JP2002226068A - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (with correction) [PROBLEMS] To supply a sheet stably even with a narrow width, and to keep the air pressure unchanged even when the number of sheet feeding units used is changed. A paper device is provided. SOLUTION: A suction head 4 is provided above a leading end of a paper feed tray 3, and a plurality of belts 51 are hung between a driven roller 50 and a driving roller 48. Further, a suction air chamber 52 is provided, and square holes 52a are provided on the lower surface of the chamber at positions at both ends of both outer belts 51 and at intervals between adjacent belts. A discharge air chamber 61 is provided at the leading end of the paper feed tray 3, and the protrusions 61 e and 6
1f is provided with an upper layer portion of the leading end surface of the sheet bundle S, and the convex portion 61g is provided with air discharge ports 61h, 61i and 61j for blowing air into the side surface portion of the sheet bundle. Further, the two-sheet feed prevention member 6 is provided on the side surface portion 61b of the discharge air chamber.
8, 69 are provided below the belt.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device for feeding sheets one by one.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, the uppermost sheet of a stack of sheets stacked on a sheet feed table is separated by suction using air, and is fed through a number of holes provided in a belt. 2. Description of the Related Art There is known a sheet feeding device that sucks air, drives a belt to rotate while a top sheet is being sucked, and feeds a sheet. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-1995 discloses an example in which a vacuum chamber for generating a negative pressure is provided above a paper feed shelf and a perforated tape having a plurality of holes is circulated around the vacuum chamber. No. 33272 discloses this. The paper feeder described in this publication will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 23 is a side view showing a part of a conventional paper feeding apparatus 200 in a cross section, and FIG. 24 is a schematic view for explaining a part of the paper feeding apparatus 200. The paper stack S0 is stacked on the movable plate 201 such that the leading edge of the paper stack S0 comes into contact with the fixed contact member 213. The position of the top paper sheet S1 of the paper stack S0 is detected by the sensor 212. A plurality of endless perforated tapes 205 are wound around bend rolls 203 and 204, and a vacuum chamber 20 defined by a casing 214 in a space surrounded by the perforated tapes 205.
2 are arranged. Further, a nozzle 206 for blowing air toward a space below the lower running portion 205a of the perforated tape 205 is provided, and a side opening for blowing air toward the tip of the paper stack S0 is further provided. 211 is provided on a side plate (not shown) standing upright from the movable plate 201. A drive roll 208 and a nip roll 207 are provided on the downstream side of the nozzle 206 in the sheet flow direction, and a metal for reliably guiding the leading edge of the top paper sheet S1 to the nip between the drive roll 208 and the nip roll 207 is provided. Guide member 209,
210 are provided.

[0004] Next, the operation of the conventional sheet feeding device 200 configured as described above will be described. First, the paper stack S0 is stacked on the movable plate 201. Subsequently, the movable plate 201 is arranged at a suitable position, that is, such that the top paper sheet S1 of the paper stack S0 is at a predetermined distance of, for example, 10 mm from the lower running portion 205a of the endless perforated tape 205. Next, the vacuum chamber 202 is in communication with a vacuum supply source (not shown), and at the same time, air is supplied to the nozzle 206 and the side opening 211 to separate the paper stack S0. Then, air is sucked through the opening of the endless perforated tape 205 (in the direction of arrow T in the figure), and the top paper sheet S1 is adsorbed to the lower traveling portion 205a of the endless perforated tape 205. At this time, air is fed between the top paper sheet S1 and the next paper sheet S2 from the nozzle 206, and the two are separated.

Subsequently, the bend rolls 203 and 204 start rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow U in FIG.
Is conveyed in the direction of the drive roll 208, and the next paper sheet S2 abuts on the fixed abutment member 213 to prevent its movement. The top paper sheet S1 thus separated
Is sent to the nip portion between the drive roll 208 and the nip roll 207, and is nipped and transported by both. By repeating the above operation, the paper feeding operation is continuously performed. During the paper feeding operation, the movable plate 2 is moved by the control signal from the sensor 212 so that the top paper sheet S1 of the paper stack S0 during the paper feeding operation is always kept at a fixed position.
01 rises appropriately.

However, in this conventional paper feeding device 200, since the belt (endless perforated tape 205) has a hole, when a tensile force is applied to the belt, stress concentration occurs around the hole and the belt breaks. It's easy to do. For this reason, since the reliability of the belt is low, there is a disadvantage that the peripheral speed of the belt cannot be increased and the processing speed cannot be improved. In addition, there is a problem in that the production cost is high because perforation processing is required for manufacturing the belt. Further, there is a problem that a paper feeding defect such as an empty feed occurs because a hole in the belt is clogged by paper dust and dust due to repeated use for a long period of time. Further, when the conventional paper feeders 200 are vertically arranged in a plurality of stages, air must be supplied to a plurality of paper feeders 200 by one air supply source. And it becomes large capacity. Further, an air passage such as a hose connecting the air supply source and the paper feeding device 200 must be provided, and a valve for controlling branching and air switching is required in this air passage, which further complicates the structure. Therefore, the apparatus cannot be made compact and the apparatus cost increases. In addition, if the number of the paper feeding devices 200 used among the plurality of paper feeding devices 200 is different, the pressure of the air is different for both suction and discharge.
That is, the smaller the number of paper feeders 200 to be used, the greater the air amount per one stage of the paper feeders, and thus the higher the air pressure. For this reason, there is also a problem that the air pressure of the paper feeding device 200 needs to be adjusted by some method every time the number of paper feeding devices to be used is changed.

Further, when a plurality of sheets are simultaneously sucked to the perforated tape 205, the sheet is separated only by blowing air from the nozzles, so that there is a problem that the sheets cannot be separated.

On the other hand, in order to prevent a situation in which separation is not possible when a plurality of sheets are sucked at the same time, a paper feeder provided with a friction pad in contact with a belt is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-32383.
No. 6 discloses this. Hereinafter, the second conventional sheet feeding apparatus will be described.

FIG. 25 shows a paper feeder 100 of a second conventional example.
26 is a side view as seen from the upstream side in the paper feeding direction, FIG. 26 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX in FIG. 25, and FIG.
It is sectional drawing by the -Y line.

As shown in FIG. 25 to FIG. 27, a sheet feeding shelf 10 for stacking a sheet bundle S0 is
1 are arranged horizontally. Above the paper feed shelf 101, a cylindrical rotor 102 is provided. The rotor 102 is rotatably fitted to a hollow suction pipe 103. A large number of suction holes 102a penetrating from the inner peripheral surface to the outer peripheral surface are radially formed in the rotor 102. In the suction pipe 103, a communication hole 103a is formed at a position where the suction pipe 103 is opposed to the paper feed shelf 101 at a fitting portion with the rotor 102. Rotor 10
2 rotates, and when the suction hole 102a reaches a position facing the paper feed shelf 101, the suction hole 102a communicates with the communication hole 103a. The inside of the suction pipe 103 is an air passage, and is connected to a suction source pipe 109 through an electromagnetic opening / closing valve 108.

