Continuously Rotating Spindle Wheel for Document Flipping
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Solution Overview
Problem
High volume scanners face challenges in efficiently restacking documents due to vibration and inconsistent positioning of spindle wheels, which limits throughput and causes inconsistent document stacking.
Innovation Solution
A system with a continuously rotating spindle wheel and a controller that adjusts rotational speed to ensure precise alignment and flipping of documents, eliminating abrupt start/stop vibrations and improving motor control precision.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the spindle wheel operates in start/stop mode to position documents, then the spindle can accurately position itself at slot transitions, but vibration occurs in the spindle fingers causing inconsistent document stacking and potential pinching
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle wheel is modified to rotate continuously in a single direction rather than starting and stopping at each slot transition. This continuous rotation eliminates the vibration and centrifugal force problems associated with start/stop operations, while the controller adjusts rotational speed to maintain accurate positioning at slot transitions without the harmful effects of abrupt acceleration and deceleration.
Solution Approach 2:
The controller dynamically adjusts the rotational speed parameter of the spindle wheel based on the operational phase. During continuous rotation, the speed is optimized to minimize vibration and maximize positioning accuracy at slot transitions, transforming the fixed-speed start/stop operation into a variable-speed continuous operation that eliminates the technical contradiction.
2Productivity
If the spindle wheel increases speed to improve throughput, then more documents can be processed per minute, but the centrifugal force on spindle fingers increases causing mispositioning and unreliable document handling
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static or variable-speed operation to dynamic continuous rotation with controlled speed variations. The controller adjusts the rotational speed dynamically during operation to maintain optimal conditions for document handling, allowing high throughput while preventing centrifugal force-induced mispositioning through controlled acceleration and deceleration profiles.
3Device complexity
If the spindle wheel uses start/stop control to position documents, then the motor can be simpler to control, but the system cannot maintain consistent positioning every time due to inertia and momentum effects
Solution Approach 1:
The spindle wheel operates continuously without starting or stopping, eliminating the inertia and momentum problems associated with repeated acceleration and deceleration. The controller manages speed variations during continuous rotation to achieve consistent positioning at slot transitions, providing more reliable positioning than start/stop control while maintaining manageable control system complexity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enhances reliability and throughput by reducing spindle finger vibration, minimizing motor torque requirements, and making the system more user-friendly and maintainable, resulting in consistently stacked documents.
Implementation Method 1
the spindle motor starts and rotates the spindle to the next available slot
Implementation Method 2
The spindle motor is required to have sufficient torque to overcome the inertia of the spindle wheel and associated mechanics
Implementation Method 3
sufficient torque to overcome the inertia of the spindle wheel
Implementation Method 4
the fingers are affected by centrifugal force. Furthermore, if the wheel is operated in a start/stop mode, these centrifugal forces cause the fingers to become mispositioned
Data Source
AI summary
This disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for taking flexible sheets off a delivery belt, such as from a scanner or copier, and restacking them in the order and orientation (face) they were originally scanned in. This requires flipping over such sheets by use of a spindle wheel with a plurality of fingers defining slots therebetween for receiving the sheets and reversing their face (flipping). By knowing the speed of the delivery belt and using a continuously spinning spindle wheel it is possible to avoid the effects of momentum on the fingers which distorts their position during stopping and starting action. Instead, the spindle wheel is in constant rotation but the speed of rotation is adjusted from a first speed, then a second tapering speed, to a third speed which is adapted to ensure that the slot between fingers is accurately presented to the leading edge as it enters the slot and does not get rejected by an accidental encounter with a finger.