Sheet feeding system with lateral registration and method for registering sheets

Sheet feeding apparatus including sheet feeding means for feeding sheets in a process direction, and registration means for registering the sheet in a direction laterally of the process direction;

• said registration means comprising shifting means for laterally shifting said feeding means a fixed sheet edge sensor providing a control signal on detecting the presence of a sheet in said sheet edge sensor, and control means to control said lateral shifting means in response to said sheet edge detection control signal, characterized in that:
• if a sheet is not detected by said edge sensor upon the entry of the sheet into said feeding means, then said lateral shifting means is activated to move said feeding means laterally towards said sensor until the sheet is detected by said sensor, whereupon said lateral movement is stopped;
• but if the sheet is already detected by said same sensor upon the entry of the sheet into the feeding means, then the shifting means is first activated to move the feeding means laterally away from said sensor until said sensor no longer detects the sheet, and then said shifting means is automatically reverse activated to move said feeding means back towards said same sensor until the sheet is again detected by said same sensor, being approached from the same direction, to reduce hysteresis error, whereupon said lateral movement Is stopped.