A pair of rotors 102 are arranged on both sides of the pulley 104 so as to rotate together with the pulley 104. A drive pulley 105 is provided downstream of the rotor 102 in the sheet feeding direction.
A belt 106 is hung between the belt and the pulley 104. The drive pulley 105 is fixed to a rotary drive shaft 107 of a motor (not shown), and the drive of the rotary drive shaft 107 causes the rotation of the drive pulley 105 via a belt 106 to be driven.
4 and the rotor 102. Also, the paper feed shelf 101
An air pressure feeding pipe 110 is provided on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction. An air riser pipe 111 is formed in communication with the upper side of the air pressure feed pipe 110, and a separating air blowing port 113 for blowing air to the upper layer portion of the sheet bundle S0 is formed at the tip of the air riser pipe 111. Are formed. An air rising pipe 115 is provided in communication with the downstream side of the air pressure feeding pipe 110 in the sheet feeding direction.
A nozzle 116 for blowing air is formed at one end. Further, a pair of gate plates 112 is fixed to both sides of the belt 106 on the side surface of the air pressure feed pipe 110 on the paper feed shelf 101 side.

As shown in FIG. 27, below the belt 106, there is provided a friction pad 114 made of a material having a smaller coefficient of friction than that of the belt 106 and abutting against the lower surface 106a of the belt 106 in a pressed state. This friction pad 1
14 is fixed to the mounting piece 117, and the mounting piece 1
17 is fixed to a support frame 118. As shown in FIG. 27, the support frame 118 is rotatable around a pin 119 fixed to a frame (not shown), and a rod 120 is set upright on the surface of the support frame 118 below. Fixed. Spring 1
The other end of the spring 121 is hung on a bracket 122 fixed to a frame (not shown). The friction pad 114 is pressed against the belt 106 by the spring 121, and the bracket 1
Adjusting the fixing position of the friction pad 11
The pressing force on the belt 106 is adjusted.

Next, the second conventional paper feeder 100 will be described.
Will be described. The sheet bundle S0 is stored in the sheet feeding shelf 101.
When the electromagnetic opening / closing valve 108 is opened, the suction pipe 103 communicates with the suction source pipe 109 to generate a negative pressure inside the suction pipe 103. In this state, the drive pulley 105
Is driven and rotated, the rotor 1
02 rotates. At this time, the suction hole 102a and the communication hole 1
When the air flows from the outer periphery of the rotor 102 toward the inside of the suction pipe 103 at the position where the communication between the uppermost sheet S3 and the uppermost sheet S0 of the stacked sheet bundle S0 occurs.
1 is adsorbed on the rotor 102. At this time, air is blown from the loosening air blowing port 113 to the end face of the sheet bundle S0 to loosen the upper part of the sheet bundle S0, and thereby the rotor 102
Only the uppermost sheet S1 is adsorbed. The attracted sheet S1 is rotated by the rotation of the rotor 102 and the belt 106.
Is conveyed in the direction of arrow R. At this time, if two or more sheets are simultaneously sucked, they are separated by blowing air from the nozzle 116, and the next sheet S2 is
, And is returned to the sheet bundle S0, and the uppermost sheet S1
Only feed. When two or more sheets are conveyed beyond the gate plate 112, the belt 106 and the friction pad 1
14, the uppermost sheet S1 and the next sheet S2 are separated by utilizing the difference in the coefficient of friction between the belt 106 and the friction pad 114.

[0014]

However, in the paper feeder of the second conventional example, since the friction pad is provided at only one position in the width direction of the sheet, a belt is required to separate the sheet reliably. However, since a relatively strong pressing force is required, when a thin sheet or coated paper is fed, there is a problem that the sheet is damaged. In addition, when a sheet having a small width is sucked, the suction hole in a portion where no sheet is present is opened, so that the sheet suction force is weakened. Accordingly, since the conveyance force is weak, the friction pad 114
As a result, there is a problem that the conveyance is prevented and the idle feeding may occur.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has a low belt processing cost, is capable of high-speed operation, has a high reliability, and has a high reliability even if used for a long period of time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding device which does not cause clogging, does not damage a thin sheet or coated paper, and can stably feed a narrow sheet. Another object of the present invention is to provide a compact and low-cost apparatus even when a plurality of sheet feeding units are vertically arranged, and the air pressure does not change even when the number of sheet feeding units to be used is changed. It is an object to provide a paper feeding device.

[0016]

According to the present invention, there is provided a paper feeding apparatus including a paper feeding tray on which a bundle of sheets is placed, and a paper circulating movement above the paper feeding tray in a paper feeding direction and a direction opposite thereto. A plurality of endless belts having holes, parallel rollers supporting the endless belts, a suction chamber disposed in a space surrounded by the endless belts, and a lower wall of the suction chamber provided near the endless belt. A plurality of air suction ports, a discharge air chamber provided at a leading end portion of the sheet bundle in the sheet feeding direction, and an air discharge port provided in the discharge air chamber and blowing air into the sheet bundle. I do.

[0017] It is preferable that the sheet feeding device includes an elastic member in contact with the endless belt for a plurality of endless belts in front of the endless belt in the sheet feeding direction.

In this case, it is preferable that at least one of the elastic members has a shape or material different from those of the other elastic members at a contact portion with the belt.

The sheet feeding device has a guide provided in front of the endless belt in the sheet feeding direction to guide a sheet. The guide includes a front portion of the belt and a side portion thereof. It is preferable that the sheet is inclined so that the rear in the sheet feeding direction is downward at different inclination angles.

Another sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention comprises a sheet feeding tray on which a sheet bundle is placed, and a plurality of endless belts circulating and moving above the sheet feeding direction and in the direction opposite to the sheet feeding direction. A parallel roller supporting the endless belt, a suction chamber disposed in a space surrounded by the endless belts, an air suction port provided on a lower wall of the suction chamber, and feeding of the endless belt. And a resilient member that contacts the endless belt in the front direction.

In the another sheet feeding device, it is preferable that at least one of the elastic members has a shape or a material different from those of the other elastic members at a contact portion with the belt.

In the present invention, since an endless endless belt having no holes or the like is used as the suction belt for sucking and conveying the sheet, there is no possibility of breakage due to the holes, so that high reliability and high speed operation are possible. In addition, there is no need to perform perforation processing on the belt, and the processing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the air suction port is provided in a region between the adjacent endless belts on the lower wall of the suction chamber,
The air suction area is larger than when a suction hole is formed in the belt or suction holes are formed in the suction rotor.Therefore, there is no clogging due to paper dust or dust even when used for a long time, and the air efficiency is good. Since a relatively small fan can be used as the suction source, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

Further, at least one of the elastic members in contact with the endless belt having a different shape or material is used in front of the endless belt in the sheet feeding direction, so that the width of the endless belt is plural. And a stable paper feeding operation can be obtained even when a part of the air suction port is open during suction.

