U.S. patent application number 12/641826 was filed with the patent office on 2010-04-22 for sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus.
This patent application is currently assigned to CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA. Invention is credited to TARO IKEDA.
Application Number | 20100096796 12/641826 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 38821096 |
Filed Date | 2010-04-22 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100096796 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
IKEDA; TARO |
April 22, 2010 |
SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS
Abstract
An air blowing portion blows air to the end of sheets supported
by a lifting and lowering tray. The sheets blown up by the air from
the air blowing portion are sucked and conveyed by a sucking and
conveying portion. The sheets are preliminarily blown up above the
suckable rang. Then, the sheets are lowered to the suckable range
before a sucking and conveying operation is started. In the above
operation, the tray is lifted, and thereafter the tray is lowered
until the sheets reach the suckable range while repeating a step
operation of performing a lowering operation and a stop operation
based on detection of the upper surface of the sheets by a sheet
detecting mechanism.
Inventors: |
IKEDA; TARO; (TOKYO,
JP) |
Correspondence
Address: |
FITZPATRICK CELLA HARPER & SCINTO
1290 Avenue of the Americas
NEW YORK
NY
10104-3800
US
|
Assignee: |
CANON KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Tokyo
JP
|
Family ID: |
38821096 |
Appl. No.: |
12/641826 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
11741843 |
Apr 30, 2007 |
7635125 |
|
|
12641826 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
271/11 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B65H 2511/22 20130101;
B65H 2511/20 20130101; B65H 3/128 20130101; B65H 2511/20 20130101;
B65H 2511/22 20130101; B65H 3/48 20130101; B65H 1/14 20130101; B65H
2801/21 20130101; B65H 2220/02 20130101; B65H 2220/02 20130101;
B65H 2220/11 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
271/11 |
International
Class: |
B65H 5/22 20060101
B65H005/22; B65H 3/08 20060101 B65H003/08 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
May 12, 2006 |
JP |
2006-134530 |
Claims
1. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising: a lifting and lowering
tray which supports sheets; an air blowing portion blowing air to
an end of the sheets to blow upward the sheets supported on the
tray; a sucking and conveying portion sucking and conveying a sheet
blown upward by the air blown by the air blowing portion; a sheet
detecting mechanism detecting an uppermost sheet of the sheets
supported on the tray; and a controller configured such that when
the uppermost sheet blown upward is lowered to a sucking and
conveying position based on detection of an upper surface of the
sheet by the sheet detecting mechanism before starting a sucking
and conveying operation of a sheet by the sucking and conveying
portion, the tray is lowered until the uppermost sheet reaches the
sucking and conveying position while repeating a step operation in
which a lowering operation and a stop operation are performed.
2. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
controller is configured such that a lowering operation time period
and a stop operation time period in one step of the step operation
of performing the lowering operation and the stop operation of the
tray are variable.
3. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the
controller is configured such that after a sucking and conveying
operation of a sheet by the sucking and conveying portion has been
started, even if the uppermost sheet is positioned above the
sucking and conveying position, the tray is not lowered.
4. An image forming apparatus provided with a sheet feeding
apparatus for feeding sheets one by one, comprising: a lifting and
lowering tray which supports sheets; an air blowing portion blowing
air to an end of the sheets to blow upward the sheets supported on
the tray; a sucking and conveying portion sucking the sheets blown
upward by the air blown by the air blowing portion, and feeding a
sheet to an image forming portion; a sheet detecting mechanism for
detecting an uppermost sheet of the sheets supported on the tray;
and a controller configured such that when the uppermost sheet
blown upward is lowered to a sucking and conveying position based
on detection of an upper surface of the sheet by the sheet
detecting mechanism before starting a sucking and conveying
operation of a sheet by the sucking and conveying portion, the tray
is lowered until the uppermost sheet reaches the sucking and
conveying position while repeating a step operation in which a
lowering operation and a stop operation are performed.
5. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the
controller is configured such that a lowering operation time period
and a stop operation time period in one step of the step operation
of performing the lowering operation and the stop operation of the
tray is variable.
6. An image forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the
controller is configured such that after a sucking and conveying
operation of a sheet by the sucking and conveying portion has been
started, even if the uppermost sheet is positioned above the
suckable range, the tray is not lowered.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 11/741,843, filed Apr. 30, 2007, and allowed
Sep. 30, 2009.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus
and an image forming apparatus and, more particularly, to the one
in which sheets are separated and fed by blowing an air to the
sheets.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Conventionally, an image forming apparatuses such as a
printer and a copying machine is provided with a sheet feeding
apparatus of feeding sheets one by one from a sheet containing
portion in which a plurality of sheets is contained. Furthermore,
there has been such a sheet feeding apparatus of air sheet feeding
type, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No.
