A sheet feeding device has a mounting portion allowing a stack of sheets to be mounted in a top-bottom direction, a suction/transportation portion provided above the mounting portion for attracting a first sheet positioned on top of the stack, and a blowing portion for blowing air to a foremost edge of the first sheet in a transportation direction while the first sheet is being attracted by the suction/transportation portion, thereby separating the first sheet from a second sheet next to the first sheet. After the first sheet is separated from the second sheet, the suction/transportation portion transports the first sheet in the transportation direction. The suction/transportation portion sets a suction force applied to the foremost edge of the first sheet smaller when the blowing portion blows air to the first sheet than when the suction/transportation portion transports the first sheet.

A sheet feeding device has a mounting portion allowing a stack of sheets to be mounted in a top-bottom direction, a suction/transportation portion provided above the mounting portion for attracting a first sheet positioned on top of the stack, and a blowing portion for blowing air to a foremost edge of the first sheet in a transportation direction while the first sheet is being attracted by the suction/transportation portion, thereby separating the first sheet from a second sheet next to the first sheet. After the first sheet is separated from the second sheet, the suction/transportation portion transports the first sheet in the transportation direction. The suction/transportation portion sets a suction force applied to the foremost edge of the first sheet smaller when the blowing portion blows air to the first sheet than when the suction/transportation portion transports the first sheet.

Aspects of automated fabric picking are described. In one embodiment, a system includes a textile cutter including a tabletop upon which textile panels can be cut out from a textile sheet, a textile panel picker, and a computing device. The textile panel picker includes a flexible transport tube, a transport tube transfer arm to position the flexible transport tube over the tabletop and the textile panels, a textile hopper to collect the textile panels, and a pneumatic pump assembly to evacuate air from the textile hopper and through the flexible transport tube. The computing device identifies and tracks the textile panels on the tabletop, directs the transport tube transfer arm to position the flexible transport tube over the textile panels, and directs the pneumatic pump assembly to generate suction to pull the textile panels through the flexible transport tube and into the textile hopper.

Aspects of automated fabric picking are described. In one embodiment, a system includes a textile cutter including a tabletop upon which textile panels can be cut out from a textile sheet, a textile panel picker, and a computing device. The textile panel picker includes a flexible transport tube, a transport tube transfer arm to position the flexible transport tube over the tabletop and the textile panels, a textile hopper to collect the textile panels, and a pneumatic pump assembly to evacuate air from the textile hopper and through the flexible transport tube. The computing device identifies and tracks the textile panels on the tabletop, directs the transport tube transfer arm to position the flexible transport tube over the textile panels, and directs the pneumatic pump assembly to generate suction to pull the textile panels through the flexible transport tube and into the textile hopper.

According to one embodiment, a sheet feed device includes a first roller, a second roller, a torque limiter, a holder, and a driving unit. The first roller conveys a sheet in a first direction while being in contact with a first surface of the sheet. The second roller faces the first roller and is in contact with a second surface which is a back side of the first surface of the sheet in a state of sandwiching the sheet between the second roller and the first roller. The torque limiter imparts an anti-torque to the second roller in order to generate a force on the second surface in a direction opposite to the first direction. The holder rotatably supports the second roller. The driving unit moves the holder and biases the holder toward the first roller.

Provided is a paper sheet loading device including a paper sheet loading unit having a bottom plate and a front wall, a feed roller that comes in contact with a bottom surface of a lowermost paper sheet of a batch of paper sheets and rotates to feed the lowermost paper sheet to outside of the paper sheet loading unit, and a load adjusting member arranged so as to protrude into the paper sheet loading unit and retreat to outside of the paper sheet loading unit. At a time of protrusion of the load adjusting member, the load adjusting member presses a front side face of the batch of paper sheets by a pressing surface to displace the front side face to an innermost part, and receives a load from the batch of paper sheets by the pressing surface, thereby reducing the load applied to the feed roller from the batch of paper sheets.

Provided is a paper sheet loading device including a paper sheet loading unit having a bottom plate and a front wall, a feed roller that comes in contact with a bottom surface of a lowermost paper sheet of a batch of paper sheets and rotates to feed the lowermost paper sheet to outside of the paper sheet loading unit, and a load adjusting member arranged so as to protrude into the paper sheet loading unit and retreat to outside of the paper sheet loading unit. At a time of protrusion of the load adjusting member, the load adjusting member presses a front side face of the batch of paper sheets by a pressing surface to displace the front side face to an innermost part, and receives a load from the batch of paper sheets by the pressing surface, thereby reducing the load applied to the feed roller from the batch of paper sheets.

The present invention provides a recording medium detecting device, an image forming device, an image forming system, a recording medium detecting method, and a non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable program capable of detecting a grain direction of a recording medium. A recording medium detecting device has: a sensor capable of detecting a recording medium from a first detection direction and a second detection direction different from the first detection direction; and a control unit. The control unit determines a grain direction of a recording medium from first surface property data obtained when the recording medium is detected from the first detection direction and second surface property data obtained when the recording medium is detected from the second detection direction.

The present invention provides a recording medium detecting device, an image forming device, an image forming system, a recording medium detecting method, and a non-transitory recording medium storing a computer readable program capable of detecting a grain direction of a recording medium. A recording medium detecting device has: a sensor capable of detecting a recording medium from a first detection direction and a second detection direction different from the first detection direction; and a control unit. The control unit determines a grain direction of a recording medium from first surface property data obtained when the recording medium is detected from the first detection direction and second surface property data obtained when the recording medium is detected from the second detection direction.

A sheet conveying device includes a pair of rollers, a biasing member, a guide member, a biasing support, and a biasing force changer. The pair of rollers includes a first roller and a second roller disposed in contact with the first roller. The pair of rollers is configured to hold a sheet between the first roller and the second roller. The biasing member is configured to bias the first roller toward the second roller. The biasing support is configured to support the biasing member and has a guide target member configured to slide along the guide member to move the biasing support. The biasing force changer is configured to change a biasing force of the biasing member along with movement of the biasing support. The guide target member has a portion projecting into a sheet conveyance passage through which the sheet is conveyed by the pair of rollers.