JP2014047004A - Sheet separation transport device, and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet separation transport device for preventing the movement of a second sheet without any resistance to a separation transport of the uppermost sheet.SOLUTION: A sheet separation transport device comprises: a belt unit 312 disposed over a sheet bundle S and turned, after having adsorbed the uppermost sheet S1 of the sheet bundle, to separate the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle from the second and lower sheets and transport the separated sheet; and a friction member 332 for pressing a transfer side upstream end portion of the sheet bundle S, from which the uppermost sheet S1 has been removed, when the belt unit 312 rotates while adsorbing the uppermost sheet S1. The friction member 332 is attached to the lower side of an arm portion 331 extending from a frame 311 of a sheet separation transport member 310, in which the belt unit 312 is disposed, and is moved downward to hold the sheet bundle S downward when the belt unit 312 is inclined. As a result, the movement of the second and later sheets can be prevented without lowering the transporting force of the uppermost sheet.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet separating / conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus including the sheet separating / conveying apparatus.

  Conventionally, as a sheet separating / conveying device for separating and conveying the uppermost sheet (uppermost sheet) from a bundle of sheets such as stacked originals and recording papers, there are devices using frictional force and those using air suction. Are known.

  Here, since the sheet separating and conveying apparatus using the frictional force uses a rubber material or the like for the conveying roller, the frictional force changes due to a change with time such as wear, and the conveying performance is deteriorated. In addition, when sheets having different friction coefficients (variation) or sheets having different friction coefficients are separated and conveyed at the same time, there may be a conveyance failure such as multiple feeding of a plurality of sheets simultaneously or separation. Furthermore, the sheet may be soiled due to the structure in which the pressure is applied and separated when the sheet is conveyed.

  On the other hand, the sheet separating and conveying device using air suction does not depend on the friction coefficient of the roller or the sheet, but requires an air suction blower or an air duct. Not suitable for use in the office.

  Further, as a sheet separating and conveying apparatus that does not use friction, an apparatus is proposed in which an electric field is formed on a dielectric belt, and this is brought into contact with the sheet to be adsorbed and separated.

  In Patent Document 1, an alternating charge is applied to a dielectric endless belt wound around a plurality of rollers, and the endless belt is swung or translated with respect to a sheet so as to approach or come into contact with the endless belt. Discloses a sheet separating and conveying apparatus that separates the endless belt by moving it in a direction away from the stack of stacked sheets.

  In general, in the sheet separating and conveying apparatus, the second and subsequent sheets may be pulled out from the uppermost sheet. In such a case, the sheets are fed in a double way and normal image formation is not performed. For this reason, various proposals have been made to prevent double feeding.

  As a sheet separating and conveying apparatus using friction, a technique has been proposed in which the trailing edge of a sheet is pressed in order to prevent the second and subsequent sheets from being dragged out or curled.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a paper support rear end in which a multi-feed prevention roller that abuts a rear end portion of a large sheet is attached to a hopper loaded with a plurality of large sheets for the purpose of preventing dragging of the second sheet. The multi-feed prevention roller is provided at a position in contact with the rear end of the first sheet, and the first large sheet starts to be transported from the paper support, and is slightly between the first large sheet and the next large sheet. A sheet separating and conveying apparatus is disclosed that acts to lightly hold the next large format sheet when the “deviation” occurs.

  However, in the separation apparatus described in Patent Document 2, since the double bundle prevention roller presses the sheet bundle including the uppermost sheet in the sheet bundle, resistance occurs in the conveyance of the uppermost sheet when the uppermost sheet is separated and conveyed. There is a problem. As described above, when resistance occurs in the separation and conveyance of the uppermost sheet, for example, in a sheet separation and conveyance device using a dielectric belt, the uppermost sheet to be conveyed is peeled off from the dielectric belt, and the separation and conveyance cannot be normally performed. It will be.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a sheet separating and conveying apparatus capable of preventing movement of the second and subsequent sheets without causing resistance in separating and conveying the uppermost sheet. With the goal.

