Sheet media supply and use device

Abstract

To provide a feeding device or the like for sheet-like media enabling an improvement in adsorption power in a suction conveyance belt carrying out an uppermost sheet-like medium loaded on a loading plate to a supply destination while rotating after making it adsorbed on a belt lower face.SOLUTION: A feeding device comprises: a loading plate 20A loading a sheet-like medium; a suction conveyance belt 43 disposed above the loading plate and carrying out the loaded uppermost sheet-like medium 9t toward a supply destination while rotating after making it adsorbed on a belt lower face; and enclosure members 70 which are provided drooping at least at left and right positions L and R in a carry-out direction D of the periphery of the suction conveyance belt 43 in a vertically movable manner, surround a space below from the belt lower face and are moved upward by contacting the sheet-like medium 9t when adsorbed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a sheet media supply and use device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent document 1 describes a paper feed device having an adsorption conveying means consisting of a suction chamber and a belt, which is located above a stack of paper sheets loaded on a paper feed plate and sucks the paper sheets from the stack of paper sheets with air from above and conveys the adsorbed paper sheets in the paper feed direction. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2008-222404 A (paragraph 0002, Figures 1 and 4, etc.) Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] This invention provides a sheet media supply device and a sheet media usage device that can improve the suction force of a suction conveying belt, which adsorbs the top sheet media loaded on a loading plate to the underside of the belt and then rotates to transport it to the destination, compared to when suction is performed without any surrounding area below the suction conveying belt. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] This invention (1) is a loading plate for loading sheet media; a suction conveyor belt disposed above the stacking plate, which attracts the topmost sheet of media to the lower surface of the belt and then rotates to convey the media to the destination; an enclosure member that is provided around the suction conveyor belt at least at the left and right positions in the conveying direction and hangs down so as to be vertically movable, enclosing a space below the belt bottom surface and with which the sheet medium comes into contact when being sucked and moves upward; Equipped with 、 the suction conveying belt is arranged such that a downstream portion of the belt underside that attracts the sheet medium in the conveying direction protrudes downstream in the conveying direction from an end portion of the sheet medium that is stacked on the downstream side in the conveying direction, The surrounding member is composed of left and right surrounding members arranged at least at the left and right positions, The left and right enclosing members are provided around the periphery of the portion of the suction conveying belt that faces the upper surface of the stacked sheet media, excluding the periphery of the protruding portion of the suction conveying belt. A sheet media supply device.

[0006] The present invention (2) is a supply device according to the above invention (1), wherein the enclosing member is composed of the left and right enclosing members and an upstream enclosing member disposed at a position upstream in the carrying-out direction. 。

[0007] This invention ( 3 ) is the above invention ( 2 ) in a supply device, The upstream enclosing member is disposed so that the minimum distance between the upstream enclosing member and the suction conveying belt is greater than the minimum distance between the left and right enclosing members and the suction conveying belt. It is a supply device 。

[0008] This invention ( 4 ) is the above invention (1) to ( 3 ) In any one of the supply devices, the enclosure member is a supply device that is configured by a plurality of divided enclosure members that are arranged in a row at each position where the enclosure member is to be arranged. 。

[0009] This invention ( 5 ) is the above invention (1) to ( 4 ) in any one of the supply devices, The lower ends of the surrounding members are aligned at approximately the same height when the sheet medium is not being attracted. It is a supply device 。

[0010] This invention ( 6 ) is the above invention (1) to ( 5 In any one of the supply devices, the suction conveyor belt a support frame disposed at least on the left and right sides of the periphery of the enclosure in the carrying-out direction to support the enclosure member, and the enclosure member is attached to the support frame in a manner that allows it to move up and down. It is a supply device 。

[0011] This invention (7) The above invention ( 6In the feeding device of the above, the support frame is a feeding device that is provided independently of the suction conveying belt.

[0012] Also, this invention ( 8 ) is provided with a sheet medium supply device that carries out and supplies stacked sheet medium to a supply destination, and a processing device that processes the sheet medium supplied from the supply device, and the sheet medium supply device is any of the above inventions (1) to ( 7 ) is a sheet media using device that is configured with a supply device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] According to the above invention (1), the suction force of the suction conveying belt, which adsorbs the top sheet of media loaded on the stacking plate to the underside of the belt and then rotates to transport it to the destination, can be improved compared to when suction is performed without any surrounding area below the suction conveying belt. Furthermore, according to the above invention (1), the suction force of the suction conveying belt can be improved compared to when the downstream side of the belt underside of the suction conveying belt that suctions the sheet media is suctioned without surrounding the area below the portion that protrudes downstream in the discharge direction from the downstream end of the loaded sheet media in the discharge direction. Furthermore, according to the above invention (1), the suction force of the suction conveying belt can be improved at the required position compared to when suction is performed without surrounding the lower periphery of the suction conveying belt other than the protruding portion.

[0014] According to the above invention (2), the suction force of the suction conveying belt can be further improved compared to when the enclosing member is composed of only left and right enclosing members. 。

[0015] The above invention ( 3 ) according to the above To reduce the risk of the upstream enclosing member coming into contact with the suction conveying belt compared to a case where the minimum gap between the upstream enclosing member and the suction conveying belt is not wider than the minimum gap between the left and right enclosing members and the suction conveying belt. can be done.

[0016] The above invention ( 4 According to the above, compared to when the enclosing member is configured with only one enclosing member arranged at each position, even if the sheet medium comes into contact with the lower end of the enclosing member with a time lag when being attracted to the underside of the suction conveyor belt, the enclosing member can move in accordance with the attraction state of the sheet medium and exert an attraction force. 。

[0017] The above invention ( 5 ) according to Compared to a configuration in which the lower ends of the surrounding members are not aligned at approximately the same height when the sheet medium is not being attracted, the suction force from the belt underside of the suction conveyor belt is applied approximately equally to the portion of the sheet medium facing the belt underside. can。

[0018] The above invention ( 6 ) according to To reduce the risk of the enclosing member coming into contact with the suction conveying belt compared to when the enclosing member is attached to the attachment frame of the suction conveying belt of the suction unit. can 。

[0019] The above invention (7) This reduces the risk that the enclosing member will be subjected to vibrations caused by the operation of the suction conveyor belt, which will impair the improvement of the suction force of the suction conveyor belt, compared to when the support frame is provided integrally with the suction conveyor belt.

[0020] The above invention ( 8 According to the invention, in a supply device, the suction force of a suction conveying belt, which adsorbs the top sheet of media loaded on a loading plate to the underside of the belt and then rotates to transport it to the destination, can be improved compared to when suction is performed without any surrounding area below the suction conveying belt, thereby preventing poor supply of sheet media to the processing device due to insufficient suction force of the suction conveying belt. In addition, the above invention ( 8 ), in a supply device, the suction force of a suction conveying belt arranged as described above can be improved compared to when the downstream side of the lower surface of the suction conveying belt that suctions the sheet media protrudes downstream in the discharge direction from the downstream end of the loaded sheet media in the discharge direction without surrounding the lower periphery at all. Furthermore, the above invention ( 8 ) In the supply device, the suction force of the suction conveying belt can be improved at the required position compared to when suction is performed without surrounding the lower periphery of the suction conveying belt except for the protruding portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a side view of a sheet medium using device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a side view of a sheet medium supply device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the inside of the supply device as seen from the side. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a portion of the interior of the supply device as viewed from above. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a suction unit, a transport unit, and the like of the supply device as viewed obliquely from below. [Figure 6] 6 is a schematic diagram showing a partial cross section of the supply device taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 1A is a schematic diagram of the surrounding member of the suction unit, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the suction unit of FIG. 1A as viewed from below. [Figure 8] 1A is a schematic diagram of one operating state of the suction unit, and FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the next operating state of the suction unit. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating other operating states of the surrounding member of the suction unit. [Figure 10] 10(A) is a schematic diagram of a suction unit and the like of a supply device according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 10(B) is a schematic diagram of the suction unit as viewed from below. [Figure 11] 10A is a schematic diagram of one operating state of the suction unit in FIG. 10, and FIG. 10B is a schematic diagram of the next operating state of the suction unit. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a suction unit of a supply device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 13] 13A is a schematic diagram of one operating state of the suction unit in FIG. 12, and FIG. 13B is a schematic diagram of the next operating state of the suction unit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] First embodiment. Fig. 1 shows a sheet-medium using device 100 according to the first embodiment. Fig. 2 shows a sheet-medium supplying device 1 according to the first embodiment. In the following explanation, the direction indicated by arrow X in the drawings is the width direction of the device, the direction indicated by arrow Y is the height direction of the device, and the direction indicated by arrow Z is the depth direction of the device which is perpendicular to both the width and height directions. The circle at the intersection of arrows X and Z in the drawings indicates that the depth direction of the device (arrow Z) faces downward, perpendicular to the drawing.

