Medium supply device

Abstract

To provide a medium supplying device that supplies the lowest medium loaded on a loading platform with a gap therebetween and prevents friction between the following medium and a transport member.SOLUTION: A suction transport mechanism 10 has: a transport belt 20 (transport member) that transports the lowest medium M loaded on a loading surface 41 of a stacking table 40; and a suction unit 30 that adsorbs the lowest medium M to the transport belt 20 by sucking air. The suction unit 30 releases the adsorption of the lowest medium M to the transport belt 20 after the lowest medium M is transported by the transport belt 20 to a downstream transport roller 72 (downstream transport unit) in a transport direction T. After the lowest medium M is transported by the transport belt 20 to the transport roller 72, a drive mechanism 50 moves the transport belt 20 from a first position P1 where the lowest medium M is transported, to a second position P2 below the loading surface 41.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6C

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium supplying device that adsorbs and transports the lowermost medium stacked on a stacking table. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, a method has been proposed for obtaining a stable paper feeding force even when the number of sheets stacked is small by sucking up and sending out the lowest sheet stacked on the paper loading surface of the paper receiving tray (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] In addition, a paper feeding device has been proposed that, although it transports the topmost sheet of paper rather than the bottommost sheet of paper, moves the transport belt away from the suction port when a job is completed in order to prevent the paper from continuing to be adsorbed to the paper feed belt after the paper feeding operation is completed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-219538 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2011-195265 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] When the lowest medium loaded on the stacking tray is transported, the weight of all the media loaded on the stacking tray is added, so the multiple media are transported continuously with no gaps. Therefore, the timing of transport of the media cannot be confirmed on the downstream transport path in the transport direction of the media supplying device. In other words, it becomes impossible to detect media jams, etc. In addition, when a leading medium comes off a transport member such as a transport belt, it rubs against the following medium above it while rotating idly. In particular, if an image has already been formed on the medium, the medium is easily soiled by rubbing against the transport member.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a media supplying device that can supply the lowest medium loaded on a stacking tray with a gap and prevent friction between subsequent media and the transport member. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In one aspect, the media supplying device includes a suction transport mechanism having a transport member that transports the lowest medium loaded on the loading surface of a loading table and a suction section that adsorbs the lowest medium to the transport member by sucking air, and a drive mechanism that moves the transport member to a first position where the lowest medium is transported and a second position below the loading surface, wherein the suction section releases the adsorption of the lowest medium to the transport member after the lowest medium has been transported by the transport member to a downstream transport section downstream in the transport direction, and the drive mechanism moves the transport member from the first position to the second position after the lowest medium has been transported by the transport member to the downstream transport section. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to this aspect, the lowermost medium stacked on the stacking table can be supplied with a gap, and friction between the following medium and the transport member can be prevented. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a top perspective view illustrating a medium feeding device according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view illustrating the medium feeding device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is an enlarged bottom perspective view (part 1) illustrating a portion of a medium feeding device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is an enlarged bottom perspective view (part 2) illustrating a portion of the medium feeding device according to the embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a control configuration of the medium supplying device according to the embodiment. [Figure 6A] 1 is a side view (part 1) illustrating the release of suction of a medium and the retraction of a conveyor belt in one embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6B] 13 is a side view (part 2) illustrating the release of suction of a medium and the retraction of a conveyor belt in an embodiment. FIG. [Figure 6C] FIG. 11 is a third side view illustrating the release of suction of a medium and the retraction of a conveyor belt according to an embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an interlocking shaft located inside an atmosphere vent window in one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a bottom perspective view showing an atmosphere opening window on a downstream side in the conveying direction in the embodiment. [Figure 9A] FIG. 2 is a top perspective view showing a conveyor belt and other components in a first position according to the embodiment. [Figure 9B] FIG. 4 is a top perspective view showing a conveyor belt and other components in a second position according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A medium supplying device according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] 1 and 2 are top and bottom perspective views showing the medium feeding device 1. FIG.

[0012] 3 and 4 are enlarged perspective views showing a bottom surface of a portion of the medium supplying device 1. FIG.

[0013] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a control configuration of the medium supplying device 1. As shown in FIG.

