JP2010260726A - Printer and paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a compact printer capable of correcting a curl of roll paper. <P>SOLUTION: The printer 1 of this example is a printer superior in easiness-to-use constituted so that a guide surface 30 inclined so as to extend the curl, is arranged near the outlet side of a platen roller 16 being a feed roller of a printing mechanism 10, and the curl is extended by pressing the roll paper 3 to this guide surface 30 by using strength of stiffness of the roll paper 3, and the curl of the roll paper can be efficiently removed more than a mechanism of correcting the curl by pull the roll paper, and a motor can be miniaturized by reducing a load of a paper feeding motor, and output similar to printing on a cut sheet is obtained, and a further compact and small electric power consumption printer can be provided. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a printing apparatus and a paper feeding apparatus that can correct curl of roll paper.

  Printing devices such as printers and facsimiles that print on roll paper are known. Such a printing apparatus requires less space for storing printing paper than an apparatus that prints on a cut sheet, and can be combined into a compact size as a whole. However, in order to print on roll paper, the curl of the roll paper becomes a problem. For example, the printed roll paper output from the apparatus curls because curl remains. Therefore, even when printed paper is output from the printer, even if it is cut into a predetermined size such as A4, it cannot be held on top of the stocker. In addition, since the output paper is curled, operations such as filing a bundle of a plurality of sheets become troublesome. Therefore, at present, the size of printers and facsimiles becomes large, but those that print on sheet-like printing paper or cut sheets are preferred.

  In recent years, with the widespread use of portable terminals such as PDAs and mobile phones, there is a strong demand for compact printers that can be used on the go with these portable terminals. For this purpose, a printer using roll paper as printing paper is suitable as described above. However, in order to make a printer that is easy to use, roll paper curl, that is, curl is corrected with a compact mechanism. It is important to be able to remove or correct. In particular, a roll paper having a diameter of about 10 mm is expected to be used in a printing device for a portable terminal such as a PDA, and a printed matter (printout) output to the outside is curled and has a diameter. The printed product is rounded to about 10 mm or less. Such a printed material rounded with a small diameter is very difficult to handle as compared with a printed material rounded with a large diameter, and correction of curling wrinkles becomes extremely important.

  As a mechanism for removing the curl of the roll paper, a mechanism for pressing the roll paper against a paper guide having a sharp tip by a force such as a spring can be considered. However, it is necessary to install a paper guide with a sharp tip at the paper path to change the paper path, or to secure a space for storing a spring that presses the roll paper against the paper guide. The space occupied by the mechanism will increase. Therefore, a compact printer cannot be realized. Furthermore, such a mechanism has a problem that curls cannot be removed so efficiently.

  Further, since the roll paper is sandwiched between the paper guide and the spring in the middle of the paper path, the resistance for feeding the paper increases, and an output motor that can cope with the load is required. Therefore, the motor size increases and the power consumption increases, which is not suitable for realizing a compact printer.

  In addition, since the roll paper is sandwiched between the paper guide with a sharp tip and a spring in the middle of the paper path, if the roll paper is sandwiched with the printer on standby, the roll paper will be pinched. The part that has been curled in the opposite direction will be attached. Therefore, only the leading end curls in the opposite direction, and the whole is curled in the direction in which the roll paper is wound, which makes it possible to obtain a printout that is very difficult to handle and does not look good. When the printer is on standby, it is possible to prevent curling in the reverse direction by removing the spring, but storing the mechanism therefor increases the size of the printer and increases costs.