[0024] <Devices using sheet media> As shown in Figure 1, the sheet media usage device 100 includes a sheet media supply device 1 that carries out and supplies stacked sheet media 9, and a processing device 120 that processes the sheet media 9 supplied from the supply device 1. The sheet medium 9 is a medium in a sheet form that can be stored and carried out by the supply device 1 and can be transported and processed by the processing device 120. Reference numeral 200 shown in Fig. 1 denotes an installation surface where the image forming system 100A and the like are installed.

[0025] This sheet medium using device 100 employs an image forming device 120A that forms an image on a sheet medium 9 as a processing device 120, and is configured as an image forming system 100A that is connected to and combined with a supplying device 1. The sheet medium 9 is a medium on which an image can be formed, and is typically a recording medium such as paper cut to a predetermined size, coated paper, film, foil, sheet cloth, or envelope.

[0026] As shown in Figure 1, an image forming device 120A, which is an example of a processing device 120, has a housing 121 having a required external shape, and inside the housing 121, an image forming unit 123A, which is an example of a processing unit 123 that forms an image on a sheet-like medium 9, a conveying path Rt that conveys the sheet-like medium 9 within the housing 121, and the like are arranged.

[0027] Image forming unit 123A is a part configured using an image forming method such as electrophotography, ink recording, etc. Image forming unit 123A is not particularly limited in terms of its image forming method, arrangement, number, etc. 1 is an introduction conveyance path that conveys the sheet medium 9 supplied from the supply device 1 to the image forming unit 123A, and is made up of conveyance rolls 125, conveyance guides, etc. Rt2 is an ejection conveyance path that conveys the sheet medium 9 that has passed through the image forming unit 123A to an unillustrated storage unit or post-processing unit, and is made up of unillustrated conveyance rolls, conveyance guides, etc.

[0028] In this image forming system 100A, when a sheet medium 9 is supplied from a supply device 1 to an image forming device 120A, which is an example of a processing device 120, an image is formed on the supplied sheet medium 9 in the image forming device 120A.

[0029] <Sheet media supply device> As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheet medium supply device 1 has a housing 10 that serves as a main body for accommodating and supplying sheet medium 9.

[0030] The housing 10 is made up of a support frame that forms the required framework, exterior panels that form the exterior appearance, etc. Broadly speaking, as shown in Figures 1 to 3, the housing 10 has a structure that includes an upper portion 11, two upper and lower supply sections 12 and 13 located below the upper portion 11, and an unloading section 14 located at one end of the upper portion 11 and the supply sections 12 and 13.

[0031] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, both the upper supply section 12 and the lower supply section 13 are equipped with tray-like containers 17A, 17B, stacking sections 20A, 20B for stacking sheet-like media 9, a lifting means 30 for raising and lowering the stacking sections 20A, 20B up and down inside the containers 17A, 17B, and unloading means 40A, 40B for unloading the sheet-like media 9 loaded on the stacking sections 20A, 20B, respectively, in the direction indicated by arrow D (unloading direction D) toward the unloading section 14.

[0032] First, the containers 17A and 17B are attached to the front side of the housing 10 (upstream side in the device depth direction Z) so as to be removable. The containers 17A and 17B have sidewalls at the upstream and downstream ends in the depth direction Z of the device, and are equipped with a main body that is open in the width direction X of the device. A front wall 172 is attached to the sidewall on the upstream side in the depth direction Z of the device, and an opening 175 for a handle is provided in the upper part of the front wall 172. Furthermore, each of the containers 17A and 17B is provided with a leading edge wall 173 at one open end (downstream in the discharge direction D) of the main body portion that aligns and positions the leading edges 9s of the sheet media 9 loaded on the stacking units 20A and 20B downstream in the discharge direction D during discharge, and a moving device such as a slide rail or latch mechanism (not shown) that is provided between the left and right sides of the main body portion in the pull-out direction and the inner wall of the housing 10. As shown in FIG. 4, a notched recess 173b is formed in the center of the upper end of the leading edge wall 173.

[0033] Next, the stacking sections 20A and 20B are composed of plate-shaped members (stack plates) on which a stacking surface 21 for stacking sheet media 9 is formed on the top, and are attached so as to be movable up and down inside the containers 17A and 17B.

[0034] Since the loading sections 20A and 20B have the same configuration, the loading section 20A will be described below as a representative unless otherwise necessary. 3 and 4, stacking unit 20A has hanging portions 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d protruding from the left and right side edges when viewed from the downstream side in the discharge direction D of sheet media 9, and hanging portions 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d are guided along guide holes 174 formed in the side wall plates of the main body of container 17A, allowing stacking unit 20A to move up and down. Stacking unit 20A is movable only by the vertical length of guide holes 174.

[0035] 2 to 4, each stacking surface 21 of the stacking sections 20A and 20B is provided with left and right side walls 25L and 25R that contact the left and right side edges of the stacked sheet media 9 when the sheet media 9 is being transported and guide the left and right side edges along the transport-out direction D, and a rear end wall 26 that aligns and positions the rear end of the sheet media 9 on the upstream side of the transport-out direction D. Here, left (L) and right (R) refer to the left and right sides when viewed from the upstream side of the transport-out direction D, as shown in FIG.

[0036] The side walls 25L, 25R have contact surfaces 251 (FIG. 5) that come into contact with the left and right side edges of the sheet media 9. The side walls 25L, 25R also employ a so-called center registration method, in which the supply units 12, 13 transport the sheet media 9 using the center position in the feed width direction as the reference position during transport. For this reason, the side walls 25L, 25R are provided so that the entire side walls can move in the left and right directions L, R at the bottom of the containers 17A, 17B. As a result, the side walls 25L, 25R can be moved to positions that match the left and right side edges of the sheet media 9, thereby adjusting the left and right side edges of the sheet media 9 to align and hold them in fixed positions.

[0037] The rear end wall 26 has a contact surface that comes into contact with the rear end of the sheet medium 9, and the entire wall is provided so as to be movable relative to a slide groove formed in the fixed surface portion 21A of the stacking surface 21 along the discharge direction D. As a result, the rear end wall 26 can be moved to a position that matches the position of the rear end of the sheet medium 9, thereby adjusting the rear end of the sheet medium 9 to be aligned and stopped at a fixed position.

[0038] Next, the lifting means 30 will be described using the loading section 20A as a representative example. As shown in Figures 3, 4, etc., the lifting means 30 is provided with four wires 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d whose ends are respectively distributed and connected to hanging sections 22a, 22b, 22c, and 22d provided at four locations on the loading section 20A.

