Sheet separating device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

To acquire separability and deliverability even more stably than before.SOLUTION: A sheet separation device includes a placement table on which a plurality of sheet materials can be loaded, and a pickup member 120 for delivering the sheet materials on the placement table. The sheet separation device can deliver the sheet materials on the placement table piece by piece. The sheet separation device includes: air supply means for blowing air toward a delivery direction front end of the sheet materials from an air blowout port 124 provided at the delivery direction front of the sheet material on the placement table; and floating restriction members 130, 130 for restricting part of the sheet materials separated from each other by the air blown out from the air blowout port from floating. The sheet separation device is configured to allow the floating restriction member to be removed and replaced with another floating restriction member having a different shape from that of the removed floating restriction member.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet separating device and an image forming apparatus. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a sheet separating device that includes a table capable of stacking a plurality of sheets and a pickup member that picks up the sheet materials on the table and can pick up the sheet materials on the table one by one.

[0003] For example, the sheet separating device of Patent Document 1 is a device of this type, and includes an air supplying means for blowing air from an air outlet provided in front of the sheet material in the payout direction on the loading table toward the front end of the sheet material in the payout direction. This sheet separating device includes a floating restriction member for restricting the floating of parts of the separated sheet materials by the air blown out from the air outlet. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional sheet separating device, it is desired to obtain a more stable separating and feeding performance. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a sheet separating device that includes a loading platform capable of stacking a plurality of sheet materials, and a pickup member that feeds out the sheet materials on the loading platform, and that can feed out the sheet materials on the loading platform one by one, the sheet separating device including: an air supplying means that blows out air from an air blowing port provided at the front of the loading platform in the feeding direction of the sheet materials toward a front end of the sheet materials in the feeding direction; and a lift-up restricting member that restricts the lift-up of parts of the sheet materials separated from each other by the air blown out from the air blowing port. a notification means for notifying a user to prompt the user to change the floating restricting member based on predetermined change information;The floating-regulating member is detachable and replaceable with another floating-regulating member having a different shape from the floating-regulating member. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to obtain separation and delivery properties that are even more stable than in the past. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the sheet separating device according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of a pickup roller of the sheet separating device. [Diagram 3] 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a main part related to separating and feeding paper in the sheet separating device; FIG. [Figure 4] An explanatory diagram of the state in which air is being blown. [Diagram 5] 6 is an explanatory diagram for explaining replacement of a front paper lift suppression member of the sheet separating device; FIG. [Figure 6] 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams showing suitable shapes of the front paper lift suppression member when different types of paper are placed on the placement table. [Figure 7] 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams showing suitable shapes of the front paper lift-up suppression member when the remaining amount of paper on the mounting table is different; [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an operation panel. [Figure 9] 10 is a flowchart showing the flow of an operation for replacing the front paper lift-up suppressing member in the embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a modified example of the front paper lift suppression member. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which the sheet separating device is applied. [Figure 12] 13A and 13B are explanatory diagrams showing changes in the position of the front paper lift-up suppression member when different types of paper are placed on the placement table in the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] [Embodiment 1] Below, we will explain an embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment 1") in which the present invention is applied to a sheet separating device (sheet feeding device) suitable for handling paper (hereinafter also referred to as sheet), which is a recording material used particularly in image forming devices.

[0009] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a sheet separating device 100 according to the first embodiment. The sheet separating device 100 of the present embodiment 1 includes a mounting table 110 capable of stacking a plurality of sheets of paper, and a pickup roller 120 as a pickup member for feeding the sheets of paper on the mounting table 110, and is capable of feeding the sheets of paper on the mounting table 110 one by one. The sheet separating device 100 of the present embodiment 1 also includes configurations necessary for the operation of the sheet separating device among the configurations of an image forming apparatus to which the sheet separating device is applied, which will be described later.

[0010] On the mounting table 110, there are provided an end fence 111 that regulates the rear end of the paper S in the direction in which the paper is fed (hereinafter, feeding is referred to as transport or feed, and this direction is referred to as the transport direction or feed direction), and a side fence 112 that regulates both ends of the paper S in the width direction, which corresponds to the direction perpendicular to the transport direction. The side fence 112 is provided with a side paper floatation suppression section 112A. The side paper floatation suppression section 112A is formed so as to extend a predetermined length from the top of the side fence 112 toward the center in the width direction.

[0011] FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the pickup roller 120 and its vicinity. A well-known separation and feeding section of the so-called FRR paper feeding method is made up of the pickup roller 120, a feed roller 121 that further transports the fed paper, and a reverse roller 122 that abuts against the feed roller 121 from below and is rotated via a torque limiter in a direction that returns the paper to the pickup roller 120 side. The pickup roller 120 is supported by a swing arm 120A.

[0012] Of the front wall portions against which the front end of the paper on the placement table 110 abuts, the front wall plate 123 constituting the portion that corresponds in the width direction to the pickup roller 120, etc., is bent at two bent portions 123A from a portion that extends vertically and extends downstream in the feed direction. This portion that extends downstream forms a lower guide plate portion 123B. The upper portion of the reverse roller 122 protrudes from an opening formed in this lower guide plate portion 123B. The area between the two bent portions 123A is inclined so that it becomes higher downstream in the feed direction.

