US20240294347A1 - Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus Download PDF

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Publication number
US20240294347A1
US20240294347A1 US18/589,960 US202418589960A US2024294347A1 US 20240294347 A1 US20240294347 A1 US 20240294347A1 US 202418589960 A US202418589960 A US 202418589960A US 2024294347 A1 US2024294347 A1 US 2024294347A1
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US
United States
Prior art keywords
sheet
air
side edge
unit
regulation plate
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Pending
Application number
US18/589,960
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English (en)
Inventor
Teruhito Kai
Seita Inoue
Akihiro Kawakita
Tatsuo Fujimura
Hiroaki Tomiyasu
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Canon Inc
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Canon Inc
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Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Canon Inc filed Critical Canon Inc
Assigned to CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA reassignment CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KAWAKITA, AKIHIRO, FUJIMURA, TATSUO, Inoue, Seita, KAI, TERUHITO, TOMIYASU, HIROAKI
Publication of US20240294347A1 publication Critical patent/US20240294347A1/en
Pending legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/46—Supplementary devices or measures to assist separation or prevent double feed
    • B65H3/48—Air blast acting on edges of, or under, articles
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H7/00—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles
    • B65H7/02—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles by feelers or detectors
    • B65H7/06—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles by feelers or detectors responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed
    • B65H7/10—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles by feelers or detectors responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed responsive to incorrect side register
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H1/00—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated
    • B65H1/04—Supports or magazines for piles from which articles are to be separated adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H3/00—Separating articles from piles
    • B65H3/02—Separating articles from piles using friction forces between articles and separator
    • B65H3/06—Rollers or like rotary separators
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H7/00—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles
    • B65H7/02—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles by feelers or detectors
    • B65H7/06—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles by feelers or detectors responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H7/00—Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles
    • B65H7/16—Controlling air-supply to pneumatic separators
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H9/00—Registering, e.g. orientating, articles; Devices therefor
    • B65H9/10—Pusher and like movable registers; Pusher or gripper devices which move articles into registered position
    • B65H9/101—Pusher and like movable registers; Pusher or gripper devices which move articles into registered position acting on the edge of the article
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/10—Size; Dimensions
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/10—Size; Dimensions
    • B65H2511/11—Length
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/10—Size; Dimensions
    • B65H2511/12—Width
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/10—Size; Dimensions
    • B65H2511/18—Size; Dimensions relative to handling machine
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/20—Location in space
    • B65H2511/22—Distance
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2511/00—Dimensions; Position; Numbers; Identification; Occurrences
    • B65H2511/50—Occurence
    • B65H2511/52—Defective operating conditions
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2601/00—Problem to be solved or advantage achieved
    • B65H2601/20—Avoiding or preventing undesirable effects
    • B65H2601/27—Other problems
    • B65H2601/272—Skewing of handled material during handling
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2801/00—Application field
    • B65H2801/03—Image reproduction devices
    • B65H2801/06—Office-type machines, e.g. photocopiers

Definitions

  • This disclosure relates to a sheet feeding apparatus including a separation unit that separates a sheet by blowing air onto a plurality of sheets manually fed to be supported on a supporting portion, and an image forming apparatus including this sheet feeding apparatus.
  • a pair of side edge regulation plates that regulate the sheet from both sides in a width direction are disposed in the manual sheet feed tray onto which a user sets the sheet by manual feeding, and a position of the sheet in the width direction is regulated.
  • the position of the sheet in the width direction is regulated.
  • a sheet feeding apparatus includes a supporting portion configured to support a plurality of sheets that have been manually set, a sheet feeding unit configured to feed the sheets supported by the supporting portion, a side edge regulation plate configured to move in a width direction perpendicular to a feed direction, the side edge regulation plate being configured to regulate a position of the sheets supported by the supporting portion in the width direction, a separation unit configured to separate the sheets by blowing air onto the plurality of sheets supported by the supporting portion, a regulation plate position detection unit configured to detect a position of the side edge regulation plates in the width direction, and a control unit configured to execute a separation mode so as to perform an air-blow operation by the separation unit in feeding the sheets by the sheet feeding unit.
