Paper feeding parameter management system

Abstract

A paper feeding parameter management system includes air paper feeding devices and a management device. The air paper feeding device includes an air paper feeder that feeds a paper sheet by sending air to and attracting the paper sheet, and switches paper feeding parameters in the air paper feeder. The management device (i) causes a memory to hold an adjustment result in which paper type information, the paper feeding parameter, and conveyance result transmitted from each of the air paper feeding devices are associated, and (ii) refers to the adjustment result to set, for an air paper feeding device targeted for processing, a paper feeding parameter corresponding to the paper type information obtained by the air paper feeding device targeted for processing on a basis of the conveyance result corresponding to the paper feeding parameter.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A paper feeding parameter management system, comprising:
 air paper feeding devices each of which includes an air paper feeder that feeds a paper sheet by sending air to and attracting the paper sheet, and switches paper feeding parameters in the air paper feeder; and   a management device connected to the air paper feeding devices via a communication network,   wherein   each of the air paper feeding devices includes:
 a paper type information obtainer that obtains paper type information on paper sheets targeted for feeding, and 
 a first hardware processor that adjusts a paper feeding parameter in the air paper feeder, and transmits the paper type information obtained by the paper type information obtainer, the adjusted paper feeding parameter, and a conveyance result of feeding the paper sheets targeted for feeding using the adjusted paper feeding parameter to the management device, and 
   the management device includes a second hardware processor that (i) causes a memory to hold an adjustment result in which the paper type information, the paper feeding parameter, and the conveyance result transmitted from each of the air paper feeding devices are associated, and (ii) refers to the adjustment result held in the memory to set, for an air paper feeding device targeted for processing among the air paper feeding devices, a paper feeding parameter corresponding to the paper type information obtained by the paper type information obtainer of the air paper feeding device targeted for processing on a basis of the conveyance result corresponding to the paper feeding parameter.   
     
     
         2 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the conveyance result includes a number of the paper sheets targeted for feeding having been fed using the adjusted paper feeding parameter and information concerning a jam occurred in paper feeding through use of the paper feeding parameter. 
     
     
         3 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 when terminating a job, the first hardware processor transmits the number of the paper sheets targeted for feeding having been fed using the adjusted paper feeding parameter and a number of jams occurred in paper feeding through use of the paper feeding parameter to the management device as the conveyance result, and   the second hardware processor calculates a jam ratio from the number of paper sheets and the number of jams having been transmitted, causes the memory to hold the calculated jam ratio as the conveyance result in association with the paper type information and the paper feeding parameter transmitted together with the number of paper sheets and the number of jams, and sets a paper feeding parameter that achieves the lowest jam ratio among paper feeding parameters corresponding to the paper type information obtained by the paper type information obtainer of the air paper feeding device targeted for processing.   
     
     
         4 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the air paper feeder includes:
 a paper sheet attractor that attracts an uppermost paper sheet floated by air sent to stacked paper sheets, and 
 a paper sheet distance measurer that measures a paper sheet distance between the uppermost paper sheet attracted by the paper sheet attractor and a paper sheet subsequent to the uppermost paper sheet, and 
   the first hardware processor measures the paper sheet distance with the paper sheet distance measurer while changing an air volume of a fan included in the air paper feeder, and adjusts the paper feeding parameter so as to obtain an air volume that the subsequent paper sheet is not fed in a manner overlapped by the uppermost paper sheet.   
     
     
         5 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 4 , wherein the paper sheet distance measurer measures the paper sheet distance from an image captured with a camera. 
     
     
         6 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the air paper feeder includes:
 a paper sheet attractor that attracts an uppermost paper sheet floated by air sent to stacked paper sheets; 
 a conveyor that conveys the paper sheet attracted by the paper sheet attractor; and 
 an accompanied feeding extent measurer that measures an accompanied feeding extent that, because of attraction and conveyance of a paper sheet preceding the uppermost paper sheet, the uppermost paper sheet attracted by the paper sheet attractor is conveyed in a manner overlapped by the preceding paper sheet, and 
   the first hardware processor measures the accompanied feeding extent with the accompanied feeding extent measurer while changing an air volume of a fan included in the air paper feeder, and adjusts the paper feeding parameter such that the accompanied feeding extent becomes less than or equal to a predetermined value.   
     
     
         7 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 6 , wherein
 the air paper feeder includes a sensor that senses a paper sheet conveyed by the conveyor at a predetermined position on a paper sheet conveyance path, and   the accompanied feeding extent measurer calculates, on a basis of a paper feeding start time at which conveyance of the paper sheet by the conveyor is started from a state in which the paper sheet is attracted by the paper sheet attractor and a paper sheet sensing time at which the paper sheet is sensed by the sensor, a conveyance duration from the paper feeding start time to the paper sheet sensing time, and calculates the accompanied feeding extent from the conveyance duration.   
     
     
         8 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the first hardware processor detects a paper sheet setting error for a paper feed tray or an adjustment error for a side guide that adjusts a length of the paper feed tray in a paper sheet width direction, and in a case where the paper sheet setting error or the adjustment error for the side guide is detected, issues a warning. 
     
     
         9 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the paper type information includes a surface property, grammage, stiffness, or a size of a paper sheet, and   the paper type information obtainer is a sensor that senses paper type information from the paper sheets targeted for feeding or a obtainer that obtains paper type information input by a user.   
     
     
         10 . The paper feeding parameter management system according to  claim 1 , wherein the paper feeding parameter includes at least one of an air volume of a fan used for sending air, an air volume of a fan used for attraction, a driving time of the fan used for sending air or attraction, and a timing of controlling the fan used for sending air or attraction.