Sheet feeding device and sheet feeding method

Abstract

To provide a sheet feeding device and a sheet feeding method that while increasing the speed of sheet feeding, ensure that the sheets stacked in a sheet stack are separated and fed one by one.SOLUTION: A sheet feeding device 100 includes: a loading section that stacks a sheet stack St; a feeding section 20 that contacts the surface of an uppermost sheet S of the sheet stack St and feeds the sheet S in a feeding direction FD; and a first separation mechanism 30 that injects air into multiple sheets S to separate them in a height direction HD. The first separation mechanism 30 includes: a first injection section 31 that injects air into a first area R1 that includes the downstream end of the uppermost sheet S of the sheet stack St in the feeding direction FD; and a second injection section 32 that injects air into a second area R2 located below the first area R1 of the sheet stack St in the height direction HD. The first injection section 31 injects air in a variable first injection direction toward the first area R1, while the second injection section 32 injects air in a second injection direction toward the second area R2, which is independently set from the first injection direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a paper feeding device and a paper feeding method. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is known a paper feeder that separates and feeds paper sheets one by one from a paper stack loaded on a tray (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The paper feeder disclosed in Patent Document 1 blows an airflow onto the edge faces of the paper sheets loaded in the paper stack to form gaps between the sheets, and feeds the topmost sheet that is lifted and separated by the airflow. In Patent Document 1, by displacing the injection nozzle that sprays the airflow toward the paper stack in the loading direction of the paper stack, it is possible to prevent problems such as the leading edge of the paper being disturbed by the airflow. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2004-224505 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, when the spray nozzle that sprays the airflow toward the paper stack is displaced in the stacking direction of the paper stack as in Patent Document 1, the airflow presses the paper downward in the stacking direction when the airflow is directed toward the lowest position in the stacking direction. When the airflow presses the paper downward in the stacking direction, the distance in the stacking direction from the pressed paper to the topmost paper increases, and it then takes a long time for the pressed paper to move to the position of the topmost paper.

[0005] Therefore, if the paper feed speed is set too high, the paper will not be at the top position, and proper paper feeding will not be possible. In order to properly feed paper, the paper feed speed must be set low, and therefore the performance of the paper feed speed cannot be sufficiently improved.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a paper feeding device and paper feeding method that can increase the paper feeding speed while reliably separating and feeding each sheet of paper stacked in a paper stack. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A paper feeding device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a loading section for loading a paper stack including a plurality of sheets of paper; a feeding section for contacting the surface of the topmost sheet of the paper stack and feeding the sheet in a feeding direction; and a first separation mechanism for injecting air into a plurality of sheets of paper including the topmost sheet of the paper stack to separate them in the height direction, wherein the first separation mechanism has a first injection section for injecting air into a first region including the downstream end of the topmost sheet of the paper stack in the feeding direction, and a second injection section for injecting air into a second region of the paper stack that is lower in the height direction than the first region, wherein the first injection section injects air so as to vary a first injection direction toward the first region, and the second injection section injects air in a second injection direction toward the second region that is set independently of the first injection direction.

[0008] According to the paper feeding device of the first aspect of the present invention, multiple sheets of paper, including the topmost sheet of the paper stack, are separated in the height direction by air jetted from the first separation mechanism. Because the first jetting direction of the air jetted from the first jetting unit onto the first region of the paper stack varies, even if adjacent sheets of paper in the first region of the paper stack are difficult to separate, air can be reliably introduced between the sheets to separate them in the height direction.

[0009] Furthermore, in the paper feeder according to the first aspect of the present invention, the second injection direction of the air injected from the second injection unit onto the second region of the paper stack is set independently of the first injection direction. Therefore, even if the air injected from the first injection unit presses the paper downward in the height direction, the air injected from the second injection unit pushes the paper upward toward the first region. This prevents the air injected from the first injection unit from excessively pressing the paper downward in the height direction, thereby preventing the height distance from the pressed paper to the topmost paper from increasing, and shortens the time required for the pressed paper to move to the position of the topmost paper. This allows the paper feed speed to be increased while reliably separating and feeding the paper stack one by one.

[0010] The paper feeding device according to a second aspect of the present invention may be configured in the first aspect such that the second ejection section ejects air while fixing the second ejection direction to a fixed direction.