H07-196187, in which air is blown to the end of a sheet stack
contained in a sheet containing portion to blow up several sheets,
and the uppermost sheet is sucked to a sucking and conveying belt
disposed thereabove to be conveyed.
[0006] FIG. 11 illustrates one example of a sheet feeding apparatus
of such an air sheet feeding type. As illustrated in FIG. 11, a
tray 12 on which a plurality of sheets S are stacked is disposed so
as to be capable of being lifted or lowered in a storage 11, being
a sheet containing portion in which the plurality of sheets S is
contained. Moreover, there is provided above this storage 11 a
sucking and conveying portion 50A sucking and conveying the sheet
S. Furthermore, there is provided on the side of the storage 11 an
air blowing portion 30 for blowing air to the end of a sheet stack
on the tray 12 to blow up several sheets S, as well as to separate
them from one another.
[0007] The sucking and conveying portion 50A includes a sucking and
conveying belt 21 passed over belt driving rollers 41, as well as
sucking and conveying the sheet S rightward in FIG. 11, and a
suction fan 36 generating a negative pressure for causing the
sucking and conveying belt 21 to suck the sheet S. Further, a
suction duct 51 is disposed inside the sucking and conveying belt
21, and acting to suck in air via suction holes formed in the
suction belt 21. Furthermore, in order to make ON/OFF of a sucking
operation performed by the suction fan 36, a suction shutter 37 is
disposed between the suction fan 36 and the sucking and conveying
belt 21.
[0008] Moreover, the air blowing portion 30 includes a loosening
nozzle 33 and separation nozzle 34 for blowing air to the upper
portion of the contained sheet stack, a separation fan 31, and a
separation duct 32 supplying air from the separation fan 31 to each
nozzle 33, 34.
[0009] An air having sucked in the direction indicated by arrows C
by the separation fan 31 is blown in the direction indicated by
arrows D by the loosening nozzle 33, and blown in the direction
indicated by arrows E by the separation nozzle 34. Then, by the air
blown, several sheets at the upper portion of the sheet stack
supported on the tray 12 are blown up, and an uppermost sheet Sa is
separated from the blown up sheets.
[0010] Now, an initial operation in the sheet feeding apparatus of
such construction will be described with reference to FIGS. 12A,
12B, 13A, and 13B. Note that, the initial operation is an operation
in which after the refill of sheets and the like, the tray 12 is
preliminarily lifted or lowered so that the uppermost sheet Sa of
sheets S on the tray 12 is moved to the suckable range where the
sheet can be sucked with a sucking and conveying belt 21.
[0011] When the initial operation is started, as illustrated in
FIG. 12A, the tray 12 on which the sheets S are stacked is lifted.
Then, when the distance between the uppermost sheet Sa and the
sucking and conveying belt 21 becomes a predetermined distance B, a
sheet detecting mechanism (not shown) makes detection to stop
lifting of the tray 12.
[0012] Subsequently, prepared for a sheet feed signal generated
thereafter, as illustrated in FIG. 12B, to loosen sheets, an air is
blown to the end of sheets S from the loosening nozzle 33 and the
separation nozzle 34. Here, although when an air is blown to the
sheets S, upper sheets of the sheet stack are blown up, as
illustrated in the encircled portion designated by SG of FIG. 13A,
they may be blown up densely. To dissolve the blown up dense
sheets, as illustrated in FIG. 13A, an operation of lowering
(moving in the direction indicated by an arrow F) the tray 12 is
performed after air is blown.
[0013] Then, when the tray 12 is lowered like this, as shown in
FIG. 13B, the blown up dense sheets are loosened, and the blown up
sheets are in the state of being at approximately equally spaced
intervals S1. At this time, supposing that the space PB1 between
the uppermost sheet Sa and the sucking and conveying belt 21 is an
adequate space in which only one sheet can be sucked, the tray 12
is stopped to wait for a sheet feed signal. Upon receiving the
sheet feed signal, the sucking and conveying belt 21 sucks the
sheet Sa and is rotated, thereby separating and conveying the sheet
Sa.