[0013] In addition, air outlets 124 from air duct 125 are opened in lower guide plate portion 123B. Front paper floatation suppression members 130 are provided as floatation restriction members on both outer sides of pickup roller 120 in the width direction. Front paper floatation suppression members 130 are detachably attached to upper guide plates 131 fixed to housing side plates 100A of the sheet separating device on both outer sides of pickup roller 120 in the width direction. Air outlets 124 are provided in four locations in total, two on each side of pickup roller 120. Front paper floatation suppression members 130 are provided so as to be located above these air outlets 124.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a main part related to separating and feeding the paper in the sheet separating device 100 of the first embodiment. The placement table 110 can rotate around the rotation fulcrum 110B or raise the placement table 110 horizontally to bring the paper S into contact with the pickup roller 120 and into a state in which the paper can be fed. The duct 125 constituting the air chamber is arranged so that air is supplied from a fan 125A as an air supply source and hits the paper S above the stack of paper via an air outlet 124 at the top of the duct 125. The fan 125A, the duct 125, the air outlet 124, etc. constitute the air supply means. In order to prevent the paper that has floated up from being blown away by the air from the air outlet 124, in this embodiment 1, in addition to the side paper floatation suppression section 112A, a front paper floatation suppression member 130 is provided as a floatation restriction member.

[0015] The front paper lift suppression member 130 includes, in order from the downstream side in the feed direction, a support portion 130A, a first inclined portion 130B, and a second inclined portion 130C, and is disposed so as to extend toward the upstream side in the feed direction of the upper guide plate 131. Specifically, the support portion 130A of the front paper lift suppression member 130 has a rising portion 130D as shown in Fig. 3, and the rising portion 130D is detachably attached to a rising portion 131A formed at the downstream end in the feed direction of the upper guide plate 131 via a fastening member such as a screw.

[0016] The side paper floatation suppression section 112A and the front paper floatation suppression member 130 prevent the floated paper from being blown away, but the difference between them is that the side paper floatation suppression section 112A and the front paper floatation suppression member 130 are either parallel to the paper surface or have angles α and β. The side paper floatation suppression section 112A is parallel to the paper, whereas the front paper floatation suppression member 130 has angles α and β with respect to the top surface of the stacked paper (stacked paper that is not floated by air). Specifically, the lower surface of the first inclined section 130B onto which air is blown from the air outlet 124 has an angle α, and the lower surface of the second inclined section 130C, which comes into contact with the top surface of the floated paper S to prevent it from floating further, has an angle β.

[0017] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which air is being blown. The front paper lift suppression member 130 not only suppresses paper lift, but also receives the air blown out from the air outlet 124 and changes the direction of the air (has the effect of guiding the air). This effect makes it possible to blow air approximately parallel to the paper, and corrects the air direction to a direction that provides excellent paper separation effect. When separating paper S with air, a higher separation effect can be expected if the air escapes parallel to the paper.

[0018] The angle α is desirably an acute angle, although it depends on the flow path shape of the duct 125 and the arrangement and size of the air outlet 124. If the angle is obtuse, it is difficult to obtain the effect of suppressing the floating of the paper, and the effect of correcting the air direction from the air outlet 124 is also small.

[0019] In order to obtain the effect of receiving this air and changing the direction of the air (air guide effect), the front paper lift suppression member 130 must be made of a material and structure that does not allow air to pass in the thickness direction. If the only effect of suppressing paper lift is aimed for and the air guide effect of changing the direction of the air is not expected, there is no need to adopt such a material and structure. If the paper lift suppression effect can be obtained, the paper itself, whose lift is restricted, can provide a guide function for the air that enters between it and the paper below it. Even when the paper itself provides the air guide function, the inclination angle α of the front paper lift suppression member 130 is effective in regulating the paper's posture.

[0020] As described above, the front paper lift suppression member 130 of the first embodiment exerts the effect of suppressing paper lift and the air guide effect of changing the direction of the air, thereby achieving separation and feeding performance. However, the optimal shape of the front paper lift suppression member 130 for stably obtaining these effects varies depending on the types of paper placed on the placement table 110, the amount of paper remaining on the placement table 110, etc. Therefore, in a configuration in which the shape of the front paper lift suppression member 130 cannot be changed, these effects can be fully exerted for some types of paper, but may not be fully exerted for other types of paper.

[0021] Therefore, in the first embodiment, the front paper floatation suppression member 130 is configured to be removable and replaceable (changeable) with another front paper floatation suppression member having a different shape from the front paper floatation suppression member 130. By making the front paper floatation suppression member replaceable in this way, the paper floatation suppression effect and air guide effect of the front paper floatation suppression member can be fully exerted for more types of paper than ever before, and stable separation and feeding can be obtained.

