JP2019038627A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve operability when acquiring paper information in a case where a separating pressure is adjusted in response to the paper information concerning thickness of a paper sheet to be fed.SOLUTION: A paper feeding device comprises a loading part for loading paper sheets, a residual amount detection mechanism 400 for detecting a residual amount of the paper sheets loaded on the loading part, an acquisition part 192 for acquiring information about thickness of a piece of paper by feeding the piece of paper, and a separating position control part for controlling an adjustment motor 78 so as to move a separating member to a position based on the information about the thickness of the piece of paper. The paper feeding device feeds a piece of paper when receiving an instruction of user's initial adjustment to acquire the information about the thickness of the piece of paper that has been fed, and moves the separating member to the position based on the information about the thickness that has been acquired. When instructing the user's initial adjustment, it is suspended to feed the piece of paper in a case where the residual amount detected by the residual amount detection mechanism 400 is a predetermined residual amount or more.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that separates and feeds stacked sheets one by one.

  2. Description of the Related Art A paper feeding device that sends out papers stacked on a stacking unit is known. For example, a paper feed roller that feeds the paper by rotating in contact with the topmost paper among the papers stacked on the stacking unit, and the second and lower sheets from the top are provided facing the paper feed roller. There is known a paper feeder provided with a baffle member for preventing the paper from being fed out. 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been proposed a paper feeding device that can adjust a pressure generated between a paper feeding roller and a baffle member (hereinafter also referred to as “bakaki pressure”) (Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2015-48218

  In the conventional paper feeding device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-228688, the sucking member is moved to a position corresponding to the paper information so as to adjust the sucking pressure according to the paper information such as the thickness of the paper to be sent out. On the other hand, as a result of intensive studies, the present inventors have obtained a conventional paper feeder in acquiring the paper information when adjusting the paper pressure according to the paper information such as the thickness of the paper to be sent out. Recognized that there is room for improvement in operability.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and its purpose is to improve operability when acquiring paper information when adjusting the paper pressure according to paper information such as the thickness of the paper to be sent out. It is to provide a sheet feeding device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a sheet feeding device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a stacking unit on which sheets are stacked, a remaining amount detection mechanism that detects the remaining amount of sheets stacked on the stacking unit, and a stacking unit. A paper feed mechanism that feeds out the topmost paper among the stacked paper, an acquisition unit that obtains information on the thickness of the paper fed by the paper feed mechanism, and paper feed conditions of the paper feed mechanism An adjustment mechanism that adjusts the operation mechanism, an actuator that drives the adjustment mechanism, an operation input unit that receives a user's operation input, and a sheet of paper stacked on the stacking unit in response to a user's predetermined operation input in the operation input unit And a control unit that controls the actuator so as to perform a predetermined adjustment process in the adjustment mechanism based on the information regarding the thickness of the paper acquired in the acquisition unit at the time of sending out, and the control unit includes: In the operation input section Kicking when a predetermined user operation input has been made, when the remaining amount detected by the remaining amount detecting mechanism is a predetermined or higher, refrain from feeding of the paper.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a sheet feeding device includes a stacking unit on which sheets are stacked, a near-end detection mechanism that detects that the remaining amount of sheets stacked on the stacking unit is less than a predetermined value, and a stacking unit. A paper feed mechanism that feeds out and feeds the topmost paper among the papers stacked on the printer, an acquisition unit that obtains information on the thickness of the paper fed by the paper feed mechanism, and a paper feed mechanism An adjustment mechanism that adjusts paper conditions, an actuator that drives the adjustment mechanism, an operation input unit that receives user operation input, and a single sheet that is stacked on the stacking unit in accordance with a user's predetermined operation input in the operation input unit A control unit that controls the actuator so that the adjustment mechanism performs a predetermined adjustment process based on information on the thickness of the paper acquired by the acquisition unit at the time of sending Part When the user's predetermined operation input is made at the operation input unit, if the near-end detection mechanism does not detect that the remaining amount of paper stacked on the stacking unit is less than or equal to the predetermined level, the paper feeding is postponed .

  According to still another aspect of the present invention, a sheet feeding device includes a stacking unit on which sheets are stacked, a sheet presence / absence detection mechanism that detects whether or not a sheet is stacked on the stacking unit, and a stacking unit mounted on the stacking unit. A paper feed mechanism that feeds out the topmost paper among the papers, an acquisition unit that obtains information on the thickness of the paper fed by the paper feed mechanism, and a paper feed condition of the paper feed mechanism An adjustment mechanism, an actuator that drives the adjustment mechanism, an operation input unit that receives a user's operation input, and a sheet of paper stacked on the stacking unit according to a user's predetermined operation input in the operation input unit A control unit that controls the actuator so as to perform a predetermined adjustment process in the adjustment mechanism based on the information on the thickness of the paper acquired in the acquisition unit at the time of feeding, and the control unit includes an operation input unit In When a predetermined user operation input has been made, if the paper stacking section is detected to be not stacked by the sheet presence detecting mechanism, a warning.

  A sheet feeding roller that feeds the sheet by rotating in contact with the uppermost sheet of the sheets stacked on the stacking unit, and a sheet feeding roller are provided opposite to the sheet feeding roller. And the sheet feeding condition is a pressure generated between the sheet feeding roller and the sheet member, and the adjusting mechanism presses the sheet member against the sheet feeding roller. It may be configured to move in a separating direction, and its position may be adjusted by the control unit.

  In response to a predetermined operation input, the control unit may be configured to move the surface member so as to separate the surface member from the paper feed roller in preparation for feeding one sheet of paper stacked on the stacking unit. Good.

The predetermined adjustment process is performed when the pressure generated between the paper feed roller and the suction member has reached a predetermined limit value based on information from at least one sensor of the paper feeder. The position control unit may be a process of moving the surface member in a direction away from the paper feed roller by an amount corresponding to information on the thickness of the paper from a position where the limit value is reached.
Note that any combination of the above-described constituent elements, and those obtained by replacing the constituent elements and expressions of the present invention with each other among methods, apparatuses, systems, etc. are also effective as an aspect of the present invention.

  According to the present invention, there is an effect that a paper feeding device with improved operability when acquiring paper information when adjusting the paper pressure according to paper information such as the thickness of the paper to be sent out can be obtained.

It is a perspective view which shows the collation apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is the schematic diagram which looked at the internal structure of the collation apparatus from the front side. It is a figure which shows a paper feeding mechanism and its periphery It is a figure which shows a paper feeding mechanism and its periphery It is a figure which shows a paper feeding mechanism and its periphery It is a figure which shows a paper feeding mechanism and its periphery It is a figure which shows a paper feeding mechanism and its periphery It is a figure which shows a paper feeding mechanism and its periphery It is an enlarged view which shows the vicinity of the adjustment knob provided in the housing for manually adjusting the suction pressure. It is a top view which shows the structure in a housing. It is an enlarged view showing a sub operation panel. It is the schematic which shows the electrical structure centering on the control part of a collation apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the initial adjustment process by a collation apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the collation process by a collation apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the return process by a collation apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the initial adjustment process which concerns on 2nd Embodiment in detail. It is a flowchart which shows the initial adjustment process which concerns on 3rd Embodiment in detail. It is a figure which shows the paper feeder which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the paper feeder which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the collation process in 4th Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the process of manufacture of an imposition advertisement. It is a flowchart which shows the collation process in 5th Embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the same or equivalent components, members, and processes shown in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description is appropriately omitted. In addition, the dimensions of the members in each drawing are appropriately enlarged or reduced for easy understanding. Also, in the drawings, some of the members that are not important for describing the embodiment are omitted.

(First embodiment)
An outline of the collating apparatus according to the embodiment will be described.
The collating apparatus according to the embodiment executes an initial adjustment process that adjusts the bakaki pressure prior to the collation process, starts the collation process with the initially adjusted bakaki pressure, and applies the bakaki pressure during the collation process. Executes additional adjustment processing for fine adjustment. The collating apparatus 10 stores the height of the surface member when the surface pressure is initially adjusted, or the height position of the surface member when the surface pressure is additionally adjusted as an “adjustment position”. When the paper feeding roller and the separating member are separated in order to remove the sheet due to a paper jam, the collating device returns the separating member to this adjustment position when receiving a predetermined input. As a result, when the paper jam is resolved and the collating process is restarted, the time required for adjusting the suction pressure can be reduced as compared with the case where the initial adjustment process is performed again to adjust the suction pressure.

  In the above-described initial adjustment process, the sucker member is brought into pressure contact with the paper feed roller until the sucker pressure reaches a predetermined limit value, and then moved to a position where the sucker member is lowered by a predetermined “return amount”. In the conventional collating apparatus, the return amount is determined based on the sheet information (for example, the folded form of the sheet) that is information regarding the sheet stacked on the stacking unit. On the other hand, in the collation apparatus according to the present embodiment, the “return amount” is determined based on the sheet information and the surface information (for example, the type of the surface member) that is information about the surface member. In this case, compared with the case where the return amount is determined based only on the paper information, the suction pressure can be adjusted to a more accurate value. This will be specifically described below.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a collating apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment. The collating apparatus 10 is provided with 10-stage shelves on the left and right sides of the housing 12, the left side shelves are provided with paper feed trays 14A to 14J, and the right side shelves are provided with paper feed trays 14K to 14U. ing. A folding paper feed tray 14X is installed below the lowermost paper feed tray 14A on the left side. The paper feed trays 14A to 14X have the same structure, although the attachment position and the attachment direction to the housing 12 are different. In the following description, when these are not particularly distinguished, they are collectively referred to as “paper feed tray 14”.

  A main operation panel 16 is provided on the front side of the housing 12. The main operation panel 16 has a touch panel type liquid crystal display, and a user can perform a predetermined operation input for collation processing. On the other hand, a sub operation panel 20 is provided so as to correspond to the paper feed mechanism 18 of each shelf. The sub operation panel 20 is provided with a plurality of operation buttons for the user to perform predetermined operation inputs for paper feed processing. Details thereof will be described later.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the internal structure of the collating apparatus 10 as viewed from the front side. The collating apparatus 10 further includes a sub transport mechanism 22 and a main transport mechanism 24. The sub transport mechanism 22 is provided corresponding to the paper feed mechanism 18 of each shelf. The paper feed mechanism 18 feeds the topmost sheet of the stack of paper stacked on the paper feed tray 14 one by one to the transport path of the sub transport mechanism 22.

  The sub transport mechanism 22 sends the paper fed from the paper feed mechanism 18 to the main transport mechanism 24. The main transport mechanism 24 is provided in the casing 12 so as to extend in the vertical direction. The main transport mechanism 24 transports the paper fed from each sub transport mechanism 22 downward alone or in a superimposed manner.

  The paper feed tray 14 and the paper feed mechanism 18 are detachably attached to the housing 12. Specifically, the paper feed tray 14 is configured to be disengaged from the housing 12 and to be removed from the housing 12 when a lock mechanism (not shown) is released by the user. Since such an engagement method is well-known, description is abbreviate | omitted.

  The collating apparatus 10 further includes a paper transport plate 26, a paper placement plate 28, a stopper 30, a folding knife 32, and a pair of rollers 34. On the folding paper feed tray 14X, sheets that are folded in half so as to sandwich the sheet bundle conveyed by the main conveyance mechanism 24 are stacked. A sheet feeding mechanism 18 is also provided in the folding sheet feeding tray 14X. The paper feed mechanism 18 feeds the uppermost paper in the bundle of paper stacked on the folding paper feed tray 14X to the paper transport plate 26 one by one.

  The sheet transport plate 26 is disposed such that the end on the downstream side in the sheet transport direction (hereinafter simply referred to as “downstream side”) is positioned slightly to the left of the lower end of the main transport mechanism 24. The paper placing plate 28 is provided so that the two plates are overlapped with an interval. The paper placement plate 28 is disposed such that the upstream end in the paper transport direction (hereinafter simply referred to as “upstream side”) is positioned slightly to the right of the lower end of the main transport mechanism 24. The stopper 30 is disposed so that the leading edge of the paper guided into the paper placement plate 28 contacts. The stopper 30 is configured to be movable upstream and downstream along the paper placement plate 28 by operating an actuator such as a motor.

  The collation apparatus 10 is provided with a control unit 50. The control unit 50 includes a CPU that executes various calculations, a ROM that stores various control programs, and a RAM that is used as a work area for data storage and program execution, and is provided inside the collating apparatus 10. Control the operation of the actuator. The user can perform various setting inputs on the main operation panel 16 or the sub operation panel 20. The control unit 50 acquires information input by the user in this way, and controls the operation of the collation apparatus 10 according to the acquired information.

  The collating apparatus 10 further includes a belt conveyance mechanism 36, a discharge roller 38, and a stacker tray 40. When collating paper sheets stacked on the folding paper feed tray 14X with the paper bundle being sandwiched, the paper is first transported from the folding paper feed tray 14X toward the paper placement plate 28. The leading end of the sheet bundle formed while being conveyed downward by the main conveying mechanism 24 comes into contact with the sheet conveyed to the sheet placing plate 28. The control unit 50 rotates the folding knife 32 at this timing, abuts the tip of the folding knife 32 against the paper placed on the paper placement plate 28, and presses it toward the pair of rollers 34. In this way, the sheet bundle is nipped by the roller 34 together with the sheet placed on the sheet placing plate 28, the sheet placed on the sheet placing plate 28 is folded so as to sandwich the sheet bundle, and conveyed to the belt conveying mechanism 36. Is done.

  The belt conveyance mechanism 36 conveys the sheet bundle further downstream. The discharge roller 38 discharges the conveyed sheet bundle to the stacker tray 40. The stacker tray 40 is detachably attached to the housing 12, and the created sheet bundle is stacked and accumulated. When the sheet bundle is not sandwiched between the origami sheets as described above, the sheet bundle formed while being conveyed downward by the main conveyance mechanism 24 is not supplied from the folding sheet feeding tray 14X, and the pair of sheet forms is not changed. It is nipped by the roller 34 and conveyed to the belt conveyance mechanism 36.

  The control unit 50 executes the sheet collation process according to the number of copies designated by the user via the main operation panel 16 (hereinafter also referred to as “collation setting number of copies”). Further, the control unit 50 executes an “initial adjustment process” for appropriately adjusting the suction pressure by the sheet feeding mechanism 18 prior to the collating process, and appropriately readjusts the sucking pressure during the collating process. "Additional adjustment process" is executed. In addition, the control unit 50 executes “returning processing” for restoring the suction pressure after performing the paper jam processing or the like. Details of the initial adjustment process, the additional adjustment process, and the return process will be described later.

  3 to 8 are views showing the paper feed mechanism and its surroundings. 3 is a front view, FIG. 4 is a background view, FIGS. 5 and 6 are top views, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 6, and FIG. FIG. 6 shows a state where the bag member housing frame 206 is removed from FIG. In each drawing, for convenience of explanation, illustration of some structures is omitted as appropriate.

