Medium feeding device and image forming apparatus

Abstract

A medium feeding device includes: a supplier that causes multiple loaded recording media to levitate and be separated from each other by supplying air to the recording media from an edge of the recording media; a feeding unit that feeds, in a feeding direction, an uppermost one of the recording media separated by the supplier; a contact section that comes into contact with a lateral edge of the multiple recording media from a lateral side of the multiple recording media; a projection unit that is provided at the contact section and onto which an image of the lateral edge of the multiple recording media is projected in the feeding direction; and an image capturing unit that is disposed in the feeding direction relative to the multiple recording media and that captures the image projected on the projection unit in a state where the multiple recording media are supplied with the air from the supplier.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A medium feeding device comprising:
 a supplier that causes a plurality of loaded recording media to levitate and be separated from each other by supplying air to the recording media from an edge of the recording media;   a feeding unit that feeds, in a feeding direction, an uppermost one of the recording media separated by the supplier;   a contact section that comes into contact with a lateral edge of the plurality of recording media from a lateral side of the plurality of recording media;   a projection unit that is provided at the contact section and onto which an image of the lateral edge of the plurality of recording media is projected in the feeding direction; and   an image capturing unit that is disposed in the feeding direction relative to the plurality of recording media and that captures the image projected on the projection unit in a state where the plurality of recording media are supplied with the air from the supplier.   
     
     
         2 . The medium feeding device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the image capturing unit is disposed at a position where the image capturing unit does not interfere with each recording medium fed by the feeding unit.   
     
     
         3 . The medium feeding device according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the image capturing unit is disposed toward the lateral side relative to a position where each recording medium fed by the feeding unit passes.   
     
     
         4 . The medium feeding device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the contact section is movable toward the lateral side of the recording media, and   wherein the image capturing unit moves toward the lateral side in conjunction with movement of the contact section.   
     
     
         5 . The medium feeding device according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the image capturing unit is coupled to the contact section and moves together with the contact section.   
     
     
         6 . The medium feeding device according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the projection unit is attachable to and detachable from the contact section.   
     
     
         7 . The medium feeding device according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a light source that radiates light onto the lateral edge of the plurality of loaded recording media and does not radiate the light onto a projection surface of the projection unit onto which the image is projected.   
     
     
         8 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the medium feeding device according to  claim 1 ; and   an image forming unit that forms an image onto each recording medium fed from the medium feeding device.   
     
     
         9 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the medium feeding device according to  claim 2 ; and   an image forming unit that forms an image onto each recording medium fed from the medium feeding device.   
     
     
         10 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the medium feeding device according to  claim 3 ; and   an image forming unit that forms an image onto each recording medium fed from the medium feeding device.   
     
     
         11 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the medium feeding device according to  claim 4 ; and   an image forming unit that forms an image onto each recording medium fed from the medium feeding device.   
     
     
         12 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the medium feeding device according to  claim 5 ; and   an image forming unit that forms an image onto each recording medium fed from the medium feeding device.   
     
     
         13 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the medium feeding device according to  claim 6 ; and   an image forming unit that forms an image onto each recording medium fed from the medium feeding device.   
     
     
         14 . An image forming apparatus comprising:
 the medium feeding device according to claim  7 ; and   an image forming unit that forms an image onto each recording medium fed from the medium feeding device.   
     
     
         15 . A medium feeding device comprising:
 supplying means for causing a plurality of loaded recording media to levitate and be separated from each other by supplying air to the recording media from an edge of the recording media;   feeding means for feeding, in a feeding direction, an uppermost one of the recording media separated by the supplying means;   contact means for coming into contact with a lateral edge of the plurality of recording media from a lateral side of the plurality of recording media;   projection means onto which an image of the lateral edge of the plurality of recording media is projected in the feeding direction, the projection means being provided at the contact means; and   image capturing means for capturing the image projected on the projection means in a state where the plurality of recording media are supplied with the air from the supplying means, the image capturing means being disposed in the feeding direction relative to the plurality of recording media.