[0014] However, in the case of a small basis weight of sheet (thin
and light sheet), even if blown up sheets are in the state of being
at approximately equally spaced intervals, the space PB1 between
the uppermost sheet Sa and the sucking and conveying belt 21 comes
not to be larger, and the uppermost sheet Sa may not be positioned
with the adequate space relative to the sucking and conveying belt
21. Therefore, there is a possibility that by a suction force of
the sucking and conveying belt 21, through the uppermost sheet Sa,
the next sheet is sucked, resulting in the occurrence of separation
failure. Accordingly, to obtain the adequate space in which only
the uppermost sheet Sa can be sucked, the tray 12 continues to be
lowered.
[0015] Whereby, as illustrated in FIG. 14A, the blown up sheets
will be blown up with the space between the uppermost sheet Sa and
the sucking and conveying belt 21 becoming larger by degrees, as
well as, gradually with the space S2 larger than the space S1 as
illustrated in FIG. 13B. Even in the case, however, where the space
between the blown up sheets becomes larger, the space between the
uppermost sheet Sa and the sucking and conveying belt 21 may not be
changed largely. In this case, the tray 12 further continues to be
lowered continuously.
[0016] Then, by the tray 12 being lowered, the space PB1 between
the uppermost sheet Sa and the sucking and conveying belt 21
becomes larger by degrees. As compared therewith, however, when the
amount of the tray 12 being lowered comes to be extremely large,
the buoyancy of sheets is sharply decreased, and thus the sheets
cannot continue to be blown up.
[0017] As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 14B, the blown up sheets
rapidly drop by a distance N1 in the direction indicated by an
arrow F of FIG. 14B. Whereby, the space between the uppermost sheet
Sa and the sucking and conveying belt 21 becomes PB2, and thus the
space is suddenly changed to be too large. That is, the position of
the uppermost sheet Sa will be below the suckable range in which
the sucking and conveying belt 21 can suck a sheet.
[0018] In this state, the tray 12 stops to be lowered, and will
start to be lifted in the direction indicated by an arrow A of FIG.
14B. However, the tray 12 is lifted like this, and thereafter in
the case where the sheets S are blown up densely as illustrated in
the already-described FIG. 12B, the tray 12 will start to be
lowered again. Then, such a lifting and lowering operation is
repeated many times.
[0019] When a lifting and lowering operation of the tray 12 is
repeated many times like this, the uppermost sheet Sa is less
likely to be positioned with stability, and will be blown up in an
instable state. In case where a sheet feeding operation is started
in such a state, which will result in a double feed or jam of
sheets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0020] Thus, the present invention has been made in view of such
existing conditions, and has an object of providing a sheet feeding
apparatus and an image forming apparatus capable of moving an
uppermost sheet to a suckable range rapidly and reliably at the
time of an initial operation.
[0021] According to the present invention, a sheet feeding
apparatus includes: a lifting and lowering tray which supports
sheets; an air blowing portion blowing an air to an end of the
sheets to blow up the sheets supported on the tray; a sucking and
conveying portion sucking and conveying a sheet blown up with the
air blown by the air blowing portion; and a sheet detecting
mechanism for detecting an uppermost sheet of the sheets supported
on the tray, wherein when the uppermost sheet blown up is lowered
to a suckable range based on detection of an upper surface of the
sheet by the sheet detecting mechanism before starting a sucking
and conveying operation of a sheet with the sucking and conveying
portion, the tray is lowered until the uppermost sheet reaches the
suckable range while repeating a step operation in which a lowering
operation and a stop operation are performed.
[0022] Further features of the present invention will become
apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments
with reference to the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic construction of a
printer, being one example of an image forming apparatus provided
with a sheet feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0024] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating construction of the sheet
feeding apparatus.
[0025] FIG. 3 is a first view for illustrating the sheet feeding
operation of the sheet feeding apparatus.
[0026] FIG. 4 is a second view for illustrating the sheet feeding
operation of the sheet feeding apparatus.
[0027] FIG. 5 is a third view for illustrating the sheet feeding
operation of the sheet feeding apparatus.
[0028] FIG. 6 is a view for illustrating construction of a sheet
detecting mechanism provided in the sheet feeding apparatus.
[0029] FIG. 7 is a first view for illustrating a sheet surface
control operation of the sheet feeding apparatus.
[0030] FIG. 8 is a second view for illustrating the sheet surface
control operation of the sheet feeding apparatus.
[0031] FIG. 9 is a third view for illustrating the sheet surface
control operation of the sheet feeding apparatus.
[0032] FIG. 10 is a view for illustrating an initial operation in
the sheet feeding apparatus.
[0033] FIG. 11 is a view for illustrating construction of a
conventional sheet feeding apparatus.
[0034] FIG. 12A and FIG. 12B are a first view for illustrating an
initial operation in the conventional sheet feeding apparatus.
