Stacked object feed-out apparatus and method for feeding out stacked objects

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to achieve increase in feed-out speed while having a freedom of selecting stacked objects from a wide range of objects by securing a stable separating and feed-out function of feeding out stacked objects one by one from a surface thereof. A stacked object feed-out apparatus A 1 separates and feeds out the stacked paper sheets P from a paper sheet at a surface position to a business machine 9, the stacked paper sheets P stacked on a paper sheet housing member 1. The stacked object feed-out apparatus A 1 includes: an electrostatic attraction belt 6 which is passed around a drive roller 7 and a driven roller 8 and in which multiple electrodes 28 are covered with an insulating layer 29; an electrostatic attraction control circuit 30 which is connected to the multiple electrodes 28, and which performs application of voltage and cutting of the applied voltage; an object feed-out mechanism 11 which feeds out by belt rotation a feed-out paper sheet Pa electrostatically attracted to a belt holding surface 6 a of the electrostatic attraction belt 6; and an electrostatic attraction belt moving mechanism 10 which brings the belt holding surface 6 a and the stacked paper sheets P close to or in contact with each other in the attraction and moves the belt holding surface 6 a and the stacked paper sheets P away from each other in the feed-out by adjusting a relative gap between the belt holding surface 6 a and the stacked paper sheets P.

1 . A stacked object feed-out apparatus which separates and feeds out stacked objects one by one from an object at a surface position, the stacked objects being stacked on a housing member, the apparatus characterized in that the stacked object feed-out apparatus includes:
 an electrostatic attraction belt which is passed around a drive roller and a driven roller and in which a plurality of electrodes are covered with an insulating layer;   an electrostatic attraction control circuit which is connected to the plurality of electrodes, which induces surface polarization on a surface of each of the objects by applying a voltage, and which causes the surface of the object to return to an original state without the surface polarization by cutting the applied voltage;   an object feed-out mechanism which feeds out by belt rotation a feed-out object electrostatically attracted to a belt holding surface of the electrostatic attraction belt; and   a relative gap adjustment mechanism which brings the belt holding surface and the stacked objects close to or in contact with each other in the attraction and moves the belt holding surface and the stacked objects away from each other in the feed-out by adjusting a relative gap between the belt holding surface and the stacked objects.   
     
     
         2 . The stacked object feed-out apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that
 the relative gap adjustment mechanism is an electrostatic attraction belt moving mechanism which moves the belt holding surface of the electrostatic attraction belt upward and downward, and   the electrostatic attraction belt moving mechanism causes a single feed-out object to be electrostatically attracted to the belt holding surface by a downward movement of bringing the belt holding surface dose to or in contact with the stacked objects, and causes the single feed-out object to be separated from a remaining stacked object by an upward movement performed while the single feed-out object is electrostatically attracted.   
     
     
         3 . The stacked object feed-out apparatus according to  claim 2 , characterized in that
 the electrostatic attraction belt moving mechanism is a mechanism which has a rotation axis set parallel to, and at a position on a feed-out or opposite side, of roller shafts of the two rollers, and which swings the belt holding surface of the electrostatic attraction belt upward and downward by a rotation link member rotatably supporting both ends of each of the two rollers, and   the electrostatic attraction belt moving mechanism causes the belt holding surface to be inclined with respect to the stacked objects and separated therefrom by swinging the belt holding surface upward while the single feed-out object is electrostatically attracted to the belt holding surface, and thus separates the single feed-out object from the remaining stacked object, the single feed-out object made to have an inclined angle upward with respect to the feed-out direction.   
     
     
         4 . The stacked object feed-out apparatus according to  claim 3 , characterized in that
 the rotation link member includes a first rotation link which is rotatable about the rotation axis and which rotatably supports the drive roller, a second rotation link which is rotatable about the roller shaft of the drive roller and which rotatably supports the driven roller, and an angle restricting structure which restricts a link angle formed by the first rotation link and the second rotation link within a set angle range, and   the electrostatic attraction belt moving mechanism includes a contact state detector which detects a contact state between the belt holding surface and the stacked objects from a change in the link angle formed by the first rotation link and the second rotation link.   
     
     
         5 . The stacked object feed-out apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that a stopper mechanism is provided at a position of a feed-out end portion of the stacked objects, the stopper mechanism preventing feed out of the remaining stacked object at least during a period from a start of feed-out of the object to an end of feed-out. 
     
     
         6 . The stacked object feed-out apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that
 the relative gap adjustment mechanism is a stacked object moving mechanism which moves the stacked objects upward and downward, and   the stacked object moving mechanism causes a single feed-out object to be electrostatically attracted to the belt holding surface by an upward movement of bringing the stacked objects close to or in contact with the belt holding surface, and causes the single feed-out object to be separated from a remaining stacked object by a downward movement performed while the single feed-out object is electrostatically attracted.   
     
     
         7 . The stacked object feed-out apparatus according to  claim 3 , characterized in that
 the rotation link member includes a third rotation link rotatable about the rotation axis, a fourth rotation link which is rotatable about a link shaft provided in an end portion of the third rotation link and which rotatably supports the drive roller and the driven roller, and an angle restricting structure which restricts a link angle formed by the third rotation link and the fourth rotation link within a set angle range, and   the electrostatic attraction belt moving mechanism includes a contact state detector which detects a contact state between the belt holding surface and the stacked objects from a change in the link angle formed by the third rotation link and the fourth rotation link.   
     
     
         8 . The stacked object feed-out apparatus according to  claim 1 , characterized in that the stacked objects are stacked paper sheets stacked on the housing member. 
     
     
         9 . A method of feeding out stacked objects in which stacked objects stacked on a housing member are separated and fed out one by one from an object at a surface position, the method characterized in that
 an electrostatic attraction belt which is passed around a drive roller and a driven roller and in which a plurality of electrodes are covered with an insulating layer is used as a stacked object feed-out device, and   the method includes:   a stand-by step of cutting a voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes, and of relatively separating a belt holding surface and the stacked objects from each other;   an electrostatic attraction step of bringing the belt holding surface and the stacked objects relatively close to or in contact with each other, and applying the voltage to the plurality of electrodes to electrostatically attract only a single feed-out object to the belt holding surface by surface polarization;   an object separation step of moving the belt holding surface and the stacked objects relatively away from each other to separate the single feed-out object electrostatically attracted to the belt holding surface from a remaining stacked object; and   a peel-off feed-out step of peeling the single feed-out object electrostatically attracted to the belt holding surface from the remaining stacked object and feeding out the single feed-out object by rotation of the drive roller, while the belt holding surface and the stacked objects are relatively separated from each other.   
     
     
         10 . The method of feeding out the stacked objects according to  claim 9 , characterized in that
 in the stand-by step, the voltage applied to the plurality of electrodes is cut, and the belt holding surface is separated from the stacked objects,   in the electrostatic attraction step, the belt holding surface is brought into contact with the stacked objects by moving the belt holding surface downward, and the voltage is applied to the plurality of electrodes to electrostatically attract only the single feed-out object to the belt holding surface by surface polarization,   in the object separation step, the belt holding surface is moved upward while electrostatically attracting the single feed-out object, and thus the single feed-out object is separated from the remaining stacked object in an inclined separation having an inclined angle upward with respect to a feed-out direction, and   in the peel-off feed-out step, the drive roller is rotated while the belt holding surface is inclined with respect to the remaining stacked object and separated therefrom, and thus the single feed-out object electrostatically attracted to the belt holding surface is fed out while being peeled from the remaining stacked object, through a continuous peeling effect occurring at an interface between the single feed-out object and the remaining stacked object, the interface having an inclined angle.