JP3398043B2 - Sheet material feeding device, sheet material processing device, and image input device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image of a sheet material feeding device for feeding a sheet material, a sheet material processing device for performing a predetermined process on a sheet material, an image reading device for reading an image of a sheet-shaped original, and the like. Regarding the input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 15 shows the structure of the main part of a conventional image input device.

Reference numeral 1 is a document table, 2 is a drive motor for driving the document table, and 3 is a detection means for detecting that the document is raised to a predetermined position.

Reference numeral 4 designates a paper feed roller for moving the original document to a separate paper feed position, and reference numeral 105 designates a paper feed clutch for switching ON / OFF of driving of the paper feed roller 4.

Reference numeral 6 is a feed roller, and 7 is a separation roller, which has a comb-like shape and has roller portions which alternate with each other. Reference numeral 108 denotes a feed clutch for turning ON / OFF the drive of the feed roller 6
9 is a separation clutch for turning on / off the drive of the separation roller 7
FF.

A conveying motor 10 serves as a driving source for all of the apparatus.

A paper feed sensor 13 detects that the original has been separated and conveyed. Document reading sensors 14 and 15 read image information of a conveyed document. Reference numeral 16 denotes a paper discharge sensor, which detects that the document F has passed through the conveyance path of the apparatus and has been discharged.

Numerals 20, 21, 22, and 23 are original conveying rollers for conveying and driving the original F.

40 is an upper guide plate, 41 is a lower guide plate,
The document F is conveyed while being sandwiched between the two guide plates. Three
In the case of 0, the feed roller 6 is moved up and down by the paper thickness adjusting knob 30 to change the interval of the separating and conveying section.

These operations are as follows.

When a plurality of manuscripts F are mounted on the manuscript table 1 and a reading start signal is output from an input means (not shown), the manuscript table driving motor 2 is rotationally driven to raise the manuscript table 1.

The document F on the document table 1 is gradually raised, and the document table drive motor is driven until the document F is detected by the document detection sensor 3 and stopped at the time when the document detection sensor 3 detects it.

Next, when the paper feed clutch 5 is turned on, the drive of the carry motor 10 is transmitted to the paper feed roller 4 and the paper feed roller 4 is rotationally driven to transfer the document F to the carry separation portion.

The feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 are generally controlled so as to start driving at the same time as the paper feed roller 4, and the original document F sent from the paper feed section by the paper feed roller 4 is fed.
Are conveyed separately.

The document F is separated by the following operation in the separating and feeding section.
To be separated.

The document F conveyed to the separating and feeding section by the sheet feeding roller 4 is driven in the feeding direction by the feeding roller 6, and at the same time, a force in the opposite direction is applied by the separating roller 7.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 16, even if a plurality of sheets are simultaneously fed to the separating / conveying unit, only the upper original F1 is fed forward, and the lower original F2 is moved in the reverse direction by the separating roller 7. The originals are returned to prevent double-fed documents.

The position adjustment of the two rollers is performed by using the paper thickness adjustment knob 30.

As shown in FIG. 17, when the roller interval of the separating / conveying unit is narrow, the document F is pushed back to the separating roller 7 in the direction opposite to the conveying direction and is not fed. Further, when the distance is wide as shown in FIG. 18, when the force applied to the second original F2 from the separating roller 7 is less than the static frictional force between the original F and the original F2, the two originals are simultaneously conveyed. This will result in multiple deliveries.

Therefore, depending on the type of document to be read,
It is necessary to change the paper thickness adjustment knob 30.

The document F that has passed through the separating / conveying section is detected by the paper feed sensor 13, and the paper feed clutch 10 is detected by this signal.
5. The feed clutch 108 is turned off, and the driving of the paper feed roller 4 and the feed roller 6 is temporarily stopped so that the second and subsequent documents F2 are not continuously fed.

The separation roller 7 is continuously driven in reverse while the paper feed sensor 13 detects the original F so that the second and subsequent originals F2 are not dragged by the original F1 and fed.

In the course of this separation and conveyance, the document F passes through the reading sensors 14 and 15 and the read images are sequentially sent to an image processing unit (not shown).

When processing a plurality of originals in succession,
When the paper feed sensor 13 no longer detects the document F, the paper feed clutch 105 and the feed clutch 108 are turned on again,
The paper feed roller 4 and the feed roller 6 are driven, and the document F2 begins to be separated and conveyed.

When the original detection sensor 2 no longer detects the original even when the original table 1 is raised to the uppermost position, it is determined that all the originals have been read and conveyed, and the paper ejection sensor 16 determines that the original has been conveyed. When the discharge of F is detected, the conveyance motor 10 and the separation clutch 9 are turned off, and then the platen drive motor 2 rotates in the reverse direction to move the platen 1 to the lowermost position, and then all the operations are completed.

[0026]

In the conventional document conveying method described above, the paper feed roller, the feed roller, and the separation roller are controlled by ON / OFF of the clutch, and the driving force is from the conveyance motor 10 to a gear or a belt. , All rollers rotate at the same rotation ratio in any state.

Further, when the reading speed and resolution of the original are changed by changing the conveying speed of the conveying motor, the speeds of the feed roller, the feed roller and the separating roller are changed at the same ratio, and the original is originally changed. The separation / conveyance system, which should be determined by the coefficient of kinetic friction between the rollers and the coefficient of friction between the rollers, also causes separation and conveyance in an unstable and unstable state, which causes problems such as double feeding.

Further, since the operation of each roller operates at a constant ratio via the gear and the belt, it is difficult to change and optimize the separation / conveyance system even if the state of the original to be fed, the quality of the paper, etc. change. The fact that it is not possible to respond to external factors also causes double feed.

In terms of structure, a large number of deceleration and acceleration gears and belts are required to adjust the rotation ratio of each roller, which complicates the mechanical structure and leaves problems in maintainability and stability. Regarding the adjustment of the paper thickness, it is troublesome to adjust the paper thickness only manually, and when documents having different thicknesses are mixed, problems such as poor conveyance and double feeding occur, and workability is significantly deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and its purpose is to improve the separation and conveyance performance by preventing sheet-like conveyance failure or double feeding. Especially.

