Abstract: Sheet feeding apparatus for use in a sheet thickness monitoring system comprises a pair of rollers (1, 5) which define a nip or gap (25) therebetween, the rotation of the rollers (1, 5) causing sheets to be fed between the rollers. The passage of a sheet between the rollers (1, 5) causes deflection of one roller (5) relative to the other (1) by an amount related to the sheet thickness. The one roller (5) is biassed into engagement with the other roller (1). The apparatus further comprises elastomeric plugs (13, 14) for damping movement of the one roller (5) under the influence of the bias.

Abstract: Apparatus for feeding sheets, particularly bank notes, comprises a feed system (1) for feeding sheets (6), and a sheet stacking system (7) to which the sheets are fed by the feed system (1), the sheet stacking system (7) including a rotatable stacking wheel (8) having a plurality of sheet receiving slots (9') into which sheets are fed by the sheet feed system (1), rotation of the stacking wheel (8) carrying sheets from a sheet receiving position (30) to a sheet stacking position (32), the sheet stacking system (7) including means (16) actuable to stop rotation of the sheet stacking system (7) to enable at least the leading end of a sheet to be fed into a sheet receiving slot of the stacking wheel (8). Typically, the means actuable to stop rotation of the stacking wheel (8) includes a hub brake (16) and a slipping clutch mechanism (11,13,14) to enable a drive means (5) to continue to operate when the stacking wheel (8) is stopped.

Abstract: An electrical conductor array particularly for use in a pressure pad is described. The pressure pad comprises two electrical conductors arrays (3,5) of substantially parallel electrical conductors which are superposed and biased towards a spaced apart position with the conductors of one array transverse to the conductors of the other. One of the arrays (5) is responsive to applied pressure on the array to deflect against the bias towards the other array (3). At least one of the arrays (3,5) comprises a number of blocks of substantially parallel first conductors (12), the first conductors of each block being electrically connected to respective first common conductors (13); and, between pairs of first conductors (12) of each block, a respective second conductor (14), corresponding second conductors (14) from each block being electrically connected to a respective second common conductor (15).