Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sheet feed device includes a first roller, a second roller, a torque limiter, a holder, and a driving unit. The first roller conveys a sheet in a first direction while being in contact with a first surface of the sheet. The second roller faces the first roller and is in contact with a second surface which is a back side of the first surface of the sheet in a state of sandwiching the sheet between the second roller and the first roller. The torque limiter imparts an anti-torque to the second roller in order to generate a force on the second surface in a direction opposite to the first direction. The holder rotatably supports the second roller. The driving unit moves the holder and biases the holder toward the first roller.

Abstract: A steering column assembly includes a jacket extending longitudinally about a jacket axis, the jacket defining an opening extending radially completely through the jacket. The steering column assembly also includes an end stop assembly disposed in the opening and protruding radially inwardly. The steering column assembly further includes a steering shaft, at least a portion of the steering shaft disposed within the jacket and extending longitudinally about the jacket axis. The steering column assembly yet further includes a stop ring mounted to the steering shaft, the stop ring positioned to contact the end stop assembly at an end of rotational travel position of the steering shaft.

Abstract: A medium conveying apparatus includes a setting member to set a torque limiter that defines a maximum torque applied to a brake roller to a first torque limiter or a second torque limiter, a unit including the first torque limiter, the second torque limiter and the brake roller, and a transmission member to transmit a drive force to the first torque limiter. The unit is swingably supported so that a predetermined force acts on the brake roller in a direction away from the feed roller when the driving force is transmitted. A force in a direction in which the brake roller presses the feed roller when the second torque limiter defines the maximum torque applied to the brake roller is greater than the force in the direction in which the brake roller presses the feed roller when the first torque limiter defines the maximum torque applied to the brake roller.

Abstract: A supply device configured to supply a medium to a processing unit configured to perform processing on the medium, the supply device including an accommodating unit configured to accommodate a plurality of the media in a state of being stacked therein and a vibration imparting unit configured to contact ends of the plurality of media accommodated in the accommodating unit to impart vibration to the medium.

Abstract: The invention relates to a manually operable control device for operating at least one actuator of a vehicle, comprising a manually operable control lever element which can be displaced from a default position by means of a rotation about a first axis and/or about a second axis, wherein a degree and/or a direction of a corresponding displacement of the control lever element can be detected by means of a sensor device, further comprising at least a first actuator device with a first drive unit and a first output unit, wherein, by means of the first actuator device, the first axis can be acted upon with a first torque, a second actuator device with a second drive unit and a second output unit, wherein, by means of the second actuator device, the second axis can be acted upon with a second torque, wherein the first output unit is rotatably mounted about the first axis and the second output unit rotatably mounted about the second axis.

Abstract: A belt conveyance device includes an endless belt, a duct having a suction port, and a rectifier inside the duct. The duct is surrounded by an inner circumferential surface of the endless belt. The rectifier extends in a width direction of the endless belt perpendicular to a direction of conveyance by the endless belt.

Abstract: A document feeder includes a document placing tray on which a document is placed; a document discharging tray on which a document discharged from a document discharging port in a discharging direction is stacked; and a light source that radiates light to the document discharging tray. The document discharging tray is disposed below the document placing tray. The document discharging tray has a protruding portion protruding upward from the surrounding area. The light source is disposed within a region having a width that is the same as a document having a maximum size in the width direction.

Abstract: A printing system for printing on sheets of media having a non-uniform thickness profile. A user interface is controlled to instruct the operator to load a media tray with a stack of media having a specified pattern of media orientations. A media transport system picks sequential sheets of media from the media tray. A front end supplies sequential image data having orientations in accordance with the specified pattern of media orientations. A printing module sequentially prints the supplied image data on the sheets of media in accordance with the specified pattern of media orientations.

Abstract: A paper feeding mechanism includes a feeding path, a driving motor, a bidirectional transmission mechanism, at least one feeding roller, a unidirectional transmission mechanism and at least one blocking roller. The driving motor is controllable to output a driving force towards a forward direction or a driving force towards a reverse direction. The bidirectional transmission mechanism is connected to the driving motor. The at least one feeding roller is mounted in the feeding path. The at least one feeding roller is connected to the bidirectional transmission mechanism. The unidirectional transmission mechanism is connected to the driving motor. The at least one blocking roller is mounted in the feeding path. The at least one blocking roller is disposed to a downstream of the at least one feeding roller. The at least one blocking roller is connected to the unidirectional transmission mechanism.

Abstract: A medium discharging apparatus includes a first tray in which a medium is received and placed, a second tray in which the medium discharged from the first tray is received, a discharging mechanism, a curl suppressing member, a link mechanism, a movement mechanism and a cam mechanism. The discharging mechanism discharges the medium from the first tray toward the second tray. The curl suppressing member suppresses curling of the medium discharged from the first tray to the second tray by the discharging mechanism. The curl suppressing member is provided in the link mechanism. The movement mechanism is configured to move the link mechanism and the curl suppressing member in both the discharge direction and a return direction opposite to the discharge direction. The cam mechanism guides movement of the link mechanism.

Abstract: A physical property detecting device, includes: an insertion part that includes an insertion port through which a sheet is inserted and removed; a first physical property detector that detects a first physical property of the sheet in a non-nipping state; and a second physical property detector that nips the sheet and detects a second physical property of the sheet in a nipping state, wherein the first physical property detector and the second physical property detector are disposed at different positions in an insertion and removal direction of the sheet.