  Therefore, in the present invention, a paper feeding device that can correct the curl of the roll paper and suppress an increase in the load on the motor, and further does not cause the paper to reverse in the reverse direction, and a printing apparatus including the paper feeding device. It is intended to provide. An object of the present invention is to provide a very compact printing apparatus that is a user-friendly printing apparatus using roll paper as a printing sheet and that is optimal for carrying with a portable terminal such as a mobile phone.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the roll paper output by the cooperation of the feed roller and the paper pressing member such as the sub roller and the plate is pressed, and a surface inclined in the direction opposite to the direction in which the roll paper is curved is provided. The roll paper is applied to the inclined surface and the curl is removed using the strength and paper feed force of the roll paper itself. That is, the paper feeding device of the present invention is configured so that the feed roller and the paper pressing member capable of feeding paper with the roll paper sandwiched between them and the roll paper output from the feed roller are pressed to guide the roll paper in the direction opposite to the bending direction. A first paper guide that forms a first guide surface that is inclined to the second surface, and a second guide surface that guides the outer surface of the roll paper and guides the roll paper to the vicinity of the first guide surface. The first guide surface is inclined at least 45 degrees with respect to the direction in which the roll paper hits, and the output-side end of the second guide surface is disposed in the vicinity of the first guide surface. This maintains the condition that the roll paper bends at least 45 degrees to remove the curl of the roll paper.

  With this paper feeding device, the roll paper is not stretched in the middle of the paper path, or the paper is not stretched by pulling in the direction opposite to the paper feeding direction, so the load during paper feeding hardly increases. . A slight load is generated because the roll paper is applied to the first guide surface at the exit of the feed roller, but the paper is fed along the first guide surface in a substantially free state without being pinched or stretched. Therefore, compared with a method of removing curl by pinching, the increase in motor load necessary for removing curl can be reduced to half or less.

  And it has been confirmed by the inventors' experiment that the paper feeding device of the present invention can remove the curl of the roll paper very efficiently. That is, in the paper feeding device of the present invention, the roll paper with the curl is in the direction opposite to the direction in which the roll paper is curled or curved by hitting the first guide surface at the exit of the feed roller, that is, The paper is fed so as to bend on the opposite side of the curl. At this time, the first guide surface is disposed in the vicinity of the feed roller, or both sides of the roll paper are guided between the feed roller and the first guide surface so that the roll paper is not greatly bent. By providing the paper guide that leads to the surface, the roll paper itself can be used to press the roll paper against the first guide surface with a strong force. Therefore, the roll paper fed by the feed roller is suddenly bent in the direction opposite to the curl when it hits the first guide surface. In addition, since the roll paper itself is strong, a force sufficient to press the roll paper against the first guide surface and bend it abruptly is applied to the roll paper from the feed roller through the roll paper. It is transmitted to the part that hits the guide surface. As a result, it is considered that the roll paper bends and extends in the opposite direction to the curl at the first guide surface, and curl due to the curl is efficiently removed.

  For this reason, when the roll paper is not fed by the feed roller, that is, when the printer is in the standby state, the roll paper is not strongly pressed against the first guide surface. For this reason, curling of the roll paper in the reverse direction is also avoided.

  As described above, the paper feeding device of the present invention has a small load on the paper feeding motor, can efficiently remove the curl, and can also prevent the curling that curves in the opposite direction. Furthermore, the first paper guide having the first guide surface, the feed roller, and the paper pressing member have a very simple configuration, and a compact paper feeding device that can efficiently remove the curl of the roll paper can be provided. For this reason, by mounting the paper feeding device of the present invention on a printer such as a printer, it is a compact printing device using roll paper, and it is convenient to output printed matter from which roll paper curl has been removed. Furthermore, it is possible to provide a printing apparatus that is compact and optimal for carrying with a portable terminal such as a cellular phone.

  In the paper feeding device of the present invention, it is desirable to dispose the first paper guide in the vicinity of the feed roller, particularly such that the distance between the feed roller and the first guide surface is 10 mm or less. By arranging the first paper guide in this way, the roll paper can be prevented from bending between the first guide surface and the feed roller, and the roll paper can be pressed against the first guide surface reliably. It is done. Thereby, a curl can be removed reliably. Further, since the layout is such that the first paper guide is close to the feed roller, the paper feeding device can be compactly gathered.

  By tilting the first guide surface by 45 degrees or more with respect to the direction in which the roll paper hits the first guide surface, it is possible to obtain a sufficient tilt for removing the curl. However, the strength of the roll paper curl depends on the roll diameter of the roll paper and the quality of the roll paper. Therefore, the strength of the curl differs between the winding start portion and the winding end portion of the roll paper, and differs depending on the roll paper to be used. Therefore, the inclination of the first guide surface and / or the first guide surface and the feed It is desirable to provide a means capable of changing the distance to the roller so that the curl having different strengths can be flexibly corrected by changing the angle at which the roll paper is bent.

