# US 11,305,956 B2 · Transport device

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- Number: US 11,305,956 B2
- Document ID: US11305956B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/807,822
- Filed: 2020-03-03
- Published: 2020-09-10
- Granted: 2022-04-19
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-04
- Assignees: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Applicants: Seiko Epson Corporation
- Inventors: Kanechika Kiyose; Tomohide Onogi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305956B2

## CPC

- B65H 1/06: for separation from bottom of pile
- B65H 7/125: {sensing the double feed or separation without contacting the articles}
- B65H 3/063: {separating from the bottom of pile (B65H3/0615, B65H3/0623 take precedence)}
- B65H 7/06: responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed (B65H7/14 takes precedence)
- B65H 3/5284: {Retainers of the roller type, e.g. rollers}
- B65H 2511/24: Irregularities, e.g. in orientation or skewness
- B65H 2511/521: Presence of foreign object or undesirable material, i.e. material of another nature than the handled material
- B65H 2511/528: Jam
- B65H 2553/30: using acoustic or ultrasonic elements
- B65H 2701/18292: Stapled sets of sheets
- B65H 2801/39: Scanning
- B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES

## Abstract

A transport device includes: a medium support unit having a placement surface where a sheet-like medium is placed; a transport unit supplied with the medium placed at the placement surface and transporting the medium in a transport direction along a sheet surface of the medium; an ultrasonic transmitting unit provided at a part of the medium support unit and transmitting an ultrasonic wave; an ultrasonic receiving unit provided at another part of the medium support unit, and receiving the ultrasonic wave and outputting a received signal; and a floating detection unit determining whether a floating of the medium from the placement surface is present or not, based on the received signal.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A transport device comprising:
a medium support unit having a placement surface where a sheet-like medium is placed;
a transport unit supplied with the medium placed at the placement surface and transporting the medium in a transport direction along a sheet surface of the medium;
an ultrasonic transmitting unit provided at a part of the medium support unit and transmitting an ultrasonic wave;
an ultrasonic receiving unit provided at another part of the medium support unit, and receiving the ultrasonic wave and outputting a received signal; and
a floating detection unit determining whether a floating of the medium from the placement surface is present or not, based on the received signal,
wherein the ultrasonic transmitting unit and the ultrasonic receiving unit are located apart from each other when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the placement surface,
the medium support unit has a first guide and a second guide coming into contact with the medium placed at the placement surface from both sides of a direction along the sheet surface and orthogonal to the transport direction, and guiding the medium in the transport direction, and
one of the ultrasonic transmitting unit and the ultrasonic receiving unit is provided at the first guide or the second guide, and the other is provided at the placement surface.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The transport device according to claim 1, wherein
the ultrasonic transmitting unit transmits a plurality of the ultrasonic waves in different transmission directions.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The transport device according to claim 1, wherein
the ultrasonic transmitting unit transmits the ultrasonic wave in a direction along the sheet surface and intersecting the transport direction.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The transport device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a notification unit notifying a presence of the floating when the floating detection unit determines that the floating is present.