[0014] Although the orientation of the transport direction T and the like can be changed as appropriate depending on the configuration of the medium supplying device 1, the up-down direction shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and FIGS. 6A to 9B described later represents the vertical direction.

[0015] The medium supplying device 1 shown in Fig. 1 is disposed as a part of an external device such as an image forming device, or disposed together with an external device. As one example, the medium supplying device 1 is loaded with media M (see Figs. 6A to 6C) on which images have been formed, and supplies the loaded media M to a paper discharge device, post-processing device, or the like. Note that examples of the external device include image forming devices, paper discharge devices, post-processing devices, as well as conveying devices and inspection devices. The medium M may be in the form of a sheet such as paper or film, or may have a folded portion such as an envelope.

[0016] As shown in Fig. 1, the medium supplying device 1 includes a conveyor belt 20, a loading platform 40, a handling roller 71, a conveyor roller 72, and a medium detection sensor 74. As shown in Fig. 2, the medium supplying device 1 includes a suction unit 30, a drive mechanism 50, a tension spring 60, an open sensor 75, and a close sensor 76. As shown in Fig. 5, the medium supplying device 1 includes a control unit 91, a storage unit 92, and an interface unit 93.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 1, two conveyor belts 20 are arranged near the center of the loading surface 41 in the width direction W of the medium M perpendicular to the transport direction T of the medium M. Each conveyor belt 20 is provided with a plurality of suction holes 21 for the suction unit 30 described later to suck air. As shown in FIG. 6A, the conveyor belt 20 may protrude slightly above the loading surface 41 of the loading platform 40. For example, the conveyor belt 20 is stretched over an upstream pulley and a downstream pulley in the transport direction T, and rotates to transport the medium M by driving one of these pulleys, a drive pulley. The conveyor belt 20 is an example of a conveyor member that conveys the lowest medium M loaded on the loading surface 41. Note that the conveyor member may be another conveyor member such as a conveyor roller. In addition, the number of conveyor members may be any number equal to or greater than one.

[0018] 2 to 4, the suction unit 30 has a suction chamber 31 and a suction fan 32, and sucks in air to cause the lowest medium M stacked on the stacking surface 41 to be adsorbed onto the conveyor belt 20. The conveyor belt 20 and the suction unit 30 each function as part of a suction conveyor mechanism 10 (FIG. 8). This suction conveyor mechanism 10 moves (swings) integrally with the conveyor belt 20 when the conveyor belt 20 moves, which will be described later.

[0019] The suction chamber 31 is disposed under the loading platform 40 and forms a space for generating negative pressure. The suction chamber 31 has, for example, a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The suction chamber 31 has an atmosphere release window 31a (see FIG. 8) provided on the downstream side surface in the conveying direction T, and a total of two atmosphere release windows 31b (only one side is shown in FIG. 7, etc.) provided on both sides in the width direction W. The larger the area of ​​these atmosphere release windows 31a and 31b, the shorter the time for which the suction chamber 31 is open to the atmosphere can be. The above-mentioned two conveyor belts 20 are housed inside the suction chamber 31. However, the suction unit 30 may be any one that can adsorb the medium M to the conveyor belt 20, and the conveyor belt 20 may be disposed outside the suction chamber 31. In that case, the suction chamber 31 is disposed, for example, in an area surrounded by the conveyor belt 20.

[0020] The suction fan 32 is disposed at the bottom of the suction chamber 31. The suction fan 32 generates a negative pressure in the internal space of the suction chamber 31 by discharging air to the outside of the suction unit 30. This negative pressure causes air to be sucked through the multiple suction holes 21 of the conveyor belt 20, so that the lowest medium M is adsorbed to the conveyor belt 20. The suction fan 32 is an example of a suction source. Other configurations, such as a suction pump, may be used as the suction source.

[0021] 1, the loading platform 40 has a loading surface 41 and a pair of side fences 42, 42. As an example, the loading surface 41 is inclined so that its height decreases in the transport direction T. The pair of side fences 42, 42 regulate the positions of both ends in the width direction W of the medium M. In addition, the pair of side fences 42, 42 are arranged to be movable in the width direction W to match the width of the medium M.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 4, the drive mechanism 50 has an opening / closing member 51, a drive source 52, and a gear 53, and moves the conveyor belt 20 to a first position P1 (see FIG. 9A) for conveying the lowest medium M and a second position P2 (see FIG. 9B) below the loading surface 41.

