Document imaging apparatus with leading edge engagement for improved performance
A method and apparatus for processing documents is provided. The documents may be conveyed to a feeder for feeding documents to a scanner. The scanner scans each document to obtain image data and then discharges the document to one or more output or sort locations. The system may include a skew reduction assembly for reducing skew in the documents as the documents are fed to the scanner. The system may also include elements for improving image quality and reducing document damage while the document is scanned. The system may further include features for improving the stacking of the discharged documents.
1. An apparatus for processing documents, comprising:
a feeder configured to feed a plurality of documents one at the time wherein the feeder is configured to singulate the documents to serially feed the documents forwardly toward a document transport; and
a sorter configured to sort the documents into one or more output bins, comprising a document transport configured to convey the documents at a first speed and a discharge transport configured to convey the documents away from the document transport and toward a first bin of the one or more output bins and to selectively increase the speed of the documents to a second speed and then decrease the speed of the documents to a third speed that is lower than the first or second speeds, wherein the discharge transport relays the documents to the first bin of the one or more output bins at the third speed.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a scanner for scanning the documents to obtain image data for each document wherein the feeder is configured to feed the documents to the scanner.
3. The apparatus of claim 2 comprising a conveyor for conveying the documents toward the feeder, wherein the conveyor is configured to convey the documents in a generally horizontal orientation with a face of the document facing upwardly.
4. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a sensor configured to detect the leading edge of the documents along the document transport or the discharge transport wherein the discharge transport increases speed to the second speed or decreases the speed to the third speed in response to signals from the sensor.
5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the discharge transport comprises a discharge nip comprising opposing roller configured to engage the documents.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 comprising a first motor connected with the document transport to drive the document transport and a second motor connected with a roller of the discharge nip to drive the discharge nip.
7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein the discharge nip is configured to pull one of the documents out of the document transport when the discharge speed is increased to the second speed.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the sorter comprises a plurality of output bins and a plurality of discharge transports wherein each discharge transport leads to a corresponding one of the output bins.
9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein each discharge transport comprises a separate independently operable motor.
10. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising a controller operable to selectively control the speed of each of the discharge transport motors to selectively increase the speed of the corresponding discharge transport to the second speed.
11. The apparatus of claim 9 comprising a controller operable to selectively control the speed of each of the discharge transport motors to selectively decrease the speed of the corresponding discharge transport to the third speed.
12. The apparatus of claim 8 comprising a plurality of gates for selectively directing the documents from the document transport to one of the discharge transports.
13. The apparatus of claim 1 comprising a sensor for detecting the presence of the documents.
14. The apparatus of claim 13 comprising a controller configured to control the discharge transport to increase the speed to the second speed in response to signals from the sensor.
15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the signals from the sensor are indicative of the leading edge of one of the documents passing the sensor.
16. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the controller is configured to control the discharge transport to decrease the speed to the third speed in response to signals from the sensor.
17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the signals from the sensor are indicative of the trailing edge of one of the documents passing the sensor.
18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein the controller is configured to control the discharge transport to increase the speed from the third speed to the first speed in response to signals from the sensor.