Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To suppress the occurrence of sheet feeding failure.SOLUTION: An image forming apparatus includes a support unit configured to support a plurality of sheets, a feeding unit configured to feed the sheets supported by the support unit, an air loosening unit configured to blow air to the sheets supported by the support unit to loosen the sheets, and a control unit configured to execute a feeding operation of feeding the sheets by the feeding unit and a loosening operation of blowing air by the air loosening unit. When the sheet is not fed even if the feeding operation is executed (S7; YES), the control unit can execute the retry operation of re-executing the feeding operation (S3), and can execute the first loosening mode (S11 to S13) of executing the loosening operation after executing the feeding operation and before executing the retry operation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that feeds sheets and an image forming apparatus that includes the sheet feeding device. [Background technology]

[0002] Image forming devices such as copiers, facsimiles, and printers are equipped with a manual feed tray, a feed cassette, or an external feed deck as a sheet feeding device that feeds sheets to an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheets. Recently, there has been an increasing demand for forming images on a variety of sheets, and sheets with smooth surfaces, such as coated paper, are often used. When a stack of such smooth-surfaced sheets is loaded into a sheet feeding device such as the one described above, the sheets may not separate due to the strong adhesion between them, resulting in feeding problems. For this reason, a so-called air handling system has been proposed, which blows air onto a set of sheets to lift them and separate them (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 4-23747 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the sheet feeding device described in Patent Document 1, in order to prevent excessive sheet separation, air separation is performed at the start of an image formation job, and then sheets are not separated until all sheets on the tray are depleted. Therefore, if new sheets are added on top of the initially separated sheet stack during a multi-sheet image formation job, the unseparated sheets will be fed, which may result in feeding problems due to the adhesion between the sheets. In particular, with a manual feed tray, unlike a feed cassette installed in an image forming apparatus, it is difficult to determine whether sheets have been added. On the other hand, even with a feed cassette installed in an image forming apparatus, depending on the temperature, humidity, sheet type, and size, feeding problems may still occur due to the adhesion between the sheets during the image formation job, even if air separation is performed before the image formation job starts.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding device and an image forming apparatus that can suppress the occurrence of sheet feeding failures. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A first aspect of the present invention is a sheet feeding device comprising: a support section that supports a plurality of sheets; a feeding section that feeds the sheets supported by the support section; an air handling section that blows air at the plurality of sheets supported by the support section to handle the sheets; and a control section that is capable of respectively performing a feeding operation in which the feeding section feeds the sheets and a handling operation in which the air handling section blows air, wherein the control section is capable of performing a retry operation in which the feeding operation is performed again if the sheets are not fed even after the feeding operation is performed, and is capable of performing a first handling mode in which the handling operation is performed after the feeding operation is performed and before the retry operation is performed.

[0007] A second aspect of the present invention is an image forming apparatus including the sheet feeding device described above and an image forming section that forms an image on a sheet. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of sheet feeding failures. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the image forming apparatus according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a manual feeding section according to the embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a manual feeding section according to the embodiment. [Figure 5] 10 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure of a manual feeding unit according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, an image forming system 600 including an image forming apparatus 201 and a feeding deck 800 connected to the image forming apparatus 201 will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the image forming system 600 according to the embodiment.

[0011] [Image formation system overview] 1, the feeding deck 800 is connected to the right side of the image forming apparatus 201 in FIG. 1, and is configured to be able to feed the sheet S to the image forming unit 201B of the image forming apparatus 201. In addition, the manual feeding unit 235 is also configured to be able to feed the sheet S to the image forming unit 201B of the image forming apparatus 201.

[0012] [Schematic configuration of image forming device] As shown in Fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 201 has an apparatus main body 201A equipped with an image forming unit 201B that forms an image on a sheet. An image reading device 202 that is installed substantially horizontally is disposed above the apparatus main body 201A. A discharge space V for discharging sheets is formed between the image reading device 202 and the apparatus main body 201A. An operation unit 730 that is a UI configured with a touch panel or the like that can display a screen is disposed above the apparatus main body 201A. The operation unit 730 is an example of an output unit that outputs information, and is configured with, for example, a liquid crystal touch panel.