  It is also effective to provide a second guide having a second guide surface that guides the roll paper output from the feed roller to the vicinity of the first paper guide. The position and angle at which the roll paper output from the feed roller hits the first guide surface by the second guide surface can be adjusted by the second guide surface, and the conditions can be maintained. Therefore, the angle at which the portion of the roll paper that contacts the first guide surface moves on the first guide surface as the paper is fed to bend the roll paper in the reverse direction becomes loose, and the ability to remove curl is unstable. Can be prevented.

  If the second paper guide is a third paper guide having a flat guide surface for pressing the roll paper against the feed roller, the output end of the third paper guide is integrated with the second paper guide. 2 paper guides. On the other hand, a first paper guide is separated from the feed roller, and a fourth paper guide having guide surfaces facing each other is guided so as to guide the roll paper from the output side of the feed roller to the first guide surface. When provided, the output end portion of the fourth paper guide can function as the second paper guide integrally with the second paper guide.

  It is important that the distance between the second guide surface and the first guide surface is a distance by which the strength of the roll paper can be pressed. Therefore, it is desirable that the distance between the output end of the second guide surface and the first guide surface be 5 mm or less. In addition, by setting the corner of the output end of the second paper guide to a right angle or an acute angle, the roll paper can be stably pressed against the first guide surface at an angle at which the curl can be removed. Furthermore, in the paper feeding device of the present invention, the curl of the roll paper is also removed by making it possible to change the inclination of the second guide surface and / or the distance between the second guide surface and the first guide surface. You can adjust your ability.

  As the printing apparatus of the present invention, the paper feeding device described above may be provided separately from the printing mechanism, but a platen that uses a line thermal head as a paper pressing member and feeds paper with a line thermal head and roll paper sandwiched as a feed roller. By using the roller, the paper feeding device for removing the curl of the roll paper and the printing mechanism can be integrated. Therefore, a more compact and low-cost printing apparatus can be provided.

  Further, by adopting a printing mechanism having a flat platen as the first paper guide and having a print head for printing on the roll paper supported on the first guide surface, the paper feeding device of the present invention is partly in the printing mechanism. This can also provide a more compact and low-cost printing apparatus. The print head may be a line type, but may be a serial printer that moves along the first guide surface, and an ink jet type may be adopted as such a print head.

1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing a part constituting the paper feeding device of the printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a printer in which a second paper guide is provided between a feed roller and a first paper guide. It is a figure which shows the modification of the printer shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the example of the printer from which this invention differs.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an outline of a printer (printing apparatus) according to the present invention using a sectional view from the side. The printer 1 of this example is a thermal printer that performs printing while feeding the sheet with the thermal roll 3 interposed between the line thermal head 15 and the platen roller 16. The printer 1 has a box-shaped housing 2 having a thickness of about 15 mm, and a paper storage unit 11 for the roll paper 3 is provided on one side (front) F of the housing 2. The front F wall of the housing 2 serving as the front wall 2b of the paper storage unit 11 can be opened to the front side via the hinge 13, and the roll paper 3 having a width of about 105 mm and a diameter of about 12 mm can be set.

  The rear B of the housing 2 is a portion 12 for printing on the roll paper 3, and includes a printing mechanism 10 including a line thermal head 15 and a platen roller 16, a motor 18 for driving the platen roller 16, a control panel 23, and the like. Contains printing-related mechanisms. The roll paper 3 supplied from the paper storage unit 11 is printed by the printing mechanism 10 and then output to the outside from the paper discharge port 4 provided on the upper part of the housing 2 or the upper wall 2a. A manual cutter 5 is provided at the paper discharge port 4, and by cutting the output roll paper 3, it is possible to obtain a single sheet-like printout of A6 (105 mm × 148 mm) paper size. Further, although not shown in the figure, the printer 1 of this example is configured to print data from a mobile computer such as a mobile phone or PDA as a host or a desktop personal computer via a suitable interface such as a USB interface or an infrared interface. Control data can be received.