[0039] The lifting means 30 includes hanging pulleys 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32d rotatably attached to the upper portion of the upper end of each guide hole 174 in the housing 17A, a left-side take-up pulley 34L that takes up the wires 31a and 31b arranged on the left side, a right-side take-up pulley 34R that takes up the wires 31c and 31d arranged on the right side, and auxiliary pulleys 33a and 33b that are looped around to pull the wires 31a and 31b between the hanging pulleys 32a and 32b and the left-side take-up pulley 33L so as to follow the required path.

[0040] 4, the lifting means 30 connects the left winding pulley 34L and the right winding pulley 34R with a rotary shaft 35, and the end of the rotary shaft 35 on the left winding pulley 34L side is connected to (the drive shaft of) a drive device 37 made up of a motor, a gear mechanism, etc., via a detachable coupling mechanism 36. In the lifting means 30, the left winding pulley 34L, the right winding pulley 34R, and the drive device 37 constitute a winding means 38, and the operation of the winding means 38 winds and unwinds the wires 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d.

[0041] In the lifting means 30, when the driving device 37 operates to wind up the wires 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d, the stacking units 20A and 20B move upward, but the driving of the driving device 37 is controlled to stop when detection information is obtained from the position sensor 39. As a result, the upward movement of the stacking unit 20A by the lifting means 30 is stopped at a position where the top of the sheet media 9 reaches a required height. The position sensor 39 detects the position of the top of the sheet media 9 loaded on the loading section 20A. The position sensor 39 is positioned in a state where it can detect the position of the top of the sheet media 9 that is visible from the cutout 173b in the leading edge wall 173 of the container 17A, for example.

[0042] In addition, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the side walls 25L and 25R have air exhaust ports 50 on their contact surfaces 251 that exhaust air to be blown onto the left and right side edges of the sheet media 9 loaded on the loading sections 20A and 20B, respectively.

[0043] 4 and other figures, the air exhaust openings 50 include two air exhaust openings 50A and 50B provided on the left side wall 25L at an interval in the unloading direction D, and two air exhaust openings 50C and 50D provided on the right side wall 25R at an interval in the unloading direction D. Of these, air exhaust opening 50A and air exhaust opening 50D are arranged at positions facing each other in the unloading direction D. Air outlets 50A and 50B are connected to an air duct that houses a blower (not shown) and is located outside left side wall 25L (opposite contact surface 251). On the other hand, air outlets 50C and 50D are connected to an air duct that houses a blower (not shown) and is located outside right side wall 25R (opposite contact surface 251).

[0044] In the supply sections 12 and 13, air is discharged and blown from the air outlets 50A, 50B, 50C and 50DE, respectively, so that air is blown into the left and right side edges of some of the uppermost sheet media 9 loaded on the stacking sections 20A and 20B, causing the uppermost sheet media 9 to be separated vertically.

[0045] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 3, etc., the side walls 25L, 25R are provided on their contact surfaces 251 with a plurality of limiting means 55 that contact the upper surfaces of the left and right side edges of the sheet media 9 loaded on the stacking sections 20A, 20B and limit them to the required height.

[0046] 3, 4, etc., the restricting means 55 includes one restricting means 55A provided on the left side wall 25L at a position upstream of air exhaust port 50A in the conveying direction D, and two restricting means 55B and 55C provided on both sides of air exhaust port 50B, downstream and upstream, in the conveying direction D. Also, as shown in Fig. 4, etc., the restricting means 55 includes one restricting means 55D provided on the right side wall 25R between air exhaust port 50C and air exhaust port 50D, and two restricting means 55E and 55F provided downstream of air exhaust port 50D in the conveying direction D.

[0047] These limiting means 55A to 55F are configured, for example, using plate-like members that protrude a required length above the stacking surfaces 21 of the stacking units 20A and 20B from a required height position on the contact surfaces 251 of the side walls 25L and 25R. Furthermore, the limiting means 55A to 55F are configured, for example, to be stored inside the side walls 25L and 25R and not protrude from the contact surfaces 251 when sheet media 9 are being loaded onto the stacking surfaces 21 of the stacking units 20A and 20B (when the stacking unit 20A, etc., is moved to the lowest position).

[0048] In the supply sections 12 and 13, the restricting means 55A to 55F press down from above on the left and right side edges of the sheet medium 9 (actually the topmost sheet medium 9t) that is floating as described above due to the air discharged from the air discharge port 50, thereby stopping the floating sheet medium 9 at the required height on each stacking surface 21 of the stacking sections 20A and 20B.

[0049] Next, as shown in Figures 2 to 4, the discharge means 40A, 40B are equipped with a suction section 41 that adsorbs and carries the topmost sheet medium 9t among the sheet medium 9 loaded on the stacking sections 20A, 20B, respectively, a conveying section 45 that conveys the sheet medium 9 adsorbed by the suction section 41, and guide members (not shown) that constitute the first discharge path Rh1 described below. Furthermore, the ejection means 40A, 40B are provided independently of the housings 17A, 17B and fixed to a part of the housing 10, for example, to the inner frame 19. As a result, the ejection means 40A, 40B remain in a fixed position inside the housing 10 without moving even when the housings 17A, 17B are pulled out to the outside of the housing 10.

[0050] 3 to 6, a part of the suction unit 41 of the unloading means 40A, 40B is disposed facing each of the stacking surfaces 21 of the stacking units 20A, 20B at an upper position that is the downstream end of the containers 17A, 17B in the unloading direction D. The part is a part of the underside of the suction conveyor belt 43, which will be described later, that includes at least an adsorption area VE where suction force is generated.

[0051] The suction unit 41 is also configured with a suction belt conveying mechanism that sucks the topmost sheet medium 9t from the stack onto the underside of the belt, rotates, and conveys the sheet medium 9t toward the destination. The suction belt conveying mechanism includes an upstream roll 42A rotatably arranged at a position upstream of the conveying direction D, a downstream roll 42B rotatably arranged at a position downstream of the conveying direction D, a suction conveying belt 43 having a number of evenly distributed through-holes 431 on the belt surface and stretched around the upstream roll 42A and the downstream roll 42B, and a suction box 44 arranged inside the suction conveying belt 43 to apply a suction force by suction to the underside of the belt.

[0052] The upstream roll 42A and the downstream roll 42B are rotatably mounted on a mounting frame 412 (see FIG. 4) fixed to the internal frame 19 of the housing 10 or the like. The downstream roll 42B is disposed so as to be located downstream of the leading end wall 173 of the housing 17A or the like in the discharge direction D. The downstream roll 42B is configured as a drive roll that is driven in the direction indicated by the dashed arrow (see FIG. 6 or the like) by rotational power transmitted from a drive device such as a motor and a power transmission mechanism (not shown).

[0053] As shown in Figures 5, 6, etc., the suction conveyor belt 43 is looped around the upstream roll 42A and the downstream roll 42B so as to maintain a required tension, and the belt underside 43v running below the rolls 42A and 42B is rotated in a direction moving along the unloading direction D. Due to the position of the downstream roll 42B, the suction conveyor belt 43 is arranged such that its downstream end in the unloading direction D protrudes from the leading edge wall 173 downstream in the unloading direction D, as shown in Figures 6, 7, etc. Note that the suction conveyor belt 43 is often configured by arranging multiple suction conveyor belts in the left-right direction substantially perpendicular to the unloading direction D, but the following description will be given assuming that it is configured by a single suction conveyor belt.

