Abstract: An image reading device reads two types of documents, a first document having a first size and a second document having a second size larger than the first size. A controller of the device causes the first document reader to read the first document and generate image data when the operation unit accepts a command. The first document reader reads a portion of the second document and generates image data on tilt of the second document when the operation unit accepts a command. The document tilt detector detects tilt of the second document based on the image data for detecting tilt of the second document. The document transporter stops transport of the second document when the document tilt detector detects tilt of the second document. The second document reader reads the second document and generates image data when the document tilt detector detects no tilt of the second document.

Abstract: An image reading apparatus includes a medium mounting portion configured to mount a medium; a feeding means configured to feed a medium from the medium mounting portion; at least one edge guide each configured to regulate a corresponding one of at least one medium width direction edge of the medium having been mounted on the medium mounting portion; a reading means configured to read the medium and disposed on a further downstream side than the at least one edge guide in the medium feeding direction; and at least one medium detection means configured to detect the medium and disposed on a further downstream side than the at least one edge guide in the medium feeding direction and further outside in the medium width direction than at least one edge regulation position for the edge regulation by the at least one edge guide.

Abstract: The present invention is to provide a sheet conveying apparatus capable of preventing detection error without causing damage on a sheet. The present post-processing apparatus includes a sheet conveying path to convey a sheet as being formed between an upper guide member and a lower guide member for guiding a sheet, and a detection portion including a second sensor as an electrostatic capacitance sensor to detect a sheet being conveyed on the sheet conveying path with output of the second sensor. The second sensor is fixed on a face of an upper guide member on an opposite side to the conveying path and the second sensor and the sheet conveying path are separated by the upper guide member.

Abstract: A sheet conveying device includes a conveying path, a brushed motor, a motor drive unit, a conveying unit, a sensor, and a processor. The motor drive unit is configured to rotate and halt the brushed motor. The conveying unit is configured to convey a sheet along the conveying path by driving force of the motor. The sensor is configured to detect the sheet. The processor is configured to function as a halting unit configured to control the motor drive unit to halt the brushed motor in different methods depending on detection result of the sensor.

Abstract: A medium feeding apparatus includes an opening/closing unit (a lock shaft, a lock arm, a hopper, a link member, and a rotating member) that performs an opening operation in a direction in which rollers of each of a separator and a conveyor coming into press contact with each other are separated from each other at the time of the occurrence of a conveyance error of a medium and performs a closing operation in a direction in which the rollers come into contact with each other after the recovery of the conveyance error. When an operator is present around the medium feeding apparatus, an error release operation control unit controls the opening/closing unit so that the opening/closing unit performs the opening operation and the closing operation at a relatively low speed as compared to when the operator is not present around the medium feeding apparatus.

Abstract: A feeding device includes a feeding unit configured to be driven while being in contact with a recording sheet to feed the recording sheet, and a stacking unit configured to stack a plurality of the recording sheets and to press or release the stacked recording sheets to or from the feeding unit. Also, the feeding device includes a separating unit configured to separate the plurality of recording sheets fed by the feeding unit, one by one, a detecting unit configured to detect the recording sheet in an area downstream of the separating unit, and a control unit configured to control each of the units. The control unit switches a feeding operation between at least two feeding operations in accordance with a drive time of the feeding unit from when the feeding unit is started to be driven to when the detecting unit detects the recording sheet.

Abstract: A sheet identification device includes plural detecting units, an estimating unit, and an output unit. The plural detecting units are provided along a transport path along which a sheet is transported by a transport unit, and detect passing of the sheet. The estimating unit estimates a length in a transport direction of the sheet as a detection target on the basis of individual detection results generated by the plural detecting units. The output unit outputs, if the length estimated by the estimating unit on the basis of at least one of the detection results is not a predetermined length, a signal indicating that a sheet having a length in the transport direction different from the predetermined length is being transported.