  In the printer 1 of this example, the line thermal head 15 and the platen roller 16 are arranged up and down when the paper discharge port 4 is set upward. The platen roller 16 becomes a surface having a large frictional force such as rubber, and the head 15 and the platen roller The paper can be reliably fed with the roller 16 sandwiching the roll paper 3 therebetween. Further, below and behind the platen roller 16, the roll paper 3 supplied from the front F paper storage unit 11 is guided below the platen roller 16, and its traveling direction is changed by approximately 180 degrees along the platen roller 16. A paper feed guide 17 that leads to the upper thermal head 15 is provided.

  On the other hand, a paper guide 25 having a guide surface (first guide surface) 30 extending obliquely upward from the vicinity of the output side of the platen roller 16 is disposed at the paper discharge port 4. Further, the line thermal head 15 of this example is arranged at a position where the head portion 22 that generates heat and prints on the roll paper 3 comes into contact with the platen roller 16, and then the plate portion 21 extends to the output side of the roll paper 3. The tip 21 a reaches the vicinity of the guide surface 30.

  FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the configuration of the output side of the platen roller 16 to which the line thermal head 15, the platen roller 16, and the paper guide 25 are related. The roll paper 3 is sent out by the line thermal head 15 and the platen roller 16 in the first direction φ1 of the front F substantially along the lower surface (second guide surface) 19 of the thermal head 15. Then, it hits the guide surface 30 of the paper guide 25, is bent upward along the inclination, and is guided to the paper discharge port 4. The inclination S of the first guide surface 30 is inclined so as to bend the roll paper 3 in a direction opposite to the direction curled by the curl, and in this example, the first guide surface 30 is inclined with respect to the first direction φ1 in which the paper 3 is sent out. Tilted about 50 degrees clockwise. Accordingly, the roll paper 3 is bent and stretched in a direction opposite to the curling direction at the portion 3P that contacts the first guide surface 30, thereby removing curl due to curl and discharging as a flat continuous paper. Output from the mouth 4. For this reason, by cutting to desired size, such as A6 size, by the cutter 5, it is possible to obtain a printout similar to that printed on a cut sheet that has been previously cut to the desired size while being the roll paper 3. .

  Therefore, in the printer 1 of this example, the platen roller 16 of the printing mechanism 10, the thermal head 15, and the paper guide 25 constitute the paper feeding device 40 of the present invention. The platen roller 16 is the feed roller and the thermal head 15 is the thermal head 15. The paper pressing member and the paper guide 25 correspond to the first paper guide provided with the first guide surface. The thermal head 15 corresponds to a third paper guide having a flat guide surface for pressing the roll paper against the feed roller. The output end of the thermal head 15, that is, the first guide surface 30. A tip portion 21a of the plate portion 21 extending in the direction corresponds to the second paper guide.

  If the inclination S of the first guide surface 30 is inclined so as to bend the roll paper 3 in the direction opposite to its curving direction, it is possible to remove the curl of the roll paper 3, and according to the experiment of the inventors of the present application. The inclination S of the first guide surface 30 is inclined by 45 degrees or more with respect to the first direction φ1 where the roll paper 3 hits the first guide surface 30, thereby reliably removing the curl of the roll paper 3. It is possible to Therefore, in order to obtain a printout that can be handled in the same manner as a normal cut sheet, it is desirable that the angle θ of the inclination S of the first guide surface 30 is 45 degrees or more with respect to the first direction φ1.

