Media separation apparatus

A media separation apparatus which separates loaded media one by one and transfers the separated media toward a transfer path, comprising:

• a pickup roller disposed at one side of the loaded media, and configured to sequentially pick up and transfer the loaded media;
• a feed roller disposed separately from the pickup roller in a media feeding direction, and configured to feed the media picked up and transferred by the pickup roller toward the transfer path;
• and
• a media separator disposed at a position facing the feed roller, having a plurality of separation rollers and a separation belt wound around a part of a circumference of each of the separation rollers, and configured to separate a following medium from a leading medium through friction of the separation belt, the following medium being in close contact with the leading medium fed by the feed roller and transferred at the same time as the leading medium,
• wherein the feed roller has a guide groove formed at a center of an outer circumferential surface of the feed roller,
• wherein at least one separation roller of the plurality of separation rollers is disposed at an entrance into which the picked-up and transferred medium is introduced and has a media separation piece which protrudes from the center of the outer circumferential surface of the at least one separation roller such that a protruding end portion thereof is inserted into the guide groove of the feed roller, and
• wherein while the medium picked up and transferred by the pickup roller is introduced between the feed roller and the media separator, the media separation piece blocks the introduction of the following medium contacted with a rear surface of the leading medium,
• wherein the media separator comprises:
• a first separation roller disposed at the entrance into which the picked-up and transferred medium is introduced, facing the feed roller in a vertical direction, and having the media separation piece protruding from the center of the outer circumferential surface of the roller body,
• a second separation roller disposed separately from the first separation roller toward the transfer path, and
• a pair of separation belts wound around both sides of the outer circumferential surfaces of the first and second separation rollers, with the media separation piece of the first separation roller interposed therebetween, and separating the following medium which is in close contact with the leading medium fed by the feed roller and transferred at the same time as the leading medium.