JP2005212978A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeding device capable of surely separating and feeding paper sheet one by one even when the paper sheet is the one such as a coated paper sheet or an OHP sheet which is easily double-fed. <P>SOLUTION: Air is blown to a tip of the paper sheet P along the conveying direction from a blowout port 31, a front part of the paper sheet P along the conveying direction is sucked to an upper part by a suction port 41, and simultaneously the paper sheet P is carried out by a pick-up roller 5. From a view point of surely separating the paper sheet P, it is preferable that the pick-up roller 5 is arranged above the front part of the paper sheet P along the conveying direction and on a central part of the paper sheet width direction, and it is preferable that the blowout port 31 and the suction port 41 are formed symmetrically with respect to the pick-up roller 5 as the center in the plan view. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device, and more particularly to a feeding device that separates and supplies sheets placed on a loading unit one by one.

  Many of the paper feeding devices separate only the uppermost paper from a bundle of paper (plain paper) cut into a predetermined size and placed on a placement portion, and supply the separated paper to a predetermined device. The important thing here is how to separate and supply only the top sheet. For this reason, various separation sheet feeding methods such as a friction pad method, a friction roller method, and a corner separator method have been proposed and implemented.

  However, in recent years, with the diversification of recording media, coated paper, OHP paper, cardboard and the like have been used in addition to plain paper. Conventional plain paper has a relatively low surface smoothness, so the papers can be separated and fed with the above-mentioned proposed methods without problems in actual use. However, coated paper and OHP paper have high surface smoothness. Further, since it has a hygroscopic property, the adhesion between the sheets is high, and problems such as double feeding in which a plurality of sheets are simultaneously supplied are likely to occur.

Therefore, for example, Patent Document 1 proposes a technique in which air blowing means is provided together with the friction roller means, and the paper is separated and fed by blowing air to the front end of the paper.
JP 2000-344358 A ((0030) stage to (0050) stage, FIGS. 1 to 5)

  However, in the proposed technique, for example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the front end portion of the placed upper paper P is bent downward as a whole, even if air is blown to the front end of the paper P, Since air does not easily enter between the sheet and the second sheet, separation failure may occur. Further, by blowing air, separation may occur between sheets with weak adhesion rather than between the uppermost sheet and the second sheet, and the sheets may be separated into a bundle to cause double feeding.

  The present invention has been made in view of such conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device that reliably separates and feeds the paper placed on the placement portion one by one. There is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the paper feeding device of the present invention is provided with friction roller means for feeding the paper placed on the placement portion, compressed air means for compressing air, and suction means for sucking air. Air supplied from the compressed air means is blown out from a blowout port formed at a position facing the front end in the transport direction, and air is sucked in by the suction means from a suction port formed above the front part in the paper transport direction. Thus, the paper is separated and supplied.

  Here, from the viewpoint of more reliably separating the sheets, the friction roller means is provided above the front part in the sheet conveying direction and in the center part in the sheet width direction. It is preferable to form it symmetrically about the means.

  Further, from the viewpoint of further reliably separating the sheets, a plurality of outlets may be formed, and the outlet angle of these outlets with respect to the paper surface may be set to 2 or more.

  In addition, from the viewpoint of reliably separating the paper regardless of the paper size, there is provided a rotating means for rotating the air outlet around an axis perpendicular to the paper surface, and the air outlet is rotated according to the width of the paper. Then, air may be blown to both sides of the front end of the paper conveyance direction.

  In the paper feeding device of the present invention, air is blown to the front end in the paper transport direction, the front part in the paper transport direction is sucked from above, and the paper is simultaneously fed by the friction roller means. Even paper that is easy to double feed can be reliably separated and supplied one by one.

  Further, when the friction roller means is provided above the front part in the sheet conveying direction and in the center part in the sheet width direction, and the blower outlet and the suction port are formed symmetrically around the friction roller means in a plan view, the sheet is separated. Can be performed more reliably.

  If a plurality of air outlets are formed and the air outlet angle of these air outlets is set to 2 or more, the paper can be more reliably separated.

  In addition, the air outlet can be rotated about an axis perpendicular to the paper surface, and the air outlet can be rotated according to the width of the paper so that air is blown to both sides of the front end in the paper transport direction. Then, the paper can be reliably separated regardless of the paper size.

  Hereinafter, the sheet feeding device of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a sheet feeding device of the present invention. A mounting table (mounting unit) 2 on which the paper P is mounted is attached to the apparatus main body 1 so as to be movable up and down. When the paper P is placed on the placement table 2, the placement table 2 is lowered to the lower end, and a predetermined amount of paper P is stacked on the placement table 2. When the stacking of the sheets is completed, the mounting table 2 is raised by turning on a switch (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 1 or detecting that the paper supply door (not shown) is closed. The uppermost upper sheet stops at a position where it contacts the pickup roller 5. Then, as the paper P is supplied, the mounting table 2 gradually rises, and the state where the uppermost paper is always in contact with the pickup roller 5 is maintained.