  In the paper feeding device 40, the first guide surface 30 is preferably disposed in the vicinity of the platen roller 16 as a feed roller, and the distance R between the platen roller 16 and the first guide surface 30 is 10 mm or less. It is desirable to arrange so that. In the paper feeding device 40, although the roll paper 3 is slightly curved by its own curl, the roll paper 3 is guided substantially linearly to the first guide surface 30 by the strength of the roll paper itself. When it hits the first guide surface 30, it is considered that the curl of the curl is removed by suddenly bending and extending in the opposite direction to the curl at 3P. Then, it is desirable to press the roll paper 3 against the first guide surface 30 with a sufficient force to suddenly change the angle of the roll paper 3 at the portion 3P hitting the first guide surface 30. In order to use the strength of the waist to transmit the power of the platen roller 16 to the portion 3P, the roll paper 3 is bent or bent between the platen roller 16 and the first guide surface 30. It is important not to scramble. Therefore, in the printer 1 of this example, the first guide surface 30 is disposed as close as possible to the platen roller 16 within a range allowed in consideration of layout and assembly.

  In the paper feeding apparatus 40 of this example, the roll paper 3 is curled downward, and a force that pushes the roll paper 3 slightly works at a position 3P where the roll paper 3 hits the first guide surface 30. This force counters that the first guide surface 30 guides the roll paper 3 obliquely upward, and the position 3P that hits the first guide surface 30 is unlikely to shift upward, and the situation around the contact position 3P is stable. Soot can be removed stably.

  However, depending on the strength of the roll paper 3, the position 3P where the roll paper 3 hits the first guide 30 moves upward along the first guide surface 30, and the roll paper 3 is the first around the position. The angle between the direction of contact with the first guide surface 30 and the guide surface 30, that is, the effective angle θ becomes smaller, making it difficult to remove curl. Therefore, in the printer 1 of this example, the leading end 21a of the plate portion 21 of the thermal head 15 serving as the second paper guide is extended to the vicinity of the first guide surface 30 to further approach them, so It has a structure that can make sure of its strength. For this reason, the front end portion 21a of the plate portion 21 is used as the second paper guide so that the distance L between the output end of the second paper guide and the first guide surface 30 is 5 mm, and the lower surface 15a thereof is the second paper guide. As a guide surface. Further, by making the corner 24 of the tip end portion 21a a right angle or an acute angle, an environment in which the position 3P where the roll paper 3 hits the first guide surface 30 is difficult to move upward is created. As a result, the direction in which the roll paper 3 hits the first guide surface 30 can be maintained in the first direction φ1, and the angle θ with the inclination S of the guide surface 30 can be maintained. Furthermore, since the roll paper 3 is slightly tilted downward due to the curl, the effective angle θ formed by the direction in which the roll paper 3 contacts the guide surface 30 and the guide surface 30 is increased, and the curl of the roll paper 3 can be more easily removed. Situation.

  The first direction φ1, which is the paper feed direction, is the tangential direction of the point where the thermal head 15 contacts the platen roller 16, but controls the angle of the tip 21a of the plate portion 21 that is the second paper guide. By doing so, it becomes possible to control the first direction φ1. Therefore, by changing the angle θ at which the roll paper 3 hits the first guide surface 30, it is possible to create an environment in which the curl is more easily removed. Similarly, the condition for removing curl can also be changed by changing the inclination of the first guide surface 30.

  Further, in order to take advantage of the stiffness of the roll paper 3, the distance R between the platen roller 16 as a feed roller and the first guide surface 30 or the distance L between the leading end 21a and the first guide surface 30 is used. It is desirable to shorten the length. On the other hand, if the slope S of the first guide surface 30 is too large with respect to the first direction φ1, or if the distance R or L is too small, the deformation amount of the roll paper 3 becomes too large and curls in reverse. There is a possibility that the quality of the printout such as wrinkles on the roll paper 3 may be deteriorated.

  Therefore, in the printer 1 of this example, the first paper guide 25 is provided with the shaft 31 extending in the axial direction of the platen roller 16, and the first paper guide 25 can be turned around the shaft 31 and the first paper guide 25 can be turned. One paper guide 25 can be slid in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the inclination S of the first guide surface 30 and the distance L between the first guide surface 30 and the tip 21a are adjusted by moving with the first paper guide 25 or operating the shaft 31 from the outside. it can. Therefore, even when the roll paper 3 is consumed and the winding diameter is changed, the strength of the curl of the roll paper 3 is changed or the quality of the roll paper 3 is changed, so that the curl is suitable for removing the curl. can do. Instead of the first paper guide 25, the angle and position of the tip 21a of the thermal head 15 may be controlled.