[0011] According to the paper feeder according to the second aspect of the present invention, the second jet direction of the air jetted from the second jet unit to the second region of the paper stack is fixed in a fixed direction. Therefore, even if the air jetted from the first jet unit presses the paper downward in the height direction, the air jetted from the second jet unit pushes the paper upward toward the first region. This prevents the air jetted from the first jet unit from excessively pressing the paper downward in the height direction, which would increase the vertical distance from the pressed paper to the topmost paper, and shortens the time it takes for the pressed paper to move to the position of the topmost paper. This allows the paper feed speed to be increased while reliably separating and feeding the paper stack one by one.

[0012] A paper feeding device according to a third aspect of the present invention may be configured in the first aspect such that the first ejection unit ejects air so as to cause the first ejection direction to reciprocate in the height direction, the second ejection unit ejects air so as to cause the second ejection direction to reciprocate in the height direction, and the first movement direction in the height direction of the tip of the first ejection unit is set in the opposite direction to the second movement direction in the height direction of the tip of the second ejection unit.

[0013] In the paper feeding device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the first movement direction is set opposite to the second movement direction, so that the air jetted from the first jetting unit and the air jetted from the second jetting unit alternate between a state in which the air jetted from the first jetting unit and the air jetted from the second jetting unit are concentrated in a region close to each other in the height direction and a state in which the air jetted from the first jetting unit and the air jetted from the second jetting unit are dispersed in regions spaced apart in the height direction. This facilitates the state in which multiple sheets of paper, including the topmost sheet of the paper stack, are separated in the height direction by the air jetted from the first separation mechanism.

[0014] A fourth aspect of the paper feeding device of the present invention may be configured such that, in any of the first to third aspects, the first separation mechanism is arranged at multiple positions along a width direction (WD) perpendicular to the feeding direction of the paper fed by the feeding section.

[0015] According to the paper feeding device of the fourth aspect of the present invention, multiple first separation mechanisms arranged at multiple positions in the width direction of the paper can inject air at multiple positions in the width direction of multiple sheets of paper, including the topmost sheet of the paper stack, to reliably separate them in the height direction.

[0016] A paper feeding device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention may be configured in the fourth aspect, wherein the pair of first separation mechanisms are arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to a center position in the width direction of the paper stack.

[0017] According to the paper feeding device of the fifth aspect of the present invention, a pair of first separation mechanisms arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to the center position in the width direction of the paper stack can inject air at multiple positions in the width direction of multiple sheets of paper, including the topmost sheet of paper in the paper stack, thereby reliably separating them in the height direction.

[0018] A sixth aspect of the present invention is a paper feeding device that, in the fifth aspect, includes a second separation mechanism that injects air onto a plurality of sheets of paper, including the topmost sheet of the paper stack, to separate them in the vertical direction, and the second separation mechanism may be configured to be located farther from the center position than the first separation mechanism.

[0019] According to the paper feeding device of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the second separation mechanism, which is positioned farther from the center position of the paper stack in the width direction than the first separation mechanism, can reliably separate the area on the end side of the paper stack in the width direction into individual sheets in the height direction.

[0020] A seventh aspect of the present invention is a paper feeding device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the first separation mechanism includes an air supply path through which air is supplied, a partition plate that divides the air supplied from the air supply path between the first injection section and the second injection section at a predetermined position in the height direction, and a deflection plate that changes the flow direction of the air guided to the first injection section in the height direction.

[0021] According to the paper feeding device of the seventh aspect of the present invention, the air supplied from the air flow path can be separated in the height direction by a partition plate, and the air on the upper side in the height direction can be ejected from the first ejection section to the first region, and the air on the lower side in the height direction can be ejected from the second ejection section. Also, the flow direction of the air guided to the first ejection section can be changed in the height direction by a deflection plate, and the air can be ejected from the first ejection section.

[0022] A paper feeding device according to an eighth aspect of the present invention may be configured in any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the feeding section includes a drive roller, a driven roller, a feed belt that is wrapped around the drive roller and the driven roller and has suction holes formed therein, and a suction section that sucks air through the suction holes formed in the feed belt as it passes a position opposite the paper stack.