[0054] The suction box 44 is disposed inside the suction conveyor belt 43 in the space between the upstream roll 42A and the downstream roll 42B. The suction box 44 is disposed with an air intake portion provided on the bottom surface of the box in close proximity to or in contact with the inner circumferential surface of the belt bottom surface 43v of the suction conveyor belt 43. The suction box 44 is also connected to an air intake device (not shown) via a duct 422 (see FIG. 5) which is a ventilation pipe.

[0055] 7, in the suction unit 41, an area of the belt underside 43v of the suction conveyor belt 43 that faces the air intake portion provided on the underside of the suction box 44 functions as an adsorption area VE. As a result, in the suction unit 41, the sheet medium 9 is adsorbed while being in contact with the portion of the belt underside 43v that functions as the adsorption area VE. Incidentally, the suction section 41 in this embodiment is configured so that its adsorption area VE exists as an area having an area facing approximately the center in the left-right directions L and R that intersect with the discharge direction D, at a position near the downstream end of each loading surface 21 of the loading sections 20A and 20B in the discharge direction D, as shown in Figures 4 and 6.

[0056] Next, the conveying section 45 of the unloading means 40A, 40B is arranged at a position downstream of the suction section 41 in the unloading direction D and outside the distal end wall 173 of the containers 17A, 17B in the unloading direction D.

[0057] 5 and 6, the conveying section 45 is configured with a pair of conveying rolls, each of which is a driving conveying roll 46 having a plurality of conveying rolls 462 attached to a rotating shaft 461, and a driven conveying roll 47 which is in contact with the lower part of the driving conveying roll 46 and rotates in response to the driving conveying roll 46, as well as conveying guide members (not shown) which form a passage space for the first discharge path Rh1. The rotating shaft 461 is configured to be driven to rotate during the discharge operation by a driving device such as a motor (not shown). 5 and 6, reference numeral 48 denotes a guide member that guides the leading edge of the sheet medium 9 between the rolls of the conveying section 45 (contact portion between the driving conveying roll 46 and the driven conveying roll 47) when the sheet medium 9 is conveyed out.

[0058] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the discharge section 14 in the housing 10 has a first discharge path Rh1 that discharges sheet-like media 9 discharged from the upper supply section 12 by discharge means 40A to the outside, and a second discharge path Rh2 that discharges sheet-like media 9 discharged from the lower supply section 13 by discharge means 40B to the outside.

[0059] The first discharge path Rh1 and the second discharge path Rh2 are discharge conveying paths that are arranged to merge along the way to ultimately reach the discharge roll 142 of the discharge outlet 18 provided on the other side 10B of the housing 10, and each is composed of a pair of conveying rolls shown by dashed lines, a conveying guide member not shown, etc.

[0060] <Enclosure member in supply device> 5 to 7, the supply device 1 has surrounding members 70 at least on the left and right L and R positions in the discharge direction D around the suction conveyor belt 43 in the suction section 41.

[0061] The enclosing member 70 is arranged in a hanging state so that it can move up and down, and surrounds at least a portion of the space S below the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43, and is a member that comes into contact with the sheet-like medium 9 when it is adsorbed by the suction section 41 and moves it upward. Additionally, the enclosing member 70 is made of a material that is strong enough to maintain its shape even when subjected to the suction force of the suction unit 41, and is lightweight enough to allow the sheet medium 9 to come into contact with and move upward when being sucked by the suction unit 41. Specifically, the enclosing member 70 is made of a sheet of synthetic resin such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate (PC).

[0062] In this embodiment, the enclosing members 70 are provided as a left enclosing member 71 and a right enclosing member 72 at positions L and R on the left and right sides of the suction conveying belt 43 in the discharge direction D, and an upstream enclosing member 73 is provided at a position upstream of the discharge direction D. The enclosure member 70, consisting of the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72, and the upstream enclosure member 73, is arranged to surround the suction conveying belt 43 on three sides: the left and right peripheral positions and the upstream peripheral position in the discharge direction D.

[0063] In this case, the duct 442 connected to the suction box 44 may be present as an obstacle at one of the left and right L and R peripheral positions around the suction conveyor belt 43 in the discharge direction D. However, in this case, for example, the duct 442 may be arranged to connect to the suction duct 44 at a position above the suction duct 44, so that at least one of the left and right enclosing members 71, 72 that overlaps with the duct 55 in a vertical position can have a storage (retraction) space when it moves upward when the uppermost sheet medium 9A is sucked into the suction unit 41.

[0064] 6 and 7(A), the enclosing member 70 is disposed at a position surrounding the portion of the suction conveyor belt 43 that faces the upper surface of the sheet media 9 stacked on the stacking surface 21 of the stacking unit 20A, excluding the periphery of the end of the suction conveyor belt 43 that protrudes downstream in the discharge direction D from the leading edge wall 173 of the container 17A. Therefore, the left and right enclosing members 71, 72 are disposed only at positions that face the upper surface of the stacked sheet media 9, excluding the left and right periphery of the end of the suction conveyor belt 43 that protrudes downstream in the discharge direction D from the leading edge wall 173.

[0065] Furthermore, each of the enclosure members 70, which consists of the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72, and the upstream enclosure member 73, has two divided enclosure members (a first divided enclosure member and a second divided enclosure member) arranged side by side at each of the surrounding positions, as shown in Figure 7(B), etc. In other words, the left enclosure member 71 has a first divided enclosure member 71A and a second divided enclosure member 71B arranged side by side, the right enclosure member 72 has a second divided enclosure member 72A and a second divided enclosure member 72B arranged side by side, and the upstream enclosure member 73 has a second divided enclosure member 73A and a second divided enclosure member 73B arranged side by side.

[0066] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 4 to 7, the enclosure member 70 consisting of the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72 and the upstream enclosure member 73 is attached so as to hang down and be able to move up and down relative to a support frame 80 which is separate from the mounting frame 412 to which the suction belt conveying mechanism of the suction section 41 is attached.

[0067] First, the support frame 80 is, for example, a frame having three side plates (left and right side plates 81, 82 and an upstream side plate 83) surrounding the left and right periphery of the suction conveying belt 43 and the upstream periphery in the discharge direction D, as shown in Figure 7(B). The support frame 80 is disposed so as to exist around the outside of the mounting frame 412 of the suction unit 41. Although the support frame 80 can be fixed to the mounting frame 412 of the suction unit 41, it is preferable to fix it to a part such as the internal frame 19 of the housing 10 independently of the mounting frame 412, from the viewpoint of preventing the enclosing member 70 from being subjected to vibrations caused by the operation of the suction belt conveying mechanism.

[0068] A plurality of guide holes 76 extending a required length in the vertical direction are provided in each of the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72, and the upstream enclosure member 73. Two guide holes 76 are provided in each of the divided enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, and 73B. On the other hand, the support frame 80 has protrusions 78 at positions corresponding to the multiple guide holes 76 in each of the enclosure members 71-73 at the portions where each of the enclosure members 71-73 is attached on the outer surface of each of the side plates 81-83, so that each of the guide holes 76 can be inserted with sufficient clearance.

[0069] Therefore, the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72 and the upstream enclosure member 73 are hooked by inserting the two guide holes 76 provided in each of the divided enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, 73B into each of the protrusions 78 on the support frame 80, and are thereby attached in a hanging state that allows them to move up and down along the guide holes 76 inserted into each of the protrusions 78. In this case, in order to ensure smooth movement in the vertical direction, it is advisable to attach each divided enclosure member 70, 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, 73B, so that their upper portions, approximately one-half to one-third of the length from the top in the vertical direction, are in contact with and supported by the outer surfaces of each side plate 81, 82, 83 of the support frame 80.