  The sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention is disposed above the sheet bundle, and after adsorbing the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle, rotates to separate and convey the uppermost sheet from the second and lower sheets of the sheet bundle. When the adsorption separation unit and the adsorption separation unit rotate, the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle composed of the second and lower sheets is viewed from above with the uppermost sheet being conveyed. And a friction member to be pressed.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent movement of the second and subsequent sheets due to dragging of the uppermost sheet without causing resistance in separating and conveying the uppermost sheet.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram illustrating an example of an image forming apparatus that can be equipped with a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to a first embodiment of a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention, where (a) is a side view and (b) is a plan view. It is a perspective view which shows the belt unit of the sheet separation conveyance apparatus. The operations of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus are shown. (A), (b), and (c) are schematic diagrams sequentially showing the operations. 1 shows a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention, wherein (a) is a perspective view, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a perspective view showing an attached state of a friction member. FIG. 3A and 3B show a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to a third embodiment of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention, in which FIG. 9A and 9B show a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention, in which FIG. 9A is a side view showing a case where a thin sheet is separated and conveyed, and FIG. It is a side view which shows a case.

  Hereinafter, a sheet separating and conveying apparatus and an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus that can be equipped with a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention. Note that the image forming apparatus to be implemented in the present invention is not limited to the one shown in the figure, and the image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a facsimile apparatus, an apparatus having a function of a multifunction machine having a copying function and a facsimile function, etc. Various devices that perform the above are targeted.

  In FIG. 1, a copying machine 100 as an example of an image forming apparatus separates a document from a bundle of documents placed on a document tray 110a and automatically feeds the document to a contact glass on a document reading unit 120. 110 and a document reading unit 120 that reads a document transported on the contact glass by the automatic document transport device 110. The copier 100 also scans a sheet fed from the paper feeding unit 130. An image forming unit (image forming unit) 140 that forms an image read by 120 and a sheet bundle S in which a plurality of sheets are stacked, and the uppermost sheet S1 positioned at the top of the sheet bundle S is defined as an image forming unit. A paper feed unit 130 that feeds paper 140 is provided. In this example, the image forming unit 140 and the paper feeding unit 130 can be divided, but a configuration other than that may be used.

  The paper feed unit 130 separates and feeds the paper feed cassette 150 for stacking a sheet bundle S composed of a plurality of sheets and the uppermost sheet S1 positioned at the highest position from the plurality of sheet bundles S on the paper feed cassette 150. And a sheet separating / conveying device 300 to be configured.

  The sheet separated and fed by the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 300 is conveyed on the conveying path 170, and the sheet conveyed on the conveying path 170 is conveyed by the conveying roller pair 180 and the transfer roller 190. As a result, the toner image formed by the image forming unit 140 is transferred, the toner image is thermally transferred by the fixing device 200, and is discharged to the discharge tray 220 by the discharge roller pair 210.

  The image forming unit 140 includes four image forming units 230 (230Y (yellow), 230C (cyan), 230M (magenta), 230BK (black)), an intermediate transfer belt 240 that is a transfer belt, and an exposure device 250. It is configured.

  The exposure apparatus 250 converts color-separated image data input from a personal computer, a word processor, or the like, or image data of an original read by the original reading unit 120 into a signal for driving a light source, and accordingly, each laser light source unit. A semiconductor laser is driven to emit a light beam.

  The image forming units 230Y, 230C, 230M, and 230BK form images of different colors (toner images), and the image forming units 230Y, 230C, 230M, and 230BK are rotated in the clockwise direction. The image forming apparatus includes a photosensitive member 260 (260Y, 260C, 260M, and 260BK) that is an image carrier, a charging unit 270, a developing unit 280, a cleaning unit 290, and the like disposed around the photosensitive member 260.

  The photoreceptor 260 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is driven to rotate by a drive source (not shown). A photosensitive layer is provided on the outer peripheral surface portion of the photoconductor 260, and a light beam indicated by a broken line emitted from the exposure apparatus 250 is spot-irradiated on the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 260, whereby the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 260 is exposed. The electrostatic latent image corresponding to the image information is written.

  The charging unit 270 uniformly charges the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 260, and a contact type is used for the photoconductor 260. The developing unit 280 supplies toner to the photosensitive member 260, and the supplied toner adheres to the electrostatic latent image written on the outer peripheral surface of the photosensitive member 260, whereby the electrostatic latent image on the photosensitive member 260 is changed. A toner image is visualized, and a non-contact type is used for the photoreceptor 260.