[0013] Image forming unit 201B is configured to employ a four-drum full-color system. Image forming unit 201B includes a laser scanner 210 and four process cartridges 211Y, 211M, 211C, and 211K that form toner images in four colors: yellow (Y), magenta (M), cyan (C), and black (K). Each process cartridge 211 includes a photosensitive drum 212, a charger 213 serving as charging means, and a developing unit 214 serving as developing means. Image forming unit 201B also includes an intermediate transfer unit 201C disposed above process cartridge 211, and a fixing unit 201E. A toner cartridge 215 for supplying toner to developing unit 214 is provided above intermediate transfer unit 201C.

[0014] The intermediate transfer unit 201C includes an intermediate transfer belt 216 wound around a drive roller 216a and a tension roller 216b. A primary transfer roller 219 is provided inside the intermediate transfer belt 216 and contacts the intermediate transfer belt 216 at a position facing the photosensitive drum 212. The intermediate transfer belt 216 is rotated in the direction of the arrow by a drive roller 216a driven by a drive unit (not shown).

[0015] Then, the negative-polarity toner images of each color on the photosensitive drum are sequentially transferred onto the intermediate transfer belt 216 by the primary transfer roller 219. A secondary transfer roller 217 that transfers the color image formed on the intermediate transfer belt 216 onto the sheet S is provided opposite the drive roller 216a of the intermediate transfer unit 201C. A secondary transfer section 201D is formed between the intermediate transfer belt 216 and the secondary transfer roller 217. A fixing section 201E having a pressure roller 220a and a heating roller 220b is provided above the secondary transfer roller 217. A first pair of discharge rollers 225a, a second pair of discharge rollers 225b, and a double-sided reversing section 201F are also provided above the fixing section 201E. The double-sided reversing section 201F is provided with a reversing roller pair 222 that can rotate forward and backward, a re-conveyance path R that transports the sheet with an image formed on one side thereof back to the image forming section 201B, and the like.

[0016] A plurality of sheet feeding units 230 that feed loaded sheets S to the image forming unit 201B are provided at the bottom of the apparatus main body 201A. Each of the plurality of sheet feeding units 230 includes a feeding cassette 1 that stores a plurality of sheets (a stack of sheets), and a sheet feeding section 6 that serves as a feeding section that feeds the sheets S stored in the feeding cassette 1. The sheet feeding section 6 includes a pickup roller 2, and a feed roller 3 and a retard roller 4 that serve as a separating means that separates the sheets S that have been fed from the pickup roller 2 and have been fed in a multi-fed state.

[0017] 1 of the apparatus main body 201A, below the manual feed section 235, is provided a feed deck 800 that feeds loaded sheets S to the image forming section 201B. The feed deck 800 has a sheet feed section 806, similar to the sheet feed unit 230. That is, the sheet feed section 806 has a pickup roller 801, and a feed roller 802 and a retard roller 803 as separation means that separates sheets S that have been fed from the pickup roller 801 and fed in multiple sheets. Furthermore, a pair of pull-out rollers 804 is provided downstream of the sheet feed section 806 in the sheet conveyance direction.

[0018] Further, a manual feed section 235 is provided on the right side surface of the apparatus main body 201A in FIG. 1, which feeds sheets S from a plurality of sheets S (a stack of sheets) that have been manually loaded to the image forming section 201B. The manual feed section 235 has a sheet tray 236 as an opening / closing section. The sheet tray 236 is a manual tray onto which sheets S can be manually loaded. The sheet tray 236 is rotatable relative to the apparatus main body 201A and can move in an opening / closing direction, that is, it is arranged so as to be switchable between an open state in which it is open relative to the apparatus main body 201A and a closed state in which it is closed relative to the apparatus main body 201A. The sheet tray 236 is configured to be able to support sheets S when in the open state.

