阅读说明：本技术 供纸装置以及图像形成装置 (Sheet feeding device and image forming apparatus ) 是由 季云龙 李金龙 于 2020-06-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及供纸装置以及图像形成装置,其中,供纸装置包括：送风部,位于待搬送纸张侧面,对纸张送风,使纸张浮起；吸引部,位于纸张上侧,对浮起的纸张施加吸引力；整合板,位于所述吸引部两侧,所述整合板适于对浮起的纸张进行规制；皮带,所述皮带套设于所述吸引部与纸张之间,所述皮带表面具有多个通孔,所述纸张被吸引在皮带上后,所述皮带适于沿预定搬送路径搬送纸张；所述吸引部,使所述纸张朝向第一平面的投影呈曲线状或者倾斜状,其中,所述第一平面平行于纸张搬送方向,且垂直于纸张两端。由此,能够降低整合板对纸张两侧规制的难度,改善规制效果。(The invention relates to a paper feeding device and an image forming apparatus, wherein the paper feeding device comprises: the air supply part is positioned on the side surface of the paper to be conveyed and supplies air to the paper to enable the paper to float; a suction unit which is positioned above the sheet and applies suction to the floating sheet; the integration plates are positioned on two sides of the suction part and are suitable for regulating the floating paper; the belt is sleeved between the suction part and the paper, a plurality of through holes are formed in the surface of the belt, and the belt is suitable for conveying the paper along a preset conveying path after the paper is sucked on the belt; the suction part enables the projection of the paper towards a first plane to be in a curve shape or an inclined shape, wherein the first plane is parallel to the paper conveying direction and is perpendicular to two ends of the paper. From this, can reduce the degree of difficulty of integration board to the regulation of paper both sides, improve the regulation effect.)

1. A sheet feeding device comprising:

the air supply part is positioned on the side surface of the paper to be conveyed and supplies air to the paper to enable the paper to float;

a suction unit which is positioned above the sheet and applies suction to the floating sheet;

the integration plates are positioned on two sides of the suction part and are suitable for regulating the floating paper;

the belt is sleeved between the suction part and the paper, a plurality of through holes are formed in the surface of the belt, and the belt is suitable for conveying the paper along a preset conveying path after the paper is sucked on the belt; the method is characterized in that:

the suction part enables the projection of the paper towards a first plane to be in a curve shape or an inclined shape, wherein the first plane is parallel to the paper conveying direction and is perpendicular to two ends of the paper.

2. The sheet feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the suction portion has a plurality of air openings, and a surface of the air openings facing the sheet has a height difference, and a surface of the belt facing the sheet has a height difference.

3. The sheet feeding apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein a surface of the belt facing the sheet in the sheet conveying direction includes, in order: a first edge portion, a middle portion, and a second edge portion; the height value of the middle portion is greater than the height value of the first edge portion, and the height value of the middle portion is also greater than the height value of the second edge portion.

4. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the suction portion includes a first suction portion and a second suction portion, the first suction portion and the second suction portion being provided at an interval in a sheet conveying direction; the integration plate is aligned with the interval between the first suction part and the second suction part.

5. The sheet feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 4, wherein the belt rotation speed at the first suction portion and the belt rotation speed at the second suction portion are different such that a projection of the sheet toward the first plane is curved before the regulating plate regulates the sheet and in a state where the sheet is sucked by the suction portion.

6. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a height difference is provided between the first suction part and the second suction part, and a height difference is provided between a belt on the first suction part and a belt on the second suction part, respectively, so that a projection of the sheet toward the first plane is inclined before the sheet is regulated by the regulating plate and in a state where the sheet is sucked by the suction part.

7. The sheet supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein an attraction force exerted by the attraction portion on the sheet is reduced during the regulation of the sheet by the integration plate as compared with before the regulation of the sheet by the integration plate.

8. The sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the first suction member is located in front of the second suction member in the sheet conveying direction, and the first suction member is movable back and forth;

further comprising: a paper information acquisition section adapted to acquire paper information;

and a control unit that adjusts the position of the first suction unit based on the sheet information acquired by the sheet information acquisition unit.

9. The sheet feeding apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the sheet information includes sheet length information or sheet evaluation information.

10. An image forming apparatus comprising the sheet feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a paper feeding device and an image forming apparatus, and more particularly to a paper feeding device and an image forming apparatus including a suction portion capable of adjusting a paper state.