[0023] According to the paper feeding device of the eighth aspect of the present invention, the topmost paper in the paper stack separated by the first separation mechanism can be fed one sheet at a time in the feeding direction by adsorbing it to the feeding belt using air sucked in by the suction section.

[0024] The paper feeding device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, may further be configured as follows: That is, the first ejection unit may be configured to eject air in a direction opposite to the feeding direction toward a side of the paper that is located at an end of the paper on the downstream side in the feeding direction when the paper is viewed in a plan view.

[0025] According to the paper feeding device of the ninth aspect of the present invention, by injecting air in the opposite direction of the feeding direction toward the edge located at the downstream end of the paper in the feeding direction, the edge located at the downstream end of the paper in the feeding direction can be properly separated from other paper.

[0026] The paper feeding device according to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, may further be configured as follows: That is, the first ejection unit may be configured to eject air in a direction intersecting the feeding direction toward a side of the paper that is arranged parallel to the feeding direction when the paper is viewed in a plan view.

[0027] According to the paper feeding device of the 10th aspect of the present invention, by injecting air in a direction intersecting the paper feeding direction toward the side that is arranged parallel to the paper feeding direction, it is possible to reliably guide air between the papers and separate them in the vertical direction while positioning the first injection section at a position away from the area where the paper is fed.

[0028] A paper feeding method according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention is a method of feeding paper using a paper feeding device, the paper feeding device comprising: a loading section for loading a paper stack including a plurality of paper sheets; a feeding section for contacting a surface of the topmost paper of the paper stack to feed the paper in a feeding direction; and a first separation mechanism for injecting air into a plurality of paper sheets including the topmost paper of the paper stack to separate them in a height direction, the first separation mechanism comprising: a first injection section for injecting air into a first region including a downstream end of the topmost paper of the paper stack in the feeding direction; and a second injection unit that injects air into a second region that is lower in the height direction than the first region of the sheet, and the sheet feeding device includes: a first injection process that injects air from the first injection unit toward the first region so as to vary a first injection direction; a second injection process that injects air from the second injection unit toward the second region in a second injection direction that is set independently of the first injection direction; and a feeding process that feeds the sheet in the feeding direction by the feeding unit while air is injected into the first region in the first injection process and air is injected into the second region in the second injection process.

[0029] According to the paper feeding method of the eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the first ejection step, a plurality of sheets of paper, including the topmost sheet of the paper stack, are separated in the height direction by air ejected from the first separation mechanism. Because the first ejection direction of the air ejected from the first ejection unit onto the first region of the paper stack varies, even if adjacent sheets of paper in the first region of the paper stack are difficult to separate, air can be reliably introduced between these sheets to separate them in the height direction.

[0030] Furthermore, in a paper feeding method according to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the second ejection step, the second ejection direction of the air ejected from the second ejection unit onto the second region of the paper stack is set independently of the first ejection direction. Therefore, even if the air ejected from the first ejection unit presses the paper downward in the height direction, the air ejected from the second ejection unit pushes the paper upward toward the first region. This prevents the air ejected from the first ejection unit from excessively pressing the paper downward in the height direction, thereby preventing the height distance from the pressed paper to the topmost paper from increasing, and shortens the time required for the pressed paper to move to the position of the topmost paper. This allows the paper feed speed to be increased while reliably separating and feeding the paper stack one by one.

[0031] A twelfth aspect of the present invention provides the paper feeding method of the eleventh aspect, wherein the second ejection step may eject air while fixing the second ejection direction to a fixed direction.

[0032] According to a paper feeding method according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in the second ejection step, the second ejection direction of the air ejected from the second ejection unit onto the second region of the paper stack is fixed in a fixed direction. Therefore, even if the air ejected from the first ejection unit presses the paper downward in the height direction, the air ejected from the second ejection unit pushes the paper upward toward the first region. This prevents the air ejected from the first ejection unit from excessively pressing the paper downward in the height direction, which would increase the vertical distance from the pressed paper to the topmost paper, and shortens the time required for the pressed paper to move to the position of the topmost paper. This allows the paper feeding speed to be increased while reliably separating and feeding the paper stack one by one.