[0019] Similarly to the sheet feeding unit 230, the manual feeding section 235 also includes a sheet feeding section 506. The sheet feeding section 506 is an example of a feeding section, and feeds the sheets S supported on the sheet tray 236. That is, the sheet feeding section 506 includes a pickup roller 501, and a feed roller 502 and a retard roller 503 as a separation unit that separates the sheets S fed from the pickup roller 501 and fed in multiple sheets. Furthermore, a pair of pull-out rollers 504 is provided downstream of the sheet feeding section 506 in the sheet conveying direction.

[0020] A media detection sensor 280 serving as a type detection unit is disposed in the conveyance path of the apparatus main body 201A, and reads the conveyed sheet S to detect the basis weight and surface properties of the paper.

[0021] [Operation of image forming device] Next, we will explain the image forming operation of the image forming apparatus 201. First, when image information of an original is read by the image reading device 202, this image information is subjected to image processing, converted into an electrical signal, and transmitted to the laser scanner 210 of the image forming unit 201B. Note that this image information may be transmitted via a network from a host device 1500 (see FIG. 2), such as an external computer.

[0022] In the image forming unit 201B, the surface is uniformly charged to a predetermined polarity and potential by the charger 213, and the surface of the photosensitive drum 212 is sequentially exposed to laser light. As a result, electrostatic latent images of yellow, magenta, cyan, and black are sequentially formed on the photosensitive drum of each process cartridge 211, respectively.

[0023] Thereafter, the electrostatic latent images are developed and visualized with toner of each color, and the toner images of each color on each photosensitive drum are transferred in order onto the intermediate transfer belt 216 in a superimposed manner by a primary transfer bias applied to the primary transfer roller 219. As a result, a toner image is formed on the intermediate transfer belt 216.

[0024] Meanwhile, the sheet S fed from the sheet feeding unit 230 (or the manual feeding section 235 or the feeding deck 800) is conveyed to a pair of registration rollers 240 (a pair of registration rollers) consisting of a drive roller and a driven roller. At this time, the driving of the pair of registration rollers 240 is stopped, and the leading edge of the sheet S abuts against the pair of registration rollers 240. As a result, the leading edge of the sheet S is made to follow the pair of registration rollers 240.

[0025] Thereafter, the sheet S continues to be conveyed by the feed roller 3 (or the feed roller 502 or the feed roller 802), etc., so that a flexure (loop) is formed in the sheet S. Thereafter, the pair of registration rollers 240 is driven in synchronization with the toner image on the intermediate transfer belt 216. As a result, the pair of registration rollers 240 corrects the skew of the sheet S, and the sheet S whose skew has been corrected is conveyed to the secondary transfer unit 201D by the pair of registration rollers 240.

[0026] Subsequently, in secondary transfer section 201D, the toner images are transferred all at once onto sheet S by a secondary transfer bias applied to secondary transfer roller 217. Then, sheet S onto which the toner images have been transferred is transported to fixing section 201E, where the toners of the various colors are melted and mixed by heat and pressure, and are fixed onto sheet S as a color image.

[0027] Thereafter, the sheet S on which the image has been fixed is discharged into the discharge space V by the first discharge roller pair 225a or the second discharge roller pair 225b provided downstream of the fixing unit 201E, and is stacked on a stacking unit 223 formed on the bottom surface of the discharge space V. When images are formed on both sides of the sheet S, after the images are fixed, the sheet S is transported to a re-conveyance path R by the reversing roller pair 222, and is transported again to the secondary transfer unit 201D.

[0028] [Configuration of manual feed section] Next, the manual feed unit 235, which is an example of a sheet feeding device, will be described in detail with reference to Figures 1 and 3. Figure 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the configuration of the manual feed unit 235 according to the embodiment.

[0029] 1 and 3, the manual feed unit 235 includes a sheet tray 236, which is an example of a support unit, capable of supporting a plurality of sheets, and a sheet feed unit 506, which serves as a feed unit that feeds sheets and separates overlapped sheets. The sheet feed unit 506 also includes a pickup roller 501, which serves as a feed roller that comes into contact with the top sheet of the sheet stack and feeds the top sheet. The sheet feed unit 506 also includes a feed roller 502 and a retard roller 503, which serve as a separation unit that separates the sheet S fed from the pickup roller 501.

