An image reading apparatus, including a feed tray, a conveyance guide, a feed roller, a separator, a reading sensor, and a controller, is provided. The feed tray supports sheets for being fed and has a movable plate movable between a standby position and a feedable position. The feed roller is movable and feeds the sheets to be conveyed along the conveyance guide. A positional relation between the feed roller and an uppermost sheet in the sheets is maintained within a predetermined range by the movable plate located at the feedable position. The controller controls at least rotating-and-stopping movements of the feed roller and the separator and ascending-and-descending movements of the movable plate. While the feed roller feeds the sheets, the controller conducts a vibrating action, in which the movable plate located at the feedable position is moved to ascend and descend for a plurality of times.

A device for separating sheet material has an actuator and a sheet material holder coupled thereto. The actuator is designed for moving the sheet material holder. The sheet material holder is designed for receiving an individual sheet material piece from a sheet material stack in which the sheet material pieces are arranged in a layered manner one above another along a vertical direction. The actuator is designed to set the sheet material holder into an oscillating rotational movement about a rotation axis that lies substantially parallel to the vertical direction, in order to receive the individual sheet material piece from the sheet material stack.

A peeling apparatus for an aluminum plate material is configured to be able to peel one or a plurality of aluminum plate materials from a stack of aluminum plate materials in which a plurality of aluminum plate materials are pressure-annealed and adhered to each other. The peeling apparatus includes a vibration transmitting section that is configured to be able to abut an outer peripheral surface of an aluminum plate material and is configured to be able to apply vibration along a stacking direction of the stack to the aluminum plate material, and a transducer that generates the vibration, and transmits the vibration to the vibration transmitting section.

An image reading apparatus, including a feed tray, a conveyance guide, a feed roller, a separator, a reading sensor, and a controller, is provided. The feed tray supports sheets for being fed and has a movable plate movable between a standby position and a feedable position. The feed roller is movable and feeds the sheets to be conveyed along the conveyance guide. A positional relation between the feed roller and an uppermost sheet in the sheets is maintained within a predetermined range by the movable plate located at the feedable position. The controller controls at least rotating-and-stopping movements of the feed roller and the separator and ascending-and-descending movements of the movable plate. While the feed roller feeds the sheets, the controller conducts a vibrating action, in which the movable plate located at the feedable position is moved to ascend and descend for a plurality of times.

The present invention provides a non-contact vibration suppression device comprising a first ultrasonic vibration unit and a second ultrasonic vibration unit, the device being characterized in that the first ultrasonic vibration unit and the second ultrasonic vibration unit are installed to face each other while being spaced from each other such that an object can be interposed therebetween, the first ultrasonic vibration unit and the second ultrasonic vibration unit generate ultrasonic vibrations, respectively, and apply repulsive forces, which result from the ultrasonic vibrations, to the object such that the object is constrained with no contact between the first ultrasonic vibration unit and the second ultrasonic vibration unit, thereby suppressing vibration of the object. In addition, the present invention provides an object processing method characterized by comprising the steps of: suppressing vibration of the object using the non-contact vibration suppression device; and processing the object, vibration of which has been suppressed.

A paper sheet handling apparatus (for example, a banknote handling apparatus (10)) includes a first transporting unit (30) configured to transport a plurality of paper sheets in a stacked state in a horizontal state, a feeding unit (40) configured to feed the paper sheets one by one, and a second transporting unit (50) configured to transport to the feeding unit (40) the stacked paper sheets transported by the first transporting unit (30). The second transporting unit (50) causes the stacked paper sheets being in the horizontal state to be inclined at angle to a horizontal plane.

A paper sheet handling apparatus (for example, a banknote handling apparatus (10)) includes a first transporting unit (30) configured to transport a plurality of paper sheets in a stacked state in a horizontal state, a feeding unit (40) configured to feed the paper sheets one by one, and a second transporting unit (50) configured to transport to the feeding unit (40) the stacked paper sheets transported by the first transporting unit (30). The second transporting unit (50) causes the stacked paper sheets being in the horizontal state to be inclined at angle to a horizontal plane.

A device for separating sheet material has an actuator and a sheet material holder coupled thereto. The actuator is designed for moving the sheet material holder. The sheet material holder is designed for receiving an individual sheet material piece from a sheet material stack in which the sheet material pieces are arranged in a layered manner one above another along a vertical direction. The actuator is designed to set the sheet material holder into an oscillating rotational movement about a rotation axis that lies substantially parallel to the vertical direction, in order to receive the individual sheet material piece from the sheet material stack.