[0022] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining replacement of the front paper lift suppression member 130. As shown in FIG. In the first embodiment, two or more front paper floating suppression members 130, 130' of different shapes are prepared in advance, and a suitable front paper floating suppression member is selected and attached depending on the type of paper to be placed on the placement table 110. In the attachment in the first embodiment, a screw 132 is passed through a through hole 130E provided in a rising portion 130D of the front paper floating suppression member 130, and the screw 132 is fastened to a screw hole 131B provided in a rising portion 131A of the upper guide plate 131. In this way, the front paper floating suppression member 130 is attached to the upper guide plate 131. To remove the front paper floating suppression member 130, the screw 132 can be removed.

[0023] The method for detachably attaching the front paper lift suppression member 130 is not limited to screw fastening as in the first embodiment, and other methods may be used. For example, attachment using magnetic force (magnet), adhesive, hook and loop fastener, hook-and-loop fastener, hook-and-loop fastener, snap-fit ​​fastener, etc. may be used.

[0024] 6(a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams showing suitable shapes of the front paper lift suppression member 130 when different types of paper are placed on the placement table 110. FIG. When the paper S is a sheet material with a heavy weight per sheet and a stiffness (such as cardboard or coated paper), a larger upward force acting on the paper S is required to float the paper S. For this reason, as shown in Fig. 6(a), a shape of the front paper lift-up suppression member 130 with a large angle α of the first inclined portion 130B onto which air is blown from the air outlet 124 is preferable. With a shape with a large angle α like this, the air flows more upward, and the upward force acting on the paper S onto which the air is blown is large, so that even a heavy paper S can be stably lifted, and a sufficient paper handling effect can be obtained.

[0025] Furthermore, if the angle α is large as shown in FIG. 6(a), the distance L shown in FIG. 3, i.e., the distance (shortest distance) between the second inclined portion 130C that contacts the floated paper S and the top surface of the stacked paper (paper that is not floated by air and is in a stacked state), is also long. This ensures that even thick paper S has enough space to float (space that provides sufficient space between the papers to take in air). Therefore, air can stably escape between the thick paper S, and a sufficient separation effect is also achieved. To enhance this separation effect, it is preferable to make the angle β of the second inclined portion 130C large.

[0026] On the other hand, if the sheet S is a sheet material with a light weight per sheet and low stiffness (such as tissue paper), the sheet S may rise excessively, causing a jam. In the first embodiment, as described above, the side fence 112 is provided with the side paper rise suppressing portion 112A to suppress the lifting of both ends of the sheet S in the width direction. However, in the case of low stiffness sheet S, if the upward force acting on the sheet S by the air is too large, the sheet S may go over the side paper rise suppressing portion 112A. In this case, the sheet S may rise more than expected, causing a jam.

[0027] Therefore, when the paper S is a sheet material with a light weight per sheet and low stiffness, the shape of the front paper lift suppression member 130' with a small angle α of the first inclined portion 130B onto which the air from the air outlet 124 is blown, as shown in Fig. 6(b), is suitable. With a shape with a small angle α like this, the air flow direction becomes close to horizontal, and the upward component is small. As a result, the upward force acting on the paper S onto which the air is blown can be kept small, preventing excessive lifting of the paper S and preventing jams from occurring.

[0028] Also, if the angle α is small as shown in FIG. 6(b), the distance L shown in FIG. 3, that is, the distance (shortest distance) between the second inclined portion 130C that contacts the floated paper S and the top surface of the stacked paper (paper that is not floated by air and is in a stacked state) is also short. This makes it possible to prevent excessive floating of the paper S while ensuring sufficient space for the paper S, such as thin paper, to float, thereby preventing jams from occurring. In order to further enhance the effect of suppressing the floating of the paper, it is preferable to make the angle β of the second inclined portion 130C small. Also, increasing the length of the second inclined portion 130C in the paper feed direction and increasing the area that contacts the paper surface and suppresses the paper is also effective in enhancing the effect of suppressing the floating of the paper.

[0029] 7(a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams showing suitable shapes of the front paper lift suppression member 130 when the remaining amount of paper on the placement table 110 is different. In the sheet separating device 100 of the first embodiment, the mounting table 110 rotates around a rotation fulcrum 110B on the rear end side of the paper, so that the front end of the paper on the mounting table 110 can be moved up and down. The front end side of the paper on the mounting table 110 is biased upward by a spring or the like, so that the height of the top surface of the front end of the paper on the mounting table 110 remains substantially constant even if the remaining amount of paper changes, as shown in Figures 7(a) and (b). However, the angle and attitude of the top surface of the front end of the paper in a stacked state (paper in a stacked state that is not floating due to air) changes depending on the remaining amount of paper on the mounting table 110, as shown in Figures 7(a) and (b).

[0030] When the angle or posture of the top surface of the leading edge of the stacked paper changes in this way, the relative relationship between the air guided by the front paper lift suppression member 130 and the leading edge of the paper onto which this air is blown changes. Therefore, depending on the amount of remaining paper, the air may not be blown onto the leading edge of the paper at an appropriate angle, and sufficient paper handling effect may not be obtained. Therefore, since the optimal shape of the front paper lift suppression member changes depending on the amount of remaining paper, it is also effective to replace the front paper lift suppression member depending on the amount of remaining paper.