  • the control unit is configured to stop the air-blow operation.
  • a sheet feeding apparatus includes a supporting portion configured to support a plurality of sheets that have been manually set, a sheet feeding unit configured to feed the sheets supported by the supporting portion, a side edge regulation plate configured to move in a width direction perpendicular to a feed direction, the side edge regulation plate being configured to regulate a position of the sheets supported by the supporting portion in the width direction, a separation unit configured to separate the sheets by blowing air onto the plurality of sheets that are supported by the supporting portion, a regulation plate position detection unit configured to detect a position of the side edge regulation plate in the width direction, and a control unit configured to execute a separation mode so as to perform an air-blow operation by the separation unit in feeding the sheets by the sheet feeding unit.
  • the control unit is configured to stop the air-blow operation.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of an image forming system of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the image forming system of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a manual sheet feed portion of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which an air-blow operation has been performed in the manual sheet feed portion of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the detection of a sheet size in the manual sheet feed portion of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a sheet width size and a value of a sheet width volume sensor of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating relationships between the sheet size and detection results of various sensors.
  • FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the posture of the sheet in a case where side edge regulation plates of the present embodiment are positioned at positions not aligned with the sheet width size.
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a sheet feed control in a separation mode of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating an air-blow stop determination process of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the image forming system of the present embodiment.
  • the image forming system 600 includes the image forming apparatus 201 , the manual sheet feed portion 235 , and a sheet feed deck 800 connected to the image forming apparatus 201 .
  • the sheet feed deck 800 is connected to the right side of the image forming apparatus 201 in FIG. 1 , and is configured to feed a sheet S to the image forming apparatus 201 .
  • the manual sheet feed portion 235 is also configured to feed the sheet S to the image forming apparatus 201 .
  • the image forming apparatus 201 includes an apparatus body 201 A incorporating an image forming unit 201 B that forms an image on the sheet. Further, an image reading apparatus 202 disposed substantially horizontally is arranged on the top of the apparatus body 201 A. Further, a sheet discharge space V for discharging the sheet is formed between the image reading apparatus 202 and the apparatus body 201 A. Further, an operation unit 730 , serving as a user interface (UI) constituted by such as a touch panel capable of displaying a screen, is arranged on the top of the apparatus body 201 A. To be noted, the operation unit 730 of the present embodiment forms a sheet type input portion for inputting a sheet type in a user setting mode.
  • UI user interface
  • the image forming unit 201 B utilizes a four-drum full-color system.
  • the image forming unit 201 B includes a laser scanner 210 and four process cartridges 211 Y, 211 M, 211 C, and 211 K, forming toner images of four colors: yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K).
  • Each of the process cartridges 211 includes a photosensitive drum 212 , a charge roller 213 , serving as a charge unit, and a developing unit 214 , serving as a developing unit.
  • the image forming unit 201 B includes an intermediate transfer unit 201 C arranged on the top of the process cartridges 211 , and a fixing unit 201 E.
  • toner cartridges 215 for supplying toner to the developing units 214 are disposed above the intermediate transfer unit 201 C.
  • the intermediate transfer unit 201 C includes an intermediate transfer belt 216 wound around a drive roller 216 a and a tension roller 216 b .
  • primary transfer rollers 219 that come into contact the intermediate transfer belt 216 at positions facing the photosensitive drums 212 are disposed inside of the intermediate transfer belt 216 .
  • the intermediate transfer belt 216 is rotated in an arrow direction in FIG. 1 by the drive roller 216 a driven by a drive unit, not shown.
  • a negatively charged toner images of each color on the photosensitive drums are sequentially transferred in multiple layers onto the intermediate transfer belt 216 by the primary transfer rollers 219 .
  • a secondary transfer roller 217 for transferring a color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 216 onto the sheet S is disposed.