Further, a guide provided in front of the endless belt in the sheet feeding direction and guiding the sheet is provided with a different inclination angle between the front part of the belt and the side part thereof in the width direction of the sheet. When a sheet having a width larger than the width of a plurality of endless belts is sucked by forming the sheet so that the rear side in the sheet feeding direction is downward, the sheet hangs down in a portion where there is no suction air chamber. Even in this case, a stable paper feeding operation can be obtained.

Still another sheet feeding device according to the present invention is a sheet feeding device in which sheet feeding units are vertically arranged in multiple stages, wherein the sheet feeding unit comprises: a sheet feeding tray on which a sheet bundle is placed; A suction head having an air suction port for sucking the uppermost sheet of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet feeding tray, a suction air passage communicating with the air suction port, and suctioning air connected to the suction air passage; An air suction source that forms a negative pressure in the suction air passage, an air discharge port that blows air toward the sheet bundle placed on the sheet feeding tray, and a discharge air passage that communicates with the air discharge port. And an air discharge source connected to the discharge air passage to supply air and form a discharge pressure in the discharge air passage.

According to the present invention, a compact and inexpensive apparatus can be constructed even when a plurality of sheet feeding units are arranged in a vertical direction. Since the pressure does not change, troublesome air pressure adjustment is not required.

[0028]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a sheet feeding device of a collating device. In this collating device, the sheet feeding devices are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction, and one sheet S is arranged from each stage. Take out one by one and collate. However, the application of the present invention is not limited to the collating device.

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a collating apparatus 1 in which sheet feeding apparatuses 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention are arranged in multiple stages in the vertical direction.
FIG. 3 is a front view showing the sheet feeding unit 29 and the sheet feeding and conveying unit 28 of the collating apparatus 1, FIG. 3 is a plan view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a right side view thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the collating apparatus 1 has a pair of frames 18 and 19 vertically erected, and a plurality of paper feeding units 29 and a paper feeding / conveying unit 28 are provided between these frames in a vertical multi-stage manner. Are arranged. The sheet bundle S
The paper feed tray 3 for loading 0 is arranged horizontally,
A suction head 4 is provided above the paper feed tray 3 on the downstream side in the paper feed direction. In the sheet bundle S0, the uppermost sheet S1 is suctioned one by one by the suction head 4 as shown in FIG.
Are transported in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG.

A sheet feeding unit 28 is disposed downstream of the sheet feeding unit 29 in the sheet feeding direction. The uppermost sheet S1 taken out by the sheet feeding unit 29 is further moved by the sheet feeding unit 28 in the direction of arrow A. Is continued. In the paper feeder 28, a plurality of paper feed rollers 5 coaxially supported by a shaft 76 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and a shaft 79 (see FIG. 2), a paper feed roller 6 is provided coaxially with the paper feed roller 5 and pressed against the paper feed roller 5 from below, and a vertical transport drive roller 7 is further disposed downstream in the paper feed direction. I have. Then, the paper feeding unit 29
The uppermost sheet S1 supplied from the sheet feeder is sandwiched and fed between the sheet feed roller 5 and the sheet feed roller 6, and is guided by guide plates 30, 31 arranged at appropriate intervals to form a vertical sheet drive roller. The paper is conveyed while changing its direction downward (in the direction of arrow B shown in FIG. 1) along the outer periphery of 7. Further, a detection unit 83 (see FIG. 2) for detecting the sheet S passing through the gap between the guide plates 30 and 31 is provided on the downstream side of the sheet feed roller 5 so as to sandwich the guide plates 30 and 31.

On the sheet exit side of the sheet feeding section 28, a vertical conveying belt 9 circulates from the upper end to the lower end of the sheet feeding section 28 arranged in the vertical direction. A vertical transport roller 10 is in pressure contact with the transport belt 9 therebetween. The sheets S sent one by one from the sheet feeding unit 29 of each stage sequentially overlap while being sent downward by the vertical conveying belt 9 to form a collated product.

A horizontal transport section 11 is provided below the lowermost sheet feeding section 29 a, and a guide plate 1 is provided below the vertical transport belt 9.
2 are provided. The collated article transported to the lower end of the vertical transport belt 9 changes its direction by the guide plate 12 and reaches the horizontal transport section 11. A pair of horizontal transport rollers 13 whose axial direction is orthogonal to the transport direction (the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. 1) are arranged at appropriate intervals in the horizontal transport section 11. Has been passed over. A plurality of horizontal transport rollers 15 are pressed against the horizontal transport belt 14 from above, and the collated material is transferred to the horizontal transport belt 14 and the horizontal transport rollers 15.
And transported in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. The collated material discharged from the outlet 16 of the horizontal transport unit 11 is loaded on the sheet loading device 17.

In this way, the sheet bundle S0 stacked on each stage is taken out one by one, and a collating operation is performed.

Next, in the collating apparatus 1, the paper feed units 2 of each stage
The details of the sheet feeding unit 9 and the sheet feeding / conveying unit 28 will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a lower portion of a horizontally provided paper feed tray 3 has a support arm 2 for supporting the same.
0 is fixed. The support arm 20 includes an extension portion 20a (see FIGS. 3 and 4) extending outside the frame 18 through a square hole 18a (see FIG. 2) formed in one frame 18 in a vertical direction; And a base 20b (see FIGS. 2 and 4) extending downward inside the inside of the base member 18.

A pair of rollers 22 are rotatably provided on both sides of the extension portion 20 a of the support arm 20 via a shaft 21. A pair of rollers 26 is rotatably provided on both surfaces near the lower end of the base 20b of the support arm 20 via a shaft 24. Further, a surface of the base 20b facing the frame 18 is appropriately provided in a vertical direction. A pair of rollers 25 are rotatably provided via a shaft 23 at intervals of. The pair of rollers 25 is engaged with the square hole 18a, and
Are provided movably in the direction of arrow F shown in FIG.
That is, the paper feed tray 3 is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction.

As shown in FIG. 4, the support arm 20 has an outer peripheral surface of the roller 26 in contact with the inside of the frame 18 and an outer peripheral surface of the roller 22 with the outside of the frame 18. Moment generated by the weight of the sheet bundle S0 loaded on the sheet bundle (in the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 4).
, The paper feed tray 3 can always maintain a horizontal posture.