  Thus, in the printer 1 having the paper feeding device 40 of this example, the roll paper 3 can be applied to the first guide surface 30 on the exit side of the platen roller 16 to remove curl. Therefore, it is not necessary to sandwich the roll paper with a roller or a spring in order to remove the curl, and the resistance when the roll paper is fed can be greatly reduced. For this reason, the load applied to the motor is reduced, and the motor 18 having a small output can be adopted, so that the housing 2 of the printer 1 can be made compact. Further, since the power consumption of the motor 18 is reduced, the battery life can be extended.

  In addition, when curling is removed by pinching with a roller or a spring, it is necessary to pull the roll paper against the mechanism, and it is necessary to install a device for removing curl between the roll paper and the platen roller. It was. On the other hand, in the method of this example, the roll paper 3 is applied to the first guide surface 30 to remove the curl, so that the curl is located near the exit of the platen roller, that is, near the paper discharge port 4. A mechanism can be incorporated. In particular, in the printer 1 of this example, the curl is removed by changing the arrangement of the paper guide 25 at the exit, the platen roller 16, and the thermal head 15 that constitutes the vicinity of the paper discharge port 4 of the thermal printer 1. The mechanism is constructed, and the roll paper curl can be removed very compactly and at a low cost.

  It is thought that the curl can be removed by stretching the curled inner side, but the method of removing the curl while pulling the roll paper applies a force to both the inner side and the outer side. It is difficult to make it bigger. In contrast, if the mechanism removes curl while pushing out the roll paper 3 as in the printer 1 of this example, only the inner surface can be stretched without applying force to the outer surface of the curl. Further, it is possible to generate a compressive force on the outer surface. Therefore, the paper feeding mechanism 40 or the printing mechanism 10 of the printer 1 of this example is also very efficient in curling.

  Further, in the printer 1 of this example, the curl is removed by using the waist of the paper on the output side in the vicinity of the platen roller 16, and the paper is reliably fed in that range, so that the paper jam hardly occurs. There are also benefits. Even if a paper jam occurs, since it is in the vicinity of the paper discharge port 4, it is very easy to eliminate the paper jam.

  In addition, if the platen roller 16 is not driven to feed the paper, no force is applied to the portion 3P that hits the first guide surface 30. Therefore, when the printer 1 stops printing and the platen roller 16 is not rotating, even if the portion 3P that contacts the guide surface 30 is bent in the direction opposite to the curl, almost no force is applied to the portion 3P. That is, there will be no reverse wrinkles. Therefore, special control for rotating the platen roller 16 in reverse is not necessary.

  The paper feeding device 40 according to the present invention and a printer that employs the paper feeding device 40 are not limited to the above. A paper path printer may be used in which the roll paper and the thermal head are arranged opposite to the platen roller, and the roll paper is not reversed by the platen roller. Further, the paper discharge direction is not limited to the upper surface of the housing, and can be freely selected from the side surface and the lower surface, and the first guide surface can be arranged according to the present invention.

  Further, as in the printer 1a shown in FIG. 3, the present invention can be incorporated as a paper feeding device 40a for paper discharge different from the printing mechanism 10. In this printer 1a, a roll paper 3 is set on the rear B side of the housing 2, and from the roll paper 3 toward the front F, a printing mechanism 10 including a platen roller 16 and a line thermal head 15 and paper for paper discharge. The feeding device 40a is arranged in this order. The paper feeding device 40 a guides the paper discharge roller 41, the sub roller 42, the paper guide 25 that guides the roll paper 3 to the paper discharge port 4, and the roll paper 3 output from the paper discharge roller 41 to the vicinity of the paper guide 25. The paper guide 45 is provided, the paper discharge roller 41 corresponds to the feed roller, the sub roller 42 corresponds to the paper pressing member, and the paper guide 25 corresponds to the first paper guide having the first guide surface 30. The paper guide 45 corresponds to a second paper guide having the second guide surface 19.

