Hinged-arm pick mechanism

An apparatus for picking a media sheet from a media stack, comprising:

• a pick arm having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion connected to the proximal portion at a hinge point, the distal portion hinging relative to the proximal portion at the hinge point, the pick arm being anchored at a pivot point along the proximal portion away from the hinge point, the pick arm rotating relative to the pivot point;
• a pick roller coupled to the distal portion away from the hinge point;
• and
• a drive motor for rotating the pick roller, wherein during a pick operation the drive motor rotates the pick roller while the pick roller is in contact with the media sheet to move the media sheet away from the media stack;
• a separation ramp onto which the media sheet is moved during the pick operation;
• and
• means for limiting an angle formed between the distal portion and the media stack, while the pick roller maintains contact with the media stack, to a maximum angle to limit a distance between the pick roller and the separation ramp.

A print recording system for recording pint onto a media sheet which is picked from a media stack, the system comprising:

• a print recording source;
• a pick arm having a proximal portion and a distal portion, the distal portion connected to the proximal portion at a hinge point, the distal portion hinging relative to the proximal portion at the hinge point, the pick arm being anchored at a pivot point along the proximal portion away from the hinge point, the pick arm rotating relative to the pivot point;
• a pick roller coupled to the distal portion away from the hinge point;
• and
• a drive motor for rotating the pick roller;
• and
• means for inducing a moment on the pick arm which causes the proximal portion to pivot relative to the pivot point and causes the distal portion to hinge relative to hinge point, said inducing means inducing the moment while the drive motor rotates the pick roller with the pick roller in contact with the media sheet allowing for effective picking of the media sheet from the media stack,
• wherein the distal portion is spring-biased into a first orientation relative to the proximal portion about the hinge point, wherein the inducing means overcomes the spring-biasing to move the distal portion into a second orientation relative to the proximal portion during a picking portion of the print operation.

A method for picking a media sheet from a media stack with a pick roller, the pick roller located along a distal portion of a hinged pick arm, the pick arm having a proximal portion located proximal to a hinged point, the distal portion located distal to the hinge point, the method comprising:

• positioning the pick roller into contact with the media sheet, said contact introducing a first force onto the media sheet;
• rotating the pick roller while in contact with the media sheet, said rotation introducing a second force t the media sheet wherein a responsive forte occurs from the media sheet back to the roller in response to the first and second forces, said responsive force inducing a moment at the hinge point as the pick roller rotates, the moment causing the distal portion to move about the hinge point relative to the proximal portion;
• limiting to a maximum angle, an angle which the distal portion of the pick arm forms relative to the media static while the pick roller maintains contact with the media stack, wherein said limiting is achieved using a stop mechanism;
• and
• advancing the media sheet from the stack to pick the media sheet as the first and second forces overcome the responsive force.