[0070] As shown in Figure 6, each of the divided enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, and 73B is arranged so that two adjacent divided enclosure members overlap each other partially in the center of each surrounding position, and one of the guide holes 76 in each divided enclosure member is inserted into and overlaps with one protrusion 78 provided corresponding to the overlapping portion 70W. This prevents the occurrence of unnecessary gaps between two adjacent enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, 73B.

[0071] Furthermore, for the divided enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, and 73B, the following measures are taken to prevent the guide holes 76 from easily coming off the protrusions 78. That is, one of the following representative measures is selected and taken: shaping the tip of the protrusion 78 so that the guide holes 76 do not easily come off, attaching a component to the tip of the protrusion 78 to prevent it from coming off, or attaching a covering member (cover) that covers the protrusions 78 and the guide holes 76 from the outside.

[0072] The left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72 and the upstream enclosure member 73 are all horizontally long rectangular members. The shapes of the left enclosing member 71, the right enclosing member 72, and the upstream enclosing member 73 are not limited to the shapes applied above, but may be any shapes that satisfy at least the following conditions: That is, each of the enclosing members 71, 72, 73 must have a shape that enables the lower portion thereof to enclose the space S below the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 to a predetermined height, and each of the lower ends (for example, the lower end 72Aa of the first divided enclosing member 72A of the right enclosing member 72, the lower end 72Ba of the second divided enclosing member 72B, and the lower end 73Ba of the second divided enclosing member 73B of the upstream enclosing member) must have a linear end shape that is approximately parallel to the loading surface 21 of the loading section 20A.

[0073] Furthermore, the enclosure 70, which is made up of the left enclosure 71, the right enclosure 72 and the upstream enclosure 73, is arranged in the following state. That is, as shown in Figure 7(A), each enclosure member 71, 72, 73 is positioned so that the height position h4 of its respective lower end (for example, the lower end 72Aa of the first divided enclosure member 72A of the right enclosure member 72 and the lower end 72Ba of the second divided enclosure member 72B) is lower than the height h1 of the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43, and higher than the height position h4 of the topmost sheet-like medium 9t when it is loaded on the loading surface 21 of the loading section 20A and is at the height position during supply. 7(A) indicates the lower height position of either the lower end 412a (see FIG. 6) of the mounting frame 412 of the suction unit 41 or the lower end 80a (see FIG. 6) of the support frame 80, but in FIG. 7(A) it is assumed that this is the height position of the lower end 80a of the support frame 80. This height position h2 is higher than the height h1 of the belt underside 43v of the suction conveyor belt 43.

[0074] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5 to 7, the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72 and the upstream enclosure member 73 are configured so that the height positions of their respective lower ends are aligned at the same height position when in non-adsorption mode, that is, when the sheet-like medium 9 is not being adsorbed to the suction section 41. In this embodiment, the divided enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, 73B are also configured so that the lower ends of adjacent divided enclosure members are aligned at the same height when the sheet medium 9 is not being adsorbed.

[0075] In addition, in this embodiment, as shown in Figure 7(B), the upstream enclosure member 73 is positioned so that the minimum distance d3 between it and the suction conveying belt 43 is wider than either of the minimum distances d1 and d2 between it and the suction conveying belts 43 of the left and right enclosure members 71 and 72 (d3>d1, d3>d2). The minimum intervals d1, d2, and d3 at this time differ between the overlapping divided enclosing members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, and 73B, but the relatively smaller interval is set as the minimum interval (d1, d2, d3).

[0076] In addition, in the suction belt conveying mechanism, the minimum distances d1 and d2 at this time do not pose any problem as long as the left and right ends of the suction conveying belt 43 are positioned at the outermost positions in the left-right direction. However, as shown in Fig. 7(B) as an example, the left and right ends 42Ac and 42Ad of the upstream roll 42A, the left and right ends 42Bc and 42Bd of the downstream roll 42B, and the left and right ends 44Bc and 44Bd of the suction box 44 may protrude outward more than the left and right ends 43c and 43d of the suction conveying belt 43. In this case, the minimum distances d1 and d2 are determined not from the left and right ends 43c and 43d of the suction conveyor belt 43 but from the end that protrudes most outward.

[0077] <Sheet media supply operation> Next, the operation of feeding sheet media 9 by this sheet media feeding device 1 will be described.

[0078] In the supply device 1, taking the upper supply unit 12 as an example, first, the lifting means 30A starts winding up the wires 31a, 31b, 31c, and 31d simultaneously. As a result, the stacking unit 20A inside the container 17A is raised until the top of the sheet media 9 stacked on the stacking surface 21 of the stacking unit 20A reaches the required supply preparation height (h3), as shown in FIG.

[0079] Next, in the stacking section 20A, air is discharged from the air discharge ports 50A, 50B, 50C, and 50D in the left and right side walls 25L and 25R, respectively, as shown in Figure 8(A). As a result, the uppermost sheets of sheet media 9 among the stacked sheets of sheet media 9 are lifted upward by the inflow of air and separated.

[0080] At this time, even if the levitated multiple sheet media 9 move upward due to levitation, the upper surfaces of the left and right side edges of the uppermost sheet media 9t come into contact with the contact surfaces 551 of the first limiting means 55A to 55F. As a result, the levitated multiple sheet media 9c are prevented from moving upward and their heights are limited. 6, the contact surfaces 551 of the restricting means 55A to 55F are set to be at approximately the same height as the height position (h1) of the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43. The two-dot chain line VL in FIG. 6 is an imaginary extension line that passes through the height position (h1) of the belt underside 43v.

[0081] At this time, in the carrying-out means 40A, the suction box 44 in the suction unit 41 starts suctioning, and the suction unit 41 starts suctioning. As a result, the suction force from the suction box 44 is applied to the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43, forming an adsorption area VE, as shown in Figures 7 and 8(A). At this time, the suction conveying belt 43 is stationary and not rotating.

[0082] When this suction operation begins, in the container 17A, the topmost sheet medium 9t among the multiple floating sheet media 9 begins to rise so that its leading edge in the discharge direction D receives suction force from the adsorption area VE of the suction conveying belt 43 in the suction section 41 and approaches the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43.

[0083] In this case, in the suction section 41, the left and right peripheral positions of the suction conveying belt 43 and the peripheral position upstream in the discharge direction D are surrounded by enclosure members 70, namely, left enclosure member 71, right enclosure member 72 and upstream enclosure member 73 (strictly speaking, divided enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, 73B), so that the space S below the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is surrounded from three sides (the left and right peripheral positions and the peripheral position upstream in the discharge direction D). As a result, the gap between the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 and the upper surface of the top sheet-like medium 9t is reduced, and compared to when the enclosing member 70 is not provided, the space S below the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is more likely to be in a negative pressure state, and the adsorption force (suction force) at the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is concentrated and applied to the upper surface portion facing the adsorption area VE of the top sheet-like medium 9t, thereby improving the adsorption force.

[0084] Incidentally, in this suction section 41, an enclosing member 70 is not provided around the portion of the suction conveyor belt 43 that protrudes downstream in the discharge direction D from the leading end wall 173 of the accommodating body 17A, so that the space S below the belt underside 43v is not enclosed. However, since sufficient suction force is obtained in the suction area VE on the belt underside 43v in the protruding portion of the suction section 41, there is no particular need to provide an enclosing member 70 in the protruding portion to improve the suction force, and this does not pose any problem.

[0085] As a result, the leading end portion of the top sheet medium 9t downstream in the discharge direction D comes into contact with the lower ends of the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72 and the upstream enclosure member 73 as enclosure members 70, as shown in Figure 8(A), while rising to approach the adsorption area VE due to the suction force from the adsorption area VE on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43. At this time, the lower ends of the left enclosing member 71, the right enclosing member 72 and the upstream enclosing member 73 are aligned at the same height position (h4) before adsorption, so the suction force of the belt underside 43v is distributed almost equally to the leading end portion of the sheet medium 9t, contacting each of its lower ends almost simultaneously.

