JP5150844B2 - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a paper feeding device that feeds the uppermost paper among stacked paper.

Currently, there are various devices on the market that transport paper, including copiers and printers. When transporting paper in such a device, for example, a technique for transporting paper by moving the jogger fence to adjust the posture of the paper is known (for example, see Patent Document 1).
JP 2007-161457 A

  On the other hand, there is known a paper feeding device that sequentially feeds the uppermost paper from the stacked paper. However, there is a case where a part of the paper loaded on the paper feed tray is deviated in the direction parallel to the paper surface. In particular, for example, a paper on which an image is recorded by a printer or the like is loaded on the paper feed tray. In this case, there is a high possibility that the sheets are stacked on the sheet feed table without completely aligning the sheets. If such a shift occurs in a part of the stacked sheets, and the posture of the uppermost sheet that is sent out becomes uneven, it may cause a conveyance failure such as a jam.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device that feeds the uppermost paper among the stacked paper in a good posture.

  In order to solve the above problems, a sheet feeding device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a sheet feeding unit that feeds the uppermost sheet of sheets stacked on a sheet feeding table, and a sheet that is fed and loaded on the sheet feeding table. A paper feed platform moving means for raising the paper feed platform as the amount of paper decreases, a side edge guide that contacts at least the side edge of the topmost paper among the paper loaded on the paper feed platform, and a paper feed platform A side edge guide between a contact position that contacts the side edge of the uppermost sheet of the stacked sheets and a separation position that is separated from the side edge of the uppermost sheet of sheets stacked on the paper feed table. And guide moving means for moving. The guide moving means temporarily moves the side end guide from the contact position to the separation position and returns it to the contact position again during the continuous paper supply operation in which the uppermost sheet is sequentially sent out by the paper supply means.

  In a paper feeding device that raises the paper feed base as the paper is fed out and stacked, when a part of the paper is deviated in a direction parallel to the paper surface and loaded on the paper feed stand, for example, the side edge Even if the guide is provided, it may be difficult to properly adjust the deviation of the paper in the direction parallel to the paper surface, for example, when the paper that is shifted in the direction parallel to the paper surface hits the lower part of the side edge guide and bends. According to this aspect, even in such a case, the side end guide can be brought into contact with the sheet shifted in the direction parallel to the sheet surface from the lateral direction. For this reason, it is possible to send out the paper in a state where the posture is adjusted, and it is possible to reduce the conveyance failure such as a jam.

  The guide moving means temporarily moves the side end guide from the abutting position to the separation position after the paper feeding means starts to feed out the paper, and again before the paper feeding means starts feeding the next paper. Return to.

  If the side end guide is in the separated position when the paper feeding unit starts to feed out the paper, there is a possibility that the uppermost paper is sent out with the paper being out of position. In this way, by positioning the side end guide at the contact position at the timing of feeding the paper, the position of the uppermost paper is prevented from being shifted in a direction parallel to the paper surface by moving the side end guide. be able to.

  You may further provide a pair of conveyance roller sent out from the upper direction of the paper | stack stacked on the paper supply stand, pinching | interposing the paper sent out by the paper supply means. The guide moving means may temporarily move the side end guide from the contact position to the separated position and return it to the contact position while the pair of conveying rollers sandwich the sheet.

  When the uppermost sheet is sandwiched between the pair of transport rollers, the posture of the sheet transported by the frictional force with the rollers hardly changes. According to this aspect, the side end guide can be moved at a timing at which the posture of the conveyed paper is hardly changed. For this reason, it is possible to avoid shifting of the position of the conveyed paper by moving the side end guide.

  When a plurality of sheet bundles in which a plurality of sheets are overlapped are stacked on the sheet feeding table, for each of the plurality of sheet bundles, a final sheet which is a sheet sent out last among a plurality of sheets included in the sheet bundle is determined. A means for specifying may be further provided. The guide moving means temporarily moves the side end guide from the contact position to the separation position after starting the feeding of the final paper, and returns the paper guide to the contact position again before starting the next paper feeding. Good.

  For example, there is a case where a sheet bundle is created with the conveyed sheet and is sent to another post-processing apparatus or the like as the sheet bundle. In such a case, when the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle is sent out, the time until the next sheet is sent out is longer than the normal sheet feeding interval in order to perform another process on the sheet bundle. Sometimes. According to this aspect, the side end guide can be moved using such a period, for example, and the time for moving the side end guide can be easily ensured.

  The side end guide may be provided so as to be movable upward when a force is applied from below to above.

  When the paper feed platform is raised when the side end guide is in the contact position, a force may be applied to the side end guide from below to above depending on the paper shifted in the direction parallel to the paper surface. According to this aspect, since the side end guide can move upward in such a case, the external force applied to the paper or the side end guide can be reduced, and the paper or the side end guide is damaged. It is possible to suppress being given.

  The paper feeding unit may include an air blowing unit that blows air to a side end portion of a paper including the uppermost paper among the papers stacked on the paper feeding table. The side end guide may abut against at least one side end portion of the paper to which air is blown.

  In the paper feeding device provided with such an air blowing means, the paper is easily moved in a direction parallel to the paper surface by blowing air. According to this aspect, the side end guide can be brought into contact with the paper that is easily blown and moved in this manner in a direction parallel to the paper surface, and the posture of the paper can be easily adjusted. Become.

  The paper feeding device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an air blowing member that blows air to a side edge that extends in parallel with the paper feeding direction, and a paper feeding table. Size information acquiring means for acquiring size information indicating the size of the stacked paper, and blowing member moving means for moving the air blowing member to a position corresponding to the size of the paper indicated by the acquired size information. Also good.

  The air blowing member may be configured to be lifted upward by an external force applied from below. The sheet feeding device according to an aspect of the present invention may further include a holding unit that holds the air blowing member at a position that is lifted a predetermined height above a reference position when air is blown onto the stacked sheets.

  According to the paper feeding device according to the present invention, it is possible to send out the topmost paper among the stacked paper with good posture.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention (hereinafter referred to as embodiments) will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a front view of the paper feeding device 10 according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feeding device 10 taken along the line P-P. In FIG. 1, for ease of understanding, an outer cover or the like is represented by a two-dot chain line so that the internal structure of the sheet feeding device 10 is represented.

  The paper feeding device 10 includes a device main body 12 and a paper feeding table 14. The apparatus main body 12 includes a paper feeding unit 16, a paper height sensor 20, an air blowing mechanism 57, a first air blowing member 52, a second air blowing member 54, a paper guide unit 100, and a buffer mechanism 22. Near the center of the apparatus main body 12, a paper storage unit 15 that is a space region that opens forward and downward is provided. Sheets are stacked on the sheet feed table 14, and the sheet storage unit 15 stores the sheet stack on the sheet feed table 14 and the sheet feed table 14.

  The paper feed base 14 is detachable from the apparatus main body 12. The paper feed table 14 includes a paper feed plate 51 and casters 48. The sheet feeding plate 51 is formed in a flat plate shape having a rectangular outer shape. The sheet feeding plate 51 is attached to the apparatus main body 12 so that the upper surface is horizontal, and a sheet placement surface 50 on which sheets are stacked is provided on the upper surface of the sheet feeding plate 51. The caster 48 is provided below the sheet feeding plate 51. The caster 48 is grounded when the paper feed table 14 is detached from the apparatus main body 12 and allows the paper feed table 14 to move.