[0033] A paper feeding method according to a thirteenth aspect of the present invention may be configured in the eleventh aspect, such that the first ejection process ejects air so as to cause the first ejection direction to reciprocate in the height direction, and the second ejection process ejects air so as to cause the second ejection direction to reciprocate in the height direction, and the first movement direction in the height direction of the tip of the first ejection section is set in the opposite direction to the second movement direction in the height direction of the tip of the second ejection section.

[0034] According to the paper feeding method of the thirteenth aspect of the present invention, the first movement direction is set opposite to the second movement direction, so that the air jetted from the first jetting unit and the air jetted from the second jetting unit alternate between a state in which the air jetted from the first jetting unit and the air jetted from the second jetting unit are concentrated in a region close to each other in the height direction and a state in which the air jetted from the first jetting unit and the air jetted from the second jetting unit are dispersed in regions spaced apart in the height direction, thereby facilitating the state in which multiple sheets of paper, including the top sheet of the paper stack, are separated in the height direction by the air jetted from the first separation mechanism. [Effects of the Invention]

[0035] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a paper feeding device and a paper feeding method that can increase the paper feeding speed while reliably separating and feeding the paper sheets stacked on a paper stack one by one. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0036] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a paper feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a plan view of the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from above. FIG. [Figure 3] 2 is a view of the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the upstream side in the feeding direction. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged view of the first separation mechanism shown in FIG. [Figure 5] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 3 taken along the arrow BB. [Figure 6]FIG. 10 is a partial enlarged view showing a first separation mechanism of a paper feeding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0037] [First embodiment] A paper feeding device 100 according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the paper feeding device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the paper feeding device 100 shown in FIG. 1 as seen from above. FIG. 3 is a view of the paper feeding device 100 shown in FIG. 1 as seen from the upstream side in the feeding direction FD. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the paper feeding device 100 shown in FIG. 3 as seen from the arrow AA.

[0038] 1, the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment includes a stacking unit 10, a feeding unit 20, a first separation mechanism 30, a second separation mechanism 40, and a control unit 50. The paper feeding device 100 is a device that feeds only the topmost paper S from among a plurality of paper sheets S included in a paper stack St loaded on the stacking unit 10, one sheet at a time, along a feeding direction FD by the feeding unit 20.

[0039] The stacking unit 10 is a device that stacks a paper stack St containing a plurality of sheets of paper S. The paper stack St is formed by stacking a plurality of sheets of paper S in a height direction HD on a shelf 11. The shelf 11 is moved along the height direction HD by an elevating mechanism 12 so that the topmost sheet S of the paper stack St approaches the feeding unit 20. The elevating mechanism 12 is controlled by a control command from the control unit 50.

[0040] The feeding unit 20 is a device that contacts the surface of the topmost sheet S of paper stack St and feeds the sheet S in the feeding direction FD. The feeding unit 20 has a drive roller 21, a driven roller 22, a feeding belt 23, and a suction unit 24. The feeding belt 23 is a belt that is wound around the driving roller 21 and the driven roller 22 and has a plurality of suction holes 23a formed therein. The feeding belt 23 is made of, for example, a rubber material.

[0041] As shown in Fig. 2, the feeding units 20 are arranged at multiple positions along the width direction WD. The multiple feeding units 20 are arranged at positions (four positions in the example shown in Fig. 2) symmetrical with respect to the center position of the paper stack St in the width direction WD (a position on the axis X along the feeding direction FD). The drive roller 21 generates a driving force to rotate in the rotation direction RD. When the drive roller 21 rotates in the rotation direction RD, the driving force is transmitted to the feeding belt 23, causing the feeding belt 23 to rotate in the rotation direction RD.

[0042] The suction unit 24 is a device that sucks in outside air through suction holes 23a formed in the feed belt 23 that passes through a position opposite the paper stack St. When the suction unit 24 sucks in outside air through the suction holes 23a, the topmost sheet S of the paper stack St is adsorbed to the feed belt 23. The sheet S adsorbed to the feed belt 23 is fed by the feed belt 23 in the feed direction FD.