[0031]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a feeding rotary body for feeding a sheet material from a predetermined feeding position, and a sheet fed by the feeding rotary body. In a sheet material feeding device, comprising: a separating and conveying means that conveys a material and separates the double-fed sheet material, the separating and conveying means includes a conveying rotator that rotates in a sheet material conveying direction, and the conveying rotation means. Sandwich the sheet material between the body,
It is characterized in that it comprises a separating rotary member which rotates in a direction opposite to the sheet material conveying direction, and the feeding rotating member, the conveying rotating member and the separating rotating member are respectively driven by independent driving means.

In this way, since the driving state of each rotating body can be independently controlled, it becomes possible to set appropriate separation and conveyance conditions according to various sheet materials and various conveyance states, and separation and conveyance can be performed. The performance can be improved.

Further, since the drive means is not shared, the drive transmission means such as gears and belts can be omitted, the structure can be simplified, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, the assembly time can be shortened, and the serviceability can be improved. Can be improved.

[0034]

[0035]

Further, at least any two rotating bodies of the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body may be driven in synchronization with each other.

Further, at least any two rotating bodies of the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body may be driven asynchronously.

Further, a driving method switching means for switching between a case where at least any two rotating bodies among the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body are driven synchronously and asynchronously is driven. It may be provided.

Further, in the process of the separation / conveyance operation, there are a case where at least any two of the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body are synchronously driven and a case where they are asynchronously driven. You may make it switch.

As described above, at least any two of the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body, and the separating rotating body are synchronously driven, asynchronously driven, or synchronized by the driving method switching means. By switching between asynchronous and driving, or by switching between synchronous / asynchronous in the course of the separation / conveyance operation, it is possible to obtain separation / conveyance performance suitable for various sheet materials and separation / conveyance states.

Further, a space adjusting means for changing the space between the transport rotary body and the separation rotary body may be provided.

By changing the distance between the conveying rotary member and the separating rotary member in this way, the separating and conveying state of the sheet material can be changed, so that the separating and conveying performance according to the sheet material can be obtained.

In the operation of separating and conveying the original document,
The interval may be changed so that the changing speed of the interval changes according to the interval between the transport rotary body and the separation rotary body.

By doing so, the interval does not become too large even when the sheet material is thin, and the time for changing the interval can be shortened even when the sheet material is thick, and separation according to the sheet material is possible. Transport performance can be obtained.

In addition, the distance between the conveying rotary member and the separating rotary member is changed in accordance with the separating / conveying operation of the original document, and correction is performed so that the distance becomes a predetermined size. It may be changed according to.

By doing so, as in the case of a thin sheet material that is easily damaged or soiled at the time of separation and transportation, or a thick and hard sheet material with such a small possibility, it is possible to use a transport rotating body depending on the type of sheet material. Since it is possible to change the correction amount of the distance from the separating rotary member, it is possible to obtain the separating and conveying performance suitable for the sheet material.

When feeding a plurality of sheet materials,
When the sheet material next to the sheet material that has passed through the separating / conveying means is already sandwiched by the separating / conveying means, the distance between the conveying rotary body and the separating rotary body is increased while reversing the conveying rotary body. You may make it small.

In this way, the sheet material sandwiched by the separating / conveying means is returned to the upstream side in the conveying direction of the separating / conveying means, so that even when a plurality of sheet materials are fed.
Each sheet material can be conveyed in the same separation conveyance state, and the separation conveyance performance is improved.

If the sheet material does not normally pass through the separating / conveying means, the control condition of the separating / conveying means may be changed to perform the next separating / conveying operation.

By doing so, even if the sheet material does not normally pass through the separating / conveying means due to the conveying failure or the double feeding, the setting of the control condition of the separating / conveying means is changed, and the conveying failure due to the same cause. Since it is possible to prevent the occurrence of such problems, it is possible to obtain good separation and transport performance.

Further, a double feed detecting means for detecting the double feed of the sheet material is provided on the downstream side of the separating and conveying means in the sheet material conveying direction, and the distance between the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body is changed by the distance adjusting means. The sheet material is separated and conveyed while being carried out, and when the double feed is detected by the double feed detection means, the feeding rotary body and the transport rotary body are stopped,
The separation rotary member may be rotated in a direction opposite to the sheet material conveying direction to return the distance between the conveyance rotary member and the separation rotary member to the initial state, and the double-fed sheet material may be discharged from the separation conveying means. .

By doing so, it is possible to automate and improve the work of avoiding the double feeding of the sheet material.

[0053]

[0054]

Further, when the sheet material is fed again after the double feeding detecting means detects the double feeding, the setting of the control condition of the separating / conveying operation is made different from that when the double feeding is generated. Good.

By doing so, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of double feed due to the same cause, and it is possible to obtain a good separation / conveyance performance.

Further, the synchronous / asynchronous relationship of the drive of at least any two of the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body is changed between when the double feeding occurs and after the double feeding is detected. May be.

In this way, since the setting of the control condition of the separation / conveyance operation is changed between the occurrence of the double feed and the detection of the double feed, it is possible to prevent the double feed from occurring due to the same cause, which is favorable. It is possible to obtain excellent separation and conveyance performance.

It is also possible to have a plurality of separating / conveying modes in which the control conditions for the separating / conveying operation of the sheet material are different, and to provide a mode switching means for switching the separating / conveying modes.

In this way, a good separation / conveyance performance can be obtained by switching the separation / conveyance mode so that an appropriate separation / conveyance operation can be realized according to the type of sheet material.

Further, in the operation of separating and conveying the sheet material,
An automatic adjustment mode for automatically adjusting the distance between the conveying rotary body and the separating rotary body by the distance adjusting means, and a manual adjusting mode for inputting and setting the distance between the conveying rotary body and the separating rotary body. An interval adjustment mode switching unit for switching between the automatic adjustment mode and the manual adjustment mode may be provided.

In this way, by switching the interval adjustment mode, it is possible to realize a proper separation / conveyance state according to the type of sheet material.