[0035] FIG. 13A and FIG. 13B are a second view for illustrating the
initial operation in the conventional sheet feeding apparatus.
[0036] FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B are a third view for illustrating the
initial operation in the conventional sheet feeding apparatus.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0037] Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment for carrying out the
present invention will be described in detail referring to the
accompanying drawings.
[0038] FIG. 1 is a view illustrating a schematic construction of a
printer, being one example of an image forming apparatus provided
with a sheet feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the
present invention.
[0039] With reference to FIG. 1, at the upper portion of a printer
main body 101 of a printer 100, there is provided an image reading
portion 130 for reading a document D placed on a platen glass 120a
acting as a document placement stand of an automatic document
feeding apparatus 120. Further, there are provided under the image
reading portion 130 an image forming portion 102 and a sheet
feeding apparatus 103 feeding sheets S, which are contained in a
storage 11 capable of being drawn out of the printer main body 101,
to the image forming portion 102.
[0040] Here, the image forming portion 102 is provided with a
photosensitive drum 112, a developing device 113, a laser scanner
unit 111 and the like. And, the sheet feeding apparatus 103 is
provided with a plurality of sheet containing portions 115
containing sheets S such as OHT to be removable with respect to the
printer main body 101 and sucking and conveying belts 21, being
feeding belts as an example of a sheet feeding unit feeding sheets
S contained in respective sheet containing portions 115. In
addition, a controller 140 is provided in a predetermined position
of the printer main body 101.
[0041] Now, image forming operations of the printer 100 of such
construction will be described.
[0042] When an image read signal is output from the controller 140
provided at the printer main body 101 to the image reading portion
130, an image is read with the image reading portion 130.
Thereafter, a laser beam in response to this electrical signal is
irradiated onto the photosensitive drum 112 from the laser scanner
unit 111.
[0043] On that occasion, the photosensitive drum 112 has
preliminarily been charged and is formed with an electrostatic
latent image by irradiation of light, and subsequently the
electrostatic latent image is developed by the developing device
113, thereby forming a toner image on the photosensitive drum.
[0044] On the other hand, when a sheet feed signal is output from
the controller 140 to the sheet feeding apparatus 103, a sheet S is
fed from the sheet containing portion 115. Thereafter, the fed
sheet S is conveyed to a transfer portion that is formed of the
photosensitive drum 112 and a transfer charger 118 in
synchronization with a toner image formed on the photosensitive
drum 112 with a registration roller 117.
[0045] Then, the sheet having been conveyed to the transfer portion
like this is transferred with a toner image, and thereafter
conveyed to a fixing portion 114. Further, thereafter, the sheet is
heated and pressurized at the fixing portion 114, whereby a
transfer image not having been fixed will be permanently fixed to
the sheet S. Subsequently, the sheet to which the image has been
fixed like this is discharged to a sheet discharge tray 117 from
the printer main body 101 with a discharge roller 116.
[0046] FIG. 2 is a view illustrating construction of the sheet
feeding apparatus 103. In FIG. 2, like reference numerals refer to
the same or corresponding parts to those of FIG. 11 having been
described already.
[0047] The storage 11 is provided with a tray 12, a trailing edge
regulating plate 13 regulating the upstream side (trailing edge
side) in a feeding direction of sheets S, and a side edge
regulating plate 14 regulating positions in a width direction
orthogonal to a sheet conveying direction of sheets S.
Incidentally, the trailing edge regulating plate 13 and the side
edge regulating plate 14 are constructed so as to change in any
position depending on the size of sheets to be contained. Further,
this storage 11 can be drawn out of the printer main body 101 with
slide rails 15.
[0048] Moreover, there is disposed above this storage 11 a sheet
feeding mechanism of air sheet feeding type (hereinafter referred
to as an air sheet feeding mechanism 150) acting to separate and
feed sheets one by one. This air sheet feeding mechanism 150 is
provided with a sucking and conveying portion 50A for sucking and
conveying sheets S stacked on the tray 12 and an air blowing
portion 30 for blowing up the upper portion of a sheet stack on the
tray, as well as for separating the sheets S one by one.