[0023] The opening / closing member 51 is, for example, a U-shaped opening / closing plate with a downstream surface in the conveying direction T and two opposite surfaces in the width direction W, and each surface closes each of the three atmospheric opening windows 31a, 31b of the suction chamber 31 in an openable and closable manner.

[0024] 7, the opening / closing member 51 has an interlocking shaft 51a that extends in the width direction W and is inserted into the atmosphere open window 31b of the suction chamber 31. The interlocking shaft 51a may be provided on one side of the opening / closing member 51 in the width direction W and inserted into only one of the atmosphere open windows 31b, or may be provided on both sides in the width direction W and inserted into each of the two atmosphere open windows 31b. The interlocking shaft 51a is an example of a contact portion that comes into contact with the suction conveying mechanism 10 to move the suction conveying mechanism 10 (conveyor belt 20) together.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 4, teeth 51b are provided in an arc shape on the lower part of one side of the opening / closing member 51 in the width direction W. The teeth 51b mesh with the gear 53. By the rotation of the gear 53 in both directions, the opening / closing member 51 rotates around, for example, a pulley on the downstream side of the conveyor belt 20 facing the handling roller 71 as the center of rotation, as shown in FIG. 6B. By rotating in this manner, the opening / closing member 51 closes the three atmosphere opening windows 31a, 31b of the suction chamber 31 in an openable and closable manner. Also, as shown in FIG. 6C, after the interlocking shaft 51a comes into contact with the edge (for example, the lower end) of the atmosphere opening window 31b of the suction chamber 31, the opening / closing member 51 moves the suction conveying mechanism 10 together against the biasing force of a tension spring 60 described later.

[0026] The driving source 52 is, for example, an actuator such as a pulse motor that can drive in both directions, and rotates the gear 53 in both directions via a power transmission mechanism such as another gear.

[0027] The tension spring 60 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6B has an upper end connected to the loading platform 40 and a lower end connected to the suction transport mechanism 10. The tension spring 60 urges the conveyor belt 20 toward the first position P1 (see FIG. 9A) by pulling the suction transport mechanism 10 upward. As a result, the conveyor belt 20 is not linked to the rotation of the opening / closing member 51 and is held at the first position P1 until the interlocking shaft 51a of the drive mechanism 50 contacts the edge (e.g., the lower end) of the air release window 31b of the suction chamber 31. The tension spring 60 is an example of a urging member that urges the conveyor belt 20 toward the first position P1. The urging member may be a compression spring or another elastic body such as rubber that urges the conveyor belt 20 (suction transport mechanism 10) upward.

[0028] The separation roller 71 shown in FIG. 1 is disposed in the center of the stacking surface 41 in the width direction W, with a length spanning the two conveyor belts 20, so as to nip and convey the medium M together with the two conveyor belts 20.

[0029] The transport rollers 72 are disposed downstream of the transport belt 20 and the separation roller 71 in the transport direction T. For example, the transport rollers 72 are an upper and lower pair of rollers disposed at an interval in the width direction W. The transport rollers 72 are an example of a downstream transport section downstream of the transport belt 20 in the transport direction T. This downstream transport section is not limited to a configuration provided in the medium supplying device 1, and may be, for example, a part of an external device disposed downstream of the medium supplying device 1 in the transport direction T.

[0030] The medium detection sensor 74 is a sensor that detects the medium M, and is, for example, a transmissive sensor. The medium detection sensor 74 is disposed downstream of the transport rollers 72 in the transport direction T, and can determine that the medium M is being transported by the transport rollers 72 by detecting the passage of the medium M. Therefore, the medium detection sensor 74 may be located at the same position in the transport direction T as the transport rollers 72.