[0086] Next, the leading edge portion of the top sheet medium 9t rises together with the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72 and the upstream enclosure member 73 as enclosure members 70, as shown in Figure 8(B), and is finally adsorbed to the adsorption area VE on the belt underside 43v.

[0087] At this time, the left enclosing member 71, the right enclosing member 72, and the upstream enclosing member 73 of the enclosing members 70 are pushed upward by the leading edge of the rising top sheet of medium 9t. At this time, the left enclosing member 71, the right enclosing member 72, and the upstream enclosing member 73 have their lower ends (at a height position h4) at approximately the same height as the height position h1 of the suction area VE on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveyor belt 43. Therefore, the enclosing members 71, 72, and 73 of the enclosing member 70 do not hinder the movement of the uppermost sheet medium 9t when it is sucked by the suction unit 41.

[0088] Next, in the supply device 1, when the suction unit 41 of the discharge means 40A detects the suction of the uppermost sheet medium 9t, the suction conveyor belt 43 starts to rotate in a predetermined direction. This detection is performed, for example, by a detection means (not shown) that is provided in a location on the housing 10 or the like near the upstream end of the suction conveyor belt 43 in the discharge direction D and detects the height of the uppermost sheet medium 9A.

[0089] As a result, the uppermost sheet medium 9t adsorbed to the adsorption area VE on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveyor belt 43 is conveyed in the conveying direction D by the rotation of the suction conveyor belt 43, and the leading edge 9s thereof downstream in the conveying direction D is sent to be handed over to the conveying section 45. That is, the leading edge 9s of the sheet medium 9t at this time is introduced into the contact area between the driving conveyor roll 46 and the driven conveyor roll 47, which is between a pair of rolls in the conveying section 45. When the suction unit 41 has finished feeding the adsorbed sheet medium 9t into the conveying unit 45, it stops the rotation of the suction conveying belt 43 and stops the suction operation of the suction box 44 until the next supply operation is started.

[0090] Next, the conveying unit 45 of the unloading unit 40A uses a conveying force to unload the delivered sheet media 9t from the stacker 20A and the container 17A and sends it out to the first unloading path Rh1. At this time, the left and right side edges of the sheet medium 9t come into contact with the contact surfaces 251 of the left and right side walls 25L, 25R and are guided while moving in the discharge direction D. As a result, the sheet medium 9t is discharged in a normal state without being tilted during transport.

[0091] As a result of the above, the sheet-like medium 9 is discharged from the upper supply section 12 via the first discharge path Rh1 through the discharge outlet 18, and then supplied to the image forming device 120A (first introduction conveying path Rt1), which is an example of a supply destination.

[0092] In addition, in the supply device 1, the sheet-like medium 9 loaded in the stacking section 20B is also discharged from the discharge outlet 18 via the second discharge path Rh2 from the lower supply section 13, in a manner similar to the above-mentioned supply operation in the upper supply section 12, and then supplied to the destination. In the sheet-medium using device 100, when the sheet medium 9 is supplied from the supply device 1 to the image forming device 120A, which is an example of the processing device 120, an image is formed on the sheet medium 9.

[0093] This supply device 1 employs a method in which the sheet media 9 is first sucked up by the suction section 41 in the upper supply section 12 or the lower supply section 13 and then transported away, but since the suction conveying belt 43 of the suction section 41 has sufficient suction force, the sheet media 9 is properly sucked up before being transported away. Furthermore, in the use device 100, the sheet medium 9 is properly adsorbed onto the suction conveying belt 43 in the supply device 1 before being transported, thereby preventing poor supply of the sheet medium 9 to the image forming device 120A, which is a processing device, due to insufficient adsorption force of the suction conveying belt 43.

[0094] Furthermore, in this supply device 1, as illustrated in Figure 9, when the sheet medium 9t is adsorbed onto the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 in the suction section 41, it may come into contact with the lower ends 71Ba, 72Ba of the left and right second divided enclosure members 71B, 72B, which are part of the enclosure member 70, with a time lag (in Figure 9, the left second divided enclosure member 71B and its lower end 71Ba are omitted).

[0095] Even in this case, the suction conveying belt 43 follows the adsorption state of the sheet-like medium 9t, and the downstream ends of the left and right second divided enclosing members 71B, 72B of the enclosing member 70 in the discharge direction D move upward before the other divided enclosing member parts (such as the upstream ends in the discharge direction D). This allows the suction force of the suction conveyor belt 43 to be applied to the sheet medium 9t in a flexible and adaptable manner. Figure 9 illustrates an example in which the downstream leading edge of the sheet medium 9t in the discharge direction D comes into contact with the downstream ends of the left and right second divided enclosing members 71B, 72B in the discharge direction D slightly earlier than the other portions, with a time lag. In addition, for example, the overlapping portions of adjacent divided enclosing members may move upward before the other portions, or the upstream end of the first divided enclosing member in the discharge direction D may move upward before the other portions. Factors that cause the sheet medium 9t to come into contact with the roller 9t with a time lag include, for example, fluctuations in suction force and the presence of a curved portion of the sheet medium 9t.

[0096] Furthermore, in the suction section 41 of this supply device 1, when suction force is generated on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43, the left and right enclosing members 71, 72 and the upstream enclosing member 73 are not deformed toward the suction conveying belt 43 due to the influence of the suction force, and there is almost no risk of them coming into contact with the suction conveying belt 43. Furthermore, even if the suction section 41 is affected by the suction force generated on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 or the airflow generated by the rotation of the suction conveying belt 43, the upstream enclosing member 73 maintains a relatively wide distance d3 from the end 43a of the suction conveying belt 43 in the discharge direction D, so there is no risk of it coming into contact with and being caught in the end 43a upstream of the suction conveying belt 43 in the discharge direction D.

[0097] Second embodiment. FIG. 10 shows a part (suction unit, etc.) of a sheet medium supply device 1 according to the second embodiment. When compared with the supply device 1 according to the first embodiment, the supply device 1 according to the second embodiment differs in that it has been changed to a suction unit 41B, but otherwise has the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in the first embodiment, and their description will be omitted unless necessary.

[0098] As shown in Figure 10(A), the suction section 41B in the second embodiment has the same configuration as the suction section 41 in the first embodiment, except that the position of the suction conveying belt 43 has been changed and some changes have been made to the enclosing member 70.

[0099] The suction conveyor belt 43 in the suction section 41B is arranged with its belt lower surface 43v facing the inner portion of the upper surface of the sheet media 9 loaded on the loading surface 21 of the loading section 20A, including the downstream roll 42B. As a result, there is no portion of the suction conveyor belt 43, including the downstream roll 42B, that protrudes downstream in the discharge direction D beyond the leading edge wall 173 of the container 17A.

[0100] In addition, in this suction section 41B, as the enclosing members 70, a left enclosing member 71 and a right enclosing member 72 are provided at positions on the left and right sides L and R of the periphery of the suction conveyor belt 43 in the discharge direction D, up to the downstream roll 42B, and in addition to an upstream enclosing member 73 at a position upstream of the discharge direction D, a downstream enclosing member 74 is provided at a position downstream of the upstream enclosing member 73 in the discharge direction D. Furthermore, the downstream enclosing member 74 is divided into two divided enclosing members that are arranged side by side at the periphery where it is arranged, similar to the other enclosing members 71, 72, and 73. In other words, the downstream enclosing member 74 is arranged side by side as shown in FIG. 10(B).

