EP1762518A1 - Bogenzuführverfahren, Bogenzuführvorrichtung und Bilderzeugungsgerät mit einer solchen Bogenzuführvorrichtung - Google Patents

Bogenzuführverfahren, Bogenzuführvorrichtung und Bilderzeugungsgerät mit einer solchen Bogenzuführvorrichtung Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1762518A1
EP1762518A1 EP06120040A EP06120040A EP1762518A1 EP 1762518 A1 EP1762518 A1 EP 1762518A1 EP 06120040 A EP06120040 A EP 06120040A EP 06120040 A EP06120040 A EP 06120040A EP 1762518 A1 EP1762518 A1 EP 1762518A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
sheet
bundle
feeder
sheets
air
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP06120040A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1762518B1 (de
Inventor
Marinus T.W. Gruntjes
Maurice J.M. Bindels
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Canon Production Printing Netherlands BV
Original Assignee
Oce Technologies BV
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Oce Technologies BV filed Critical Oce Technologies BV
Priority to EP06120040A priority Critical patent/EP1762518B1/de
Publication of EP1762518A1 publication Critical patent/EP1762518A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1762518B1 publication Critical patent/EP1762518B1/de
Active legal-status Critical Current
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H1/00—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated
    • B65H1/08—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated with means for advancing the articles to present the articles to the separating device
    • B65H1/16—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated with means for advancing the articles to present the articles to the separating device comprising pneumatic or hydraulic means
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/08—Separating articles from piles using pneumatic force
    • B65H3/12—Suction bands, belts, or tables moving relatively to the pile
    • B65H3/124—Suction bands or belts
    • B65H3/128—Suction bands or belts separating from the top of pile
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/08—Separating articles from piles using pneumatic force
    • B65H3/14—Air blasts producing partial vacuum
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/46—Supplementary devices or measures to assist separation or prevent double feed
    • B65H3/48—Air blast acting on edges of, or under, articles
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G15/00—Apparatus for electrographic processes using a charge pattern
    • G03G15/65—Apparatus which relate to the handling of copy material
    • G03G15/6502—Supplying of sheet copy material; Cassettes therefor
    • G03G15/6511—Feeding devices for picking up or separation of copy sheets
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2515/00—Physical entities not provided for in groups B65H2511/00 or B65H2513/00
    • B65H2515/30—Forces; Stresses
    • B65H2515/34—Pressure, e.g. fluid pressure
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03G—ELECTROGRAPHY; ELECTROPHOTOGRAPHY; MAGNETOGRAPHY
    • G03G2215/00—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes
    • G03G2215/00362—Apparatus for electrophotographic processes relating to the copy medium handling
    • G03G2215/00367—The feeding path segment where particular handling of the copy medium occurs, segments being adjacent and non-overlapping. Each segment is identified by the most downstream point in the segment, so that for instance the segment labelled "Fixing device" is referring to the path between the "Transfer device" and the "Fixing device"
    • G03G2215/00379—Copy medium holder
    • G03G2215/00383—Cassette