[0031] The open sensor 75 and the close sensor 76 shown in Fig. 4 are sensors that detect the opening / closing member 51, and are, for example, transmission sensors. The open sensor 75 detects the opening / closing member 51, and thus it is possible to determine that the conveyor belt 20 has retreated to the lower second position P2 (the atmosphere release windows 31a, 31b are open) as shown in Fig. 6C. The close sensor 76 detects the opening / closing member 51, and thus it is possible to determine that the conveyor belt 20 is at the upper first position P1 (the atmosphere release windows 31a, 31b are closed) as shown in Fig. 6A.

[0032] 5 has a processor (e.g., CPU: Central Processing Unit) that functions as an arithmetic processing device that controls the overall operation of medium supplying device 1, and reads and executes a predetermined program, for example, from storage unit 92 or from a storage medium (non-transient computer-readable recording medium) that is detachable from medium supplying device 1. Control unit 91 controls the operation of each part of medium supplying device 1 by executing this program. Note that control unit 91 may also be a control unit of an external device, such as an image forming device that includes medium supplying device 1, or a control unit of an external device arranged together with medium supplying device 1.

[0033] The storage unit 92 has memories such as a ROM (Read Only Memory), which is a read-only semiconductor memory in which a specific control program is pre-recorded, and a RAM (Random Access Memory), which is a semiconductor memory that can be written to and read at any time and is used as a working memory area as needed when the processor executes various control programs.

[0034] The interface unit 93 transmits and receives various information to and from an external device such as an image forming device. For example, the interface unit 93 receives information such as a supply request or a supply stop request for the medium M from the external device, and the control unit 91 controls the operation of each part of the medium supply device 1 based on this information.

[0035] Next, the operation of the medium supplying device 1 will be described.

[0036] 6A to 6C are side views for explaining the release of suction of the medium M and the retraction of the transport belt 20. FIG.

[0037] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the interlocking shaft 51a located inside the atmosphere opening window 31b.

[0038] FIG. 8 is a bottom perspective view showing the atmosphere opening window 31a on the downstream side in the transport direction T. As shown in FIG.

[0039] FIG. 9A is a top perspective view showing the conveyor belt 20 and other components at the first position P1, and FIG. 9B is a top perspective view showing the conveyor belt 20 and other components at the second position P2.

[0040] 6A and 9A, the conveyor belt 20 is at a first position P1 for conveying the lowest medium M loaded on the loading surface 41, and protrudes above the loading surface 41 of the loading platform 40. The control unit 91 can determine that the conveyor belt 20 is at the first position P1 based on the closing sensor 76 detecting the opening / closing member 51, as described above.

[0041] When the supply operation is performed, the control unit 91 operates the suction fan 32 to create a negative pressure in the suction chamber 31, thereby causing the lowermost medium M to be adsorbed onto the conveyor belt 20 and causing the conveyor belt 20 to rotate.

[0042] As shown in Fig. 6B, when the medium M, which is attracted and conveyed by the rotation of the conveyor belt 20, is nipped by the conveyor roller 72 and detected by the medium detection sensor 74, the control unit 91 controls the drive source 52 to rotate the opening / closing member 51 counterclockwise in Fig. 6B, and opens the atmosphere release windows 31a and 31b of the suction chamber 31 shown in Fig. 6B and Fig. 8. Even after the opening / closing member 51 starts to rotate, the tension spring 60 biases the conveyor belt 20 toward the first position P1, so that the conveyor belt 20 maintains the first position P1. In this way, the state in which the atmosphere release windows 31a and 31b are open and the conveyor belt 20 remains at the first position P1 is called the second state.

[0043] As described above, since the interlocking shaft 51a of the opening / closing member 51 shown in Fig. 7 is located inside the atmosphere release window 31b of the suction chamber 31, after the interlocking shaft 51a comes into contact with the edge (e.g., the lower end) of the atmosphere release window 31b, the opening / closing member 51 moves (rotates) the suction conveying mechanism 10 together against the biasing force of the tension spring 60 as shown in Fig. 6C. This causes the conveying belt 20 to move to the second position P2 below the loading surface 41 as shown in Fig. 9B. When the opening sensor 75 detects that the conveying belt 20 is at the second position P2, the control unit 91 controls the driving source 52 to stop the rotation of the opening / closing member 51.