[0030] Furthermore, in the manual feed unit 235, a pair of pull-out rollers 504 is disposed downstream of the feed roller 502 in the sheet feed direction, which pulls out the sheet S from the feed roller 502 and feeds it to the image forming apparatus 201. Furthermore, a feed sensor 505 is disposed between the feed roller 502 and the pair of pull-out rollers 504 in the sheet feed direction, that is, downstream of the sheet feed unit 506 in the feed direction. The feed sensor 505 detects the passage of the sheet S by outputting a signal depending on the presence or absence of the sheet S. The feed sensor 505 is an example of a detection unit, and detects that the sheet S has been fed by the sheet feed unit 506.

[0031] 3, the sheet tray 236 is provided with a manual feed tray base 515 and a lifter plate 514 as a support portion that supports and stacks a sheet bundle made up of a plurality of sheets S. The lifter plate 514 is also provided with a paper presence / absence detection sensor 401 as a sheet detection portion that detects that the sheets S are supported on the sheet tray 236. The height position of the lifter plate 514 is controlled by a lifting mechanism (not shown) in accordance with the amount of sheets S stacked.

[0032] 3, the sheet tray 236 is provided with side edge restriction plates 511 and 512 that restrict the position of the sheets S supported on the sheet tray 236 in the width direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. The side edge restriction plates 511 and 512 restrict the position of the widthwise ends (side edges of the sheets) of the sheets S set on the lifter plate 514. The side edge restriction plates 511 and 512 are provided with air blowing units 511A and 512A, which are examples of an air handling unit. The air blowing units 511A and 512A blow air onto the multiple sheets S supported on the sheet tray 236 to handle the sheets. The air blowing unit 511A has a fan 511b driven by a fan motor 511M (see FIG. 2) and a duct 511a that guides the air blown from the fan 511b so that it passes through the inside of the side edge restriction plate 511 and blows it from the side of the sheet stack. Similarly, air blowing section 512A has fan 512b driven by fan motor 512M (see FIG. 2), and duct 512a that guides the air blown from fan 512b so that it passes through the inside of side end regulating plate 512 and blows the air from the side of the sheet stack. In addition, side end regulating plates 511, 512 are provided with floating suppression plates 511c, 512c near the openings of ducts 511a, 512a to prevent sheets S, to which air is blown, from floating up and climbing over side end regulating plates 511, 512.

[0033] [Configuration of the control system of the image forming system] Next, the configuration of the control system in the image forming system 600 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing the control system of the image forming system according to the embodiment.

[0034] The control unit 100 according to this embodiment is provided in, for example, the image forming apparatus 201, and is configured to include a CPU 101, a ROM 102, and a RAM 103. The control unit 100 is a control means that controls the image forming apparatus 201, the feed deck 800, and the manual feed unit 235 in an integrated manner. The control unit 100 is connected to a host device 1500 and an operation unit 730, and performs signal processing and sequence control for various process devices while exchanging information with them. The host device 1500 is an external device such as a personal computer, image scanner, or facsimile machine.

[0035] The control unit 100 is also connected to a fan control unit 510, a feed motor 520 that drives the pickup roller 501, a torque measurement unit 520a that measures the motor torque of the feed motor 520, a feed sensor 505, and the like. The control unit 100 is also connected to a paper presence / absence detection sensor 401 for the manual feed tray, a conveyance motor 521, and the like. The torque measurement unit 520a measures the motor torque of the feed motor 520, but it may be, for example, a current sensor that detects the current flowing through the feed motor 520 or a torque sensor that detects the torque generated in the pickup roller 501. In other words, the specific configuration of the torque measurement unit 520a may be anything that can measure the motor torque of the feed motor 520. The fan control unit 510 controls the rotation of the fans 511b and 512b while simultaneously detecting a malfunction. A malfunction can be determined by counting the rotation speed of the fans and determining whether the intended rotation speed is reached.