[0049] Here, the sucking and conveying portion 50A includes a
sucking and conveying belt 21 passed over belt driving rollers 41,
as well as sucking and conveying sheets S rightward in FIG. 2 and a
suction fan 36 generating a negative pressure for causing the
sucking and conveying belt 21 to suck the sheet S. Further, a
suction duct 51 is disposed inside the sucking and conveying belt
21. The suction duct 51 sucks air via suction holes (not shown)
formed in the suction belt 21. Furthermore, a suction shutter 37 is
disposed between the suction fan 36 and the suction duct 51. The
suction shutter 37 turns a sucking operation of the sucking and
conveying belt 21 ON or OFF. Moreover, according to this
embodiment, a plurality of sucking and conveying belts 21 is
disposed at predetermined spaced intervals in a width
direction.
[0050] Moreover, the air blowing portion 30 includes a loosening
nozzle 33 and separation nozzle 34 for blowing air to the upper
portion of contained sheets S, a separation fan 31, and a
separation duct 32 supplying air from the separation fan 31 to each
nozzle 33, 34.
[0051] Then, an air sucked in the direction indicated by an arrow C
with the separation fan 31 passes through the separation duct 32
and is blown in the direction indicated by an arrow D with the
loosening nozzle 33 to cause several sheets of the upper portion of
sheets S supported on the tray 12 to blow up. Furthermore, an air
sucked in the direction indicated by an arrow C by the separation
fan 31 is blown in the direction indicated by an arrow E by the
separation nozzle 34, and acts to separate the sheets blown up by
the loosening nozzle 33 one by one to be sucked to the sucking and
conveying belt 21.
[0052] Now, sheet feeding operations of the sheet feeding apparatus
103 of such construction will be described.
[0053] When a user draws out a storage 11 to set sheets S on the
tray 12, and thereafter pushes the storage 11 in a predetermined
position as illustrated in FIG. 2, the tray 12 starts to rise in
the direction indicated by an arrow A by a driving unit (not shown)
as illustrated in FIG. 3. Then, when the tray 12 reaches the
position capable of feeding sheets where a distance between the
uppermost sheet Sa on the tray 12 and the sucking and conveying
belt 21 is B, the controller 140 stops the tray 12 in this
position. Thereafter, the tray 12 prepare for a sheet feed signal
with which feeding is started.
[0054] Subsequently, when detecting the sheet feed signal, the
controller 140 brings the separation fan 31 in operation. Thus, air
is sucked in the direction indicated by an arrow C, and blown to
sheets S in respective directions indicated by arrows D and E from
the loosening nozzle 33 and the separation nozzle 34 via the
separation duct 32. Whereby, several sheets at the upper portion of
the sheets S are blown up. Furthermore, the controller 140 brings
the suction fan 36 in operation, and thus air is blown out in the
direction indicated by an arrow F in FIG. 3. On this occasion,
since a suction shutter 37 is still closed, a negative pressure is
not created in the suction duct 51.
[0055] Then, when the below-described initial operation is
performed after detection of a sheet feed signal, and thus, as
illustrated in FIG. 4, the upper portion of sheets SA have been
blown up with stability, the controller 140 rotates the suction
shutter 37 in the direction indicated by arrows G to create a
negative pressure in the suction duct 51. Whereby, generated is a
suction force in the direction indicated by arrows H through
suction holes formed in the sucking and conveying belt 21. Thus,
with this suction force and an air blown from the separation nozzle
34, only the uppermost sheet Sa is sucked to the sucking and
conveying belt 21.
[0056] Subsequently, in FIG. 5, a belt driving roller 41 is rotated
in the direction indicated by arrows J, whereby the uppermost sheet
Sa is conveyed in the direction indicated by an arrow K in the
state of being sucked to the sucking and conveying belt 21.
Thereafter, by rotation of a pair of drawing rollers 42 in the
directions indicated by arrows L and M, the uppermost sheet Sa is
fed toward the image forming portion.
[0057] Incidentally, to cause a sheet S to be sucked to the sucking
and conveying belt 21 like this, the uppermost sheet Sa of the
sheets S, which are supported (stacked) on the tray 12, needs to be
kept in a predetermined sheet feeding position in which the sucking
and conveying belt 21 can suck the uppermost sheet. Therefore,
there is provided a sheet detecting mechanism 49 for detecting the
uppermost sheet Sa of a sheet stack. To bring the uppermost sheet
Sa in an adequate position based on detection of this sheet
detecting mechanism 49, a lifting and lowering operation of the
tray 12 is controlled.
[0058] Now, this sheet detecting mechanism 49 will be
described.
[0059] This sheet detecting mechanism 49, as illustrated in FIG. 6,
includes a sheet detecting sensor flag 52, a first sheet surface
sensor 54 and a second sheet surface sensor 55. The first and
second sheet surface sensors 54 and 55 are disposed in a position
spaced apart to the upstream side in a sheet feeding direction from
the sucking and conveying region (a belt surface onto which a sheet
is sucked) of the sucking and conveying belt 21.