[0031] Specifically, as shown in Fig. 7(a), when a large amount of remaining paper is present and the top surface of the leading edge of the stacked paper faces more downward toward the leading edge of the paper, the direction of the air toward the leading edge of the paper S is made more upward so that the air is blown onto the leading edge of the paper at an optimal angle. In this case, a shape of front paper lift suppression member 130 with a large angle α of first inclined portion 130B onto which air is blown from air outlet 124 is preferable, as shown in Fig. 7(a).

[0032] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 7(b), when the remaining amount of paper is small and the top surface of the leading edge of the stacked paper is nearly horizontal, the direction of the air heading toward the leading edge of paper S is made close to horizontal so that the air is blown onto the leading edge of the paper at an optimal angle (an angle close to Fig. 7(a)). In this case, as shown in Fig. 7(b), a shape of front paper lift suppression member 130' with a small angle α of first inclined portion 130B onto which air is blown from air outlet 124 is preferable.

[0033] When selecting and replacing the front paper lift-up suppression member 130, 130' with a suitable shape depending on the type of paper or the amount of remaining paper as in the first embodiment, there is a risk of the user making the wrong selection if the selection is left to the user alone. Therefore, the sheet separating device 100 of the first embodiment identifies the front paper lift-up suppression member 130, 130' with a suitable shape depending on the type of paper or the amount of remaining paper, and notifies the user to prompt the user to replace (change) to the identified front paper lift-up suppression member 130, 130'. This allows the user to avoid making a wrong selection and follow the notification to replace (change) the front paper lift-up suppression member 130, 130' with the optimal one.

[0034] The notification in the first embodiment can employ a method of displaying information encouraging the replacement (changing) of the front paper lift-up suppression members 130, 130' on the operation panel 101 as a display means as shown in Fig. 8. More specifically, the operation panel 101 displays a component number or component name indicating the replaced front paper lift-up suppression members 130, 130', or an external image of the front paper lift-up suppression members 130, 130', so that the user can recognize the replaced front paper lift-up suppression members 130, 130'. Note that the notification method is not limited to this.

[0035] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of the replacement operation of the front paper lifting suppression members 130, 130' in the first embodiment. In the present embodiment 1, in order to display on the operation panel 101 the content urging the replacement of the front paper lift-up suppression member according to the difference in paper and the remaining amount of paper, the control unit of the sheet separating device 100 first acquires the paper information and the remaining amount of paper information of the paper placed on the placement table 110 as change information (S1, S2). This control unit may be realized by a control unit that performs overall control of the image forming device, or may be realized by a control unit that performs only control of the sheet separating device 100.

[0036] Examples of the paper information to be acquired include the basis weight, paper type (paper material and structure), paper thickness, and size of the paper. This paper information can be acquired based on information input by the user using, for example, the operation panel 101, which is a touch panel serving as an operation receiving means. It is also possible to acquire the paper information by detecting it using various sensors serving as paper information detecting means mounted on the sheet separating device 100. The paper information acquired in this manner is stored in a storage means and used by the control unit.

[0037] The remaining amount information to be acquired can be detected, for example, by a sensor serving as a paper remaining amount detection means mounted on the sheet separating device 100. Specifically, for example, the height of the paper front end side of the mounting table 110 is detected by a sensor, and the amount (remaining amount) of paper placed on the mounting table 110 is acquired from the detection result.

[0038] Next, the control unit executes a process to select the corresponding front paper lift suppression member 130, 130' based on the acquired paper information and remaining amount information (S3). In this process, for example, the correspondence between the paper information and remaining amount information and the suitable front paper lift suppression member is obtained in advance by an experiment or the like, and the correspondence is stored in the storage means. Then, the corresponding front paper lift suppression member is selected from the acquired paper information and remaining amount information by referring to the correspondence stored in the storage means.

[0039] Next, the control unit checks whether the currently installed front paper lift suppression member is the front paper lift suppression member selected in process step S3 (S4). In this embodiment, this check is performed by providing a detectable portion of a different shape for each front paper lift suppression member, and checking the shape of the detectable portion from the results of detection using a detection means such as an optical sensor. If the currently installed front paper lift suppression member is the front paper lift suppression member selected in process step S3 (Yes in S4), the replacement operation of the front paper lift suppression member is terminated.

[0040] On the other hand, if the currently installed front paper floating suppression member is not the front paper floating suppression member selected in processing step S3 (No in S4), the control unit displays on operation panel 101 a message urging the user to replace (change to) the front paper floating suppression member with the selected front paper floating suppression member (S5). This allows the user to confirm the display on operation panel 101 and thus ascertain the front paper floating suppression member that is suitable for the current paper or remaining amount of paper, and to carry out the replacement work for the suitable front paper floating suppression member.

[0041] Then, when the user performs the replacement operation for a suitable front paper lift-up suppression member in accordance with the display on operation panel 101, the detection means detects the detected portion of the replaced front paper lift-up suppression member. When the control unit confirms from this detection result that replacement with the selected front paper lift-up suppression member is complete (Yes in S6), it ends the replacement operation of the front paper lift-up suppression member. Note that confirmation of replacement completion is not limited to using a detection means as in the first embodiment. For example, the user may confirm that replacement is complete by performing a touch operation on operation panel 101 to indicate that replacement is complete.

