EP0446581A1 - Form feeding tractor - Google Patents

Form feeding tractor Download PDF

Info

Publication number
EP0446581A1
EP0446581A1 EP91100708A EP91100708A EP0446581A1 EP 0446581 A1 EP0446581 A1 EP 0446581A1 EP 91100708 A EP91100708 A EP 91100708A EP 91100708 A EP91100708 A EP 91100708A EP 0446581 A1 EP0446581 A1 EP 0446581A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
belt
tractor
chassis
cover
frame member
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP91100708A
Other languages
German (de)
English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
Tetsuo Baba
Koichi Hara
Jeffrey C. Van Housen
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Bando Chemical Industries Ltd
Tokai Kogyo Co Ltd
Seitz Corp
Original Assignee
Bando Chemical Industries Ltd
Tokai Kogyo Co Ltd
Seitz Corp
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Bando Chemical Industries Ltd, Tokai Kogyo Co Ltd, Seitz Corp filed Critical Bando Chemical Industries Ltd
Publication of EP0446581A1 publication Critical patent/EP0446581A1/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41—PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41J—TYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J11/00—Devices or arrangements  of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, for supporting or handling copy material in sheet or web form
    • B41J11/26—Pin feeds
    • B41J11/30—Pin traction elements other than wheels, e.g. pins on endless bands

