Paper supply device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9315347-B2
Application number	US-201314424301-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2013
Priority date	Aug 27, 2012
Publication date	Apr 19, 2016
Grant date	Apr 19, 2016

Abstract

A sheet supply device includes a sheet supply tray, a delivery roller contacting a topmost surface of a sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray to deliver the sheet, and separation means feeding the sheet delivered by the delivery roller one by one in a separated manner. The sheet supply device further includes an elevating tray freely elevated/lowered to support a leading end side of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet supply tray and to move the topmost surface of the sheet bundle to a delivery position, a first drive section elevating/lowering the elevating tray, a second drive section elevating/lowering the delivery roller, and a controller controlling the first and second drive sections to elevate the elevating tray until the topmost surface of the sheet bundle reaches the delivery position and thereafter lower the delivery roller to a position contacting the topmost surface of the sheet bundle.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A sheet supply device comprising:
a sheet supply tray on which a sheet bundle to be fed is placed;
a delivery roller that can be freely elevated or lowered and contacts a topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray to deliver a topmost sheet of the sheet bundle;
an elevating tray that can be freely elevated or lowered and supports a leading end side of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet supply tray;
a first drive section that elevates or lowers the elevating tray;
a second drive section that elevates or lowers the delivery roller;
a controller that controls drive of the first and second drive sections; and
a top surface detection device having a top surface position detection lever swingably arranged above the elevating tray and contacting the topmost surface of the sheet bundle to detect a position of the topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray,
wherein in feeding the sheet from the sheet supply tray, when the top surface detection device detects a state wherein the topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray is positioned below a delivery position to feed the topmost sheet toward a downstream side of the elevating tray, the controller controls the first drive section and the second drive section to elevate the elevating tray until the topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray reaches the delivery position and thereafter, to lower the delivery roller to a position to contact the topmost surface of the sheet bundle.

2. The sheet supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an alignment wall that is fixed to a downstream end of the sheet supply tray and aligns leading ends of a predetermined number of lower side sheets of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet supply tray; and
a leading end regulation member that is disposed between the delivery roller and a separation section arranged on a downstream side of the delivery roller so as to cover a sheet supply port of the sheet supply tray and aligns leading ends of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet supply tray that are not aligned by the alignment wall.

3. The sheet supply device according to claim 2 , wherein the leading end regulation member includes a regulation surface disposed parallel to a regulation wall of the alignment wall aligning the leading ends of the sheet bundle, and the regulation surface is disposed on a downstream side of the top surface position detection lever and in a vicinity of a downstream end of the regulation wall, in a sheet feed direction.

4. The sheet supply device according to claim 2 , further comprising a locking piece rotatably coaxially arranged on a rotating shaft of the delivery roller, and a projection portion disposed between the locking piece and the leading end regulation member,
wherein the leading end regulation member has a long part formed at one end portion thereof and an engagement portion formed at another end portion thereof,
when the delivery roller is positioned apart from the topmost surface of the sheet bundle, a leading end portion of the locking piece is engaged with the engagement portion to regulate rotation of the leading end regulation member, thereby the sheet bundle stays on the sheet supply tray through the long part, and
when the delivery roller is lowered and contacts the topmost surface of the sheet bundle, the projection portion pushes the locking piece to rotate in a direction to release the locking piece from being engaged, thereby the leading end regulation member is rotated such that the topmost sheet of the sheet bundle is fed toward a downstream side of the leading end regulation member in the sheet feed direction.

5. The sheet supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a leading end regulation member that is disposed between the delivery roller and a separation section arranged on a downstream side of the delivery roller to cover a sheet supply port of the sheet supply tray; and
a releasing section that releases the leading end regulation member from being stopped at a position that regulates leading ends of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet supply tray,
wherein the controller controls the releasing section to release the leading end regulation member from being stopped when lowering the delivery roller.

6. The sheet supply device according to claim 1 , further comprising a set sensor arranged on the sheet supply tray and detecting the sheet bundle set on the sheet supply tray,
wherein the controller controls the drive of the first and second drive sections based on a detection state of the set sensor.

7. The sheet supply device according to claim 1 , wherein the top surface detection device further includes a detection flag integrally formed with the top surface position detection lever to swing together with the top surface position detection lever, and a top surface detection sensor detecting the detection flag.

8. A sheet supply device comprising:
a sheet supply tray on which a sheet bundle to feed is placed;
a delivery roller that can be freely elevated or lowered and contacts a topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray to deliver a topmost sheet of the sheet bundle;
an elevating tray that can be freely elevated or lowered and supports a leading end side of the sheet bundle placed on the sheet supply tray;
a first drive section that elevates or lowers the elevating tray;
a second drive section that elevates or lowers the delivery roller;
a controller that controls drive of the first and second drive sections; and
a top surface detection device having a top surface position detection lever swingably arranged above the elevating tray and contacting the topmost surface of the sheet bundle to detect a position of the topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray,
wherein when the top surface position detection device detects a state wherein the topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray is positioned below a delivery position to feed the topmost sheet toward a downstream side of the elevating tray, the controller controls the first and second drive sections so as to elevate the elevating tray until the topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray reaches the delivery position and thereafter, to lower the delivery roller to a position to contact the topmost surface of the sheet bundle, and
when the top surface position detection device detects a state wherein the topmost surface of the sheet bundle on the sheet supply tray is positioned at the delivery position or above the delivery position, the controller controls the first and second drive sections so as to lower the delivery roller to the position to contact the topmost surface of the sheet bundle with maintaining a position of the elevating tray.

Assignees

• Hamada Masataka
• Nakajima Junya
• Kanda Koji
• Xerox Corp
• Nisca Corp

Inventors

• Hamada Masataka
• Nakajima Junya
• Kanda Koji

Classifications

• B65H2405/1117

  pivotable, e.g. around an axis perpendicular to transport direction, e.g. arranged at rear side of sheet support · CPC title

• B65H2513/40

  Movement · CPC title

• B65H7/20

  Controlling associated apparatus · CPC title

• B65H1/04

  adapted to support articles substantially horizontally, e.g. for separation from top of pile · CPC title

• B65H7/06

  responsive to presence of faulty articles or incorrect separation or feed (B65H7/14 takes precedence) · CPC title