Abstract: An image read device is provided, which conveys an original while performing reading of an image of the original at a read position on a transparent member by a read unit fixed, the image read device including: a moving unit that moves the transparent member back and forth in an original conveying direction; a control unit that conveys the original and moves the transparent member by using the moving unit while causing the reading of the image to be performed at the read position; and a determining unit that, when an event causing interruption of original conveyance occurs, stops the transparent member and determines whether a control of returning the transparent member to a home position is to be performed or not in accordance with a stopped position of the original in an original conveying path.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a sheet storage unit, a sheet feeding unit, a conveyance path for conveying a sheet to the image forming unit, a plurality of sheet detection sensors disposed along the conveyance path, a determination unit for determining whether predetermined time elapses from a detection of a front end of the sheet until a detection of a rear end of the sheet and a discharge unit. When the determination unit determines that the predetermined time has elapsed based on the detection by the sheet detection sensor disposed in the furthest upstream position among the plurality of sheet detection sensors, the sheet is discharged from the discharge unit, and when the determination unit determines that the predetermined time has elapsed based on the detection by the sheet detection sensors other than that disposed in the furthest upstream position, the sheet is stopped.

Abstract: The invention proposes a method and an installation for monitoring and/or controlling at least one handling apparatus for handling a multiplicity of preferably sheet-like products, in particular printed products, each product being assigned a reference (4). The installation comprises a transporting apparatus for transporting the multiplicity of products at a distance apart from one another along a transporting direction to at least one handling apparatus, or past the same, at least one detecting apparatus (1, 1?) at least for picking up references of the products and for communicating messages belonging to the references, and at least one processing unit (3) for processing the messages. In at least one delay device (5), a number of messages relating to references (4) from a plurality of products are combined to form a message group (6) and are communicated to the processing unit (3) via a communications medium (2) once a delay period (9) has elapsed.

Abstract: A system for singulating mailpieces including a first conveyance including a pair of opposing belts for singulating a mailpiece from a stack of mailpieces. The system includes an actuation mechanism operative to apply a force pulse through one of the belts to momentary separate mailpieces of the stack and augment singulation of the mailpiece from the stack by the first conveyance.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: a conveyor mechanism; a motor driver; and a controller for implementing a sheet-conveyance related control by execution of motor control processing in which a control input for a motor is calculated, wherein the controller implements the motor control processing in each sheet conveyance operation such that the control input is repeatedly calculated for conveying the sheet to a target stop position and for keeping the sheet located at the position, and wherein, in the motor control processing, the controller calculates the control input such that, after the sheet has reached the target stop position, the control input is equal to a hold control input required for keeping the sheet located at the position and such that, at a start point of the processing, the control input is not smaller than the hold control input in the processing in a previous sheet conveyance operation.

Abstract: A printing apparatus includes a multifeed sensor to detect whether printing paper sheets are multifed, a measuring unit to measure an interval between the multifed paper sheets, if the multifeed sensor detects that the printing paper sheets are multifed, and a control unit to delay printing using the measured interval so that a lastly fed printing paper sheet is printed. As a result, a printing error due to multifeed of two or more printing paper sheets can be avoided.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device has: a sheet accommodating portion that accommodates a sheet stack of a plurality of sheets; a sheet carrying plate that is provided within the sheet accommodating portion and stacks the sheet stack thereon; a pickup roller that contacts an upper face of the sheet stack and dispatches a sheet on an uppermost layer of the sheet stack, an elevator mechanism that displaces the sheet carrying plate between a sheet feeding position in which the upper face of the sheet stack contacts the pickup roller, and a separating position in which the upper face of the sheet stack separates from the pickup roller by a predetermined distance; and a controller that controls an operation of the elevator mechanism such that the sheet carrying plate is lowered to the separating position after a sheet feeding operation for feeding a sheet at the sheet feeding position is completed.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a sheet feed tray, a chute having first and second guides, first and second rollers arranged on the first guide, first and second contact members protruded from the second guide and urged to contact the first and second rollers, respectively, and a sheet sensor arranged between the first roller and the second roller. A controller controls a motor to rotate the first and second rollers in a first direction in which the sheet is fed from the second roller to the first roller when the controller receives a signal from the sensor, and controls the motor to stop the rotation of the first and second rollers when the signal from the sensor is terminated, and then rotate the first and second rollers in a second direction in which the sheet is fed from the first roller to the second roller.

Abstract: A sheet conveyance control method in an apparatus including a first conveying path for leading a sheet from a feeing port to a discharge port, a second sheet conveying path for leading the sheet to another conveyance destination, and a decoloring processing section configured to decolor an image formed on the sheet includes: detecting the length of the sheet further on a downstream side than the feeding port and further on an upstream side than a branching point of the first and second sheet conveying paths in a sheet conveying direction of the first sheet conveying path; and changing, if the trailing end of the sheet is not detected in a period after the leading end of the sheet is detected and before the leading end of the sheet reaches the branching point, a first flapper to a state in which the sheet is conveyed to the discharge port.