Abstract: A device for processing of flat elements, especially for the processing of paper blanks, is described. This device comprises a conveyor belt (25) that is guided over a first roller (12a) and a second roller (12b), said conveyor belt being made of metal and being permeable to air, wherein its upper section forms the transport section (25a) and its lower section forms the return section (25b), and a vacuum generator being located under the upper section of the conveyor belt. A laser (30) for cutting the flat elements is located above the transport section (25a). In order to achieve an improved flatness and an increased durability, the conveyor belt (25) consists of an expanded metal.

Abstract: A sheet stacking device includes a discharge port, an alignment wall, a discharge tray, an alignment belt, and a guide part. The alignment wall extends in an upper-and-lower direction below the discharge port. The discharge tray is provided so as to be capable of moving up and down along the alignment wall. The alignment belt with endless is stretched along the alignment wall in the upper-and-lower direction. The alignment belt has an inner circumferential surface facing the alignment wall and an outer circumferential surface with which an upstream edge of the sheet stacked on the discharge tray comes into contact, and circulates at a same speed as the discharge tray in synchronization with the discharge tray. The guide part is configured to be provided between the alignment wall and the alignment belt. With the guide part, the inner circumferential surface of the alignment belt slides in contact.

Abstract: An accelerator pedal device for use in a vehicle has: a housing fixed to a vehicle body; an accelerator arm that has a drum at one end and a pedal at the other end; a friction pad that has a pad shaft; and a spring that is interposed between the accelerator arm and the friction pad. The drum has an arm pivoting shaft that pivotally supports the accelerator arm and a recess that is recessed from a periphery of the drum toward the arm pivoting shaft, the friction pad has a friction part that is pressed against the recess by a spring force of the spring, the friction part has a side surface member having a side surface in an arched cross section to face the recess, and the side surface member has a contact part that is brought into point-contact with the recess of the drum.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a stacking unit having an abutment portion, a feeding unit, a conveyance unit, a reading unit, a rotating shaft, and a drive unit. The abutment portion abuts a document end in a widthwise direction of a document stacked on the stacking unit. The conveyance unit conveys the stacked document fed by the feeding unit in a feeding direction perpendicularly intersecting the document widthwise direction. The reading unit reads an image of the document. The drive unit rotates the stacking unit, rotatably supported by the rotating shaft, around the rotating shaft. The rotating shaft is disposed at a position where at least a part of the rotating shaft exists between one end and other end in the document widthwise direction of a document having a maximum width conveyable by the conveyance unit in a state where the maximum width document abuts on the abutment portion.

Abstract: In an image forming apparatus, a sheet is guided into a first conveyor path or a second conveyor path selectively when a first cover is in a closed position, and is ejected onto the first cover when the first cover is in an open position. Upon power-up, a controller causes a first conveyor roller to rotate but if the first cover is in the open position, when a sheet sensor detects a sheet, the controller does not cause a second conveyor roller to rotate, and causes a flapper to swing from a first position to a second position, and when a front end of the sheet reaches a position downstream of an upstream end of the flapper in a conveyance direction of the sheet conveyed by the first conveyor roller, the controller causes the flapper to swing from the second position to the first position.

Abstract: A center-alignment apparatus for use in an ATM has a transport mechanism to transport a document into the ATM. One or more plates operable in tandem to move the document toward a centerline of a path the document is to travel. Edge-detection sensor(s) on the plate sense an edge of the document when the plate(s) is moved toward the centerline. A translate/rotate mechanism translates and rotates the document while the translate/rotate mechanism transversely moves the document toward the center until another edge-detection sensor detects an edge of the document to create a parallel-aligned document. The control logic controls the plate(s) to centers the parallel-aligned document about the centerline to create a centered document.

Abstract: A first transport path is put into a first state capable of transporting a paper sheet when a first portion and a second portion engage with each other, and put into a second state in which the second portion is swingable with respect to the first portion about a first swing axis extending in a direction orthogonal to a first direction and horizontal when engagement between the first portion and the second portion is released. A contact portion comes into contact with the second portion, thereby engaging the second portion with the first portion when a second unit in which the first transport path is in the second state is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a main body including an image forming unit to form an image on a recording medium and a tray that rotates between an open state and a closed state relative to the main body, the tray on which the recording medium is placed. The tray includes a first component located exterior to the image forming apparatus in the closed state and a second component in contact with the recording medium on the tray in the open state. The first or second component includes at least one groove portion which extends in a conveyance direction of the recording medium and the other includes at least one convex portion extending in the conveyance direction. The first and second components are bonded by adhering, with an adhesive, the at least one groove portion and the at least one convex portion put inside the at least one groove portion.

Abstract: A pull-in apparatus configured to pull in a unit toward a predetermined position in an apparatus body includes an arm member, a restriction member, a first action portion and a second action portion. The restriction member is movable between a lock position at which the restriction member restricts movement of the arm member in a first direction and a lock-release position at which the restriction member allows the movement of the arm member in the first direction. Movement of the restriction member from the lock position toward the lock-release position is restricted in a state in which the arm member is at a stand-by position, and is allowed in a state in which the arm member has been moved from the stand-by position in a second direction.