  • a secondary transfer portion 201 D is formed between these intermediate transfer belt 216 and secondary transfer roller 217 .
  • the fixing unit 201 E including a pressing roller 220 a and a heating roller 220 b is arranged.
  • a first sheet discharge roller pair 225 a a first sheet discharge roller pair 225 a , a second sheet discharge roller pair 225 b , and a duplex reverse portion 201 F are arranged.
  • a reverse roller pair 222 that can rotate in both directions, a re-conveyance path R for conveying the sheet, on whose one surface the image has been formed, again to the image forming unit 201 B, and the like are disposed.
  • a plurality of sheet feed units 230 feeding the placed sheet S to the image forming unit 201 B are disposed.
  • Each of the plurality of sheet feed units 230 includes a sheet feed cassette 1 , storing a plurality of sheets (sheet bundle), and a sheet feeding unit 6 , serving as a sheet feeding unit feeding the sheet S stored in the sheet feed cassette 1 .
  • the sheet feeding unit 6 includes a pickup roller 2 , a feed roller 3 , and a retard roller 4 .
  • the feed roller 3 and the retard roller 4 serve as a separation unit separating the sheet S sent in multiples from the pickup roller 2 .
  • the sheet feed deck 800 sending the placed sheet S to the image forming unit 201 B is disposed on the right side of the apparatus body 201 A in FIG. 1 and below the manual sheet feed portion 235 .
  • the sheet feed deck 800 includes a sheet feeding unit 806 . That is, the sheet feeding unit 806 includes a pickup roller 801 , a feed roller 802 , and a retard roller 803 .
  • the feed roller 802 and the retard roller 803 serve as a separation unit separating the sheet S sent in multiples from the pickup roller 802 .
  • a drawing roller pair 804 is disposed downstream of the sheet feeding unit 806 in a sheet conveyance direction.
  • the manual sheet feed portion 235 feeding the sheet S from a plurality of manually fed sheets S (sheet bundle) to the image forming unit 201 B is disposed on the right side surface of the apparatus body 201 A in FIG. 1 .
  • the manual sheet feed portion 235 is pivotably attached to the apparatus body 201 A so as to be openable and closable with respect to the apparatus body 201 A. That is, the manual sheet feed portion 235 is arranged to switch between an opening state, in which the manual sheet feed portion is opened with respect to the apparatus body 201 A, and a closed state, in which the manual sheet feed portion is closed with respect to the apparatus body 201 A.
  • the manual sheet feed portion 235 includes a manual sheet feed tray 236 , serving as a manual sheet feed tray supporting the sheet S when the manual sheet feed portion 235 is in the opening state, and, as with the sheet feed unit 230 , includes a sheet feeding unit 506 . That is, the sheet feeding unit 506 includes a pickup roller 501 , a feed roller 502 , and a retard roller 503 . The feed roller 502 and the retard roller 503 serve as a separation unit separating the sheet S sent in multiples from the pickup roller 501 . Further, a drawing roller pair 504 is disposed downstream of the sheet feeding unit 506 in the sheet conveyance direction.
  • a media detection sensor 280 serving as a sheet type detection unit, is arranged in a conveyance path of the apparatus body 201 A, and detects a grammage and surface properties of the sheet S by reading the sheet S that has been conveyed.
  • this image information is converted into an electrical signal, and is transmitted to the laser scanner 210 of the image forming unit 201 B.
  • this image information can be transmitted from, for example, a host apparatus 1500 (refer to FIG. 2 ) such as an external computer via a network.
  • the sheet S fed from the sheet feed unit 230 (or the manual sheet feed portion 235 , or the sheet feed deck 800 ) is conveyed to a registration roller pair (hereinafter, referred to as a registration roller pair) 240 constituted from a drive roller and driven roller.
  • a registration roller pair hereinafter, referred to as a registration roller pair
  • the drive of the registration roller pair 240 is being stopped, and a leading edge of the sheet S is abutted against the registration roller pair 240 .
