Sheet feeder

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9567174-B2
Application number	US-201514714950-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2015
Priority date	May 21, 2014
Publication date	Feb 14, 2017
Grant date	Feb 14, 2017

Abstract

A sheet feeder includes a delivery roller that contacts a sheet on a sheet supply tray to deliver the sheet; a first detection sensor disposed upstream of the delivery roller so as to detect the sheet on the sheet supply tray; and a second detection sensor disposed downstream of the delivery roller so as to detect a leading end portion of the sheet on the sheet supply tray. The delivery roller is activated in a state where the first detection sensor detects the sheet on the sheet supply tray while the second detection sensor does not detect the leading end portion of the sheet on the sheet supply tray. Thus, all the actually feedable sheets placed on the sheet supply tray can be fed, thereby reducing a sheet setting failure on the sheet supply tray, which reduces trouble of performing a re-set operation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sheet feeder for feeding a sheet toward a predetermined processing position, comprising:
a sheet supply tray for placing the sheet;
a delivery roller adapted to contact the sheet on the sheet supply tray to deliver the sheet;
a first detection sensor disposed upstream of the delivery roller and adapted to detect the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray;
a second detection sensor disposed downstream of the delivery roller and adapted to detect a leading end portion of the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray;
a stopper disposed adjacent to the sheet supply tray and adapted to abut against the leading end portion of the sheet to regulate the leading end portion of the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray before the delivery roller is actuated; and
a controller activating the delivery roller in a state where the first detection sensor detects the sheet and the second detection sensor does not detect the leading end portion of the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray,
wherein the second detection sensor detects the leading end portion of the sheet while the leading end portion of the sheet is located adjacent to the stopper,
the first detection sensor is a size sensor adapted to detect a size of the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray,
the second detection sensor is a set sensor adapted to detect the leading end portion of the sheet while the sheet placed is on the sheet supply tray,
the first detection sensor includes a small-size sensor adapted to detect a sheet having a predetermined size and a large-size sensor adapted to detect a sheet having a size larger than the predetermined size,
the first detection sensor is structured so that when only the small-size sensor detects the sheet, the size of the sheet is determined to be the predetermined size, and when the small-size sensor and the large-size sensor detect the sheet, the size of the document is determined to be larger than the predetermined size, and
when the second detection sensor detects the leading end portion of the sheet and the first detection sensor does not detect the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray, the controller controls the delivery roller to contact and deliver the sheet toward the predetermined processing position.

2. The sheet feeder according to claim 1 , wherein when the second detection sensor does not detect the sheet within a predetermined time from a time point when the delivery roller is activated in the state where the first detection sensor detects the sheet and the second detection sensor does not detect the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray, the controller stops the delivery roller.

3. The sheet feeder according to claim 1 , wherein when the second detection sensor does not detect the sheet within a predetermined time from a time point when the delivery roller is activated in the state where the first detection sensor detects the sheet and the second detection sensor does not detect the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray, the controller controls an informing section to report information indicating that the sheet is not set on the sheet supply tray.

4. The sheet feeder according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a feed roller adapted to feed the sheet delivered by the delivery roller toward the processing position; and
a third detection sensor adapted to detect the sheet to be fed to the processing position,
wherein when the sheet is not detected by the third detection sensor within a predetermined time from a time point when the second detection sensor detects the sheet, the controller stops the delivery roller and the feed roller.

5. The sheet feeder according to claim 4 , wherein when the sheet is not detected by the third detection sensor within the predetermined time from the time point when the second detection sensor detects the sheet, information indicating that a sheet conveying failure has occurred is reported.

6. The sheet feeder according to claim 1 , wherein when the first and second detection sensors detect the sheet while the sheet is placed on the sheet supply tray, the controller controls the delivery roller to contact and deliver the sheet toward the predetermined processing position.

7. The sheet feeder according to claim 6 , wherein when the first detection sensor detects the sheet, the second detection sensor does not detect the sheet, and the delivery roller does not contact the sheet within a predetermined time after the controller controls the delivery roller to contact the sheet, the controller stops the delivery roller and informs that malfunction has occurred.

8. The sheet feeder according to claim 7 , wherein when the first detection sensor detects the sheet, the second detection sensor does not detect the sheet, and the delivery roller contacts the sheet within the predetermined time after the controller controls the delivery roller to contact the sheet, the delivery roller delivers the sheet toward the predetermined processing position.

9. The sheet feeder according to claim 8 , further comprising:
a feed roller adapted to feed the sheet delivered by the delivery roller toward the processing position; and
a third detection sensor adapted to detect the sheet to be fed to the processing position,
wherein when the sheet is not detected by the third detection sensor within a predetermined time from a time point when the second detection sensor detects the sheet, the controller stops the delivery roller and the feed roller.

Assignees

• Tsuyuki Yoichi
• Minagawa Yoshihiko
• Ueda Koji
• Nisca Corp

Inventors

• Tsuyuki Yoichi
• Minagawa Yoshihiko
• Ueda Koji

Classifications

• B65H5/062

  between rollers or balls · CPC title

• B65H2511/51

  Presence · CPC title

• B65H3/06

  Rollers or like rotary separators {(B65H3/42 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B65H2511/528

  Jam · CPC title

• B65H2553/82

  with regard to the direction of transport of the handled material · CPC title