Sheet determination apparatus

Abstract

In order to provide a sheet determination apparatus having a high reliability and capable of correctly determining the number and kinds of sheets even when sheets having a fold, breakage, tear, or the like are transported in an unfavorable state of overlapping transport, skew transport, or the like, there is provided a thickness sensor with a plurality of thickness detection elements arranged over an entire width of an identification transport passage along a widthwise direction of transport of the transport passage, on which sheets are to be transported, profile data of sheets are extracted from thickness data detected every thickness detection element, and the extracted profile data and profile basic data of sheets, which are stored in a storage unit to constitute standards, are compared with each other and judged to determine the number of sheets.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A sheet determination apparatus comprising 
 a thickness sensor with a plurality of thickness detection elements arranged over an entire width of a transport passage for detecting a thickness of sheets, which pass the transport passage,    profile extraction means for extracting profile data representative of an outward shape of sheets, which pass the transport passage, from detection waveform detected every thickness detection element,    storage means for storing profile basic data of sheets, which constitute standards,    comparison means for making comparison between profile data extracted from the profile extraction means and profile basic data stored in the storage means, and    determination means for determining at least the number of sheets from results of comparison in the comparison means.    
     
     
         2 . A sheet determination apparatus comprising 
 a thickness sensor with a plurality of thickness detection elements arranged over an entire width of a transport passage for detecting a thickness of sheets, which pass the transport passage,    profile extraction means for extracting profile data representative of an outward shape of sheets, which pass the transport passage, from detection waveform detected every thickness detection element,    storage means for storing profile basic data of sheets, which constitute standards,    comparison means for making comparison between profile data extracted from the profile extraction means and profile basic data stored in the storage means, and    determination means for determining at least kinds of sheets from results of comparison in the comparison means.    
     
     
         3 . A sheet determination apparatus comprising 
 a thickness sensor with a plurality of thickness detection elements arranged over an entire width of a transport passage for detecting a thickness of sheets, which pass the transport passage,    profile extraction means for extracting profile data representative of an outward shape of sheets, which pass the transport passage, from detection waveform detected every thickness detection element,    image data acquisition means provided facing the transport passage to acquire outward shape data of sheets in the transport course of the transport passage in image,    tolerance calculation means for calculating a tolerance from the outward shape data and the profile data,    storage means for storing profile basic data of sheets, which constitute standards,    comparison means for making comparison between the profile data and the profile basic data on the basis of the tolerance calculated by the tolerance calculation means, and    determination means for determining at least the number of sheets from results of comparison in the comparison means.    
     
     
         4 . A sheet determination apparatus comprising 
 a thickness sensor with a plurality of thickness detection elements arranged over an entire width of a transport passage for detecting a thickness of sheets, which pass the transport passage,    profile extraction means for extracting profile data representative of an outward shape of sheets, which pass the transport passage, from detection waveform detected every thickness detection element,    storage means for storing profile basic data of sheets, which constitute standards,    fold detection means for detecting a fold or folds of transported sheets from the profile data,    comparison means for creating development data, in which the detected fold or folds are developed, from the profile data when the fold detection means detects the presence of a fold or folds, and making comparison between the development data and the profile basic data, and    determination means for determining at least the number of sheets from results of comparison in the comparison means.    
     
     
         5 . The sheet determination apparatus according to any one of claims  1 ,  2 , and  4 , wherein the determination means causes the comparison means to make comparison between size data of sheets in the profile data and size data of sheets in profile basic data stored in the storage means and determines that number, in which agreement is made in results of comparison, as the number of sheets.  
     
     
         6 . The sheet determination apparatus according to  claim 2 , wherein the determination means causes the comparison means to make comparison between size data of sheets in the profile data and size data of sheets every kind in profile basic data stored in the storage means and determines that number, in which agreement is made in results of comparison, as the number of sheets.  
     
     
         7 . The sheet determination apparatus according to  claim 4 , wherein the fold detection means makes detection as presence of a fold or folds when the profile data contain data except a quadrangle.