Patent ID: 11897716
Assignee: SUN AUTOMATION, INC.
Field: Handling (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 1:
2. A sheet feeder apparatus for supplying sheets from the feeder apparatus to a sheet processing host machine having a predetermined nominal sheet velocity, comprising:
(a) a first set of drive elements for driving a sheet through a first velocity zone in said feeder apparatus;
(b) a second set of drive elements for driving the sheet through a second velocity zone in said feeder apparatus;
(c) a controller for said feeder apparatus, wherein the controller is configured to:
supply a first set of drive signals to said first set of drive elements for controlling the velocity of said sheet in said first velocity zone in a first motion profile having an initial sheet velocity lower than said host machine nominal velocity and a second sheet velocity higher than said host machine nominal velocity as the sheet passes through the first velocity zone; and
supply a second set of drive signals to said second set of drive elements for controlling the velocity of said sheet in the second velocity zone in a second motion profile having an adjustable constant sheet velocity equal to said host machine nominal velocity to deliver said sheet to said host machine at said nominal velocity;

(d) first and second control surface sets in said first and second velocity zones, respectively, movable to expose and conceal said first and second sets of drive elements; and
wherein the controller is further configured to generate first and second control surface signals to move said control surface sets through a sequence of positions to selectively provide contact between said drive elements and said sheet to drive said sheet at a variable velocity in accordance with said first and second motion profiles.