A transmitter transmits ultrasonic wave of a predetermined volume. A reflected ultrasonic wave receiver receives reflected ultrasonic wave, transmitted from the transmitter and reflected by a sheet. A permeated ultrasonic wave receiver receives permeated ultrasonic wave, transmitted by the transmitter and permeated through the sheet. A volume detector detects reflected volume of the reflected ultrasonic wave, and permeated volume of the permeated ultrasonic wave. The decider identifies a thickness of the sheet being transported by a transport device, and decides whether multifeed of the sheets is occurring, on a basis of a comparison result between the detected reflected volume and a reference reflected volume, and a comparison result between the detected permeated volume and a reference permeated volume.

An image forming apparatus includes a print engine to form an image on recording medium, a sensor including first and second electrodes disposed to oppose each other based on a recording medium transport path, along which the recording medium is transported, and to detect a capacitance between the first and second electrodes, and a processor to determine a state of the recording medium fed along the recording medium transport path by using the capacitance detected by the sensor and to control the print engine based on the state of the recording medium.

This hand system comprises: a suction pad that sucks a conductive workpiece by fluid effect; at least three electrodes that are arranged on the suction pad; and an electrical characteristics measuring device that measures the electrical characteristics of an electrical circuit formed by the contact between any two of the electrodes and the workpiece.

A method and an associated appliance for the cyclically controlled separating and singularizing of flat, flexible products from the lower side of a stack of such products and for conveying the singularized products away from the stack. The method includes the: gripping the lowermost product of the stack, separating the lowermost product from the stack lower side and transporting the product away from the stack. A first process condition is detected within cycle-linked measuring time window and a second process condition is detected within at least one further cycle-linked measurement time window in the same work cycle, by way of a single sensor in combination with a control device.

A method and an associated appliance for the cyclically controlled separating and singularizing of flat, flexible products from the lower side of a stack of such products and for conveying the singularized products away from the stack. The method includes the: gripping the lowermost product of the stack, separating the lowermost product from the stack lower side and transporting the product away from the stack. A first process condition is detected within cycle-linked measuring time window and a second process condition is detected within at least one further cycle-linked measurement time window in the same work cycle, by way of a single sensor in combination with a control device.

A sheet feeder includes a controller configured to control an emitter to emit an ultrasonic wave toward a target sheet being fed along a sheet guide, control a measurer to measure a first reception intensity of a first component of the ultrasonic wave received by a receiver during a first period of time, control the measurer to measure a second reception intensity of a second component of the ultrasonic wave received by the receiver during a second period of time, and determine a feeding state of the target sheet in a detectable area between the emitter and the receiver within the sheet guide, based on the first reception intensity and the second reception intensity.

A sheet feeding apparatus includes: a placer that allows a plurality of sheets to be placed on the placer; an air feeder including a front-end fan that generates an airflow from a front-edge side in a sheet feeding direction of a bundle of sheets placed on the placer toward the bundle of sheets; an attracting conveyor that attracts an uppermost sheet separated by the air feeder from the bundle of sheets placed on the placer and conveys the uppermost sheet; a detector that detects, in the conveyance of the uppermost sheet by the attracting conveyor, an amount of co-feeding of a next sheet together with the uppermost sheet; and a hardware processor that executes air-volume control to the front-end fan such that an air volume of the front-end fan increases with an increase in the amount of co-feeding detected by the detector.

A sheet separating device includes: a lifting nozzle configured to blow air against an end portion of a sheet bundle placed on a sheet loading portion to lift sheets; a separating nozzle configured to separate the sheets; a lifting-nozzle shutter member configured to open and close the lifting nozzle; a separating-nozzle shutter member configured to open and close the separating nozzle; a lifting-shutter driving mechanism configured to drive the lifting-nozzle shutter member; a separating-shutter driving mechanism configured to drive the separating-nozzle shutter member; and an open/close control unit configured to control the lifting-shutter driving mechanism and the separating-shutter driving mechanism such that the lifting-nozzle shutter member and the separating-nozzle shutter member are opened or closed simultaneously.

A sheet separating device includes: a lifting nozzle configured to blow air against an end portion of a sheet bundle placed on a sheet loading portion to lift sheets; a separating nozzle configured to separate the sheets; a lifting-nozzle shutter member configured to open and close the lifting nozzle; a separating-nozzle shutter member configured to open and close the separating nozzle; a lifting-shutter driving mechanism configured to drive the lifting-nozzle shutter member; a separating-shutter driving mechanism configured to drive the separating-nozzle shutter member; and an open/close control unit configured to control the lifting-shutter driving mechanism and the separating-shutter driving mechanism such that the lifting-nozzle shutter member and the separating-nozzle shutter member are opened or closed simultaneously.

A sheet conveyance apparatus including a transmission unit that transmits an ultrasonic wave toward a sheet and a reception unit that receives the ultrasonic wave includes a change unit that changes a distance of a conveyance path of the sheet according to sheet information about the sheet to be conveyed.