Sheet handling apparatus provided with a sheet sucking unit
AssigneeMinolta Camera Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsHajime Takei, Yukiyoshi Yamakoshi, Naoyuki Matsuda, Fuminori Moro, Hiroshi Tomita, Homare Sano
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Abstract
An sheet handling apparatus includes suckers for sucking up a sheet from a sheet storing unit and two sensors which are disposed on the suckers. One of the sensors detects whether the suckers come into contact with the topmost sheet of a sheet stack in the sheet storing unit, and the other sensor detects whether there is a sheet in the sheet storing unit. After the suckers were operated to suck up a sheet, these sensors detect whether the suckers catch the sheet.
Claims12
A sheet handling apparatus, comprising:
- a sheet storing unit in which sheets are stacked;
- means for sucking up a sheet from the sheet storing unit;
- drive means for relatively moving the sucking means to the sheet storing unit;
- first and second detecting means operatively connected to the sucking means for generating detecting signals;
- first judging means for judging form the detecting signal generated by the first detecting means whether the sucking means comes to a set position inside the sheet storing unit;
- means for stopping the drive means from moving the sucking means when the first judging means judges that the sucking means comes to the set position;
- and
- second judging means for judging form the detecting signal generated by the second detecting means whether there is a sheet in the sheet storing unit, said second judging means being activated after the stopping means stops the drive means.
A sheet handling apparatus, comprising:
- a sheet storing unit in which sheets are stacked;
- means for sucking up a sheet from the sheet storing unit;
- drive means for relatively moving the sucking means between an initial position outside the sheet storing unit and a set position inside the sheet storing unit;
- detecting means attached to the sucking means for generating a detecting signal;
- first judging means for judging from the detecting signal whether the sucking means comes to the set position;
- means for temporarily stopping the drive means from moving the sucking means when the first judging means judges that the sucking means comes to the set position;
- and
- second judging means for judging for the detecting signal whether the sucking means catches a sheet, said second judging means being activated when the sucking means is returned to the initial position after the temporary stoppage of the motion of the sucking means.
In an image forming apparatus having a sheet storing unit in which sheets are stacked, the improvement of a sheet handling apparatus for transporting a sheet from a stack of sheets in a first direction, comprising:
- means for sucking up a sheet from the sheet storing unit, including a plurality of sucker members for contacting a sheet;
- means for relatively moving at least one sucker member horizontally towards and away from another sucker member, after contacting the sheet, to create a wavelike movement in the sheet in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- detecting means for detecting whether the sucking means has sucked up a sheet from the sheet storing unit, said detecting means including a plurality of spaced sensors for detecting across the sheet, a plurality of separate portions of the sheet;
- and
- means responsive to the detecting means for judging whether the sucking means has sucked up the sheet prior to moving one sucker member relative to the other sucker member.
A sheet handling apparatus, comprising:
- a sheet storing unit in which sheets are stacked;
- means for sucking up a sheet from the sheet storing unit;
- drive means for relatively moving the sucking means to the sheet storing unit;
- first and second detecting means operatively connected to the sucking means for generating detecting signals;
- first judging means for judging form the detecting signal generated by the first detecting means whether the sucking means comes to a set position inside the sheet storing unit;
- and
- second judging means for judging from the detecting signal generated by the second detecting means whether there is a sheet in the sheet storing unit, said second judging means being activated after the first judging means judges that the sucking means comes to the set position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.