[0042] In the present embodiment, the most important parameter for determining the suitable angle α of the front paper lift suppression members 130, 130' is the weight of the paper S. Therefore, it is preferable to select a suitable front paper lift suppression member from the front paper lift suppression members 130, 130' having different angles α based on the basis of the basis weight and paper size as the paper information to be acquired.

[0043] Furthermore, the thickness of the paper S can be an important factor in determining the suitable distance L or angle β of the front paper lift suppression members 130, 130'. Therefore, the paper information to be acquired should be based on the paper thickness, and a suitable front paper lift suppression member should be selected from the front paper lift suppression members 130, 130' having different distances L and angles β.

[0044] Generally, even if the paper thickness is the same, the suitable angle α may vary depending on the paper type (material and structure of the paper), for example, coated paper is about 1.3 to 1.5 times heavier than plain paper. Therefore, information on the paper type is also useful information in selecting the front paper lift suppression members 130, 130'.

[0045] In any case, when selecting a suitable front paper lift suppression member 130, 130', it is preferable to obtain as much paper information as possible.

[0046] In the first embodiment, as described above, the air outlets 124 are provided in four locations, two on each side of the pickup roller 120. Therefore, when the paper size is small, for example, the air blown out from the two inner air outlets 124 may be blown onto the leading edge of the paper, but the air blown out from the two outer air outlets 124 may hardly be blown onto the leading edge of the paper. In such a case, it is preferable to block the two outer air outlets 124.

[0047] Therefore, when the paper size is small or the like, and the two outer air outlets 124 do not need to be used, the front paper lift suppression member 130' may be provided with a shielding portion 130F that shields the two outer air outlets 124, as shown in Fig. 10. This shielding portion 130F is provided in a position that blocks the two outer air outlets 124 when the front paper lift suppression member 130' is attached. In particular, in a configuration in which all air outlets 124 receive air supply from a common duct 125, as in the first embodiment, the amount of air blown out from the remaining air outlets that are used (the two inner ones) can be increased by blocking some of the air outlets that are not used (the two outer ones).

[0048] FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram of an image forming apparatus to which the sheet separating device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The document D is transported (fed) in the direction of the arrow in the figure by the document transport unit 10 and passes over the document reading unit 2, where the image information is optically read. Exposure light L, such as laser light, based on the read image information is irradiated from the exposure unit 3 (writing unit) onto the photoconductor drum 5 of the image creating unit 4. In the image creating unit 4, an image (toner image) corresponding to the image information is formed on the photoconductor drum 5 through a predetermined image creation process (charging process, exposure process, development process). The formed image is transferred by the transfer unit 7 onto the paper S transported from the feed device. After the transfer process, the toner image on the paper S is fixed by the fixing device 20, and the paper S is stacked on the paper output tray 31.

[0049] The device main body 1 is provided with a plurality of feeding devices 12, 13. These have almost the same configuration. The feeding device 13 is provided with a placement section 43 (lifting plate), a feeding mechanism 52 as a feeding means for feeding the paper S placed on the placement section 43, and the like. The sheet separating device of the present embodiment 1 can be used as the feeding devices 12, 13.

[0050] [Embodiment 2] Next, a description will be given of another embodiment (hereinafter referred to as "embodiment 2") in which the present invention is applied to a sheet separating device suitable for handling paper, which is a recording material used in an image forming apparatus, as a sheet material. In the above-described first embodiment, a method of replacing (changing) the front paper lifting suppression member is adopted as a method of making the front paper lifting suppression member have a suitable shape depending on the types of paper and the amount of remaining paper on the mounting table 110. In the second embodiment, the front paper lifting suppression member is made to have a suitable shape depending on the types of paper and the amount of remaining paper on the mounting table 110 by changing the shape and posture of the front paper lifting suppression member without replacing the attached front paper lifting suppression member.

[0051] 12(a) and (b) are explanatory diagrams showing changes in the position of the front paper lift-up suppression member 230 when different types of paper are placed on the placement table 110 in the second embodiment. The front paper lift suppression member 230 of this embodiment includes, in order from the downstream side in the feed direction, a movable part 230A, a first inclined part 230B, and a second inclined part 230C, and is supported rotatably about a boundary part 233 between the movable part 230A and the first inclined part 230B. The movable part 230A is disposed on the outer side in the width direction of the paper transport path so as not to interfere with paper transport.

[0052] The lower surface of movable section 230A of front paper lift-up suppression member 230 abuts against solenoid 234 as a changing means, and the upper surface of movable section 230A abuts against spring 235 as a biasing means and is biased downward. As a result, the movable shaft of solenoid 234 moves up and down, causing movable section 230A to move up and down, and front paper lift-up suppression member 230 rotates around boundary section 233, changing the attitudes (angles α, β, distance L) of first inclined section 230B and second inclined section 230C.

[0053] In the second embodiment, the control unit controls the solenoid 234 to rotate the front paper lift suppression member 230 so that suitable angles α, β, and distance L are obtained according to the acquired paper information and remaining amount information.