Further, when switching to the manual adjustment mode, reference value display means for displaying an adjustment value of the interval between the transport rotary body and the separation rotary body in the automatic adjustment mode may be provided.

In this way, when the distance between the conveying rotary body and the separating rotary body is input and set, the adjustment value in the automatic adjustment mode can be referred to and set, so that the automatic adjustment mode can be set. It is possible to determine how to set the interval based on the separated and conveyed state, and it is possible to quickly perform an appropriate setting.

Further, a sheet material placing section moving means for moving the sheet material placing section to place the sheet material placed on the sheet material placing section at the predetermined feeding position is provided. And

In this way, by moving the sheet material stacking section, even when a plurality of sheet materials are placed, they can be sequentially arranged at predetermined feeding positions, so that the number of sheet materials can be increased. Nevertheless, good separation and conveyance performance can be obtained.

Further, a sheet material detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet material at the predetermined feeding position is provided, and when the sheet material does not reach the separating / conveying means at the time of feeding the sheet material, the sheet material detection is performed. After moving the sheet material placing portion to a position where the means does not detect the sheet material, the sheet material is again arranged at the predetermined feeding position and the sheet material detecting means detects the sheet material. You may make it move a sheet material mounting part.

With this arrangement, when the position of the sheet material stacking section is inappropriate, the sheet material stacking section is moved and the sheet material is again arranged at the predetermined feeding position, whereby the sheet material stacking section is accurately moved. Can be sent.

Here, when the sheet material stacking section is moved to a position where the sheet material detecting means no longer detects the sheet material, and then the sheet material stacking section is moved again, at a speed different from that in the previous sheet feeding operation. That is, it may be moved faster or slower. By further changing the control condition in this way, the cause of the defective feeding can be avoided.

Further, there is a manual feed mode for feeding the manually fed sheet material, and in the manual feed mode, the sheet material placing portion is moved so that the manually fed sheet material is arranged at a predetermined feeding position. The feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body, and the separating rotating body may be rotated in the sheet material conveying direction at the same peripheral speed.

By moving the sheet material placing portion so that the manually-fed sheet material is arranged at a predetermined feeding position as described above, it is possible to manually feed the sheet material and also to feed the sheet material from the sheet material placing portion. The same feeding is possible. Further, by rotating the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body, and the separating rotating body in the sheet material conveying direction at the same peripheral speed, the sheet material is
Even if it is folded, stable feeding is possible.

In the manual feed mode, the distance between the transport rotary member and the separation rotary member may be set to the minimum value of the thickness of the sheet material.

By doing so, the sheet material can be fed regardless of the thickness of the sheet material to be manually fed.

In the manual feeding mode, after the sheet material reaches the conveying means located downstream of the separating and conveying means in the sheet conveying direction, the distance between the conveying rotary body and the separating rotary body is made larger than that in the initial state. You may do it.

With this arrangement, unnecessary force is not applied to the sheet material by the separating and conveying means when the sheet material is conveyed by the downstream conveying means.

Further, in the manual feed mode, at the start of the feeding, the sheet material placed at the sheet material placing portion is fed at a speed slower than a predetermined feeding speed of the sheet material. It may be conveyed and accelerated to the predetermined conveying speed. With this configuration, the user who manually inserts the sheet material is not surprised at the speed at which the sheet material is conveyed and presses the sheet material, so that skew is not caused and stable feeding is possible.

Further, it may be provided with a control condition setting means for setting a control condition of the sheet material separating / conveying operation, and a control condition storing means for storing the setting contents by the control condition setting means.

In this way, the control conditions can be set finely according to the type of sheet material. In addition, by storing the control conditions once set in the control condition storage means, it is possible to save the trouble of resetting the stored setting contents after that, and to easily and properly perform the appropriate separation / conveyance operation. Can be realized.

When the sheet material is re-fed in the separating / conveying operation of the sheet material based on the predetermined control condition, the control condition is changed based on the setting content stored in the control condition storing means. You may do it.

With this arrangement, when the sheet material is re-fed, the setting can be changed to a more appropriate preset control condition and the sheet material can be fed.

Further, a communication means is provided between the external device and
The external device may be provided with an external control condition setting unit that sets a control condition of the separating and conveying operation of the sheet material via the communication unit.

In this way, even if an abnormality occurs in the sheet separating and conveying operation, the user can change the setting from the external device, and the work efficiency can be improved.

The transport rotary member and the separation rotary member each include a plurality of rollers arranged in a comb shape on the same axis. The rollers forming the transport rotary member and the rollers forming the separation rotary member. And may be arranged alternately in the axial direction.

By doing so, the work of adjusting the parallelism of the axes of the transport rotary body and the separation rotary body and the interval between the transport rotary body and the separation rotary body can be simplified, so that the assemblability is improved.

A sheet material processing apparatus having a sheet material feeding section for feeding the sheet material and a sheet material processing section for performing a predetermined process on the fed sheet material, The sheet material feeder may be provided with the sheet material feeder.

By doing so, it is possible to provide a highly reliable sheet material processing apparatus. The predetermined processing for the sheet material includes, but is not limited to, processing such as reading an image on the sheet material and forming an image on the sheet material.

Further, there is provided an image input device comprising an original feeding section for feeding a sheet-like original and an image reading section for reading an image on the fed original, wherein the original feeding section is provided with If the sheet material feeding device is provided, it is possible to accurately feed the document to the image reading unit and provide an image input device capable of highly reliable image reading.

Further, the separation / conveyance speed of the original document may be set independently of the reading speed in the image reading section.

By doing so, the separation / conveyance speed can be set according to the type of the document regardless of the reading speed in the image reading section, and more accurate separation / conveyance becomes possible.

[0090]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS (First Embodiment) FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of.

Reference numeral 1 is a document table as a sheet material placing portion, 2 is a document table drive motor as a sheet material placing portion moving means, 3
Is a document detection sensor as a sheet material detection means.

Reference numeral 4 is a paper feed roller as a feeding rotary member, and 5 is a paper feed motor as drive means, which directly drives the paper feed roller 4.