  When the user attaches the paper feed tray 14 to the apparatus main body 12, the user moves the paper loaded on the paper feed stand 14 so as to abut against the frame 13 at the rear of the apparatus as necessary. Further, if necessary, the paper loaded on the paper feed tray 14 is moved in the paper feeding direction so as to abut against a predetermined abutting portion. Thus, the sheets stacked on the sheet feed table 14 are positioned at a position suitable for feeding out the sheets. Further, the sheet to be sent out is prevented from being inclined by the frame 13. Therefore, the frame 13 also functions as a side end guide that locks the side end portion of the paper loaded on the paper feed base 14 on the rear side of the apparatus. In the following description, the front-rear direction of the apparatus, that is, the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction is described as the paper width direction.

  The paper guide unit 100 is provided in the upper part of the paper storage unit 15. The configuration of the paper guide unit 100 will be described later.

  The paper feed unit 16 is provided in the upper right part of the paper storage unit 15. The paper feed unit 16 includes a plurality (eight in the first embodiment) of paper feed belts 17 and two rollers 18. Each of the plurality of paper feeding belts 17 has the same width and the same circumferential length, and is mounted on the outer circumferences of the two rollers 18 so as to be arranged at equal intervals in the axial direction. The paper feed unit 16 is disposed on the upper side and the right side of the paper storage unit 15 so that the axial direction of the roller 18 faces in the front-rear direction and the two rollers are arranged in the left-right direction, and is fixed to the frame 13 of the apparatus main body 12. Is done.

  One of the rollers 18 is driven by a transport motor (not shown), and all the paper feeding belts 17 are also driven by this. At this time, the transport motor drives the roller 18 so that the lower surface of the paper feed belt 17 moves in the paper feeding direction. The paper feed unit 16 also has an air suction mechanism (not shown). The air suction mechanism sucks air from the lower surface of the paper feed belt 17. When the paper feeding belt 17 is driven in a state where the paper is stacked up to a predetermined height and air is sucked from the lower surface of the paper feeding belt 17, the top paper (hereinafter referred to as “highest paper”) is loaded. Sheet) is adsorbed to the lower surface of the sheet feeding belt 17 and sent out to the right of the apparatus. In the first embodiment, the air suction mechanism has a fan, and an air flow for sucking air from the lower surface of the paper feed belt 17 is formed by the operation of the fan.

  The air suction mechanism is provided with a paper feed solenoid (not shown) that drives a lid member that opens and closes an opening provided in the air flow path. When the paper feed solenoid is off, the opening is opened and the suction of the paper to the lower surface of the paper feed belt 17 is suppressed by weakening the air suction from the lower surface of the paper feed belt 17. When the paper feed solenoid is on, the opening is closed and the suction of air from the lower surface of the paper feed belt 17 is strengthened, whereby the paper is adsorbed on the lower surface of the paper feed belt 17.

  The air blowing mechanism 57 serving as an air blowing means is disposed below the paper feeding unit 16 and in the vicinity of the upper end of the stacked paper on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction (hereinafter referred to as “downstream side”). The air blowing mechanism 57 blows air to the upper end on the downstream side of the stacked paper by a fan mounted inside. When air is blown from the air blowing mechanism 57, the uppermost sheet is lifted with respect to the sheet below it, the frictional force between them is reduced, and the uppermost sheet is easily fed out.

  The paper height sensor 20 is disposed at a position above the paper stacked on the paper feed tray 14. The paper height sensor 20 includes a rotation plate 20a, an optical sensor 20b, and a sensor frame 20c. As will be described later, the stacked sheets can be raised and lowered together with the sheet feed table 14. The rotating plate 20a is rotatably supported by the sensor frame 20c, and rotates when the paper stacked on the paper feed table 14 rises and the uppermost paper contacts. The optical sensor 20b detects such rotation of the rotation plate 20a. In this way, the paper height sensor 20 detects that the paper loaded on the paper feed tray 14 has been lifted until the uppermost paper reaches a height suitable for feeding.

  The first air blowing member 52 is arranged in the vicinity of the right rear of the stacked paper and in the vicinity of the uppermost paper, and blows air forward by supplying air. The second air blowing member 54 is disposed in the vicinity of the left front of the stacked paper and in the vicinity of the uppermost paper, and blows air backward when supplied with air. Therefore, the first air blowing member 52 and the second air blowing member 54 function as air blowing means for blowing air to the side edge of the upper sheet including the uppermost sheet among the stacked sheets. When air is blown out from the first air blowing member 52 and the second air blowing member 54, the uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked together with the air blowing by the air blowing mechanism 57 described above and the lower sheet thereof An air layer is more effectively formed between the sheets. As a result, the frictional force between the sheets is reduced, and the uppermost sheet is easily fed out.

  A pair of first transport rollers 19 is provided on the downstream side of the paper feed unit 16. The pair of first transport rollers 19 transports the paper sent out by the paper feed unit 16 further downstream so that the paper is fed from above the stacked paper. The roller 18 of the paper supply unit 16 and the first transport roller 19 are driven by the same motor. A curved sheet conveyance path that reverses the sheet conveyance direction from the right direction to the left direction while being raised is provided further downstream of the pair of first conveyance rollers 19. In the curved paper transport path, the paper is transported by the second transport roller 21.

  A roller unit 58 is provided on the downstream side of the curved sheet conveyance path. The roller unit 58 includes a conveyance belt 64, a roller 60, and a roller 62. The conveyor belt 64 is attached to the outer periphery of the roller 60 and the roller 62, and forms a sheet conveyance path that moves obliquely downward by the lower surface of the conveyor belt 64.

  A buffer mechanism 22 is provided on the downstream side of the roller unit 58. The buffer mechanism 22 includes a conveyance belt 26, a roller 24, and a stop roller 28. The conveyance belt 26 is attached to the outer periphery of the two rollers 24, and a sheet conveyance path that runs obliquely upward is formed by the upper surface of the conveyance belt 26.

  The stop roller 28 is in contact with the upper surface of the transport belt 26. Below the stop roller 28, a stop member (not shown) having a length similar to the length of the upper surface of the transport belt 26 in the paper transport direction is provided on the upstream side in the paper feed direction (hereinafter referred to as "upstream side") as a fulcrum. It is attached to the frame 13 so as to be rotatable. When the paper is retained in the buffer mechanism 22, the retaining member is rotated so as to move upward and is brought into contact with the retaining roller 28. At this time, the stationary member is rotated until the upper surface of the stationary member is positioned above the upper surface of the conveying belt 26. As a result, the sheet can be stopped above the conveyor belt 26 while the conveyor belt 26 is driven.

  The third air blowing member 56 blows air along the upper surface of the conveyor belt 26 from the upstream side to the downstream side of the buffer mechanism 22. As a result, the leading edge of the paper entering the buffer mechanism 22 can be lifted upward. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the progress of the conveyed paper from being impeded by the rear end of the paper already stopped on the upper surface of the stop member and the front end of the paper to be stopped on the paper. The In addition, an air layer can be formed between the upper surface of the paper already retained on the upper surface of the retaining member and the lower surface of the paper to be retained on top of the paper, and the frictional force between the sheets is also reduced. Can be reduced. As described above, it is possible to realize the smooth stoppage of the sheet in the buffer mechanism 22 by blowing out the air from the third air blowing member 56.

