Sheet Feeding Apparatus with Dynamic Roller Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Image forming apparatuses face issues with sheet jams due to differences between specified and actual sheet sizes, leading to reduced usability, especially when dealing with varying sheet types and sizes, as the existing control systems struggle to accurately manage sheet feeding for both smaller and larger sheets, resulting in either incomplete or interrupted printing.
Innovation Solution
A feeding apparatus with a placement unit, a feeding rotating member, a regulating plate to manage the sheet position, a detecting unit to measure sheet size, and a control unit that adjusts the feeding operation duration based on detected and specified sheet sizes, ensuring proper sheet conveyance and reducing jams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the sheet feeding roller rotates until just before the trailing end of the sheet passes through to assist conveyance of high stiffness sheets, then the conveyance of stiff sheets is improved, but the rotation time becomes too long causing the second sheet to be fed to the middle, resulting in sheet jams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the sheet feeding roller's rotation characteristics adjustable based on sheet properties. The rotation stiffness (rigidity) and rotation speed are dynamically changed according to the detected sheet size and stiffness, allowing optimal conveyance assistance without causing subsequent sheet jams. This resolves the contradiction by adapting the rotation parameters rather than using a fixed long rotation time for all sheets.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes physical parameters of the sheet feeding roller including rotation stiffness and rotation speed based on sheet characteristics. By detecting sheet size and stiffness, the system adjusts these parameters to provide appropriate conveyance assistance for high stiffness sheets while preventing excessive rotation that would cause the second sheet to be fed to the middle, thus avoiding sheet jams.
2Reliability
If the sheet feeding roller rotates for a short time, then the second sheet is not fed to the middle avoiding jams, but the conveyance assistance is insufficient causing sheets to stop halfway
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the rotation stiffness and rotation speed of the sheet feeding roller based on detected sheet characteristics. For sheets requiring assistance, the rotation stiffness is increased and rotation speed is optimized to provide sufficient conveyance force without over-rotation, ensuring sheets are fully conveyed without stopping halfway while preventing subsequent sheet jams.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a detection unit to detect sheet size and stiffness, providing feedback to the control unit which then adjusts the sheet feeding roller's rotation parameters. This feedback mechanism ensures the rotation time and stiffness are optimized for each sheet type, providing adequate conveyance assistance to prevent sheets from stopping halfway while avoiding excessive rotation that would cause jams.
3Extent of automation
If the control system detects sheet size from regulating plate position, then sheet size detection is automated, but the regulation accuracy decreases when sheet sizes differ from specified sizes causing feeding errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical regulating plate position detection system with an image processing-based detection system. The image processing unit captures images of the sheets and automatically determines sheet size and position, providing more accurate measurement regardless of sheet size variations. This substitution maintains automation while significantly improving measurement precision compared to mechanical regulating plate methods.
Data Source
AI summary
A feeding apparatus includes a placement unit on which a recording material is to be placed, a feeding rotating member, a regulating plate, a detecting unit, and a control unit. The feeding rotating member feeds the recording material placed on the placement unit. The regulating plate regulates a position of an upstream end of the recording material placed on the placement unit in a direction of feeding by the feeding rotating member. The detecting unit detects a size of the recording material from a position of the regulating plate. The control unit changes duration of execution of a recording-material feeding operation performed by the feeding rotating member based on the size of the recording material detected by the detecting unit and a size of the recording material specified in advance by a user.