Background

In a conventional paper feeding device, the paper feeding device includes an air blowing section, a suction section, a collecting plate, and a conveying section. The air supply part is positioned on the side surface of the paper to be conveyed and is suitable for supplying air to the paper to enable the paper to float. The suction unit is positioned above the sheet and applies a suction force to the floating sheet. The conveying part is positioned above the paper, and after the paper is sucked to the conveying part by the suction part, the conveying part conveys the paper to a conveying roller pair downstream of the paper feeding device along a preset conveying path. After the paper floats and before the paper is conveyed by the conveying part, the integration plate regulates the two sides of the paper, so that the instability of the paper supply device in the paper conveying process can be reduced.

The sheet may be divided into a center region and side regions located on both sides of the center region, and a boundary between the center region and the side regions is parallel to a sheet conveyance direction.

When the paper material is soft, before the integration plate regulates the two sides of the paper, although the paper can keep a floating state under the action of the attraction force exerted by the attraction part, under the action of gravity, the side areas of the paper are easy to collapse, so that the central area of the paper is arched. The side region of paper collapses down and causes the integration board to be difficult to touch two sides of paper to be difficult to the paper side application of force, be unfavorable for the integration board to prescribe the paper both sides, cause the prescription degree of difficulty to increase.

Therefore, the paper feeding device is still to be improved to improve the regulation effect and ensure the stability of paper feeding.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the difficulty of regulating both sides of a sheet by an integrated plate and to improve the regulating effect.

The present invention provides a paper feeding device, comprising: the air supply part is positioned on the side surface of the paper to be conveyed and supplies air to the paper to enable the paper to float; a suction unit which is positioned above the sheet and applies suction to the floating sheet; the integration plates are positioned on two sides of the suction part and are suitable for regulating the floating paper; the belt is sleeved between the suction part and the paper, a plurality of through holes are formed in the surface of the belt, and the belt is suitable for conveying the paper along a preset conveying path after the paper is sucked on the belt; the suction part enables the projection of the paper towards a first plane to be in a curve shape or an inclined shape, wherein the first plane is parallel to the paper conveying direction and is perpendicular to two ends of the paper.

The inventor of the present invention has found that, when the projection of the paper toward the first plane is curved or inclined, the projection of the side area of the paper toward the first plane is curved or inclined, the surface of the paper is tight, and the side area of the paper is not easy to collapse, at this time, the integration plate regulates both sides of the paper, and the surface of the integration plate is easy to touch the side of the paper to apply force to the side of the paper, so as to regulate the inclined or offset paper to a proper position, thereby reducing the difficulty of regulating both sides of the paper by the integration plate, improving the regulation effect, and ensuring the stability of paper feeding.

In the above paper feeding device, the suction portion includes a plurality of air openings, and a surface of the plurality of air openings facing the paper sheet has a height difference, and a surface of the belt facing the paper sheet also has a height difference accordingly.

Therefore, the paper is attracted by the wind power generated by the air opening of the attraction part and floats upwards to be attached to the surface of the belt. Because the surface of the plurality of air openings facing the paper has height difference, the surface of the belt facing the paper also has height difference correspondingly, so that the height difference is correspondingly formed on the surface of the paper attached to the surface of the belt, the projection of the paper facing the first plane is curved or inclined, the surface of the paper is tightened, the risk of collapse of the side edge area of the paper is reduced, and the regulating operation of the integrating plate on two sides of the paper is facilitated.

In the above paper feeding device, the belt includes, in order along the paper conveyance direction, a surface facing the paper: a first edge portion, a middle portion, and a second edge portion; the height value of the middle portion is greater than the height value of the first edge portion, and the height value of the middle portion is also greater than the height value of the second edge portion.

Therefore, the front end and the rear end of the paper are respectively attracted and floated by the air openings corresponding to the first edge part and the second edge part of the belt, and the middle parts of the paper positioned at the front end and the rear end of the paper are attracted and floated by the air openings corresponding to the middle part of the belt. Because the height value of the middle part is greater than that of the first edge part, and the height value of the middle part is also greater than that of the second edge part, the floating height of the middle part of the paper is higher than that of the front end and the rear end of the paper. The paper presents a shape with a low front end, a high middle and a low rear end along the paper conveying direction, so that the projection of the paper towards the first plane presents an upward convex curve shape, thereby preventing the side edge area of the paper from collapsing. When the integration plate is used for regulating the paper, the surface of the integration plate is contacted with the side edge of the paper in an upward convex curve shape, so that the regulation effect is better.