[0043] The first separation mechanism 30 is a device that injects air onto a plurality of sheets S, including the topmost sheet S of the sheet stack St, to separate the sheets S in the height direction HD. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the first separation mechanisms 30 are arranged at a plurality of positions along the width direction WD, which is perpendicular to the feeding direction FD of the sheets S fed by the feeding unit 20. The pair of first separation mechanisms 30 are arranged one by one at positions symmetrical with respect to the center position of the width direction WD of the sheet stack St (a position on the axis X along the feeding direction FD).

[0044] Fig. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the first separation mechanism 30 shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 4, the first separation mechanism 30 has a first ejection unit 31 and a second ejection unit 32. The first ejection unit 31 ejects air into a first region R1 that includes the downstream end of the uppermost sheet S in the paper stack St in the feeding direction FD. The second ejection unit 32 ejects air into a second region R2 that is lower in the height direction HD than the first region R1 of the paper stack St.

[0045] The first region R1 is, for example, a region ranging from 10 mm to 20 mm in the height direction HD from the surface of the feed belt 23 on the paper stack St side. The second region R2 is, for example, a region ranging from 5 mm to 10 mm in the height direction HD from the lower end of the first region R1.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 4, the first separation mechanism 30 has an air supply path 30A, a partition plate 30B, a deflection plate 30C, and a swinging mechanism 30D. The air supply path 30A is a flow path to which air is supplied along the flow direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 4. The partition plate 30B is a plate-like member that separates the air supplied from the air supply path 30A into a first injection section 31 and a second injection section 32 at a predetermined position in the height direction HD.

[0047] 2 indicates the direction of air jetted from the first separation mechanism 30 when the sheet S is viewed from above downward in the height direction HD. As shown in Fig. 2, the first jetting unit 31 and the second jetting unit 32 of the first separation mechanism 30 jet air in a jetting direction JD1, which is the opposite direction to the feeding direction FD, toward the side Se1 that is located at the downstream end of the sheet S in the feeding direction FD when the sheet S is viewed from above.

[0048] As a modification of this embodiment, instead of the first separation mechanism 30 shown by the solid line in Fig. 2, a first separation mechanism 30 shown by the dotted line in Fig. 2 may be employed. As shown in Fig. 2, the modified first separation mechanism 30 shown by the dotted line injects air in an injection direction JD2 that intersects with the feeding direction FD (for example, a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction FD) toward an edge Se2 that is arranged parallel to the feeding direction FD of the sheet S when the sheet S is viewed in a plan view. Also, as a modification of this embodiment, in addition to the first separation mechanism 30 shown by the solid line in Fig. 2, a separate first separation mechanism 30 shown by the dotted line in Fig. 2 may be provided.

[0049] The deflector 30C is a device that changes the flow direction of air guided from the air supply path 30A to the first injection unit 31 in the height direction HD. Air blown from a blower (not shown) is guided to the air supply path 30A. The deflector 30C is swung around an oscillation axis 30E by an oscillation mechanism 30D within an angle θ. The deflector 30C oscillates the first injection direction in which the first injection unit 31 injects air between ID11 indicated by a solid line and ID12 indicated by a dotted line.

[0050] The swing mechanism 30D is controlled by a control command from the control unit 50. The control unit 50 sets the swing period for swinging the deflection plate 30C by the swing mechanism 30D to, for example, a range of 0.2 seconds to 0.3 seconds.

[0051] When the first injection direction is ID12, the deflector 30C is disposed at the position shown by the dotted line in Fig. 4. Here, the first injection direction is a direction extending along the center line of the airflow where the flow velocity of the air injected from the first injection part 31 is the highest.

[0052] The first ejection unit 31 ejects air so that the first ejection direction toward the first region R1 of the paper stack St varies between ID11 and ID12 (first ejection step). The second ejection unit 32 ejects air so that the second ejection direction toward the second region R2 of the paper stack St is fixed at a constant direction, ID2 (second ejection step). The feeding unit 20 feeds the paper S in the feeding direction FD with air being ejected from the first ejection unit 31 toward the first region R1 and air being ejected from the second ejection unit 32 toward the second region R2 (feeding step). In this way, the second ejection direction ID2 is a direction that is set independently of the first ejection direction, which varies between ID11 and ID12.

[0053] The second separation mechanism 40 is a device that injects air onto multiple sheets S, including the topmost sheet S of the sheet stack St, to separate them in the height direction HD. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the second separation mechanism 40 is arranged at multiple positions along the width direction WD, which is perpendicular to the feeding direction FD of the sheets S fed by the feeding unit 20.