The cleaning unit 290 cleans residual toner adhering to the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 260 and employs a brush contact type in which a brush contacts the outer peripheral surface of the photoconductor 260.

  The intermediate transfer belt 240 is composed of an endless belt formed using a resin film or rubber as a base, and the toner image formed on the photosensitive member 260 is transferred to the intermediate transfer belt 240. The toner image is transferred onto the sheet by the transfer roller 190.

  Hereinafter, the sheet conveying apparatus will be described. In the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the embodiment, after the uppermost sheet moves, the upper end of the sheet bundle including the second sheet to be the next uppermost sheet is pressed by the friction member. The second and subsequent sheets are prevented from moving without reducing the sheet conveying force.

<Embodiment 1>
Hereinafter, the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 300 according to the first embodiment will be described. The sheet separating and conveying apparatus 300 forms an electric field on a dielectric belt and separates and conveys the sheet by bringing it into contact with and adsorbing the sheet. It should be noted that the sheet can be separated using the frictional force of the conveying roller or air.

  2A and 2B show a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A is a side view and FIG. 2B is a plan view. The sheet separating and conveying apparatus 300 includes a sheet separating and conveying unit 310 that separates and conveys the uppermost sheet S1 from the sheet bundle S, and a sheet that includes the second sheet S2 that becomes the next uppermost sheet after separating the uppermost sheet S1. A pressing portion 330 that presses the upstream end of the bundle S on the conveyance side. In addition, the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 300 includes a bottom plate 302 on which the sheet bundle S is arranged, and a lifting mechanism 301 that pushes the bottom plate 302 upward together with the sheet bundle S.

  The sheet separation / conveying unit 310 includes a belt unit 312 that is a sheet adsorption / separation unit disposed in the frame 311. The belt unit 312 is configured by winding a dielectric belt 313 around a downstream roller 314 attached to a frame 311 and an upstream roller 315. The downstream roller 314 is rotationally driven by driving means (not shown), and the upstream roller 315 rotates according to this.

  A fan-shaped gear 316 is arranged on the frame 311, and the fan-shaped gear 316 is driven by a drive gear 317 that is driven by a drive motor (not shown). When the drive gear 317 is rotationally driven, the frame 311 swings around the shaft 318 together with the fan gear 316 and the belt unit 312 is inclined so that the upstream roller 315 side contacts the sheet bundle S. The downstream roller 314 is desirably formed with a small diameter so that the dielectric belt 313 contacts and is suitable for separating the uppermost sheet S1 from the sheet bundle S.

  The lower common tangent of the downstream roller 314 and the upstream roller 315 is parallel to the upper surface of the sheet bundle S in a state where the belt unit 312 is not inclined. For this reason, the downstream roller 314 is pressed downward by a compression spring 319 provided on the frame 311. The dielectric belt 313 sag downwards to such an extent that the dielectric belt 313 and the downstream roller 306 do not idle. In this manner, the dielectric belt 313 is in contact with the uppermost sheet S1 in a slack state, and a large contact area can be secured even in the uppermost sheet S1 where the wave is generated.

  A blade electrode 321 connected to the AC power source 320 is provided so as to come into contact with the dielectric belt 313 at a position wound around the upstream roller 315. A conveyance roller pair 322 for guiding the conveyance of the sheet is provided on the downstream side of the dielectric belt 313 in the sheet feeding. As shown in FIG. 5, ribs 323 are provided on the inner sides of both side edges of the dielectric belt 313, and the ribs 323 come into contact with both end surfaces of the upstream roller 315 and the downstream roller 314, so that the dielectric belt 313 Prevent misalignment.

  The pressing portion 330 includes an arm portion 331 connected to the frame 311 and a friction member 332 disposed below the distal end position of the arm portion 331. In the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 300, the arm unit 331 rotates together with the frame 311. That is, when the frame 311 rotates and the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 side is raised, the arm unit 331 is lowered and presses the friction member 332 against the conveying upstream end of the sheet bundle S. Note that reference numeral 333 in FIG. 2 indicates a sensor for detecting the position of the uppermost sheet S1.

  When the uppermost sheet S1 is separated by the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 and the frame 311 is rotated upward about the shaft 318, the friction member 332 is formed on the sheet bundle S in which the second sheet S2 is disposed at the uppermost position. Pressed.