Reference numeral 6 is a feed roller as a conveying rotary member, 7 is a separating roller as a separating rotary member, 8 is a feed motor as a driving means for directly driving the feed roller 6, and 9 is a separating motor as a driving means. The separation roller 7 is directly driven by. In this embodiment, the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 constitute a separation / conveyance unit.

A transport motor 10 transports and drives the document after the separation and transport from the document reading position to the sheet discharging position, and at the same time, the speed can be changed according to the document reading speed and resolution.

Numeral 11 is a paper thickness adjusting motor as an interval adjusting means, which adjusts the interval between the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 so that the paper can be automatically separated and conveyed in an appropriate state.

Reference numerals 14 and 15 denote original reading sensors (sheet material processing section, image reading section) which change the scanning interval based on the original reading speed and resolution. Further, as the operation of the document reading sensor, it is possible to select an operation of reading timing synchronized with each motor of the sheet feeding motor, the feeding motor and the separation motor, or an asynchronous reading timing.

A paper discharge sensor 16 detects that the document has passed through the reading section and has been discharged to the paper discharge section.

Numerals 17 and 18 are registration rollers, which restrict the original from moving forward and correct the skew of the original.

Reference numeral 19 denotes a registration clutch, which switches connection / disconnection of driving of the conveyance motor to the registration roller.

Numerals 20, 21, 22, and 23 are original feed rollers for feeding and driving the original F.

40 is an upper guide plate, 41 is a lower guide plate,
The document F is conveyed while being sandwiched between the two guide plates.

S1 is a pre-feed sensor, S2 is a post-feed sensor, S3 is a pre-registration sensor, S4 is a post-registration sensor, and S5 is a double feed detection sensor (double feed detection means). A control unit (not shown) controls synchronously and asynchronously driving the motors of the respective units.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the operation unit using the present invention.

Reference numeral 50 is an operation unit of the embodiment, 51 is a start SW (driving method switching means, mode switching means), and the original table 1
When the original is loaded on the
It is also used to start counting and input variables.

Reference numeral 52 is a stop switch, which is used for stopping the reading of the document, clearing the count, canceling and clearing the input of variables.

Reference numeral 53 is a paper thickness adjustment mode selection switch (interval adjustment mode switching means) for switching the paper thickness control method between automatic, manual and manual feed. It is also possible to increase the modes depending on the type of paper.

Reference numeral 54 switches ON / OFF of the double feed detection.

A number counter 55 is used for checking the number of originals that have been read and conveyed, setting the number of readings, setting the number of double feeds, setting and displaying the driving rotation speed of each part motor, operating state of the apparatus, error display, etc. To be done.

Reference numerals 56 and 57 denote SWs (control condition setting means) used for setting the number of sheets of the sheet counter and changing numerical values of various settings.

Reference numeral 58 indicates the reading density of the original, which is used as an indication of the reading temperature of the original and an indication at the time of manual adjustment of the paper thickness.

Reference numerals 59, 60, 61 are for changing the density of the original and for AE
This switch is used to input paper thickness data when manually adjusting the paper thickness.

Reference numerals 62 and 63 are memories SW, which can store the above-mentioned settings in a memory as a control condition storing means, and are used so that a plurality of sheet feeding / conveying modes can be set and individually supported.

Reference numerals 71, 72, and 73 denote LEDs for selecting and displaying the paper thickness adjustment mode. The LEDs 71 are lit in the automatic paper pressure adjustment mode, the manual adjustment mode 72, and the manual feed mode 73.

74 is an LE for ON / OFF display of double feed detection.
Illuminates when double feed detection is enabled in D.

Reference numeral 75 indicates ON / OFF of automatic density adjustment.

The operation of the present invention is as follows.

First, a plurality of documents F are mounted on the document table 1. Here, a signal from the start SW 51 of the operation unit 50 is sent to a control circuit (not shown), and an ascending signal is sent to the document table motor 2 to raise the document F to the sheet feeding position.

When the raised document is detected by the document detection sensor 3, the paper feed motor 5 is driven at the set speed in the carrying direction to rotate the paper feed roller 4.

The paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is returned to the position where the space between the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 is closed most.

By the rotation driving of the paper feed roller 4, the uppermost original F1 of the original F is carried to the separation / conveyance section and detected by the pre-paper feeding sensor S1.

The document F1 is conveyed for a specified time or a specified number of pulses after the detection by the pre-feed sensor S1.
The feed motor 8 is driven at the timing when the front end of 1 hits the separation sheet feeding section, and at the same time the feed roller 7 starts to rotate, the paper thickness adjusting motor starts to rotate, and the distance between the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 is increased. Open up.

Eventually, the space between the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 is opened, and the document F1 begins to pass between these two rollers.

When the document F1 passes through the separation / conveyance unit,
It is detected by the sensor S2 after feeding. This post-feed sensor S2
The paper thickness adjusting motor 11 adjusts the opening / closing amount of the feed roller 6 and the separating roller 7 in response to a signal from the above, and then stops.

As shown in FIG. 3, the document F1 is applied with a static frictional force P1 in the carrying direction on the feed roller 6 side and a dynamic frictional force p2 on the separating roller 7 side opposite to the carrying direction. Has been.

Therefore, even if the second and subsequent originals F2 are inserted in the shape shown in FIG. 4, the dynamic friction force p from the separation roller 7
Double feeding does not occur unless two or more static frictions f1 occur between the documents F1 and F2.

Next, when the feed motor 8 and the separation motor 9 are driven by using step motors capable of stepwise feeding and the driving pulses are synchronized in phase, the force applied to the document F in the separation conveyance section is as shown in FIG. , Dynamic friction forces p1 and p2 and static friction forces P1 and P2.

Generally, static friction is greater than dynamic friction,
A force larger than the dynamic friction p2 during constant rotation can be obtained.

In this synchronous driving method, the separation and conveyance time of the original document F becomes long and the paper feeding efficiency is lowered. However, even if the dynamic friction coefficient between the original documents is large, double feeding is reduced.

Therefore, when the feed motor 8 and the separation motor 9 are driven, the conventional asynchronous drive is used when the original having a small friction coefficient between the originals is conveyed and read, and the asynchronous drive is used when the original has a large friction coefficient. By switching to, it is possible to feed and convey various originals without causing double feed.