Definitions

  • the invention pertains to s sheet feed method for use in a sheet feeder having a sheet stacking unit with a bottom plate to support a sheet bundle comprising blowing air against a side edge of the sheet bundle near the topmost sheets of the bundle, thereby lifting these sheets from the bundle, separating the uppermost sheet from the bundle, and conveying this sheet away from the bundle.
  • the invention also pertains a sheet feeder and an imaging apparatus incorporating the said feeder.
  • a sheet feed method is known from US patent application 2004/0089994 A1 .
  • This method has been devised in order to be able and reliably feed a very broad range of recording media from the same sheet stacking unit.
  • the known method handles the sheet feeding by firstly blowing air from a side edge of a paper bundle, causing a lift off of the uppermost sheets of the said bundle.
  • the air separation methods has the advantage of a wide setting latitude of paper feed conditions, combined with the adaptability for high-speed processing, high durability and corresponding low running costs.
  • the known method however has an important disadvantage. It appears that the reliability of the feeding process decreases significantly when the bundle is nearly depleted, i.e. when less than 25 sheets of receiving media are present, in particular when less than 10 sheets are present. This is not restricted to extraordinary heavy or light media types. For example, with all sorts of plain paper, when less than 5 sheets are present mis-feed occur occasionally. For the lighter types, typically types of less than 100 grams/square meter, the risk of inducing skew increases significantly when less than 5 to 10 sheets are present. Heavier types of media seem to be prone to mis-feeds in particular when narrow paper formats (SEF) are being used.
  • SEF narrow paper formats
  • the present invention has as an object to overcome or at least mitigate the above mentioned problems.
  • a method according to the preamble characterised in that it in further comprises assisting the said lifting of the sheets when the bundle is nearly depleted by forcing an element situated underneath the bundle to push against the bundle solely when air is blown against the side edge of the bundle.
  • this method when the bundle is nearly depleted there is induced an extra force to lift the last few sheets in the direction of the separation unit. Contrary to what one expects, it appears that when only a few sheets are present in the tray, extra help is needed to induce an adequate lift of the sheets in the direction of the separation unit. It is further recognised that this extra help should only be used in connection with the blowing action against the side edge of the bundle.
  • the present invention distincts clearly from prior art feed methods which make use of bottom elements that constantly force a bundle of sheets upwardly in the direction of a separation unit, for example because part of the bottom is forced upwardly with a spring.
  • the blowing of the air creates a pressure difference that forces the element to undertake an upward movement.
  • the mere air blowing action causes the element directly to move in an upward direction. This has the advantage that there is no need for an extra process, next to the air blowing, to have the element creating the needed lifting force. Next to this, because in this embodiment the element moves upwardly as a direct result of the air blowing process, the prerequisite of the extra force being present only in concurrence with the air blowing action is automatically fulfilled.
  • the element hinges in the bottom plate.
  • the element is connected to the bottom plate at one end but is able to move upwardly because the connection allows a hinging action of the said element. This appears to markedly increase the reliability of the present feeding method, most probably because the element will always come back to its original position when the air blowing action stops.
  • this feeder also pertains to the feeder itself.
  • this feeder is characterised in that it comprises an element that is operatively connected to the stacking unit, the element being constituted such that it undertakes an upward movement solely when air is blown against the side edge of the bundle when it is nearly depleted.
  • the working action of the element has been addressed already here-above.
  • the element is sheet like. This has the advantage that the element does not take too much space, and also, that it can easily be situated between the bottom plate and the sheet bundle. This way, the element will hardly interfere with the process of filling the stacking unit with a new bundle of sheets.
  • the element is a rigid plate that covers a part of the bottom plate.
  • the element is constituted as a rigid plate in contrast with an element that is constituted as a flexible sheet. This decreases the risk of the element getting damaged by the multiple actions of stacking new bundles of sheets in the stacking unit.
  • a rigid plate is less prone to damaging, such as inducing wrinkles, folds etc., then a sheet-like element.
  • the rigid plate is situated essentially adjacent the air blowing means. Surprisingly it appears that it is sufficient for the rigid plate to extend only in the direct vicinity of the air blowing means. Thus, there is no need for a large rigid plate that extends substantially over the complete side edge of the bundle of sheets. This makes the construction of the stacking unit more simple.
  • the bottom plate can be provided with a recess wherein the rigid plate is situated.
  • the rigid plate does not constitute an obstruction for the lowermost sheets of a new bundle that is being loaded in the stacking unit.
  • the recess can be made just as deep as the rigid plate is thick such that in essence, the bottom of the stacking unit remains evenly flat. This way, there is hardly any chance that sheets get damaged because of the presence of the rigid plate.
  • FIG. 1 represents an imaging device as is for example known from US 2004/0089994 A1 and described elaborately in the paragraphs [0024] to [0034] of this US patent application which paragraphs are incorporated herein be reference.
  • This apparatus includes an image reader 200, a printer 300 and a paper feed section 400.
