System for controlling mailpiece conveyance in a mailpiece feeder

A system for conveying mailpiece (14) along a conveyance path (FP) and singulating a mailpiece (14) from a stack of mailpieces along the conveyance path (FP). The system incudes a first conveyance (20) for conveying mailpieces at a variable velocity and a second conveyance (22), downstream of the first conveyance (20), for conveying mailpieces (14) at a constant velocity along the conveyance path. A series of optical sensors (30) extends from the first (20) to the second (22) conveyance and is operative to issue a gap signal (G) indicative of the relative spacing between sequential mailpieces along the conveyance path (FP). A processor (26) is responsive to the gap signal (G) and is operative to control the first conveyance (20) to decrease the relative spacing between sequential mailpieces when the gap signal (G) exceeds a threshold value.