Next, when the fed document F1 is detected by the pre-registration detection sensor S3 through the separation conveyance section, the separation motor 9 is temporarily stopped and only the feed motor 8 is driven. As a result, due to the increase / decrease in dynamic friction as described above,
The rare occurrence of temporary slip between the feed roller 8 and the document F1 is eliminated, and the feed amount of the document F1 from the position detected by the pre-registration detection sensor S3 becomes accurate.

After passing through the pre-registration detection sensor S3, it strikes the registration rollers 17 and 18 after a prescribed pulse or a prescribed time, so that the document F1 can be deflected, so that the leading end of the document F1 comes to the registration rollers 17 and 18. By tracing and then turning on the registration clutch 19, the skew of the document F1 can be corrected.

The time from the passage of the pre-registration detection sensor S3 to the turning on of the registration clutch 19 and the pulse can be changed depending on the thickness of the document F1 and the quality of the document.

After the post-registration sensor S4 detects the document passing between the registration rollers, the feed motor 8 stops driving and the separation motor 7 restarts driving.

After the post-registration sensor S4 detects the document F1, and after the specified pulse, the document reading sensors 14, 1
The control circuit 5 manages the reading operation of the sheet No. 5 at the same time as when the sheet ejection sensor 16 detects the sheet ejection sensor 16 after the specified pulse.

Next, when the document F is continuously fed and conveyed, the following procedure is performed.

After the trailing edge of the first document F1 has passed the post-feed sensor S2, the feed motor 8 is stopped and the separation motor is driven, and the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is moved to the feed roller 6 and the separation roller. Drive 7 in the direction to close it.

As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the original F2 that has entered the separating / conveying unit along with the previous original F1 is returned to the front of the separating / conveying unit once the rollers are closed.

After that, by restarting the normal separating / conveying operation, the separating / conveying operation for the second and subsequent sheets can be performed without changing from the first sheet.

As shown in FIG. 7, the next original F2 is
When the pre-registration sensor S3 detects the trailing edge of the document F1 when it reaches the post-feed sensor S2, the feed motor 8
Is driven in the opposite direction to that in the transport direction.

At the same time, after the trailing edge is detected, the registration clutch 19 is turned off at a position where a certain trailing edge remains after the specified pulse, and the second and subsequent documents F2 are fed by the registration rollers 17 and 18. I will not let you.

After the feed motor 8 starts reversing, the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 starts driving in the direction in which the separating / conveying unit is closed, so that the document F2 is returned to the front of the separating / conveying unit.

The feed motor 8 is reversely driven, and after the paper feed sensor S2 detects the leading edge of the original document F2, the original pulse is driven by the specified pulse to return the original document F2 to the front of the separating and conveying section, and then the normal separating and conveying operation. To resume.

As a result, even if the original F2 is brought in after the sensor S2 after the paper is fed, the original F2 can be returned from the separating / feeding unit until the time before the separating / conveying, and the separating / conveying operation for the second and subsequent sheets can be performed. It will be possible.

As described above, the rollers for feeding, conveying, and separating are independently driven, and the driving method can be selected and set according to the type of the original document. No, you can enable reliable paper transport.

(Second Embodiment) In the first embodiment,
The adjusting method of the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is uniform, but the following means are also effective.

First, the original F1 is detected by the pre-paper feed sensor S1 by the rotational driving of the paper feed roller 4, and up to the separation / conveyance section,
The document F1 is driven for a prescribed number of pulses, and then the feed motor 8 is driven, and at the same time, the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is driven.

However, in a narrow state where the opening amount is small and thin paper passes through the separating / conveying unit and the separating / conveying unit is slightly opened too much, the double feeding occurs.

In addition, in the paper feed roller 3 and the feed roller 6, slips and the like occur due to irregular fluctuations in friction between the roller portion and the document portion, and the separation / conveyance unit is opened too much. Will be sent.

Therefore, it is necessary to slow down the operation speed of the paper thickness adjusting motor 11.

On the other hand, when a thick original is used, the paper thickness adjusting motor needs a lot of driving until the original is separated and conveyed, and the separation / conveyance speed decreases.

Here, as shown in FIG. 8A, the above problem can be solved by changing the opening speed by the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 by the opening amount of the separating and conveying section.

When the distance between the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 at the start of driving is small, the rotational speed of the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is controlled to be slow, and the opening speed is controlled to increase as the distance increases.

The opening speed with respect to the opening amount can be realized without reducing the overall separation / conveyance speed by adjusting the speed according to the kind of originals and how many originals have different thicknesses.

FIG. 8B is a setting for the case where there are many thin originals, and the opening speed is set low when the opening amount is small, and the purpose is for accurate separation and conveyance.

FIG. 8C shows a setting example when there are many thick originals, and the opening speed is set to a high speed even when the opening amount is small, and the separation / conveyance speed does not decrease when there are many thick originals. It is an object.

(Third Embodiment) As shown in FIG. 9, when the original document F is a thin original document, when the feed roller 6 and the separation roller 7 are separately conveyed, the original document F is placed between the comb-teeth rollers. It is transported in waves.

Therefore, the original document F becomes wavy,
The original may be damaged or soiled.

In order to avoid this, the post-feed sensor S2
After the document F is detected, the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is further moved by a specified pulse to make a correction.

At the same time, as shown in FIG.
In the case of a thick and hard original, the original is unlikely to be deformed in a wavy shape and correction is not necessary. Further, according to the second embodiment, the drive speed of the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is high, so that the drive stop may be delayed. .

From these, as shown in FIG. 11, the correction is performed by the drive amount of the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 when the post-feed sensor S2 detects the original, so that the original can be accurately and accurately printed. The thickness can be adjusted.

(Fourth Embodiment) In the conventional apparatus, as described above, the paper feed roller, the feed roller, and the separation roller are uniquely configured by using gears and the like, so the conditions for separation and conveyance are changed. I can't do things.

Therefore, even if the conveyance failure or the double feeding is detected, the separation conveyance is performed under the same condition.
There are no machines to perform re-separation and conveyance, because double feed occurs.