[0060] Moreover, due to that the first and second sheet surface
sensors 54 and 55 are not disposed in the suction duct 51 but in
such a position like this, the already-described upsizing of the
suction duct 51 can be prevented, and thus downsizing of the
printer main body 101 can be achieved.
[0061] Here, the sheet detecting sensor flag 52 is supported
pivotally about a support shaft 53, and includes a first detecting
portion 52B shielding the light-receiving portion of the first
sheet surface sensor 54 and a second detecting portion 52C
shielding the light-receiving portion of the second sheet surface
sensor 55. Moreover, when pressed by a sheet lifted along with the
tray 12 as described below, the sheet detecting sensor flag 52 is
rocked, and in association with this rocking, the first and second
sheet surface sensors 54 and 55 are turned ON or OFF.
[0062] In addition, based on the turned-ON or turned-OFF of these
first and second sheet surface sensors 54 and 55, the controller
140 lifts and lowers the tray 12. The following table is a summary
of lifting and lowering operations of the tray 12 based on such
turned-ON and turned-OFF of each of such sheet surface sensors 54
and 55.
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 First sheet Second sheet surface sensor 54
surface sensor 55 Tray operation ON OFF Lifting ON ON Stop OFF ON
Lowering
[0063] Here, the first sheet surface sensor 54 detects that the
uppermost sheet Sa has reached the lower limit position in a
suckable range in which the sucking and conveying belt 21 can suck
the uppermost sheet Sa. Furthermore, the second sheet surface
sensor 55 detects that the uppermost sheet Sa has reached the upper
limit position of the suckable range.
[0064] Then, the position (state) in which the first sheet surface
sensor 54 and the second sheet surface sensor 55 output ON-signal
is an adequate range of the height of the uppermost sheet Sa, that
is a suckable range. Here, this suckable range of the uppermost
sheet Sa is a range from a position in which the turned-OFF state
of the second sheet surface sensor 55 with the turned-ON state of
the first sheet surface sensor 54 as illustrated in FIG. 7 is
changed to the turned-ON state of the second sheet surface sensor
55 to a position in which the turned-OFF state of the first sheet
surface sensor 54 with the turned-ON state of the second sheet
surface sensor 55 as illustrated in FIG. 8 is changed to the
turned-ON state of the first sheet surface sensor 54.
[0065] That is, as illustrated in FIG. 9, it is the range in which
each of the detecting portions 52B and 52C of the sheet detecting
sensor flag 52 shields the corresponding one of the sheet surface
sensors 54 and 55 at the same time, and thus both of them are in
the turned-ON state. Then, in such a suckable range, that is, when
the position in a height direction of the uppermost sheet Sa is
within the range of a predetermined height (in the present
embodiment, SL-SH is approximately 3 mm), the uppermost sheet Sa
can be conveyed.
[0066] On the other hand, when the state in which each of the sheet
surface sensors 54 and 55 outputs ON-signal within the adequate
range is changed to the state in which the uppermost sheet Sa is
lowered and thus the second sheet surface sensor 55 is turned OFF,
the uppermost sheet Sa is determined to be lowered from the
adequate position, and the tray 12 is lifted. This position is set
as the lower limit position in the state of the uppermost sheet Sa
is blown up.
[0067] Moreover, in the case where the uppermost sheet Sa is in a
position of being lifted too much, due to construction of the first
detecting portion 52B and the second detecting portion 52C of the
sheet detecting sensor flag 52, the first sheet surface sensor 54
is turned OFF, and the second sheet surface sensor 55 outputs
ON-signal. In the case of such a state, the tray 12 is lowered
until each sheet surface sensor 54, 55 outputs ON-signal and the
tray 12 is stopped. This stopped position is set as the upper limit
position in the state of the uppermost sheet Sa being blown up.
That is, the sheet detecting sensor flag 52 is arranged such that
when a sheet exceeds the upper limit position in the suckable and
conveyable range, the first sheet surface sensor is turned OFF, as
well as the second sheet surface sensor is turned ON.
[0068] Then, by controlling lifting and lowering of the tray 12 so
that the uppermost sheet Sa is positioned between the upper limit
position and the lower limit position, sheets can be reliably
separated and conveyed with the sucking and conveying belt 21.
[0069] Incidentally, in this embodiment, in the case of adding or
replacing sheets, the storage 11 is drawn out of the printer main
body 101. When the storage 11 is drawn out like this, the tray 12
is lowered to a predetermined position. Whereby, fulfilling and
replacing sheets can be made.