  The paper conveyance path provided on the downstream side of the buffer mechanism 22 is formed so as to first proceed obliquely downward and then proceed in the horizontal direction. The paper transported to the paper transport path is transported by the roller 30 and discharged out of the apparatus main body 12. When sheets are stacked by the buffer mechanism 22 to form a sheet bundle, the sheet bundle is conveyed in the same manner. The paper discharged from the apparatus main body 12 is conveyed to a post-processing device such as a paper folding device, a paper binding device, or a paper punching device.

  The paper feeder 10 further includes an air pump 42, a first pipe 34, a second pipe 36, a third pipe 38, a second air valve 40, a first air valve 44, and a door 32. The door 32 is provided on the front surface of the apparatus main body 12 on the right side of the paper storage unit 15.

  The air pump 42 is provided inside the apparatus main body 12 positioned to the right of the paper storage unit 15. A first air valve 44 is connected to the air pump 42. The first pipe 34, the second pipe 36, and the third pipe 38 are also provided inside the apparatus main body 12. The first pipe 34 is connected to the third air blowing member 56. The second pipe 36 is connected to the first air blowing member 52. The third pipe 38 is connected to the second air blowing member 54. The first pipe 34, the second pipe 36 and the third pipe 38 are all connected to a single second air valve 40. The air pump 42, the first air valve 44, and the second air valve 40 are disposed at positions that can be accessed by the user by opening the door 32.

  One end of a hose (not shown) is connected to the first air valve 44, and the other end of the hose is connected to the second air valve 40. When the air pump 42 is turned on, air is supplied to the first air blowing member 52, the second air blowing member 54, and the third air blowing member 56, respectively.

  FIG. 3 is a left side view of the sheet feeder 10 according to the first embodiment. The apparatus main body 12 further includes two rods 72, two chains 80, and a single sheet feed table raising / lowering motor 84. The two rods 72 have the same shape as an elongated plate.

  The two rods 72 are fixed to each other so as to extend in parallel while being separated from each other by a connecting shaft (not shown). Rollers 76 are arranged in the vertical direction behind the frame 13. A chain 80 is attached to the outer periphery of the roller 76. Two sets of such rollers 76 and chains 80 are juxtaposed in the left-right direction of the apparatus. Each of the two rods 72 is coupled to each of the two chains 80 via rod support portions 74. At this time, the rod 72 is provided so as to protrude from the frame 13 toward the front of the apparatus in the paper accommodating portion 15. The sheet feeder 16 is placed on the rod 72.

  The central axis of the upper roller 76 is connected to a paper feed table lifting / lowering motor 84 via a speed reducer 82. The chain 80 is driven by the operation of the sheet feed lift motor 84, and the rod 72 moves in the vertical direction.

  4 is a front view of the paper guide unit 100, FIG. 5 is a left side view of the paper guide unit 100, and FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the paper guide unit 100. FIG. 6 is a view seen from the viewpoint Q of FIG. The right direction in FIG. 4 and the downward direction in FIG. 6 are the sheet feeding direction. In the following description, the direction that is perpendicular and horizontal to the paper feed direction is defined as the paper width direction.

  The paper guide unit 100 includes a frame 106, a width direction guide mechanism 102, and a paper rear end guide mechanism 104. The frame 106 is formed in a rectangular parallelepiped shape with a low height that opens at the top and bottom. The width direction guide mechanism 102 includes a first moving unit 108, a belt 136, a pulley 138, a pulley 140, a belt 144, a pulley 146, a pulley 148, and a first drive shaft 142.

  The first moving unit 108 includes a rod 110, a first bracket 112, a first side end guide pin 114, a second bracket 116, a second side end guide pin 118, and a third side end guide pin 120. The rod 110 is formed in an elongated rod shape and is disposed inside the frame 106 so as to extend in parallel with the sheet feeding direction.

  The first bracket 112 is fixed to the downstream side of the rod 110. The first bracket 112 is provided with a through hole penetrating in the vertical direction. The first side end guide pin 114 is inserted into the through hole from above. The first side end guide pin 114 has a stopper portion bulging radially outward at one end, and the first side end guide pin 114 is locked in a state of protruding downward from the first bracket 112. Accordingly, the first side end guide pin 114 is attached to the first bracket 112 so as to protrude downward from the first bracket 112 and to be movable upward when a force is applied upward.

  A guide block 122 is attached to the upper surface of the second bracket 116. The moving frame 155 is formed in an elongated plate shape, and is arranged to extend in the paper width direction. Both ends of the moving frame 155 are bent downward, and both ends of the rod 121 are fixed to the bent portion, and the rod 121 is held so that the axial direction is in the paper width direction. The guide block 122 is provided with an insertion hole (not shown), and the rod 121 is inserted into the insertion hole so as to be slidable in the axial direction. An angle member (not shown) is attached to the upper surface of the guide block 122. The angle member includes a bearing (not shown), and a rod 110 is inserted into the bearing so as to be slidable in the axial direction.

  The second side end guide pin 118 and the third side end guide pin 120 have the same shape as the first side end guide pin 114. Similarly to the first side end guide pin 114, the second side end guide pin 118 and the third side end guide pin 120 protrude downward from the second bracket 116, and when a force is applied upward. It is attached to the second bracket 116 so as to be movable upward. At this time, the first side end guide pin 114 and the second side end guide pin 118 are arranged so that a straight line connecting the axes is parallel to the sheet feeding direction.

  The first drive shaft 142 is arranged behind the frame 106 so as to extend in the paper feed direction, and is rotatably attached to the frame 106 via a support bracket 149 and a bearing. The pulley 138 is rotatably attached to the downstream side of the frame 106. The pulley 140 is fixed near the downstream end of the first drive shaft 142 so as to rotate together with the first drive shaft 142. The belt 136 is attached to the pulley 138 and the pulley 140 so as to extend in the paper width direction. The pulley 146 is rotatably attached to the upstream side of the frame 106. The pulley 148 is fixed in the vicinity of the upstream end portion of the first drive shaft 142 so as to rotate together with the first drive shaft 142. The belt 144 is attached to the pulley 146 and the pulley 148 so as to extend in the paper width direction.

  The rod 110 is connected to the belt 136 via the connecting portion 124. The rod 110 is connected to the belt 144 via the connecting portion 126. Accordingly, when the first drive shaft 142 rotates, the first moving unit 108 moves in the paper width direction. At this time, since the pulleys to which these belts are attached all have the same diameter, the belt 136 and the belt 144 move at a constant speed in the paper width direction. For this reason, the first side end guide pin 114 and the second side end guide pin 118 move in the paper width direction while maintaining a state in which the straight line connecting the axes is parallel to the paper feed direction. The first drive shaft 142 is rotationally driven by a first guide movement motor (not shown).

  The sheet trailing edge guide mechanism 104 includes a second moving unit 150, a belt 162, a pulley 164, a pulley 166, a belt 156, a pulley 158, a pulley 160, and a second drive shaft 168. The second moving unit 150 includes a moving frame 155, a second bracket 116, a second side end guide pin 118, a third side end guide pin 120, a third bracket 152, and a fourth side end guide pin 154.