However, according to the device using the present invention,
Each of the paper feed roller, feed roller, and separation roller can be driven independently, and together with the automation of paper thickness adjustment described above,
More effective re-separation and conveyance becomes possible.

First, the paper feed roller 4 is driven, and when the document does not reach the pre-paper feed sensor S1 as shown in FIG. And the document detection sensor 3 is turned off.

After that, the original table 1 is slowly raised again, the original detection sensor 3 detects the original F again, and then the paper feed roller 4 is driven again.

This is extremely important when the original table is raised too much for some reason and the original is pressed against the upper guide plate 30 or when a plurality of originals are wedged in the separating / conveying section. Is effective for.

Next, the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 and the feed motor 8 are driven from the pre-paper feed sensor S1 by a specified amount of conveyance.

At this time, even if the opening amount of the separating / conveying unit is maximized by the paper thickness adjusting motor 11, the post-feed sensor S2 is used.
When the document cannot be detected, the feed motor 8 is rotated in the reverse direction, the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is used to squeeze the aperture until the opening amount is minimized, and the feed motor 8 is driven in the normal direction again to restart the separation conveyance.

At this time, by changing the drive speeds of the paper thickness adjusting motor 11, the paper feeding motor 5, the feed motor 8 and the separating motor 9, the paper is separated and conveyed under a condition different from the initial condition, so that it is possible to obtain an accurate result. Separate conveyance is possible.

The settings for re-separation and conveyance of each motor are as follows.
It is effective to uniformly delay the time, but by making it possible to set the conditions for re-separation from the operation unit or the like, it becomes possible to match the conditions of the document used by the user.

When the double feed detection sensor S5 between the pre-registration sensors S3 detects the double feed after passing through the post-feed sensor S2, several methods can be considered.

First, the feed motor 8 and the paper feed motor 5 are stopped on the spot, and the separation motor 9 is continuously driven while the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 is driven so that the opening amount is reduced.

Eventually, the frictional force between the multi-fed original F2 and the separation roller overcomes the frictional force between the originals, and the original F2 is fed in the direction opposite to the conveying direction. This makes it possible to avoid double feeding.

Further, both the feed roller and the paper feed motor are reversely driven, and after the paper feed sensor S2 becomes unable to detect both the originals F1 and F2, the paper thickness adjusting motor 11 returns the opening amount to the original position, and then again. When the separation conveyance is performed, the separation motor 9 and the feed motor 8 are set to be synchronized with the step feed so that the double feed can be prevented from occurring again.

As described above, when a double feed or conveyance failure occurs, a function of re-separating and conveying under a condition different from the initial condition is provided, whereby automation of work and improvement in efficiency can be brought about.

(Fifth Embodiment) In the present invention, the paper thickness is automatically corrected by the paper thickness adjusting motor. However, when the types of originals are limited, manual setting is also effective.

In the case of manual setting, the paper thickness adjustment mode selection switch 53 of the operation unit 50 is pushed to select the manual adjustment mode.

When the adjustment state is entered, the display section 58 used for displaying the density is in a blinking state or the like to notify that the manual adjustment input mode has been entered.

When the start SW 51 is pressed in this state,
The paper thickness adjusting motor 11 moves to the set manually adjusted position, and the paper feeding / separating / conveying operation is started.

The method of driving the motors for feeding, conveying, and separating when the manual adjustment mode is entered can be selected differently from the automatic paper thickness adjustment state. Also, when re-separation and conveyance are performed, the change will be made.

The change of the paper thickness adjustment value is performed by operating the SWs 59, 60 and 61.

By pressing SW60, the adjustment value can be changed. In this state, SW59 and 61 are operated to change the paper thickness setting.

When the setting change is completed, the SW60 is again activated.
When is pressed, the setting data is confirmed, and the value set in the next separate conveyance operation becomes valid.

When the document F is placed on the document table 1 in the manual setting mode and the start SW 51 is operated, the sheet F is separated and conveyed by the normal automatic paper thickness adjustment. It is displayed on the display unit (reference value display means) 58.

The display on the display unit 58 may be effected by changing the blinking timing or changing the display color.

The user can quickly set an accurate paper thickness using this display as a rough index.

Thus, when the same type of original document is separated and conveyed, a fixed value is used, so that reliable separation and conveyance can be realized although it is conditional.

At the same time, by using the automatic paper thickness adjustment function as an index, an appropriate paper thickness adjustment value can be input quickly.

(Sixth Embodiment) In the above embodiment, a means for automatically feeding a plurality of originals has been described, but it is also possible to manually feed one by one.

SW5 for selecting the paper thickness adjustment mode of the operation unit 50
Operate 3 to select the manual feed mode.

When this mode is selected, the document table 1 is raised to the top as shown in FIG. At this time, when the document F1 is inserted into the document table 1, the document detection sensor 3 detects the manually fed document, and the paper feed motor starts driving.

In the paper thickness adjusting motor 11, the feed roller 6 and the separating motor 7 do not overlap each other or are separated by a distance of a minimum paper thickness. The position is adjusted as shown in FIG.

Both the feed motor 8 and the separation motor 7 start driving in the feed direction. Since the manually fed document F is conveyed without separating operation, a document folded in two can be smoothly input.

The drive speeds of the paper feed motor 4, the feed motor 6, and the separation motor 7 are set slower than those in the automatic paper feed mode. This is because when a document is conveyed at a high speed at the moment when it is manually fed, the user is startled, and it becomes easy for the user to reflexively take action such as pressing the document, which causes skewing of the document.

Each motor conveys the original document at a low speed in the conveying direction, and after the prescribed amount is conveyed from the pre-registration sensor S3, the registration clutch 19 is connected and the ordinary conveyance is started.

At this point in time, the user has already confirmed the start of feeding the original, and since the hand is away from the original and the speed of the original increases, no problem occurs.

At the same time that the post-registration sensor S4 detects the original document, the next operation is not started until the motors for feeding, separating, and conveying are finished driving and the post-feed sensor S2 no longer detects the original document.

