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US 10,829,326 B2Granted
Sheet feeder, method for controlling sheet feeder
AssigneeKYOCERA Document Solutions Inc.
InventorShinya Matsui
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A suction fan of a sheet feeder sucks in air through a sheet feeding belt to generate flotation air. The suction fan uses the flotation air to attract set sheets by suction. A belt motor rotates a sheet feeding belt and feeds out a sheet of the set sheets. An interval measurer measures a sheet-to-sheet interval when the suction fan is attracting the sheet by suction. Based on an output of the interval measurer, a controller recognizes the sheet-to-sheet interval. Based on the recognized sheet-to-sheet interval, the controller adjusts a flow rate of the flotation air.
Claims7
A sheet feeder comprising:
- a sheet setting plate on which sheets are set;
- a regulation cursor which regulates positions of the sheets set on the sheet setting plate;
- a sheet feeding belt which is provided above the sheet setting plate and the sheets set on the sheet setting plate, and which is provided with a suction hole;
- a suction fan which includes a motor for rotation, and sucks in air through the sheet feeding belt to generate flotation air, and which uses the flotation air to attract by suction the sheets set on the sheet setting plate;
- a separation fan which includes a motor for rotation, generates separation air, and blows the separation air to a side of the sheets set on the sheet setting plate;
- a belt motor which rotates the sheet feeding belt to feed out a sheet of the sheets set on the sheet setting plate;
- an interval measurer which measures a sheet-to-sheet interval when the suction fan is attracting the sheet by suction;
- and
- a controller which recognizes the sheet-to-sheet interval based on an output of the interval measurer, and which adjusts a flow rate of the flotation air based on the sheet-to-sheet interval recognized,
- wherein
- the controller
- makes the separation fan generate the separation air when the suction fan is attracting the sheet by suction,
- makes the separation fan maintain the flow rate of the separation air when the sheet-to-sheet interval recognized is equal to or more than a minimum value of a predetermined allowable range but equal to or less than a maximum value of the allowable range,
- makes the separation fan reduce the flow rate of the separation air when the sheet-to-sheet interval recognized is less than the minimum value of the allowable range, and
- makes the separation fan increase the flow rate of the separation air when the sheet-to-sheet interval recognized is more than the maximum value of the allowable range.
12 more elements
A sheet feeder comprising:
- a sheet setting plate on which sheets are set;
- a regulation cursor which regulates positions of the sheets set on the sheet setting plate;
- a sheet feeding belt which is provided above the sheet setting plate and the sheets set on the sheet setting plate, and which is provided with a suction hole;
- a suction fan which includes a motor for rotation;
- and sucks in air through the sheet feeding belt to generate flotation air, and which uses the flotation air to attract by suction the sheets set on the sheet setting plate;
- a belt motor which rotates the sheet feeding belt to feed out a sheet of the sheets set on the sheet setting plate;
- an interval measurer which measures a sheet-to-sheet interval when the suction fan is attracting the sheet by suction;
- and
- a controller which recognizes the sheet-to-sheet interval based on an output of the interval measurer, and which adjusts a flow rate of the flotation air based on the sheet-to-sheet interval recognized;
- wherein
- the sheet feeder includes, as the regulation cursor, a rear edge regulation cursor which regulates rear edges of the sheets set on the sheet setting plate,
- the rear edges of the sheets set on the sheet setting plate are upstream-side edges thereof in a sheet conveyance direction,
- the interval measurer is an ultrasonic sensor,
- the ultrasonic sensor includes a transmitter circuit and a receiver circuit,
- the transmitter circuit transmits an ultrasonic wave,
- the receiver circuit outputs a voltage in accordance with a level of a received ultrasonic wave,
- one of the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit is provided above a bottom face of the sheet feeding belt, and
- an other one of the transmitter circuit and the receiver circuit is provided on the rear edge regulation cursor.
15 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.