[0070] Then, after sheets have been e.g., fulfilled or replaced
like this, in the below-described initial operation or a sheet
feeding operation (sucking and conveying operation), the controller
140 drives a driving unit based on signals from the first and
second sheet surface sensors 54 and 55 to control lifting and
lowering of the tray 12.
[0071] Here, in this embodiment, the controller 140, at the time of
lowering of the tray 12 in the below-described initial operation,
repeats such a step operation as the tray 12 is lowered for a
predetermined time period, and thereafter stopped for a
predetermined time period. Incidentally, to enable such a control,
a stepping motor or a DC servomotor is employed for a driving
unit.
[0072] Now, a sheet surface control operation of the controller 140
based on detection of the sheet detecting mechanism 49 of such a
construction will be described.
[0073] First, a sheet surface control operation when the initial
operation has been ended, and sheets are continuously fed will be
described.
[0074] When the initial operation has been ended, and thereafter,
the feeding of sheets is started based on a sheet feed signal, the
position of the uppermost sheet Sa is lowered by degrees, and the
second sheet surface sensor 55 is turned OFF. In this case, until
ON-signal of the second sheet surface sensor 55 is obtained, the
position of uppermost sheet Sa is determined to be "too low", and
thus the tray 12 is lifted.
[0075] Further, as illustrated in FIG. 9, when the distance between
the belt surface of the sucking and conveying belt 21 and the upper
surface of the uppermost sheets Sa becomes an adequate distance SL,
the second sheet surface sensor 55 is shielded from light by the
second detecting portion 52B of the sheet detecting sensor flag 52.
Whereby, the second sheet surface sensor 55 outputs ON-signal, and
when ON-signal is output from the first sheet surface sensor 54 and
the second sheet surface sensor 55 like this, the controller 140
stops lifting the tray 12.
[0076] As described above, by lifting and lowering the tray 12
based on signals from the first and second sheet surface sensors 54
and 55, control can be made such that only the uppermost sheet Sa
is kept in the suckable range within which the sucking and
conveying belt 21 can suck, separate and convey a sheet. As a
result, when sheets are sucked by the sucking and conveying belt
21, sheets S can be separated one by one, to be singly fed toward
the image forming portion 102, thus enabling sheets to be fed with
stability.
[0077] In addition, there are some cases where the uppermost sheet
Sa temporarily exceeds the upper limit position during a sheet
feeding operation, and as illustrated in FIG. 8, in the state in
which the second sheet surface sensor 55 outputs ON-signal, the
first sheet surface sensor 54 is turned OFF. However, in a normal
sheet feeding operation, in case of lowering the tray 12 based on
this detection, sheets being blown up are not stable, so that no
lowering control is made. That is, during a sheet feeding
operation, even when the second sheet surface sensor 55 outputs
ON-signal, and the first sheet surface sensor 54 is in the
turned-OFF state, the tray 12 is not lowered, but stopped.
[0078] Now, an initial operation will be described. First, when the
storage 11 is drawn out of the printer main body 101, the tray 12
is lowered to a predetermined position, and thus sheets can be
refilled or replaced. Then, thereafter, when refilling and the like
of sheets are ended, and the storage 11 is mounted in the printer
main body 101, an initial operation is performed to lift the tray
12, and the uppermost sheet Sa on the tray 12 will be brought into
contact with an contact portion 52D of the sheet detecting sensor
flag 52. Incidentally, at this time, the first sheet surface sensor
54 and the second sheet surface sensor 55 are in the turned-OFF
state.
[0079] Thereafter, when the tray 12 is lifted further, the contact
portion 52D is pushed up, and thus the sheet detecting sensor flag
52 is rocked in the counterclockwise direction about the support
shaft 53. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 7, when the distance between
the upper surface of the uppermost sheet Sa and the belt surface of
the sucking and conveying belt 21 comes to be S1, the first sheet
surface sensor 54 is shielded by the first detecting portion 52B of
the sheet detecting sensor flag 52, and thus the first sheet
surface sensor 54 is turned ON.
[0080] Note that, at this time, the second sheet surface sensor 55
is in the state of not yet being shielded by the second detecting
portion 52C of the sheet detecting sensor flag 52. Then, the
controller 140 causes the tray 12 to be lifted further. Whereby,
the sheet detecting sensor flag 52 is further rocked, and in
association with the rocking, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the second
sheet surface sensor 55 is shielded by the second detecting portion
52C of the sheet detecting sensor flag 52, and thus the second
sheet surface sensor 55 will be turned ON. Then, when each sheet
surface sensor 54, 55 outputs ON-signal like this, the tray 12 is
stopped to lift.