[0054] For example, as shown in FIG. 12(a), when the sheet S is a sheet material with a heavy weight per sheet and a strong stiffness (such as cardboard or coated paper), it is preferable that the angle α of the first inclined portion 230B is large. In this case, the control unit controls the solenoid 234 to rotate the front paper lift suppression member 230 so as to lower the movable portion 230A, and to increase the angle α of the first inclined portion 230B. Also, as shown in FIG. 12(b), when the sheet S is a sheet material with a light weight per sheet and a weak stiffness, it is preferable that the angle α of the first inclined portion 230B is small. In this case, the control unit controls the solenoid 234 to rotate the front paper lift suppression member 230 so as to raise the movable portion 230A, and to decrease the angle α of the first inclined portion 230B.

[0055] In the second embodiment, the front paper lifting suppression member 230 is rotated to change its position, thereby changing the shape of the front paper lifting suppression member to suit the type of paper on the loading platform 110 and the amount of remaining paper, but this is not limiting. For example, it is possible to form the front paper lifting suppression member 230 from a deformable elastic member or the like, and obtain suitable angles α, β, and distance L by bending and deforming the front paper lifting suppression member 230 in accordance with the acquired paper information and remaining amount information.

[0056] As described in Patent Document 1, a sheet separator using an air blowing device, such as that according to the first embodiment, has the following advantages. The sheet feeding device provided in the image forming apparatus includes a sheet placement member (bottom plate). The sheets of paper and other sheet materials loaded on the bottom plate are separated one by one when they are fed toward the image forming unit. However, coated paper and art paper are among the papers that are separated. These papers have a smooth surface, little air permeability, and are hygroscopic, so that the adhesion between sheets of paper tends to increase in a high humidity environment. For this reason, they are more difficult to separate than ordinary paper and other types of paper, and overlapping and continuous feeding are likely to occur frequently.

[0057] One method to reduce the adhesion between sheets of paper is to blow air toward the edges. With this method, air is blown onto the edges of the sheets with a pressure that is just enough to prevent the sheets from sticking together, allowing the sheets to be separated and separated.

[0058] In addition, the air blown from the air outlet is designed to prevent parts of the separated sheets from rising excessively, so that when the sheets rise, they do not curl up or get blown away. The air is blown perpendicularly to the edge of the sheets, improving separation efficiency and ensuring that the sheets are separated.

[0059] The sheet separating device according to the first embodiment also has the following advantage. Conventional floating-prevention members are often installed parallel to the bottom plate or the paper. This is because, in addition to the effect of suppressing the floating of the paper, a higher separation effect can be expected if the air escapes parallel to the paper when separating the paper with air. If the paper and the floating-prevention member are installed parallel to each other, the floating paper comes into contact with the floating-prevention member, and the air can be applied perpendicular to the edge of the paper.

[0060] However, the air blowing means that blows air cannot always be installed horizontally at the edge of the paper. If the air blowing means is placed in the horizontal position at the edge of the paper, the overall configuration of the product will become larger, which will affect the compactness of the product. For this reason, it is possible that the air blowing means can only be installed below the edge of the paper (in the direction of blowing up the top of the stack of paper), but in this configuration, the air does not hit the edge of the paper horizontally, so there is a risk that the paper sorting effect will be reduced. In fact, there is even a possibility that the top of the stack of paper will be lifted up by the stack, increasing the risk of double feeding.

[0061] In the sheet separating device of this embodiment 1, even if the air outlet 124 is located below the edge of the paper (in the direction of blowing up the top of the stacked paper), by setting an angle in the floating control member, the air blowing angle toward the edge of the paper can be adjusted appropriately, and it is expected that the paper handling effect can be maximized.

[0062] The above description is merely an example, and each of the following aspects provides unique effects. [First aspect] The first aspect is a sheet separating device 100 comprising a loading platform 110 capable of stacking a plurality of sheet materials (e.g., paper S) and a pickup member (e.g., pickup roller 120) for feeding out the sheet materials on the loading platform, and capable of feeding out the sheet materials on the loading platform one by one, and further comprising an air supply means (e.g., fan 125A, duct 125, outlet 124) for blowing air from an air outlet 124 provided in front of the loading platform in the direction in which the sheet materials are fed out, toward the front end of the sheet materials in the direction in which the sheet materials are fed out, and a floating control member (e.g., front paper floating control member 130, 130') for preventing parts of the separated sheet materials from floating up due to the air blown out from the air outlet, and characterized in that the floating control member can be removed and replaced with another floating control member having a different shape from the first floating control member. Conventional floating-up restricting members can obtain separation and payout properties by exerting an effect of suppressing floating of the sheet material and an air guide effect of changing the direction of the air. However, the optimal shape of the floating-up restricting member for stably obtaining these effects varies depending on the type of sheet material placed on the placement table, the remaining amount of sheet material placed on the placement table, etc. Therefore, in a configuration in which the shape of the floating-up restricting member cannot be changed, these effects can be fully exerted with a certain type of sheet material or a certain remaining amount of sheet material, but there is a risk that these effects cannot be fully exerted with another type of sheet material or a different remaining amount of sheet material. In this embodiment, by making the float-regulating member replaceable, the effect of suppressing the floatation of the sheet material and the air guide effect of the float-regulating member can be fully exerted in situations where more types of sheet material or a greater amount of remaining sheet material is used than in the past, and stable separation and pay-out performance can be obtained.