An appropriate reinforcing material may be provided between the frame 18 and the rollers 22 and 26 to support the sheet feed tray 3 and the sheet bundle S0 stacked thereon. When the paper feed tray 3 is pushed up by a human hand or the like, the support arm 2
An appropriate regulating member may be provided so that the pair of zero rollers 25 does not separate from the square hole 18a of the frame 18.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
The rack 34 is fixed to the end face 20f of the 0 extending portion 20a such that the pitch line is vertical. A gear 35 meshes with the rack 34, and the gear 35 is fixedly supported on an output shaft 36 a of a motor 36 that can rotate forward and reverse. The motor 36 is fixed to the outside of the frame 18 via a support member 92. The rotation of the motor 36 causes the rack 34 to move up and down, and the paper feed tray 3 to move up and down via the support arm 20.

Inside the frame 18, a side fence 37 is provided in parallel with the frame 18 at an appropriate interval. The guide member 38 is fixed to the paper feed tray 3 by engaging with the side fence 37. By the guide member 38 being guided by the side fence 37, the rotation of the sheet feeding tray 3 in the direction of arrow E shown in FIG. When stacking the sheet bundle S0 on the sheet feed tray 3, the stacking is performed using the side fence 37 as a reference in the width direction. That is, the side fence 37 serves as a conveyance reference in the sheet passing width direction of the sheet S.

As shown in FIG. 2, near the center of the side fence 37, an angle 39 is provided with two shafts 40 and 41.
Are supported movably in the vertical direction via

Above the tip of the side fence 37 on the suction head 4 side, a sheet bundle upper surface detecting means 42 is provided. The sheet bundle upper surface detecting means 42 has a shaft 43 attached to the side fence 37, and the shaft 43 can rotate with a certain resistance to the side fence 37. A shield plate 46 is rotatably supported on the shaft 43. A fixed plate 44 is fixed to the shaft 43, and a sensor 45 is provided at one end thereof. When the lowermost end 46 a of the shielding plate 46 is pushed up by the upper surface of the sheet bundle S <b> 0, the shielding plate 46 rotates and blocks the optical axis of the sensor 45. The other end of the fixing plate 44 and the end surface 46b of the shielding plate 46 come into contact with each other, so that the shielding plate 4
6 is regulated so as not to move downward beyond a certain position. The shaft 43 is rotatable with a certain resistance with respect to the side fence 37, and by freely selecting the circumferentially set position of the shaft 43 with respect to the side fence 37, the upper surface of the sheet bundle S0 is Can be set to a height most suitable for the paper quality of the stacked sheet bundle S0. As this adjustment method, for example, in the present embodiment, the fixed plate 44 is provided with a pointer portion 44a having an acute angle pointer formed by the upper side 44c and the oblique side 44b, and the side fence is adjusted to the position indicated by the tip of the pointer portion 44a. An appropriate scale 89 is provided on 37. This scale 89 is used for the pointer portion 44.
The tip of the pointer 44a is provided at a position where the upper side 44c is horizontal and points to an intermediate position in a range where the scale 89 is provided.

Next, the sheet feeding device 2 of the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, a suction head 4 is provided above the leading end of the paper feed tray 3. The suction head 4 has a drive shaft 47 rotatably supported on the frames 18 and 19, and a plurality of drive rollers 48 formed to an appropriate width are fixed to the drive shaft 47. . The drive shaft 47 extends outside the frame 19, and an electromagnetic clutch 86 is provided at the extension.
By connecting the electromagnetic clutch 86, a driving force is applied to the driving shaft 47 from a driving source (not shown). A driven shaft 49 is provided in parallel with the drive shaft 47 at an appropriate interval on the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction, and the driven shaft 49 has a plurality of driven rollers formed to have substantially the same width as the drive roller 48. A shaft 50 is provided at a position facing the drive roller 48. A belt 51 is stretched between the driving roller 48 and the driven roller 50, and an appropriate distance L is provided between adjacent belts 51.
This belt 51 is an endless flat belt having no holes or the like. Further, at least one of the driving roller 48 and the driven roller 50 may be formed to have a wide width so that a plurality of belts may be wound. In a space surrounded by the belt 51, that is, in a gap between the driving roller 48 and the driven roller 50, a suction air chamber 52 having a hollow substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape is provided. As shown in FIG. 4, one end of the suction air chamber 52 extends outside the frame 18, and an air suction hole 52b is formed on the upper surface of the extension.
Above b, an air suction source 53 constituted by, for example, a fan is fixed. An air suction port 53a is formed on the lower surface of the air suction source 53, and is configured to communicate with the air suction hole 52b. Also, the suction air chamber 5
2, an air escape hole 52c is formed on the lower surface facing the air suction hole 52b.

FIG. 5 is a view of the suction head 4 as viewed from below. As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of square holes 52a are formed on the lower surface inside the frame 18 of the suction air chamber 52, and the square holes 52a are formed outside the belts 51 on both outer sides and between the adjacent belts 51. It is provided at a position where The other end of the suction air chamber 52 is
It is fixed to the support member 84. This support member 84
The drive shaft 47 and the driven shaft 49 are rotatably supported, and are configured to cover the upper part of the belt 51.

As shown in FIG. 4, a solenoid valve 54 is disposed below the air release hole 52c. In the solenoid valve 54, a solenoid 56 is fixed to a solenoid fixing plate 55 fixed to the frame 18.
A link 94 is provided on the plunger 56a of the solenoid 56.
Are connected at one end. At the other end of this link 94,
One end 57a of a substantially L-shaped operating lever 57 is connected. The operating lever 57 is pivotally supported at a substantially central portion of the L-shape by a fulcrum shaft 59 erected on the solenoid fixing plate 55, and can swing about the fulcrum shaft 59. The other end 57b of the operating lever 57 has
The opening / closing plate 58 is connected via a support shaft 87. The opening / closing plate 58 can swing about a support shaft 87. The opening / closing plate 58 is a lower layer 5 made of a rigid member such as a metal plate.
8a and an upper layer 58b made of a flexible film such as a polyvinyl chloride sheet, and an intermediate portion 58c between the upper layer 58a and the lower layer 58b is made of an elastic member such as sponge. A spring 60 is hung between the other end of the operation lever 57 and the solenoid fixing plate 55, and the spring 60 urges the other end 57b of the operation lever 57 downward.

When the solenoid 56 is in the demagnetized state, the spring 6
0 pulls the other end 57b of the operating lever 57 downward, so that the operating lever 57 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the operating lever 5
7 is bent at the bent portion 55a of the solenoid fixing plate 55.
The opening / closing plate 58 is separated from the lower surface of the suction air chamber 52 in this state. Therefore, the air release hole 52c formed on the lower surface of the suction air chamber 52 is in an open state, and even if the air suction source 53 starts the air suction operation, the air is close to the air suction port 53a of the air suction source 53. Since air is sucked through the escape hole 52c, air is not sucked from the square hole 52a facing the sheet bundle S0.