  Sheets set by the user are stacked on the sheet feed tray 14. That is, the paper feed tray 14 functions as a “stack unit”. Since the paper feed tray 14 is installed so as to be inclined obliquely, the sheets on the paper feed tray 14 are stacked in an inclined state so that the higher-order sheets are shifted forward (downstream in the paper feed direction). Is done. 3 to 8 show a state before the paper is set for convenience.

  A guide plate 41 and a paper feed mechanism 18 are provided in front of the paper feed tray 14. The guide plate 41 constitutes a horizontal conveyance path in which the sub conveyance mechanism 22 is provided, supports the sheet sent out by the sheet feeding mechanism 18 from below, and guides it toward the main conveyance mechanism 24. The guide plate 41 is supported by a pair of frames 49 provided on both sides thereof.

  The paper feed mechanism 18 includes a paper feed roller 42, an auxiliary paper feed roller 44, a first separator member 45, a second separator member 46, a third separator member 47, and the like. Each shaft of the paper feed roller 42 and the auxiliary paper feed roller 44 is supported by a bracket 48. The paper feed roller 42 is a drive roller that is rotationally driven by a paper feed motor 77 (described later with reference to FIG. 12), rotates while being pressed against the uppermost surface of the sheet bundle, and feeds the uppermost paper. The auxiliary paper feed roller 44 is a driven roller connected to the paper feed roller 42 via the timing belt 52 and rotates in contact with the uppermost surface of the paper bundle. A bracket 48 is rotatably supported on a fulcrum shaft 42 </ b> A that is coaxial with the paper feed roller 42. The fulcrum shaft 42 </ b> A extends in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction (hereinafter referred to as “width direction”), and both ends thereof are rotatably supported by the pair of frames 49. Accordingly, the fulcrum shaft 42A is fixed in position, and the angle of the bracket 48 changes around the fulcrum shaft 42A according to the number of sheets stacked. The upper end of the bracket 48 on the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction is connected to the lower end of the spring 404. The upper end of the spring 404 is connected to a member (not shown) supported by the pair of frames 49.

  A remaining paper amount detection mechanism 400 is provided above the downstream end of the bracket 48 in the paper feeding direction. The remaining sheet detection mechanism 400 includes a detected surface 401 provided at a downstream end of the bracket 48 in the sheet feeding direction, and a displacement sensor 402. A rotatable detector 402 a of the displacement sensor 402 is in contact with the detected surface 401. When the remaining amount of the sheet bundle changes, the angle of the bracket 48 changes and the detected surface 401 is displaced. When the detected surface 401 is displaced, the detector 402a is rotated. With this configuration, the displacement sensor 402 detects the height of the detected surface 401. The higher the position of the detected surface 401 is, the more paper is left. As the remaining amount of paper increases, the height of the auxiliary paper feed roller 44 increases and the height of the detected surface 401 also increases, so that the displacement sensor 402 and the detected surface 401 function as a remaining paper amount detecting mechanism.

  A lower member switching mechanism 200 is provided below the paper feed roller 42. The sucker member switching mechanism 200 is housed in a housing member 55 fixed to the pair of frames 49. The saber member switching mechanism 200 includes a first slide base 202, a second slide base 204, a saber member housing frame 206, a fourth link 208, a switching lever 210, a first position detection sensor 211a, and a second position. Detection sensor 211b.

  The first slide table 202 and the second slide table 204 extend in the width direction, and are arranged with an interval in the width direction. The first slide table 202 and the second slide table 204 are fixed to the bottom of the housing member 55. The grill member storage frame 206 is provided so as to be slidable in the width direction on the first slide table 202 and the second slide table 204. The sucker member accommodation frame 206 has three accommodation portions (accommodation spaces) including a first accommodation portion 212, a second accommodation portion 214, and a third accommodation portion 216, which are surrounded on both sides in the width direction and one side in the paper feeding direction. In the first storage part 212, the second storage part 214, and the third storage part 216, a first rust member 45, a second rust member 46, and a third rust member 47 are accommodated, respectively.

  One end portion of the fourth link 208 is rotatably connected to one end portion of the sucker member housing frame 206, and one end portion of the switching lever 210 is rotatably connected to the other end portion of the fourth link 208. Yes. The switching lever 210 is pivotally supported by a lever fulcrum 218 erected on the bottom of the housing member 55, and the other end projects outward from the housing member 55.

  When the other end of the switching lever 210 is moved to the right, one end of the switching lever 210 moves to the left. As a result, the sucker member housing frame 206 is pulled to the left via the fourth link 208 and slides to the left on the first slide table 202 and the second slide table 204. When the other end of the switching lever 210 is moved to the left, one end of the switching lever moves to the right. As a result, the sucker member housing frame 206 is pulled rightward via the fourth link 208 and slides rightward on the first slide base 202 and the second slide base 204. In this way, the switching member 210 is operated to the left and right to slide the sheet member housing frame 206 in the width direction, thereby switching the sheet member facing the lower side of the paper feed roller 42 (hereinafter referred to as “opposing sheet member”). Can do. In addition, in FIG. 5, the state where the 1st surface member 45 is an opposing surface member.

  A first position detection sensor 211a and a second position detection sensor 211b are provided below the switching lever 210 so as to be aligned in the width direction. The first position detection sensor 211a and the second position detection sensor 211b are both transmissive optical sensors, and when the first storage portion 212 faces the paper feed roller 42 (that is, the first sucking member 45 faces). The first position detection sensor 211a detects the switching lever 210 when it is a rust member, and the second storage member 214 is opposed to the paper feed roller 42 (that is, the second rust member 46 is a counter-saw member). ) When neither the first position detection sensor 211a nor the second position detection sensor 211b detects the switching lever 210 and the third storage portion 216 faces the paper feed roller 42 (that is, the third suction member 47). The second position detecting sensor 211b is arranged so as to detect the switching lever 210 (when the is a facing member). That is, the switching lever 210, the first position detection sensor 211 a, and the second position detection sensor 211 b are storage units that store the opposing sucker member and that are opposed to the paper feed roller 42 (hereinafter referred to as “opposing” "Opposite accommodation part specifying mechanism" for specifying the "accommodation part").

  For example, plate-shaped rust plates made of urethane rubber are attached to the first rust member 45, the second rust member 46, and the third rust member 47, respectively. In the present embodiment, the first rust member 45 is a general rust member, and can be widely used from one sheet to two, four, and eight fold sheets. The second sheet member 46 is a sheet member for thin paper, and is used for a single sheet that is difficult to separate due to close contact between sheets. Specifically, a step is provided on the surface plate of the second surface member 46. In this case, the apex of the step and the paper feed roller are brought into pressure contact with each other, and the paper can be separated by a strong press contact force generated on a line along the apex of the step.

  The third sheet member 47 is a booklet member, and is used for a saddle stitch booklet, a tabloid plate, or the like. Specifically, the lower plate of the third lower member 47 is a member having a lower frictional force than the lower plate of the first lower member 45 and the second lower member 46. In the case of a relatively thick material such as a booklet, two or more sheets (two or more booklets) pass through the gap between the feed roller 42 and the third sheet member 47 in addition to the frictional force of the surface member. However, adjusting to a difficult gap will also have the effect of suppressing the advance of the second sheet (second booklet) and later, so there is no need to increase the frictional force of the material, and the smaller the frictional force This is because the gap can be smoothly passed.

  The bottom part of each accommodating part of the cypress member accommodating frame 206 is open. Accordingly, the first and second saw members 45, 46 and 47 are supported by the first slide table 202, the second slide table 204, or the suck base 72 (described later). In particular, the facing member is supported by the member base 72. It can be said that the surface member supported by the surface base 72 is the opposite surface member. FIG. 5 shows a state in which the first buckling member 45 is supported by the buckling base 72 and the second and third sucking members 46 and 47 are supported by the second slide base 204.

  Due to the resistance when the rotational driving force of the paper feed roller 42 is transmitted to the auxiliary paper feed roller 44, a torque is applied to the bracket 48 in the direction of clockwise rotation in FIG. The auxiliary paper feed roller 44 is pressed against the uppermost sheet by a force obtained by subtracting the tensile force of the spring 404 from the sum of the weight of the bracket 48 and the auxiliary paper feed roller 44 rotates in this state. Feed the top paper. When the uppermost sheet is fed between the sheet feeding roller 42 and the opposing sucking member by the auxiliary sheet feeding roller 44, the sheet feeding roller 42 feeds the sheet further downstream. The sheet is sent out while being held at an appropriate pressure between the sheet feeding roller 42 and the opposing suction member. At this time, due to the difference between the frictional force between the paper feed roller 42 and the paper and the frictional force between the opposing suction member and the paper, the feeding of the second and subsequent sheets from the top is suppressed. As a result, only the uppermost sheet is sent out between the sheet feed roller 42 and the opposing suction member.

  A timing sensor 56 is provided on the downstream side of the facing member in the housing member 55 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The timing sensor 56 is a reflection type optical sensor for detecting when the second and lower sheets from the top stay in the vicinity of the downstream side of the paper feed mechanism 18 due to a decrease in the pressure of the paper.

  A sheet presence / absence detection sensor 57 is provided on the upstream side of the facing member in the housing member 55 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The paper presence / absence detection sensor 57 is a reflective optical sensor, and detects whether or not paper is stacked on the paper feed tray 14.

  A conveyance lower roller 70 and a lateral and jam sensor 58 are provided (see FIG. 4). The jam sensor 58 is a reflection type optical sensor and detects when a paper jam occurs in the paper feeding process. Further, the jam sensor 58 also functions as a “paper sensor” that is used together with the timing sensor 56 when determining a shortage of the vacuum pressure.

  A double feed detection mechanism 60 is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the paper feed mechanism 18 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The double feed detection mechanism 60 includes a reference roller 62 and a displacement roller 64. The displacement roller 64 functions as a “measuring roller” and comes into contact with the reference roller 62 from above. Both ends of the shaft of the reference roller 62 are fixed to a pair of frames 49. On the other hand, the shaft of the displacement roller 64 is fixed to one end side of the lever member 65. Since the other end side of the lever member 65 is rotatably supported by a fulcrum shaft (not shown) provided in the frame 49, the displacement roller 64 can be displaced relative to the reference roller 62. A detection surface 67 is provided at one end of the lever member 65, and a displacement sensor 69 for detecting the displacement of the detection surface 67 is provided on the frame 49.

  A rolling roller 66 is provided below the reference roller 62. A pair of transport rollers constituting the sub transport mechanism 22 is provided on the downstream side of the double feed detection mechanism 60. That is, the transport upper roller 68 and the transport lower roller 70 are provided vertically. The conveyance upper roller 68 and the conveyance lower roller 70 can contact each other, and the rolling roller 66 abuts on each of the conveyance lower roller 70 and the reference roller 62. The transport upper roller 68 and the transport lower roller 70 are driven by a motor (not shown) (a transport motor described later). The driving force of the lower conveyance roller 70 is transmitted to the reference roller 62 via the rolling roller 66.

  When the sheet passes between the reference roller 62 and the displacement roller 64, the axial position of the displacement roller 64 increases by the thickness of the sheet. The displacement sensor 69 detects the rising amount of the detection surface 67 at this time. Since the lever member 65 is biased by a pulling spring (not shown), the displacement roller 64 is pressed against the reference roller 62 by the biasing force of the pulling spring while the sheet is not passing. Based on the detection information of the displacement sensor 69, it can be determined whether or not a double feed of the paper has occurred.

  Below the counter plate member, there is provided a plate pressure adjustment mechanism 54 that adjusts the plate pressure generated between the counter plate member and the paper feed roller 42. The suction pressure adjusting mechanism 54 displaces the tilting member 74 in the direction parallel to the rotation axis of the paper feeding roller 42, the tilting member 74 provided below the sawing base 72, and the tilting member 74. A link mechanism 76 and an adjustment motor 78 as an actuator for driving the link mechanism 76 are included.

  Sabaki base 72 has a main body extending in the paper feeding direction, and one end of the main body is rotatably supported on a rotary shaft 80. The rotation shaft 80 is provided in parallel with the rotation shaft of the paper feed roller 42 and is fixed to the housing member 55. An opposing Sabaki member is placed on the upper surface of the other half of the Sabaki base 72.

  A sphere 82 is embedded and fixed on the lower surface of the surface base 72 so as to expose the lower half of the sphere 82. An inclined member 74 is provided below the sphere 82. The inclined member 74 has an inclined surface 84 that is inclined in a direction parallel to the rotation shaft 80 (see FIG. 7), and can slide the sphere 82 along the inclined surface 84. Since the positional relationship between the sphere 82 and the base 72 does not change, the base 82 rotates about the rotary shaft 80 when the sphere 82 slides on the inclined surface 84. Thereby, the height position of the opposing rubber member can be changed. In other words, the suction base 72, the ball 82, and the inclined member 74 constitute an “elevating mechanism” that changes the height position of the opposing suction member, and the “pressing force that acts on the sheet feeding roller 42 by the opposing suction member” is applied. Pressure mechanism ". In addition, the connection structure between the link mechanism 76 and the inclined member 74 constitutes a “cooperation mechanism” that operates and links the link mechanism 76 and its pressurizing mechanism in accordance with the displacement of the link mechanism 76.

  The link mechanism 76 is configured by sequentially connecting the first link 90, the second link 92, and the third link 94 in the longitudinal direction. The link mechanism 76 functions as a “transmission member” for transmitting the driving force of the adjustment motor 78 to the pressure mechanism. In the present embodiment, the second link 92 and the third link 94 constitute a “first link member”, and the first link 90 constitutes a “second link member”. The first link 90 has an elongated shape, and one end thereof is fixed to one end portion of the inclined member 74. A long hole 96 extending in the longitudinal direction is provided in an intermediate portion of the first link 90, and a support column 98 erected on the bottom of the housing member 55 is inserted. Accordingly, the first link 90 can be displaced in the longitudinal direction while being guided by the support column 98. A column 104 is erected on the other end side of the first link 90.

  The second link 92 has an elongated shape, and a long hole 106 extending in the longitudinal direction is provided at one end portion of the second link 92, and the support column 104 is inserted therethrough. Thereby, the second link 92 can be displaced in the longitudinal direction while being guided by the support column 104. One end of a third link 94 is rotatably connected to the other end of the second link 92. The other end of the third link 94 is connected to the adjustment motor 78 via a speed reducer 120 (described later). The other end of the third link 94 is rotatably connected to the peripheral portion of the gear 122. A tension spring 105 is provided between the other end of the second link 92 and the support column 104.