[0054] The four second separation mechanisms 40 are arranged in pairs symmetrically with respect to the center position of the width direction WD of the paper stack St (a position on the axis X along the feeding direction FD). The second separation mechanisms 40 are arranged farther from the center position of the width direction WD of the paper stack St than the first separation mechanisms 30.

[0055] Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the sheet feeding device 100 shown in Fig. 3 taken along the line BB. As shown in Fig. 5, the second separation mechanism 40 injects air into a third region R3 that includes the downstream end of the uppermost sheet S in the sheet stack St in the feeding direction FD. The second separation mechanism 40 has an air supply path 40A and an ejection unit 40B. Air blown from a blower (not shown) is guided into the air supply path 40A. The second separation mechanism 40 ejects the air supplied from the air supply path 40A in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 5 from the ejection unit 40B and guides it to the third region R3.

[0056] The actions and effects achieved by the sheet feeding device 100 of the present embodiment described above will now be described. According to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, multiple sheets of paper S, including the topmost sheet S of the paper stack St, are separated in the height direction HD by air jetted from the first separation mechanism 30. Because the first jetting direction of the air jetted from the first jetting unit 31 to the first region R1 of the paper stack St varies, even if adjacent sheets of paper S are difficult to separate in the first region R1 of the paper stack St, air can be reliably introduced between these sheets of paper S to separate them in the height direction.

[0057] Furthermore, according to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, the second injection direction of the air injected from the second injection unit 32 into the second region R2 of the paper stack St is fixed in a fixed direction. Therefore, even when the paper S is pressed downward in the height direction HD by the air injected from the first injection unit 31, the air injected from the second injection unit 32 pushes the paper S upward toward the first region R1. This prevents the air injected from the first injection unit 31 from excessively pressing the paper S downward in the height direction HD, thereby preventing the distance in the height direction HD from the pressed paper S to the topmost paper S from becoming longer, and shortens the time required for the pressed paper S to move to the position of the topmost paper S. Therefore, the paper S stacked in the paper stack St can be reliably separated and fed one by one while increasing the feeding speed of the paper S.

[0058] According to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, multiple first separation mechanisms 30 arranged at multiple positions in the width direction WD of the paper S can inject air at multiple positions in the width direction WD of multiple sheets of paper S, including the topmost sheet S of the paper stack St, to reliably separate the sheets in the height direction HD.

[0059] According to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, a pair of first separation mechanisms 30 arranged at positions symmetrical with respect to the center position of the width direction WD of the paper stack St can inject air at multiple positions in the width direction WD of multiple sheets of paper S, including the topmost sheet S of the paper stack St, to reliably separate them in the height direction HD.

[0060] According to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, the second separation mechanism 40, which is positioned farther from the center position of the paper stack St in the width direction WD than the first separation mechanism 30, can reliably separate the area on the end side of the paper stack St in the width direction WD into individual sheets in the height direction HD.

[0061] According to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, the air supplied from the air supply path 30A is separated in the height direction HD by the partition plate 30B, and the air on the upper side in the height direction HD is ejected from the first ejection unit 31 to the first region R1, and the air on the lower side in the height direction HD is ejected from the second ejection unit 32 to the second region R2. In addition, the deflection plate 30C can change the flow direction of the air guided to the first ejection unit 31 in the height direction HD, and the air can be ejected from the first ejection unit 31.

[0062] According to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, the topmost paper S of the paper stack St separated by the first separation mechanism 30 can be fed one sheet at a time in the feeding direction FD by adsorbing it to the feeding belt 23 using air sucked in by the suction section 24.

[0063] According to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, air is sprayed in the spray direction JD1, which is the opposite direction to the feeding direction FD, toward the edge Se1 located at the downstream end of the paper S in the feeding direction FD, thereby making it possible to properly separate the edge Se1 located at the downstream end of the paper S in the feeding direction FD from other papers S.

[0064] According to the paper feeding device 100 of this embodiment, by injecting air in a direction intersecting the feeding direction FD toward the edge Se2 that is arranged parallel to the feeding direction FD of the paper S, it is possible to reliably guide air between the papers S and separate them in the height direction HD while positioning the first separation mechanism 30 at a position away from the area where the paper S is fed.