  • the leading edge of the sheet S follows the registration roller pair 240 .
  • the registration roller pair 240 is driven in synchronization with a timing of the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 216 . Thereby, the skew of the sheet S is corrected by the registration roller pair 240 , and the sheet S with the skew corrected is conveyed to the secondary transfer portion 201 D by the registration roller pair 240 .
  • the toner image is collectively transferred onto the sheet S by a secondary transfer bias applied to the secondary transfer roller 217 .
  • the sheet S onto which the toner image has been transferred is conveyed to the fixing unit 201 E, and, by being applied with heat and pressure in the fixing unit 201 E, the toners of each color are melted and blended, so that the image is fixed on the sheet S as a color image.
  • the sheet S on which the image has been fixed is discharged to the sheet discharge space V by the first sheet discharge roller pair 225 a or the second sheet discharge roller pair 225 b disposed downstream of the fixing unit 200 E in the sheet conveyance direction, and is loaded on a supporting portion 223 formed on a bottom surface of the sheet discharge space V.
  • the sheet S is conveyed to the re-conveyance path R by the reverse roller pair 222 , and is again conveyed to the secondary transfer portion 201 D.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of the manual sheet feed portion 235 of the present embodiment.
  • the manual sheet feed portion 235 includes the manual sheet feed tray 236 , serving as the supporting portion, and the sheet feeding unit 506 , serving as the sheet feeding unit feeding the sheet and separating the sheets sent in multiples.
  • the sheet feeding unit 506 includes the pickup roller 501 , serving as a feed roller that feeds an uppermost sheet by coming into contact with the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle.
  • the sheet feeding unit 506 includes the feed roller 502 and the retard roller 503 , serving as the separation unit separating the sheet S fed from the pickup roller 501 .
  • the drawing roller pair 504 that feeds the sheet S to the image forming apparatus 201 by drawing the sheet S from the feed roller 502 is arranged downstream of this feed roller 502 in a sheet feed direction.
  • a feed sensor 505 serving as a sheet detection unit, is arranged between the feed roller 502 and the drawing roller pair 504 . That is, the feed sensor 505 is arranged further downstream than the sheet feeding unit 506 in the sheet feed direction. This feed sensor 505 detects a passage of the sheet S by outputting a signal based on the presence or absence of the sheet S.
  • the manual sheet feed tray 236 includes a manual sheet feed tray base 515 and a lifter plate 514 , serving as a sheet supporting portion loading and supporting the sheet bundle constituted from the plurality of sheets S. Further, a sheet presence sensor 401 , serving as the sheet detection unit detecting that the sheet S is supported by the manual sheet feed tray 236 is included in the lifter plate 514 . A position of this lifter plate 514 in a height direction is controlled by a lifting mechanism, not shown, depending on a loading amount of the sheet S.
  • the manual sheet feed tray 236 includes side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 that regulate a position of the sheet S supported by the manual sheet feed tray 236 in a width direction perpendicular to the sheet feed direction.
  • the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 regulate positions of edges in the width direction of the sheet S (side edges of the sheet) placed on the lifter plate 514 .
  • Air-blow portions 511 A and 512 A, each serving as the separation unit, are respectively disposed in these side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 .
  • the air-blow portion 511 A includes a fan 511 b driven by a fan motor 511 M (refer to FIG.
  • the air-blow portion 512 A includes a fan 512 b driven by a fan motor 512 M (refer to FIG. 2 ), and a duct 512 a that guides airflow delivered from the fan 512 b to pass through an interior of the side edge regulation plate 512 , and blows the air onto the side of the sheet bundle.
  • hold-down plates 511 c and 512 c are disposed so as to prevent the sheet S, levitated by the airflow, from crossing over the side regulation plates 511 and 512 .
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating the detection of the sheet size in the manual sheet feed portion of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a sheet width size and a value of a sheet width volume sensor in the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating relationships between the sheet size and detection results of various sensors.