  When the adjustment motor 78 is rotated forward, the link mechanism 76 is driven leftward in FIG. As a result, the inclined member 74 is displaced to the left, and the sphere 82 rises along the inclined surface 84. As a result, the sucker base 72 rotates in one direction, the opposing sucker member rises, and the sucker pressure can be increased. Conversely, when the adjustment motor 78 is reversed, the link mechanism 76 is driven rightward in FIG. As a result, the inclined member 74 is displaced to the right, and the sphere 82 descends along the inclined surface 84. As a result, the bottom base 72 rotates in the other direction, and the opposing bottom member descends. As a result, the suction pressure can be reduced. The suction pressure can be adjusted by driving the adjustment motor 78 as described above.

  The first link 90 is provided with an inclined member 91 that protrudes upstream in the sheet feeding direction at an intermediate portion thereof. The inclined member 91 has an inclined surface 97 that is inclined so as to be away from the first link 90 as it approaches the opposite sucking member. A limit sensor 220 is disposed so as to face the inclined surface 97 in the sheet feeding direction. The limit sensor 220 is a displacement sensor and is attached to the bottom of the housing member 55. The drive bar 221 of the limit sensor 220 is in contact with the inclined surface 97. When the opposing rubber member moves up and down, that is, when the first link 90 moves left and right, the inclined member 91 also moves left and right. At this time, the inclined surface 97 of the inclined member 91 moves the drive bar 221 of the limit sensor 220 in the axial direction. The limit sensor 220 detects the displacement of the drive bar 221 to acquire the height position of the opposing sucking member.

  The second link 92 is provided with a projecting portion 110 projecting to the downstream side in the paper feeding direction on one end side thereof. A detection unit (not shown) is erected at the tip of the protrusion 110. In the vicinity of the protrusion 110, a home sensor 222 and an upper limit sensor 224 are arranged so as to be aligned in the width direction. The home sensor 222 and the upper limit sensor 224 are attached to the bottom of the housing member 55. The detection unit erected on the protrusion 110 moves forward and backward with respect to the home sensor 222 or the upper limit sensor 224 according to the displacement of the second link 92. The home sensor 222 detects that the suction pressure can be adjusted (that is, the opposing suction member is at the lowest position) when the detection unit is blocking the optical axis. The upper limit sensor 224 detects that the suction pressure is excessive when the detection unit shields the optical axis (that is, the opposing suction member has reached a predetermined upper limit position).

  A housing 86 is provided on one side (front side) of the housing member 55 and houses the adjustment motor 78, the speed reducer 120, and the like. FIG. 9 is an enlarged view showing the vicinity of an adjustment knob 378 provided in the housing 86 for manually adjusting the suction pressure. FIG. 10 is a top view showing the configuration inside the housing 86.

  The adjustment motor 78 is a DC brushless motor in the present embodiment. The adjustment motor 78 may be a stepping motor or other motors. The reduction gear 120 includes a gear 122 rotatably supported by the housing member 55 and an output gear 124 attached to the rotation shaft of the adjustment motor 78. A third link 94 of the adjustment motor 78 is rotatably connected to the peripheral portion of the gear 122. The speed reducer 120 transmits the rotation of the adjustment motor 78 to the third link 94.

  The adjustment knob 378 is an operation member that is manually operated by the user. An output gear 376 is provided at the tip of the shaft 375 of the adjustment knob 378 and is connected to the gear 122. The output gear 376 and the gear 122 function as a “conversion mechanism” that converts the operation of the adjustment knob 378 into the operation of the suction pressure adjustment mechanism 54. The shaft 375 is further provided with a gear 370 and meshes with a gear 372 directly connected to the output shaft of the adjustment motor 78. A bidirectional clutch 374 is interposed between the adjustment motor 78 and the gear 372. The bidirectional clutch 374 transmits the rotational force input from the shaft on the adjustment motor 78 side to the shaft on the gear 372 side, but the rotational force input from the shaft on the gear 372 side is transmitted to the shaft on the adjustment motor 78 side. It is configured not to be. Therefore, when the adjusting knob 378 is operated clockwise or counterclockwise in FIG. 9 to manually adjust the suction pressure, the rotational force is not transmitted to the adjusting motor 78. Therefore, the adjustment knob 378 can be operated regardless of the load of the adjustment motor 78 in the stopped state. In addition, since such a structure is well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted. A memory is provided around the adjustment knob 378 in the housing 86, and the suction pressure can be increased by rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 9, and the suction pressure can be reduced by rotating clockwise. When a paper jam has occurred, the jammed paper can be removed by rotating the adjustment knob 378 counterclockwise in FIG. 9 and lowering the opposing suction member to a height where no suction pressure is generated.

  Above the adjustment knob 378, a display unit 380 that displays a recommended amount of adjustment of the suction pressure, and an adjustment lamp 382 that is turned on when the adjustment of the suction pressure is necessary are provided. In addition, a locking mechanism 384 is provided for locking or unlocking manual adjustments by the user. The control unit 50 executes a process for prompting the user to appropriately adjust the suction pressure. Returning to FIGS.

  A housing 88 is provided on the other side (back side) of the housing member 55, and a control board (not shown) for controlling input / output of the sub operation panel 20 is housed. FIG. 11 is an enlarged view showing the sub operation panel 20. In addition to the display device 162 that displays the corresponding shelf number and the like on the sub-operation panel 20, use setting buttons 164 and 168 that are pressed when setting whether or not to use the corresponding shelf, and initial adjustment processing are executed. An initial adjustment button 166 that is pressed when the paper feed timing is adjusted, timing buttons 170 and 172 that are pressed when the paper feed timing is adjusted, a normal rotation button 174 that rotates the paper feed motor in a normal direction, a reverse rotation button 176 that reverses the paper feed motor, A test paper feed button 178 or the like that is pressed when performing test paper feed is provided. Returning to FIGS.

Next, a method for adjusting the suction pressure will be described.
First, the suction pressure adjusting mechanism 54 is driven to the pressure reducing side that reduces the suction pressure. That is, the adjustment motor 78 is rotated in the reverse direction to drive the link mechanism 76 to the right in FIG. 5 and displace the inclined member 74 in the same direction. As a result, the height of the inclined surface 84 with which the sphere 82 abuts is lowered, so that the opposing rubber member is lowered. As a result, when the home sensor 222 enters the detection state, the driving of the adjustment motor 78 is stopped. If the home sensor 222 is in the detection state from the beginning, the adjustment motor 78 is not reversely driven.

  Subsequently, the suction pressure adjusting mechanism 54 is driven to the pressure increasing side for increasing the suction pressure. That is, the adjustment motor 78 is rotated forward to drive the link mechanism to the left in FIG. 5, and the inclined member 74 is displaced in the same direction. As a result, the height of the inclined surface 84 with which the sphere 82 abuts increases, so that the opposing rubber member rises. When the opposing sucking member rises, it comes into contact with the paper feed roller 42 and still rises, thereby increasing the mutual contact pressure, that is, the sucking pressure. When the suction pressure reaches a predetermined limit value, the displacement of the inclined member 74 is restricted.

  From this state, the suction pressure adjusting mechanism 54 is further driven to the pressure increasing side. That is, the adjustment motor 78 is further rotated forward. Thereby, the tension spring 105 is extended, and the second link 92 is displaced leftward in FIG. 5 while the first link 90 and the inclined member 74 are stopped. Then, when it is detected by the limit sensor 220 that the rising of the opposing sucking member has stopped, the driving of the adjustment motor 78 is stopped. When the tension spring 105 starts to extend, in other words, the limit pressure is the threshold pressure when the opposing suction member stops rising despite the adjustment motor 78 being driven, and the reference for adjusting the suction pressure is To do. Then, from this state, the vacuum pressure adjusting mechanism 54 is driven to the reduced pressure side by a predetermined amount. That is, the adjustment motor 78 is reversely rotated by a predetermined rotation amount, and the position of the inclined member 74 is returned to the right in FIG. 5 by a predetermined return amount.

  As described above, in the state in which the pressure is less than or equal to the limit value, when the second link 92 is moved to the pressurizing side, the first link 90 can be moved in the same direction as the second link 92, thereby opposing the second link 92. Sabaki member can be raised. On the other hand, when the suction pressure reaches the limit value, the movement of the first link 90 is restricted even if the second link 92 is further moved to the pressure side.

  Note that the return amount (that is, the rotation amount of the adjustment motor 78) is determined as an amount corresponding to the folded shape of the sheet and the type of the opposing suction member. Specifically, for example, an optimal amount of rotation with respect to a folding shape such as no folding, two-folding, and four-folding is set for each type of the facing member. The optimum value of the relationship between the type of the facing plate member, the folding shape of the paper, and the rotation amount is obtained by conducting a test or the like in advance. The control unit 50 holds the obtained information as rotation amount specifying information, and refers to this when adjusting the suction pressure.

  FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram showing an electrical configuration centering on the control unit 50 of the collating apparatus 10. Functional blocks are shown for the control unit 50. The control unit 50 includes an acquisition unit 192, a bag position control unit 194, and a storage unit 196.

  Signals from the main input device 150 provided on the main operation panel 16 and the sub input device 160 provided on the sub operation panel 20 are input to the control unit 50. The main input device 150 includes various switches such as a start switch 152 for starting the collating process and a stop switch 154 for stopping the collating process. On the other hand, the sub input device 160 includes various switches corresponding to the buttons shown in FIG. Further, the control unit 50 includes the limit sensor 220, the home sensor 222, the upper limit sensor 224, the timing sensor 56, the paper presence / absence detection sensor 57, the jam sensor 58, the displacement sensor 69, and the discharge of the paper to the stacker tray 40. A detection signal is input from a paper discharge sensor 180 or the like that detects this.

  The control unit 50 executes predetermined arithmetic processing for paper feed control, transport control, folding control, and the like based on these switch / sensor inputs, and controls the paper feed motor 77, adjustment motor 78, main motor 182 and the like. A command signal is output. The main motor 182 is a motor that is shared by the transport rollers and the like constituting the sub transport mechanism 22 and the main transport mechanism 24. Further, the control unit 50 causes the main display device 190 to display a collation processing setting screen, error notification, and the like. The main display device 190 is provided as a liquid crystal display on the main operation panel 16.

  The acquisition unit 192 of the control unit 50 acquires inputs via the main operation panel 16 and the sub operation panel 20 and switch / sensor inputs. The grilling position control unit 194 controls the adjustment motor 78 as an actuator to adjust the height position of the facing grilling member as will be described later. The storage unit 196 stores various data.

For example, the storage unit 196 stores “association information” that associates each storage unit of the cypress member storage frame 206 with the type of the cypress member stored therein. An example of association information is shown below.
Accommodating part: type of sawb member 1st accommodating part: for general use (first sabaki member 45)
Second housing part: for thin paper (second sawbing member 46)
3rd accommodating part: For booklets (3rd Sabaki member 47)
Note that the user may be prompted by the instruction of the collation apparatus 10 or the screen displayed on the main operation panel 16 to accommodate the buckle member in the accommodation unit according to the association information. In addition, a sticker indicating that effect may be attached as a note on the side member housing frame 206 or in the vicinity thereof. Alternatively, the buckling member and the housing portion may be formed in a shape that allows the housing member to be housed in the housing portion only in accordance with the associated information. In other words, only a general rust member (first rust member 45) fits in the first storage portion 212, and only a thin paper rust member (second rust member 46) fits in the second storage portion 214. Instead, each storage portion and each surface member may be formed in the third storage portion 216 so that only the booklet's surface member (third surface member 47) fits.

  Further, for example, the storage unit 196 holds the rotation amount specifying information described above. In addition, for example, the storage unit 196 stores the height position of the opposing suction member when the suction pressure is adjusted by the initial adjustment process or the additional adjustment process.

  Next, the initial adjustment process, the collation process, and the return process executed by the collation apparatus 10 will be described.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the initial adjustment process by the collation apparatus 10. The initial adjustment process is executed in order to appropriately adjust the suction pressure prior to the collation process.

  When the folding form information is input by the user (Y in S20), the control unit 50 stores the folding form information (S22). That is, when the user inputs a folding shape (no folding, two-folding, four-folding, etc.) of each shelf via the main operation panel 16 or the sub operation panel 20, the acquisition unit 192 acquires this and stores it as folding form information. Store in the unit 196.

  When the initial adjustment switch is turned on by pressing and holding the initial adjustment button 166 (Y in S24), the position control unit 194 is based on the outputs of the first position detection sensor 211a and the second position detection sensor 211b. The type of the opposing rubber member is specified (S25). Specifically, the acquisition unit 192 acquires the output from the first position detection sensor 211a or the second position detection sensor 211b (that is, the output related to the opposing housing unit), and the sack position control unit 194 is stored in the storage unit 196. With reference to the associated information, the type of the opposing sucking member accommodated in the opposing accommodating portion is specified. For example, in the example of FIG. 5, since the first position detection sensor 211a detects the switching lever 210, the acquisition unit 192 indicates that the output from the first position detection sensor 211a (that is, the first storage unit 212 is an opposing storage unit). Output), and the position control unit 194 refers to the association information and sets the type of the first member 45 (that is, the opposite member) that is stored in the first container 212 as the “general” member. Identify.

  Subsequently, the blade position control unit 194 determines whether the blade pressure is adjustable based on the output of the home sensor 222 (S26). Specifically, if the home sensor 222 is in the detection state (that is, if the detection unit standing at the tip of the protrusion 110 blocks the optical axis of the home sensor 222), the side position control unit 194 It is determined that the pressure is in an adjustable state. If it is not in an adjustable state (N in S26), the blade position control unit 194 reverses the adjustment motor 78 and lowers the facing blade member (S28). As a result, when the adjustment is possible (Y in S30), the blade position controller 194 stops the adjustment motor 78 (S32). On the other hand, if the adjustment is already possible (Y in S26), the processing from S28 to S32 is skipped.

Subsequently, the blade position control unit 194 rotates the adjustment motor 78 in the forward direction to raise the facing blade member (S34), and determines whether the blade pressure has reached the limit value (S36).
Specifically, when the adjusting member 78 is driven, the sucking position control unit 194 determines that the sucking pressure has reached the limit value when the lifting of the sucking member detected by the limit sensor 220 stops. To do. If the blade position control unit 194 determines that the blade pressure has reached the limit value (Y in S36), it stops the adjustment motor 78 (S38).

  Based on the folding form information stored in the storage unit 196 and the type of the opposing plate member, the blade position control unit 194 specifies the rotation amount (step number) of the adjustment motor 78 corresponding to the appropriate return amount (S40). . Specifically, the rotation amount of the adjustment motor 78 corresponding to the appropriate return amount is specified with reference to the rotation amount specifying information using the folding form information and the type of the opposing suction member as a key. The grilling position control unit 194 reverses the adjustment motor 78 in accordance with the rotation amount, and lowers the facing blanking member (S42). When the driving corresponding to the return amount is completed (Y in S44), the dust position control unit 194 stops the adjustment motor 78 (S46). Through the initial adjustment process as described above, the suction pressure is appropriately adjusted. The storage unit 196 stores, as the adjustment position H, the height position of the opposing suction member when the suction pressure is adjusted by the initial adjustment process (S48).

  FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing collation processing by the collation apparatus 10. The collation process includes an additional adjustment process for finely adjusting the Sabaki pressure. The additional adjustment process is performed at the time of the first additional adjustment process performed by referring to the detection result of the timing sensor 56, the second additional adjustment process performed in response to the occurrence of a double feed or idle feed error, and paper replenishment It includes a third additional adjustment process and a fourth additional adjustment process performed in accordance with the remaining amount of paper. The flowchart of FIG. 14 shows the collation process, but the number of base copies N1, the number of adjustment determination portions N2, the number of adjustment determination portions N3, the adjustment position H, the position information D, and Dx are values that each sheet feeding device has. Yes, the processing related to these values is performed for each sheet feeding device. Details of each value and its processing will be described later.

  When the collation setting number N is input by the user (Y in S50), the acquisition unit 192 acquires this and stores it in the storage unit 196 as the remaining collation number N (remaining number to be collated) (S52). .

  When a paper feed start switch is input via the main operation panel 16 (Y in S54), the control unit 50 drives the main motor 182 for operating each transport mechanism of the collating apparatus 10 (S55). At that time, the height position information D (hereinafter simply referred to as “position information D”) of the detected surface 401 of the bracket 48 detected by the displacement sensor 402 is cleared to zero (S56). Thereafter, the displacement sensor 402 outputs the position information D, assuming that the position higher than that position is a positive value and the lower position is a negative value. Next, the adjustment determination number N3 as a calculation value is cleared to zero (S57), and the base number N1 and the adjustment determination number N2 are further cleared to zero (S58). Here, the “number of base copies N1” is the number of collation processing copies serving as a determination cycle when determining whether to execute the first additional adjustment processing. In other words, the determination is reset every number of processing copies (6 in the present embodiment) serving as the determination cycle. The “adjustment determination number of copies N2” is the number of collation processing copies that serves as an index for determining whether or not the suction pressure is insufficient in the determination cycle. That is, in the process of repeating the collation process of the determination period, when the adjustment determination unit number N2 reaches the reference value (3 in the present embodiment), the first additional adjustment process is executed. The “adjustment determination number of copies N3” is the number of collation processing copies that serves as an index for determining whether or not the suction pressure is excessive or insufficient when a double feed or idle feed error occurs. That is, if the adjustment determination number N3 does not exceed the reference value (500 in the present embodiment), the second additional adjustment process is executed.

  If there is no input to the paper feed stop switch (N in S60) and the remaining collating number N is not zero (N in S62), the control unit 50 drives the paper feed motor 77 to feed one time. Is started (S64). As a result, when the paper is detected by the jam sensor 58 (Y in S66), the paper feed motor 77 is temporarily stopped at that timing (S68). Note that, as long as no paper jam has occurred, the paper detected at this time is directly conveyed downstream. In the present embodiment, since the one-way clutch is provided between the paper feed roller 42 and its rotating shaft, the paper feed roller 42 can continue to rotate due to an external force load even when the paper feed motor 77 is stopped. This is because the conveyance of the sheet is not restricted as long as the conveyance force by the conveyance upper roller 68 and the conveyance lower roller 70 acts.

  The SAKI position control unit 194 passes the predetermined determination reference period (Y in S70), no paper jam has occurred (N in S400), neither double feeding nor idle feeding has occurred (N in S500). If the position information D does not increase (N in S600) and D = Dx is not satisfied (N in S700), the collation remaining number N is decremented by 1 and the adjustment determination unit number N3 is incremented by 1 (S72). The case of Y in S400, Y in S500, Y in S600, Y in S700, and Dx will be described later. In the present embodiment, the “determination reference period” is set as a predetermined time for which one sheet feeding is reliably completed from the start of rotation of the sheet feeding motor 77. At this time, if the sheet is still detected by the timing sensor 56 (Y in S74), the position position control unit 194 increments the adjustment determination unit number N2 by 1 (S76). It is determined that the paper of the next level or less has been detected as being shifted due to the insufficient paper pressure in the single paper feed process. At this time, if the adjustment determination unit number N2 has not reached 3 (N in S78), the Sabaki position control unit 194 increments the base unit number N1 by 1 (S76). At this time, if the base number N1 has not reached 6 (N in S82), the process returns to S60, and if the base number N1 has reached 6 (Y in S82), the process returns to S58.

  On the other hand, if the number of adjustment determination units N2 has reached 3 (Y in S78), the blade position control unit 194 performs additional adjustment of the blade pressure (first additional adjustment process). That is, the blade position control unit 194 rotates the adjustment motor 78 in the forward direction and raises the facing blade member by a predetermined height (S84). About the rotation amount of the adjustment motor 78 at this time, an appropriate value is set in advance based on a test or the like. The storage unit 196 overwrites and stores the height position of the facing suction member when the suction pressure is adjusted by the first additional adjustment process as the adjustment position H (S86). Then, the process returns to S58. When the paper feed stop switch is input (Y in S60) or when the remaining collation number N becomes zero (Y in S62), the control unit 50 stops the main motor 182 and performs this process. The process ends (S90).

  If a paper jam occurs in S400 (Y in S400), the main motor stops (S90). Whether or not a paper jam has occurred is determined based on detection information of the jam sensor 58. In other words, even when a determination reference period, which is a predetermined time for reliably completing one sheet feeding from the start of the rotation of the sheet feeding motor 77, has passed and the jam sensor 58 still detects a sheet jam, to decide. Note that a predetermined period longer than the “determination reference period” may be set, and if the paper is still detected by the jam sensor 58 even after the predetermined period has elapsed, it may be determined that a paper jam has occurred.

  If double feed or idle feed occurs in S500 (Y in S500), the main motor stops (S502). Whether or not double feeding has occurred is determined based on detection information of the displacement sensor 69 of the double feeding detection mechanism 60. Whether or not the pre-feed has occurred is determined based on detection information from the jam sensor 58. In other words, if the jam sensor 58 does not detect the arrival of a sheet even after the determination reference period, which is a predetermined time for reliably completing one sheet feeding from the start of the rotation of the sheet feeding motor 77, the idle feeding is performed. to decide. Note that a predetermined period shorter than the “determination reference period” may be set, and it may be determined that the paper is not fed when the jam sensor 58 does not detect the arrival of the sheet even after the predetermined period has elapsed.

  Next, if the number of adjustment determination units N3 is 500 or less (Y in S504), the blade position control unit 194 performs additional adjustment of the blade pressure (second additional adjustment process). If the error that has occurred is double feed (Y in S506), the adjustment motor 78 is rotated forward to raise the opposing suction member by a predetermined height (S508). If the generated error is the idle feed (N in S506), the adjustment motor 78 is reversely rotated to lower the opposing suction member by a predetermined height (S510). An appropriate value for the rotation amount of the adjustment motor 78 at this time is set in advance based on a test or the like. The storage unit 196 overwrites and stores the height position of the opposing suction member when the suction pressure is adjusted by the second additional adjustment process as the adjustment position H (S511).

  Next, if N3 is 100 or more (Y in S512), the position information D of the detected surface 401 detected by the displacement sensor 402 at that time and the contents of the second additional adjustment process this time, that is, the adjustment motor The rotation direction and the rotation amount of 78 are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 196 (S514) (the position information D stored in association with the contents of the additional adjustment process is hereinafter referred to as position information Dx). Next, the number of adjustment determination copies N3 is cleared to zero (S516), and when a paper feed start input is made again (Y in S518), the main motor is driven (S520), and the process returns to S58 to continue the process. In S504, if the adjustment determination unit number N3 exceeds 500 (N in S504), the additional adjustment process of the sucking pressure is skipped, and the process proceeds to S516. In S512, if the number of adjustment determination copies N3 is not 100 or more, the storage of the adjustment content of the second additional adjustment process associated with the position information D is skipped, and the process proceeds to S516. The reason will be described later.

  That is, the adjustment determination copy number N3 is incremented by 1 in S72 every time paper feeding is performed unless a double feed or idle feed error occurs. If a double feed or idle feed error occurs, it is cleared to zero in S516. Therefore, if N3 exceeds 500 in S504, since no error has occurred at least 500 times after the previous double feed or idle feed has occurred, relatively stable paper feed is performed. The second additional adjustment process is postponed. In this embodiment, whether or not to postpone the second additional adjustment process is determined based on whether or not N3 exceeds 500. However, this value is determined in advance based on tests and the like. Needless to say, the number is not limited to 500.

  Next, the case where the position information D increases in S600 (Y in S600) will be described. The paper feeding device according to the present embodiment performs “paper replenishment” in which when the remaining paper is low, the upstream end of the stacked paper bundle in the paper feeding direction is lifted, and a new paper bundle is added below it. This can be done during the paper feeding operation. When the sheet is replenished, the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction of the bracket 48 is lifted, so that the detected surface 401 is raised and the position information D is also increased. That is, when the position information D increases in S600, this paper replenishment is performed. Then, it is determined whether D ≧ Dx (S602). If D ≧ Dx (Y in S602), the adjustment contents stored in the storage unit 196 in association with the position information Dx are reversed. The direction is adjusted (third additional adjustment process). The adjustment in the reverse direction means that the direction of pressurization and depressurization of the vacuum pressure is reverse and the adjustment amount is the same.

  When the suction pressure is adjusted according to the occurrence of the double feed or idle feed error, the adjustment content is stored in the storage unit 196 in association with the position information Dx at the time of adjustment in S514. If D ≧ Dx in S602, it means that the height of the detected surface 401 is higher than the position information Dx stored in the storage unit 196 due to the current paper replenishment. This means that the remaining amount of paper after the replenishment of paper is larger than the remaining amount of paper at the time when the occurrence pressure adjustment is performed. In this case, there is a possibility that the pre-adjustment Sabaki pressure performed due to the occurrence of a past error may be more appropriate. Therefore, the adjustment in the direction opposite to the adjustment stored in the storage unit 196 in association with the position information Dx Do.

  For example, when double feed has occurred in the position information Dx in the past and the adjustment motor 78 is rotated forward by the rotation amount Z in response to this, in S514, “forward rotation by the rotation amount Z” is associated with the position information Dx. The adjustment contents are stored. Thereafter, when the paper is replenished and the position information D exceeds Dx, that is, when the remaining amount of paper exceeds the amount of paper when double feeding occurs, “only rotation amount Z is stored in association with the position information Dx. Adjustment in the reverse direction of “forward rotation”, that is, “reverse rotation by the rotation amount Z” is performed in S604.

  The storage unit 196 overwrites and stores the height position of the opposing suction member when the suction pressure is adjusted by the third additional adjustment process as the adjustment position H (S606).

  Next, the case where D = Dx in S700 (Y in S700) will be described. If D = Dx (Y in S700), the same adjustment as that stored in association with the position information Dx is performed (S702) (fourth additional adjustment process).

  That is, D = Dx means that the height of the detected surface 401 is the same as when the adjustment content is stored in S514 when the suction pressure is adjusted according to the occurrence of a double feed or idle feed error in the past. That is, the remaining amount of the sheet bundle is the same. In that case, the same adjustment as that made in the past in the position information Dx is performed. For example, if double feed has occurred in the position information Dx in the past and the adjustment motor 78 is rotated forward by the rotation amount Z in response to this, the same adjustment, that is, “forward rotation by the rotation amount Z” is performed this time.

  The storage unit 196 overwrites and stores the height position of the opposing sucking member as the adjustment position H when the sucking pressure is adjusted by the fourth additional adjustment process (S704).

  According to the second to fourth additional adjustment processes, when double feeding or idle feeding occurs in a certain remaining amount of paper in the operation of repeatedly sending out the paper, additional adjustment of the suction pressure (second additional adjustment processing) is performed. When the remaining amount of paper is replenished and the remaining amount is increased from the time of the second additional adjustment, the pressure is returned to the suction pressure before the second additional adjustment (third additional adjustment process). Further, when the feeding is continued and the remaining amount at the time of the second additional adjustment is reached again, the same adjustment (fourth additional adjustment process) as the adjustment content at the time of the second additional adjustment is performed. Therefore, there is an effect that an appropriate suction pressure corresponding to the remaining amount of the sheet bundle can be automatically obtained while referring to past adjustment results.

  If N3 ≧ 100 in S512 (Y in S512), S514 is skipped. The fact that N3 is not 100 or more in S512 means that it has occurred again within 100 times since the previous double feed or idle feed occurred. Based on the adjustment content stored in S514, the adjustment is performed when the same remaining amount is obtained after the paper is replenished. Therefore, the adjustment content stored in S514 was performed in accordance with the change in the appropriate suction pressure due to the remaining amount of paper. Adjustment is desirable. However, if multiple feeds or idle feeds occur frequently, it is possible that the Sabaki pressure is far from the appropriate value, and therefore it may have occurred regardless of the change in the proper Sabaki pressure due to the remaining amount of paper. high. In addition, even if the second additional adjustment process is performed in a situation where multiple feeds or idle feeds occur frequently, it is highly possible that the post-adjustment Sabaki pressure is not yet appropriate. After a plurality of additional adjustment processes, the pressure approaches the appropriate Sabaki pressure. The closer to the appropriate Sabaki pressure, the less likely it is that double feed or idle feed will occur, and the less frequent it will be. Therefore, when the frequency of occurrence of double feed or idle feed is denser than a predetermined value, the adjustment content of the additional adjustment process is not stored, and the adjustment content at the stage where the frequency of occurrence is less than the predetermined value is stored. Then, the post-paper replenishment can be adjusted more appropriately. Further, it is needless to say that the numerical value 100 is also set to an appropriate value based on a test or the like in advance, and is not limited to 100.

  A plurality of associations between the position information Dx and the adjustment contents can be stored. If a double feed or idle feed error occurs a plurality of times and each of the second additional adjustment processes is performed, if N3 is a predetermined number or more (100 in this embodiment), the second additional adjustment process The position information Dx and the adjustment contents are stored in association with each other, and the subsequent third additional adjustment process and the fourth additional adjustment process are also performed for each of the stored position information Dx and the adjustment contents. .

  FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing return processing by the collation apparatus 10. The returning process is executed prior to the resumption of the collating process when the adjustment knob 378 is operated to separate the paper feeding roller 42 and the opposing suction member for paper jam processing.