[0063] [Second aspect] The second aspect is characterized in that the first aspect has a notification means (e.g., operation panel 101) that notifies the user to prompt them to change the floating regulating member based on predetermined change information (e.g., paper information, remaining paper amount information). This allows the user to avoid making a mistake in selecting a suitable lift-up restricting member and change the lift-up restricting member to a suitable one in accordance with the notification.

[0064] [Third aspect] The third aspect is a sheet separating device 100 comprising a loading platform 110 capable of stacking a plurality of sheet materials (e.g., paper S), and a pickup member (e.g., pickup roller 120) for feeding out the sheet materials on the loading platform, and capable of feeding out the sheet materials on the loading platform one by one, characterized in that the device has air supply means (e.g., fan 125A, duct 125, outlet 124) for blowing air from an air outlet 124 provided in front of the loading platform in the direction in which the sheet materials are fed out, toward the front end of the sheet materials in the direction in which the sheet materials are fed out, a floating control member (e.g., front paper floating control member 230) for controlling the floating of parts of the separated sheet materials by the air blown out from the air outlet, and a change means (e.g., solenoid 234) for changing the shape or posture of the floating control member based on predetermined change information. According to this aspect, the shape of the floating-up regulating member can be changed to a suitable one depending on the difference in the sheet material placed on the placement table, the remaining amount of the sheet material placed on the placement table, etc., without changing (replacing) the floating-up regulating member. This makes it possible to fully exert the floating-up suppression effect and air guide effect of the floating-up regulating member in a situation where there are more types of sheet material or a larger amount of remaining sheet material than before, without forcing the user to perform the work of changing (replacing) the floating-up regulating member. Therefore, it is possible to obtain more stable separation and payout properties than before.

[0065] [Fourth aspect] A fourth aspect is the second or third aspect, characterized in that the predetermined change information includes sheet information (for example, paper information) of the sheet material placed on the placement table. This makes it possible to change the shape of the lift-up restricting member to a suitable shape depending on the type of sheet material placed on the placement table.

[0066] [Fifth aspect] The fifth aspect is characterized in that, in the fourth aspect, the floating-up regulating member has an inclined surface (e.g., first inclined portion 130B, second inclined portion 130C) that moves away from the sheet surface in the stacked state on the loading table as it moves rearward in the direction in which the sheet material is unloaded, and the modified floating-up regulating member has a larger inclination angle (e.g., angle α, angle β) of the inclined surface relative to the sheet surface as the thickness of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information increases or the weight of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information increases. The thicker or heavier the sheet material is, the more upward force the air must apply to the sheet material in order to float it. The greater the inclination angle of the inclined surface of the floatation restricting member relative to the sheet surface, the more upward the air flows, and the greater the upward force acting on the sheet material against which the air is blown. Therefore, even if the sheet material is thick or heavy, the sheet material can be stably floated. Furthermore, according to this aspect, the thinner the sheet material is or the lighter the weight of the sheet material is, the smaller the inclination angle of the inclined surface of the lift-up restricting member relative to the sheet surface. If the upward force acting on the sheet material by the air is too strong, the sheet material may rise excessively and cause a jam. The smaller the inclination angle of the inclined surface of the lift-up restricting member relative to the sheet surface, the smaller the upward component of the air flow direction, and the smaller the upward force acting on the sheet material against which the air is blown. Therefore, even if the sheet material is thin or light, the sheet material can be stably lifted without causing a jam.

[0067] [Sixth aspect] The sixth aspect is characterized in that, in the fourth or fifth aspect, the air supply means has a plurality of air outlets in the width direction of the sheet material, and the modified floating control member has a shielding portion 130F that shields some of the air outlets when the width direction size of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information is a predetermined small size. According to this, by blocking some of the unnecessary air outlets, problems caused by unnecessary air outlets can be suppressed.

[0068] [Seventh aspect] A seventh aspect is any of the second to sixth aspects, characterized in that the predetermined change information includes information on a remaining amount of the sheet material placed on the placement table. According to this, the shape of the lift-up restricting member can be changed to a suitable shape depending on the remaining amount of the sheet material placed on the placement table.

[0069] [Eighth aspect] An eighth aspect is characterized in that in any of the first to seventh aspects, the lift-up restricting member guides the air blown out from the air outlet to the front end of the sheet material in the payout direction. With this, even if the air outlet is positioned so that the air blows out below the edge of the paper (in the direction of blowing up the top of the stacked paper), the air direction can be changed by the floatation control member, making it possible to blow the air at a suitable angle toward the edge of the paper.