[0065] Second Embodiment Next, a paper feeding device 100A according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged view showing the first separation mechanism 30 of the paper feeding device 100A according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] In the first separation mechanism 30 of the paper feeding device 100 according to the first embodiment, the second ejection unit 32 ejects air while fixing the second ejection direction ID2 in a fixed direction. In contrast, in the first separation mechanism 30 of the paper feeding device 100A according to the present embodiment, the second ejection unit 32 ejects air so as to reciprocate the second ejection direction in the height direction.

[0067] The first separation mechanism 30 of this embodiment has a partition plate 30B that changes the flow direction of air guided from the air supply path 30A to the second injection unit 32 in the height direction HD. The partition plate 30B is swung around an oscillation axis 30Ba by an oscillation mechanism (not shown) within a range of an angle θ2. The partition plate 30B oscillates the second injection direction in which the second injection unit 32 injects air between ID21 indicated by the solid line and ID22 indicated by the dotted line. The second injection unit 32 injects air so that the second injection direction reciprocates between ID21 and ID22 in the height direction HD.

[0068] The first separation mechanism 30 of this embodiment has a deflector plate 30C that changes the flow direction of air guided from the air supply path 30A to the first injection unit 31 in the height direction HD. The deflector plate 30C is swung around an oscillation axis 30E by an oscillation mechanism 30D within an angle θ1 range. The deflector plate 30C oscillates the first injection direction in which the first injection unit 31 injects air between ID11 indicated by a solid line and ID12 indicated by a dotted line. The first injection unit 31 injects air so that the first injection direction reciprocates between ID11 and ID12 in the height direction HD.

[0069] In the first separation mechanism 30 of this embodiment, the first movement direction in the height direction HD of the tip of the first injection section 31 (the end of the deflection plate 30C on the paper stack St side) is set to the opposite direction to the second movement direction in the height direction HD of the tip of the second injection section 32 (the end of the partition plate 30B on the paper stack St side).

[0070] When the first ejection direction of the first ejector 31 moves upward in the height direction HD from ID11 to ID12, the second ejection direction of the second ejector 32 moves downward in the height direction HD from ID21 to ID22. Furthermore, when the first ejection direction of the first ejector 31 moves downward in the height direction HD from ID12 to ID11, the second ejection direction of the second ejector 32 moves upward in the height direction HD from ID22 to ID21.

[0071] In this embodiment, a first region R1 where the first ejection unit 31 ejects air toward the paper stack St and a second region R2 where the second ejection unit 32 ejects air toward the paper stack St partially overlap in the height direction HD. The second ejection unit 32 of this embodiment can ensure a wider second region R2 along the height direction HD than the second ejection unit 32 of the first embodiment.

[0072] According to the paper feeding device 100A of this embodiment, the first movement direction is set to the opposite direction to the second movement direction, so that a state in which the air ejected from the first ejection unit 31 and the air ejected from the second ejection unit 32 are concentrated in an area close to each other in the height direction HD and a state in which the air ejected from the first ejection unit 31 and the air ejected from the second ejection unit 32 are dispersed in areas spaced apart in the height direction HD are alternately repeated. This makes it possible to promote a state in which multiple papers S, including the topmost paper S of the paper stack St, are separated in the height direction HD by the air ejected from the first separation mechanism 30.

[0073] In the paper feeding device 100A according to the second embodiment of the present invention described above, the second ejection unit 32 ejects air so that the second ejection direction reciprocates in the height direction, but other configurations are also possible. For example, the second ejection unit 32 may eject air in a fixed direction by fixing the second ejection direction at an arbitrary angle between ID21 and ID22. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 10 Loading section 11 Shelves 12 Lifting mechanism 20 Feeding section 21 Drive roller 22 driven roller 23 Feeding belt 23a Suction hole 24 Suction part 30 First separation mechanism 30A Air supply line 30B Partition 30Ba swing axis 30C deflection plate 30D swing mechanism 30E Swing shaft 31 1st injection part 32 2nd injection part 40 Second separation mechanism 40A Air supply line 40B Injection part 50 control section 100 Paper feeding device FD feeding direction HD Height direction R1 1st area R2 2nd area R3 3rd area RD rotation direction S paper St paper stack WD Width direction X axis θ,θ1,θ2 angles