[0101] In addition, in this suction section 41B, in connection with the additional provision of a downstream enclosure member 74, a frame having a shape as the support frame 80 is applied, which has left and right side plates 81, 82 and an upstream side plate 83, as well as a downstream side plate 84 that surrounds the downstream side of the suction conveying belt 43 in the discharge direction D, as shown in Figure 10(B).

[0102] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 10(B), the upstream enclosure member 73 and the downstream enclosure member 74 in this suction section 41B are arranged so that the minimum distances d3 and d4 between them and the suction conveying belt 43 are wider than either of the minimum distances d1 and d2 between them and the suction conveying belts 43 of the left and right enclosure members 71 and 72 (d4>d1, d4>d2). In addition, in order to reliably avoid contact with the suction conveying belt 43, the upstream enclosing member 73 is positioned so that the minimum distance d3 between it and the suction conveying belt 43 is wider than the minimum distance d3 between the downstream enclosing member 74 and the suction conveying belt 43 (d3>d4), as shown in Figure 10(B).

[0103] <Sheet media supply operation> The operation of supplying sheet media 9 by this sheet media supply device 1 is the same as the above-described supply operation by the supply device 1 of the first embodiment, except that the operation of the suction section 41B is partially changed as described below.

[0104] That is, in this supply device 1, when the suction operation of the suction box 44 in the suction section 41B is started, the topmost sheet medium 9t among the multiple floating sheet media 9 in the container 17A receives suction force from the adsorption area VE of the suction conveying belt 43 in the suction section 41, and the leading end portion of the sheet medium 9t in the discharge direction D begins to rise so as to approach the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43.

[0105] In this case, in the suction section 41B, the left and right peripheral positions of the suction conveying belt 43, the upstream peripheral position in the discharge direction D, and the downstream peripheral position in the discharge direction D are surrounded by enclosure members 70, namely, left enclosure member 71, right enclosure member 72, upstream enclosure member 73, and downstream enclosure member 74 (strictly speaking, divided enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, 73B, 74A, 74B), so that the space S below the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is surrounded from four sides (the left and right peripheral positions, the upstream peripheral position in the discharge direction D, and the downstream peripheral position in the discharge direction D). As a result, the gap between the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 and the upper surface of the top sheet-like medium 9t is reduced, and compared to when the enclosing member 70 is not provided, the space S below the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is more likely to be in a negative pressure state, and the adsorption force (suction force) at the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is concentrated and applied to the upper surface portion facing the adsorption area VE of the top sheet-like medium 9t, thereby improving the adsorption force.

[0106] As a result, as shown in Figure 11 (A), the leading edge portion of the top sheet medium 9t on the downstream side in the discharge direction D comes into contact with the lower ends of the left enclosure member 71, right enclosure member 72, upstream enclosure member 73 and downstream enclosure member 74 as enclosure members 70, as it rises to approach the suction area VE due to the suction force from the suction area VE on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43. At this time, the lower ends of the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72, the upstream enclosure member 73 and the downstream enclosure member 74 are aligned at the same height position (h4) before adsorption, so the suction force of the belt underside 43v is distributed almost equally to the leading end portion of the sheet medium 9t, contacting each of its lower ends almost simultaneously.

[0107] Next, the leading edge portion of the top sheet medium 9t rises together with the enclosing members 70, which are the left enclosing member 71, the right enclosing member 72, the upstream enclosing member 73 and the downstream enclosing member 74, as shown in Figure 11(B), and is finally adsorbed to the adsorption area VE on the belt underside 43v.

[0108] At this time, the left enclosing member 71, the right enclosing member 72, the upstream enclosing member 73, and the downstream enclosing member 74 of the enclosing members 70 are pushed upward by the leading edge of the rising top sheet of medium 9t. At this time, the lower ends (height position h4) of the enclosing members 71, 72, 73, and 74 are positioned at approximately the same height as the height position h1 of the suction area VE on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveyor belt 43. Therefore, the enclosing members 71, 72, 73, and 74 of the enclosing member 70 do not hinder the movement of the uppermost sheet of medium 9t when it is sucked by the suction unit 41.

[0109] Furthermore, in the suction section 41B of this supply device 1, when suction force is generated on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43, the left and right enclosure members 71, 72, the upstream enclosure member 73, and the downstream enclosure member 74 are not deformed toward the suction conveying belt 43 due to the influence of the suction force, and there is almost no risk of them coming into contact with the suction conveying belt 43. Furthermore, even if the suction section 41B is affected by the suction force generated on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 or the airflow generated by the rotation of the suction conveying belt 43, the upstream enclosing member 73 maintains a relatively wide distance d3 from the end 43a of the suction conveying belt 43 in the discharge direction D, so there is no risk of contact with and being caught in the upstream end 43a of the suction conveying belt 43.

[0110] Third embodiment. FIG. 12 shows a part (suction unit, etc.) of a sheet medium supply device 1 according to the third embodiment. The supply device 1 according to the third embodiment differs from the supply device 1 according to the second embodiment in that it has been changed to a suction unit 41C, but otherwise has the same configuration. Therefore, in the following description, the same components as those in the first and second embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted unless necessary.

[0111] As shown in FIG. 12, the suction section 41C in the third embodiment has the same configuration as the suction section 41B in the second embodiment, except that the state of arrangement of the suction conveyor belt 43 is changed. That is, the suction conveyor belt 43 in the suction section 41C is arranged such that its belt underside 43v forms an inclined surface with the downstream end relatively upward in the discharge direction D. Specifically, the downstream roll 42B is arranged at a position shifted upward relative to the upstream roll 42A, and the suction conveyor belt 43 is wound around the two rolls 42A and 42B. Furthermore, since the suction conveying belt 43 has a sloped belt underside 43v, as shown in Figure 12, the height h1 of the belt underside 43v has a first height h1s at the upstream end side in the discharge direction D and a second height h1e at the downstream end side in the discharge direction D.

[0112] In addition, since the conveying section 45 in this supply device 1 faces upward as the discharge direction D moves downstream due to a change in the positioning state of the suction conveying belt 43, the positions of the driving conveying roll 46 and the driven conveying roll 47 in the conveying section 45 are changed to positions slightly shifted upward to match the upward direction of the discharge direction D, as illustrated by the dotted line in Figure 12.

[0113] In addition, in this suction section 41C, as in the case of suction section 41B in the second embodiment (see FIG. 10(B)), a left enclosing member 71, a right enclosing member 72, an upstream enclosing member 73, and a downstream enclosing member 74 are provided as enclosing members 70. In addition, in the downstream enclosing suction conveying belt, the enclosing members are composed of at least the left and right enclosing members and the downstream enclosing member.

[0114] <Sheet media supply operation> The operation of supplying sheet media 9 by this sheet media supply device 1 is the same as the above-described supply operation by the supply device 1 of the second embodiment, except that the operation of the suction section 41C is partially changed as described below.

[0115] That is, in this supply device 1, when the suction operation of the suction box 44 in the suction section 41C is started, the topmost sheet medium 9t among the multiple floating sheet media 9 in the container 17A receives suction force from the adsorption area VE of the suction conveying belt 43 in the suction section 41, and the leading end portion of the topmost sheet medium 9t in the discharge direction D begins to rise so as to approach the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43.