  • This section has paper decks 401 and 451 that share a paper feeding mechanism.
  • the image reader is equipped with a so called ADF 100.
  • This ADF automatically feeds original documents to the image reader 200, in particular from tray 101 to glass platen 102. Thereafter, it discharges the sheets to paper discharge tray 112. When the original passes platen 102 it is read by scanner unit 104.
  • This unit comprises lamp 103, light of which is reflected via the original to lens 108 and further through mirrors 105, 106 and 107. Ultimately, the light forms an image on image sensor 109.
  • This sensor converts the optical image into image data which data are outputted from the sensor and subjected to a predetermined processing in an image signal control unit (not shown). Then, the image data are inputted as video signals to an exposure control section 110 of printer 300.
  • the exposure control section 110 modulates laser light and outputs this light on the photosensitive drum 111.
  • the electrostatic latent image on the drum 111 is visualised by application of a developer supplied by a developing device (not shown).
  • a resist roller 115 conveys the sheet fed by the paper decks 401 and 451, between the drum 111 and a transfer section 116 in a timed relation with the laser light.
  • the sheet on which the developer image has been transferred is conveyed to fixing section 117 and than discharged to tray 119 by a first discharge roller 118, or discharged to tray 121 by the second discharge roller 120.
  • the air sheet feeding and stacking units i.e. the paper decks 401 and 451 will be described.
  • the paper deck 401 and 451 are only different in the maximum storage number of sheets, and hence, the same reference numbers are used to denote the same or equivalent components. The further description is based on paper deck 401.
  • FIG 2 is a perspective view of the air sheet feeding paper deck 401.
  • the paper deck is arranged to stack and store a sheet bundle S on a bottom plate 403.
  • This bottom plate is provided in a repository 402 and is movable up and down.
  • rails 404 and 405 which can be drawn to the front side with respect to the imaging apparatus body (i.e. to the operator side of the apparatus).
  • the front end and rear end of the bundle S are fixedly placed on predetermined positions by plates 406 and 412.
  • the opposite side edges are respectively placed on predetermined positions by side regulating plates 410 and 411.
  • a sheet feed section 409 serving as a sheet suction and conveying means for the uppermost sheet of the bundle.
  • the sheet feed section 409 has a suction duct 408 connected to a suction generating unit (not shown) for generating a suction pressure above the sheet bundle.
  • a suction belt 407 being capable of paper feed rotation in the paper feed direction, has a large numbers of holes is provided and surrounds the suction duct 408. The sheet feed section 409 feeds a sheet by causing the uppermost sheet to adhere to the suction belt 407 and rotating this belt in the paper feed direction.
  • FIGs 3A to 3C are sectional views when figure 2 is seen from the paper feed direction.
  • the side regulating plate 410 has therein a structure which serves as the air blowing means.
  • This air blowing means includes a blowing fan 417 (see figure 2) serving as the supply source of blown air, and a blowing duct 413 having at one end thereof an opening 414 (see also figure 2) that is opened facing the side edge of the sheet bundle S stacked in the repository 402.
  • an air knife 415 which has a very thin elongated opening for blowing air against the front end side of the sheet bundle S, in particular between the two uppermost sheets.
  • the bottom plate 403 is lift up to a predetermined height by using sheet height detection means (not shown) and a lift-up motor (not shown).
  • pressing a start button of the imaging apparatus starts a paper feeding operation.
  • the air blowing means 413 starts to blow air against the side edge of bundle S. This creates a lift-up action for the uppermost 5 to 7 sheets (in this particular embodiment).
  • the suction generating unit located at the upper position starts a suction operation
  • the suction duct 408 starts a suction action.
  • air is blown through air knife 415 and injected between the uppermost sheet and the second sheet.
  • Figure 4 shows a part of the bottom plate 403 of the sheet stacking unit according to the present invention.
  • plate 403 is provided with a recess 421 adjacent opening 414 in side regulating plate 410.
  • a rigid plate 420 In the recess there is provided for a rigid plate 420, such that the upper surface of the rigid plate coincides with the upper surface of the bottom plate 403.
  • Rigid plate 420 is connected to the bottom plate 403 via hinges 422 and 423. This enables the rigid plate to undertake a predetermined upward movement as is shown in figure 4B.
  • This figure 4B shows the upward movement of rigid plate 420 when the air blowing means blow air through opening 414 in the direction of bottom plate 403. It appears that the upward action of the rigid plate improves the reliability of the sheet separation markedly.
  • the rigid plate somehow resembles the lifting action that is also induced when a sufficient amount of sheets are present (i.e. when the sheet bundle is not nearly depleted). Note that the upward action of the rigid plate will only be undertaken when the bundle is nearly depleted. Only then namely, the bottom plate has been lifted far enough to reach the opening 414. It is only then that the rigid plate can be forced to undertake an upward movement due to the pressure difference caused by the air blowing means. Lastly it is noted that the rigid plate can also be part of a small overlay plate, e.g. a plate such as known from US design patent 249,695.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
EP06120040A 2005-09-07 2006-09-04 Bogenzuführverfahren, Bogenzuführvorrichtung und Bilderzeugungsgerät mit einer solchen Bogenzuführvorrichtung Active EP1762518B1 (de)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP06120040A EP1762518B1 (de) 2005-09-07 2006-09-04 Bogenzuführverfahren, Bogenzuführvorrichtung und Bilderzeugungsgerät mit einer solchen Bogenzuführvorrichtung