[0081] Next, air blowing from the loosening nozzle 33 and the
separation nozzle 34 is started with respect to the sheets on the
stopped tray to blow up the sheets. Here, when air is blown like
this, there are some cases where upper sheets of the sheets blown
up come close together and blown up with exceeding the
already-described upper limit position.
[0082] In this case, a large number of sheets are resided in a
position where the distance between the belt surface of the sucking
and conveying belt 21 and the upper surface of the uppermost sheet
Sa is smaller than SH as illustrated in FIG. 8, thus leading to the
state in which sheets cannot be separated and fed.
[0083] In this state, the second sheet surface sensor 55 is
shielded by the second detecting portion 52C of the sheet detecting
sensor flag 52 to output ON-signal, while the first sheet surface
sensor 54 is released from being shielded by the first detecting
portion 52B to be in the turned-OFF state. Then, in this state, the
tray 12 is lowered so as to move the uppermost sheet Sa to the
suckable range.
[0084] Here, according to this embodiment, thereafter, the tray 12
is not continuously lowered, but, for example, letting an operation
in which in one second during a lowering operation, the tray 12 is
lowered for 0.3 seconds, and thereafter stopped for 0.7 seconds, be
one step, this step is reaped to lower the tray 12. Then, like
this, a step lowering operation in which lowering and stop are
repeated at the time of lowering the tray 12 is made until both the
first sheet surface sensor 54 and the second sheet surface sensor
55 output ON-signal.
[0085] In addition, when lowering and stop operations of the tray
12 are repeated like this, even if sheets blown up try to continue
to be blown up while making a space between the sheets larger,
since a stop operation is performed in every step operation, the
sheets are hard to continue to be blown up, and due to sharply
decreased buoyancy, tend to drop. Since, however, the amount of the
tray 12 being lowered in one step is small, a drop amount N2 of the
uppermost sheet Sa illustrated in FIG. 10 comes to be extremely
small as compared with a drop amount N1 in a conventional initial
operation (refer to FIG. 14B).
[0086] Therefore, the height of the upper surface of the uppermost
sheet Sa is not largely deceased, but the uppermost sheet Sa is
stepwise lowered by degrees. Like this, since the space between the
sheets being blown up comes to be smaller in proportion to the
amount of lowering of the tray 12, the uppermost sheet Sa blown up
is lowered in proportion to the amount of lowering of the tray 12
as well.
[0087] Furthermore, owing to such construction, the tray 12 is not
lowered to the state of largely exceeding the lower limit position
in the blown up state as is conventional, but the tray 12 is
stopped substantially at the lower limit position. Accordingly,
thereafter, when the tray 12 is lifted, immediately the uppermost
sheet can be positioned in a suckable range. As a result, the tray
12 may no longer repeat a lifting and lowering operation many times
resulted from that it can not stop in the vicinity of the lower
limit position. Consequently, a rapid as well as stable initial
operation can be made.
[0088] As described heretofore, at the time of an initial
operation, after the tray 12 is lifted above the suckable range, by
lowering the tray 12 while repeating a step lowering operation in
which a stop operation and a lowering operation for a short time
period are performed, the uppermost sheet Sa can be moved to the
suckable range rapidly as well as reliably. Whereby, the occurrence
of double feed or sheet jamming can be suppressed. Furthermore, by
controlling lifting and lowering of the tray 12, since a time
period until the uppermost sheet Sa comes to be blown up with
stability, becomes smaller, a feeding operation of sheets can be
immediately started.
[0089] Moreover, in this embodiment, one step of a step lowering
operation is set to be one second, and thus a lowering time period
and a stop time period in this one step operation is set as
appropriate. However, a time period of one step, a tray lowering
time period or a tray stop time period in one step may be set to be
an optimum value based on the blowing rate (amount) of air from the
loosening nozzle 33 and the separation nozzle 34, the lowering
velocity of the tray 12 and the like. Furthermore, a time period of
one step may be sequentially changed responsive to lowering of the
tray 12.
[0090] Moreover, in this embodiment, the case where a step lowering
operation is performed at the time of an initial operation is
described. The present invention, however, is not limited to this
case, but other than this initial operation, may be carried out in
the case where the tray 12 is lowered for the purpose of moving the
uppermost sheet to the suckable range.
[0091] This application claims the benefit of Japanese Patent
Application No. 2006-134530, filed May 12, 2006, which is hereby
incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
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