Sheet Supply Delay Detection from Conveyance Timing Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing image forming apparatuses lack a method to determine whether a delay has occurred in the supply of sheets by the sheet supply portion without using additional sensors.
Innovation Solution
A sheet conveying device with a lift portion, sheet supply portion, detection portion, measurement processing portion, first determination processing portion, and second determination processing portion, which measures elapsed time from sheet supply to detection and determines delays based on reference times and multiple measurement times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If additional sensors are used to detect sheet supply delays, then detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sheet supply portion uses its own existing detection portion to measure elapsed time and determine delays, rather than requiring separate additional sensors. The system serves its own monitoring needs using resources already present in the device.
Solution Approach 2:
The detection portion serves multiple functions: it detects both the presence of sheets on the conveying path and measures elapsed time to determine supply delays. This multi-functional use eliminates the need for dedicated delay detection sensors.
2Measurement precision
If multiple measurement times are collected and analyzed, then delay determination accuracy is improved, but processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system collects multiple measurement times in advance and stores them before making a delay determination. This preliminary data collection allows for more accurate determination by comparing current measurements against historical data, rather than relying on single instantaneous measurements.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses previously measured times as reference data to evaluate current sheet supply status. This feedback mechanism compares new measurements against historical patterns to determine whether a delay has occurred, improving accuracy through contextual analysis.
Data Source
AI summary
A sheet conveying device includes a sheet supply portion, a measurement processing portion, a first determination processing portion, and a second determination processing portion. The sheet supply portion supplies an uppermost sheet in a stack of sheets lifted by a lift portion to a conveying path. The measurement processing portion measures, every time the sheet is supplied, an elapsed time from a start of supply of the sheet to a time when the sheet is detected by a detection portion. The first determination processing portion determines, every time the elapsed time is measured, whether or not a measured measurement time is less than a reference time. The second determination processing portion determines, when it is continuously determined that the measurement time is less than the reference time, whether or not a delay has occurred in the supply of the sheet.