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP05108187 2005-09-07
EP06120040A EP1762518B1 (de) 2005-09-07 2006-09-04 Bogenzuführverfahren, Bogenzuführvorrichtung und Bilderzeugungsgerät mit einer solchen Bogenzuführvorrichtung

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1762518A1 true EP1762518A1 (de) 2007-03-14
EP1762518B1 EP1762518B1 (de) 2011-02-16

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ID=37834108

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EP06120040A Active EP1762518B1 (de) 2005-09-07 2006-09-04 Bogenzuführverfahren, Bogenzuführvorrichtung und Bilderzeugungsgerät mit einer solchen Bogenzuführvorrichtung

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Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2011095778A1 (en) * 2010-02-04 2011-08-11 Vivid Laminating Technologies Limited Feed mechanism for laminating machine

Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19536425A1 (de) * 1994-09-30 1996-04-04 Toshiba Kawasaki Kk Vorrichtung zur Förderung und Trennung von Papier
JPH11193138A (ja) 1998-01-05 1999-07-21 Canon Inc シート給送装置及びシート処理装置
JP2004043186A (ja) 2003-08-06 2004-02-12 Kyocera Mita Corp エアー吸引式の給紙搬送装置
US20040089994A1 (en) * 2002-09-20 2004-05-13 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet feeder which separates sheets with variable speed and/or direction blown air and image forming apparatus using same

Patent Citations (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE19536425A1 (de) * 1994-09-30 1996-04-04 Toshiba Kawasaki Kk Vorrichtung zur Förderung und Trennung von Papier
JPH11193138A (ja) 1998-01-05 1999-07-21 Canon Inc シート給送装置及びシート処理装置
US20040089994A1 (en) * 2002-09-20 2004-05-13 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet feeder which separates sheets with variable speed and/or direction blown air and image forming apparatus using same
JP2004043186A (ja) 2003-08-06 2004-02-12 Kyocera Mita Corp エアー吸引式の給紙搬送装置

Non-Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 1999, no. 12 29 October 1999 (1999-10-29) *
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 2003, no. 12 5 December 2003 (2003-12-05) *

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2011095778A1 (en) * 2010-02-04 2011-08-11 Vivid Laminating Technologies Limited Feed mechanism for laminating machine

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1762518B1 (de) 2011-02-16

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