When the solenoid 56 is excited, the plunger 56 moves in the direction of the arrow V shown in FIG. 4 together with the link 94, and one end 57a of the operating lever 57 is pulled, so that the operating lever 57 is pivoted about the fulcrum shaft 59. Rotate clockwise. As a result, as shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the other end 57b of the operating lever 57 moves upward, whereby the opening / closing plate 58 rises and comes into contact with the lower surface of the suction air chamber 52, and Close the escape hole 52c. Since the upper layer 58b made of a flexible film is in close contact with the air release hole 52c via the intermediate portion 58c made of an elastic member, the air release hole 52c is in a completely closed state. Air suction is performed from the air suction holes 52a formed near the belt 51.

As shown in FIG. 2, a discharge air chamber 61 is provided adjacent to the leading end of the paper feed tray 3.
The discharge air chamber 61 has a hollow shape and the frame 1
It is placed and fixed on a base 62 fixed to 8,19.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of FIG. 4 with some parts removed, and FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the discharge air chamber 61 includes a lower surface 61a adjacent to the base 62, side surfaces 61b and 61c vertically erected from both ends of the lower surface 61a, and a side surface 61a. 61b,
It has an upper surface 61d connected above 61c, and furthermore, three convexes 61e, 61f, 61g are provided in parallel on the upper surface 61d in a direction perpendicular to the sheet feeding direction. Among them, the right convex 61e and the central convex 61f in the paper feeding direction have the same shape, and only the left convex 61g in the paper feeding direction has a different shape from the convexes 61e and 61f. ing.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show the GG line and the H line in FIG. 7, respectively.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along line −H, and shows convex portions 61 e and 6 in FIG.
It is sectional drawing in 1g. The cross-sectional view of the protrusion 61f in FIG. 7 is substantially the same as the cross-section of the protrusion 61e.

As shown in FIG. 8, the protrusion 61e (the protrusion 61
f) shows a sheet bundle S0 stacked on the sheet feed tray 3;
Air outlet 6 for blowing air into the upper layer of the tip
1 h (air discharge port 61 i) is provided, and a slope 61 k (slope 611) is provided on the upper surface of the protrusion 61 e (protrusion 61 f).
Is provided. Air outlet 61h (air outlet 61
i) is open from near the upper end of the side surface portion 61b to the slope portion 61k (slope portion 611), blows air horizontally toward the end surface of the sheet bundle S0, that is, in the direction of arrow M shown in FIG. Air is blown in the direction, that is, obliquely upward, that is, in the direction of arrow N shown in FIG.

With the air in the direction of the arrow M, air is blown between the sheets S in the upper layer of the sheet bundle S0 to loosen the sheets S. Further, the sheet S is moved by 2 in the direction of the arrow N.
When the sheets are simultaneously sucked, air is blown between the uppermost sheet S1 and the next sheet S2 to separate the next sheet S2, thereby preventing two sheets from being fed.

On the other hand, in the projection 61g, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 9, an air discharge port 61j is opened only in the side surface portion 61b, and only air blowing in the direction of arrow M shown in FIG. 9 is performed. Although a slope 61m is provided above the protrusion 61g, the slope 61m is not limited to the slope, and may be, for example, a horizontal plane.

As shown in FIG. 6, one end of the discharge air chamber 61 extends outside the frame 18, and this extension portion has an air discharge source 63 constituted by, for example, a fan.
The air discharge port 63a of the air discharge source 63 and the inside of the discharge air chamber 61 communicate with each other.

As shown in FIG. 6, the discharge air chamber 61
A plurality of grooves are provided in the side surface portion 61b in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, two grooves 61n and 61p are provided in the vertical direction. Two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69 are provided in engagement with the grooves 61n and 61p. This 2
The sheet feed preventing members 68 and 69 are provided with base portions 68a and 69a.
And elastic members 68b, 69b, such as urethane, which are attached and fixed to the base portions 68a, 69a and protrude upward from the base portions 68a, 69a. The bases 68a and 69a are provided in the grooves 61 of the discharge air chamber 61.
n, 61p via shafts 66, 67 fixed to
n, 61p so that it can move up and down.
Of the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69, the elastic member 68b on the sheet transport reference side, that is, the right elastic member 68b in FIG. 6, has a concave portion 68d near the upper end thereof. Further, the elastic member 68b is not particularly limited to the one having the concave portion 68d, and a material having a smaller elastic force than the elastic member 69b may be used for the elastic member 68b. On the other hand,
That is, there is no recess in the left elastic member 69b in FIG. Two-sheet feed prevention member 6 configured as described above
8, 69 are arranged below the belt 51 as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, the base 68a,
An inclined member 70 having an appropriate thickness is provided below 69a, and a shaft 71 fixed to the base 62 at right angles to the sheet feeding direction is inserted into the inclined member 70, Guided by this shaft 71, the inclined member 70 is movable in the direction of arrow Z in FIG. The first inclined member 70
One end of the link 72 is rotatably connected, the first link 72 extends to the outside of the frame 19, and the other end of the first link 72 in the extension portion is connected to a rotatable contact. Connected to one end of the second link 88. The other end of the second link 88 is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 73.

FIGS. 20 and 21 show the two-sheet feed preventing member 6.
It is a schematic diagram which shows the adjustment operation of 8,69. Rotating shaft 73
Are rotatably supported by a fixed plate 93 erected from the outside of the frame 19. By manually rotating the rotation shaft 73, the inclined member 70 moves in the horizontal direction via the link mechanism 72. By this movement, the contact point between the inclined member 70 and the two-sheet feed preventing members 68 and 69 is moved to the inclined member 7.
When moving from the bottom 70a to the top 70b, the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69 are pushed up and moved upward.
At this time, the elastic members 68b, 69b
The upper end contacts the belt 51, and when the belt reaches the uppermost position, it comes into further pressure contact. The contact point between the inclined member 70 and the two-sheet feed preventing members 68 and 69 is
When moving from the top 70b to the bottom 70a, the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69 move downward. Protrusions 68c and 69c (see FIGS. 6 and 7) are provided on the sides of the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69, and leaf springs 74 and 75 (see FIGS. 6 and 7) are engaged with the protrusions 68c and 69c. By combining them, the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69 may be configured to be urged downward. Thus, the two-sheet feed prevention member 6
The gap or the pressure contact force between the upper ends of 8, 69 and the belt 51 can be adjusted by operating the rotating shaft 73. A knob 90 is fixed to the rotating shaft 73, and an appropriate scale 9
1 may be provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge air chamber 61
A shutter 64 is provided in a gap between the paper feed tray 3 and the paper feed tray 3. As shown in FIG. 4, the shutter 64 has a plurality of elongated holes 64 c formed at appropriate intervals near the lower side and a plurality of shafts 65 engaged with the elongated holes 64 c and fixed to the base 62. Through FIG.
Can be moved in the direction of arrow Q. Shutter 64
Has one end extending outside the frame 19, and a rack 64a is formed in the extension. A pinion 85 meshes with the rack 64a. By manually rotating the pinion 85 with a knob (not shown),
The shutter 64 is moved. The movement of the shutter 64 changes the opening area of the air discharge ports 61h, 61i, and 61j. Therefore, when processing a thin sheet or a small sheet, the air discharge amount is reduced, that is, the opening area is set to be small. In the case of processing a thick sheet or a large sheet, by setting the air discharge amount to be large, that is, by setting the opening area to be large, the optimum discharge air can be obtained for sheets of various sizes and quality. . Further, when stacking the sheet bundle S0 on the sheet feeding tray 3, the sheet bundle S0 is stacked with the leading end surface of the sheet bundle S0 in contact with the shutter 64. That is, the shutter 64 serves as a reference for stacking the sheet bundle S0.

