Paper sheet separation device and paper sheet separation method

A method for separating paper sheets using a paper sheet separation device, the paper sheet separation device comprising a separation roller that comes into contact with paper sheets conveyed from an accumulation unit accumulating the paper sheets, a feed roller that is arranged in contact with the separation roller and rotates with respect to the stopped separation roller to convey the paper sheets separately one by one, and a pair of guide members that has guide faces, which come into sliding contact with a front end of the paper sheets conveyed from the accumulation unit, and is provided on both sides in an axial direction of the separation roller, a friction coefficient of the guide face being smaller than a friction coefficient of a peripheral face of the separation roller, the guide face being provided protruding outward of the separation roller from the peripheral face of the separation roller in a radial direction of the separation roller, and the guide face being supported to be able to move inward in the radial direction of the separation roller at a contact point between the separation roller and the feed roller, the method comprising:

• sliding the front end of the paper sheets, which is conveyed from the accumulation unit, along the guide faces to the contact point;
• moving the guide faces inward in the radial direction of the separation roller by the paper sheets at the contact point to bring the paper sheets into contact with the peripheral face of the separation roller;
• and
• separating the paper sheets by the separation roller and the feed roller.