By controlling each motor in this way,
It is possible to perform good manual paper feeding that could not be realized by the conventional means.

(Seventh Embodiment) In each of the above-described embodiments, by appropriately changing the driving speed, direction, and timing of the motor of each unit, it is possible to accurately separate and convey various originals. , There are many setting items, and it is very troublesome to reset each time the original is changed.

Therefore, the memory SW 62 of the display unit 50,
63 or the like is effective.

Set the separation and transportation conditions that are often used,
By operating the SW before the start of feeding, the drive conditions for each part are reset.

Further, when re-separation conveyance is performed when a conveyance failure or double feed is detected, the drive condition is changed from the memory 1 to the memory 2 so that the above embodiment can be used very effectively. Not only can it be done, but the efficiency of separation and transportation can be improved.

(Eighth Embodiment) In the above embodiment, an apparatus having a setting / operation display section is described.
Regarding the operation unit, there is no problem even if it is displayed on the display unit of an information processing device (external device, external control condition setting means) not shown.

The operation setting of each unit is provided in the form of data, and the operation setting is not limited by transferring the changed data to this apparatus.

As a result, the separation / conveyance condition can be controlled by a remote operation from the outside, and even if the separation / conveyance becomes abnormal, the user can change the operation setting without coming close to the apparatus. Transport can be continued.

(Ninth Embodiment) In the above-described embodiment, the step-driving motor is used, but a normal drive device capable of controlling rotation may be used. For example, a motor or the like that controls rotation using an encoder or the like is also useful.

In the above embodiment, the motors for feeding, separating, conveying, manuscript table, paper thickness adjusting, and main conveying are all independently configured, but some of them use a clutch or the like. Can be configured to work.

In particular, some embodiments can be realized by moving the paper feed motor and the feed motor at the same time.

As a result, it is possible to simplify the device configuration, control, and operation, although the functions are limited.

[0210]

Since the feeding rotator, the conveying rotator and the separating rotator are driven by independent driving means, respectively, suitable separating and conveying conditions according to various sheet materials and various conveying states can be obtained. Settings can be made, and the separation / conveyance performance can be improved.

Further, since the drive means is not shared, the drive transmission means such as gears and belts can be omitted, the structure can be simplified, the number of parts can be reduced, the cost can be reduced, the assembly time can be shortened, and the serviceability can be improved. Can be improved.

Further, since the distance between the conveying rotary member and the separating rotary member can be changed by the distance adjusting means, the separating and conveying performance suitable for the sheet material can be obtained.

Further, when double feeding of sheet material or conveyance failure occurs, it is possible to change the setting of the control condition of the separation conveyance operation and feed the sheet again to prevent mistakes due to the same cause. It is possible to carry out various separation conveyance.

Further, by applying these sheet material feeding devices to a sheet material processing device or an image input device, a highly reliable device can be provided.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an image reading apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of the image reading apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a display unit of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an action of force on a document in the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an action of force on a document in the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing changes in force acting on a document in the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams showing the operation of each part of the separation / conveyance unit in the continuous feeding of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are diagrams showing the operation of the separation / conveyance unit in the double feed state of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. .

FIGS. 8A, 8B, and 8C are both a case of changing the opening speed with respect to the opening amount of the separation conveyance unit of the image reading apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the relationship of.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the bending of a thin document at the separation / conveyance unit.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a state of a thick original document in the separation / conveyance unit.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the opening amount of the separation / conveyance unit and the correction amount of the opening amount.

FIG. 12 (a) is a diagram showing a state in which a jam has occurred near the paper feeding unit, and FIG. 12 (b) is a diagram showing a state in which the document table is lowered to recover from the jam.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an operation of the separation / conveyance unit during manual feeding.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a positional relationship between a feed roller and a separation roller during manual feeding.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a main part of an image reading apparatus according to a conventional example.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a document separating operation.

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a situation where a document does not enter.

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating a document double feed state.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Manuscript table 2 Platen drive motor 3 Document detection sensor 4 paper feed rollers 5 Paper feed motor 6 Feed roller 7 Separation roller 8 Feed motor 9 Separation motor 10 Transport motor 11 Paper thickness adjustment motor 14,15 Read sensor S1 Paper feed sensor S2 Paper feed sensor S3 Pre-registration sensor S4 Post-registration sensor S5 double feed detection sensor 53 Paper thickness adjustment mode switch 62, 63 memory switch

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-6-219600 (JP, A) JP-A-10-35926 (JP, A) JP-A-2-132024 (JP, A) JP-A-5- 186082 (JP, A) JP-A-9-67027 (JP, A) JP-A-7-228390 (JP, A) JP-A-9-71337 (JP, A) JP-A-5-162897 (JP, A) JP-A-7-2381 (JP, A) JP-A-10-45272 (JP, A) JP-A-7-309467 (JP, A) JP-A-7-165353 (JP, A) JP-A-9-30668 (JP, A) JP 63-315432 (JP, A) JP 58-47732 (JP, A) Actually open 1-134633 (JP, U) Actual JP 58-120133 (JP, U) Actual Kaisho 62-136431 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 3/52 330 B65H 3/06 340 B65H 3/06 350 H04N 1/00 108