Next, the guide plate 31 for guiding the sheet in the sheet feeding and conveying section 28 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower guide plate 31 that guides the sheet S supplied from the paper feeding unit 29 to the paper feeding and conveying unit 28 to the nip between the paper feeding and conveying roller 5 and the paper feeding and conveying roller 6 moves downward. 3 has a small bending portion 31a having a small bending angle and a large bending portion 31b having a large downward bending angle. As shown in FIG.
a is rightward in the sheet feeding direction,
Is formed in the area where the suction head 4 is provided, and the large bent portion 31b is formed on the left side in the sheet feeding direction and does not have the suction head 4. When processing a sheet S having a large width that is much larger than the width of the suction head 4, a portion where suction is not performed to the left in the sheet feeding direction may drop. However, in this embodiment, the small bent portion 31 of the guide plate 31 is used.
At a, the sheet S sucked by the suction head 4 is guided to the nip portion between the sheet feed roller 5 and the sheet feed roller 6, and at the same time, the large bent portion 31b of the guide plate 31 is used for a sheet having a large width. Paper can be fed without any problem even when a portion that is not sucked hangs.

Next, the operation of the paper feeder 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the sheet bundle upper surface detecting means 42, the shutter 64, and the two-sheet feeding prevention members 68 and 69 are set to the initial positions, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, in the sheet bundle upper surface detecting means 42, the shaft 43 is rotationally adjusted so that the tip of the pointer 44 a of the fixing plate 44 indicates the middle of the range where the scale 89 is provided, that is, the pointer 44 a. Is set at a position where the upper side 44c is horizontal.

In the shutter 64, a pinion 85
Scales (not shown) are provided around knobs (not shown) for rotating (see FIG. 4), for example, the air discharge ports 61h and 61.
The knob pointer indicates “1” when the opening area of i, 61j is the smallest, and “7” when the opening area is the largest, and is provided so that the middle part thereof is equally divided and numbered. In that case,
The scale "2", that is, the position where the air discharge ports 61h, 61i, 61j are slightly opened is set as the initial position.

Further, in the two-sheet feeding prevention member, FIG.
As shown at 0 and 21, for example, the pointer of the knob 90 points to “1” when the two-sheet feed prevention member reaches the uppermost position and “7” when it reaches the lowermost position. , The middle part is equally divided and numbered. In that case, the scale “3”, that is, the two-sheet feed prevention members 68, 6
A position where the upper end of 9 is in contact with the lower surface of the belt 51 so as not to be pressed is set as an initial position.

The scale required for the above setting is not limited to the above example, and any scale may be used as long as the sheet bundle upper surface detecting means 42, the shutter 64, and the two-sheet feeding prevention members 68, 69 are set at predetermined positions. A fine scale may be used, or a scale may not be present.

FIGS. 10 to 20 are schematic diagrams showing the operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As illustrated in FIG. 10, a sheet bundle S <b> 0 in which sheets to be processed by the sheet feeding device 2 according to the present embodiment are stacked and stacked is stacked on the sheet feeding tray 3. At this time, the leading end surface of the sheet bundle S0 abuts against the shutter 64 and is set as a forward reference, and the right end surface of the sheet bundle S0 in the sheet feeding direction with the side fence 37 is set as a transport reference.

When a start switch (not shown) is pressed in a state in which the sheet bundle S0 is stacked on the sheet feed tray 3, as shown in FIG. 11, the sheet feed roller 5, the sheet feed roller 6, and the vertical transfer driving roller 7 are moved. The rotation starts in the direction of the arrow, and the vertical conveyance belt 9 circulates in the direction of the arrow.
Starts rotating in the direction of the arrow. Subsequently, when the motor 36 rotates in the direction of the arrow J in the figure, the rack 34 is raised by the engagement of the gear 35 and the rack 34, and the paper feed tray 3 is fixed via the support arm 20 to which the rack 34 is fixed.
Rises. By raising the sheet feed tray 3, the sheet bundle S0
When the upper surface of the sheet tray comes into contact with the shielding plate 46 and the sheet feeding tray 3 further rises, the shielding plate 46 is pushed up by the upper surface of the sheet bundle S0 and turns, and the optical axis of the sensor 45 is blocked by the shielding plate 46.

Then, as shown in FIG. 12, the motor 36 is rotated by a control mechanism (not shown) in a direction indicated by an arrow K for a certain period of time, and the sheet feed tray 3 is lowered, so that the sheet bundle S0
Is controlled to stop near the lower ends of the air discharge ports 61h, 61i, and 61j (see FIGS. 8 and 9).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 13, at the same time as the lowering of the paper feed tray 3 is stopped, the air discharge source 63 starts the discharge operation, and generates a discharge pressure inside the discharge air chamber 61 to generate the air discharge port. 61h, 61i, 61j (FIGS. 8, 9)
(See Reference)). At this time, the discharge air is blown upward from the sheet bundle S0.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG.
Rotate intermittently in the direction of arrow J, and the paper feed tray 3 rises intermittently. By this ascending operation, air is blown between the upper layers of the sheet bundle S0, and the upper layer of the sheet bundle S0 rises and is separated one by one. At this time, as the sheet feed tray 3 is intermittently raised, the leading end surface of the upper layer portion of the sheet bundle S0 is gradually and gradually set to the air discharge port 61h,
It operates to face 61i and 61j. By reliably blowing air at each stage, the upper layer sheet can be reliably separated. The uppermost sheet S that has emerged
1 again pushes up and rotates the shielding plate 46, and when the optical axis of the sensor 45 is interrupted again, the motor 36 stops, that is, the raising operation of the sheet feeding tray 3 stops. At this time, the angle 39 presses the upper surface of the sheet bundle S0 to prevent the upper surface of the sheet bundle S0 from fluttering and the detection of the height by the sensor 45 to become unstable.

As shown in FIG. 15, the optical axis of the sensor 45 is blocked by the shielding plate 46, and
3 starts the suction operation. Immediately after the start of the operation of the air suction source 53, the solenoid 56 of the solenoid valve 54
N (see FIG. 4), the air release hole 52c of the suction air chamber 52 is closed, the pressure in the suction air chamber 52 is reduced, and air is sucked from the square hole 52a facing the upper surface of the sheet bundle S0. Due to the flow of the suction air, only the uppermost sheet S1 of the upper layer portion of the sheet bundle S0 already separated by the blowing air is attracted to the lower surface of the belt 51.