  Next, the operation of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 300 will be described. FIG. 4 shows the operation of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the first embodiment of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus of the present invention. (A), (b), and (c) are schematic diagrams sequentially showing the operation.

  When an external paper feed signal is received, the downstream roller 314 is rotationally driven, and an alternating voltage is applied from the AC power supply 320 to the dielectric belt 313 that has started to rotate via the blade electrode 321. As a result, a charge pattern alternating on the surface of the dielectric belt 313 at a pitch (pitch should be about 4 mm to 16 mm) corresponding to the AC power supply frequency and the circumferential speed of the belt is formed.

  In this state, as shown in FIG. 4A, the belt unit 312 of the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 is lowered and sucked. At this time, after the charging of the dielectric belt 313 is completed, the bottom plate 302, which has been stacked with the sheet bundle S and placed in the free state at the lowest position, starts to rise by the raising mechanism 301, and at a predetermined position. It has stopped.

  In this state, the dielectric belt 313 and the uppermost sheet S1 are in contact with each other, and after waiting for a predetermined waiting time set for each sheet type, the uppermost sheet S1 that is a dielectric is placed on the belt unit 312. Due to the unequal electric field formed by the charge pattern on the surface, Maxwell's stress works and only the uppermost sheet S1 is attracted and held on the dielectric belt 313.

  Then, the conveyance of the uppermost sheet S1 toward the conveyance roller pair 322 is started, and as shown in FIG. 4B, the drive gear 317 is driven to incline the belt unit 312. Thereby, the dielectric belt 313 is driven. As the roller rolls, the curvature is separated and conveyed downstream in the sheet feeding direction, and conveyed to the image forming unit 140 by the conveying roller pair 322. The sheet adsorbing force by the charge pattern acts only on the uppermost sheet S1, and does not act on the following sheets on the second sheet S2.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 4B, the friction member 332 of the pressing unit 330 presses the conveyance upstream end portion of the sheet bundle S in which the second sheet S2 is in the uppermost position. As a result, the second sheet S2 is prevented from being dragged and moved by the sheet bundle S. At this time, the movement of the uppermost sheet S1 is not affected.

  The linear speeds of the conveying roller pair 322 and the dielectric belt 313 are the same. When the conveying roller pair 322 is intermittently driven at a timing, the dielectric belt 313 is also controlled to be intermittently driven. . When the belt unit 312 moves up and down at a high speed, the front end side of the belt unit 312 tends to vibrate, but the meshing portion of the drive gear 317 and the fan-shaped gear 316 is on the opposite side of the shaft 318 of the frame 311, thereby suppressing vibration. Can do. Separation of the sheet from the dielectric belt 313 at the upstream roller 315 is performed by curvature separation. The power source may be an alternating current or a direct current that is changed to a high and low potential, and a rectangular wave, a sine wave, or the like is conceivable. In this example, a sine wave having an amplitude of 4 KV is applied to the surface of the dielectric belt 313.

  In this state, the uppermost sheet S1 is conveyed toward the conveying roller pair 322 as shown in FIG.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention will be described. 5A and 5B show a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to a second embodiment of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 5A is a perspective view, FIG. 5B is a side view, and FIG. FIG. The sheet separating and conveying apparatus 400 is configured to attach a friction member in a variable direction in the conveying direction.

  The sheet separating and conveying apparatus 400 includes a friction member arranging member 440 that is a friction member arranging unit that variably arranges the friction member 432 along the sheet conveying direction, and a conduction that transmits the movement of the sheet separating and conveying unit 410 to the friction member 432. Means 500.

  As shown in FIG. 5C, the friction member arranging member 440 is inserted into the box body 441 including the side plates 442 and 443, the bottom plate 445, and the top plate 446 having long holes 444 in the vertical direction, and the long holes 444. And a friction member support member 447 attached to the rod member 449 and arranged to be movable up and down, and a compression spring 448 that presses the friction member support member 447 upward. The friction member 332 is attached to the friction member support member 443 with its lower side facing down.

  The conduction means 500 is disposed on the sheet separating and conveying unit 410 side, the first support unit 510, the second support unit 520 disposed with the sheet tray 450 sandwiched from the first support unit 510, and the first support unit 510. And a connecting member 530 that is supported by the second supporting portion 510 and the second supporting portion 520 so as to be movable up and down, and that transmits the movement to the friction member 432.