Claims (24)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sheet material feeding device provided with a separating / conveying means for separating a sheet material, a feeding rotator for feeding the sheet material to the separating / conveying means, and a conveying rotator rotating in a sheet material conveying direction. A separating rotary body that sandwiches the sheet material between the conveying rotary body and rotates in a direction opposite to the sheet material conveying direction, wherein the feeding rotary body, the conveying rotary body, and the separating rotary body are respectively provided. It is driven by an independent driving means, and a case where at least any two rotating bodies among the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body, and the separating rotating body are synchronously driven and a case where they are asynchronously driven are selected. A sheet material feeding device comprising a driving method switching means for switching. 2. A process of separating and transporting a case in which at least any two of the feeding rotary body, the transport rotary body, and the separating rotary body are synchronously driven and in the case of asynchronously driving. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material feeding device is switched. 3. An interval adjusting means for changing an interval between the conveying rotary member and the separating rotary member, wherein in the separating and conveying operation of the document, the interval is adjusted in accordance with the interval between the conveying rotary member and the separating rotary member. The interval is changed so that the changing speed changes.
Alternatively, the sheet material feeding device described in 2. 4. An interval adjusting means for changing an interval between the conveying rotary member and the separating rotary member, wherein the interval between the conveying rotary member and the separating rotary member is changed in accordance with the separating and conveying operation of the document, 3. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet material feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein correction is performed so that the distance becomes a predetermined size, and the correction amount is changed according to the distance. 5. When the plural sheet materials are fed, when the sheet material next to the sheet material which has passed through the separating and transporting means is already sandwiched by the separating and transporting means, the transporting rotary body 5. The space between the transport rotary body and the separation rotary body is reduced while reversing the above.
The sheet material feeding device described. If wherein said sheet material does not pass successfully separating conveying means, claim 1, characterized in that performing the next separation transport operation by changing the setting of the control conditions of the separating and conveying means 5 The sheet material feeding device according to any one of 1 . 7. A double feed detecting means for detecting a double feed of the sheet material is provided downstream of the separating and conveying means in the sheet material conveying direction, and the distance between the conveying rotary body and the separating rotary body is changed by the gap adjusting means. When the sheet material is separated and conveyed while being performed, and the double feed is detected by the double feed detection means, the feeding rotation body and the conveyance rotation body are stopped, and the separation rotation body is set in the sheet material conveyance direction. while rotating in the reverse direction returns the interval of the conveyance rotating member and the separation rotating member to the initial state, any one of claims 3 to 6, characterized in that for discharging the double-fed sheet material from the separating conveying means sheet feeding apparatus according to. 8. After the double feed detection means detects a double feed,
8. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 7, wherein when the sheet material is fed again, the control condition setting of the separation / conveyance operation is made different from that when the double feeding occurs. 9. A synchronous / asynchronous relationship of driving of at least any two rotating bodies of the feeding rotating body, the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body is changed between when the double feeding occurs and after the double feeding is detected. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 8. 10. A set of control conditions of the separating and conveying operation of the sheet material has a plurality of different separation transport mode, the preceding claims, characterized in that it comprises a mode switching means for switching said separating and conveying modes 9 sheet feeding apparatus according to any one. 11. A sheet material separating / conveying operation, wherein an automatic adjustment mode in which the distance between the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body is automatically adjusted by the gap adjusting means, and the conveying rotating body and the separating rotating body. comprises a manual adjustment mode to be set by entering the spacing, and to any one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that it comprises a gap adjusting mode switching means for switching between the automatic adjustment mode and manual adjustment mode The sheet material feeding device described. 12. A reference value display means for displaying an adjustment value of an interval between the transport rotary body and the separation rotary body in the automatic adjustment mode when switching to the manual adjustment mode. 11. The sheet material feeding device according to item 11. 13. A sheet material placing portion moving means for moving the sheet material placing portion to arrange the sheet material placed on the sheet material placing portion at the predetermined feeding position, and the predetermined feeding portion. A sheet material detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of the sheet material at the feeding position, and the sheet material placing portion moving means, when the sheet material does not reach the separating and conveying means at the time of feeding the sheet material, After moving the sheet material placing portion to a position where the sheet material detecting means no longer detects the sheet material, the sheet material is again arranged at the predetermined feeding position and the sheet material detecting means detects the sheet material. 2. The sheet material placing part is moved to a position .
Sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of al 12. 14. A sheet material placing portion moving means for moving the sheet material placing portion to place the sheet material placed on the sheet material placing portion at the predetermined feeding position, which is manually inserted. There is a manual sheet feeding mode for feeding the sheet material, and in the manual sheet feeding mode, the sheet material placing section is moved so that the manual sheet sheet material is arranged at a predetermined feeding position, The sheet material feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 12 , wherein the rotating body and the separating rotating body are rotated in the sheet material conveying direction at the same peripheral speed. 15. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 14, wherein in the manual feed mode, the distance between the conveying rotary member and the separating rotary member is set to about the minimum value of the thickness of the sheet material. 16. In the manual feed mode, after the sheet material reaches the conveying means located downstream of the separating and conveying means in the sheet material conveying direction, the distance between the conveying rotary body and the separating rotary body is made larger than that in the initial state. 16. The method according to claim 15, wherein
The sheet material feeding device described. 17. In the manual feed mode, at the start of the feeding, the sheet material placed at the sheet material placing portion is fed at a speed slower than a predetermined feeding speed of the sheet material. The sheet material feeding device according to any one of claims 14 to 16 , wherein the sheet material feeding device is configured to carry and accelerate to the predetermined carrying speed. 18. A control condition setting means capable of setting a control condition for a sheet material separating / conveying operation, and a control condition storing means for storing a setting content of the control condition setting means. 1 to 1
7. The sheet material feeding device according to any one of 7 above. 19. In a sheet material separating / conveying operation based on a predetermined control condition, when the sheet material is re-fed, the control condition is changed based on the setting contents stored in the control condition storing means. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 18, wherein: 20. A communication means is provided between the external device and the external device, and the external device is provided with an external control condition setting device for setting a control condition of a separating and conveying operation of the sheet material via the communication device. Any of claims 1 to 19 characterized
The sheet material feeding device according to item 1 . 21. The transport rotary member and the separation rotary member each comprise a plurality of rollers arranged in a comb shape on the same axis, and the rollers forming the transport rotary member and the rollers forming the separation rotary member. The sheet material feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 20 , wherein and are arranged alternately in the axial direction. 22. A sheet material feeding section for feeding a sheet material,
A sheet material processing apparatus having a sheet processing unit that performs predetermined processing on the fed sheet material, and any one of claims 1 21 in the sheet feeding unit
Sheet material processing apparatus comprising the sheet feeding apparatus according to. 23. An image input device comprising a document feeding unit for feeding a sheet-shaped document and an image reading unit for reading an image on the fed document, wherein the document feeding unit is charged. An image input device comprising the sheet material feeding device described in any one of items 1 to 21. 24. The image input apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the separation / conveyance speed of the document is set independently of the reading speed of the image reading unit.