  When the return switch is turned on by simultaneously pressing the timing button 170 and the normal rotation button 174 (Y in S100), the Sabaki position control unit 194 is in a state where the return process can be executed based on the output of the timing sensor 56. It is determined whether or not there is (S102). Specifically, if the timing sensor 56 is in the detection state, the position control unit 194 determines that the return process is not in an executable state because there is a sheet between the opposing sheet member and the sheet feed roller 42. On the other hand, if the timing sensor 56 is in the non-detection state, it is determined that there is no sheet between the opposing suction member and the paper feed roller 42 and that the return process can be executed.

  If it is not in an executable state (N in S102), the process ends without executing the return process. In the case of the executable state (Y in S102), if the opposing Sabaki member is not in the adjustment position H (N in S104), the Sabaki position control unit 194 rotates the adjustment motor 78 in the normal direction and the adjustment stored in the storage unit 196. The facing member is moved to the position H (S106). If the facing member is already at the adjustment position H (Y in S104), the process of S106 is skipped and the process ends. After the return process is completed, the collation process can be executed.

  According to the present embodiment described above, the return amount in the initial adjustment is determined in consideration of the type of the opposing suction member in addition to the folding shape of the sheet (that is, the sheet information). Therefore, the suction pressure can be adjusted to a more accurate value than when the return amount is determined in consideration of only the paper information.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the position of the facing suction member is returned to the height of the “adjustment position H” stored in the storage unit 196 by the return process started by the button operation. Specifically, if no double feed or idle feed error has occurred since the collation process started, or if the error occurrence frequency is low since the beginning of the collation process (for example, double feed or empty feed) When the feeding error occurs 500 times or more and less than once), the storage unit 196 stores the height of the surface member as the adjustment position H when the surface pressure is adjusted by the initial adjustment process. ing. Accordingly, in this case, the surface member is returned to the height position when it is initially adjusted. On the other hand, if double feed or idle feed errors occur at a predetermined frequency during the collating process, the storage unit 196 stores the height of the sucking member when the sucking pressure is adjusted by the additional adjusting process. Stored as H. Therefore, in this case, the surface member is returned to the height position when the additional adjustment is performed. In any case, according to the present embodiment, since the opposite sucking member is returned to the height of the “adjustment position H” stored in the storage unit 196, when the collating process is resumed, the sucking pressure is adjusted again. Compared with the case where time is taken, the time required for adjusting the suction pressure is shortened.

(Second Embodiment)
In the first embodiment, the folding form information is used as the paper information for specifying the return amount in the initial adjustment process. In the second embodiment, the sheet thickness information detected by the double feed detection mechanism 60 is used as the sheet information for specifying the return amount. That is, in the initial adjustment process, only one sheet is stacked and the sheet is fed, and the thickness of the sheet is calculated based on the detection value of the displacement sensor 69 shown in FIG. The return amount corresponding to the type is calculated (specified). In addition, the storage unit 196 of the control unit 50 holds rotation amount specifying information that associates the relationship between the sheet thickness, the type of the opposing suction member, and the rotation amount of the adjustment motor 78. In the initial adjustment process, the rotation amount specifying information based on the thickness of the sheet calculated based on the detection value of the displacement sensor 69 and the type of the opposing sucking member specified based on the opposing accommodating portion specifying mechanism and the association information. , The amount of rotation of the adjustment motor 78 corresponding to the appropriate return amount is calculated, and the height of the opposing suction plate is adjusted.

  FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing in detail the initial adjustment processing according to the second embodiment. Since this initial adjustment process has many parts in common with the initial adjustment process of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 13, the same reference numerals are assigned to the common process parts, and the description thereof is omitted or simplified. Turn into.

  In the initial adjustment processing of the present embodiment, the user needs to set only one sheet to be stacked on the paper feed tray 14 for each shelf. Therefore, when the initial adjustment button 166 is pressed and held, first, when no sheets are set in the paper feed tray 14 to be subjected to the initial adjustment process or when a large number of sheets are stacked, the sheet is sent out. Set off and issue a warning.

  Specifically, when the initial adjustment button 166 is pressed and held (Y in S220), the numerical value of the height position information D of the detected surface 401 of the bracket 48 detected by the displacement sensor 402 in the paper feeding device is a predetermined value. It is determined whether it is greater than or equal to the value (whether the remaining amount of the sheet is equal to or greater than a predetermined value), or whether the sheet presence / absence detection sensor 57 is not detecting the sheet, or neither. (S920). If neither is found (N in S920), the process proceeds to S222. Whether or not the remaining amount of paper is greater than or equal to a predetermined value is determined based on whether or not the numerical value of the height position information D of the detected surface 401 of the bracket 48 detected by the displacement sensor 402 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. This predetermined value is desirably the minimum value within a range indicating that two or more sheets are reliably stacked. The thickness of the loaded paper varies, and the fold shape also varies from one pella to four folds and eight folds, so the thickness per sheet overlaps the two thickest sheets that can be considered in the specification. An appropriate margin value may be added to the state to obtain a predetermined value. Alternatively, the user may input a folding shape for each sheet feeding device in advance, and change the predetermined value according to the folding shape.

  If it is either of S920 (Y in S920), first, if the remaining amount of paper is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (Y in S921), “A large number of sheets are loaded. Set only one sheet”, etc. This warning is displayed (S922), and then the warning display is continued until the remaining amount of paper becomes equal to or less than a predetermined value by the user removing the paper (Y in S924). When the user removes the sheet or the like and the remaining amount of the sheet becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount (Y in S924), the warning is canceled (S926), and the process proceeds to S936.

  If it is determined in S921 that the remaining amount of paper is not equal to or greater than the predetermined value (N in S921), the process proceeds to S928. S920 is Y and S921 is N. That is, the remaining amount of paper is not equal to or greater than a predetermined value, and the sheet presence / absence detection sensor 57 detects the sheet, so S928 is Y. In that case, a warning message such as “paper is not loaded. Please set only one sheet” is displayed (S930), and then the user sets only one sheet, and the sheet presence / absence detection sensor. The warning display is continued until 57 detects the paper (N in S932). When the user sets only one sheet and the sheet presence / absence detection sensor 57 detects the sheet (Y in S932), the warning is canceled (S934), and the process proceeds to S936.

  Unless the initial adjustment button 166 is pressed again in S936 (N in S936), the process returns to S921, and when the remaining amount of paper is equal to or greater than the predetermined position (Y in S921), or the sheet presence / absence detection sensor 57 detects the sheet. (Y in S928), the above-described warning display is performed. When both S921 and S928 are N, S921, S928 and S936 are looped, and the input of the initial adjustment button 166 is awaited. If the initial adjustment button 166 is pressed for a long time in S936, the process proceeds to S222.

  Next, the main motor 182 is driven (S222). Subsequently, the adjustment motor 78 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the opposing sucker member is lowered until the home sensor 222 is in a detection state (S223). When the facing suction member is lowered and separated from the paper feed roller, the paper feed motor 77 is driven (S224). Thereby, when the detection by the displacement sensor 69 is made (S226), the paper feed motor 77 is stopped (S228). When the paper is detected by the paper discharge sensor 180 (Y in S230), the main motor 182 is stopped (S232), the acquisition unit 192 acquires the displacement detected by the displacement sensor 69, and the paper thickness information Is stored in the storage unit 196 (S234).

  This thickness information is used in the process of S240. That is, the control unit 50 refers to the table on the basis of the thickness information stored in S234 and the type of the opposing suction member specified in S25, and calculates the rotation amount of the adjustment motor 78 corresponding to the appropriate return amount. Then, adjust the height of the counter board. Since the processing after S25 is the same as that of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 13 except for S240, the description thereof is omitted.

  According to the present embodiment, since the sheet thickness information actually detected by the double feed detection mechanism 60 is used in one sheet feeding at the time of the initial adjustment process, the sheet thickness information is used as compared with the first embodiment. The accuracy of the initial adjustment process is improved. In addition, it is not necessary to separately input thickness information from the outside, and the user's workability is improved. In addition, in the return process, the position of the opposing suction member is returned to the adjustment position H that has been initially adjusted and further adjusted. That is, when the collating process is resumed, it is not necessary to stack only one sheet again and send the sheet to perform initial adjustment. Therefore, the burden on the user is reduced.

  Further, even if the user presses and holds the initial adjustment button 166, if the amount of sheets is stacked more than a predetermined amount or the sheets are not stacked, the driving of the main motor 182 and the sheet feeding motor 77 is stopped. Since the warning is displayed, it is possible to prompt the user to reliably stack only one sheet.

(Third embodiment)
In the third embodiment, the initial adjustment process is manually performed by operating the adjustment knob 378, and the additional adjustment process during the collating process for finely adjusting the Sabaki pressure is automatically performed by the adjustment motor 78.

  FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing in detail an initial adjustment process according to the third embodiment. When the folding form information is input by the user (Y in S320), the storage unit 196 of the control unit 50 stores the folding form information (S322). Subsequently, the type of the facing suction member is specified based on the outputs of the first position detection sensor 211a and the second position detection sensor 211b (S25). Then, a return amount is calculated for each shelf based on the folding form information and the type of the opposing suction member (S324), and the operation amount of the adjustment knob 378 corresponding to the return amount is displayed on the display unit 380 ( S326).

  At this time, the user operates the adjustment knob 378 in a direction to increase the suction pressure. Release when the limit is applied. The “limit” is determined when the user senses that resistance is applied to the operation in the same direction as the pulling spring 105 shown in FIG. 5 extends. When the user releases the adjustment knob 378 in this way, the adjustment knob 378 is settled to the limit position by the urging force of the tension spring 105. The user returns the adjustment knob 378 to the opposite direction by the operation amount displayed on the display unit 380 from the limit position, so that the opposing rubber member is adjusted to an appropriate height.

  Subsequently, when the test paper feed button 178 (see FIG. 11) is pressed (Y in S328), the main motor 182 is driven (S330). Then, the adjustment necessary lamp 382 is turned off (S332), and the paper feed motor 77 is driven to start one paper feed (S334). As a result, when the paper is detected by the jam sensor 58 (Y in S336), the paper feed motor 77 is temporarily stopped at that timing (S338). Note that, as long as no paper jam has occurred, the paper detected at this time is directly conveyed downstream. This is also because the one-way clutch is provided between the paper feed roller 42 and its rotating shaft in the present embodiment.

  Then, when a predetermined determination reference period has elapsed (Y in S340), if a sheet is detected by the timing sensor 56 (Y in S342), the adjustment lamp 382 that is required is turned on (S344). Since the paper pressure is insufficient in the single paper feeding process, it is determined that the paper of the next level or lower has been detected as being shifted, and the paper pressure is readjusted. If the sheet is not detected by the timing sensor 56 (N in S342), the adjustment necessary lamp 382 is turned off (S346). The “determination reference period” is set to a predetermined time for which one sheet feeding is reliably completed from the start of rotation of the sheet feeding motor 77.

  In this way, when the adjustment necessary lamp 382 is lit, the user can operate the adjustment knob 378 by a predetermined amount in the direction in which the suction pressure increases. That is, lighting of the adjustment lamp 382 requiring is a guidance display that prompts the user to increase the suction pressure. Thereafter, if the adjustment required lamp 382 is turned off by executing the test paper feeding again, it can be recognized that the suction pressure is properly adjusted.

  This test paper feed process is performed only while the user continues to press the test paper feed button 178. That is, if the pressing of the test paper feed button 178 is not released (N in S348), the process returns to S334 and the next test paper feed is executed. When the pressing of the test paper feed button 178 is released (Y in S348), the main motor 182 is stopped (S350). The storage unit 196 stores the height position of the facing suction member at this time as the adjustment position H (S352). If the test paper feed button 178 is not pressed in S328 (N in S328), the processing from S330 to S350 is skipped. According to the present embodiment, it is also possible to adjust the suction pressure by turning the adjustment knob 378 while repeating the paper feed while the test paper feed button 178 is pressed and the adjustment required lamp 382 is turned off.

  In the present embodiment, the start switch 152 of the main input device 150 (see FIG. 12) corresponds to the “first paper feed switch”, and the test paper feed button 178 corresponds to the “second paper feed switch”. . Since the first paper feed switch serves as a collation start switch, the paper feed of all the shelves continuously operates simultaneously. The second paper feed switch (test paper feed switch) is provided for each paper feed unit (paper feed mechanism 18), and only the paper feed of the corresponding paper feed unit operates continuously.

  According to the present embodiment, it is possible to manually adjust the suction pressure in the initial adjustment process. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an apparatus that is easy to use even for users who are accustomed to manual initial adjustment. Further, the manual adjustment lamp 382 and the display unit 380 facilitate manual adjustment.

  After manual initial adjustment processing, the collation processing is started by operating the start switch 152, and automatic additional adjustment processing is performed. This additional adjustment processing is the same as in the first embodiment. Note that the initial adjustment process may be manual or automatic, or may be selected by the user in advance.

  Further, the additional adjustment processing may be manual, automatic, or previously selectable by the user. If manual is selected, the adjustment required lamp 382 may be turned on if a sheet is detected by the timing sensor 56 when a predetermined determination reference period has elapsed. If it does so, a user can be urged to adjust when the Sabaki pressure is insufficient.

(Fourth embodiment)
The fourth embodiment includes a near-end detection mechanism 410 instead of the remaining paper amount detection mechanism 400 in the first embodiment, and automatically adjusts the suction pressure when a double feed or idle feed error occurs. At the same time, if the adjustment was performed after the near-end detection, the number of feeds after the near-end detection at that time and the adjustment contents are stored in association with each other, and the near-end is detected again after the paper is replenished. The same adjustment is performed when the number of sheet feeding thereafter becomes the same as the number of sheet feeding stored.

  18 and 19 are views showing a paper feeding device according to the fourth embodiment. 18 shows a case where the remaining amount of paper is large, and FIG. 19 shows a case where the remaining amount is small. The same members as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The sheet feeding device according to the present embodiment includes a near-end detection mechanism 410 on the upstream side of the bracket 48 in the sheet feeding direction. The near end detection mechanism 410 includes a near end sensor 411 and a detected plate 412. The near end sensor 411 is a reflective optical sensor. The detected plate 412 is a plate-like member that is fixed toward the downstream side in the paper feeding direction of the bracket 48 and extends downward from the near-end sensor 411.

  As shown in FIG. 18, when the remaining amount of paper is large, the detected plate 412 is below the near-end sensor 411, so the near-end sensor 411 detects the detected plate 412 and is in the ON state. When the remaining amount of paper decreases, as shown in FIG. 19, the detected plate 412 is displaced to the right in the figure by the rotation of the bracket 48 and is removed from below the near-end sensor 411, so that the near-end sensor 411 is turned off. Accordingly, the near-end sensor 411 is switched from the ON state to the OFF state when the remaining amount of the sheet decreases and reaches the predetermined remaining amount. Whether the near-end sensor 411 is in an ON state or an OFF state is input to the control unit 50.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the initial adjustment process and the additional adjustment process are performed. The initial adjustment process is the same as the initial adjustment process (FIG. 13) of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing collation processing in the fourth embodiment. As in the first embodiment, the collation process includes an additional adjustment process for finely adjusting the suction pressure. The same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The flowchart of FIG. 20 shows the collation process. The base number N1, the adjustment determination number N2, the adjustment determination number N3, the near end number N4, the adjustment near end number N4x, the adjustment position H, and the near end flag F1 are respectively supplied. This is a value for each paper device, and processing related to these values is performed for each paper feeding device. Details of each value and its processing will be described later.

