Sheet feeding parameter management system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10703595-B2
Application number	US-201816213011-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2018
Priority date	Dec 18, 2017
Publication date	Jul 7, 2020
Grant date	Jul 7, 2020

Abstract

A sheet feeding parameter management system includes: a plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses each including an air sheet feeder that feeds a sheet and enabled to change a sheet feeding parameter; and a management apparatus connected to the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses, wherein each of the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses includes: a sheet type information acquisitor that acquires sheet type information; and a hardware processor that: adjusts the sheet feeding parameter; and transmits the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter to the management apparatus, and the management apparatus includes the hardware processor that: causes a storage to store an adjustment result associated with the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter; and sets, based on the adjustment result, for an air sheet feeding apparatus to be processed among the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet feeding parameter management system comprising:
a plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses each including an air sheet feeder that feeds a sheet by air blowing and suctioning to the sheet and enabled to change a sheet feeding parameter in the air sheet feeder; and
a management apparatus connected to the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses via a communication network,
wherein each of the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses includes:
a sheet type information acquisitor that acquires sheet type information of a sheet to be fed; and
a first hardware processor that:
adjusts the sheet feeding parameter in the air sheet feeder; and
transmits the sheet type information acquired by the sheet type information acquisitor and the sheet feeding parameter adjusted by the first hardware processor to the management apparatus, and

wherein the management apparatus includes a second hardware processor that:
causes a storage to store an adjustment result associated with the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter transmitted from each of the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses; and
sets, based on the adjustment result stored in the storage, for an air sheet feeding apparatus to be processed among the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses, the sheet feeding parameter corresponding to the sheet type information acquired by the sheet type information acquisitor of the air sheet feeding apparatus to be processed.

2. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first hardware processor of one of the air sheet feeding apparatuses transmits, to the management apparatus, disturbance information indicating an environment in which said one of the air sheet feeding apparatuses including the first hardware processor is installed or a use state of a component of the air sheet feeder of said one of the air sheet feeding apparatuses, together with the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter; and
the second hardware processor updates the adjustment result, based on the disturbance information transmitted.

3. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 2 , wherein the second hardware processor updates a correspondence relationship between the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter in the adjustment result when the disturbance information is within a predetermined range, and causes the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter, which are transmitted together with the disturbance information, to be registered in association with the disturbance information when the disturbance information is not within the predetermined range.

4. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 1 , wherein:
the first hardware processor of one of the air sheet feeding apparatuses transmits, to the management apparatus, model information of said one of the air sheet feeding apparatuses including the first hardware processor or model information of an image forming apparatus to which said one of the air sheet feeding apparatuses is connected, together with the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter; and
the second hardware processor updates the adjustment result, based on the model information transmitted.

5. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet type information includes a surface property, basis weight, stiffness, or size of a sheet, and the sheet type information acquisitor is a device that detects the sheet type information from the sheet to be fed, or a device that acquires the sheet type information input by a user.

6. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 1 , wherein the sheet feeding parameter includes at least one of an air volume of a fan used for air blowing, an air volume of a fan used for suctioning, and a lifting position of a tray on which sheets are stacked.

7. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses includes a detector that detects a sheet feeding failure, and the first hardware processor transmits, to the management apparatus, the sheet type information acquired by the sheet type information acquisitor and the sheet feeding parameter adjusted by the first hardware processor, at a timing when the sheet feeding failure is detected by the detector.

8. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 1 , wherein the second hardware processor:
learns a correspondence relationship between the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter in the adjustment result; and
sets a learning result by the second hardware processor for each of the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses.

9. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 1 , wherein the second hardware processor sets, for an air sheet feeding apparatus making a request among the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses, the sheet feeding parameter corresponding to the sheet type information acquired by the sheet type information acquisitor of the air sheet feeding apparatus making the request.

10. The sheet feeding parameter management system according to claim 1 , wherein the second hardware processor updates a table indicating a correspondence relationship between the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter in the adjustment result, or an arithmetic expression that calculates the sheet feeding parameter from the sheet type information.

11. A method for a sheet feeding parameter management system comprising (i) a plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses each including an air sheet feeder that feeds a sheet by air blowing and suctioning to the sheet and enabled to change a sheet feeding parameter in the air sheet feeder; and (ii) a management apparatus connected to the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses via a communication network, wherein each of the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses further includes a sheet type information acquisitor that acquires sheet type information of a sheet to be fed and a first hardware processor, and wherein the management apparatus includes a second hardware processor, the method comprising:
adjusting, by the first hardware processor, the sheet feeding parameter in the air sheet feeder;
transmitting, by the first hardware processor, the sheet type information acquired by the sheet type information acquisitor and the sheet feeding parameter adjusted by the first hardware processor to the management apparatus;
causing, by the second hardware processor, a storage to store an adjustment result associated with the sheet type information and the sheet feeding parameter transmitted from each of the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses; and
setting, by the second hardware processor, based on the adjustment result stored in the storage, for an air sheet feeding apparatus to be processed among the plurality of air sheet feeding apparatuses, the sheet feeding parameter corresponding to the sheet type information acquired by the sheet type information acquisitor of the air sheet feeding apparatus to be processed.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Nishikawa Eiji
• Yokoya takahiro
• Shimizu Noritaka

Classifications

• B65H7/16 Primary

  Controlling air-supply to pneumatic separators · CPC title

• B65H2515/20

  Volume; Volume flow · CPC title

• B65H2515/34

  Pressure, e.g. fluid pressure · CPC title

• B65H2551/20

  Display means; Information output means · CPC title

• B65H2511/524

  Multiple articles, e.g. double feed · CPC title