In the above paper feeding device, the suction portion includes a first suction portion and a second suction portion that are provided at an interval in a paper conveyance direction; the integration plate is aligned with the interval between the first suction part and the second suction part.

Therefore, the front end and the rear end of the paper are respectively attracted and floated by the air openings on the first attraction part and the second attraction part. The first suction part and the second suction part are arranged at intervals along the paper conveying direction, so that the front end and the rear end of the paper and the middle part of the paper positioned between the front end and the rear end of the paper are subjected to different suction forces, and the projection of the paper facing to the first plane is in a curve shape or an inclined shape. The first attraction part and the second attraction part are exposed out of the middle of the paper between the front end and the rear end of the paper, the integration plate is aligned with the interval between the first attraction part and the second attraction part, force is conveniently applied to two sides of the middle of the paper, and therefore the paper is regulated.

In the above paper feeding device, the belt rotation speed of the first suction portion and the belt rotation speed of the second suction portion are different from each other so that a projection of the sheet onto the first plane is curved before the regulating plate regulates the sheet and in a state where the sheet is sucked by the suction portion.

The front end and the rear end of the paper are respectively attracted and float by the air openings on the first attraction part and the second attraction part, and the middle of the paper between the front end and the rear end of the paper is driven to float. The moving speeds of the front and rear ends of the sheet in the sheet conveying direction are respectively related to the belt rotating speeds of the first suction unit and the second suction unit. Since the belt rotation speed of the first suction part is different from the belt rotation speed of the second suction part, the moving speeds of the front and rear ends of the paper in the paper conveying direction are different, and the projection of the paper to the first plane is curved. From this, avoid the side region of paper to collapse to make things convenient for the integration board to carry out the regulation to the paper.

In the above paper feeding device, a height difference is provided between the first suction part and the second suction part, and the belt of the first suction part and the belt of the second suction part have a height difference, so that a projection of the sheet onto the first plane is inclined before the regulating plate regulates the sheet and in a state where the sheet is sucked by the suction part.

The front end and the rear end of the paper are respectively attracted and float by the air openings on the first attraction part and the second attraction part, and the middle of the paper between the front end and the rear end of the paper is driven to float. Since the first suction part and the second suction part have a height difference therebetween, the belt of the first suction part and the belt of the second suction part have a height difference therebetween. The front end and the rear end of the paper float to be respectively attached to the surfaces of the belts on the first suction part and the second suction part. The belt on the first suction part and the belt on the second suction part have a height difference, so that the front end of the paper is different from the rear end of the paper in the state that the paper is sucked by the suction parts, and the height of the middle part of the paper is between the heights of the front end and the rear end of the paper. Therefore, the projection of the paper towards the first plane is inclined, the surface of the paper is tightened, and the side edge area of the paper is prevented from collapsing.

In the above-described sheet feeding device, the suction force applied to the sheet by the suction portion is reduced in the course of the regulation of the sheet by the registration plate as compared with before the regulation of the sheet by the registration plate.

Carry out the regulation in-process at the integration board to the paper, the appeal that the portion of attracting was applyed the paper descends, can reduce the interference that the appeal caused to the regulation operation, and the integration board of being convenient for is to paper both sides application of force to make the paper of slope or skew can the rapid adjustment alignment, help improving regulation operating efficiency.

In the above sheet feeding device, the first suction unit is located in front of the second suction unit in the sheet conveying direction, and the first suction unit is movable forward and backward; further comprising: a paper information acquisition section adapted to acquire paper information; and a control unit that adjusts the position of the first suction unit based on the sheet information acquired by the sheet information acquisition unit.

Therefore, the control part adjusts the position of the first suction part according to the paper information acquired by the paper information acquisition part, so that the distance between the first suction part and the second suction part is proper, the front end and the rear end of the paper are respectively sucked and floated by air openings on the first suction part and the second suction part, and the smooth operation of the regulation operation of the integration plate is ensured.

In the above paper feeding device, the paper information includes paper length information or paper evaluation information.

Therefore, the position of the first suction part is adjusted according to the paper length information or the paper evaluation information, and the distance between the first suction part and the second suction part is further adjusted, so that the front end and the rear end of the paper are respectively sucked by the air openings in the first suction part and the second suction part, and the integration plate is convenient to regulate the two sides of the middle part of the paper between the front end and the rear end of the paper.