  As the pickup roller 5 rotates (clockwise in FIG. 1), the upper several sheets including the uppermost sheet are sent out to the pressure contact portion between the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7. Both the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 rotate in the same direction as the pickup roller 5. Therefore, the rollers 6 and 7 are rotating in opposite directions at the pressure contact portion between the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7. The fed paper P is separated from the uppermost paper by the difference in friction coefficient between the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 rotating in opposite directions, and is supplied from a supply port to a predetermined device (not shown).

  In this paper feeding device S, in order to more reliably and effectively separate paper, a blowout port 31 is formed at the position of the device body 1 facing the front end in the paper transport direction (hereinafter referred to as “paper front end”). A suction port 41 is formed above the front part in the sheet conveyance direction (hereinafter referred to as “sheet front part”). Air supplied from a blower (compressed air means) (not shown) is blown from the blower outlet 31 to the front end of the sheet, and the upper several sheets including the uppermost sheet are floated. In addition, when the air is sucked from the suction port 41 by a suction blower (not shown), the uppermost sheet is sucked upward, and the floating state of the sheet becomes more complete. Accordingly, even when the front end portion of the sheet P is bent downward as a whole, air effectively enters between the uppermost sheet and the second sheet, and the occurrence of poor separation is prevented.

  There are no particular restrictions on the positions at which the air outlet 31 and the suction port 41 are formed as long as the paper P is in a floating state, but according to the study of the present inventors, it is formed symmetrically around the pickup roller 5 in plan view. Is preferred. In FIG. 2, the top view of the apparatus which formed the blower outlets 31 and 32 and the suction port 41 in such a position is shown.

  A supply duct 3 having a length substantially equal to the width of the paper is disposed so as to face the front end of the paper, and air supplied from a blower (not shown) is formed in the supply duct 3 through the supply duct 3. It ejects from the outlets 31, 32. In the apparatus of this figure, two types of air outlets 31 and 32 having different shapes and blowing angles are formed alternately in the paper width direction and symmetrically about the pickup roller 5. The shape of the outlets 31 and 32 and the outlet angle will be described later.

  On the other hand, a suction duct 4 having a length substantially equal to the width of the paper is arranged in the width direction above the front of the paper, and air is sucked from a suction port 41 formed in the suction duct 4 by a suction blower (not shown). Is done. In the apparatus of this figure, four suction ports 41 are formed in the vertical direction of the figure symmetrically about the pickup roller 5. Of course, the number and shape of the suction ports 41 are not limited to this, and may be appropriately determined in consideration of the size and type of paper. Generally, if the suction amount is the same, as the opening area of the suction port is reduced, the suction area is reduced while the suction force is increased. On the contrary, as the opening area of the suction port is increased, the suction area is increased while the suction force is reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 3, while the central portion in the width direction of the paper P is pressed by the pickup roller 5, the both sides in the width direction of the paper are floated by the air blowing and suction to the paper P as described above. It becomes a state. Due to the floating state of both sides of the sheet P, air easily enters between the uppermost sheet and the second and subsequent sheets, and the uppermost sheet can be reliably separated. Note that both sides of the uppermost sheet may come into close contact with the bottom surface of the suction duct 4 due to suction by the suction port 41. In this case, from the viewpoint of facilitating the supply of the uppermost sheet, it is recommended that the bottom surface of the suction duct 4 be made of a material having a low friction coefficient. For example, a coat layer made of a fluororesin may be provided on the bottom surface of the suction duct.

  FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the supply duct 3 in the apparatus of FIGS. In the supply duct 3 shown in FIG. 4, air outlets 31 and 32 having different air blowing angles with respect to the paper surface are formed symmetrically about the pickup roller 5. The outlet angle of the outlet 31 is parallel to the paper surface, and the outlet angle of the outlet 32 is set to about 70 ° with respect to the paper surface. Thus, the upper sheet can be floated more effectively by providing the outlets with different outlet angles. Of course, the blowing angle is not limited to this, and may be appropriately determined from the type and thickness of the paper to be placed. Further, in this embodiment, the blowing angle is fixed, but the outlet may be formed to be rotatable about an axis parallel to the paper surface. Further, the shape of the air outlet is not limited to a rectangle, and may be determined as appropriate based on the paper portion to which air is blown and the strength.

  Another embodiment of the paper feeding device according to the present invention is shown in FIG. In the paper feeding device shown in this figure, the air outlets 33a and 33b located outside the paper width direction are disposed so as to be rotatable about an axis perpendicular to the paper surface. FIG. 4A is a diagram when A4 paper is fed in the horizontal direction, and FIG. 4B is a diagram when A4 paper is fed in the vertical direction. In the case of FIG. 5A, the width of the paper is substantially the same as the width of the mounting table 2, and the front end side portion of the paper P is located at a position opposite to the air outlets 33a and 33b. Is set in the same direction as the transport direction, and air is blown onto the front end side of the paper P to separate the uppermost paper. On the other hand, in the case of FIG. 2B, the width of the paper is narrower than the width of the mounting table 2, and there is no side portion of the paper P at the position facing the air outlets 33a and 33b. Therefore, the air outlets 33a and 33b are rotated in the center of the width direction so that the air blown from the air outlets 33a and 33b hits the front end side of the paper P. As a result, the air blown from the blowout ports 33a and 33b can also be effectively used for separating the uppermost paper.