  • the sheet presence detection sensor 401 described above detects the presence of the sheet. Further, in the width direction perpendicular to the sheet feed direction, the placed sheet is sandwiched by the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 that are located on both side across the sheet, and is regulated in a correct posture along the sheet feed direction while being positioned in the width direction. Thereby, the skew of the sheet is prevented during feeding the sheet.
  • These side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 are movable by sliding in arrow X 1 and X 2 directions that are the width direction, and can accommodate the sheets that vary in width sizes.
  • the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 are connected to a sheet width volume sensor 405 , serving as a regulation plate position detection unit detecting positions of these side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 in the width direction.
  • the sheet width volume sensor 405 outputs an analog to digital (AD) value corresponding to the position of the side edge regulation plate 512 , and the CPU 101 detects the sheet width in a main scanning direction based on the input AD value.
  • AD analog to digital
  • a first sheet length sensor 403 and a second sheet length sensor 404 are located at different positions in the sheet feed direction.
  • the first and second sheet length sensors 403 and 404 are configured as a flag-type sensor.
  • the first and second sheet length sensors 403 and 404 are capable of detecting the length of the sheet in the sheet feed direction (hereinafter, referred to as a sheet length) in three stages based on ON/OFF statuses of each of the first and second sheet length sensors 403 and 404 activated in response to the length of the sheet placed on the manual sheet feed tray 236 .
  • the sheet width volume sensor 405 is a sensor that outputs a 10 bit AD value, and provides an output that is substantially linear for AD values ranging from 0 to 0x400.
  • the sheet width is 210 millimeters (mm) that is an A4R width.
  • the sheet width is 257 mm that is a B4R width.
  • the sheet width is 297 mm that is an A4 width.
  • an A5 size is identified in a case where the sheet presence sensor 401 is ON, the first sheet length sensor 403 is OFF, the second sheet length sensor 404 is OFF, and the output value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 is 0x320 ⁇ 0x10.
  • the A4R size is identified in a case where the sheet presence sensor 401 is ON, the first sheet length sensor 403 is ON, the second sheet length sensor 404 is OFF, and the output value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 is 0x320 ⁇ 0x10.
  • the output value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 is the same, it becomes possible to determine that the sizes are different based on the differences in the output results of the first and second sheet length sensors 403 and 404 .
  • the output results of the first and second sheet length sensors 403 and 404 become identical to the output results for the A5 size described above.
  • the AD value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 becomes 0x384 ⁇ 0x10, and it becomes possible to determine the size of the sheet also based on variations in the output value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 .
  • FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the control system of the image forming system of the present embodiment.
  • a control unit 100 of the present embodiment is included, for example, in the image forming apparatus 201 , and is configured by including the CPU 101 , a read only memory (ROM) 102 , and a random access memory (RAM) 103 .
  • the control unit 100 is a control unit that performs control by coordinating the image forming apparatus 201 , the sheet feed deck 800 , and the manual sheet feed portion 235 .
  • the control unit 100 is connected to the host apparatus 1500 and the operation unit 730 , and, while exchanging information with these connected apparatus and unit, performs such as signal processing and sequence control operations for various process equipment.
  • the host apparatus 1500 refers to external equipment such as a personal computer, an image scanner, and a facsimile.
  • control unit 100 is connected to such as a fan control unit 402 , a feed motor 520 , serving as a motor that drives the pickup roller 501 , and the sheet feed sensor 505 described above. Further, the control unit 100 is also connected to such as the sheet presence sensor 401 , the first and second sheet length sensor 403 and 404 , and the sheet width volume sensor 405 , described above.
  • FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which an air-blow operation has been performed in the manual sheet feed portion 235 of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram illustrating the posture of the sheet in the case where the side edge regulation plates of the present embodiment are located at positions not corresponding to the width size of the sheet.
  • the user starts feeding the sheet (starts the job) without moving the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 to align with the side edges of the sheet S, and thereby starts feeding the sheet with a gap D existing between the sheet S and the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 .
  • the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 were moved to come into contact with the side edges of the sheet S.