[0036] [Air spray operation] Next, the operation when air is blown from the side of the sheet stack by air blowing units 511A and 512A will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a schematic side view showing a state in which the air blowing operation is performed by manual feeding unit 235 according to the embodiment.

[0037] 4, when control unit 100 starts the air blowing operation, fans 511b and 512b of air blowing units 511A and 512A blow air toward the sides of the sheet stack as indicated by arrows A1 and A2. As a result, several to several tens of sheets S at the top of the sheet stack are separated and float up, and the uppermost sheet S comes into contact with floatation suppression plates 511c and 512c, thereby preventing the separated sheets S from floating up. This reduces the adhesive force between the sheets S, making it possible to feed sheets S with a smooth surface, such as coated paper, using the conveying force of pickup roller 501.

[0038] Here, if new sheets are added to a sheet stack that has already been subjected to the air blowing operation, the added unsorted sheets may stick together, which may result in a feeding failure. Therefore, in this embodiment, when a feeding failure occurs, the air blowing operation is performed before restarting the feeding operation (before retrying) as described below.

[0039] [Air blowing control when feeding problems occur] The retry operation when a feeding problem occurs in manual feed unit 235 in this embodiment will be described below with reference to the flowchart shown in Fig. 5. Here, control unit 100 can perform a feeding operation in which manual feed unit 235 feeds sheet S, and a handling operation in which air is blown by air blowing units 511A and 512A. An image formation job is an example of a feeding job, and is a job in which a feeding operation is performed for one or more sheets S, one for each sheet S.

[0040] Before starting an image formation job, the control unit 100 acquires the type of sheet S to be used in the image formation job and determines whether or not the type requires a paper sorting operation (S1). The type of sheet S can be acquired, for example, based on information input by the user to the operation unit 730 or based on the detection results of the media detection sensor 280. In this embodiment, the determination of whether or not to perform a paper sorting operation before feeding the sheet S is performed before the image formation job starts, but this is not limited to this and the determination may be performed as part of the image formation job. If the control unit 100 determines that a paper sorting operation is required (S1; YES), the control unit 100 executes the paper sorting operation for a predetermined time (S2) and drives the paper feed motor 520 (S3). That is, when executing a paper feed job, the control unit 100 can execute a second paper sorting mode in which a paper sorting operation is performed before the first paper feed operation. On the other hand, when the control unit 100 determines that the separating operation is not necessary (S1; NO), the control unit 100 does not perform the separating operation and drives the feeding motor 520 (S3).

[0041] That is, the control unit 100 acquires the type of the sheets S supported on the sheet tray 236, and if the acquired type of sheets is a first type (for example, coated paper), it executes the second handling mode before executing the first feeding operation. On the other hand, if the acquired type of sheets S is a second type (for example, plain paper) different from the first type, the control unit 100 executes the first feeding operation without executing the second handling mode.

[0042] The control unit 100 determines whether the feed sensor 505 is on, i.e., whether the sheet S has been detected (S4). If the control unit 100 determines that the feed sensor 505 is on (S4; YES), it determines whether feeding of all the sheets for the image formation job has been completed (S5). If the control unit 100 determines that feeding of all the sheets for the image formation job has not been completed (S5; NO), it again determines whether the feed sensor 505 is on (S4). If the control unit 100 determines that feeding of all the sheets for the image formation job has been completed (S5; YES), it stops driving the feed motor 520 (S6) and ends the processing of the image formation job.

[0043] On the other hand, if the control unit 100 determines that the feed sensor 505 is not on (S4; NO), it determines whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the feed motor 520 started to be driven (S7). The predetermined time here may be, for example, about 0.2 to 1.0 seconds. If the control unit 100 determines that the predetermined time has not elapsed since the feed motor 520 started to be driven (S7; NO), it again determines whether the feed sensor 505 is on (S4). If the control unit 100 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed since the feed motor 520 started to be driven (S7; YES), it determines that the sheet S has not been fed, and stops driving the feed motor 520 (S8). That is, the control unit 100 can perform a retry operation, as described below, if the feed sensor 505 does not detect the feeding of the sheet S within a predetermined time after the start of the feeding operation.