  The additional adjustment process in the present embodiment includes a first additional adjustment process performed with reference to the detection result of the timing sensor 56, a second additional adjustment process performed in response to the occurrence of a double feed or idle feed error, and paper 5th and 6th additional adjustment processing performed according to near-end detection.

  When a paper feed start switch is input via the main operation panel 16 (Y in S54), the main motor 182 for operating each transport mechanism of the collating apparatus 10 is driven (S55). Then, the adjustment determination number N3 and the near-end number N4 as calculated values are cleared to zero (S57, S557), and the near-end flag F1 is set to zero (S558). Further, the base number N1 and the adjustment determination number N2 are cleared to zero (S58). The number of base copies N1 and the number of adjustment determination portions N2 and N3 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The “near-end number N4” is the number of copies that have been collated after the near-end detection, and is used to determine whether or not the sucking pressure is excessive or insufficient after the near-end detection.

  After the determination reference period has elapsed (Y in S70), it is determined whether or not the near-end sensor 411 has changed from the ON state to the OFF state (S570). When the ON state is changed to the OFF state (Y in S570), the near end flag F1 is set to 1 (S572). If the near-end sensor 411 has not changed (if it remains ON or remains OFF), S572 is skipped. Next, if the near-end flag F1 is 1 (Y in S574), N4 is incremented by 1 (S576).

  If double feed or idle feed occurs in S500 (Y in S500), the main motor is stopped (S502), and if the number of adjustment determination units N3 is 500 or less (Y in S504), the second additional adjustment process is performed. Do. This second additional adjustment process is the same as in the first embodiment. The storage unit 196 overwrites and stores the height position of the opposing suction member when the suction pressure is adjusted by the second additional adjustment process as the adjustment position H (S511).

  Next, if the near-end flag F1 = 1 (Y in S530), the near-end number N4 at that time and the content of the second additional adjustment process this time, that is, the rotation direction and the rotation amount of the adjustment motor 78 are associated with each other. Then, it is stored in the control unit 50 (S532) (the near-end number N4 stored in association with the content of the additional adjustment process is hereinafter referred to as “adjusted near-end number N4x”). Thereafter, S516 and subsequent steps are the same as those in the first embodiment.

  If there is no occurrence of double feed or idle feed (N in S500), it is next determined whether or not the near-end sensor has changed from the detection OFF state to the ON state (S620). If changed (Y in S620), adjustment in the direction opposite to the adjustment content corresponding to the adjustment near-end copy number N4x stored in the second additional adjustment process performed in response to the past double feed or idle feed is performed. (S622) (fifth additional adjustment process). The storage unit 196 overwrites and stores the height position of the opposing suction member when the suction pressure is adjusted by the fifth additional adjustment process as the adjustment position H (S623). Further, the near end number N4 is cleared to zero (S624), and the near end flag F1 is also set to zero (S626). Thereafter, if N4 = N4x (Y in S720), the same adjustment content as that stored in association with N4x is performed (S722) (sixth additional adjustment process). The storage unit 196 overwrites and stores the height position of the opposing suction member when the suction pressure is adjusted by the sixth additional adjustment process as the adjustment position H (S623).

  The change from the near-end sensor detection ON state to the OFF state in S570 means that the remaining amount of paper has decreased to reach a predetermined amount. The near-end flag F1 is set to 1 while the remaining amount of paper is less than the predetermined amount. While the near-end flag F1 is 1, the near-end copy number N4 is incremented by 1 in S576 every time paper feeding is performed. That is, N4 is equal to the number of sheet feedings performed after the remaining amount of paper has decreased to reach a predetermined amount.

  When double feed or idle feed occurs and the second additional adjustment processing is performed, the near end number N4 when the additional adjustment processing is performed is stored in the control unit 50 as the adjustment near end number N4x together with the adjustment contents. That is, the history of how many times the paper is fed after the remaining amount of paper is reduced and reaches a predetermined amount is stored.

  On the other hand, the change from the detection OFF state of the near-end sensor to the ON state in S620 means that the remaining amount has increased due to paper replenishment. When the remaining amount increases, the adjustment in the direction opposite to the adjustment content of the second additional adjustment process performed in a state where the remaining amount is small in the past is performed, that is, the state before the adjustment is returned. After that, when the remaining amount becomes equal to or less than the predetermined amount again, and the subsequent number of paper feeds reaches the same number of paper feeds as when the second additional adjustment process was performed previously, the second additional adjustment process This means that additional adjustment processing of the same content is performed.

  According to the present embodiment, without detecting the position of the bracket 48 at all times, only a certain point in time when the remaining amount of paper is reduced is detected, and the contents of additional adjustment processing and the adjustment point occurring after the detection are stored. Thus, when the remaining amount is reached again after the paper is replenished, the same adjustment can be automatically performed. Therefore, it is possible to make an adjustment corresponding to an appropriate change in the suction pressure when the remaining amount of paper is less expensive than in the first embodiment.

  Note that a plurality of adjustment near-end copies N4x can be stored in the same manner as the position information Dx in the first embodiment. If a double feed or idle feed error occurs a plurality of times and each of the second additional adjustment processes is performed, the adjustment near-end copy number N4x is stored in association with the adjustment contents for each of the second additional adjustment processes. Thereafter, the fifth additional adjustment process and the sixth additional adjustment process are also performed for each of the stored adjustment near-end copies N4x.

  Also in the present embodiment, as in the third embodiment, an adjustment knob 378 may be provided so that the initial adjustment process can be performed manually.

(Fifth embodiment)
In the fifth embodiment, information from at least one sensor of the paper feeding device in the paper feeding when the remainder when the number of times of feeding the uppermost paper is divided by a predetermined number is R is used. Based on this, a first adjustment process is performed for adjusting the suction pressure at the time of the next and subsequent paper feed when the remainder when the number of paper feeds is divided by a predetermined number is R. In the fifth embodiment, the first adjustment process is performed for the first to fourth additional adjustment processes in the first embodiment.

  First, the background of the present embodiment will be described. In the production of newspaper insert advertisements that are mainly handled by the paper feeding device and the collating device of the present invention, the production cost is printed by printing a plurality of advertisement contents at once on a paper having a size larger than the completed newspaper advertisement. May be suppressed. The advertisement manufactured in this way is hereinafter referred to as “imposition advertisement”.

  An example of the imposition advertisement manufacturing process is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 21A, the contents “front A, back C” are printed on the front and back of a sheet of paper four times the size of the advertisement to be created. This is folded in four according to the procedure shown in FIGS. 21B and 21C, and the crease is cut along the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 21C, thereby completing four advertisements. Then, the completed four sheets overlap in the order shown in FIG. The imposition advertisement manufactured by the method as shown in FIG. 21 is delivered to a newspaper store as a bundle that overlaps the order of four sheets shown in FIG. The number of pages printed on one sheet at a time is not limited to four but may be two or eight.

  As shown in FIG. 21 (d), between the first and second sheets from the top, between the front surfaces A, between the second and third sheets, between the back surfaces C, between the third and fourth sheets, In between, the surfaces A are in contact with each other and overlap. The back surface C overlaps between the fourth sheet and the next first sheet that should overlap therewith. Furthermore, the direction of printing differs between the overlap of the surfaces A between the first and second sheets and the overlap of the surfaces A between the third and fourth sheets. The direction of the overlap between the back surfaces C between the second and third sheets and the overlap between the back surfaces C between the fourth sheet and the next sheet are also different.

  Since the printing contents are different between the front surface A and the back surface C, the frictional forces are also different. Then, the appropriate pressure for separating the overlap between the front surfaces A and the suitable pressure for separating the overlap between the back surfaces C are different from each other. In addition, even when the same front surface A and back surface C are overlapped with each other, a difference in direction causes a difference in frictional force, and as a result, a suitable suction pressure for separation may also be different.

  Since the imposition advertisement is loaded on the stacking unit of the collation apparatus in the order of the bundles delivered, in the case of the four-face imposition advertisement as shown in FIG. The “overlapping state” appeared repeatedly, and there was a problem that it was difficult to adjust to an appropriate pressure.

  In the fifth embodiment, sensor information is obtained from the first to fourth additional adjustment processes performed based on information from a predetermined sensor when a certain “overlapping state” is separated and fed. This is performed only when sending out in the same “overlapping state” as the “overlapping state”. Then, since the appropriate pressure is adjusted for each “overlapping state”, the pressure for the surface can be adjusted to an appropriate value even in such imposition advertisements.

  The external configurations of the sheet feeding device and the collating device in the fifth embodiment are the same as those in the first embodiment. The collating process in the fifth embodiment will be described below using the flowchart of FIG. The same processes as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. The initial adjustment process performed prior to the collation process is the same as that in the first embodiment. Note that the flowchart of FIG. 22 shows the collation process, but the base part numbers N1R1, N1R2, the adjustment determination part numbers N2R1, N2R2, the adjustment determination part number N3, the adjustment positions HR1, HR2, the position information D, DxR1, DxR2 This is a value for each sheet feeding device, and processing related to these values is performed for each sheet feeding device. Details of each value and its processing will be described later.

  In the fifth embodiment, when the collation setting number N is input by the user (Y in S50), the input of a predetermined number A by the user is accepted via the main operation panel 16 or the sub operation panel 20 ( S802). This predetermined number A is normally input as the number of sheets when the loaded paper is an imposition advertisement (number of faces printed on one sheet at the time of printing, usually 2, 4, 8). . In this embodiment, the case where A = 2 is input will be described. The acquisition unit 192 stores the input predetermined number A in the storage unit 192 (S804).

  Steps S54 to S57 are the same as in the first embodiment, and the main motor 182 is driven by the start switch, and the position information D and the adjustment determination unit number N3 are cleared to zero.

  Next, the base copy numbers N1R1, N1R2 and the adjustment determination copy numbers N2R1, N2R2 are cleared to zero (S858). The number of base copies N1R1 and N1R2 are the same as the number of base copies N1 in the first embodiment, in that both are the number of collation processing copies that is a determination cycle when determining whether to execute the first additional adjustment processing. The determination unit numbers N2R1 and N2R2 are the same as the adjustment determination unit number N2 in the first embodiment in that the determination unit numbers N2R1 and N2R2 are the number of collation processing units that serve as an index for determining deficiency of the Sabaki pressure. In the present embodiment, the base number N1R1, N1R2 and the adjustment determination number N2R1, N2R2 are the same as the predetermined number A, respectively, so that it is possible to determine the shortage of the suction pressure separately for each remainder obtained by dividing the number of paper feeds by the predetermined number A. Keep only the number. Hereinafter, in the present embodiment, when “the number of base copies N1” and “the number of adjustment determination copies N2” are referred to, the number of base copies N1R1, N1R2..., The number of adjustment determination copies N2R1, N2R. It shall be named generically. In the present embodiment, since the predetermined number A is 2, the number of base copies N1 is two (the number of base copies N1R1 when the remainder is 1 and the number of base copies N1R2 when the remainder is 0), and the number of adjustment determination copies N2 is also two ( The number of adjustment determination copies N2R1 for the remainder 1 and the adjustment determination copy number N2R2 for the remainder 0) are held.

  In the present embodiment, the position adjustment of the opposing sucker plate is performed before the sheet feeding motor 77 is driven in S64 to start one sheet feeding. It is determined whether or not the remainder R when the collation setting number N is divided by the predetermined number A is 0 (S806). If it is determined that the remainder R is 0 (Y in S806), the adjustment motor 78 is rotated as necessary so that the height position of the opposing sucking member becomes the adjustment position HR2 during the subsequent paper feed ( In S810), if it is determined that the remainder R is not 0 (N in S806), the adjustment motor 78 is rotated as necessary so that the height position of the opposing suction member becomes the adjustment position HR1 during the subsequent sheet feeding. (S808).

  In the present embodiment, since the predetermined number A is 2, when it is determined that the remainder R is not 0, that is, the remainder R is 1. The collation setting number N input by the user in S50 is decremented by 1 each time a collation process is performed (S72), so that the remainder is 0 each time paper feeding is repeated. And the case of remainder 1 are repeated alternately. In the present embodiment, the height position HR2 of the opposing rubber member suitable for paper feeding when the surplus R is 0, and the height position HR1 of the opposing rubber member suitable when the surplus R is 1, respectively. It is stored in the storage unit 196. Then, the adjustment motor 78 is driven as necessary before the paper feed motor 77 is driven so that the opposing sucker member is at the height position HR2 when the paper feed motor 77 is driven when the surplus R is 0. When the paper feed motor 77 is driven, the adjustment motor 78 is driven before the paper feed motor 77 is driven so that the opposing sucking member is at the height position HR1 when the paper feed motor 77 is driven.

  Thereafter, the controller 50 drives the paper feed motor 77 (S64), and when the paper is detected by the jam sensor 58 (Y in S66), the paper feed motor 77 is stopped (S68). The SAKI position control unit 194 passes the predetermined determination reference period (Y in S70), no paper jam has occurred (N in S400), neither double feeding nor idle feeding has occurred (N in S500). ), Position information D does not increase (N in S600), neither D = DxR1 (N in S844) nor D = DxR2 (N in S848), and the collation remaining number N is decremented by 1 and adjusted. The number of determination copies N3 is incremented by 1 (S72). The case of Y in S400, Y in S500, Y in S600, Y in S844, Y in S848, and Dx1 and Dx2 will be described later.

  When the remainder R is 0 (Y in S852), even if a predetermined time elapses after the “determination reference period”, that is, when one sheet feeding is reliably completed from the start of the rotation of the sheet feeding motor 77, the timing sensor If the paper is still detected by 56 (Y in S882), the position control unit 194 increments the adjustment determination number N2R2 by 1 (S884). At this time, if the adjustment determination unit number N2R2 has not reached 3 (N in S886), the Sabaki position control unit 194 increments the base unit number N1R2 by 1 (S888). At this time, if the base number N1R2 has not reached 6 (N in S890), the process returns to S60, and if the base number N1R2 has reached 6 (Y in S890), the base number N1R2 is cleared to zero. (S892), the process returns to S60.

