# US 2016/0355361 A1 · Sheet feeder and image forming system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2016/0355361 A1 - Document ID: US20160355361A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/175,146 - Filed: 2016-06-07 - Published: 2016-12-08 - Earliest claimed: 2015-06-08 - Assignees: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Yusuke ARAI - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20160355361A1 ## CPC - B65H 3/0669: {Driving devices therefor} - B65H 3/0684: {on moving support, e.g. pivoting, for bringing the roller or like rotary separator into contact with the pile} - B65H 3/56: Elements, e.g. scrapers, fingers, needles, brushes, acting on separated article or on edge of the pile {(B65H3/52 takes precedence)} - B65H 7/02: by feelers or detectors - B65H 2511/15: Height, e.g. of stack - B65H 2511/214: Inclination - B65H 2511/30: Numbers, e.g. of windings or rotations - B65H 2513/11: angular - B65H 2513/52: Age; Duration; Life time or chronology of event - B65H 2557/23: Recording or storing data - B65H 2801/12: Single-function printing machines, typically table-top machines - B65H: HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES ## Abstract A sheet feeder including a tray, a feeder roller, a guide, a separator, a motor, a controller, and a sensor, is provided. The sheet feeder separates an object sheet from other sheets in the tray and feed the object sheet through the guide and the separator by rotation of the feeder roller. The controller determines a remaining volume of the sheets in the tray based on a signal from the sensor; generate a velocity profile so that the object sheet is fed at a lower velocity in an earlier first period than a velocity in a later second period; based on the determined remaining volume of the plurality of sheets, modify at least one of a length of the first period and the target velocity in the first period of the velocity profile; and after modification of the velocity profile, control the motor in compliance with the modified velocity profile. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A sheet feeder, comprising: a tray; a feeder roller configured to contact an object sheet being a topmost one of the plurality of sheets in the stack in the tray to feed the object sheet in a feeding direction by rotating; a guide disposed downstream of the feeder roller in the feeding direction to adjoin the tray, the guide comprising a guiding surface extending from a bottom of the tray in a predetermined direction, the predetermined direction containing a direction of the sheets to be stacked in the tray and the feeding direction, and the guiding surface being arranged to incline at an obtuse angle with respect to the object sheet fed to contact the guiding surface by the feeder roller; a separator arranged on the guide to protrude from the guiding surface toward a space in the tray to accommodate the plurality of sheets to align with the predetermined direction, the separator being configured to separate the object sheet fed by the rotation of the feeder roller from the other of the plurality of sheets; a motor configured to drive the feeder roller to rotate; a controller configured to control the motor; and a sensor configured to input a signal corresponding to a remaining volume of the plurality of sheets in the tray to the controller, wherein the controller is configured to: based on the signal input by the sensor, determine the remaining volume of the plurality of sheets in the tray; generate a velocity profile defining a target velocity to feed the topmost sheet from a start to an end of a sheet-feeding operation, so that the topmost sheet is fed at a lower velocity in a first period than a velocity in a second period, the second period being later than the first period, in the sheet-feeding operation; based on the determined remaining volume of the plurality of sheets, modify at least one of a length of the first period and the target velocity in the first period of the velocity profile; and after a modification of the velocity profile, control the motor in compliance with the modified velocity profile. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The sheet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to modify the length of the first period to be shorter as the determined remaining volume of the plurality of sheets is larger. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The sheet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to modify the target velocity in the first period to be lower as the determined remaining volume of the plurality of sheets is larger. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The sheet feeder according to claim 3, wherein the controller is configured to set the target velocity in the second period at a predetermined target velocity irrespective of the remaining volume of the plurality of sheets. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The sheet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the first period is a length of time, in which a driving amount since the start of the sheet-feeding operation reaches an amount corresponding to a moved amount for a leading end of the object sheet in the feeding direction to pass over the separator, the driving amount being one of a length of driving time and a rotation amount of the motor; wherein, in the first period, the controller is configured to control the motor so that the object sheet is fed at the target velocity for the first period, and in the second period, the controller is configured to control the motor so that the object sheet is fed at the target velocity for the second period being higher than the target velocity for the first period. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The sheet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine one of a plurality of predetermined ranges that corresponds to the remaining volume of the plurality of sheets; and wherein the at least one of the length of the first period and the target velocity modified for the first period is preset to each of the plurality of predetermined ranges. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The sheet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to determine a type of the object sheet; wherein, based on determination that the type of the object sheet is a first type, the controller is configured to generate a first velocity profile, the first velocity profile defining the target velocity in the first period to be constant and the target velocity in the second period to be constant, the target velocity in the first period being lower than the target velocity in the second period, and the controller is configured to control the motor in compliance with the first velocity profile; and wherein, based on determination that the type of the object sheet is a second type which is different from the first type, the controller is configured to generate a second velocity profile, the second velocity profile defining a single constant velocity period in which the target velocity is constant and irrespective of the remaining volume of the plurality of sheets, and the controller is configured to control the motor in compliance with the second velocity profile. ### Claim 8 An image forming system, comprising: a sheet feeder, the sheet feeder comprising: a tray; a feeder roller configured to contact an object sheet being a topmost one of the plurality of sheets in the stack in the tray to feed the object sheet in a feeding direction by rotating; a guide disposed downstream of the feeder roller in the feeding direction to adjoin the tray, the guide comprising a guiding surface extending from a bottom of the tray in a predetermined direction, the predetermined direction containing a direction of the sheets to be stacked in the tray and the feeding direction, and the guiding surface being arranged to incline at an obtuse angle with respect to the object sheet fed to contact the guiding surface by the feeder roller; a separator arranged on the guide to protrude from the guiding surface toward a space in the tray to accommodate the plurality of sheets to align with the predetermined direction, the separator being configured to separate the object sheet fed by the rotation of the feeder roller from the other of the plurality of sheets; a motor configured to drive the feeder roller to rotate; a controller configured to control the motor; and a sensor configured to input a signal corresponding to a remaining volume of the plurality of sheets in the tray to the controller, and an image forming apparatus configured to form an image on the object sheet fed by the sheet feeder, wherein the controller of the sheet feeder is configured to: based on the signal input by the sensor, determine the remaining volume of the plurality of sheets in the tray; generate a velocity profile defining a target velocity to feed the object sheet from a start to an end of a sheet-feeding operation, so that the object sheet is fed at a lower velocity in a first period than a velocity in a second period, the second period being later than the first period, in the sheet-feeding operation; based on the determined remaining volume of the plurality of sheets, modify at least one of a length of the first period and the target velocity in the first period of the velocity profile; and after a modification of the velocity profile, control the motor in compliance with the modified velocity profile. ### Claim 9 A method adapted to be implemented on a controller coupled with a sheet feeder, the method comprising: based on a signal input to the controller by a sensor of the sheet feeder, determining a remaining volume of a plurality of sheets stacked in a tray of the sheet feeder; generating a velocity profile defining a target velocity to feed a topmost sheet which is one of the plurality of sheets stacked in the tray from a start to an end of a sheet-feeding operation, so that the topmost sheet is fed at a lower velocity in a first period than a velocity in a second period, the second period being later than the first period, in the sheet-feeding operation; based on the determined remaining volume, modifying at least one of a length of the first period and the target velocity in the first period of the velocity profile; and after a modification of the velocity profile, controlling a motor in the sheet feeder in compliance with the modified velocity profile.