying height regions can be integrated with or nested around the existing support member and guide member assembly. The different height regions are positioned to correspond with the spatial arrangement of the components being covered, allowing the cover to nestle over the dangerous portions while maintaining access to functional areas. This nesting approach simplifies assembly and reduces the need for high-precision positioning during final assembly.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveyor includes: a sheet conveyor; a supporter including a movable guide and having a first and second end portions in a widthwise direction; and a first cover adjacent to the first end portion. The supporter has an upstream edge in the conveying direction. A first-end upstream end portion of the upstream edge is nearer to the sheet conveyor than a second-end upstream end portion of the upstream edge. The first cover has a first region and a second region. The first region has a height greater than or equal to that of the guide and extends to a position located upstream of an upstream, end portion of the guide. The second region is located upstream of the first region, and the second region is less in height than the first region. The first-end upstream end portion overlaps the first region when viewed in the widthwise direction.