SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

Organization Name

canon kabushiki kaisha

Inventor(s)

TERUHITO Kai of Chiba (JP)

SEITA Inoue of Chiba (JP)

AKIHIRO Kawakita of Chiba (JP)

TATSUO Fujimura of Chiba (JP)

HIROAKI Tomiyasu of Ibaraki (JP)

SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS - A simplified explanation of the abstract

This abstract first appeared for US patent application 20240294347 titled 'SHEET FEEDING APPARATUS AND IMAGE FORMING APPARATUS

Simplified Explanation: The patent application describes a sheet feeding apparatus that uses air to separate sheets and regulate their position during the feeding process.

The apparatus includes a supporting portion, a sheet feeding unit, a side edge regulation plate, a separation unit that blows air to separate sheets, a regulation plate position detection unit, and a control unit.
The control unit executes a separation mode to perform the air-blow operation by the separation unit when feeding sheets.
If the position of the side edge regulation plate does not match the size of the sheets, the control unit stops the air-blow operation.

Key Features and Innovation:

Utilizes air to separate sheets during the feeding process.
Regulates the position of sheets using side edge regulation plates.
Detects the position of the regulation plates to ensure proper sheet size alignment.
Stops the air-blow operation if the regulation plate position does not match the sheet size.

Potential Applications:

Printing industry for automated sheet feeding.
Packaging industry for precise sheet separation.
Manufacturing industry for efficient material handling.

Problems Solved:

Inaccurate sheet separation during feeding process.
Difficulty in regulating sheet position.
Wastage of materials due to misaligned sheets.

Benefits:

Improved efficiency in sheet feeding operations.
Reduced material wastage.
Enhanced accuracy in sheet positioning.

Commercial Applications: Automated Sheet Feeding Apparatus for Printing and Packaging Industries

Prior Art: Further research can be conducted in the field of automated sheet feeding systems in industrial settings.

Frequently Updated Research: Stay updated on advancements in sheet feeding technology and automation in industrial processes.

Questions about Sheet Feeding Apparatus: 1. How does the separation unit in the apparatus work to separate sheets? 2. What are the potential cost-saving benefits of using this sheet feeding apparatus in industrial settings?

Original Abstract Submitted

a sheet feeding apparatus includes a supporting portion, a sheet feeding unit, a side edge regulation plate, a separation unit configured to separate the sheets by blowing air onto the plurality of sheets supported by the supporting portion, a regulation plate position detection unit configured to detect a position of the side edge regulation plates in the width direction, and a control unit configured to execute a separation mode so as to perform an air-blow operation by the separation unit in feeding the sheets by the sheet feeding unit. in the separation mode, in a case where the position of the side edge regulation plate detected by the regulation plate position detection unit does not correspond to size of the sheets supported by the supporting portion in the width direction, the control unit is configured to stop the air-blow operation.