[0044] If the sheet S is not fed even after the feeding operation is performed, the control unit 100 determines whether or not to perform a retry operation to retry the feeding operation (S9). Here, the retry operation is performed only once for one feeding operation, and if the sheet S cannot be fed even after the first retry operation, it is treated as a jam. Therefore, in S9, the control unit 100 determines whether or not this is the first retry for the feeding operation. In this embodiment, the retry operation is performed only once for one feeding operation, but this is not limited to this, and the retry operation may be performed up to two times, or three or more times.

[0045] If the control unit 100 determines that this is the first retry of the feeding operation (S9; YES), it acquires the type of sheet S and determines whether or not the sheet S requires a handling operation (S10). If the control unit 100 determines that a handling operation is not required (S10; NO), it drives the feeding motor 520 again as a retry operation (S3). That is, in this case, the control unit 100 executes a third handling mode in which a handling operation is not executed before executing the retry operation.

[0046] When the control unit 100 determines that a separating operation is necessary (S10; YES), it starts the separating operation (S11). In order to resolve the poor feeding of the sheets S, the control unit 100 drives the fan motors 511M, 512M (see FIG. 2) of the air blowing units 511A, 512A (see FIG. 4) to start an air blowing operation that blows air onto the sides of the sheet stack (S11). As a result, several to several tens of sheets S above the sheet stack are separated and floated, while the floating suppression plates 511c, 512c suppress the floating of the sheets S (see FIG. 4), thereby reducing the adhesion force between the sheets.

[0047] Since the fan motors 511M and 512M start rotating from a stopped state, a predetermined time, such as 10 seconds, is preset as the time required to reach the desired rotation speed and the time required for the floating of the sheets S to stabilize. The control unit 100 continues executing the separation operation and waits for the predetermined time to elapse (S12; NO). After the predetermined time has elapsed (S12; YES), the control unit 100 terminates the separation operation (S13). As a result, the floating sheets S attempt to return to the state of the sheet stack before floating as the air between the sheets escapes. However, until the sheets return to the state of the sheet stack, the adhesion between the sheets is reduced, and the feeding failure is resolved. Thereafter, the control unit 100 drives the feed motor 520 again as a retry operation (S3). That is, in this case, after executing the feeding operation and before executing the retry operation, the control unit 100 executes the first separation mode, which executes the separation operation. Here, in this embodiment, the necessity of the separation operation is determined based on the sheet type in S10, which is the same as the determination result in S1. Therefore, the first handling mode is executed when the second handling mode is executed. Furthermore, the necessity of the handling operation is not limited to being determined based on the sheet type in S10, but may be determined based on the execution of the second handling mode.

[0048] In this way, when the sheet S is not fed even after the feeding operation is performed in the image forming job, the control unit 100 interrupts the image forming job and executes the first handling mode and the retry operation. Then, when the sheet S is fed after the retry operation is performed, the control unit 100 resumes the image forming job.

[0049] On the other hand, if the control unit 100 determines that this is not the first retry of the feeding operation (S9; NO), it determines that the sheet S will not be fed even if the retry operation is performed, determines that a jam has occurred, and cancels the execution of the feeding job. When the control unit 100 cancels the execution of the image forming job, it displays information that the execution of the image forming job has been canceled on the operation unit 730. In this embodiment, the operation unit 730 is used as an output unit that outputs information, but this is not limiting, and for example, the output unit may be an external interface, and jam information may be output to an external device such as the host device 1500.

[0050] As described above, the manual feed unit 235 of this embodiment can execute a first handling mode in which a handling operation is executed after a feeding operation and before a retry operation. This can prevent the occurrence of feeding problems with sheets S. That is, if new sheets S are added to a sheet stack that has already been separated and a feeding problem occurs during a subsequent printing operation, the handling operation can be executed before a feeding retry is performed to reduce the adhesion force at the top of the sheet stack and resolve the feeding problem. Furthermore, if a feeding problem occurs after a sheet is added, the user does not need to remove the sheets S from the sheet tray 236 and manually handle them, thereby improving usability.