  On the other hand, if the number of adjustment determination units N2R2 has reached 3 (Y in S886), the buckle position control unit 194 updates the adjustment position HR2 of the opposing sucking member so as to increase by a predetermined height (S894). . For the predetermined height at this time, an appropriate value is set in advance based on a test or the like. The storage unit 196 stores the updated adjustment position HR2 by overwriting the previous adjustment position HR2. At this time point, only the adjustment position HR2 stored in the storage unit 196 is updated, and the position of the opposing suction member is not changed. Then, after the base number N1R2 is cleared to zero (S896), the process returns to S60.

  When the surplus R is 1 (N in S852), even if a predetermined time elapses after the start of rotation of the paper feed motor 77, that is, when the paper feed motor 77 is reliably completed, the timing sensor 56 If the sheet is still detected (Y in S862), the position control unit 194 increments the adjustment determination unit number N2R1 by 1 (S864). At this time, if the adjustment determination unit number N2R1 does not reach 3 (N in S866), the Sabaki position control unit 194 increments the base unit number N1R1 by 1 (S868). At this time, if the base number N1R1 has not reached 6 (N in S870), the process returns to S60. If the base number N1R1 has reached 6 (Y in S870), the base number N1R1 is cleared to zero. (S872), the process returns to S60.

  On the other hand, if the number of adjustment determination units N2R1 has reached 3 (Y in S866), the buckle position control unit 194 updates the adjustment position HR1 of the opposing buckling member so as to increase by a predetermined height (S874). . For the predetermined height at this time, an appropriate value is set in advance based on a test or the like. The storage unit 196 overwrites and stores the updated adjustment position HR1 over the previous adjustment position HR1. At this time point, only the adjustment position HR1 stored in the storage unit 196 is updated, and the position of the opposing suction member is not changed. Then, after the base number N1R1 is cleared to zero (S876), the process returns to S60.

  That is, the process (see FIG. 14) from S74 to S82 (including S58 when S78 or S82 is Y) including the first additional adjustment process in the first embodiment is performed when the remainder R is 0. And separately when the remainder R is 1. However, in the first embodiment, if the adjustment determination unit number N2 has reached 3 (Y in S78), the adjustment motor 78 is immediately rotated forward to increase the opposing suction member by a predetermined height. In the present embodiment, only the adjustment positions HR1 and HR2 stored in the storage unit 196 are updated, and the height position of the opposing suction member is changed by driving the adjustment motor 78 based on the updated HR1 and HR2. Is performed immediately before the paper feed motor 77 is driven next (S808, S810).

  If the occurrence of a paper jam is not detected (N in S400), and a double feed or a blank feed occurs in S500 (Y in S500), the main motor stops (S502). Next, if the adjustment determination unit number N3 is 1000 or less (Y in S812), the blade position control unit 194 updates the adjustment position HR1 or HR2 of the opposing blade member.

  In other words, if the remainder R is 0 (Y in S814) and double feed (Y in S826), the blade position control unit 194 updates the adjustment position HR2 of the facing blade member so as to increase by a predetermined height. (S828). If the surplus R is 0 (Y in S814) and not double feed (N in S826) (that is, if it is idle feed), the suction position control unit 194 has a predetermined height with respect to the adjustment position HR2 of the opposing suction member. Updating is performed so as to descend (S830).

  Next, if N3 is 200 or more (Y in S832), the positional information D of the detected surface 401 detected by the displacement sensor 402 at that time is associated with the updated content of the current adjustment position HR2, and stored. The information is stored in the unit 196 (S834). At this time, the position information D stored in association with the updated content of the adjustment position HR2 is hereinafter referred to as position information DxR2. The update contents of the adjustment position HR2 are the direction of displacement (up or down) and the amount of displacement when the adjustment position after the update is compared with the adjustment position HR2 before the update. In S832, if the adjustment determination number N3 is not 200 or more (N in S832), the association between the adjustment position HR2 and the position information D is skipped, and the process proceeds to S835. The reason will be described later.

  Next, the base copy number N1R1 and the adjustment determination copy number N2R1 are cleared to zero (S835), the adjustment determination copy number N3 is cleared to zero (S516), and when the paper feed start input is made again (Y in S518), the main motor is driven ( S520), returning to S60, the processing is continued.

  If the surplus R is 1 (N in S814) and it is a double feed (Y in S816), the blade position control unit 194 updates the adjustment position HR1 of the opposing blade member so as to increase by a predetermined height ( S818). If the surplus R is 1 (N in S814) and it is not double feed (N in S816) (that is, if it is idle feed), the suction position control unit 194 has a predetermined height with respect to the adjustment position HR1 of the opposing suction member. Updating is performed so as to descend (S820).

  Next, if N3 is 200 or more (Y in S822), the position information D of the detected surface 401 detected by the displacement sensor 402 at that time is associated with the updated contents of the current adjustment position HR1 and stored. The information is stored in the unit 196 (S824). At this time, the position information D stored in association with the updated content of the adjustment position HR1 is hereinafter referred to as position information DxR1. The update contents of the adjustment position HR2 are the direction of displacement (up or down) and the amount of displacement when the adjustment position after the update is compared with the adjustment position HR2 before the update. If the number of adjustment determination copies N3 is not 200 or more in S822 (N in S822), the association between the adjustment position HR1 and the position information D is skipped, and the process proceeds to S825. The reason for this is to determine whether the Sabaki pressure is significantly different from the appropriate value, as in the first embodiment, but in this embodiment, the determination is made when the remainder is 0 and the supply is 1 Since it is performed on each of the papers, the numerical value is 200. Of course, it goes without saying that it is not limited to 200.

  Next, the base copy number N1R2 and the adjustment determination copy number N2R2 are cleared to zero (S825), the adjustment determination copy number N3 is cleared to zero (S516), and when the paper feed start input is made again (Y in S518), the main motor is driven ( S520), returning to S60, the processing is continued.

  In S812, if the number of adjustment determination copies N3 exceeds 1000 (N in S812), the update of the adjustment position HR1 or HR2 is skipped, and the process proceeds to S516. If N3 exceeds 1000 in S812, it means that no error has occurred at least 1000 times since the previous double feed or idle feed occurred. In other words, no error has occurred at least 500 times in each of the paper feeds in the case of the remainder 0 (even number) and the remainder 1 (odd number). Therefore, it is determined that relatively stable paper feeding is being performed, and the adjustment positions HR1 and HR2 are not updated. Of course, this number is not limited to 1000.

  That is, the processing from S502 to S520 and S58 including the second additional adjustment processing in the first embodiment (see FIG. 14) is performed separately when the remainder R is 0 and when the remainder R is 1. Do. However, in the first embodiment, in the case of double feed or idle feed, the adjustment motor 78 is immediately rotated to raise or lower the opposite sucker member by a predetermined height. Only updates the adjustment positions HR1 and HR2 stored in the storage unit 196, and the change in the height position of the opposing suction member by the drive of the adjustment motor 78 based on the updated HR1 and HR2 is supplied next. This is performed immediately before the paper motor 77 is driven (S808, S810).

  When the position information D increases in S600 (Y in S600), that is, when “paper replenishment” is performed during the paper feeding operation, it is determined whether D ≧ DxR1 (S836), and if D ≧ DxR1. (Y in S836), the update in the direction opposite to the update content of the adjustment position HR1 stored in the storage unit 196 in association with the position information DxR1 is performed in HR1.

  Next, it is determined whether D ≧ DxR2 (S840). If D ≧ DxR2 (Y in S840), the update contents of the adjustment position HR2 stored in the storage unit 196 in association with the position information DxR2 Performs a reverse update at HR2.

  That is, the processing from S602 to S606 (see FIG. 14) including the third additional adjustment processing in the first embodiment is performed for each of the cases where the remainder R is 0 and the remainder R is 1. Do. However, in the first embodiment, when D ≧ Dx, the adjustment motor 78 is immediately rotated to raise or lower the opposing sucker member by a predetermined height. However, in this embodiment, the storage unit 196 The adjustment position HR1 and HR2 stored in the above are simply “reversed in the reverse direction”, and the change in the height position of the opposing suction member by driving the adjustment motor 78 based on the updated HR1 and HR2 This is performed immediately before the paper feed motor 77 is driven (S808, S810). “Reverse update” means that the direction of the displacement (up or down) of the opposing suction member is opposite and the displacement amount is the same.

  Next, when D = DxR1 in S844 (Y in S844), the repelling position control unit 194 is the same as the update content associated with the position information DxR1 stored in S824 with respect to the adjustment position HR1 of the opposing repelling member. Is updated (S846). If D = DxR1 in S844 (N in S844) and D = DxR2 (Y in S848), the position control unit 194 stores the position stored in S834 with respect to the adjustment position HR2 of the opposite surface member. The same update as the update content associated with the information DxR2 is performed (S850). If D = DxR2 is not satisfied in S848, the update of the adjustment position HR2 is skipped.

  That is, the position information DxR1 stored in the past second additional adjustment process performed when the remainder R is 0 and the past second additional adjustment process performed when the remainder R is 1 are stored. With respect to the position information DxR2, the processes from S702 to S704 (see FIG. 14) including the fourth additional adjustment process in the first embodiment are respectively performed to update the adjustment positions HR1 and HR2. However, in the first embodiment, when D = Dx, the adjustment motor 78 is immediately rotated to raise or lower the opposing sucker member by a predetermined height. However, in this embodiment, the storage unit 196 The adjustment position HR1 and HR2 stored in the above are simply updated, and the change in the height position of the opposing sucker member by driving the adjustment motor 78 based on the updated HR1 and HR2 is then driven by the paper feed motor 77. This is performed immediately before driving (S808, S810).

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the first additional adjustment process according to the shortage of the suction pressure, the second additional adjustment process according to the double feed or the idle feed, the third and third according to the remaining amount of paper. When the remainder R is 1 and the remainder R is 0, 4 additional adjustment processes are performed separately, and the respective adjustment positions HR1 and HR2 are updated (first adjustment process). Accordingly, the adjustment positions HR1 and HR2 are respectively adjusted to appropriate suction pressures for the paper feed when the surplus R is 1 and when the surplus R is 0. When the remainder R is 1, each time the paper is fed, the feeding position is adjusted so that the facing member is positioned at the height position stored in the adjustment position HR1 and when the remainder R is 0, the adjustment position HR2. Immediately before driving the paper motor 77, if necessary, the adjustment motor 78 is driven to change the height position of the opposing suction member. Therefore, even in an imposition advertisement in which “overlapping states” with different frictional forces appear alternately, it is possible to feed the sheet each time with the pressure of the paper according to each “overlapping state”.

  In the present embodiment, the case where the predetermined number A = 2 is described. However, for example, when the predetermined number is 4, the base copy number N1 and the adjustment determination for each case where the remainder is 0, 1, 2, 3 The number of copies N2, the position information Dx, and the adjustment position H may be set, and the first to fourth additional adjustment processes may be performed for each case.

  Note that the predetermined number A input by the user may not necessarily match the number of impositioned advertisements. For example, as shown in FIG. 21, even in the case of four surfaces, the “overlapping state” causes the front surfaces A and the back surfaces C to appear alternately. Since the difference in friction due to the type of printing is larger than the difference in friction due to the printing direction, the difference in the printing direction can be ignored, and even if a four-sided advertisement is entered as A = 2, The effect of the present embodiment is that it is possible to perform paper feeding each time with a vacuum pressure corresponding to each “overlapping state”.

  For the same reason, only 2 can be set as the predetermined number A, and whether the number of faces is 4 or 8, the predetermined number is 2, and the number of remainders is 0 and 1 respectively. You may perform the 1st-4th additional adjustment process. This is because even when the number of surfaces is four or more, there is no change in that the front surfaces and the back surfaces appear alternately.

  A plurality of pieces of position information Dx (DxR1, DxR2 in this embodiment) set for each “overlapping state” can be stored. Similarly to the first embodiment, when N3 is a predetermined number (200 in the present embodiment) or more and the second additional adjustment process is performed a plurality of times, the plurality of times are stored in association with the remaining amount. The subsequent third additional adjustment process and fourth additional adjustment process can also be performed for each of the stored position information Dx.

  Further, the collating process (first adjustment process) of the present embodiment is performed in each of the plurality of sheet feeding devices of the collating apparatus, or the collating process (second adjustment process) of the first embodiment is performed. It may be possible to perform or select setting. For example, an “imposition advertisement” switch may be provided on the sub operation panel 20 provided for each sheet feeding device, and the sheet feeding device may be set to the imposition advertisement mode by turning it on. In the imposition advertisement mode, the collation process (first adjustment process) shown in FIG. 22 is performed. If not in the imposition advertisement mode, the collation process (second adjustment process) of the first embodiment shown in FIG. I do. The user visually confirms whether or not the loaded advertisement bundle is an imposition advertisement, and if it is an imposition advertisement, the imposition advertisement switch may be turned ON. Further, when the input of the predetermined number A is omitted in S802 in FIG. 22 or the predetermined number A is set to 1, the collation process of the first embodiment (moving to S54 in FIG. 14) may be performed. .

  In the present embodiment, the initial adjustment processing is described as being the same as that in the first embodiment. However, this is the same as that in the second embodiment (initial adjustment processing using sheet thickness information), and the third embodiment. Of course, the embodiment (manual initial adjustment processing) may be used instead.

  Also in the fourth embodiment, similarly to the present embodiment, by obtaining the predetermined number A, the adjusted near-end number N4x can be set for each remainder obtained by dividing the number of paper feeds by the predetermined number. Good. For example, when the predetermined number A is 2, the adjusted near end number N4xR1 for the remainder 1 and the adjusted near end number N4xR2 for the remainder 0 are set (the adjusted near end numbers N4xR1 and N4xR2 are also set for each sheet feeding device. Set). If N3 is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the adjustment position HR2 is updated in accordance with the double feed or idle feed generated when the remainder 0 is fed, and the double feed or idle feed generated when the remainder 1 is fed. In response, the adjustment position HR1 is updated, and the contents of the update are stored. When the paper is replenished, the adjustment positions HR1 and HR2 are updated in the opposite direction to the stored update contents (fifth additional adjustment process). After that, when the paper feeding progresses again and the near-end sensor 411 is in the OFF state, when the number of feedings coincides with the adjusted near-end number N4xR1 and N4xR2 stored in the case of the remainder 1 and the remainder 0, the adjusted near-end The same update as that stored in association with the number of copies N4xR1 and N4xR2 is performed (sixth additional adjustment process). Then, when the sheet feeding motor 77 is driven next time, it is fed as necessary so that the position of the opposing suction member is the adjustment position HR2 when the rotation is the remainder 0 and the adjustment position HR1 when the remainder is the remainder 1. The adjustment motor 78 is driven in a straight line driven by the paper motor 77 to change the height position of the opposing suction member. In this way, even in the additional adjustment processing using the near-end detection sensor in the fourth embodiment, it is possible to perform paper feeding each time with the pressure of the paper according to each “overlapping state” of the imposition advertisement. It becomes.