  The third bracket 152 is fixed to the apparatus rear side of the moving frame 155. As with the first side end guide pin 114, the fourth side end guide pin 154 also protrudes downward from the third bracket 152, and is movable upward when a force is applied upward. The third bracket 152 is attached.

  The third side end guide pin 120 has the same shape as the fourth side end guide pin 154. The third side end guide pin 120 and the fourth side end guide pin 154 are respectively attached to the second bracket 116 and the third bracket 152 so that the straight line connecting the axes thereof is parallel to the paper width direction. In addition, the 3rd side end guide pin 120 and the 4th side end guide pin 154 are arrange | positioned upstream from the 2nd side end guide pin 118, and all the 1st-4th side end guide pins are the same height. Be placed.

  The second drive shaft 168 extends in the paper width direction, and is rotatably attached to the downstream side of the frame 106 via a bearing. The pulley 164 is rotatably attached to the upstream side of the front frame 106. The pulley 166 is fixed near the front end of the second drive shaft 168 so as to rotate together with the second drive shaft 168. The belt 162 is attached to the pulley 164 and the pulley 166 so as to extend in the sheet feeding direction. The pulley 158 is rotatably attached to the upstream side of the rear frame 106. The pulley 160 is fixed near the rear end of the second drive shaft 168 so as to rotate with the second drive shaft 168. The belt 156 is attached to the pulley 158 and the pulley 160 so as to extend in the sheet feeding direction.

  Both ends of the moving frame 155 are connected to a belt 162 and a belt 156, respectively. Accordingly, when the second drive shaft 168 rotates, the second moving unit 150 moves in the sheet feeding direction. Since the pulleys to which these belts are attached all have the same diameter, at this time, the belt 162 and the belt 156 move at a constant speed in the sheet feeding direction. Accordingly, the third side end guide pin 120 and the fourth side end guide pin 154 move in the sheet feeding direction while maintaining a state in which the straight line connecting the axes is parallel to the sheet width direction. A roller 157 is provided on the front side of the moving frame 155, and the downward displacement of the second moving unit 150 is suppressed. The second drive shaft 168 is rotationally driven by a second guide movement motor (not shown).

  FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the sheet feeding device 10 according to the first embodiment. The sheet feeding device 10 includes an electronic control unit 200, a control panel 212, a sheet feeding solenoid 214, a conveyance motor 216, a sheet feeding table lifting / lowering motor 84, a first guide moving motor 220, and a second guide moving motor 222. The electronic control unit 200 includes a CPU that executes various arithmetic processes, a ROM that stores various control programs, and a RAM that is used as a work area for data storage and program execution. Control the operation of various actuators such as solenoids, fans, and pumps. In FIG. 7, the electronic control unit 200 depicts functional blocks realized by cooperation of hardware such as a CPU, ROM, and RAM, and software. Therefore, these functional blocks can be realized in various forms by a combination of hardware and software.

  The control panel 212 includes a start button, a stop button, a numeric keypad, and a touch panel display. The user can perform various input operations using the control panel 212. The control panel 212 is connected to the electronic control unit 200, and the electronic control unit 200 uses the control panel 212 to acquire information indicating the number of sheets fed and the paper size input by the user.

  The CCD sensor 210 is arranged above the uppermost sheet of the sheets stacked on the sheet feed table 14 and captures an image recorded on the upper surface of the uppermost sheet. The CCD sensor 210 is connected to the electronic control unit 200, and image data captured and generated by the CCD sensor 210 is output to the electronic control unit 200.

  The sheet feeding solenoid 214 is a solenoid for switching between adsorption and non-adsorption of the uppermost sheet to the sheet feeding belt 17 as described above. The transport motor 216 is a motor for driving the roller 18 of the paper feed unit 16 and the pair of first transport rollers 19 as described above. The paper feed table raising / lowering motor 84 is a motor for raising and lowering the paper feed table 14 as described above. As described above, the first guide movement motor 220 is a motor that drives the first drive shaft 142, and moves the first movement unit 108 in the paper width direction so as to move the first side end guide pin 114 and the second side end guide. It is a motor for moving the pin 118 in the paper width direction. The second guide movement motor 222 is a motor that drives the second drive shaft 168 as described above, and moves the second movement unit 150 in a direction parallel to the paper feed direction, and the third side end guide pin 120 and the second guide shaft 120. This is a motor for moving the 4-side end guide pin 154 in a direction parallel to the paper feed direction.

  The electronic control unit 200 includes a conveyance control unit 202, a lift control unit 204, a guide movement control unit 206, and a final paper specifying unit 208. The transport control unit 202 controls the operation of the paper feed unit 16 and the pair of first transport rollers 19 by controlling on / off of the paper feed solenoid 214 and supplying a drive signal to the transport motor 216 to control its operation. To control. As a result, the conveyance control unit 202 controls a paper feeding operation for sequentially feeding the topmost paper from the papers stacked on the paper feed tray 14. The elevation control unit 204 controls the raising and lowering of the sheet feed table 14 by supplying a drive signal to the sheet feed table lifting motor 84 and controlling its operation. Accordingly, the lifting control unit 204 and the sheet feeding table lifting / lowering motor 84 function as a sheet feeding table moving unit that moves the sheet feeding table up and down.

  The guide movement control unit 206 supplies drive signals to the first guide movement motor 220 and the second guide movement motor 222 to control the operation thereof, whereby the first side end guide pin 114 and the second side end guide pin 118 are controlled. And the movement of the third side end guide pin 120 and the second moving unit 150 in the direction parallel to the sheet feeding direction are controlled. Therefore, the guide movement control unit 206, the first guide movement motor 220, the second guide movement motor 222, and the like function as guide movement means for moving the first to fourth side end guide pins.

  When a plurality of sheet bundles in which a plurality of sheets are overlapped are stacked on the sheet feed table 14, the user can input the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle using the control panel 212. The buffer mechanism 22 stops the number of sheets input by the user as the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle and creates the sheet bundle. The final sheet specifying unit 208 uses the number of sheets included in the sheet bundle input by the user, and includes sheets that are sent out in the delivery order of multiples of the number of sheets after starting the sheet feeding operation. The last sheet is identified as the last sheet to be sent out among the plurality of sheets. For example, when “5 sheets” is input to the control panel 212 by the user as the number of sheets constituting the sheet bundle, the final sheet specifying unit 208 causes the fifth sheet to be sent out from the stacked sheets. A sheet to be sent out in a sending order of multiples of 5, such as a sheet to be sent out, is specified as the final sheet of the sheet bundle.

  In addition, a plurality of sheet bundles having different numbers of sheets may be stacked on the sheet feeding table 14. In such a case, in order to be able to specify the final sheet, the paper feeding apparatus 10 according to the first embodiment records a mark on the final sheet, and the sheet with the mark is added. It can be specified as the final sheet. Specifically, the CCD sensor 210 captures an image at the position where the mark is recorded. When acquiring the image data in which the mark indicating the final paper is captured, the final paper specifying unit 208 specifies the paper as the final paper. The user performs a predetermined input operation on the control panel 212 as to whether the last sheet is specified from the number of sheets in this way or whether the last sheet is specified using the image data acquired from the CCD sensor 210. Can be specified.

  FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the sheet feeding device 10 when the start button is pressed. The processing in this flowchart starts when the user presses the start button.

  The user can input the size of paper to be fed by operating the control panel 212. The electronic control unit 200 acquires size information indicating the paper size input by the user. Therefore, the electronic control unit 200 functions as a size information acquisition unit that acquires size information indicating the size of the paper loaded on the paper feed tray 14. When the user presses the start button after the paper size is input (S10), the guide movement control unit 206 moves the first to fourth side end guide pins to the standby position (S12). Here, the standby position means that the paper of the size indicated by the acquired size information is loaded at a predetermined position suitable for sending out, and the first to fourth side edge guide pins are opposed to the side edges of the paper. A position spaced apart from the part by a predetermined distance.

  When the first moving unit 108 and the second moving unit 150 move to the standby position, the lift control unit 204 operates the paper feed lift motor 84 to raise the paper feed stand 14 (S14). Note that there may be a case where an error in paper size input by the user or an error in paper loaded on the paper feed tray 14 occurs. On the other hand, the first to fourth side end guide pins protrude downward to be movable upward as described above. Therefore, even when any of these side end guide pins comes into contact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet while the sheet feed table 14 is raised, the side end guide pins that contact the sheet are lifted upward as they are and loaded. Only the force corresponding to the weight of the side end guide pin is applied to the sheet. For this reason, damage to the paper in such a case is suppressed.

  While raising the paper feed tray 14, the lifting control unit 204 uses the detection result of the paper height sensor 20 to convey the uppermost paper stacked on the paper feed stand 14 by the paper feed unit 16. It is determined whether or not the sheet has been raised to a possible sheet feeding position, and when the uppermost sheet has been raised to the sheet feeding position, the operation of the sheet feeding table lifting / lowering motor 84 is stopped to stop the lifting of the sheet feeding table 14 ( S16).

  When the paper feed table 14 stops, the guide movement control unit 206 moves the first movement unit 108 and the second movement unit 150 to the contact position (S18). Here, the contact position refers to the side of the sheet on which the first to fourth side end guide pins face each other, assuming that the sheet of the size indicated by the acquired size information is stacked at a predetermined position suitable for feeding. The position that contacts the end. In consideration of a deviation in the horizontal direction of the paper loaded on the paper feed tray 14, a predetermined minute interval is provided from the side edge of the paper loaded with the first to fourth side edge guide pins. The separated position may be set as the contact position.

  When the first moving unit 108 and the second moving unit 150 are moved to the contact positions, the transport control unit 202 performs paper feed control for sequentially sending the topmost paper from the paper stacked on the paper feed table 14. In this paper feed control, the air blowing mechanism 57, the first air blowing member 52, and the second air blowing member 54 blow out air to the upper end of the stacked paper, feed the paper by the paper feeding unit 16, and the buffer mechanism. The paper is stopped and accumulated by the paper 22 and discharged to the post-processing device. In the following, with reference to FIG. 9, the procedure for carrying out this paper feed control will be described in detail.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing in detail the execution procedure of the paper feed control in S20 in FIG. First, the elevating control unit 204 resets the sheet feed table lift h, which is the distance by which the sheet feed table 14 is lifted, to zero (S30). Next, the conveyance control unit 202 starts a paper feeding operation, and sequentially sends out the uppermost paper sheets stacked on the paper feed tray 14 (S32). The elevation control unit 204 raises the sheet feeding table 14 as the number of sheets fed out and loaded on the sheet feeding table 14 decreases. At this time, the lift control unit 204 calculates the sheet feed table lift h based on the pulse signal output to the sheet feed lift motor 84.

  At this time, the conveyance control unit 202 uses the air blowing mechanism 57, the first air blowing member 52, and the second air blowing member 54 to select one of the upper sheets including the uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding table 14. Blow air over the paper. The first side end guide pin 114, the second side end guide pin 118, the third side end guide pin 120, and the fourth side end guide pin 154 are in contact with the side end portion of the paper to which air is thus blown. As a result, the deviation of the paper in the direction parallel to the paper surface due to the blowing of air is locked.

  The conveyance control unit 202 turns on the paper feed solenoid 214 to attract the top sheet to the paper feed belt 17 and feeds the paper, and feeds the solenoid at the timing when the rear end of the top paper is attracted to the paper feed belt 17. 214 is turned off and the suction of the paper is stopped. The conveyance control unit 202 is a timing at which the sheet fed by the sheet feeding unit 16 is nipped and conveyed by the pair of first conveyance rollers 19 and completely discharged from above the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding table 14. The sheet feeding solenoid 214 is turned on again to start feeding the next topmost sheet. By repeating this operation, the conveyance control unit 202 sequentially sends out the uppermost sheets of the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding table 14.

  The sheets sent out by the paper supply unit 16 and the like are stacked by a buffer mechanism 22 to form a sheet bundle and conveyed to a post-processing device provided downstream. In the sheet feeding device 10 according to the first embodiment, since the buffer mechanism 22 needs to convey the sheet bundle as described above, the final sheet of the sheet bundle and the next sheet are determined from the sheet constituting the sheet bundle and the sheet conveyance time interval. The paper transport time interval is set longer.

  During the sheet feeding operation, the guide movement control unit 206 determines whether or not the sheet feeding table raising amount h has reached the rising amount threshold value h1 every predetermined time (S34). In the first embodiment, the increase amount threshold value h1 is set to 10 mm. When the sheet feeding table raising amount h has not reached the rising amount threshold value h1 (N in S34), the process returns to S32 and the sheet feeding operation is continued. When the sheet feeding table raising amount h reaches the raising amount threshold value h1 (Y in S34), the guide movement control unit 206 determines that the leading edge of the sheet fed by the sheet feeding unit 16 is the nip portion of the pair of first conveying rollers 19. Is determined (S36). An optical sensor (not shown) is provided in the paper conveyance path between the paper supply unit 16 and the pair of first conveyance rollers 19. The guide movement control unit 206 detects when the amount of light received through the paper transport path, which is detected by the optical sensor, falls below a predetermined threshold, and the timing when the leading edge of the paper passes through the non-detected portion of the optical sensor. By specifying and determining whether or not a predetermined time has elapsed from that timing, it is determined whether or not the leading edge of the sheet has reached the nip portion of the pair of first conveying rollers 19.

  When the leading edge of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 16 has not reached the nip portion of the pair of first conveying rollers 19 (N in S36), the guide movement control unit 206 repeats the determination in S36 every predetermined time. When the leading edge of the sheet fed from the sheet feeding unit 16 reaches the nip portion of the pair of first transport rollers 19 (Y in S36), the guide movement control unit 206 reaches the nip portion of the pair of first transport rollers 19 It is determined whether the completed sheet is the final sheet of a bundle of sheets for one book (S40). The method for determining the final sheet of the sheet bundle is as described above. If it is not the final sheet (N in S40), the conveyance control unit 202 sends out another sheet from the sheets stacked on the sheet feed table 14 (S38), and returns to the determination in S36.