  • the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 are moved by such as being touched by the user after having started feeding the sheet, and the gap D is created between the sheet S and the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 .
  • the levitated sheet S 1 moves a distance corresponding to the gap D, and the posture of the sheet S 1 is disrupted. That is, with respect to the sheet feed direction Y, positions of the leading edge and a trailing edge of the sheet S 1 in the width direction X deviate, and the sheet S 1 is inclined at an angle ⁇ with respect to the sheet feed direction Y.
  • an air-blow stop determination process is performed in sheet feed control.
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating the sheet feed control in a separation mode of the present embodiment.
  • FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating the air-blow stop determination process of the present embodiment.
  • the sheet feed control illustrated in FIG. 9 performs the feeding of the sheet S placed on the manual sheet feed tray 236 in the separation mode in which the air-blow operation is performed. That is, in the image forming apparatus 201 , it is possible to perform the feeding of the sheet in a normal mode in which the sheet feed is performed without the air-blow onto the sheet S placed on the manual sheet feed tray 236 .
  • the normal mode is a mode in which the air-blow operation is simply not performed, descriptions of the normal mode will be omitted, and, hereinafter, the separation mode will be described.
  • the normal mode is suitable for feeding the sheet, such as regular paper and thin paper, which has normal (standard) or coarse surface properties and equal to or less than a normal thickness.
  • the separation mode is suitable for feeding the sheet, such as the coated paper, with the surface properties that are finer or smoother than the normal (standard), and with thickness surpassing the normal.
  • the control unit 100 Upon receiving a start command for a job, for example, the printing of a predetermined number (for example, 15 sheets) of sheets of the coated paper from either the operation unit 730 or the external computer, not shown, the control unit 100 starts the sheet feed control that is executed as the separation mode illustrated in FIG. 9 (STEP S 1 ). Then, the control unit 100 first obtains the width size of the sheet S placed on the manual sheet feed tray 236 (STEP S 2 ). In the present embodiment, the value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 at the start of the job is stored in the RAM 103 as the width size at the start of the job.
  • the width size of the sheet at the start of the job is detected from the value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 .
  • the control unit 100 drives the fan motors 511 M and 512 M (refer to FIG. 2 ) of the air-blow portions 511 A and 512 A, and starts the air-blow operation to blow the air onto the sides of the sheet bundle (STEP S 3 ).
  • the control unit 100 drives the fan motors 511 M and 512 M (refer to FIG. 2 ) of the air-blow portions 511 A and 512 A, and starts the air-blow operation to blow the air onto the sides of the sheet bundle (STEP S 3 ).
  • the control unit 100 drives the fan motors 511 M and 512 M (refer to FIG. 2 ) of the air-blow portions 511 A and 512 A, and starts the air-blow operation to blow the air onto the sides of the sheet bundle (STEP S 3 ).
  • control unit 100 performs the air-blow stop determination process, that is, the control unit 100 determines whether or not to stop the air-blow operation (STEP S 4 ). That is, as described in detail below, the control unit 100 determines whether or not there is a possibility that the sheet S is inclined due to the creation of the gap D (refer to FIG. 5 ) between the sheet S placed on the manual sheet feed tray 236 and the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 . In a case where there is a possibility for the sheet S to be inclined, the control unit 100 stops the air-blow operation. Here, it is presumed that the air-blow operation is not stopped, and the description will proceed on that basis.
  • the control unit 100 waits until a predetermined time, for example, approximately 10 seconds has passed (STEP S 5 : No). That is, the predetermined time is set based on the duration of the time required for the fan motors 511 M and 512 M to start rotation from a standstill and attain a desired number of rotation (rotational speed), and a time required for stabilizing the levitation of the sheet S is included in the predetermined time. Then, when the predetermined time has passed (STEP S 5 : Yes), a feeding operation of the sheet S is started (STEP S 6 ). To be noted, this start of the feeding operation refers to the feeding of the sheet S by the rotation of the pickup roller 501 (refer to FIG.