  In the paper feeding device 40a, the first paper guide 25 is swung and / or slid by using the shaft 31, and the second paper guide 45 is slid in the front-rear direction by the shaft 46 or swung. In addition, the direction in which the roll paper 3 hits the first guide surface 30 can be changed, and the curl having different strengths can be flexibly corrected.

  FIG. 4 shows a further different printer 1 b, and the paper feeding device 40 b of the printer 1 b faces each other so as to guide the roll paper 3 from the output side of the platen roller 16 to the first guide surface 30. A fourth paper guide 58 having guide surfaces 56a and 57a is provided. Further, in the paper feeding device 40 b, the output side portion 59 of the upper member 57 of the two members 57 and 56 arranged on the upper and lower sides as the fourth paper guide 58 includes the second guide surface 19. In order to provide a function as a second paper guide, the second paper guide is positioned close to the first guide surface 30.

  In the paper feeding device 40b, the roll paper 3 output from the paper discharge roller 41 is guided linearly to the first guide surface 30 within a minute space sandwiched between the guide surfaces 56a and 57a. Therefore, even if the distance between the platen roller 16 and the first guide surface 30 is increased, the roll paper 3 is used for the first guide surface by using the stiffness of the roll paper 3 without bending the roll paper 3. 30. Therefore, similarly to the above, the curl of the roll paper 3 can be stably removed. For this reason, it is suitable as a configuration for adding the function of removing the curl of the present invention to a printer in which the first guide surface 30 cannot be disposed in the vicinity of the platen roller 16 or an existing printer. For example, the roll paper 3 can be guided to the existing housing or the outside by the two members 56 and 57, and the first guide surface 30 can be provided there to remove the curl.

  In the paper feeding device 40b of this example, the first paper guide 25 and the member 56 below the fourth paper guide 58 can be integrated. Further, by rotating and / or sliding the member 57 above the fourth paper guide 58 using the shaft 46, the second surface is within a range in which the posture of the roll paper 3 can be maintained linearly by the guide surfaces 56a and 57a. It is possible to control the angle and position of the portion 59 functioning as a paper guide, and to flexibly correct the curl having different strengths by changing the direction in which the roll paper 3 hits the first guide surface 30. Is possible.

  On the other hand, the paper feeding device 40c of the present invention can be incorporated upstream of the printing mechanism 10 as in the printer 1c shown in FIG. In the printer 1 c, the roll paper 3 is guided to the flat platen 36 by the paper feeding device 40 b, and is printed on the roll paper 3 by a print head that moves in the scanning direction against the flat platen 36, for example, the inkjet head 35. Of course, the head 35 may be a wire dot type, and may be a line printer that prints lines in a batch or a page printer such as a laser printer instead of a serial printer in which the print head moves in the scanning direction. The printed roll paper 3 is guided to the paper discharge port 4 by the paper discharge rollers 52 and 51.

  The paper feeding device 40c of this example includes a feed roller 43, a paper guide 44 that is a paper pressing member and also a third paper guide, and a flat platen 36. The flat platen 36 is a first paper guide. Corresponding to The output side portion 45 of the paper guide 44 corresponds to the second paper guide provided with the second guide surface 19. For this reason, the roll paper 3 fed by the feed roller 43 and the plate 44 is in a state where the curl has been removed on the flat platen 36, and is printed on the flat paper by an inkjet method or the like. Therefore, even a roll paper can be printed with good image quality. In addition, in the case of the ink jet system, it is difficult to sandwich and feed the paper in a state where the ink after printing is not dried, but there is no such concern with the arrangement of this example. Furthermore, the print quality can be improved. In addition, since the paper feeding device 40c is configured only on the paper feeding side B of the inkjet head 35, there is no problem of deteriorating the printing quality such as staining the surface of the printed roll paper 3 by the paper feeding device 40c.

  Further, the paper feeding device 40c of this example changes the distance between the plate 44 and the flat platen 36 by sliding the plate 44 in an oblique direction, or turns the plate 44 to turn the surface of the flat platen 36 (first surface). 1), the angle at which the roll paper 3 is bent can be adjusted, and the curl with different strengths can be flexibly removed.