  Air outlet 33a. An example of the rotation mechanism 33b is shown in FIG. The base 9 has a wide base 91 and a narrow tip 92. An opening 93 is formed in the base 91 of the base body 9, and a rack 95 a is formed on one of the inner peripheral wall surfaces of the opening 93. A rack 95 b is also formed on the side surface of the distal end portion 92 of the base 9. It should be noted that the inner peripheral wall surface of the opening 93 in which the rack 95a is formed and the side surface of the tip end portion 92 need to be parallel and parallel to the moving direction of the substrate 9 described below. Further, a projecting portion 94 extends in the longitudinal direction from the base portion side end portion of the base body 9 and is connected to the movable portion 11 of the solenoid 10. As a result, the base body 9 moves in the longitudinal direction when the solenoid 10 is turned on / off.

  On the other hand, the cover members 8a and 8b have a cylindrical shape and have no rear outer peripheral surface for allowing air to flow in from the supply duct 3 (shown in FIG. 5). And the longitudinally long blower outlets 33a and 33b are formed in the front outer peripheral surface of the cover members 8a and 8b. Projections 83a and 83b are formed at the axial centers of the upper surfaces of the cover members 8a and 8b, and axial portions 81a and 81b are formed at the axial centers of the bottom surfaces and perpendicular to the bottom surface. Pinion gears 82a and 82b are attached to the tips of the shaft portions 81a and 81b.

  The cover members 8a and 8b are attached to the base 9 by engaging the pinion gears 82a and 82b of the cover members 8a and 8b with the racks 95a and 95b of the base 9, respectively, and at the same time, the protrusion 83a on the upper surface of the cover members 8a and 8b. , 83b are engaged with engagement holes (not shown) formed in the supply duct 3 (shown in FIG. 5). In order to rotate the air outlets 33a and 33b shown in FIG. 5, the cover members 8a and 8b are attached to the base 9 so that the air outlets 33a and 33b are parallel to the transport direction. There is a need to. When the solenoid 10 is turned on from this state, the movable portion 11 of the solenoid 10 is pulled to the solenoid side, and the base 9 moves to the solenoid side. As a result, the racks 95a and 95b move together with the base 9, and the pinion gears 82a and 82b rotate. Then, as a result of the cover member 8a rotating counterclockwise and the cover member 8b rotating clockwise, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the outlets 33a and 33b are each directed toward the center in the width direction.

  On the other hand, when the solenoid 10 is turned off, the movable portion 11 moves outward from the solenoid 10 by a pulling spring (not shown), and the base 9 also moves away from the solenoid 10. As a result, the racks 95a and 95b are moved in the same manner as described above, whereby the pinion gears 82a and 82b are rotated, and the air outlets 33a and 33b are directed in a direction parallel to the transport direction (FIG. 5A). .

  In the embodiment described above, the air outlets 33a and 33b are rotated by the solenoid 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a known rotating means such as a motor may be used. When a motor is used as the rotation means, the rotation angle of the air outlet can be adjusted by controlling the rotation of the motor, so that any paper size can be accommodated. In the above-described embodiment, only the outer air outlet in the paper width direction is rotatable. However, other air outlets or all the air outlets may be turned.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of a paper feeding device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the sheet feeding device in FIG. 1. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a paper feeding state by the paper feeding device of the present invention. It is a perspective view of the supply duct in which the blower outlet was formed in the paper feeder of FIG. It is a top view which shows the state of the blower outlet which rotates. It is a perspective view which shows the rotation mechanism of a blower outlet. It is a schematic diagram showing a conventional paper feeder.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Apparatus body 2 Mounting stand (mounting part)
3 Supply duct 4 Suction duct 5 Pickup roller (friction roller means)
8a, 8b Cover member 9 Substrate S Paper feeder P Paper 10 Solenoid (rotating means)
31, 32 Air outlet 33a, 33b Air outlet 41 Suction port 82a, 82b Pinion gear 95a, 95b Rack

Claims (4)

Friction roller means for sending out the paper placed on the placement portion, compressed air means for compressing air, and suction means for sucking air,
Air supplied from the compressed air means is blown out from a blowout port formed at a position facing the front end in the paper transport direction, and air is supplied by the suction means from a suction port formed above the front part in the paper transport direction. A sheet feeding device characterized in that the sheet is separated and supplied by suctioning the sheet.   The friction roller means is provided above the front part in the sheet conveying direction and in the center part in the sheet width direction, and the air outlet and the suction port are formed symmetrically around the friction roller means in plan view. The paper feeding device according to claim 1.   The paper feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the air outlets are formed, and the air outlet angle of the air outlets is set to 2 or more.   Rotating means for rotating the air outlet around an axis perpendicular to the paper surface is provided, and the air outlet is rotated in accordance with the width of the paper so that air is blown to both sides at the front end in the paper transport direction. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

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