JP2002167060A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact paper feeding device capable of facilitating the assembly without increasing the number of parts. SOLUTION: In this paper feeding device constituted such that a paper feeding port 4 is formed by a paper feeding tray 2 and a pair of right and left side plates 3 in a case body 1, a paper feeding roller 18 is arranged in the paper feeding port 4, and the paper feeding roller 18 is rotated while paper P is set on the paper feeding tray 2 and the paper feeding roller 18 is pressed against the paper P to feed the paper P, an oscillation lever 17 having a lever body 17a arranged on an outer side of the paper feeding port 4 to fit a pivotal support hole provided in a lower end part by passing through it into a pivotal support shaft 16 provided in a lower part of the case body 1 and a roller support part 17b provided protrudedly and integrally in an upper end part of the lever body 17a and extending in the paper feeding port 4 to support the paper feeding roller 18 is provided, and an interlocking mechanism interlocking and connecting the paper feeding roller 18 with a motor 19 is provided on an outer face of the lever body 17a.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding device such as an ink jet printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a technique of a paper feeder, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No.
Japanese Patent No. 40652 and the like, and an ink jet printer as an example thereof is shown in FIGS.
According to this, a paper feed port 4 is formed by a paper feed tray 2 and a pair of left and right side plates 3 in a housing 1, a pickup unit 5 is arranged in the paper feed port 4, 1, between a paper feed port 4 and a paper discharge port 6, a feed roller 7;
A printing unit 8, a paper discharge roller 9, and a pressing roller 10 are provided. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 11 denotes a side edge guide member that supports the side edge of the sheet P on the sheet feed tray 2.

[0003] The pickup unit 5 includes two side plates 3.
A shaft 5a rotatably mounted between the shaft 5a, a swing lever 5b composed of a substantially oblong case in a side view and swingably suspended near the right end of the shaft 5a, and a lower end of the swing lever 5b. A feed roller 5c rotatably supported and a swing lever 5b
And a first gear mechanism 5d for transmitting the rotational force of the shaft portion 5a to the paper feed roller 5c. The left end of the shaft portion 5a is interlocked with the motor 12 via the second gear mechanism 5e. Have been. Reference numeral 5f denotes a spring that engages the swing lever 5b and urges the paper feed roller 5c toward the paper feed tray 2.

In the above configuration, the paper P is set on the paper feed tray 2 and the paper feed roller 5c is moved by the spring 5f to the paper P.
By rotating the paper feed roller 5c in the direction of arrow a by the motor 12 via the first and second gear mechanisms 5d and 5e and the shaft portion 5a in a state where the paper P is fed to the feed roller 7, The paper P is sent out between the pressing rollers 10, the printed paper P is printed by the print head 8 a of the printing unit 8, and the printed paper P is discharged from the paper outlet 6 by the paper discharging rollers 9 and the pressing rollers 10. .

[0005]

In the above-mentioned conventional configuration,
The paper feed roller 5c is suspended from the shaft 5a via a swing lever 5b, and the shaft 5a, which is the fulcrum of the swing lever 5b, is at a high position at a predetermined distance H from the bottom surface of the housing 1. Since it is erected, the shaft portion 5a is an obstacle in reducing the size of the housing 1 to reduce its size.

Further, the rotational force of the motor 12 is
Since two gear mechanisms 5d and 5e composed of a large number of gears are used to transmit the power to the gear c, the number of parts is large, so that the manufacturing cost is high.

Further, since the swing lever 5b is disposed in the paper feed port 4 and is exposed to the outside, the swing lever 5b is formed in a case shape which can be disassembled by a plurality of members, and is formed inside the case. Although the first gear mechanism 5d is hidden, this increases the number of parts forming the swing lever 5c,
It takes time and labor to arrange and assemble the gears forming the first gear mechanism 5d in the swing lever 5b, and the manufacturing cost is high.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned conventional drawbacks, and has as its object to provide a sheet feeding device which can be easily assembled and reduced in size without increasing the number of parts.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a paper feed port is formed in a housing by a paper feed tray and a pair of left and right side plates. A paper roller is disposed, paper is set on the paper feed tray, and the paper feed roller is rotated while the paper feed roller is pressed against the paper to feed the paper. In the paper device, a lever body in which a pivot hole disposed outside the paper feed port and penetrating at a lower end portion is fitted to a pivot shaft provided at a lower portion of the housing, and a lever body is provided at an upper end portion of the lever body. A swinging lever having a roller support portion that is integrally protruded and extends into the paper feed port and supports the paper feed roller is provided, and is integrally connected to a shaft portion of the paper feed roller rotatably supported by the roller support portion. Driven gear and a shaft protruding from the outer surface of the lever body An interlocking mechanism having an intermediate gear rotatably fitted and meshing with the driven gear, and a driving gear rotatably fitted with the pivot shaft and meshing with the intermediate gear and rotationally driven by the motor. It is characterized by being provided.