  • the control unit 100 judges whether or not the feeding of, for example, 15 sheets, which is the required number of sheets, has been completed (STEP S 8 ). For example, in a case where the feeding of the 15 sheets of the sheet S has not been completed (STEP S 8 : No), the feeding operation is continued while repeating the air-blow stop determination process throughout the duration. Then, upon the completion of the feeding of, for example, the 15 sheets, which is the required number of sheets (STEP S 8 : Yes), the control unit 100 stops the air-blow operation (STEP S 9 ), and, with that, ends the sheet feed control.
  • the control unit 100 first determines whether or not the air-blow is in progress (STEP S 11 ), and, in a case where the air-blow is not in progress (STEP S 11 : No), directly ends the air-blow stop determination process. Further, in a case where the air-blow is in progress (STEP S 11 : Yes), a current value of the sheet width volume sensor is stored in the RAM 103 as the width size during the job. Then, the control unit 100 determines whether or not the width size at the start of the job is different from the width size during the job (STEP S 13 ). In a case of no change, that is, a case where the width size is the same and has not changed (STEP S 13 : No), the control unit 100 directly ends the air-blow stop determination process.
  • the control unit 100 stops the air-blow operation with respect to the sheet S (STEP S 9 ) by stopping the fan motors 511 M and 512 M (refer to FIG. 2 ) described above, and ends the air-blow stop determination process.
  • the control unit 100 recognizes that the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 detected by the sheet width volume sensor 405 have been moved. Then, since it becomes identical to the case where the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 do not correspond to the width size of the sheet at the start of the job (the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 at the start of the job) (STEP S 13 at STEP S 4 : Yes), the air-blow operation is stopped (STEP S 14 ).
  • the control unit 100 recognizes that the positions of the size edge regulation plates 511 and 512 are different from the width size of the sheet at the start of the job (the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 at the start of the job) (STEP S 13 at STEP S 7 : Yes), and, then, the air-blow operation is stopped (STEP S 14 ).
  • the separation mode to feed the sheet while performing the air-blow is executed.
  • this separation mode in the case where the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 regulating the position of the sheet in the width direction are moved by, for example, such as the operation of the user, it is possible to stop the air-blow operation, and it is possible to reduce the skew of the sheet and the sheet jam.
  • the width size of the sheet placed on the manual sheet feed tray 236 is detected by the sheet width volume sensor 405 at the start of job (prior to starting the air-blow operation), and the value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 is referred to as the width size at the start of job.
  • the width size at the start of the job is set from the sheet size information input through the operation unit 730 and the external computer.
  • the width size of the sheet detected by the sheet width volume sensor 405 at the start of the job is different from the sheet size information. Therefore, it is also possible to determine the stoppage (interruption) of the air-blow operation before starting the air-blow operation.
  • the sheet width volume sensor 405 is described as an example that detects the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 in the width direction.
  • any type of device such as position sensors or encoders that can detect the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 in the width direction can be used.
  • the spacing between the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 is increased to be larger than the width size of the sheet S is described.
  • the spacing between the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 can be decreased to be less than the width size of the sheet S.
  • the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 are detected by the sheet width volume sensor 405 , and those positions are converted into the width size of the sheet placed on the manual sheet feed tray 236 .
  • the air-blow stop determination process such that, by simply comparing the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 at the start of the job with the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 during the job, in a case where these positions are different, the air-blow operation is stopped.
  • the positions of the side edge regulation plates 511 and 512 are equivalent to the AD value of the sheet width volume sensor 405 . Therefore, by simply comparing the AD value at the start of the job with the AD value during the job, it is acceptable to configure the air-blow stop determination process such that the air-blow operation is stopped in a case where these values are different.
  • the image forming apparatus 201 includes such as the control unit 100 and the manual sheet feed portion 235 .
  • the sheet feeding apparatus such as the sheet feed deck 800
  • the image forming apparatus is not limited to the image forming apparatus 201 of the present embodiment, and it is acceptable that the image forming apparatus refers to image forming systems including sheet feed decks.