The paper feeding device of the present invention can be applied to an image forming apparatus, and can provide the above-described effects.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a sheet feeding apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG. 2 in another direction;

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a sheet front end, a sheet rear end, and a sheet middle portion of a sheet to be conveyed in the sheet feeding apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of the center area and the side areas of the sheet to be carried shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic illustration of the sheet feeding apparatus shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic diagram of the first and second suction portions of the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 8 is an operational state diagram of the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 9 is another operational state diagram of the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 2;

fig. 10 is an operational state diagram of a paper feeding device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many alternatives thereof are possible in light of the above disclosure, and that the present invention is not limited to the preferred embodiments described herein.

Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the reading apparatus of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of an image forming apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a sheet feeding device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention; fig. 3 is a schematic view of the paper feeding device 10 shown in fig. 2 in another direction.

Referring to fig. 1 to 3, a sheet feeding device 10 includes: the air supply part is positioned on the side surface of the paper to be conveyed and supplies air to the paper to enable the paper to float; a suction unit 200 positioned above the sheet and applying a suction force to the floating sheet; integration plates located at both sides of the suction part 200, the integration plates being adapted to regulate the floating paper; a belt 400, wherein the belt 400 is sleeved between the suction part 200 and the paper, the belt 400 has a plurality of through holes on the surface, and the belt 400 is suitable for conveying the paper along a predetermined conveying path after the paper is sucked on the belt 400; the suction unit 200 makes a projection of the sheet toward a first plane parallel to the sheet conveying direction and perpendicular to both ends of the sheet curved or inclined.

In this embodiment, the first plane is parallel to the surface of the integration plate.

In fig. 1 to 3, a first direction x is a sheet conveying direction; the third direction z is a height direction, and the third direction z is perpendicular to the first direction x.

As shown in fig. 1, in the present embodiment, the paper feeding device 10 further includes: the box body comprises an accommodating cavity; the paper placing tray 100 is arranged in the accommodating cavity, and the paper placing tray 100 is suitable for placing stacked paper.

As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the inner wall of the accommodating cavity includes a top wall 11, a side wall and a bottom wall. The air supply part is arranged on the side wall of the accommodating cavity. The suction portion 200 is disposed on the top wall 11 of the accommodating chamber. The integration plate is also arranged on the top wall 11 of the containing cavity. The paper tray 100 is located on the bottom wall of the accommodating cavity.

Referring to fig. 4 and 5, it should be noted that the surface area of the sheet 500 to be transported may be divided according to different dividing methods.

As shown in fig. 4, one way of dividing is in the sheet transport direction, the sheet 500 includes a sheet front end 501, a sheet rear end 502, and a sheet middle part 503 between the sheet front and rear ends.

As shown in fig. 5, another division method is that the sheet 500 includes a center region 510 and side regions 520 located on both sides of the center region 510, and a boundary between the center region 510 and the side regions 520 is parallel to the conveyance direction of the sheet 500.

In fig. 4 and 5, the second direction y is perpendicular to the first direction x, and is also perpendicular to the third direction z (refer to fig. 3). In this embodiment, the first plane is perpendicular to the second direction y.

When the projection of paper 500 towards first plane is curve form or slope form, the regional 520 of side towards first plane of paper 500 is curve form or slope form, the paper 500 surface is tightened, the regional 520 of side of paper 500 is difficult to take place to collapse down, the integration board regulates the paper 500 both sides this moment, the integration board surface easily touches the paper 500 side thereby to the paper 500 side application of force, with the paper 500 regulation to the suitable position of slope or skew, thereby reduce the degree of difficulty of integration board to the regulation of paper 500 both sides, improve the regulation effect, guarantee the stability of form advancing.

Referring to fig. 2, the number of the belt 400 is one or more. In this embodiment, the number of the belts 400 is plural.

In this embodiment, the integration plate includes a first integration plate 310 and a second integration plate 320, the first integration plate 310 and the second integration plate 320 are respectively located at two sides of the paper 500, and the surface of the integration plate is parallel to the first plane. The first and second aligning plates 310 and 320 are moved toward each other to align the sheet 500 from both sides of the sheet 500 (see fig. 5).