[0044] In this manner, the state in which the atmosphere release windows 31a, 31b are open and the conveyor belt 20 is at the second position P2 is defined as a third state. Note that, since the conveyor belt 20 starts moving from the first position P1 to the second position P2 after the atmosphere release windows 31a, 31b are opened and the adhesion of the medium M to the conveyor belt 20 is released, the medium M does not follow the movement of the conveyor belt 20 and is pulled below the loading surface 41. Note that the adhesion of the medium M to the conveyor belt 20 can be considered to be released if the suction force of the suction unit 30 decreases even slightly.

[0045] Thereafter, for example, after a specified time has elapsed since the transport roller 72 detected the medium M as described above, the drive source 52 is controlled to rotate the opening / closing member 51 in the opposite direction. As a result, the suction transport mechanism 10 is raised by the biasing force of the tension spring 60, and the transport belt 20 returns to the first position P1 shown in Figures 6A and 9A. The return of the transport belt 20 to the first position P1 should be performed at a timing when the lowermost medium M described above is not in contact with the transport belt 20.

[0046] The control unit 91 determines that the conveyor belt 20 has returned to the first position P1 based on the detection of the opening / closing member 51 by the closing sensor 76, and controls the drive source 52 to stop the rotation of the opening / closing member 51. Even if there is variation in the stopping position of the opening / closing member 51, the tension spring 60 urges the conveyor belt 20 toward the first position P1, so that the conveyor belt 20 is maintained at the first position P1. Note that, if the interlocking shaft 51a of the opening / closing member 51 comes into contact with the upper end of the atmosphere release window 31b before the conveyor belt 20 returns to the first position P1 by the urging force of the tension spring 60, the opening / closing member 51 will lift up the suction conveyor mechanism 10 after the contact.

[0047] Then, a second medium M (a new lowest medium M) is transported by the transport belt 20 in the same manner as the first medium M, with a gap between it and the lowest medium M. For each medium M thus loaded on the stacking platform 40, the medium M is released from adsorption to the transport belt 20, and the transport belt 20 is moved from the first position P1 to the second position P2, and then returned to the first position P1 again. However, depending on the type of medium M, such as the material and thickness, and the user's settings, it is not necessary for the adsorption to be released and for the transport belt 20 to move back and forth between the first position P1 and the second position P2 to be performed on all media M.

[0048] In the above description, a desirable example has been described in which the conveyor belt 20 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2 after the lowest medium M is released from adhesion to the conveyor belt 20, but the start of releasing adhesion of the medium M and the start of movement of the conveyor belt 20 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 may occur simultaneously. In this case, because the adhesion is released as the conveyor belt 20 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, it is possible to prevent the medium M from being drawn below the stacking surface 41 to a considerable extent, compared to a case in which the adhesion is not released.

[0049] In addition, in the above explanation, an example was described in which the interlocking shaft 51a of the opening / closing member 51 is positioned inside the atmosphere release window 31b, but for example, the opening / closing member 51 can move in one direction to open the atmosphere release windows 31a, 31b, and other parts of the opening / closing member 51 (parts other than the interlocking shaft 51a) can press any part of the suction conveying mechanism 10, so that the opening / closing member 51 can move integrally with the suction conveying mechanism 10.

[0050] In addition, in the above description, the conveyor belt 20 and the suction unit 30 move together, and the opening / closing member 51 can move the conveyor belt 20 after the interlocking shaft 51a comes into contact with the edge of the atmospheric opening window 31b. However, for example, in cases where a flexible suction tube is connected to the suction hole 21 of the conveyor belt 20, only the conveyor belt 20 may move and the suction unit 30 may not move.

[0051] In the above description, the suction chamber 31 has three atmosphere vent windows 31a and 31b, but it is sufficient to provide at least one atmosphere vent window 31a and 31b. Even if the atmosphere vent windows 31a and 31b are omitted, the medium M can be released from the suction of the conveyor belt 20 by controlling the suction fan 32 (on / off control, strength control, etc.), and therefore the release of the suction of the conveyor belt 20 is not limited to being caused by opening the atmosphere vent windows 31a and 31b.