Then, as shown in FIG. 16, after the sheet S1 is attracted, the electromagnetic clutch 86 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is turned on after a certain period of time, and a driving force is applied to the driving shaft 47 from a driving source (not shown). The drive roller 48 starts rotating. Due to this rotation, the belt 51 moves around in the direction indicated by the arrow P while adsorbing the sheet S1, so that the sheet S1 moves and is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow P.

Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the leading end of the taken out sheet S1 is
After that, the electromagnetic clutch 86 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) is turned off, and the drive shaft 47 stops rotating. The electromagnetic clutch 86 is controlled to be turned off after a lapse of a certain time t1 after being turned on.
Reference numeral 1 is set so that the electromagnetic clutch 86 is turned off after the leading end of the sheet S1 is nipped between the sheet feed roller 5 and the sheet feed roller 6. The fixed time t1 is variable within a certain range by operating an operation panel (not shown). Even when processing a sheet having a small surface friction coefficient and slipping easily on the belt 51,
By setting this t1 to be long, a stable paper feed can be obtained. As soon as the electromagnetic clutch 86 is turned off, the solenoid 56 of the solenoid valve 54 is turned off.
And the air escape hole 52c is opened (see FIG. 4).
Air suction from the square hole 52a stops.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG.
The direction is changed downward by the guide plates 30 and 31, and is conveyed downward while being sandwiched between the vertical conveyance drive roller 7 and the vertical conveyance belt 9. At this time, when the passage of the sheet S1 is detected by the detecting means 83, the solenoid 56 of the solenoid valve 54 is turned on again, the air release hole 52c is closed, and the next sheet S2 is sucked, and subsequently, for a certain period of time. After the elapse, the electromagnetic clutch 86 is turned on, and the next sheet is conveyed. By repeating this operation, the paper feeding operation is continuously performed.

When the number of sheets in the sheet bundle S0 gradually decreases as the sheet feeding operation proceeds, the height of the upper surface gradually decreases. As a result, when the shielding plate 46 gradually rotates and the optical axis of the sensor 45 is no longer blocked, the motor 36 rotates forward in the arrow J direction as shown in FIG.
When the shielding plate 46 blocks the optical axis of the sensor 45 again, the lifting stops. Therefore, the height of the upper surface of the sheet bundle S0 is always kept at a height suitable for the sheet feeding operation.

During the sheet feeding operation, if the uppermost sheet S1 and the next sheet S2 are not separated at the time of suction, the uppermost sheet S1 and the next sheet S2 are separated by contacting the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69, and are separated. Is conveyed only. However, if a plurality of sheets are fed one by one,
As shown in FIG. 0, the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69 are raised by the knob 90 so that the elastic members 68b and 69b are brought close to or in contact with the belt 51, or the pressing force on the belt 51 is increased. By performing the adjustment, it is possible to make an adjustment so that the next and subsequent sheets are reliably brought into contact with each other and only the uppermost sheet S1 can be conveyed. Further, by rotating the shaft 43 of the sheet bundle upper surface detecting means 42 and slightly lowering the stop position of the sheet feeding tray 3 during the sheet feeding operation, the suction to the suction head 4 is surely performed one by one. Can be adjusted. Further, by moving the shutter 64 with a knob (not shown), the opening area of the air discharge ports 61h, 61i, and 61j is increased, and a large amount of air is sent in, so that the air is reliably separated by the blown air. Can be performed one by one.

Further, if the uppermost sheet S1 is not conveyed during the above-mentioned sheet feeding operation and an idle feeding occurs,
As shown in FIG. 1, the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69 are lowered by the knob 90, and the pressing force of the elastic members 68b and 69b on the belt 51 is reduced or adjusted so as to be separated from the belt 51. In addition, the occurrence of idle feeding can be prevented. Further, the sheet bundle upper surface detecting means 4
By rotating the second shaft 43 to slightly raise the stop position of the sheet feeding tray 3 during the sheet feeding operation and bringing the uppermost sheet S1 closer to the lower surface of the suction head 4, the suction to the suction head 4 is ensured. Can be done.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When processing a sheet S1 having a width smaller than that of the sheet suction portion, when the sheet S1 is sucked, a part of the square hole 52a of the suction air chamber 52 is opened without being closed by the sucked sheet S1. Therefore, the attracted sheet S1
As a result, the suction force and the conveyance force are weaker than when all the square holes 52a are closed.

Since the sheet bundle S0 is stacked near the transport reference side, that is, the side fence 37 side, the above-described narrow-width sheet is not provided with the concave portion 68 at the right side in the sheet feeding direction, that is, at the leading end.
The sheet is fed in contact with only the two-sheet feed prevention member 68 having the value d. Due to the recess 68d, the elastic member 68b of the two-sheet feed prevention member 68 is configured to have a slightly weaker pressing force against the belt 51 than the elastic member 69b having no recess on the left side in the sheet feeding direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent two-sheet feeding and idle feeding even for a narrow sheet in which the suction force and the conveying force are weak, and to obtain an optimal pressing force for obtaining a reliable sheet feeding operation.

With the above-described adjustment mechanism, sheets of a wide range of quality or size can be reliably fed one by one.

Further, when the amount of discharged air is too large, the upper layer of the sheet bundle cannot be floated uniformly, and a space is formed between the specific sheets by discharging air. The air discharge ports 61h, 61i,
By reducing the opening area of 61j and reducing the amount of air to be sent, it is possible to prevent idle feeding.

According to the sheet feeding device of the present invention configured as described above, since the endless flat belt having no holes or the like is used as the suction belt for sucking and conveying the sheet, there is a risk of breakage due to the holes. Since there is no such material, high reliability and high-speed operation are possible, and additionally, punching or the like on the belt is not required, and the processing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the suction holes are provided in the gaps between the suction belts on the lower surface of the suction air chamber, the air suction area is larger than when a suction hole is formed in the belt or a suction hole is formed in the suction rotor. Since there is no clogging due to paper dust or dust even when used for a long period of time, the air efficiency is good, and a relatively small fan can be used as an air suction source, so that the apparatus cost can be reduced.

Also, by using a pair of left and right two-sheet feed prevention members having different shapes or materials on the left and right, the width of the sheet is smaller than the width of the suction head. Even when the unit is opened, a stable paper feeding operation can be obtained.

Further, a plurality of discharge ports for discharging air to be fed to the leading end surface of the stacked sheets are provided, and a discharge opening for blowing air toward the leading end surface of the upper portion of the sheet bundle and the leading end of the sheet adsorbed on the belt. And the discharge port for blowing air only toward the front end surface of the upper part of the sheet bundle is configured to have at least one position each, so that the discharge air does not fluctuate between specific sheets of the upper part of the sheet bundle. Since the sheets can be uniformly separated, it is possible to prevent double sheet feeding or idle feeding.