  The 1st support part 510 is provided with the plate-shaped member 511 provided with the long hole 512 long in an up-down direction. The first support portion 510 and the second support portion 520 are disposed on both sides of the sheet tray 450.

  The 2nd support part 520 is provided with the plate-shaped member 521 provided with the long hole 522 long in the up-down direction. The first support portion 510 and the second support portion 520 are disposed on both sides of the sheet tray 450.

  The connecting member 530 includes a plate-like member 531 having a slit 532 into which the rod-like member 449 of the friction member arranging member 440 is inserted. The plate-like member 531 comes into contact with the transmission rod 412 attached to the frame 411 of the sheet separation / conveyance unit 410 and is pushed downward by the transmission rod 412 when the sheet separation / conveyance unit 410 moves upward. Further, in this plate-like member 531, a pin member 533 inserted into the elongated hole 512 of the first support portion 510 so as to move up and down, and a pin member 534 inserted into the elongated hole 522 of the second support portion 520. Is provided. The connecting member 530 is disposed on both sides of the sheet tray 450.

  The connection member 530 is guided by the first support unit 510 and the second support unit 520 to move up and down as the sheet separating and conveying unit 410 rotates. By the translational movement of the connecting member 530, the slit 532 of the plate-like member 531 moves up and down, and the friction member 432 moves up and down.

  In the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 400, the friction member arranging member 440 can move the rod-like member 449 in the sheet conveying direction while being inserted into the slit 532 of the connecting member 530. For this reason, it can be made to move according to the size of the sheet tray 450 and the friction member 432 can press the sheet bundle S from the back fence 451 side of the sheet tray. Further, when the sheet separating and conveying unit 410 returns to the position, the friction member 432 is pushed back by the compression spring 448. For this reason, even if the sheet tray stores and rubs sheets of different sizes, the movement of the second sheet S2 can be prevented without affecting the conveyance of the uppermost sheet S1 by moving the friction member arranging member 440.

<Embodiment 3>
Next, a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 3 of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention will be described. 6A and 6B show a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to a third embodiment of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention, wherein FIG. 6A is a perspective view and FIG. 6B is a side view. This sheet separating and conveying apparatus 600 is a modification of the conducting means 500 according to the second embodiment. In the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 600, the pin member 634 of the connection member 630 is rotatably attached to the plate member 621 of the second support portion 620 of the connection member 630, and the pin member of the connection member 630 is attached to the first support portion 610. An arcuate hole 622 in which 633 is disposed is opened. Note that the sheet separating and conveying unit 410 and the friction member arranging member 440 are configured in the same manner as in the third embodiment, and the connecting member 630 is configured by a plate-like member 631 in which slits 632 are formed.

  According to the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 600, similarly to the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 400 according to the second embodiment, by moving the friction member arranging member 440 even in a sheet tray that stores and rubs sheets of different sizes, The movement of the second sheet S2 can be prevented without affecting the conveyance of the uppermost sheet S1.

<Embodiment 4>
Next, a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to Embodiment 4 of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention will be described. 7A and 7B show a sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to a fourth embodiment of the sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 7A is a side view showing a case where a thin sheet is separated and conveyed, and FIG. It is a side view which shows the case where it separates and conveys. The sheet separating and conveying apparatus 700 is configured to adjust the force with which the friction member presses the sheet bundle. In general, a thin sheet is more difficult to separate than a thick sheet, and tends to drag out the second sheet S2.

  In the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 700 according to the fourth embodiment, the drive motor 721 of the drive gear 317 that drives the fan-shaped gear 316 of the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 is controlled by the drive control unit 720, and the rotation angle of the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 is controlled. Is changed according to the thickness of the sheet. This control can be performed automatically by detecting the thickness of the sheet, or can be set manually.

  Further, the friction member 712 is arranged with the compression spring 713 sandwiched between the frame 711. In the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 700 according to the fourth embodiment, the driving control unit 720 and the compression spring 713 constitute a pressing force adjusting unit.

  In the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 700, when a thin sheet is used, the rotation angle of the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 is increased as shown in FIG. Then, the friction member 712 is a compression spring 713 having a large compression amount, and the friction member 712 presses the sheet bundle S with a large force. Therefore, the second sheet S2, which is a thin sheet that is easily pulled out, is not pulled out to the uppermost sheet S1.