[0116] In this case, in the suction section 41C, the left and right peripheral positions of the suction conveying belt 43, the peripheral positions upstream in the conveying direction D and the peripheral positions downstream in the conveying direction D are surrounded by enclosure members 70, namely, left enclosure member 71, right enclosure member 72, upstream enclosure member 73 and downstream enclosure member 74 (strictly speaking, divided enclosure members 71A, 71B, 72A, 72B, 73A, 73B, 74A, 74B), so that the space S below the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is surrounded on all four sides. As a result, the gap between the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 and the upper surface of the top sheet-like medium 9t is reduced, and compared to when the enclosing member 70 is not provided, the space S below the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is more likely to be in a negative pressure state, and the adsorption force (suction force) at the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 is concentrated and applied to the upper surface portion facing the adsorption area VE of the top sheet-like medium 9t, thereby improving the adsorption force.

[0117] As a result, the leading end portion of the top sheet medium 9t downstream in the discharge direction D comes into contact with the lower ends of the left enclosure member 71, right enclosure member 72, upstream enclosure member 73 and downstream enclosure member 74 as enclosure members 70, as shown in Figure 13(A), while rising to approach the suction area VE due to the suction force from the suction area VE on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43.

[0118] Next, since the belt underside 43v is inclined, the suction force acts on the leading edge portion of the top sheet medium 9t at an angle inclined upstream in the discharge direction D to match the inclination of the belt underside 43v. As shown in Figure 13(B), the leading edge portion of the top sheet medium 9t rises together with the left enclosure member 71, the right enclosure member 72 and the downstream enclosure member 74 as enclosure members 70, and is finally adsorbed to the adsorption area VE on the belt underside 43v.

[0119] At this time, the left enclosing member 71, the right enclosing member 72, and the downstream enclosing member 74 of the enclosing members 70 are pushed upward by the leading edge of the rising top sheet of media 9t. At this time, the lower ends (height position h4) of the enclosing members 71, 72, and 73 are positioned at approximately the same height as the first height positions h1s and h1e of the suction area VE on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveyor belt 43. Of these, the left and right enclosing members 71 and 72 move so that their downstream ends in the conveying direction D rise and their upstream ends in the conveying direction D remain at approximately the same position. On the other hand, the upstream enclosing member 73 at this time is hardly pushed upward by the leading edge portion of the rising top sheet of media 9t, and therefore hardly moves upward. Therefore, the enclosing members 71, 72, 73, and 74 of the enclosing member 70 do not hinder the movement of the uppermost sheet of medium 9t when it is sucked by the suction unit 41.

[0120] Furthermore, in the suction section 41C of this supply device 1, when suction force is generated on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43, the left and right enclosure members 71, 72, the upstream enclosure member 73, and the downstream enclosure member 74 are not deformed toward the suction conveying belt 43 due to the influence of the suction force, and there is almost no risk of them coming into contact with the suction conveying belt 43. Furthermore, even if the suction section 41B is affected by the suction force generated on the belt underside 43v of the suction conveying belt 43 or the airflow generated by the rotation of the suction conveying belt 43, the upstream enclosing member 73 maintains a relatively wide distance d3 from the end 43a of the suction conveying belt 43 in the discharge direction D, so there is no risk of contact with and being caught in the upstream end 43a of the suction conveying belt 43.

[0121] Variant. In the above-described embodiments, there have been shown configuration examples in which two divided enclosure members are arranged side by side for each enclosure member when enclosure member 70 includes left enclosure member 71, right enclosure member 72, and upstream enclosure member 73, and when enclosure member 70 includes left enclosure member 71, right enclosure member 72, upstream enclosure member 73, and downstream enclosure member 74. However, each enclosure member may be arranged as a single enclosure member without being divided, or three or more divided enclosure members may be arranged side by side.

[0122] Furthermore, although the configuration example in which the respective enclosing members 71, 72, 73, and 74 constituting the enclosing member 70 are attached to the support frame 80 so as to be suspended vertically movable, they may also be attached to the mounting frame 412 of the suction belt conveying mechanism, if possible. Furthermore, the support frame 80 may be arranged so as to be fixed to the mounting frame 412 when there is no adverse effect, for example, on the operational vibration of the suction belt conveying mechanism.

[0123] In the suction section 41C of the third embodiment, for example, when the distance between the upstream end of the suction conveying belt 43 in the discharge direction D and the top sheet medium 9t during supply is small, the installation of the upstream enclosing member 73 as the enclosing member 70 may be omitted.

[0124] The suction conveyor belts 43 may be arranged in a row in a direction substantially perpendicular to the unloading direction D. When using multiple suction conveyor belts 43, the enclosing members 70 may be arranged at necessary positions around the entire periphery. Alternatively, the multiple suction conveyor belts 43 may be arranged so that there are gaps between adjacent boundaries, and left and right enclosing members 70 (71, 72) in the unloading direction D may be arranged in the gaps.

[0125] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, the image forming system 100A in which the processing device 120 is the image forming device 120A is exemplified as the sheet medium using device 100, but the sheet medium using device 100 is not limited to this. The sheet medium using device 100 may be any device that has a processing device 120 that performs required processing on the sheet medium 9 supplied from the supply device 1.

[0126] Examples of the device 100 include a printing system in which the processing device 120 is a printing device that applies ink to sheet-like media 9, etc., a painting system in which the processing device 120 is a painting device that applies liquid paint to sheet-like media 9, etc., and a drying system in which the processing device 120 is a drying device that dries sheet-like media 9. [Explanation of symbols]

[0127] 1...Sheet media supply device 9...sheet media 9t...Top-tier sheet media 20...Loading section (an example of a loading plate) 43...Suction conveyor belt 43v...Belt bottom 70...Enclosure member 71...Left enclosure 72...Right enclosure 73...Upstream enclosure 72...Downstream enclosure member 80...Support frame 100...Device for using sheet media 120... Processing equipment 120A...Image forming device (an example of a processing device) D…Export direction L…Left R...Right

Claims

1. a loading plate for loading sheet media; a suction conveyor belt disposed above the stacking plate, which attracts the topmost sheet of media to the lower surface of the belt and then rotates to convey the media to the destination; an enclosure member that is provided around the suction conveyor belt at least at the left and right positions in the conveying direction and hangs down so as to be vertically movable, enclosing a space below the belt bottom surface and with which the sheet medium comes into contact when being sucked and moves upward; Equipped with the suction conveying belt is arranged such that a downstream portion of the belt underside that attracts the sheet medium in the conveying direction protrudes downstream in the conveying direction from an end portion of the sheet medium that is stacked on the downstream side in the conveying direction, The surrounding member is composed of left and right surrounding members arranged at least at the left and right positions, A sheet media supply device in which the left and right enclosing members are arranged around the portion of the suction conveying belt that faces the top surface of the stacked sheet media, except for the portion around the protruding portion of the suction conveying belt.

2. 2. The supply device according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure members are made up of the left and right enclosure members and an upstream enclosure member disposed at a position upstream in the conveying direction.

3. 3. The supply device according to claim 2, wherein the upstream enclosing member is disposed so that the minimum distance between the upstream enclosing member and the suction conveying belt is greater than the minimum distance between the left and right enclosing members and the suction conveying belt.

4. 4. The supply device according to claim 1, wherein the enclosure member is composed of a plurality of divided enclosure members arranged side by side at each of the positions where the enclosure member is to be arranged.

5. A supply device described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the lower ends of the enclosing members are aligned at approximately the same height when the sheet medium is not being adsorbed.

6. A support frame is provided around the suction conveying belt, at least at the left and right positions in the conveying direction, to support the enclosure member; 6. The supply device according to claim 1, wherein the enclosing member is attached to the support frame so as to hang down and be movable up and down.

7. A supply device as described in Claim 6, wherein the support frame is provided independently of the suction conveying belt.

8. A sheet media supply device that transports loaded sheet media to a supply destination and supplies them; a processing device that processes the sheet medium supplied from the supply device; Equipped with A sheet-medium using device, wherein the sheet-medium supply device is configured as the supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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