Provided is a sheet conveying device capable of suppressing the recurrence of overlapped feeding in accordance with the detection of overlapped feeding. The sheet conveying device includes a paper-supply roller and a conveying roller. A sheet-detecting unit detects a leading edge position of a sheet. An overlapped-feeding-detecting unit detects overlapped-feeding of sheets. An overlapped-feeding-distance-calculating unit, based on detection results, calculates an overlapped-feeding distance in which sheets are overlapped. A conveyance-control unit causes the paper-supply roller to stop at a timing when a position separated a set length in a sheet-conveyance direction from a sheet trailing edge reaches the paper-supply roller. The conveyance-control unit, in a case where detection of overlapped feeding by the overlapped-feeding-detecting unit occurs a plurality of times, extends the set length based on the overlapped-feeding distance.

A detaching method of sheets from a stack of sheets from a stack of sheets and a relative detaching apparatus is disclosed, including at least a gripping head of a handling device of sheets and a nozzle assembly apt to eject an air flow to a lateral edge of a stack of sheets, furthermore including: a storage assembly of pressurised air provided at least with a compressed-air tank equipped with a pressure multiplier and a relative first pressure adjuster; and a high-pressure pipe between the nozzle assembly and the storage assembly intercepted by a fast-opening electrovalve. The nozzle assembly is provided with a nozzle, supplied through the electrovalve, configured as a convergent/divergent spout.

A detaching method of sheets from a stack of sheets from a stack of sheets and a relative detaching apparatus is disclosed, including at least a gripping head of a handling device of sheets and a nozzle assembly apt to eject an air flow to a lateral edge of a stack of sheets, furthermore including: a storage assembly of pressurised air provided at least with a compressed-air tank equipped with a pressure multiplier and a relative first pressure adjuster; and a high-pressure pipe between the nozzle assembly and the storage assembly intercepted by a fast-opening electrovalve. The nozzle assembly is provided with a nozzle, supplied through the electrovalve, configured as a convergent/divergent spout.

Embodiments of a system and method for shingulating, singulating, and synchronizing articles in an article feeder system are disclosed. The article feeder system may include a shingulating device configured to receive a stack of articles and to produce a positively lapped stack of articles, a plurality of picking devices configured to pick one or more articles from the positively lapped stack of articles and to produce one or more singulated articles, and one or more synchronization devices configured to deliver the one or more singulated articles to one or more sorter windows.

Embodiments of a system and method for shingulating, singulating, and synchronizing articles in an article feeder system are disclosed. The article feeder system may include a shingulating device configured to receive a stack of articles and to produce a positively lapped stack of articles, a plurality of picking devices configured to pick one or more articles from the positively lapped stack of articles and to produce one or more singulated articles, and one or more synchronization devices configured to deliver the one or more singulated articles to one or more sorter windows.

A medium conveyance device includes a first separator that separates a first medium from a plurality of mediums, a processor that processes the first medium and sends the processed first medium as a second medium, a second separator that when a non-separation mode is set, conveys the second medium to a next processor, and when a separation mode is set, conveys a third medium, which is separated from the second medium, to the next processor, and a controller that switches between the non-separation mode and the separation mode based on information obtained as a result of processing the first medium.

A medium conveyance device includes a first separator that separates a first medium from a plurality of mediums, a processor that processes the first medium and sends the processed first medium as a second medium, a second separator that when a non-separation mode is set, conveys the second medium to a next processor, and when a separation mode is set, conveys a third medium, which is separated from the second medium, to the next processor, and a controller that switches between the non-separation mode and the separation mode based on information obtained as a result of processing the first medium.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a stacking unit having a sheet, a feeding unit, a conveyance roller to convey a sheet fed by the feeding unit, a motor to drive the conveyance roller, a phase determiner, first and second controllers, and a discriminator. The feeding unit feeds the sheet. The phase determiner determines a motor rotor rotational phase. The first controller controls a drive current flowing in a motor winding to reduce a deviation between an instructed phase of the motor rotor and the determined rotational phase. The second controller controls to perform a first drive for driving the conveyance roller for a predetermined time before a feeding unit feed operation is started. The discriminator discriminates presence or absence of the sheet at a nip portion of the conveyance roller based on a value of a parameter corresponding to load torque applied to the rotor during the first drive.

A sheet conveyance apparatus includes a stacking unit having a sheet, a feeding unit, a conveyance roller to convey a sheet fed by the feeding unit, a motor to drive the conveyance roller, a phase determiner, first and second controllers, and a discriminator. The feeding unit feeds the sheet. The phase determiner determines a motor rotor rotational phase. The first controller controls a drive current flowing in a motor winding to reduce a deviation between an instructed phase of the motor rotor and the determined rotational phase. The second controller controls to perform a first drive for driving the conveyance roller for a predetermined time before a feeding unit feed operation is started. The discriminator discriminates presence or absence of the sheet at a nip portion of the conveyance roller based on a value of a parameter corresponding to load torque applied to the rotor during the first drive.

A determining device includes an acquisition processing portion and a determination processing portion. The acquisition processing portion acquires a signal based on an ultrasonic wave emitted toward an object conveyed in a specific direction. The determination processing portion determines whether or not a first time period is equal to or larger than a predetermined first time threshold, wherein the first time period is a time period during which a level of the signal changes from a predetermined first level threshold to a second level threshold that is smaller than the first level threshold.