  When the paper that has reached the nip portion of the pair of first conveying rollers 19 is the final paper (Y in S40), the guide movement control unit 206 temporarily moves the guide pins to the separation position by the first to fourth side end guide pins, and again. A reciprocating operation to return to the contact position is performed (S42). Here, the separation position means that the sheets of the size input by the user are stacked at a predetermined position suitable for feeding, and the first to fourth side end guide pins are from the side end portions of the sheets facing each other. A position that is separated by a predetermined interval. In the first embodiment, the separation position is set so that the distance from the outer surface of each of the first to fourth side end guide pins to the opposite side end portion is shorter than the standby position described above. The separation position may be the same as the standby position.

  In this way, the first to fourth side end guide pins are temporarily moved from the contact position to the separation position after the paper feeding unit 16 starts feeding the paper, and the paper feeding unit 16 starts feeding the next paper. Return to the contact position again. Accordingly, the paper feeding unit 16 can always send out the uppermost paper whose position is adjusted by the first to fourth side end guide pins. In addition, the first to fourth side end guide pins are reciprocated at the timing when the first final sheet is sent out after the sheet feed base 14 is raised by the increase amount threshold value h1 or more. Compared with the case where the reciprocating operation is performed at the timing when the final sheet of the bundle is sent out, it is possible to avoid the frequency of the reciprocating operation being excessively high. Note that the reciprocating operation is performed at the timing when the last sheet of the sheet bundle is sent out because the time interval from when the last sheet is sent out until the next last sheet is sent out is longer than the conveyance time interval between other sheets. This is because it is long and the time for performing the reciprocating operation of the first to fourth side end guide pins can be easily secured.

  The conveyance control unit 202 determines whether the sheet that has reached the nip portion of the pair of first conveyance rollers 19 is the last sheet to be conveyed based on the number of sheet bundles to be created input to the control panel 212 by the user. Is determined (S44). If it is not the last sheet (N in S44), the process is restarted from S30. If it is the last sheet (Y in S44), the process in this flowchart is terminated.

  FIG. 10A is a top view showing a state in which the first to fourth side end guide pins are in the contact position, and FIG. 10B is a diagram illustrating the first to fourth side end guide pins in the separated position. It is a top view which shows a certain state. As shown in FIG. 10A, when the first to fourth side end guide pins are in the contact position, the stacked sheets are on the front side of the apparatus on the first side end guide pin 114 and the second side end. The guide pin 118 regulates the deviation of the sheet, and the frame 13 regulates the deviation of the sheet on the rear side of the apparatus. Further, on the side of the paper feed direction, the shift of the paper is regulated by the frame 224, and on the side opposite to the paper feed direction, the shift of the paper is regulated by the third side end guide pin 120 and the fourth side end guide pin 154. . As described above, by providing the guide member for restricting the shift of the paper at all four side edges of the stacked paper, air is blown from the air blowing mechanism 57 to the stacked paper through the louver of the frame 224. Even in such a case, the deviation of the paper is regulated. In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the first to fourth side end guide pins are moved to the separation position, the first to fourth side end guide pins are arranged on the opposing sheets. 3 mm away from the side edge.

  FIG. 11A to FIG. 11D are views showing how the stacked sheets are adjusted by reciprocating the first to fourth side end guide pins. In order to facilitate understanding, in FIGS. 11A to 11D, the thickness of the paper is shown to be thicker than that of general paper. As shown in FIG. 11A, when a part of the stacked sheets is shifted, a part of the sheets may protrude from the stacked sheets. When the paper feeding operation proceeds, any of the first to fourth side end guide pins is lifted by the protruding paper to the protruding paper, or conversely, one of the first to fourth side end guide pins protrudes. Curve the paper downward. If the paper feed table 14 further rises in such a state, it becomes difficult to stop the rise of any of the first to fourth side end guide pins or suppress the curving of the protruding paper, and as a result, the first It is difficult to align the side edges of the sheet by the fourth side edge guide pins.

  For this reason, in the first embodiment, the guide movement control unit 206 first contacts the first to fourth side end guide pins during the continuous paper feeding operation in which the uppermost paper is sequentially fed out by the paper feeding unit 16. Once moved from the position to the separated position. As a result, any one of the first to fourth side end guide pins lifted by the protruding paper can be returned to the normal height, or can be lowered by any one of the first to fourth side end guide pins. It is possible to bring the paper that has been bent into the original state closer to the original state. Next, as shown in FIG. 11 (d), by returning the first to fourth side end guide pins to the contact position again, the position of the protruding sheet can be aligned with the position of other sheets. By aligning the side edges of the stacked sheets in this way, it is possible to suppress variations in the position of the sheet when the sheet is subsequently fed out by the sheet feeding unit 16 or the like, and to reduce a conveyance failure such as a jam.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a front view of the periphery of the paper guide unit 300 according to the second embodiment. The configuration of the paper feeding device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the paper feeding device 10 according to the first embodiment except that a paper guide unit 300 is provided instead of the paper guide unit 100. The operation of the paper feeding device according to the second embodiment is the same as that of the paper feeding device 10 according to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

  In the paper feeding device, a frame 302 that abuts on the front end of the paper stacked on the paper feeding table 14 is provided below the paper feeding unit 16. A first air blowing member 304 is disposed upstream of the frame 302. The first air blowing member 304 is disposed at a position where the air blowing port opens upward from the lower surface of the belt of the paper feeding unit 16. The paper guide unit 300 is provided with a side end guide unit 308, and the side end guide unit 308 is provided with a second air blowing member 306. In the second embodiment, the first air blowing member 304 and the second air blowing member 306 are formed in the same shape. The first air blowing member 304 blows air toward the side end portion of the sheet on the rear side of the apparatus in the vicinity of the leading end portion of the sheet loaded on the sheet feeding table 14. The second air blowing member 306 blows air toward the side end of the sheet on the front side of the apparatus in the vicinity of the rear end of the sheet stacked on the sheet feeding table 14.

  FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing in detail the configuration of the side end guide unit 308 according to the second embodiment. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the side end guide unit 308 is viewed from the right rear side of the apparatus. The side end guide unit 308 includes a bracket 310, a second side end guide pin 316, a third side end guide pin 318, a bracket 320, a blowing member unit 321, and a spring 330.

  The bracket 310 is attached to the rod 121 via the guide block 122 and is attached to the rod 110 via the angle member, similar to the second bracket 116 according to the first embodiment. Therefore, the first side end guide pin 114 and the second side end guide pin 316 move in the sheet width direction while maintaining a state in which the straight line connecting the axes is parallel to the sheet feeding direction. Further, the third side end guide pin 318 and the fourth side end guide pin 154 move in the sheet feeding direction while maintaining a state in which the straight line connecting the respective axes is parallel to the sheet width direction.

  Similar to the second bracket 116 shown in FIG. 6, the bracket 310 is attached to the upstream side of the rod 110. The bracket 310 has a guide, and the bracket 310 is attached to the rod 110 through the guide so as to be movable in the paper feeding direction. The bracket 310 also has another guide, and the bracket 310 is attached to a moving frame 155 extending in the paper width direction via the another guide so as to be movable in the paper width direction.

  The bracket 310 is formed by bending a sheet metal into an L shape. The bracket 310 is provided with a first guide hole 310a and a second guide hole 310b. Each of the first guide hole 310a and the second guide hole 310b is formed in a shape in which a long hole extending in the vertical direction is combined with a long hole extending in the horizontal direction at the top. A first guide member 312 and a second guide member 314 are attached to the bracket 310.