Definitions

  • This invention relates to tractors for feeding continuous paper, especially for smaller printers.
  • printers and the like devices used as the output for computers employ tractors with a rotating endless tractor belt having pins which engage in perforations along both edges of the paper web or forms which are being printed.
  • Such tractors have been used in both large and small volume and high and low speed precision printers to provide in the movement of the paper web and to minimize requirements for the drive motors.
  • Illustrative of such tractors are U.S. Patents No. 4,614,287, No. 4,735,352 and No. 4,790,466.
  • the motors are generally of lower power and accordingly provide lower driving torque to the pin tractor (generally less than 100 g/cm).
  • driving torque generally less than 100 g/cm.
  • the provision of an idler pulley increases the number of parts and the steps for assembling, resulting in higher manufacturing costs.
  • some tractors In place of the idler pulley, some tractors employ a guide surface formed integrally with the tractor frame and the tractor belt slides over the guide surface. However, under load this results in relatively large frictional resistance to the sliding of the tractor belt and the driving torque becomes larger. Obviously, this does not meet the objective of using a motor with a small driving torque.
  • It is an object of the present invention is to provide a novel form feeding tractor which done not require a motor with a large driving torque.
  • a form feeding tractor having a tractor chassis and an endless belt rotatably supported on the chassis.
  • the belt has an inner driven surface and an outer driving surface and defines a closed path of travel about the chassis.
  • On its outer driving surface the belt has drive pins adapted to engage in the perforations of a web passing through the tractor.
  • a tractor cover is pivotably mounted on the chassis and extends over the belt along the upper side of the path, and a drive sprocket is rotatably supported on the tractor chassis adjacent an end thereof and is drivingly engaged with the inner driven surface of the belt.
  • the chassis has a belt guidance portion adjacent the other end of the chassis, and the belt path extends about the drive sprocket and the belt guidance portion.
  • the chassis also has a belt deflecting portion thereon along the path of travel of the belt opposite from the cover, and it deflects the belt in the direction of the cover and reducing the contact between the belt and the surface of the belt guidance portion at the end opposite the drive sprocket.
  • the tractor chassis is comprised of a frame member having a cover support upon which the tractor cover is mounted, and a guide member which is fixedly engaged with the frame member.
  • the frame member and the guide member have opposed ribs adjacent the lower edges thereof and the ribs have projections on the upper surface thereof intermediate their length to provide the belt deflecting portion.
  • the belt deflecting portion is desirably elongated in the direction of belt travel.
  • the frame member and the guide member have opposed ribs at the end thereof adjacent the drive sprocket which retain the belt in driving engagement with the drive sprocket, and the frame member and the guide member also have opposed ribs on the end thereof outwardly of the guidance portion to limit movement of the belt away therefrom.
  • the tractor has an aperture through the chassis and the sprocket for the associated drive shaft and an aperture in the chassis for the associated support shaft, and wherein the belt deflecting portion is provided on the chassis between the apertures therein.
  • the paper feeding tractor assembly fragmentarily shown in Figure 1 is mounted on a printer (not shown), and it includes two tractors generally designated by the numeral 1 spaced apart a distance related to the width L of the paper web S.
  • the assembly has a drive shaft 2, a guide shaft 3 which is circular in cross section, and the shafts 2, 3 are parallel.
  • the drive shaft 2 is provided with diametrically axial spaced notches as shown by the numeral 2a for engagement with the drive sprockets 8 of the tractors 1.
  • the drive motor (not shown) of the printer (not shown) effects rotation of the drive shaft 2 which in turn rotates the sprockets 8.
  • Each tractor 1 has an endless tractor belt generally designated by the numeral 7, and it has a plurality of pins 4 on its outer surface which engage in the perforations S1 along both edges of the paper web S and which project from the surface of the belt surface 5 at regular intervals.
  • the paper web S is engaged on the pins 4 of the tractor belt 7 and is held between the tractor chassis 9 and the tractor cover 13.
  • On the inner surface of the belt 7 are transversely extending gear teeth 6 which engage with the teeth 41 of the drive sprocket 8 (best seen in Figure 10).
  • the tractor belt 7 is rotated by the drive shaft 2, the paper web S is moved at a predetermined speed.
  • the bore 38 of the hub of the sprocket 8 has a pair of diametrically opposed ribs 42 which engage in the notches 2a of the shaft 2.
  • the tractor chassis 9 is fabricated from symthetic resin ans is comprised of the frame member generally designated by the numeral 10 and the guide member generally designated by the numeral 11 and which are fixedly engaged as shown in Figure 4. Pivotably supported on the chassis 9 is the cover generally designated by the numeral 13.
  • the frame member 10 has an elongated base plate portion 12 with parallel top and bottom edges and convexly arcuate ends. Projecting from one face of the base plate portion 12 are the cover support elements 16, 17, the spring mounting post 19 and the lock post 18.
  • An assembly pin 20 projects from the other or back surface of the base plate portion 12.
  • a convexly arcuate rib 22 is formed on the inner or back surface at the drive sprocket end of the frame member 10, and the plate portion 12 which has an aperture 21 therein to seat the sprocket 8.
  • An elongated rectilinear rib 23 connects to the arcuate rib 22 and extends along the lower edge of the tractor frame member 10, i.e., the edge opposite that over which the cover 13 extends. On its inner or upper surface and intermediate its length, the rectilinear rib 23 has a convex projection 24 which bears against and deflects upwardly the belt 7.
  • the tubular lock post 18 has four axially extending slits 25 which divide it into four arcuate segments 26, 26, 27, 27. Convexly arcuate surfaces 26a which engage with the locking lever 51 are formed at the outer periphery of the outer end portions of the segments 26 and 27.
  • the guide member 11 has a base plate 30 with a belt guidance portion 32 formed on its inner or front face, and this portion 32 provides a peripheral guide surface 31 comprising upper and lower planar portions 31a, 31b and a convexly arcuate portion 31c at the end spaced from the drive sprocket 8.
  • a relatively thick convexly arcuate rib 34 is provided at the opposite end and outwardly of the bearing aperture 33 in which is rotatably seated the drive sprocket 8.
  • An elongated rib 35 extends from the convexly arcuate rib 34 along its lower edge, and this rib 35 has a convex projection 36 on its upper surface intermediate its length which also deflects the belt 7 upwardly.
  • an aperture 38 which receives the lock post 18, and the engaging pin aperture 37.
  • the guide shaft 3 When assembled in the tractor assembly, the guide shaft 3 slidably extends through the aligned apertures 21, 33 of the members 10, 11 and through the locking post 18 and aperture 38.
  • the teeth 6 formed on the inner surface of the belt extend transversely across the width of the belt 7. As also seen, the teeth 6 are offset from the positions of the pins 4, and are provided in sets of three. Between each set of these teeth 6 is a planar portion underlying a pin 4. Cooperating with the teeth 6 of the belt 7 are the teeth 41 in the drive sprocket 8.
  • the tractor cover 13 has an elongated central slot 13b in which the pins 4 of the tractor belt 7 move.
  • mounting portions 14, 15 Projecting from one side thereof are mounting portions 14, 15 which comprise spaced ears 14b, 14c, 15b, 15c and the pivot pins 14a, 15a extend therebetween.
  • the pivot pins 14a, 15a seat in concave recesses 16a, 17a of the cover support posts 16, 17 of the frame member 10.
  • a spring mounting post 43 Between the mounting portions 14, 15 is a spring mounting post 43, and the ends of the spring 45 seat on the spring mounting post 43 of the tractor cover 13 and the spring mounting post 19 on the frame member 10. This spring 45 normally biases the tractor cover 13 into its closed position, but, when the cover 13 is pivoted over center, it will bias the cover 13 into the open position.
  • the tractor 1 is fixed on the guide shaft 3 by a locking action provided by the locking lever 51 which is rotatably mounted on the tubular lock post 18 of the frame member 10.
  • the locking lever 51 has a tubular hub 52 with an inside diameter which is slightly larger than the outside diameter of the tubular post 18, and a lever arm 53 extends radially from the hub 52.
  • On the inner peripheral surface of the tubular hub 52 are four convex cam surfaces 54 which reduce the inside diameter over half the axial length of the hub 52.
  • the tractor belt 7 is deflected upwardly at the center of its longitudinal lower run to provide closed path of eyeglass-like shape.
  • the tractor belt 7 is deflected upwardly by the convex projections 24, 36 provided on the ribs 23, 35. Because of the dimensioning of the belt 7, this causes the belt 7 to lift off the convexly arcuate guide surface 31 of the belt guidance portion part 32. Therefore, frictional resistance between the tractor belt 7 and the guide surface 31 of the belt guidance portion is 32 lessened and the driving torque necessary for the tractor belt 7 can be reduced, with a reduction in the power required to be delivered by the motor of the printer.
  • the convex projections parts 24, 36 are formed on the ribs 23, 35.
  • only a single convex projection 61 is provided directly on the base plate 30 rather than on a linear rib.
  • the deflecting surface may be provided by the inside surface of a lower rib which is elongated and of increasing thickness.