According to the above configuration, since the pivot shaft, which is the fulcrum of the swing lever that supports the paper feed roller, is provided at the lower part of the housing, the pivot shaft reduces the bulk of the housing. And the size of the housing can be reduced.

[0011] Since the lever body of the swing lever is disposed outside the paper feed port and does not catch on the paper on the paper feed tray, the paper feed operation can be performed smoothly.
Also, since only the roller support provided at the upper end of the lever body extends into the paper feed port, the appearance is good, and furthermore, since the lever body and the roller support are integrated, The number of parts does not increase and the production cost is low.

Since the interlocking mechanism for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the paper feed roller is provided in an exposed state on the outer surface of the lever body, the interlocking mechanism can be very easily attached and detached.

Only one gear mechanism including a driving gear, an intermediate gear and a driven gear is provided as the interlocking mechanism, and the number of parts is smaller than in the case where two conventional gear mechanisms are used. Is cheap.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a paper feed port is formed in a housing by a paper feed tray and a pair of left and right side plates, and a paper feed roller is disposed in the paper feed port. In a sheet feeding device that feeds the sheet by rotating the sheet feeding roller while pressing the sheet feeding roller against the sheet, a pivot shaft is provided at a lower portion of the housing. The paper feed roller is disposed at an upper end of a swing lever that is swingably pivotally supported via and extends upward.

According to the above configuration, since the pivot shaft, which is the fulcrum of the swing lever supporting the paper feed roller, is provided at the lower part of the housing, the pivot shaft reduces the bulk of the housing. And the size of the housing can be reduced.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect of the present invention, the swing lever has a pivot hole disposed outside the paper feed port and penetrating through a lower end portion of the pivot shaft. It is characterized in that it has a fitted lever main body, and a roller supporting portion integrally protruding from the upper end of the lever main body and extending into the paper feed port and supporting the paper feed roller.

According to the above construction, since the lever body forming the swing lever is disposed outside the paper feed port and does not get caught on the paper on the paper feed tray, the paper feed operation can be performed smoothly. In addition, since only the roller support provided at the upper end of the lever body extends into the paper feed port, the appearance is good, and the lever body and the roller support are integrated. Since the number of parts does not increase, the production cost is low.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, an interlocking mechanism for interlockingly connecting the paper feed roller to a motor is provided on an outer surface of the lever body. I have.

According to the above configuration, since the interlocking mechanism is provided on the outer surface of the lever body in an exposed state, the interlocking mechanism can be very easily attached and detached.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect of the present invention, the interlocking mechanism includes a driven gear integrally connected to a shaft of a paper feed roller rotatably supported by the roller support, and a lever. An intermediate gear rotatably fitted to a shaft protruding from the outer surface of the main body and meshing with the driven gear; and an intermediate gear rotatably fitted to the pivot shaft and meshed with the intermediate gear and rotated by the motor. And a driving gear to be driven.

According to the above configuration, only one gear mechanism including a driving gear, an intermediate gear and a driven gear is provided as an interlocking mechanism for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the sheet feeding roller. Since the number of parts is smaller than in the case where two gear mechanisms are used, the manufacturing cost is low.

[0022]

1 to 3 show an ink jet printer provided with a paper feeder according to an embodiment of the present invention. A support frame 15 is fixed to a lower portion, and a swing lever 17 pivotably supported by a pivot 16 provided on the support frame 15 is extended upward to supply the upper end of the swing lever 17. A paper roller 18 is provided, and an interlocking mechanism 20 for interlockingly connecting a motor 19 disposed on the support frame 15 and the paper feed roller 18 is provided on the swing lever 17. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 12 denotes a paper support plate extending upward from the upper end of the paper feed tray 2. The same components as those shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are denoted by the same reference numerals except for those described above, and description thereof will be omitted.