  In the present embodiment, the additional adjustment process performed for each remainder obtained by dividing the number of paper feeds by a predetermined number is such that the stacking order of sheets is printed on a single sheet as shown in FIG. It must be loaded in the order that it was folded and cut. When the remaining amount of paper is low, lift the upstream end of the stack of paper stacks in the paper feeding direction and add a new stack of paper below it. Check the printed content on the lowermost surface of the paper, and based on the printed content on the lowermost surface, the uppermost surface of the paper to be replenished with the printed content to be brought into contact with the printed content on the lowermost surface when stacked in order Refill in the same way.

  On the other hand, in order to reduce this effort, counting of the number of paper feeds may be started from the time when a new paper is stacked on the stacking unit. In the present embodiment, the desired number of copies N input in S50 is decremented by one for each paper feed (S72), thereby counting the number of paper feeds and dividing the number of paper feeds by a predetermined number. Additional adjustment processing is performed for each surplus. In addition to this, when the sheet presence sensor 57 detects that the stacked sheets have run out and the position information D subsequently increases (or when the near-end sensor 411 changes from OFF to ON), that point is the starting point. Then, the counting of the number of paper feeds may be started again (the number of paper feeds in this case is counted for each paper feeding device). By doing so, it is possible to prevent a difference between the stacking order and the additional adjustment content by simply stacking so that the topmost printed content of the newly stacked paper is always the same.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and an appropriate combination of the elements of each embodiment is also effective as an embodiment of the present invention. Various modifications such as design changes can be added to each embodiment based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, and the embodiments to which such modifications are added are also included in the scope of the present invention. sell. Here are some examples.

(Modification 1)
In the first and third embodiments, the configuration in which the folding form (folding shape) is set as the paper information input by the user is shown. However, in the modified example, the thickness (numerical value) of the paper is input. Also good. For example, the user may measure the thickness of the paper with a micrometer and input the measured value. Alternatively, a micrometer that can output a measurement value to the control unit 50 may be used. Alternatively, paper thickness information such as “thick paper, plain paper, thin paper” may be input instead of numerical values.

  Further, the paper quality may be input as an element that affects the suction pressure. For example, paper quality information such as “coated paper, art paper, matte paper, high quality paper, medium quality paper” can be input. In addition to this, the user can also input size information that is the paper size and density information such as the continuous amount. However, the control unit 50 holds a table in which the correspondence relationship between the paper information and the return amount (such as the rotation amount of the adjustment motor 78) is set, and performs the adjustment of the suction pressure based on the input paper information. It shall be possible to carry out properly. In the above embodiment, the paper information is input via the sub operation panel 20. However, the paper information may be input via the main operation panel 16.

(Modification 2)
In the embodiment, in S70 of FIG. 14 and S340 of FIG. 17, the “determination reference period” is set as a predetermined time when one sheet feeding is reliably completed from the start of rotation of the sheet feeding motor 77. In the modification, for example, the period from the start of rotation of the paper feed motor 77 until the trailing edge of the paper is detected by the jam sensor 58 may be set as the “determination reference period”.

(Modification 3)
Although the configuration in which the limit detection mechanism is not provided is shown in the third embodiment, a configuration in which the limit value is detected by the limit sensor 220 may be used as in the first and second embodiments. In that case, when the user reaches the limit value in the process of operating the adjustment knob 378 to the pressurization side, an operation amount corresponding to the return amount may be displayed on the display unit 380 at that time.

(Modification 4)
Although not described in the embodiment, when idle feeding or the like occurs during the collating process, the adjusting process may be executed so as to change the suction pressure to the reduced pressure side. In addition, when double feeding or chaining occurs during the collating process, the adjusting process may be executed so as to change the suction pressure to the pressurizing side.

(Modification 5)
In the second embodiment, an example in which information regarding the thickness of the sheet is obtained based on the detection value of the displacement sensor 69 that measures the rotation amount of the lever member 65 using an encoder. In a modification, information regarding the thickness of the paper may be obtained by an ultrasonic sensor. That is, a transmission sensor for transmitting ultrasonic waves and a reception sensor for receiving ultrasonic waves may be provided above and below the horizontal conveyance path. For example, the folded shape of the sheet may be obtained by utilizing the fact that the amplitude of the ultrasonic wave is smaller when the sheet that has passed through the ultrasonic sensor is folded in two than when the sheet is not folded. Or you may make it obtain the information regarding the thickness of a paper with an optical sensor. In other words, the light emitting sensor and the light receiving sensor may be arranged above and below the horizontal conveyance path, respectively, so that the folded shape and thickness information of the paper can be obtained based on the amount of transmitted light when the paper passes.

(Modification 6)
In the embodiment, the case has been described in which the storage unit 196 stores the height position of the opposing sucking member when adjusted by the additional adjustment processing as the adjustment position H, but is not limited thereto.

  For example, the storage unit 196 stores, as the adjustment position H, the height position of the opposing sucker member that has been adjusted by the initial adjustment process until the additional adjustment process is executed. You may memorize | store as the adjustment position H the height position of the opposing rubber member when adjusted by the adjustment process. In this case, if a paper jam occurs before the additional adjustment process is executed, the returning member may be returned to the adjustment position H stored in the storage unit 196 in the initial adjustment process.

  In addition, for example, the storage unit 196 may store only the height position of the opposing rubber member when adjusted by the initial adjustment process as the adjustment position H, and return the rubber member to the adjustment position H in the return process.

In addition, for example, the storage unit 196 may store the height position of the opposing rubber member when adjusted by the initial adjustment processing in addition to the height position of the opposing rubber member when adjusted by the additional adjustment processing. . In this case, in the return process, even if the reverse member is returned to the height position of the opposite side member when adjusted by the initial adjustment process, the return member is returned to the height position of the opposite side member when adjusted by the additional adjustment process. May be returned. Alternatively, in the return process, the user may select which height position to return to, and the opposing sucking member may be returned to the selected height position.
In addition, this modification may be applied to each of the adjustment positions H set for each number of remainders in the fifth embodiment.

(Modification 7)
In the embodiment, if the timing sensor 56 is in the detection state, that is, if there is a sheet between the paper feed roller 42 and the opposite side member, the back position control unit 194 performs a return process even if the return switch is turned on. In other words, the case where the return process is executed if the timing sensor 56 is in the non-detection state even when sheets are stacked on the paper feed tray 14 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. If the paper presence / absence detection sensor 57 is in the detection state, the bag position control unit 194 may not execute the return process even if the return switch is turned on. Further, in addition to the timing sensor 56 and the sheet presence / absence detection sensor 57, a sensor is provided at a position where the paper feed roller 42 and the opposite sucking member are in contact with each other. The return process may not be executed.

(Modification 8)
In the embodiment, it has been described that the jammed paper can be removed by manually operating the adjustment knob 378 and lowering the opposing suction member to a height position where the suction pressure is not generated. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may be configured such that the opposing sucking member is lowered to a height position where the sucking pressure is not automatically generated by the motor 78.

  For example, when the paper jam processing switch is turned on by simultaneously pressing the timing button 172 and the reverse rotation button 176, the paper position control unit 194 has a predetermined height position (for example, the paper feed roller 42) where no paper pressure is generated. The adjusting motor 78 may be controlled so that the opposing sucking member moves to a predetermined height position where the opposing sucking member is spaced apart from the opposing sucking member. In this case, if the paper jam processing switch is turned on only when a paper jam is detected, the web position control unit 194 adjusts so that the counter paper movement moves to a predetermined height position where no web pressure is generated. The motor 78 may be controlled. In other words, even if the paper jam processing switch is turned on when no paper jam is detected, the web position control unit 194 ends the process without moving the opposing web member.

  Further, the button for turning on the paper jam handling switch and the return switch may be used by the same button operation (for example, the timing button 170 and the normal rotation button 174 are simultaneously pressed and held). In other words, if the limit sensor 220 does not detect the lowering of the facing suction member between the occurrence of a paper jam and the timing button 170 and the forward rotation button 174 being pressed at the same time, the paper jam processing switch Is turned on, and then the return switch is turned on when the timing button 170 and the forward rotation button 174 are simultaneously pressed for a long time again. If the limit sensor 220 detects the lowering of the opposing sucking member between the occurrence of the paper jam and the timing button 170 and the forward rotation button 174 being pressed at the same time, the opposing sucking member has already been manually operated. May be lowered and it is determined that the paper jam processing has been performed, and the return switch may be turned on without turning on the paper jam processing switch.

  In addition, for example, when a paper jam is detected and the main motor stops, the suction position control unit 194 automatically moves the facing suction member to a predetermined height position where no suction pressure is generated without waiting for an input from the user. The adjustment motor 78 may be controlled.

  In addition, for example, when a paper jam is detected and the main motor stops, the suction position control unit 194 automatically moves the facing suction member to a predetermined height position where no suction pressure is generated without waiting for an input from the user. The adjustment motor 78 may be controlled.

(Modification 9)
In the embodiment, the height position of the opposing sucking member when adjusted by the additional adjusting process is stored in the storage unit 196 as the adjusting position H, and the returning process returns the sucking member to the adjusting position H. Not limited to this. If a paper jam has occurred, the adjustment position H may not be appropriate. That is, it is conceivable that the Sabaki pressure is too high. Therefore, the buckle position control unit 194 may control the adjustment motor 78 so as to move, for example, the facing buckling member to a position lower than the adjustment position H by a predetermined distance. The same applies to the case where the opposing rubber member is returned to the height position adjusted by the initial adjustment process as in the above-described modification. Moreover, you may apply this modification to each of the adjustment positions H set for every number of remainders in 5th Embodiment.

(Modification 10)
Although not particularly mentioned in the embodiment, a warning may be displayed when the paper feed start switch is input without performing the return process. More specifically, for example, when the limit sensor 220 detects the movement of the opposing sucking member even though the adjustment motor 78 is not driven, and then the paper feed start switch is input without performing the return process, the main sensor A warning may be displayed on the operation panel 16. Further, for example, a warning may be displayed on the main operation panel 16 when a start switch is input in a state in which the facing member is not in the adjustment position H.
As a warning, for example, a message such as “The position of the mackerel has been manually changed.

(Modification 11)
In the second embodiment, in S920 (FIG. 16), in order to determine whether or not the remaining amount of paper in the paper feeding device is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the bracket 48 detected by the displacement sensor 402 is detected. Although the height position information D of the surface 401 is referred to, the present invention is not limited to this. When the near-end sensor 411 in the fourth embodiment detects the detected plate 412 and is in the ON state, the paper remaining It may be determined that the amount is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount.

  Reference Signs List 14 paper feed tray, 42 paper feed roller, 1st paper member 45, 2nd paper member 46, 3rd paper member 47, 50 control unit, 54 paper pressure adjustment mechanism, 78 adjustment motor, acquisition unit 192, paper position control unit 194, storage unit 196.

Claims (6)

A loading section on which paper is loaded;
A remaining amount detection mechanism for detecting the remaining amount of paper loaded on the stacking unit;
A paper feed mechanism that feeds out and feeds the uppermost paper among the papers loaded on the stacking unit;
An acquisition unit for acquiring information on the thickness of paper fed by the paper feeding mechanism;
An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the paper feed conditions of the paper feed mechanism;
An actuator for driving the adjusting mechanism;
An operation input unit for receiving user operation inputs;
In response to a user's predetermined operation input in the operation input unit, one sheet stacked on the stacking unit is sent out, and based on information on the thickness of the sheet acquired in the acquisition unit at the time of sending out A control unit for controlling the actuator so as to perform a predetermined adjustment process in the adjustment mechanism;
With
The control unit, when a predetermined operation input by the user in the operation input unit is made, when the remaining amount detected by the remaining amount detection mechanism is greater than or equal to a predetermined amount, forgoes to send out the one sheet. A paper feeder characterized by. A loading section on which paper is loaded;
A near-end detection mechanism for detecting that the remaining amount of paper stacked on the stacking unit is equal to or less than a predetermined value;
A paper feed mechanism that feeds out and feeds the uppermost paper among the papers loaded on the stacking unit;
An acquisition unit for acquiring information on the thickness of paper fed by the paper feeding mechanism;
An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the paper feed conditions of the paper feed mechanism;
An actuator for driving the adjusting mechanism;
An operation input unit for receiving user operation inputs;
In response to a user's predetermined operation input in the operation input unit, one sheet stacked on the stacking unit is sent out, and based on information on the thickness of the sheet acquired in the acquisition unit at the time of sending out A control unit for controlling the actuator so as to perform a predetermined adjustment process in the adjustment mechanism;
With
When the control unit does not detect that the remaining amount of sheets stacked on the stacking unit is less than or equal to a predetermined level by the near-end detection mechanism when a predetermined operation input by the user is made in the operation input unit In addition, the sheet feeding device is configured to cancel the feeding of the one sheet. A loading section on which paper is loaded;
A paper presence / absence detection mechanism for detecting whether or not paper is stacked on the stacking unit;
A paper feed mechanism that feeds out and feeds the uppermost paper among the papers loaded on the stacking unit;
An acquisition unit for acquiring information on the thickness of paper fed by the paper feeding mechanism;
An adjustment mechanism for adjusting the paper feed conditions of the paper feed mechanism;
An actuator for driving the adjusting mechanism;
An operation input unit for receiving user operation inputs;
In response to a user's predetermined operation input in the operation input unit, one sheet stacked on the stacking unit is sent out, and based on information on the thickness of the sheet acquired in the acquisition unit at the time of sending out A control unit for controlling the actuator so as to perform a predetermined adjustment process in the adjustment mechanism;
With
The control unit displays a warning when it is detected by the sheet presence / absence detection mechanism that a sheet is not stacked on the stacking unit when a predetermined operation input by the user is made in the operation input unit. A paper feeder characterized by. A paper feed roller that feeds the paper by rotating in pressure contact with the topmost paper among the papers stacked in the stacking unit;
A baffle member provided facing the paper feed roller and configured to prevent the second and lower sheets from being sent out from the topmost position;
The paper feed condition is a pressure generated between the paper feed roller and the buckling member,
2. The adjustment mechanism is configured to move the suction member in a direction in which it is pressed against or separated from the paper feed roller, and the position thereof is adjusted by the control unit. 4. The paper feeding device according to any one of 3 to 4.   In response to the predetermined operation input, the control unit moves the surface member so as to separate the surface member from the paper feed roller in preparation for feeding one sheet of paper stacked on the stacking unit. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4, wherein   In the predetermined adjustment process, based on information from at least one sensor of the paper feeding device, it is determined that the pressure generated between the paper feeding roller and the buckling member has reached a predetermined limit value. In this case, the surface position control unit is a process of moving the surface member in a direction away from the sheet feed roller by an amount corresponding to information on the thickness of the sheet from a position where the limit value is reached. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4 or 5.

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