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  • Handling Of Sheets (AREA)
EP91100708A 1990-01-22 1991-01-21 Form feeding tractor Withdrawn EP0446581A1 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JP4960/90 1990-01-22
JP496090U JPH0395249U (US20110009641A1-20110113-C00185.png) 1990-01-22 1990-01-22

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP0446581A1 true EP0446581A1 (en) 1991-09-18

Family

ID=11598153

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP91100708A Withdrawn EP0446581A1 (en) 1990-01-22 1991-01-21 Form feeding tractor

Country Status (2)

Country Link
EP (1) EP0446581A1 (US20110009641A1-20110113-C00185.png)
JP (1) JPH0395249U (US20110009641A1-20110113-C00185.png)

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2149763A (en) * 1983-11-18 1985-06-19 Mannesmann Ag Tractor feeder for webs
EP0226228A2 (en) * 1985-12-16 1987-06-24 Bando Chemical Industries, Ltd. Pin tractor
US4723697A (en) * 1985-12-23 1988-02-09 Nhk Spring Co., Ltd. Tractor feeder for printer
DE3903288A1 (de) * 1988-02-04 1989-08-17 Tokai Kogyo Co Ltd Papiervorschubmechanismus
FR2648394A1 (fr) * 1989-06-16 1990-12-21 Tokai Kogyo Co Ltd Appareil de transfert de papier equipe de supports de la courroie de transfert

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
GB2149763A (en) * 1983-11-18 1985-06-19 Mannesmann Ag Tractor feeder for webs
EP0226228A2 (en) * 1985-12-16 1987-06-24 Bando Chemical Industries, Ltd. Pin tractor
US4723697A (en) * 1985-12-23 1988-02-09 Nhk Spring Co., Ltd. Tractor feeder for printer
DE3903288A1 (de) * 1988-02-04 1989-08-17 Tokai Kogyo Co Ltd Papiervorschubmechanismus
FR2648394A1 (fr) * 1989-06-16 1990-12-21 Tokai Kogyo Co Ltd Appareil de transfert de papier equipe de supports de la courroie de transfert

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JPH0395249U (US20110009641A1-20110113-C00185.png) 1991-09-27

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PUAI Public reference made under article 153(3) epc to a published international application that has entered the european phase

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Effective date: 19920319