A medium conveying apparatus includes a plurality of feed rollers, each feed roller rotating independently at a respective speed to feed a medium, a first sensor located on a downstream side of the plurality of feed rollers in a medium conveying direction and also in a central part in a direction perpendicular to the medium conveying direction, to detect the medium, a second sensor and a third sensor located on both sides of the first sensor in the direction perpendicular to the medium conveying direction, to respectively detect the medium, and a processor to change the speed of one of the plurality of feed rollers at least until the first sensor detects the medium when any of the second sensor or the third sensor detects the medium and the first sensor does not detect the medium within a predetermined time.

A medium feeding mechanism includes: a feeder that feeds a medium; a transport path that is coupled to the feeder; a transporter that transports the medium through the transport path; a transport drive that drives the transporter; an entry detection sensor that detects when the medium fed from the feeder has entered the transport path; a take-in transporter that takes in the medium transported by the transporter; and a transport controller that controls the feeder and the take-in transporter, wherein when the entry detection sensor detects entry of the medium at a time that falls within a first range set in advance, the controller controls the take-in transporter so as to take in the medium, and when the entry detection sensor detects entry of the medium at a time that falls within a second range following the first range.

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.

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.

A medium feeding device is provided with a feeding section for feeding a medium and sensors for detecting the medium. The feeding section includes a feed roller and a separation roller, the sensors form a sensor line in which the plurality of sensors is aligned in a feeding direction of the medium to be fed, the two sensor lines are arranged in such a manner that the sensors overlap with each other in a width direction of the medium to be fed, and the sensor lines are so configured as to extend, in the feeding direction, from an upstream region upstream of a nip point where the feed roller and the separation roller make contact with each other, a nip region including the nip point, and to a downstream region downstream of the nip point.

A printing apparatus comprises a conveyance control unit which controls conveyance of printing sheets so that a trailing edge of a preceding sheet as a printing sheet precedingly fed from the stacking unit and a leading edge of a succeeding sheet as a printing sheet succeedingly fed from the stacking unit overlap each other; and a skew correction unit which performs skew correction of the succeeding sheet while the succeeding sheet overlaps the preceding sheet by the conveyance control unit. The skew correction unit makes the leading edge of the succeeding sheet abut against the conveyance roller during a time from an end of a last line feed operation by the conveyance roller for printing on the preceding sheet by the printing unit to start of a next conveyance operation.

A printing apparatus comprises a conveyance control unit which controls conveyance of printing sheets so that a trailing edge of a preceding sheet as a printing sheet precedingly fed from the stacking unit and a leading edge of a succeeding sheet as a printing sheet succeedingly fed from the stacking unit overlap each other; and a skew correction unit which performs skew correction of the succeeding sheet while the succeeding sheet overlaps the preceding sheet by the conveyance control unit. The skew correction unit makes the leading edge of the succeeding sheet abut against the conveyance roller during a time from an end of a last line feed operation by the conveyance roller for printing on the preceding sheet by the printing unit to start of a next conveyance operation.

A sheet transfer device for transferring a sheet between two sheet processing devices comprising a switch for directing sheets from a first transport path coming from the first sheet processing device onto a two-way transport path or for directing sheets from the two-way transport path onto a second transport path for feeding sheets to the second sheet processing device. A transport pinch is provided along the two way transport path for reversing a sheet on the two-way transport path. When in use, the two-way transport path extends downward in a vertically extending free-hanging chamber wherein the sheet engaged by the transport pinch is allowed to hang freely under the influence of gravity. Thereby, a compact device is formed which is able to adjust the sheet to a suitable orientation for the second processing device. The device further prevents forces from the first processing device to disrupt the sheet's orientation in the second processing device.

A sheet transfer device for transferring a sheet between two sheet processing devices comprising a switch for directing sheets from a first transport path coming from the first sheet processing device onto a two-way transport path or for directing sheets from the two-way transport path onto a second transport path for feeding sheets to the second sheet processing device. A transport pinch is provided along the two way transport path for reversing a sheet on the two-way transport path. When in use, the two-way transport path extends downward in a vertically extending free-hanging chamber wherein the sheet engaged by the transport pinch is allowed to hang freely under the influence of gravity. Thereby, a compact device is formed which is able to adjust the sheet to a suitable orientation for the second processing device. The device further prevents forces from the first processing device to disrupt the sheet's orientation in the second processing device.

An automatic document feeding device having a main body, a stopping assembly, an actuating assembly and a controller. The main body has a sheet conveying channel of a curvature shape. A sheet feeding roller assembly and a sheet conveying roller assembly are arranged on the sheet conveying channel. The stopping assembly is arranged between the sheet feeding roller assembly and the sheet conveying roller assembly. The stopping assembly is capable of being located in or out of the sheet conveying channel. A buffering channel is located between the stopping assembly and the sheet feeding roller assembly. The controller is electrically connected with the actuating assembly and the sheet feeding roller assembly. The controller controls the actuating assembly to hold the stopping assembly in the sheet conveying channel to block the sheet conveying channel in a predetermined period, and then controls the actuating assembly to stop holding the stopping assembly.