Fig. 6 is a simplified schematic diagram of the paper feeding apparatus shown in fig. 2. FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic diagram of the first suction portion 210 and the second suction portion 220 of the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 2

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, in the present embodiment, the suction portion 200 includes a first suction portion 210 and a second suction portion 220, and each of the first suction portion 210 and the second suction portion 220 includes a plurality of air ports. The first suction part 210 and the second suction part 220 are arranged at intervals along the conveying direction of the paper 500; the integration plate is aligned with a space between the first suction part 210 and the second suction part 220.

As shown in fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the first suction unit 210 includes a first suction box 231 and a first fan 240. The first suction box 231 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the first fan 240 is located at one end of the first suction box 231, and one end of the first suction box 231 facing the first fan 240 has a first opening. The first suction box 231 has a plurality of first vents on a surface thereof facing the paper 500.

In this embodiment, the second suction unit 220 includes a second suction box 232. The second suction box 232 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape. The second suction box 232 has a plurality of second vents on a surface thereof facing the sheet 500.

In this embodiment, the second suction unit 220 and the first suction unit 210 share the first fan 240. The first fan 240 is located at one end of the second suction box 232, and the end of the second suction box 232 facing the first fan 240 has a second opening. The first fan 240 generates wind force to discharge air in the inner cavity of the first suction box 231 and the inner cavity of the second suction box 232, thereby generating suction force in the first air port and the second air port.

In other embodiments, the second suction part further includes a second fan, the second fan is located at one end of the second suction box, the second fan generates wind power, and the second air port generates suction force by using an inner cavity of the second suction box as an air duct.

In this embodiment, the belt 400 includes a plurality of first belts 410 and a plurality of second belts 420, the first belts 410 are sleeved on the first suction box 231, and the second belts 420 are sleeved on the second suction box 232. The surface of the first belt 410 facing the sheet 500 moves in the sheet 500 carrying direction, and the surface of the second belt 420 facing the sheet 500 also moves in the sheet 500 carrying direction.

As shown in fig. 6, in the present embodiment, the paper front end 501 (see fig. 4) and the paper rear end 502 (see fig. 4) are respectively located corresponding to the first suction portion 210 and the second suction portion 220, and the paper middle 503 corresponds to the interval between the first suction portion 210 and the second suction portion 220. The front and rear ends of the paper 500 are respectively attracted and float by the air openings of the first attraction part 210 and the second attraction part 220, and the middle part 503 (refer to fig. 4) of the paper floats under the driving of the floating movement of the front and rear ends of the paper 500.

The first suction portion 210 and the second suction portion 220 are spaced apart from each other in the conveying direction of the paper 500, so that different suction forces are applied to the front and rear ends of the paper 500 and the middle 503 of the paper between the front and rear ends, and the projection of the paper 500 onto the first plane is curved or inclined. The first suction part 210 and the second suction part 220 expose the middle part 503 of the paper between the front end and the rear end of the paper 500, and the integration plate is aligned with the interval between the first suction part 210 and the second suction part 220, so that force can be conveniently applied to two sides of the middle part 503 of the paper, and the paper 500 can be regulated.

Fig. 8 is an operational state diagram of the paper feeding device shown in fig. 2.

Referring to fig. 7 and 8, in the present embodiment, the rotation speed of the first belt 410 on the first suction part 210 is different from the rotation speed of the second belt 420 on the second suction part 220, so that the projection of the paper 500 to the first plane is curved before the paper 500 is regulated by the integration plate and in a state where the paper 500 is sucked by the suction part 200.

As shown in fig. 8, in the present embodiment, a projection of a sheet middle part 503 (refer to fig. 4) of the sheet 500 toward the first plane is arc-shaped. The projection of the sheet front end 501 of the sheet 500 onto the first plane is in a horizontal straight line. The projection of the sheet rear end 502 of the sheet 500 toward the first plane is in a horizontal straight line.

The moving speed of the front and rear ends of the sheet 500 in the sheet 500 conveyance direction is related to the rotational speed of the belt 400 in the first suction unit 210 and the second suction unit 220, respectively. Since the rotation speed of the belt 400 in the first suction unit 210 is different from the rotation speed of the belt 400 in the second suction unit 220, the moving speeds of the front and rear ends of the sheet 500 in the conveying direction of the sheet 500 are different, and the projection of the sheet 500 onto the first plane is curved. For example, when the moving speed of the belt 400 of the second suction part 220 is greater than the moving speed of the belt 400 of the first suction part 210, the middle part 503 of the paper sheet will be arched upward, and the paper sheet 500 will have a shape with a lower front end 501, a higher middle part and a lower rear end 502 along the conveying direction of the paper sheet 500, so as to prevent the side edge region 520 (refer to fig. 5) of the paper sheet 500 from collapsing, thereby facilitating the first integration plate 310 (refer to fig. 6) and the second integration plate 320 (refer to fig. 6) to regulate the paper sheet 500.