Further, a guide plate which is provided below the sheet conveying path and guides the sucked sheet is formed so as to have different shapes in the width direction of the sheet between the area where the suction head exists and the other area. By doing so, when a sheet having a width larger than the width of the suction head is sucked, a stable sheet feeding operation can be obtained even when the sheet hangs down in a portion without the suction head. Further, when a plurality of sheet feeding devices are arranged in a vertical direction, by providing an air supply source and an air discharge source in each stage, a small air supply source or an air discharge source such as a fan can be used, Eliminating the need for a large-capacity air supply source such as a pump and complicated piping such as a hose or valve can reduce the size and cost of the equipment. Since there is no change, troublesome air pressure adjustment is not required.

[0086]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, since the endless endless belt having no holes or the like is used for the suction belt for sucking and conveying the sheet, there is no possibility of breakage due to the holes, so that the reliability is improved. High-speed operation is possible with high performance, and in addition, punching or the like on the belt is not required, and the processing cost can be reduced.

Further, since the air suction port is provided in the area between the adjacent endless belts on the lower wall of the suction chamber,
The air suction area is larger than when a suction hole is formed in the belt or suction holes are formed in the suction rotor.Therefore, there is no clogging due to paper dust or dust even when used for a long time, and the air efficiency is good. Since a relatively small fan can be used as the suction source, the cost of the apparatus can be reduced.

Further, at least one of the elastic members in contact with the endless belt having a different shape or material is used in front of the endless belt in the sheet feeding direction. And a stable paper feeding operation can be obtained even when a part of the air suction port is open during suction.

Further, a guide, which is provided in front of the endless belt in the sheet feeding direction and guides the sheet, has a different inclination angle between the front part of the belt and the side part thereof in the width direction of the sheet. When a sheet having a width larger than the width of a plurality of endless belts is sucked by forming the sheet so that the rear side in the sheet feeding direction is downward, the sheet hangs down in a portion where there is no suction air chamber. Even in this case, a stable paper feeding operation can be obtained.

According to the present invention, a compact and low-cost apparatus can be constructed even when a plurality of paper feed units are vertically arranged, and the number of paper feed units to be used is changed. However, since the air pressure does not change, troublesome air pressure adjustment is not required.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view showing a collating apparatus 1 in which paper feeding apparatuses 2 according to an embodiment of the present invention are vertically arranged in multiple stages.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a sheet feeding unit 29 and a sheet feeding and conveying unit 28 of the collating apparatus 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a paper feed unit 29 and a paper feed / conveyance unit 28 of the collating apparatus 1.

FIG. 4 is a right side view illustrating a sheet feeding unit 29 and a sheet feeding and conveying unit 28 of the collating apparatus 1.

FIG. 5 is a view of the suction head 4 as viewed from below.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of FIG. 4 excluding some components.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line GG of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line HH of FIG. 7;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram illustrating an adjustment operation of the two-sheet feed prevention members 68 and 69.

FIG. 21 is a schematic view showing an adjusting operation of the two-sheet feeding prevention members 68 and 69.

FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation of the sheet feeding device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 23 is a side view showing a cross section of a part of a conventional sheet feeding device 200.

FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram illustrating a conventional sheet feeding device 200.

FIG. 25 is a side view of a second conventional paper feeding apparatus 100 viewed from the upstream side in the paper feeding direction.

26 is a sectional view taken along line XX in FIG.

FIG. 27 is a sectional view taken along line YY in FIG. 25.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1; Collating device 2; Paper feeder 3; Paper feed tray 4; Suction head 28; Paper feed transporter 29; Paper feeder 30, 31; Guide plate 31a; Small bend 31b; Large bend 42; Upper surface detecting means 45; sensor 46; shielding plate 51; belt 52; suction air chamber 52a; square hole 53; air suction source 61; discharge air chamber 61h, 61i, 61j; air discharge port 63; air discharge source 64; shutter 68 69, two-sheet feed prevention members 68b, 69b; elastic members 68c, 69c; protrusions 100, 200; paper feeder 101; paper feed shelf 102; rotor 102a; suction holes 103; suction pipes 104; pulleys 105; 111, 115; air riser tube 113; loose air blowing port 114; friction pad 116; nozzle 201; movable plate 202; Empty chamber 202b; openings 203 and 204; bend roll 205; perforating tape 206; nozzle 213; fixed contact member S0; sheet bundle (paper stack) S1; top sheet (top paper sheet) S2; (Next paper sheet)

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding tray on which a sheet bundle is placed, a plurality of endless belts circulating in a sheet feeding direction and a direction opposite to the sheet feeding tray above the sheet feeding tray, and the endless belt. A supporting roller, a suction chamber disposed in a space surrounded by the endless belts, a plurality of air suction ports provided near the endless belt on a lower wall of the suction chamber, and a supply of the sheet bundle. A sheet feeder comprising: a discharge air chamber provided at a leading end portion in the paper direction; and an air discharge port provided in the discharge air chamber and blowing air into the sheet bundle. 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein an elastic member that contacts the endless belt is provided on a plurality of endless belts in front of the endless belt in a sheet feeding direction. 3. At least one of the elastic members includes:
3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein a shape or a material at a contact portion with the belt is different from other elastic members. 4. A guide provided in front of the endless belt in the sheet feeding direction to guide a sheet, wherein the guide has a different inclination angle between a front portion of the belt and a side portion thereof. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the sheet feeding device is inclined so that the rear of the sheet feeding direction is downward. 5. A sheet feeding tray on which a sheet bundle is placed, a plurality of endless belts circulating in a sheet feeding direction and a direction opposite to the sheet feeding tray above the sheet feeding tray, and a parallel supporting the endless belt. A roller, a suction chamber disposed in a space surrounded by the endless belts, an air suction port provided in a lower wall of the suction chamber, and a contact with the endless belt in a feed direction of the endless belt in a feeding direction. And a resilient member. 6. The at least one of the elastic members,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 5, wherein a shape or a material of the contact portion with the belt is different from other elastic members. 7. A sheet feeding device in which sheet feeding units are vertically arranged in multiple stages, wherein the sheet feeding unit includes a sheet feeding tray on which a sheet bundle is placed, and a sheet bundle placed on the sheet feeding tray. A suction head having an air suction port for sucking the uppermost sheet, a suction air passage communicating with the air suction port, suctioning air connected to the suction air passage, and creating a negative pressure in the suction air passage. An air suction source, an air discharge port that blows air toward a sheet bundle placed on a sheet feed tray, a discharge air passage communicating with the air discharge port, and air connected to the discharge air passage. An air discharge source for supplying and forming a discharge pressure in the discharge air passage.