Claims

1. a stacking section for stacking a paper stack including a plurality of sheets of paper; a feeding section that contacts a surface of the topmost sheet of the paper stack and feeds the sheet in a feeding direction; a first separation mechanism that injects air onto a plurality of sheets of paper, including the topmost sheet of the paper stack, to separate them in a height direction; The first separation mechanism includes: a first ejection unit that ejects air toward a first region that includes a downstream end of the uppermost sheet of the paper stack in the feeding direction; a second ejection unit that ejects air onto a second region of the paper stack that is lower in the height direction than the first region, the first injection unit injects air so as to vary a first injection direction toward the first region, The second ejection section ejects air in a second ejection direction toward the second region, the second ejection direction being set independently of the first ejection direction.

2. The paper feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein the second jetting section jets air while fixing the second jetting direction to a fixed direction.

3. The first injection unit injects air so that the first injection direction reciprocates in the height direction, The second injection unit injects air so that the second injection direction reciprocates in the height direction, 2. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a first movement direction in the height direction of the leading end of the first ejection section is set to be opposite to a second movement direction in the height direction of the leading end of the second ejection section.

4. The paper feeding device according to claim 1 , wherein the first separation mechanism is arranged at a plurality of positions along a width direction of the paper fed by the feeding section, the width direction being perpendicular to the feeding direction.

5. 5. The paper feeding device according to claim 4, wherein the pair of first separation mechanisms are disposed at positions symmetrical with respect to a center position in the width direction of the paper stack.

6. a second separation mechanism that injects air onto a plurality of sheets including the top sheet of the paper stack to separate them in the height direction; 6. The paper feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the second separation mechanism is disposed at a position farther from the center position than the first separation mechanism.

7. The first separation mechanism includes: an air supply path through which air is supplied; a partition plate that partitions the air supplied from the air supply passage between the first injection portion and the second injection portion at a predetermined position in the height direction; The paper feeding device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a deflector that changes a flow direction of the air guided to the first ejection portion in the height direction.

8. The feeding section A drive roller; A driven roller; a feeding belt that is wound around the driving roller and the driven roller and has suction holes; 4. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a suction unit that sucks air through the suction holes formed in the feeding belt as the feeding belt passes through a position facing the paper stack.

9. A paper feeding device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first injection section injects air in the opposite direction to the feeding direction toward the edge of the paper that is located at the downstream end of the feeding direction when the paper is viewed in a plane.

10. A paper feeding device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first injection section injects air in a direction intersecting the feeding direction toward a side of the paper that is arranged parallel to the feeding direction when the paper is viewed in a plane.

11. A paper feeding method for feeding paper by a paper feeding device, comprising: The paper feed device a stacking section for stacking a paper stack including a plurality of the paper sheets; a feeding section that contacts a surface of the topmost sheet of the paper stack and feeds the sheet in a feeding direction; a first separation mechanism that injects air onto a plurality of sheets of paper, including the topmost sheet of the paper stack, to separate them in a height direction; The first separation mechanism includes: a first ejection unit that ejects air toward a first region that includes a downstream end of the uppermost sheet of the paper stack in the feeding direction; a second ejection unit that ejects air onto a second region of the paper stack that is lower in the height direction than the first region, a first injection step of injecting air from the first injection section toward the first region in a manner that changes a first injection direction; a second injection step of injecting air from the second injection section toward the second region in a second injection direction that is set independently of the first injection direction; a feeding step of feeding the paper in the feeding direction by the feeding section while air is injected into the first area in the first injection step and air is injected into the second area in the second injection step.

12. The paper feeding method according to claim 11 , wherein the second ejection step ejects air while fixing the second ejection direction to a fixed direction.

13. the first injection step injects air so that the first injection direction reciprocates in the height direction; the second injection step injects air so that the second injection direction reciprocates in the height direction, The paper feeding method according to claim 11 , wherein a first movement direction in the height direction of the leading edge of the first ejection section is set to be opposite to a second movement direction in the height direction of the leading edge of the second ejection section.

Images