  On the other hand, when using a thick sheet, as shown in FIG. 7B, the rotation angle of the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 is reduced. Then, the friction member 712 presses the sheet bundle S with a smaller force than when the friction member 712 is a compression spring 713 with a small compression amount and the friction member 712 is a thin sheet. In this way, by changing the pressing force of the friction member 712 depending on the type of the sheet, the movement of the second sheet S2 is prevented without affecting the conveyance of the uppermost sheet S1 corresponding to the thickness of the sheet. it can.

  In the sheet separating and conveying apparatus 700 according to the fourth embodiment, the rotation angle of the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 is adjusted in order to adjust the pressing force, but the rotation angle of the sheet separating and conveying unit 310 is made constant. The pressing force adjusting means can be constituted by other means such as a means for changing the force of the compression spring that presses the friction member against the sheet bundle S.

100: Copying machine (image forming apparatus)
110: Automatic document feeder 110a: Document tray 120: Document reading section 130: Paper feed section 140: Image forming section 150: Paper feed cassette 170: Conveyance path 180: Conveying roller pair 190: Transfer roller 200: Fixing device 210: Discharge Paper roller pair 220: paper discharge tray 230: image forming unit (image forming unit)
230Y, 230C, 230M, 230BK: Image forming unit (image forming unit)
240: Intermediate transfer belt 250: Exposure device 260: Photoconductor 270: Charging unit 280: Development unit 290: Cleaning unit 300: Sheet separation and conveyance device 301: Lifting mechanism 302: Bottom plate 306: Downstream roller 310: Sheet separation and conveyance unit 311 Frame 312: Belt unit (adsorption separation unit)
313: Dielectric belt 314: Downstream roller 315: Upstream roller 316: Fan gear 317: Drive gear 318: Shaft 319: Compression spring 320: AC power source 321: Blade electrode 322: Conveying roller pair 323: Rib 330: Presser 331: Arm unit 332: Friction member 400: Sheet separation and conveyance device 410: Sheet separation and conveyance unit 411: Frame 412: Transmission rod 432: Friction member 440: Friction member arrangement member (friction member installation means)
441: Boxes 442, 443: Side plate 447: Friction member support members 442, 443: Side plate 444: Slotted hole 445: Bottom plate 446: Top plate 448: Compression spring 449: Rod member 450: Sheet tray 451: Back fence 500: Conduction Means 510: first support portion 511: plate-like member 512: long hole 520: second support portion 521: plate-like member 522: long hole 530: connection member 531: plate-like member 532: slit 533: pin member 534 : Pin member 600: Sheet separating and conveying device 610: First support portion 612: Hole portion 620: Second support portion 621: Plate member 630: Connection member 631: Plate member 632: Slit 633: Pin member 634: Pin member 700: sheet separating and conveying apparatus 711: frame 712: friction member 713: compression spring (pressing force adjusting means)
720: Drive control unit (pressing force adjusting means)
721: Drive motor S: Sheet bundle S1: Top sheet S2: Second sheet

JP-A-5-139548 JP 2002-302279 A

Claims (5)

An adsorption separation unit that is disposed above the sheet bundle and adsorbs the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle and then rotates and separates and conveys the uppermost sheet from the second and lower sheets of the sheet bundle;
A friction member that presses the upstream end in the conveyance direction of the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle composed of the second and lower sheets from above while the uppermost sheet is conveyed when the suction separation unit is rotated;
A sheet separating and conveying apparatus comprising:   The friction member is connected to the suction separation unit so as to press the friction member against an upper surface of a sheet bundle on which the uppermost sheet is conveyed by rotation of the suction separation unit. The sheet separating and conveying apparatus as described. Friction member disposing means that variably disposes the friction member along the direction in which the uppermost sheet is conveyed, and the friction member can be disposed at the upstream end portion in the conveying direction of sheet bundles of different sizes;
Conduction means for transmitting the movement of the adsorption separation unit to the friction member;
The sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:   The sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a pressing force adjusting unit that adjusts a force with which the friction member presses the sheet.   5. A sheet separating and conveying apparatus according to claim 1, and an image forming means for performing image forming processing on the sheet separated and conveyed by the sheet separating and conveying apparatus. Image forming apparatus.