[0051] <Other embodiments> In the above-described embodiment, the sheet feeding device is applied as the manual feeding section 235 of the image forming apparatus 201, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the sheet feeding device may be applied to the sheet feeding unit 230 housed in the image forming apparatus 201 or the feeding deck 800 of the image forming system 600.

[0052] In the above-described embodiment, the first handling mode is executed when a feeding problem occurs only when the second handling mode is executed before the first feeding operation of the image formation job, but this is not limited to this. For example, even if the second handling mode is not executed before the first feeding operation of the image formation job, the first handling mode may be executed when a feeding problem occurs. In this case, even if the user mistakenly did not execute the handling operation for a sheet type that should have been executed, the handling operation can be executed when a feeding problem occurs.

[0053] In the above-described embodiment, it is determined that a feeding error has occurred in the sheet S when the detection of the sheet S by the feeding sensor 505 times out, but this is not limited to this. For example, a camera that photographs the sheet S may be provided in the manual feeding unit 235, and it may be determined whether the sheet S is being fed normally based on the image of the sheet S. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 100...control unit, 201B...image forming unit, 235...manual feed unit (sheet feed device), 236...sheet tray (support unit, manual feed tray), 505...feed sensor (detection unit), 506...sheet feed unit (feed unit), 511, 512...side edge regulating plates, 511a, 512a...duct, 511b, 512b...fan, 511A, 512A...air blowing unit (air handling unit), 600...image forming apparatus, 730...operation unit (output unit)

Claims

1. a support portion that supports a plurality of sheets; a feeding section that feeds the sheet supported by the support section; an air handling unit that blows air onto the plurality of sheets supported by the support unit to handle the sheets; a control unit capable of respectively performing a feeding operation of feeding a sheet by the feeding unit and a handling operation of blowing air by the air handling unit, The control unit When the sheet is not fed even after the feeding operation is performed, a retry operation for retrying the feeding operation can be performed; a first handling mode in which the handling operation is performed after the feeding operation is performed and before the retry operation is performed; A sheet feeding device characterized by:

2. the control unit is capable of interrupting the feeding job and executing the first handling mode and the retry operation when a sheet is not fed even after the feeding operation is executed in a feeding job in which the feeding operation is executed for one or more sheets for each sheet.

2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

3. the control unit resumes the feeding job when the retry operation is performed and the sheet is fed.

3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

4. the control unit is capable of executing a second handling mode in which the handling operation is performed before executing a first feeding operation when executing the feeding job, The first handling mode is executed when the second handling mode is executed.

3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

5. the control unit acquires the type of the sheet supported by the support unit; If the acquired sheet type is the first type, the second handling mode is executed, and then the first feeding operation is executed. If the acquired type of sheet is a second type different from the first type, the first feeding operation is performed without performing the second handling mode.

5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 4.

6. the control unit cancels the execution of the feeding job when the sheet is not fed even after the retry operation is performed.

3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

7. an output unit that outputs information; When the execution of the feeding job is stopped, the control unit outputs information that the execution of the feeding job has been stopped to the output unit.

7. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

8. The control unit is capable of executing a third handling mode in which the handling operation is not executed before executing the retry operation.

2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

9. a detection unit that detects that a sheet has been fed by the feeding unit, the control unit is capable of executing the retry operation when the detection unit does not detect feeding of the sheet within a predetermined time after starting the feeding operation.

2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

10. the support portion is a manual feed tray on which sheets can be manually fed, 2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

11. a side edge regulating plate that is movable in a width direction perpendicular to a sheet feeding direction and that regulates a position in the width direction of the sheet supported by the support portion, The air handling unit has a fan and a duct that guides the air blown from the fan to pass through the inside of the side end regulating plate and blows the air toward the side of the sheet.

2. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is a sheet feeding device.

12. a sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, An image forming apparatus characterized by:

Images