US 12,091,269 B2
Sheet feeding apparatus and image forming apparatus
Yohsuke Takamiya, Kanagawa (JP); Hidetoshi Kojima, Kanagawa (JP); Tatsuya Sugawara, Kanagawa (JP); Toshihiro Okutsu, Kanagawa (JP); and Sachika Tamaki, Kanagawa (JP)
Assigned to Ricoh Company, Ltd., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by Yohsuke Takamiya, Kanagawa (JP); Hidetoshi Kojima, Kanagawa (JP); Tatsuya Sugawara, Kanagawa (JP); Toshihiro Okutsu, Kanagawa (JP); and Sachika Tamaki, Kanagawa (JP)
Filed on Oct. 27, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/050,176.
Claims priority of application No. 2021-191038 (JP), filed on Nov. 25, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2023/0159289 A1, May 25, 2023
Int. Cl. B65H 3/12 (2006.01); B65H 1/14 (2006.01); B65H 1/18 (2006.01); B65H 1/20 (2006.01); B65H 3/48 (2006.01); B65H 7/20 (2006.01)
CPC B65H 1/18 (2013.01) [B65H 1/20 (2013.01); B65H 3/128 (2013.01); B65H 3/48 (2013.01); B65H 7/20 (2013.01); B65H 2511/20 (2013.01); B65H 2511/30 (2013.01); B65H 2801/06 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A sheet feeding apparatus comprising:
a sheet stacker on which a plurality of sheets are stacked;
an air blower configured to blow air from a lateral side of the plurality of sheets stacked on the sheet stacker to the plurality of sheets to float an uppermost sheet of the plurality of sheets;
a suction feeder disposed above the sheet stacker and configured to suck the uppermost sheet floated by the air blower and feed the sheet in a feed direction;
a lifting mechanism configured to lift the sheet stacker;
an elevation detection sensor configured to detect that the plurality of sheets stacked on the sheet stacker has reached a detection position located above the sheet stacker and below the suction feeder;
a feed detection sensor configured to detect the sheet fed by the suction feeder; and
processing circuitry configured to control operations of the air blower, the suction feeder, and the lifting mechanism based on detection results of the elevation detection sensor and the feed detection sensor,
wherein the processing circuitry is configured to:
drive the lifting mechanism such that the sheet stacker is lifted by an elevation amount determined based on a sheet thickness of the sheets stacked on the sheet stacker, each time a sheet is detected by the feed detection sensor when a number of sheets detected by the feed detection sensor is smaller than a threshold number of sheets; and
stop lifting of the sheet stacker until a sheet is not detected by the elevation detection sensor when the number of sheets reaches the threshold number of sheets, while repeatedly performing processing to feed the uppermost sheet floated by the air blower to the suction feeder and count the number of sheets detected by the feed detection sensor.