Abstract: A sheet supplying unit that supplies sheets includes a sheet accommodation tray that accommodates the sheets in a stacked state, the sheets including a first sheet which is an uppermost sheet in the stack of the sheets and a second sheet which is immediately below the first sheet; a pick-up roller that conveys the sheets in a sheet conveying direction; a detection sensor that detects passage of the sheets and is disposed downstream of the pick-up roller in the sheet conveying direction; and a control unit that controls operations of the pick-up roller in accordance with outputs from the detection sensor.

Abstract: According to one embodiment, a sheet conveying mechanism including a first driving mechanism configured to move a sheet medium to a predetermined position, a second driving mechanism located a fixed distance apart from the first driving mechanism and configured to move the sheet medium to the first driving mechanism, a thickness detecting mechanism located between the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism and configured to determine thickness of the sheet medium moving between the driving mechanisms, and a controller configured to change, on the basis of the thickness of the sheet medium detected by the thickness detecting mechanism, start of the first driving mechanism and change a movement amount per unit time of the second driving mechanism.

Abstract: An image forming apparatus which can prevent decrease in useful lives of components for air sheet feeding without bringing about throughput degradation when performing an image forming operation using a plurality of sheet supply units. When a sheet is fed from a first sheet supply unit having a fan that is driven so as to supply sheets, then a sheet is supplied from a second sheet supply unit, and then a sheet is supplied form the first sheet supply unit again, and in a case where a suspension time period over which no sheet is supplied from the first sheet supply unit is longer than a preparation time period from when driving of the fan is started to when the fan is brought into a driving state required to supply a sheet, driving of the fan is temporarily stopped.

Abstract: A document feeding apparatus includes a first delivery roller delivering a document sheet discharged from a fixing unit, a second delivery roller discharging the document sheet to a paper delivery tray, a motor driving the second delivery roller, a lever installed at the downstream, or upstream, side of the first delivery roller out of a document sheet transporting pathway, which rotates at a predetermined angle when contacting the document sheet and returns to an original position when not contacting the document sheet, a sensor sensing a rotation time and a returning time of the lever, and a controller determining a double feeding or slipping state of the document sheet based on a signal transferred from the sensor regarding the rotation time and the returning time of the lever, and controlling the driving speed of the motor according to the determination result.

Abstract: A sheet feeding device includes a sheet feed tray, a chute having first and second guides, first and second rollers arranged on the first guide, first and second contact members protruded from the second guide and urged to contact the first and second rollers, respectively, and a sheet sensor arranged between the first roller and the second roller. A controller controls a motor to rotate the first and second rollers in a first direction in which the sheet is fed from the second roller to the first roller when the controller receives a signal from the sensor, and controls the motor to stop the rotation of the first and second rollers when the signal from the sensor is terminated, and then rotate the first and second rollers in a second direction in which the sheet is fed from the first roller to the second roller.

Abstract: Timing information for use to determine the timing to discharge a sheet from an image forming apparatus is transmitted. The timing information is relayed, by being edited repeatedly, from a first sheet processing apparatus connected directly with the image forming apparatus to a second sheet processing apparatus which actually processes the sheet. The timing information is edited on each sheet processing apparatus by considering, for example, transit time of the sheet, processing time of the sheet, preparation time for the sheet to get ready to be processed, and the like. The second sheet processing apparatus transmits the timing information to the image forming apparatus. The image forming apparatus determines the discharge timing of the sheet based on the received timing information and discharges the sheet with the determined discharge timing.

Abstract: A feeding device includes a feeding unit configured to be driven while being in contact with a recording sheet to feed the recording sheet, and a stacking unit configured to stack a plurality of the recording sheets and to press or release the stacked recording sheets to or from the feeding unit. Also, the feeding device includes a separating unit configured to separate the plurality of recording sheets fed by the feeding unit, one by one, a detecting unit configured to detect the recording sheet in an area downstream of the separating unit, and a control unit configured to control each of the units. The control unit switches a feeding operation between at least two feeding operations in accordance with a drive time of the feeding unit from when the feeding unit is started to be driven to when the detecting unit detects the recording sheet.