  The first guide member 312 guides the second side end guide pin 316 to be slidable in the vertical direction while the axial direction is vertical. The second side end guide pin 316 is provided with a stopper 317 that protrudes radially outward. The stopper 317 is inserted into the first guide hole 310a. In a normal state, the stopper 317 contacts the lower end portion of the first guide hole 310a and the second side end guide pin 316 is supported. The second guide member 314 guides the third side end guide pin 318 to be slidable in the vertical direction with the axial direction being vertical. The third side end guide pin 318 is provided with a stopper 319 that protrudes radially outward. The stopper 319 is inserted into the second guide hole 310b. In a normal state, the stopper 319 comes into contact with the lower end portion of the second guide hole 310b and the third side end guide pin 318 is supported. As described above, when a force is applied upward, the second side end guide pin 316 and the third side end guide pin 318 are supported by the bracket 310 so as to be lifted upward by the force.

  At this time, the second side end guide pin 316 is arranged such that a straight line connecting the first side end guide pin 114 and the axis thereof is parallel to the sheet feeding direction. Further, the third side end guide pin 318 is arranged such that a straight line connecting the fourth side end guide pin 154 and the axis thereof is parallel to the paper width direction.

  The bracket 320 is fixed to the bracket 310. The bracket 320 is provided with a guide hole 320a on a side surface. The guide hole 320a is formed so that a long hole extending in the vertical direction partially protrudes laterally from an intermediate portion thereof.

  The blowing member unit 321 includes a second air blowing member 306, a bracket 322, and two guide plates 324. The bracket 322 is formed by bending a sheet metal into an L shape, and a second air blowing member 306 is attached to the lower surface. The side surface of the bracket 322 is brought into contact with the inner surface of the bracket 320 provided with the guide hole 320a, and two annular spacers (not shown) are disposed in the guide hole 320a. The guide plate 324 is formed in an annular shape. The spacer and the guide plate 324 may be integrally formed. A screw 326 is passed from the outer surface of the bracket 320 to the insertion holes of both the guide plate 324 and the spacer, and the screw 326 is fastened to the bracket 322. In a normal state, the second air blowing member 306 is a state in which the spacer through which the lower screw 326 of the two screws 326 is inserted is locked at the lower end portion of the guide hole 320a and protrudes downward from the lower end of the bracket 320. Is held by the bracket 320. Thus, the blowing member unit 321 is supported by the bracket 320 so as to be movable in the vertical direction along the guide hole 320a. The spring 330 is disposed between the lower surface of the bent portion above the bracket 320 and the upper surface of the bracket 322 and biases the bracket 322 downward. By providing the spring 330 in this manner, the wobbling of the second air blowing member 306 when air is blown out can be suppressed.

  As in the first embodiment, the guide movement control unit 206 assumes that the sheets of the size indicated by the acquired size information are stacked at a predetermined position suitable for feeding, and the first to fourth side end guide pins. Are moved once to a separation position spaced apart from the opposite side edge of the sheet by a predetermined distance, and then returned to the contact position where the sheet contacts the side edge. Thus, when the 2nd side end guide pin 316 and the 3rd side end guide pin 318 move to a contact position and a separation position, the 2nd air blowing member 306 also moves together. Therefore, the movement mechanism such as a motor that moves the guide movement control unit 206 and the first movement unit 108 and the second movement unit 150 also functions as a movement unit that moves the second air blowing member 306. The guide movement control unit 206 moves the second air blowing member 306 so that air can be blown to the side surface parallel to the paper feeding direction in the vicinity of the rear end portion of the paper having the size indicated by the size information. Thereby, it is possible to blow out air to an appropriate position according to the size of the paper.

  14 is a cross-sectional view of the second air blowing member 306 along the plane P shown in FIG. FIG. 14 shows a state in which the cross section of the second air blowing member 306 is viewed from the right side of the apparatus. The second air blowing member 306 has a main body 350, a hose attachment member 352, and a shielding plate 354. The main body 350 is formed in a block shape, and is provided with a bottomed air introduction hole 350a extending in the horizontal direction from the side surface. On the bottom side of the air introduction hole 350a, an air blowing groove 350b that is cut off with a uniform width so as to spread downward as it approaches the opening is formed and communicates with the air introduction hole 350a. In the second embodiment, the angle of the inclined surface of the air blowing groove 350b is about 45 degrees. Of course, the angle of the inclined surface of the air blowing groove 350b is not limited to this angle.

  The hose attachment member 352 is formed in a shape in which a columnar hose attachment portion 352a and a fitting portion 352b are integrally coupled to each other at one end. The hose attachment member 352 is provided with an air introduction hole 352c penetrating coaxially with the central axis. As for the hose attachment member 352, the fitting part 352b is press-fitted and fixed around the opening part of the air introduction hole 350a. The shielding plate 354 is attached to the upper surface of the main body 350 and shields the upper surface of the air blowing groove 350b. Thus, the air introduced from the air introduction hole 352c is supplied to the air introduction hole 350a of the main body 350, and is blown out through the air blowing groove 350b over a range 45 degrees below the horizontal direction.

  FIG. 15 is a right side view of the side end guide unit 308 according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 15, in a normal state, the second side end guide pin 316 and the third side end guide pin 318 protrude greatly from the lower end portion of the bracket 310. Further, the second air blowing member 306 largely protrudes from the lower end portion of the bracket 320.

  FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state where the second side end guide pin 316, the third side end guide pin 318, and the blowing member unit 321 are lifted. For example, the second air blowing member 306, the second side end guide pin 316, and the third side end guide pin 318 are used when the remaining amount of sheets stacked on the sheet supply table 14 is low and the sheet supply table 14 is raised to a higher position. The sheet feed table 14 comes into contact with the lower end of the sheet and tries to push them up.

  In the second embodiment, the second side end guide pin 316 and the third side end guide pin 318 move upward when the lower end is pushed upward. Moreover, the blowing member unit 321 moves the whole blowing member unit 321 upward, when the lower surface of the 2nd air blowing member 306 is pushed upward. As a result, even when the paper feed table 14 is raised to a high position until it comes into contact with these, the second air guide line 316 and the third side end guide pin 318 align the side edges of the sheet while the second air end guide pin 316 is aligned. Air can be blown out to the side edge of the sheet by the blowing member 306.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating a state where the second side end guide pin 316, the third side end guide pin 318, and the blowing member unit 321 are lifted and held. When the user lifts the second side end guide pin 316 to a predetermined height and causes the stopper 317 to enter a portion extending in the horizontal direction of the first guide hole 310a (see FIG. 13), the stopper 317 is moved by the portion. Locked and held at a raised height. Further, the third side end guide pin 318 is raised by the user to a predetermined height, and the stopper 319 enters the portion extending in the horizontal direction of the second guide hole 310b, so that the stopper 319 is locked by the portion. , Held at a raised height. In addition, the user lifts the blowing member unit 321 to a predetermined height and rotates the entire blowing member unit 321 so that the lower screw 326 is moved to a portion projecting in the lateral direction of the guide hole 320a, whereby FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the blowing member unit 321 is held by the bracket 320 while being inclined. Thereby, the 2nd air blowing member 306 can be hold | maintained in the state which protruded from the lower end of the bracket 320 slightly.

