Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming system

• US 20070045933A1
• Filed: 05/24/2006
• Published: 03/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies Incorporated (Konica Minolta Inc.)
• Inventors: Okazaki, Shigeru
• Granted Patent: US 7,677,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 271/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0057 Conveying sheets before or after scanning arrangements for conveying sheets as part of the scanning operation H04N1/04 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00588 to the scanning position H04N1/00572, H04N1/00594 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00602 Feed rollers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00607 Grippers or the like, e.g. suction grippers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0062 Removing sheets from a stack or inputting media
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00628 Separating, e.g. preventing feeding of two sheets at a time

Abstract

A sheet feeding apparatus includes: a sheet tray in which a plurality of sheets to be stacked; a sheet feeding section which vacuums a sheet from the plurality of sheets stacked in the sheet tray and feeds the sheet to an image forming apparatus; a first sheet separator which has a member which separates each sheet from the plurality of sheets when the sheet feeding section feeds the plurality of sheets; and a second sheet separator which has a forward roller rotated in a sheet transport direction, which feeds the sheet to the image forming apparatus, and a parallel retard roller rotatable in an opposite direction so as to separate each sheet from the plurality of sheets.

Claims

1. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:

a sheet tray in which a plurality of sheets is to be stacked;

a sheet feeding section which vacuums a sheet from the plurality of sheets stacked in the sheet tray and feeds the sheet to an image forming apparatus;

a first sheet separator which comprises,

a member which separates each sheet from the plurality of sheets when the sheet feeding section feeds the plurality of sheets; and

a second sheet separator which comprises,

a forward roller rotated in a sheet transport direction, which feeds the sheet to the image forming apparatus, and

a parallel retard roller rotatable in an opposite direction so as to separate each sheet from the plurality of sheets.

2. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a sheet selecting section which selects a kind of sheet;

a print information receiving section which receives print information regarding the kind of sheet selected by the sheet selecting section; and

a sheet separator controlling section which controls a moving position of the member and a driving power of the parallel retard roller based on the print information.

3. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sheet separator controlling section performs control such that the member is moved to a position to separate a sheet, and that the driving power is not transmitted to the parallel retard roller, when the print information receiving section has received the print information of a medium thick sheet or a thin sheet.

4. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sheet separator controlling section performs control such that the member is moved to a position to retreat, and that the driving power is transmitted to the parallel retard roller, when the print information receiving section received the print information of a thick sheet.

5. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sheet separator controlling section performs control such that the member is moved to a position to retreat, and that the driving power is not transmitted to the parallel retard roller, when the print information receiving section received the print information of an extra thick sheet.

6. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sheet separator controlling section performs control such that the member is moved to a position to separate a sheet, and that the driving power is transmitted to the parallel retard roller, when the print information receiving section has received the print information of a sheet having strong adhesiveness.

7. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a double feeding detection sensor which detects a situation of feeding a plurality of sheets; and

a sheet separator controlling section which performs control to transmit the driving power to the parallel retard roller, when the double feeding detection sensor has detected the situation of feeding a plurality of sheets.

8. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:

a sheet tray in which a plurality of sheets is to be stacked;

a sheet feeding section which vacuums a sheet from the plurality of sheets stacked in the sheet tray and feeds the sheet to an image forming apparatus; and

a sheet separating section which separates each sheet from the plurality of sheets when the sheet feeding section feeds the plurality of sheets.

9. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 8, wherein the sheet separating section comprising:

a forward roller rotated in a sheet transport direction, which feeds the sheet to the image forming apparatus; and

a parallel retard roller rotatable in an opposite direction so as to separates each sheet from the plurality of sheets.

10. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a roller controlling section which controls a driving power of the parallel retard roller, and

a driving power selecting section which selects whether to transmit the driving power to the parallel retard roller.

11. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 8, further comprising:

a member which separates each sheet from the plurality of sheets when the sheet feeding section feeds the plurality of sheets.

12. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 11, further comprising:

a member controlling section which controls a moving position of the member, wherein the moving position is either a separating position or a retreating position.

13. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a sheet selecting section which selects a kind of sheet; and

a print information receiving section which receives print information regarding the kind of sheet selected by the sheet selecting section,

wherein the roller controlling section controls the driving power of the parallel retard roller based on the print information.

14. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a sheet selecting section which selects a kind of sheet; and

a print information receiving section which receives print information regarding the kind of paper selected by the sheet selecting section,

wherein the member controlling section controls the moving position of the member based on the print information.

15. The sheet feeding apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a double feeding detection sensor which detects a situation of feeding a plurality of sheets;

wherein the roller controlling section performs control to transmit the driving power to the parallel retard roller, when the double feeding detection sensor has detected the situation of feeding a plurality of sheets.

16. An image forming system comprising:

an image forming apparatus that comprises an image forming section which forms an image on a sheet;

a sheet feeding apparatus which comprises,

a sheet tray in which a plurality of sheets is to be stacked;

a sheet feeding section which vacuums a sheet from the plurality of sheets stacked in the sheet tray and feeds the sheet to an image forming apparatus;

a first sheet separator which comprises,

a member which separates each sheet from the plurality of sheets when the sheet feeding section feeds the plurality of sheets; and

a second sheet separator which comprises,

a forward roller rotated in a sheet transport direction, which feeds the sheet to the image forming apparatus; and

a parallel retard roller rotatable in an opposite direction so as to separate each sheet from the plurality of sheets.

17. The image forming system of claim 16,

wherein the image forming apparatus, further comprising:

a sheet selecting section which inputs a print information including a kind of sheet; and

the sheet feeding apparatus, further comprising;

a sheet separator controlling section which controls a moving position of the member and a driving power of the parallel retard roller, based on the print information including the kind of sheet selected by the sheet selecting section.

18. The image forming system of claim 16, wherein the sheet feeding apparatus further comprising:

a double feeding detection sensor which detect a situation of feeding a plurality of sheets;

a sheet separator controlling section which performs control to transmit a driving power to the parallel retard roller, when the double feeding detection sensor detected the situation of feeding a plurality of sheets.