[0052] In the present embodiment described above, the medium supply device 1 includes a suction conveying mechanism 10 and a drive mechanism 50. The suction conveying mechanism 10 includes a conveying belt 20 (an example of a conveying member) that conveys the lowest medium M loaded on the loading surface 41 of the loading platform 40, and a suction unit 30 that adsorbs the lowest medium M to the conveying belt 20 by sucking air. The drive mechanism 50 moves the conveying belt 20 to a first position P1 where the lowest medium M is conveyed and a second position P2 below the loading surface 41. The suction unit 30 releases the adsorption of the lowest medium M to the conveying belt 20 after the conveying belt 20 conveys the lowest medium M to a downstream conveying roller 72 (an example of a downstream conveying unit) in the conveying direction T. The drive mechanism 50 moves the conveying belt 20 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 after the conveying belt 20 conveys the lowest medium M to the downstream conveying roller 72.

[0053] In this way, after the lowest medium M is transported to the transport roller 72, the medium M is released from the adsorption to the transport belt 20 and the transport belt 20 is moved to the second position P2 below the stacking surface 41, thereby preventing the plurality of media M from being transported continuously by the transport belt 20 without gaps. In addition, when the lowest medium M is transported by the transport belt 20 and comes off the transport belt 20 (when it is transported downstream of the transport belt 20), it is possible to prevent the next medium M (the next lowest medium M) from rubbing against the transport belt 20. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the lowest medium M loaded on the stacking table 40 can be supplied with a gap, and rubbing between the subsequent medium M and the transport belt 20 can be prevented. Since the medium M can be supplied with a gap in this way, the transport timing for each medium M can be determined by the medium detection sensor 74 or the like, and therefore jams and the like can also be detected. In addition, since the succeeding medium M does not rub against the conveyor belt 20, it is possible to prevent the medium M, especially a medium on which an image has been formed, from rubbing against the conveyor belt 20 and becoming soiled.

[0054] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the drive mechanism 50 moves the conveyor belt 20 from the first position P1 to the second position P2 after the lowermost medium M is released from adhesion to the conveyor belt 20.

[0055] As a result, when the conveying belt 20 moves from the first position P1 to the second position P2, the medium M adsorbed to the conveying belt 20 is pulled below the stacking surface 41, thereby preventing the medium M from becoming scratched, wrinkled, or torn.

[0056] In the present embodiment, the medium supplying device 1 further includes a tension spring 60 (an example of a biasing member) that biases the conveyor belt 20 toward the first position P1. The suction unit 30 includes a suction chamber 31 having atmosphere-opening windows 31a and 31b. The drive mechanism 50 includes an opening / closing member 51 that closes the atmosphere-opening windows 31a and 31b in an openable and closable manner, and a drive source 52 that moves the opening / closing member 51. The drive source 52 opens the atmosphere-opening windows 31a and 31b, and then moves the opening / closing member 51 in one direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 6C) so as to move the conveyor belt 20 together against the biasing force of the tension spring 60, thereby releasing the adhesion of the lowest medium M to the conveyor belt 20, and then moves the conveyor belt 20 from the first position P1 to the second position P2.

[0057] As a result, with a simple configuration in which the opening / closing member 51 is moved in one direction, the atmosphere release windows 31a, 31b are opened, and then the conveyor belt 20 can be moved to the second position P2. Furthermore, by making the medium supply device 1 have a simple configuration, costs can be reduced.

[0058] In this embodiment, the opening / closing member 51 has an interlocking shaft 51a (an example of a contact portion) that comes into contact with the suction transport mechanism 10 to move the suction transport mechanism 10 together with the opening / closing member 51. The interlocking shaft 51a is located inside the atmosphere open window 31b. After the opening / closing member 51 opens the atmosphere open windows 31a and 31b, the interlocking shaft 51a comes into contact with the edge of the atmosphere open window 31b and moves the suction transport mechanism 10 together with the opening / closing member 51 against the biasing force of the tension spring 60.

[0059] This makes it possible to create a time difference between when the atmosphere release windows 31a, 31b are opened by the opening / closing member 51 and when the conveyor belt 20 is moved to the second position P2, with an even simpler configuration that utilizes the space of the atmosphere release window 31b.

[0060] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and the components can be modified and embodied without departing from the gist of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriate combinations of the multiple components disclosed in the above-described embodiment. For example, all the components shown in the embodiment may be appropriately combined. Of course, various modifications and applications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention described in the claims at the time of filing of this application is appended below.