[0070] [Ninth aspect] A ninth aspect is an image forming apparatus including the sheet separating device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects. According to this, an image forming apparatus in which the separation and feeding properties of the sheet material are stable can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0071] 1: Device body 2: Document reader 3: Exposure area 4:Image creation section 5: Photoconductor drum 7: Transfer section 10: Document transport section 12,13:Feeding device 20: Fixing device 31: Paper output tray 43: Placement section 52: Feeding mechanism 100: Sheet separating device 100A: Both sides of the housing 101: Operation panel 110: Placement table 111: End fence 112: Side fence 112A: Side paper lifting suppression section 120: Pickup roller 121: Feed roller 122: Reverse roller 123:Front wall board 124: Air outlet 125: Duct 130, 130', 230: Front paper lift suppression member 130A: Support part 130B, 230B: First slope part 130C, 230C: Second slope part 130D: Rising section 130E:Through hole 130F: Shielding part 131: Upper guide plate 131A: Rising section 131B: Screw hole 132: Screw 230A: Moving part 233: Boundary 234: Solenoid 235: Spring [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0072] [Patent Document 1] JP 2020-152523 A

Claims

1. A sheet separating device including a loading platform capable of loading a plurality of sheet materials and a pickup member for feeding the sheet materials on the loading platform, the sheet separating device being capable of feeding the sheet materials on the loading platform one by one, an air supply means for blowing air from an air blowing port provided on the mounting table in a forward direction of the sheet material toward a front end of the sheet material in the unwinding direction; a lift-up prevention member that prevents parts of the sheet materials separated from each other from lifting up due to the air blown out from the air blowing port; a notification means for notifying a user to prompt the user to change the lift-up restricting member based on predetermined change information, A sheet separating device, characterized in that the floating-up regulating member can be removed and replaced with another floating-up regulating member having a shape different from that of the floating-up regulating member.

2. In the sheet separating device according to claim 1, The sheet separating apparatus, wherein the predetermined change information includes sheet information of the sheet material placed on the placement table.

3. In the sheet separating device according to claim 2, the lift-up restricting member has an inclined surface that is inclined away from the sheet surface in the loaded state on the placement table as it moves rearward in the sheet-feeding direction, A sheet separating device characterized in that the changed floating control member has a larger inclination angle of the inclined surface relative to the sheet surface the thicker the thickness of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information or the heavier the weight of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information.

4. A sheet separating device including a loading platform capable of loading a plurality of sheet materials and a pickup member for feeding the sheet materials on the loading platform, the sheet separating device being capable of feeding the sheet materials on the loading platform one by one, an air supply means for blowing air from an air blowing port provided on the mounting table in a forward direction of the sheet material toward a front end of the sheet material in the unwinding direction; a lift-up prevention member that prevents parts of the sheet materials separated from each other from lifting up due to the air blown out from the air blowing port; a change means for changing a shape or a posture of the lift-up restricting member based on predetermined change information, the predetermined change information includes sheet information of the sheet material to be placed on the placement table, the lift-up restricting member has an inclined surface that is inclined away from the sheet surface in the loaded state on the placement table as it moves rearward in the sheet-feeding direction, A sheet separating device characterized in that the changed floating control member has a larger inclination angle of the inclined surface relative to the sheet surface the thicker the thickness of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information or the heavier the weight of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information.

5. The sheet separating device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The air supply means has a plurality of air outlets in a width direction of the sheet material, The sheet separating device is characterized in that the changed floating restriction member has a shielding portion that shields some of the air outlets when the width direction size of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information is a predetermined small size.

6. A sheet separating device comprising a loading platform capable of loading a plurality of sheet materials, and a pickup member for feeding the sheet materials on the loading platform, the sheet separating device being capable of feeding the sheet materials on the loading platform one by one, an air supply means for blowing air from an air blowing port provided on the mounting table in a forward direction of the sheet material toward a front end of the sheet material in the unwinding direction; a lift-up prevention member that prevents parts of the sheet materials separated from each other from lifting up due to the air blown out from the air blowing port; a change means for changing a shape or a posture of the lift-up restricting member based on predetermined change information, the predetermined change information includes sheet information of the sheet material to be placed on the placement table, The air supply means has a plurality of air outlets in a width direction of the sheet material, The sheet separating device is characterized in that the changed floating restriction member has a shielding portion that shields some of the air outlets when the width direction size of the sheet material indicated by the sheet information is a predetermined small size.

7. The sheet separating device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, The sheet separating apparatus, wherein the predetermined change information includes information about a remaining amount of the sheet material placed on the placement table.

8. The sheet separating device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, The sheet separating device, wherein the lift-up regulating member guides the air blown out from the air outlet to a front end of the sheet material in a payout direction.

9. A sheet separating device comprising a loading platform capable of loading a plurality of sheet materials, and a pickup member for feeding the sheet materials on the loading platform, the sheet separating device being capable of feeding the sheet materials on the loading platform one by one, an air supply means for blowing air from an air blowing port provided on the mounting table in a forward direction of the sheet material toward a front end of the sheet material in the unwinding direction; a lift-up restricting member that restricts a portion of the sheet material separated from the other by the air blown out from the air blowing port from lifting up, The floating restriction member is detachable and replaceable with another floating restriction member having a different shape from the floating restriction member, The sheet separating device, wherein the lift-up regulating member guides the air blown out from the air outlet to a front end of the sheet material in a payout direction.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet separating device according to claim 1 .

Images