  • the sheet size information may be input by performing an input operation through the operation unit 730 .
  • the interface becomes an input unit.
  • Embodiment(s) of the present invention can also be realized by a computer of a system or apparatus that reads out and executes computer executable instructions (e.g., one or more programs) recorded on a storage medium (which may also be referred to more fully as a ‘non-transitory computer-readable storage medium’) to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or that includes one or more circuits (e.g., application specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) for performing the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s), and by a method performed by the computer of the system or apparatus by, for example, reading out and executing the computer executable instructions from the storage medium to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s) and/or controlling the one or more circuits to perform the functions of one or more of the above-described embodiment(s).
  • computer executable instructions e.g., one or more programs
  • a storage medium which may also be referred to more fully as a
  • the computer may comprise one or more processors (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), micro processing unit (MPU)) and may include a network of separate computers or separate processors to read out and execute the computer executable instructions.
  • the computer executable instructions may be provided to the computer, for example, from a network or the storage medium.
  • the storage medium may include, for example, one or more of a hard disk, a random-access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a storage of distributed computing systems, an optical disk (such as a compact disc (CD), digital versatile disc (DVD), or Blu-ray Disc (BD)TM), a flash memory device, a memory card, and the like.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Sheets, Magazines, And Separation Thereof (AREA)
  • Paper Feeding For Electrophotography (AREA)
  • Manual Feeding Of Sheets (AREA)
US18/589,960 2023-03-01 2024-02-28 Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus Pending US20240294347A1 (en)

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JP2023031339A JP2024123709A (ja) 2023-03-01 2023-03-01 シート給送装置、及び画像形成装置
JP2023-031339 2023-03-01

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Cited By (1)

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JP2010095362A (ja) * 2008-10-17 2010-04-30 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd 給紙装置及び画像形成装置
US20120049442A1 (en) * 2010-08-25 2012-03-01 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus
US8366101B2 (en) * 2010-08-25 2013-02-05 Riso Kagaku Corporation Paper feeder with a pair of blowing units
US9604805B2 (en) * 2014-12-10 2017-03-28 Nisca Corporation Sheet feeder
US20190127163A1 (en) * 2017-10-31 2019-05-02 Riso Kagaku Corporation Sheet supplying device
US20200140215A1 (en) * 2018-11-01 2020-05-07 Konica Minolta, Inc. Paper feeding parameter management system
JP2021088455A (ja) * 2019-12-06 2021-06-10 コニカミノルタ株式会社 給紙装置及び画像形成装置
US20220388795A1 (en) * 2021-06-07 2022-12-08 Konica Minolta, Inc. Paper feed device, image formation system, and control program for paper feed device

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US20060175746A1 (en) * 2005-02-04 2006-08-10 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet Feeding Apparatus and Image Forming Apparatus
JP2010095362A (ja) * 2008-10-17 2010-04-30 Fuji Xerox Co Ltd 給紙装置及び画像形成装置
US20120049442A1 (en) * 2010-08-25 2012-03-01 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus
US8366101B2 (en) * 2010-08-25 2013-02-05 Riso Kagaku Corporation Paper feeder with a pair of blowing units
US9604805B2 (en) * 2014-12-10 2017-03-28 Nisca Corporation Sheet feeder
US20190127163A1 (en) * 2017-10-31 2019-05-02 Riso Kagaku Corporation Sheet supplying device
US20200140215A1 (en) * 2018-11-01 2020-05-07 Konica Minolta, Inc. Paper feeding parameter management system
JP2021088455A (ja) * 2019-12-06 2021-06-10 コニカミノルタ株式会社 給紙装置及び画像形成装置
US20220388795A1 (en) * 2021-06-07 2022-12-08 Konica Minolta, Inc. Paper feed device, image formation system, and control program for paper feed device

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* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US20250019190A1 (en) * 2023-07-13 2025-01-16 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Sheet feeding apparatus

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