The swing lever 17 is made of a synthetic resin molded product. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the swing lever 17 is integrally formed with a lever body 17a having a substantially U-shaped cross section and an upper end portion on the inner surface of the lever body 17a. A protruding cylindrical roller support portion 17b,
A hollow shaft 23 having a pivotal support hole 23a is formed at a lower end in a concave portion 22 formed on the outer surface of the lever main body 17a. With the support shaft 16 as a fulcrum, the swing lever 17 can swing back and forth. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 17c denotes a reinforcing rib integrally formed on the side surface of the roller support portion 17b over its entire length.

According to the above configuration, the pivot shaft 16 which is the fulcrum of the swing lever 17 for supporting the paper feed roller 18 is provided at a low position at a predetermined distance h from the lower surface of the housing 1. The pivot 16 does not become an obstacle when reducing the volume of the housing 1, and the housing 1 can be reduced in size.

Since the lever body 17a of the swing lever 17 is disposed outside the paper feed port 4 and does not catch on the paper P on the paper feed tray 2, the paper P can be fed smoothly. Also, since only the roller support portion 17b provided at the upper end of the lever body 17a extends into the paper feed port 4, the appearance is good, and the lever body 17a, the roller support portion 17b, Since the components are integrated, the number of parts does not increase and the production cost is reduced.

A roller support 1 is provided at the upper end of the recess 22.
An insertion hole 24 communicating with the hollow hole 7b is formed, and a plurality of holes (3 in this embodiment)
) And a split shaft portion 25 with a retaining claw 25a is integrally protruded.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the paper feed roller 18 is formed of a synthetic resin material in a hollow cylindrical shape, and has an elastic ring 26 such as a rubber ring having a large friction coefficient on its outer peripheral surface. The shaft portion 18a which is fitted and concentrically and integrally protruded from the end face thereof is inserted into the roller support portion 17b. Also,
On the end face of the shaft portion 18a, a split shaft portion 27 with a retaining claw 27a and a rotation preventing piece 28 are integrally provided to protrude.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the interlocking mechanism 20 fits the central through hole 30a into the split shaft portion 27 and forms a concave portion 30b formed on the inner peripheral surface of the central through hole 30a. By engaging the detent piece 28,
A plurality of driven gears 30 integrally connected to the shaft portion 18a of the paper feed roller 18 and a plurality of (meshed with the driven gear 30 as well as being meshed with each other by rotatably fitting the central through-hole 31a to the split shaft portion 25 rotatably. (In the embodiment, three) an intermediate gear 31, and a driving gear 32 that is rotatably fitted in the central through hole 32 a to the hollow shaft 23 and meshes with the intermediate gear 31. 32, intermediate gear 31
The paper feed roller 18 is rotated in the direction of arrow a via the driven gear 30, and the paper P on the paper feed tray 2 is sent out.

According to the above configuration, since the interlocking mechanism 20 is provided in an exposed state on the outer side surface of the lever body 17a,
The interlocking mechanism 20 can be attached and detached very easily, and the interlocking mechanism 20 for transmitting the rotational force of the motor 19 to the sheet feeding roller 18 includes a driving gear 32, an intermediate gear 31, and a driven gear 30. Only two gear mechanisms are provided, and two conventional gear mechanisms 5d and 5e are provided.
Since the number of parts is smaller than in the case of using (see FIG. 8), the manufacturing cost is low.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG.
A spring 35 is stretched between the supporting frame 15 and a projection 34 projecting from the lower end of the sheet feeding roller 7a. 2 on the paper P. Incidentally, in FIG.
Is a non-slip piece made of a friction material such as rubber, which is substantially U-shaped in a front view and is fitted into a concave groove 37 formed in the paper feed tray 2 so as to face the paper feed roller 18 and is in contact with the paper feed tray 2. While preventing the paper P from slipping, and when there is no paper P on the paper feed tray 2, as shown in FIG.
Avoid contact with 38 is the pivot 1
6 is a retaining ring fitted to the distal end of No. 6.

In the above configuration, the paper P is set on the paper feed tray 2 and the paper feed roller 18 is
By rotating the paper feed roller 18 in the direction of arrow a by the motor 19 via the interlocking mechanism 20 in a state where the paper P is
0, and the printing unit 8
The printing is performed by the print head 8a, and the printed paper P is discharged by the discharge roller 9 and the pressing roller 10 to the discharge port 6.
Discharged from

[0032]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the pivot shaft, which is the fulcrum of the swing lever for supporting the paper feed roller, is provided at the lower portion of the housing, the pivot shaft is mounted on the housing. It does not become an obstacle when reducing the bulk of the device, and the size of the housing can be reduced.

