Document transport apparatus and method

摘要

A document transport apparatus provides continuous transport of documents input with a prescribed spacing between the documents, and can rapidly detect when documents close up or overlap. Detection of close up or overlap is made by measuring a length of each document by a transported document length measuring device and comparing the measured length with a predetermined length for that document measured by an input document length measuring device positioned upstream of the transported document length measuring device. If a measured length exceeds the predetermined length, a condition of close up or overlap is deemed to exist. The document transport apparatus is described in the context of its use in an image capture apparatus or scanner.