Abstract: The invention relates to a device and a method for monitoring the separation of a sheet product, particularly of banknotes. The invention is based on a device and a method for monitoring the separation of a sheet product, particularly of banknotes, by means of a separator (1, 2, 3) having a drive (4, 7) and a controller (8) for monitoring and controlling the angular speed (w) of the separator, and is based on monitoring of the angular speed of the separator by the controller for changes and the determination of faulty separation, if the change of the angular speed is greater than a permitted deviation, or if the angular speed falls below a threshold value (S).

Abstract: When a recording medium is not detected even after an elapse of a predetermined period of time since a paper feeding unit fed the recording medium, the paper feeding unit is operated, to execute an assisting operation for assisting conveying of the recording medium.

Abstract: A sheet conveyer device to convey a sheet in a conveyer path, including a first roller pair arranged in an intermediate position in the conveyer path, a feeder to feed the sheet toward the first roller pair during a feeding operation, a discharge portion, on which the sheet is discharged, a second roller pair arranged in the conveyer path in a position closer to the discharge portion than the first roller pair, a control unit to control the first and the second roller pairs to rotate synchronously, and a judging system to judge whether a sheet feeding error has occurred in the feeder, is provided. The control unit controls the first and the second roller pairs to rotate synchronously in a second direction during the feeding operation and in a first direction when the judging system judges that the sheet feeding error has occurred during the feeding operation.

Abstract: An automatic document feeder and a scanner having the same are provided. The automatic document feeder can include a transport unit configured to transport a document to a scanning unit, an apparatus main body configured to hold the transport unit, a cover configured to be rotatably disposed on the apparatus main body, and a sensing unit disposed on a document transportation path to sense whether the cover is open or closed, the position of the document, or both. The automatic document feeder and the scanner having the same are configured to allow a jammed document to be ejected without having the document be damaged.

Abstract: In a recording medium conveyer, a driver drives a feeding member and a conveying member provided downstream from the feeding member in a recording medium conveyance direction independently. A controller stops driving the feeding member when a first time period elapses after a recording medium reaches the conveying member. When a selector judges that the thickness of the recording medium identifies the recording medium as thin paper, the controller does not drive the feeding member after the controller starts driving the conveying member, and when the selector judges that the recording medium has a thickness greater than a thickness of the recording medium that identifies the recording medium as thin paper, the controller restarts driving the feeding member no later than when the controller starts driving the conveying member.

Abstract: An image-forming device, such as a laser printer, includes a sheet-feed section, an image-forming section, a thermal fixing section, a control section, and a sheet-feed error detecting section. The sheet-feed section is configured to feed a sheet of paper to a sheet conveyance path. The image-forming section is disposed along the sheet conveyance path and configured to form a toner image on the sheet of paper. The thermal fixing section is disposed downstream of the image-forming section with respect to a direction in which the sheet of paper is fed and configured to thermally fix the toner image on the sheet of paper with a predetermined temperature. The control section is configured to control temperature of the thermal fixing section. The sheet-feed error detecting section detects a sheet-feed error which may occur in the sheet-feed section and outputs an error detection signal indicative of occurrence of the sheet-feed error.

Abstract: When a to-be-transported printing medium is fed in association with an operation for transporting the printing medium to a predetermined printing start position, a control is provided so as to eliminate an emergency stop of the feeding operation that tends to be caused due to an increase in the printing speed, thereby realizing a high-speed printing. To provide this, prior to a determination of the printing start position, the feeding by a feeding roller of the printing medium is started. Thereafter, when the printing start position is fixed within a predetermined period after the detection of a front end of the printing medium, whether or not to stop the feeding roller is determined at this timing. The predetermined period is a period during which the printing medium can be stopped at a predetermined stop position at which the printing medium is not yet caught by a transportation roller.

Abstract: An original reading device includes a registration roller located upstream of an original reading position in an original transport path for adjusting the timing of feeding an original to the original reading position. There is at least one original feed roller for transporting the original which has been fed from an original loading tray into the original transport path toward the registration roller. A rotary motion controller is also provided, and it causes the original feed roller closest to the registration roller to rotate when a rear part of the original close to a trailing edge thereof passes over the original feed roller closest to the registration roller.