  As described above, the stopper 317 and the first guide hole 310a, the stopper 319 and the second guide hole 310b, and the guide hole 320a and the screw 326 are respectively the second side end guide pin 316, the third side end guide pin 318, and the first guide hole 318. 2 Functions as holding means for holding the air blowing member 306 upward. By suppressing the downward projecting amount of the second side end guide pin 316, the third side end guide pin 318, and the second air blowing member 306, for example, sheets in a state of being stacked in advance are fed. Can be easily set to.

  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 embodiments to which such modifications are added can also be included in the scope of the present invention. Here are some examples.

  In a modification, the guide movement control unit 206, when the paper feed table lift amount h reaches the lift amount threshold value h1, regardless of whether or not the paper being transported is the last paper in the paper bundle, When the first conveyance roller 19 reaches the nip portion, the first to fourth side end guide pins are reciprocated. Thereby, the timing control for reciprocating the first to fourth side end guide pins can be simplified.

  In another modification, the guide movement control unit 206 reciprocates the first to fourth side end guide pins when the number of conveyed sheets reaches a predetermined threshold. Also according to such an aspect, the first to fourth side end guide pins can be reciprocated every predetermined period.

  In another modification, the guide movement control unit 206 continuously reciprocates the first to fourth side end guide pins a plurality of times at a predetermined timing during the continuous paper feeding operation. The predetermined timing at this time may be any of the timings described above. This makes it possible to more reliably align the side edges of the paper.

1 is a front view of a sheet feeding device according to a first embodiment. It is PP sectional drawing of the paper feeder which concerns on 1st Embodiment. FIG. 3 is a left side view of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment. It is a front view of a paper guide unit. FIG. 6 is a left side view of the paper guide unit. It is a bottom view of the paper guide unit. FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an operation procedure of the sheet feeding device when a start button is pressed. It is a figure which shows in detail the execution procedure of the paper feed control of S20 in FIG. (A) is a top view which shows the state in which the 1st-4th side end guide pin exists in a contact position, (b) shows the state in which the 1st-4th side end guide pin exists in a separation position. It is a top view. (A) is a figure which shows an example when a part of sheet | seat protrudes in a shift | offset | difference, (b) shows a mode that one of the 1st-4th side end guide pins was lifted by the protruded sheet | seat. (C) is a figure which shows the state which the 1st-4th side end guide pin moved to the separation position, (d) is a figure in which the 1st-4th side end guide pin is a contact position It is a figure which shows the state which returned to. FIG. 6 is a front view of the vicinity of a paper guide unit according to a second embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the side end guide unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment in detail. It is sectional drawing of the 2nd air blowing member by the plane P shown in FIG. It is a right view of the side end guide unit which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the state by which the 2nd side end guide pin, the 3rd side end guide pin, and the blowing member unit were lifted. It is a figure which shows the state by which the 2nd side end guide pin, the 3rd side end guide pin, and the blowing member unit were lifted and hold | maintained.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Paper feeder, 13 Frame, 14 Paper feed stand, 16 Paper feed part, 19 1st conveyance roller, 20 Paper height sensor, 52 1st air blowing member, 54 2nd air blowing member, 57 Air blowing mechanism, 106 Frame, 108 first moving unit, 114 first side end guide pin, 118 second side end guide pin, 120 third side end guide pin, 150 second moving unit, 154 fourth side end guide pin, 200 electronic control unit 202 Transport control unit 204 Lift control unit 206 Guide movement control unit 208 Final paper specifying unit 210 CCD sensor 212 Control panel 214 Paper feed solenoid 216 Transport motor 220 First guide movement motor 222 Second Guide movement motor, 224 frame.

Claims (6)

A paper feeding means for feeding the topmost paper loaded on the paper feed tray;
A sheet feeding table moving means for raising the sheet feeding table as the number of sheets fed out and loaded on the sheet feeding table decreases,
A position that extends from a position higher than the paper feed height where the topmost paper is located to a position lower than the paper feed height by a predetermined height, and is a position lower than the top from the top of the paper stacked on the paper feed tray The side edge of the paper in the range up to the above , and at least when the paper feed base is at the lowest point, it touches only a part of the paper placed on the top of the paper loaded on the paper feed base A side end guide positioned in the height direction ;
Between the contact position that contacts the side edge of the topmost sheet of paper stacked on the paper feed tray and the separation position that is separated from the side edge of the topmost paper stacked on the paper feed tray A guide moving means for moving the side end guide at
With
The guide moving means moves the side end guide from the contact position to the separation position and returns it to the contact position again during the continuous paper feeding operation in which the uppermost sheet is sequentially sent out by the paper feed means. Characteristic paper feeder.   The guide moving means temporarily moves the side end guide from the contact position to the separated position after the paper feeding means starts feeding the paper, and before the paper feeding means starts feeding the next paper. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is returned to the contact position again. And further comprising a pair of transport rollers for feeding from above the paper stacked on the paper feed tray while sandwiching the paper sent by the paper feeding means,
2. The guide moving means, wherein the side end guide is temporarily moved from the contact position to the separated position and returned to the contact position again while the pair of transport rollers are holding the sheet. The sheet feeding device according to 2. A paper feeding means for feeding the topmost paper loaded on the paper feed tray;
A sheet feeding table moving means for raising the sheet feeding table as the number of sheets fed out and loaded on the sheet feeding table decreases,
A side edge guide that contacts at least a side edge of the uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding table;
Between the contact position that contacts the side edge of the topmost sheet of paper stacked on the paper feed tray and the separation position that is separated from the side edge of the topmost paper stacked on the paper feed tray A guide moving means for moving the side end guide at
When a plurality of sheet bundles in which a plurality of sheets are overlapped are stacked on the sheet feeding table, for each of the plurality of sheet bundles, a final sheet which is a sheet sent out last among a plurality of sheets included in the sheet bundle is determined. Means to identify ;
With
The guide moving means includes
During the continuous paper feeding operation in which the uppermost paper is sequentially sent out by the paper feeding means, the side end guide is temporarily moved from the contact position to the separation position and returned to the contact position again.
After starting the feeding of the final sheet, the side end guide is temporarily moved from the contact position to the separation position, and the sheet feeding means returns to the contact position again before starting the next sheet feeding. Paper feeding device. A paper feeding means for feeding the topmost paper loaded on the paper feed tray;
A sheet feeding table moving means for raising the sheet feeding table as the number of sheets fed out and loaded on the sheet feeding table decreases,
A side edge guide that contacts at least a side edge of the uppermost sheet among the sheets stacked on the sheet feeding table;
Between the contact position that contacts the side edge of the topmost sheet of paper stacked on the paper feed tray and the separation position that is separated from the side edge of the topmost paper stacked on the paper feed tray A guide moving means for moving the side end guide at
With
The guide moving means moves the side end guide from the contact position to the separation position and returns it to the contact position again during the continuous paper feeding operation in which the uppermost sheet is sequentially sent out by the paper feed means,
The side edge guide includes a sheet feeding apparatus shall be the being provided movably upwardly when a force from the lower side to the upper side is given. The paper feeding means has an air blowing means for blowing air to a side end portion of a paper including the uppermost paper among the papers stacked on the paper feeding table,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the side end guide contacts at least one side end of a sheet to which air is blown.

Images