Since the lever body of the swing lever is disposed outside the paper feed port and does not catch on the paper on the paper feed tray, the paper feed operation can be performed smoothly.
Also, since only the roller support provided at the upper end of the lever body extends into the paper feed port, the appearance is good, and furthermore, since the lever body and the roller support are integrated, The number of parts does not increase and the production cost is low.

Since the interlocking mechanism for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the paper feed roller is provided in an exposed state on the outer surface of the lever body, the interlocking mechanism can be very easily attached and detached.

Only one gear mechanism including a driving gear, an intermediate gear and a driven gear is provided as the interlocking mechanism, and the number of parts is smaller than when using two conventional gear mechanisms. Is cheap.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the pivot shaft, which is the fulcrum of the swing lever for supporting the paper feed roller, is provided at the lower portion of the housing, so that the pivot shaft is the bulk of the housing. It does not become an obstacle when lowering the size, and the size of the housing can be reduced.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the lever body forming the swing lever is disposed outside the paper feed port and does not catch on the paper on the paper feed tray, the paper feed operation can be performed. It can be carried out smoothly, and since only the roller support provided at the upper end of the lever main body extends into the paper feed port, the appearance is good, and the lever main body and the roller support are further separated. Since it is integrated, the number of parts does not increase and the manufacturing cost is low.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the interlocking mechanism is provided in an exposed state on the outer side surface of the lever body,
The interlocking mechanism can be attached and detached very easily.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, only one gear mechanism including a driving gear, an intermediate gear, and a driven gear is provided as an interlocking mechanism for transmitting the rotational force of the motor to the paper feed roller. In addition, since the number of parts is smaller than in the case where two conventional gear mechanisms are used, the manufacturing cost is low.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an ink jet printer including a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of the same.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the main part.

FIG. 4 is a view as viewed in the direction of arrows AA in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view as viewed in the direction of arrows BB in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the paper feed tray.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a conventional example.

FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway front view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 housing 2 paper feed tray 3 side plate 4 paper feed port 16 pivot shaft 17 swing lever 17a lever body 17b roller support 18 paper feed roller 18a paper feed roller shaft 19 motor 20 interlocking mechanism 23a pivot hole 30 driven Gear 31 Intermediate gear 32 Drive gear P Paper

Claims (5)

[Claims] A paper feed port is formed in a housing by a paper feed tray and a pair of left and right side plates, a paper feed roller is arranged in the paper feed port, and paper is set on the paper feed tray. In a sheet feeding device configured to send out the sheet by rotating the sheet feeding roller while pressing the sheet feeding roller against the sheet, the sheet feeding apparatus is disposed outside the sheet feeding port and penetrates the lower end. A lever body having a pivot hole formed therein fitted to a pivot shaft provided at a lower portion of the housing; and a roller support for projecting from an upper end of the lever body and extending into a paper feed port to support the paper feed roller. And a driven gear integrally connected to a shaft portion of a paper feed roller rotatably supported by the roller support portion, and a rotatable shaft protruding from an outer surface of the lever body. An intermediate gear engaged with the driven gear and meshing with the driven gear; An interlocking mechanism having a drive gear rotatably fitted to a shaft, meshing with the intermediate gear, and being rotationally driven by the motor is provided. 2. A paper feed port is formed by a paper feed tray and a pair of left and right side plates in a housing, a paper feed roller is disposed in the paper feed port, and paper is set on the paper feed tray. By rotating the paper feed roller while pressing the paper feed roller against the paper, in the paper feeder configured to send out the paper, the paper can be pivoted to a lower part of the housing via a pivot shaft. A sheet feeding device, wherein the sheet feeding roller is disposed at an upper end portion of a swing lever that is pivotally supported and extends upward. 3. A lever main body, wherein the swing lever is disposed outside the paper feeding port and a pivot hole penetrating through a lower end portion thereof is fitted to the pivot shaft, and an upper end portion of the lever main body. 3. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, further comprising: a roller supporting portion that is integrally protruded from the sheet feeding member and extends into the sheet feeding port to support the sheet feeding roller. 4. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein an interlocking mechanism for interlockingly connecting the sheet feeding roller to a motor is provided on an outer surface of the lever body. 5. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the interlocking mechanism is rotatable with a driven gear integrally connected to a shaft of a sheet feeding roller rotatably supported by the roller support, and a shaft protruding from an outer surface of a lever body. An intermediate gear that fits and meshes with the driven gear, and a drive gear that rotatably fits with the pivot shaft, meshes with the intermediate gear, and is driven to rotate by the motor. Item 5. The paper feeding device according to Item 4.