[0061] [Appendix 1] a suction conveying mechanism having a conveying member that conveys the bottommost medium loaded on the loading surface of a loading platform, and a suction unit that adsorbs the bottommost medium to the conveying member by sucking air; a drive mechanism that moves the transport member to a first position where the transport member transports the bottom medium and a second position below the stacking surface; the suction unit releases the suction of the lowermost medium from the transport member after the lowermost medium has been transported by the transport member to a downstream transport unit that is downstream in the transport direction; The driving mechanism moves the transport member from the first position to the second position after the lowermost medium is transported to the downstream transport section by the transport member. A medium supplying device comprising:

[0062] [Appendix 2] The driving mechanism moves the transport member from the first position to the second position after the lowest medium is released from the transport member. 2. A medium supplying device according to claim 1.

[0063] [Appendix 3] a biasing member configured to bias the conveying member toward the first position; The suction unit has a suction chamber provided with an air opening window, the drive mechanism includes an opening / closing member that opens and closes the atmosphere release window, and a drive source that moves the opening / closing member, The driving source opens the atmosphere release window, and then moves the opening / closing member in one direction so as to move the transport member integrally against the biasing force of the biasing member, thereby moving the transport member from the first position to the second position after the lowest medium is released from suction to the transport member. 3. A medium supplying device according to claim 2.

[0064] [Appendix 4] the opening / closing member has a contact portion that comes into contact with the suction transport mechanism to move the suction transport mechanism integrally, the contact portion is located inside the atmosphere opening window, The opening / closing member opens the atmosphere opening window, and then the contact portion comes into contact with an edge of the atmosphere opening window, and moves the suction transport mechanism together against the biasing force of the biasing member. 4. A medium supplying device according to claim 3. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 1 Media supply device 10. Suction transport mechanism 20 Conveyor belt (conveyor member) 21 Suction hole 30 Suction part 31 Suction chamber 31a, 31b Atmospheric opening window 32 Suction fan (suction source) 40 Loading platform 41 Loading surface 42 Side fence 50 Drive mechanism 51 Opening and closing members 51a Interlocking shaft (contact part) 51b Teeth 52 Power Source 53 Gear 60 Tension spring (biasing member) 71 Slicing Roller 72 Conveyor roller (downstream conveyor section) 74 Media detection sensor 75 Open Sensor 76 Closed Sensor 91 Control Unit 92 Memory section 93 Interface section M medium P1 1st position P2 2nd position T Transport direction W Width direction

Claims

1. a suction conveying mechanism having a conveying member that conveys the bottommost medium loaded on the loading surface of a loading platform, and a suction unit that adsorbs the bottommost medium to the conveying member by sucking air; a drive mechanism that moves the transport member to a first position where the transport member transports the bottom medium and a second position below the stacking surface; the suction unit releases the suction of the lowermost medium from the transport member after the lowermost medium has been transported by the transport member to a downstream transport unit that is downstream in the transport direction; The driving mechanism moves the transport member from the first position to the second position after the lowermost medium is transported to the downstream transport section by the transport member. A medium supplying device comprising:

2. The driving mechanism moves the transport member from the first position to the second position after the lowermost medium is released from the transport member.

2. The medium supply device according to claim 1.

3. a biasing member configured to bias the conveying member toward the first position; The suction unit has a suction chamber provided with an air opening window, the drive mechanism includes an opening / closing member that opens and closes the atmosphere release window, and a drive source that moves the opening / closing member, The driving source opens the atmosphere release window, and then moves the opening / closing member in one direction so as to move the transport member together against the biasing force of the biasing member, thereby moving the transport member from the first position to the second position after the lowest medium is released from suction to the transport member.

3. The medium supply device according to claim 2.

4. the opening / closing member has a contact portion that comes into contact with the suction transport mechanism to move the suction transport mechanism integrally, the contact portion is located inside the atmosphere opening window, The opening / closing member opens the atmosphere opening window, and then the contact portion comes into contact with an edge of the atmosphere opening window, and moves the suction transport mechanism together against the biasing force of the biasing member.

4. The medium supply device according to claim 3.

Images