  In the above, an example in which the paper feeding device of the present invention is incorporated in a thermal printer or an ink jet printer has been described. However, as long as the printing device uses roll paper, the invention is not limited to a printer, and other printing devices such as a facsimile and a plotter. It is also possible to apply.

  As described above, in the printing apparatus and paper feeding apparatus of the present invention, the guide surface inclined so as to stretch the curl is provided near the exit side of the feed roller, and the strength of the roll paper itself is strong on this guide surface. Using this, the roll paper is pressed to stretch the curl. Therefore, the curl of the roll paper can be efficiently removed as compared with a mechanism for correcting the curl by pulling the roll paper, and the motor can be made smaller by reducing the load of the paper feeding motor. Therefore, it is a user-friendly printing device that has the function of correcting the curl of roll paper and can obtain the same output as when printing on a cut sheet. A printing apparatus with low power can be provided.

  As described above, in this specification, the feed roller and the paper pressing member capable of feeding paper with the roll paper interposed therebetween, and the roll paper output from the feed roller are pressed, and the roll paper is moved in the direction opposite to the bending direction. A paper feeder is described having a first paper guide that forms a first guide surface that is inclined to guide. The first paper guide is preferably disposed in the vicinity of the feed roller. Further, it is desirable that a distance between the feed roller and the first guide surface is 10 mm or less. Further, it is desirable that the first guide surface is inclined by about 45 degrees or more with respect to the direction in which the roll paper hits the first guide surface.

  Further, the paper feeding device may have means capable of changing the inclination of the first guide surface and / or the distance between the first guide surface and the feed roller. Further, the paper feeding device may have a second paper guide provided with a second guide surface that guides the roll paper to the vicinity of the first guide surface. The paper pressing member may be a third paper guide having a flat guide surface that presses the roll paper against the feed roller, and an output end thereof may be the second paper guide. A fourth paper guide having guide surfaces facing each other so as to guide the roll paper from the output side of the feed roller to the first guide surface; and an output end of the fourth paper guide is It may be the second paper guide. It is effective that the distance between the output end of the second guide surface and the first guide surface is 5 mm or less. The paper feeding device may further include means capable of changing the inclination of the second guide surface and / or the distance between the output end of the second guide surface and the first guide surface. The corner of the output end of the second paper guide may be a right angle or an acute angle.

  This specification also describes a printing apparatus having these paper feeding devices. The paper pressing member may be a line thermal head, and the feed roller may be a platen roller that feeds paper across the line thermal head and roll paper. The first paper guide may be a flat platen and may have a print head for printing on roll paper supported on the first guide surface. The print head may move along the first guide surface, and the print head may be an ink jet type.

1, 1a, 1b, 1c Printer 3 Roll paper 10 Printing mechanism 15 Line thermal head (paper pressing member, third paper guide)
16 Platen roller 19 2nd guide surface 21a, 45, 59, 2nd paper guide 24 Corner 25 1st paper guide 30 1st guide surface 31, 46 Shaft 35 Inkjet head 36 Flat platen (1st paper guide )
40, 40a, 40b, 40c Paper feeding device 41, 43 Paper discharge roller (feed roller)
42 Sub-roller (paper pressing member)
44 Plate (paper holding member, second paper guide)
58 Fourth paper guides 56a and 57a Guide surface φ1 of the fourth guide Direction in which the roll paper hits the first guide

Claims (2)

A feed roller and a paper holding member capable of feeding paper with roll paper interposed therebetween;
A first paper guide that forms a first guide surface that is inclined so that the roll paper output from the feed roller is pressed to guide the roll paper in a direction opposite to the curving direction;
A second paper guide having a second guide surface that guides the outer surface of the roll paper and guides the roll paper to the vicinity of the first guide surface;
The first guide surface is inclined at least 45 degrees with respect to the direction in which the roll paper strikes, and the end of the output side of the second guide surface is disposed in the vicinity of the first guide surface to thereby roll the roll. A paper feeding device that removes curl of the roll paper while maintaining a condition that the paper bends at least 45 degrees.   A printing apparatus comprising the paper feeding device according to claim 1.

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