Supply device, processing device, control method and program

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11648787-B2
Application number	US-202117329514-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 25, 2021
Priority date	May 26, 2020
Publication date	May 16, 2023
Grant date	May 16, 2023

Abstract

A supply device configured to supply a medium to a processing unit configured to perform processing on the medium, the supply device including an accommodating unit configured to accommodate a plurality of the media in a state of being stacked therein and a vibration imparting unit configured to contact ends of the plurality of media accommodated in the accommodating unit to impart vibration to the medium.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A supply device configured to supply a medium to a processing unit configured to perform processing on the medium, the supply device comprising:
an accommodating unit configured to accommodate a plurality of media including the medium in a state of being stacked therein;
an alignment unit configured to contact the plurality of media accommodated in the accommodating unit to align the plurality of media, wherein the alignment unit is configured to move to contact the plurality of media; and
a vibration imparting unit configured to move together with the alignment unit and to contact ends of the plurality of media accommodated in the accommodating unit to impart vibration to the medium.

2. The supply device according to claim 1 , wherein
the accommodating unit includes a placement surface at which the medium to be accommodated is placed, and
the vibration imparting unit imparts vibration in a direction orthogonal to a front surface of the medium placed at the placement surface.

3. The supply device according to claim 2 , wherein
the vibration imparting unit is configured to contact a portion of an end of the medium, the portion not overlapping the placement surface when the placement surface is viewed in plan view.

4. The supply device according to claim 2 , comprising
a clamping unit configured to contact a portion of the medium to clamp the medium, the portion overlapping the placement surface when the placement surface is viewed in plan view, wherein
the vibration imparting unit is configured to contact the medium clamped by the clamping unit to impart vibration to the medium.

5. The supply device according to claim 4 , wherein the clamping unit includes a pickup roller configured to feed the medium placed at the placement surface.

6. The supply device according to claim 2 , wherein the vibration imparting unit includes:
a rotary shaft; and
a rotating member configured to rotate about the rotary shaft,
the rotating member includes a vane extending outward, and
the vane is configured to rotate to come into contact, from below, with an end of the medium placed at the placement surface.

7. The supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the alignment unit includes the vibration imparting unit, and the alignment unit is configured to align the medium while imparting vibration to the medium.

8. The supply device according to claim 7 , wherein
the accommodating unit includes a placement surface at which the medium is placed,
the placement surface is configured to move in a direction along the placement surface,
the alignment unit is configured to, by moving the placement surface toward the alignment unit, cause the medium, placed at the placement surface and not in a contact state with the alignment unit, to come into contact with the alignment unit, thereby imparting vibration to the medium, and
in a process of imparting vibration to the medium a plurality of times by moving the placement surface to cause the medium to contact the alignment unit a plurality of times,
a distance between the placement surface and the alignment unit in a state where the medium placed at the placement surface is not in contact with the alignment unit when the placement surface moves toward the alignment unit, is longer than a distance between the placement surface and the alignment unit in a state where the medium placed at the placement surface is not in contact with the alignment unit when the placement surface subsequently moves toward the alignment unit.

9. The supply device according to claim 1 , wherein
a plurality of the vibration imparting units are provided, and
the plurality of vibration imparting units are configured to contact different ends of the medium respectively.

10. The supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the vibration imparting unit is configured to move upward and downward.

11. The supply device according to claim 1 , wherein
the accommodating unit includes a placement surface at which the medium is placed,
the supply device includes
a casing located below the placement surface and
a suction unit coupled with the casing,
the casing includes an opening and an accommodating chamber leading to the opening, and
the suction unit is configured to perform suction from the accommodating chamber.

12. The supply device according to claim 1 , wherein
the accommodating unit includes a first accommodating unit, and
the supply device includes:
a second accommodating unit configured to accommodate a plurality of the media in a state of being stacked therein, and
a plurality of delivery paths respectively corresponding to the first accommodating unit and the second accommodating unit, and on which the medium is fed toward the processing unit, and the plurality of delivery paths are coupled to one another.

13. The supply device according to claim 12 , wherein the first accommodating unit is located below the second accommodating unit.

14. The supply device according to claim 1 , wherein
the accommodating unit includes a placement surface at which the medium is placed, and
the placement surface is configured to contact ends of the plurality of media stacked.

15. A processing device, comprising:
the supply device according to claim 1 ; and
the processing unit.

16. The processing device according to claim 15 , wherein the accommodating unit vertically overlaps the processing unit.

17. A control method for a supply device including:
an accommodating unit configured to accommodate a plurality of media including a medium in a state of being stacked therein;
an alignment unit configured to contact the plurality of media accommodated in the accommodating unit to align the plurality of media, wherein the alignment unit is configured to move to contact the plurality of media; and
a vibration imparting unit configured to move together with the alignment unit and to contact ends of the plurality of media accommodated in the accommodating unit to impart vibration to the medium, and the supply device being configured to supply the medium to a processing unit, wherein
the method comprises imparting vibration to the medium by the vibration imparting unit when the medium is accommodated in the accommodating unit.

18. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program for causing a control unit to execute control of a supply device including:
an accommodating unit configured to accommodate a plurality of media including a medium in a state of being stacked therein;
an alignment unit configured to contact the plurality of media accommodated in the accommodating unit to align the plurality of media, wherein the alignment unit is configured to move to contact the plurality of media; and
a vibration imparting unit configured to move together with the alignment unit and to contact ends of the plurality of media accommodated in the accommodating unit to impart vibration to the medium, and the supply device being configured to supply the medium to a processing unit, wherein
the program causes the vibration imparting unit to impart vibration to the medium when the medium is accommodated in the accommodating unit.

Assignees

• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Hashizume Mami
• Kodama Hidetoshi
• Takeishi Tetsuji
• Nakazawa Toru

Classifications

• B65H2601/2611

  Soiling · CPC title

• B65H2301/5115

  Cleaning · CPC title

• B65H2405/113

  Front, i.e. portion adjacent to the feeding / delivering side · CPC title

• B65H3/62

  by swinging, agitating, or knocking the pile · CPC title

• B65H2405/111

  Bottom · CPC title