Abstract: An intermediate guide member is provided attachable and removable between a head portion and a supporting frame of a stocker for printing plates. A number of intermediate guide members is an element to set a time of starting downward movement of hooks supporting a leading end of a printing plate. Three conditions in accordance with lengths of non-detection times are set for detecting the printing plate to judge authenticity of the detection. When the hooks reach vicinities of stoppers provided at supporting bars of a reversal unit, the hooks swing, are pulled-in from above the slope, and transfer the printing plate to the stoppers. Thereafter, by rotating the supporting bars and the stoppers integrally around a shaft, the printing plate is pivoted over toward a back plate, and a lower end of the printing plate is transferred from the stoppers to a receiving plate without damaging the printing plate.

Abstract: An ADF (Automatic Document Feeder) for an image processing apparatus of the present invention includes a separating and feeding device for feeding one document from a stack of documents while separating the document from the others. A conveying device temporarily stops the document fed by the separating and feeding device at a position preceding a reading position and again conveys, on the elapse of a preselected period of time, the document toward the reading position. A controller controllably drives the separating and feeding device and conveying device. The controller drives the conveying device by controlling the time interval between the restart of conveyance of the preceding document and the restart of conveyance of the following document.

Abstract: In a device for loading a feeder rack (5) in further-processing machines such as gather-stitcher machines or gathering machines (6) for folded sheets (1), sheets, booklets or similar printed products, which has a first conveyor arrangement (15) extending in planar manner for the purpose of feeding printed products (1) standing on their edges in the form of a horizontal stack (2), a second, initially upwardly sloping conveyor arrangement (16) for drawing the printed products (1) off the stack (2) in an overlapping formation and for transferring the overlapping stream (3) to the feeder rack (5), infinitely variable drives (20, 24) associated with the two conveyor arrangements (15, 16), and a light barrier (31) arranged in the feeder rack (5), a control means (23) is provided by means of which the drives (20, 24) can be controlled in dependence on the degree of coverage (BG) of the light barrier (31), as a result of which the fill level of the feeder rack (5) remains at an at least substantially constant height

Abstract: Feeding a plurality of successive sheets of a recording medium by calculating an expected time for a page end detection of a current sheet, and feeding a next sheet of the successive sheets in accordance with the calculated time, but prior to detection of the page end of the current sheet. Calculating the expected time may be detecting the page end for the current sheet, and mathematically filtering the page end detection of the current sheet with a current estimate of expected time for page end detection of the next sheet. The current estimate may be initialized after a first sheet of the successive sheets with a page end detection of the first sheet. The feeding of the next sheet may be controlled by controlling a time between the current sheet and the next sheet based on a time between the page end detection of the current sheet and a detection of the next sheet so as to obtain and maintain the time within a target range.

Abstract: The present invention is made in consideration of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a sheet conveying apparatus which can monitor a sheet conveying condition even with small sheet interval, an image forming apparatus having such a sheet conveying apparatus, an image reading apparatus having such a sheet conveying apparatus, and a sheet processing apparatus having such a sheet conveying apparatus.

Abstract: An apparatus for storing sheets carrying images thereon and sequentially driven out of an image forming apparatus in consecutive bins thereof is disclosed. The apparatus includes a deflector for deflecting a sheet toward the inlet of a preselected bin and a plurality of cylindrical cams cooperating to open and close the inlet of the bin. The deflector and cams are interlocked to each other to operate at a relatively high speed. The apparatus is capable of surely inserting a sheet into the inlet of the bin and highly reliable and durable.

Abstract: The disclosure relates to separating and feeding previously printed document sheets from a stack with reduced inter-sheet document image smearing using a retard-type sheet separator-feeder. For duplex documents, the intermittent drive system for the retard feeder drives the sheet being fed downstream out of the retard nip for only a short initial feeding distance which is only a minor portion of the document dimension, then reverse drives the sheet in the upstream direction for only a short reverse distance sufficient to eject all the sheets from the retard nip other then the one being fed out. Meanwhile a nudger system feeding sheets from the stack to the retard nip is disengaged. Then the feeder is driven in the downstream sheet feeding direction again, but for a much longer sheet feeding distance, Thus, the sheet being fed by the retard feeder may be fed out of the retard nip without duplex document image smearing against other sheets in the retard nip.