Sheet feeding apparatus and printing apparatus

• US 9,890,001 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2015
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Ayutthaya Limited (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Taniguchi, Hisashi, Hirai, Yasuyuki, Asai, Yasuyuki, Taguchi, Motoyuki, Ikeda, Atsushi, Okude, Kyoshiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Feggins, Kristal
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, KENDRICK X
• Application Number:
  US14/828,650
• Publication Number:
  US 20160052733A1
• Time in Patent Office: 910 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 1/266 Support fully or partially removable from the handling machine, e.g. cassette, drawer B65H1/027 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/01 indicating an entity as a function of which control, adjustment or change is performed, i.e. input
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/02 indicating an entity which is controlled, adjusted or changed by a control process, i.e. output
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2220/11 indicating that the input or output entities exclusively relate to machine elements
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2403/512 involving radial plate cam
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2404/5213 Geometric details
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2405/1134 movable, e.g. pivotable
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2511/20 Location in space
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 2515/81 Rigidity; Stiffness; Elasticity
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/06 Rollers or like rotary separators B65H3/42 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/0684 on moving support, e.g. pivoting, for bringing the roller or like rotary separator into contact with the pile
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/24 by pushers engaging the edges of the articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/40 by two or more separators acting alternately on the same pile rotary or oscillating bodies carrying two or more separators B65H3/42
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 3/56 Elements, e.g. scrapers, fingers, needles, brushes, acting on separated article or on edge of the pile B65H3/52 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 5/06 by rollers or balls, e.g. between rollers transport by suction rollers B65H5/226
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/00 Controlling article feeding, separating, pile-advancing, or associated apparatus, to take account of incorrect feeding, absence of articles, or presence of faulty articles
• CPC Class Codes: B65H 7/18 Modifying or stopping actuation of separators

Abstract

A sheet feeding apparatus includes a feeding unit, a separation surface, a first separation part configured to switch between a condition in which the first separation part is protruded from the separate surface and the sheet comes into contact with the first separation part and a condition in which the first separation part is retracted from the separate surface and the sheet does not come into contact with the first separation part and to be fixed to each of the two conditions and a second separation part configured to be movable in a direction from a condition in which the second separation part is protruded from the separate surface and the sheet is capable of come into contact with the second separation part to a condition in which the second separation part is retracted from the separate surface, according to a contact force received from the sheet.

Claims

1. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:

a feeding unit configured to feed a sheet by coming into contact with an uppermost sheet of a plurality of stacked sheets;

a separation surface configured to be contacted by the sheet fed by the feeding unit to separate the sheet;

a first separation part, provided separate from the separation surface, and configured to be switched between a first position in which the first separation part protrudes from the separation surface and the sheet is capable of contacting the first separation part and a second position in which the first separation part is retracted from the separation surface and the sheet is not capable of contacting the first separation part;

a fixing unit configured to selectively fix the first separation part at the first position or the second position so that the first separation part is not moved between the first position and the second position as a result of a contact force which the first separation part receives from the sheet; and

a second separation part, provided separate from the separation surface, and configured to be movable in a first direction from a condition in which the second separation part protrudes from the separation surface and the sheet is capable of contacting the second separation part to a condition in which the second separation part is retracted from the separation surface, the movement by a contact force which the second separation part receives from the sheet, and the second separation part configured to be biased in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

2. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a printing unit configured to perform printing to the fed sheet.

3. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cassette in which a plurality of sheets are stacked and wherein the separate surface is provided on the cassette.

4. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the feeding unit feeds the sheet using a pickup roller, the first separation part is disposed on an opposite portion opposed to the pickup roller in a feeding direction of the sheet and the second separation part is disposed on a portion except the opposite portion in the feeding direction of the sheet.

5. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the fixing unit fixes the first separation part to the first position when feeding a sheet having a predetermined rigidity and fixes the first separation part to the second position when feeding a sheet having a rigidity higher than the predetermined rigidity.

6. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the second separation parts are disposed symmetrically with respect to the first separation part as a center of arrangement in a width direction of the sheet.

7. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second separation parts are provided with protruding portions continuously in the feeding direction on the respective surfaces.

8. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 7, wherein each of the continuously disposed protruding portions in the feeding direction has a circular-arc-shape.