Fig. 9 is another operation state diagram of the paper feeding device shown in fig. 2.

Referring to fig. 7 and 9, in another embodiment, a height difference exists between the first suction part 210 and the second suction part 220, and the first belt 410 on the first suction part 210 and the second belt 420 on the second suction part 220 have a height difference, so that a projection of the paper 500 to the first plane is inclined before the paper 500 is regulated by the regulating plate and in a state where the paper 500 is sucked by the suction part 200.

As shown in fig. 9, in the present embodiment, a projection of a sheet middle part 503 (refer to fig. 4) of the sheet 500 toward the first plane is inclined. The projection of the sheet front end 501 of the sheet 500 onto the first plane is in a horizontal straight line. The projection of the sheet rear end 502 of the sheet 500 toward the first plane is in a horizontal straight line.

The front and rear ends of the paper 500 float to the surface of the belt 400 attached to the first suction unit 210 and the second suction unit 220, respectively, and the middle 503 of the paper between the front and rear ends of the paper is driven to float. The belt 400 of the first suction part 210 and the belt 400 of the second suction part 220 have a height difference, so that the front end 501 and the rear end 502 of the paper 500 are different in height, and the middle part 503 of the paper is between the front and rear end heights of the paper in the state that the paper 500 is sucked by the suction part 200. Thereby, the projection of the sheet 500 toward the first plane is inclined, and the side edge region 520 of the sheet 500 is prevented from collapsing.

In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 9, the first belt 410 of the first suction unit 210 is higher than the second belt 420 of the second suction unit 220, so that the front end 501 of the paper is higher than the rear end 502 of the paper, and the middle part 503 of the paper is lower than the front end 501 of the paper, but the rear end 502 of the paper is higher.

In other embodiments, the first belt 410 of the first suction unit 210 is lower than the second belt 420 of the second suction unit 220, which results in the front end 501 of the paper being lower than the rear end 502 of the paper, and the middle 503 of the paper being higher than the front end 501 of the paper but lower than the rear end 502 of the paper.

In this embodiment, the attraction force applied by the attraction portion 200 to the sheet 500 is reduced in the process of regulating the sheet 500 by the integration plate, compared to before regulating the sheet 500 by the integration plate.

In the process of regulating the paper 500 by the integration plate, the attraction force applied to the paper 500 by the attraction part 200 is reduced, the interference of the attraction force to the regulation operation can be reduced, the force applied to the two sides of the paper 500 by the integration plate is convenient, so that the inclined or offset paper 500 can be quickly adjusted and aligned, and the regulation operation efficiency is improved.

In this embodiment, the first suction unit 210 is located in front of the second suction unit 220 in the conveyance direction of the sheet 500, and the first suction unit 210 can move back and forth.

In this embodiment, the paper feeding device 10 further includes: a paper information acquisition section adapted to acquire paper 500 information; and a control unit that adjusts the position of the first suction unit 210 based on the information on the sheet 500 acquired by the sheet information acquisition unit.

Thus, the control unit adjusts the position of the first suction unit 210 so that the distance between the first suction unit 210 and the second suction unit 220 is appropriate, the front and rear positions of the sheet before the regulating operation correspond to the first suction unit 210 and the second suction unit 220, respectively, and the sheet middle part 503 corresponds to the distance between the first suction unit 210 and the second suction unit 220, based on the sheet 500 information acquired by the sheet information acquiring unit. Therefore, the front end and the rear end of the paper 500 are respectively attracted and float by the air openings on the first attraction part 210 and the second attraction part 220, the difference of the height positions of the front end and the rear end of the paper and the middle part 503 of the paper is realized, the projection of the paper 500 towards the first plane is in a curve shape or an inclined shape, and the smooth operation of the regulation operation of the integration plate is ensured.

The paper 500 information includes paper length information or paper evaluation information.

