A card-type medium counting mechanism that calculates the number of card-type medium held so as to stack in a thickness direction, which is capable of improving the accuracy with which the number of card-type medium is counted, is provided. A card-type medium counting mechanism that calculates the number of card-type medium includes optical sensors that calculate the number of the card-type medium held so as to stack in a thickness direction of the card-type medium, a carriage to which the sensors are mounted, a circuit board that is fixed to the carriage, and a carriage driving mechanism that moves the carriage such that the sensors move along an end surface of the card-type medium. In this card-type medium counting mechanism, a processing circuit that processes an output signal from the sensors and outputs a digital signal is mounted to the circuit board.

A medium supply device includes: a loading unit on which media are loadable in an up-down direction; a supply unit that supplies air to a plural media loaded on the loading unit to float and separate the plural media; a transporting unit that sequentially feed the media that are floated and separated by the supply unit; a photographing unit that photographs a state in which the media are floated and separated by the supply unit; and a light irradiation unit that irradiates end portions of the media on a photographing side of the photographing unit with light from a plural different positions in the up-down direction.

An object pickup system includes an object pickup device and a calculation device. The object pickup device includes a first bracket, a suction cup installed on the first bracket and adapted to be affixed to a top surface of an object, and a distance sensor installed on the first bracket and adapted to rotate with the first bracket to scan the top surface of the object. The calculation device is operatively connected to the distance sensor. The calculation device is adapted to calculate a distance from the top surface of the object to the distance sensor and a position of an edge of an opening on the top surface of the object based on the distance data collected by the distance sensor during a scanning operation.

A card issuing device for using with a plurality of cards includes a card storage part which accommodates the plurality of cards, a card send-out mechanism which sends out a card among the plurality of cards from the card storage part, a card conveyance mechanism which conveys the card sent out by the card send-out mechanism toward a card discharge port along a card conveyance passage connected with the card discharge port, an optical sensor which is located on a lower side with respect to the card conveyance passage and reads a code indicated on a rear face of the card, and a dust adhesion prevention mechanism which prevents dust from adhering to a reading face of the optical sensor when the optical sensor is not used.

A sheet processing machine comprises a receiving area (38) for collecting a sheet pile and a device (36) for determining the height of the sheet pile. The device (36) comprises a manually displaceable first sensor element arranged at a first side (48) of the receiving area (38), and an automatically displaceable second sensor element (50) arranged at an opposite side (52) of the receiving area (38) such that the first and second sensor elements (50) are arranged opposite each other along a width direction of the receiving area (38). The first sensor element and the second sensor element (50) are displaceable along a length direction of the sheet receiving area (38), wherein the first sensor element is one of a light emitting source and a light receiving sensor (56) and the second sensor element (50) is the other one of a light emitting source and a light receiving sensor (56). The light emitting source and the light receiving sensor (56) form a light barrier (58) along the width direction when facing each other.

Provided are a sheet position detection apparatus, a sheet conveyance apparatus, and an image formation apparatus. The sheet position detection apparatus has a first and a second conveyance roller which are arranged to oppose across a sheet to be conveyed and to nip the sheet, and a detector configured to detect an end position of the sheet, the detector has a light emitter and a light receptor arranged on the first conveyance roller side, the light emitter and the light receptor are arranged such that a light emitted from the light emitter is reflected on a reflective face of the second conveyance roller and enters the light receptor, and the detector detects passage of an end of the sheet based on a change in the amount of light entering the light receptor when the sheet shields a light emitted from the light emitter.

An escrow unit has an escrow wheel and a movable-continuous belt. The escrow wheel rotates about an axis. The movable-continuous belt is wrapped partially around the escrow wheel forming an open gap between the belt and escrow wheel. The open gap allows the belt to transport a document through the open gap and to store the document by holding the document between the belt and the escrow wheel.

A sensor unit includes an edge detection sensor, a sensor carriage, a unit housing, and a carriage moving mechanism. The edge detection sensor is arranged in a conveying portion for conveying a sheet and senses edge positions at both sides in a sheet width direction perpendicular to a sheet conveying direction. The sensor carriage has a carriage main body in which the edge detection sensor is incorporated, and is reciprocatably supported on the unit housing in the sheet width direction. The carriage moving mechanism makes the sensor carriage reciprocate in the sheet width direction. The sensor carriage is selectively positioned at a first position where it makes contact with a first side face at one end side of the unit housing in the sheet width direction or a second position where it makes contact with a second side face at the other end side in the sheet width direction.

An image-forming apparatus that is capable of accurately detecting skew angle when arriving at a resist roller. In the image-forming apparatus, the resist roller feeds the printing paper to a printing unit at specified timing, and the printing unit performs printing on the printing paper. The flat-conveying section is formed between the paper-supply roller and the resist roller, and conveys the paper in a flat state. The camera takes images of the edge of the front end of the printing paper that is conveyed in the flat-conveying section. The camera-driving apparatus causes the camera to move along the flat-conveying section at the designed conveying speed of the printing paper. The skew-detection unit, based on images taken in the flat-conveying section by the camera, detects the skew angle when arriving at the resist roller as the arrival skew angle.

A sheet detection device includes: a magnetic sensing element disposed on a sheet guide, wherein the sheet guide brings the magnetic sensing element to move to a first position or a second position; a first magnetic element disposed on a sheet tray corresponding to the first position; a second magnetic element disposed on the sheet tray corresponding to the second position and in spaced with the first magnetic element; a processing element electrically connected with the magnetic sensing element. When the magnetic sensing element outputs a first voltage signal, the processing element determines the sheet guide is located at the first position according to the first voltage signal. When the magnetic sensing element outputs a second voltage signal, the processing element determines the sheet guide is located at the second position according to the second voltage signal. The first voltage signal is different from the second voltage signal.