Therefore, the position of the first suction part 210 is adjusted according to the paper length information or the paper evaluation information, and the distance between the first suction part 210 and the second suction part 220 is further adjusted, so that the front end and the rear end of the paper 500 are respectively sucked by the air openings of the first suction part 210 and the second suction part 220, and the integration plate can conveniently regulate two sides of the paper middle part 503 positioned between the front end and the rear end of the paper 500.

Fig. 10 is a schematic view of a sheet feeding device 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to fig. 10, unlike the previous embodiment, the number of the suction portions 200 is one in the present embodiment. The suction unit 200 is disposed across the sheet end 501, the sheet middle part 503, and the sheet rear end 502 of the sheet 500, and thus the sheet front end 501, the sheet rear end 502, and the sheet middle part 503 of the sheet 500 are all sucked and floated by the same suction unit 200. The height of the surface of the suction box facing the paper 500 has an undulation, so that the heights of the plurality of air openings have differences, and accordingly, the surface of the belt 400 facing the paper 500 also has a height difference.

Accordingly, the paper 500 is attracted by the wind generated from the air inlet of the attraction unit 200 and floats up to be attached to the surface of the belt 400. Because the plurality of air openings have height differences towards the surface of the paper 500, and the surface of the belt 400 facing the paper 500 also has height differences correspondingly, the height differences are correspondingly formed on the surface of the paper 500 attached to the surface of the belt 400, so that the projection of the paper 500 facing the first plane is curved or inclined, the surface of the paper 500 is tightened, the risk of the side edge area 520 of the paper 500 collapsing is reduced, and the regulation operation of the integration plate on the two sides of the paper 500 is facilitated.

In this embodiment, the suction unit 200 includes a suction box and a fan. The suction box is in a cuboid shape, and the fan is positioned at one end of the suction box. The air port is located on the surface of the suction box. One end of the suction box, which faces the fan, is provided with an opening, the fan generates wind power, and the air port generates suction force by using an inner cavity of the suction box as an air channel. The dashed arrows in fig. 10 represent the suction force generated by the tuyere.

The belt 400 is sleeved on the suction box, the belt 400 is encircled into a ring shape, and the suction box penetrates through the ring-shaped belt 400. The surface of the belt 400 facing the sheet 500 moves in the sheet conveyance direction.

The number of the belt 400 is one or more.

As shown in fig. 10, in this embodiment, the surface of the belt 400 facing the sheet 500 in the sheet conveying direction includes: a first edge portion 431, a middle portion 433, and a second edge portion 432; the height of the intermediate portion 433 is greater than the height of the first edge portion 431, and the height of the intermediate portion 433 is also greater than the height of the second edge portion 432.

Accordingly, the front and rear ends of the paper 500 are respectively attracted and lifted by the corresponding air openings of the first edge portion 431 and the second edge portion 432 of the belt 400, and the middle portion 503 (see fig. 4) of the paper 500 located at the front and rear ends is attracted and lifted by the corresponding air opening of the middle portion 433 of the belt 400. The height of the middle portion 433 is greater than the height of the first and second edge portions 431 and 432, so that the floating height of the middle portion 503 of the sheet is higher than that of the front and rear ends of the sheet 500. In the paper 500 conveying direction, the paper 500 takes a shape in which the front end 501 of the paper is low, the middle 503 of the paper is high, and the rear end 502 of the paper is low, so that the projection of the paper 500 toward the first plane takes a shape of a curve protruding upward, and the side regions 520 (refer to fig. 5) of the paper 500 can be prevented from collapsing. When the integration plate regulates the paper 500, the surface of the integration plate is contacted with the side edge of the paper 500 in a curve shape protruding upwards, and the regulation effect is better.

Referring to fig. 1, the present invention also provides an image forming apparatus 1 including the above-described paper feeding apparatus 10.

The above-described paper feeding device 10 can be applied to the image forming apparatus 1, and can provide the above-described effects.

As shown in fig. 1, the image forming apparatus 11 further includes: a conveying section 30 including a plurality of sets of conveying roller pairs adapted to convey a sheet along a predetermined conveying path; a transfer section 31 adapted to transfer toner onto the paper 500; and a fixing section 32 adapted to perform a fixing process on the sheet 500.

The image forming apparatus 11 further includes: a display unit 20 adapted to display the operating states of the paper feeding device 10, the conveying unit 30, the transfer unit 31, and the fixing unit 32, and to display an operation instruction of an operator; and an operation panel 21 adapted for an operator to input an operation instruction.

Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.