JP2023153266A - Paper feeding unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To inhibit paper feeding failure of a roll sheet from being caused by attachment/detachment operation of a paper feeding tray to/from a housing.SOLUTION: A paper feeding unit 3 includes: a second paper feeding tray 61 which can store a wound body P2a of a roll sheet P2; a housing 60 which detachably supports the second paper feeding tray 61; and a return feeding mechanism 70. The return feeding mechanism 70 feeds the roll sheet P2 unwound from the wound body P2a to the wound body P2a in conjunction with an operation in which the second paper feeding tray 61 is moved forward to remove the second paper feeding tray 61 from the housing 60.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to a paper feed unit in which a paper feed tray capable of accommodating roll paper is removably attached to a housing.

Patent Document 1 describes two paper feed trays that are detachably attached to the main body of an image processing apparatus and can accommodate a roll of rolled paper. These paper feed trays are arranged in two stages, upper and lower, and each has a feed roller that conveys the roll paper unwound from the roll, and a paper feed path that guides the roll paper conveyed by the feed roller. , and a cutter that can cut the roll paper passing through the paper feed path.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 7-187495

Since the paper feed tray described in Patent Document 1 is provided with a cutter in addition to the feed roller, the structure of the paper feed tray itself is complicated. Therefore, the inventor of the present invention has proposed, for example, a casing for mounting a paper feed tray provided in the main body of an image processing apparatus, or an additional casing that is removable from the main body of the image processing apparatus and for mounting a paper feed tray. When we considered simplifying the configuration of the paper feed tray itself by installing a feed roller and cutter on the housing side, we discovered the following issues.

When a cutting mechanism such as a cutter is provided on the housing side, the leading end of the roll paper cut by the cutting mechanism is placed at a position that protrudes above the paper feed tray. If you move the paper tray in this state, remove it from the housing, and then attach it to the housing again, the leading edge of the roll paper will be attached to a component (for example, the paper feed roller) installed in the housing. etc.) and the roll paper may bend. If the roll paper is bent due to the operation of attaching and detaching the paper feed tray in this way, there is a problem that paper feeding failure occurs after the paper feed tray is attached.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feed unit that can prevent roll paper feeding failures caused by attachment/detachment of a paper feed tray to/from a housing.

The paper feeding unit of the present invention includes a paper feeding tray capable of accommodating a rolled body of roll paper, a housing movably supporting the paper feeding tray, and a housing that supports the paper feeding tray in a direction perpendicular to a rotation axis of the rolled paper. A return feeding mechanism is provided that pulls back the leading end of the roll paper unwound from the roll toward the paper feed tray in conjunction with the outward movement of the paper feed tray with respect to the housing.

According to the paper feed unit of the present invention, when the paper feed tray is moved outward with respect to the housing, the roll paper unwound from the roll body is sent toward the roll body, and the leading edge of the roll paper is is pulled back into the paper tray. Therefore, when the paper feed tray is moved inward with respect to the casing, the leading edge of the roll paper is less likely to come into contact with the casing or the like, making it less likely to bend. Therefore, it is possible to suppress paper feeding failures of the roll paper due to movement of the paper feeding tray with respect to the housing.

1 is a perspective view of a printer that employs a paper feed unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of the printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. It is a block diagram of a control part. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the internal structure of the paper feed unit and showing a state in which the second paper feed tray is completely attached to the housing. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the paper feeding unit shown in FIG. 1 in a state where roll paper is not accommodated. FIG. 3 is a plan view of the rotation mechanism and its surroundings. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the internal structure of the paper feed unit when the second paper feed tray is partially attached to the housing and the pinion gear starts to mesh with the rack gear. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the internal structure of the paper feed unit when the second paper feed tray is partially attached to the housing and the pinion gear is engaged with the rack gear. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the internal structure of the paper feed unit when the second paper feed tray is partially attached to the housing and the pinion gear is located in front of the rack gear.

Hereinafter, a printer 1 that employs a paper feed unit 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The printer 1 is installed and used in the state shown in FIG. In this embodiment, three directions shown with arrows in FIG. 1 are an up-down direction A1, a front-back direction A2, and a left-right direction A3. The three directions shown in FIG. 1 are the same in other drawings.

<Overview of printer 1>
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 is generally shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped, and includes a printer main body 2 and an additional paper feed unit 3 attached to the lower part of the printer main body 2. As shown in FIG. The printer main body 2 has a housing 11 . An opening 12 is formed approximately in the center of the front wall 11a of the housing 11. A first paper feed tray 15 and a paper discharge tray 16 are provided in two stages, upper and lower. The first paper feed tray 15 is configured to be able to be inserted and removed from the opening 12 in the front-rear direction A2, that is, to be able to be attached to and removed from the housing 11. A cut sheet P1 of a desired size (for example, A4 size) is placed on the first paper feed tray 15. The printer main body 2 can be connected to an external device such as a personal computer (hereinafter referred to as PC). Then, a recording operation is executed based on a recording command from the PC. Various functions are also executed by the user's operation of the operation buttons.

Further, the front wall 11a of the housing 11 has an open/close cover 4 on its right side, as shown in FIG. The opening/closing cover 4 is configured to be rotatable at its lower end about a rotation axis (not shown) along the left-right direction A3.

<Internal structure of printer body 2>
Next, the internal structure of the printer main body 2 will be explained. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the printer main body 2 includes a first feeding section 20, a pair of transport rollers 35, a recording section 40, a tank unit 18, a pair of paper ejection rollers 36, and a first ASF (Automatic Sheet feed) motor 20M (see FIG. 4), LF (line feed) motor 35M (see FIG. 4), and control section 5 (see FIG. 4).

The first feeding unit 20 feeds the paper P1 placed on the first paper feeding tray 15 to the transport path 25. The transport roller pair 35 transports the paper P1 fed by the first feeding section 20 and the roll paper P2 fed from the paper feeding unit 3 via the branch path 25a to the recording section 40. The recording unit 40 has, for example, an inkjet recording configuration, and records images on the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 that are transported by the transport roller pair 35. The paper discharge roller pair 36 discharges the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 recorded by the recording section 40 to the paper discharge tray 16.

<Tank unit 18>
The tank unit 18 has four tanks 18a to 18d, as shown in FIG. These four tanks 18a to 18d are provided on the downstream side of the printer main body 2 in the transport direction and on the right side in FIG. 3, and are arranged side by side in the left-right direction (scanning direction) A3. Black, yellow, cyan, and magenta inks are stored in the four tanks 18a to 18d in order from the one located on the right side. That is, black ink is stored in the rightmost tank 18a, and color ink is stored in the other three tanks 18b to 18d. These four color inks stored in the four tanks 18a to 18d are supplied to an inkjet head 41 (described later) via four tubes (not shown).

<First feeding section 20>
As shown in FIG. 2, the first feeding section 20 is provided above the first paper feeding tray 15. As shown in FIG. The first feeding section 20 has a first paper feeding roller 21 and a first arm 22 . The first paper feed roller 21 is pivotally supported at the tip of the first arm 22. The first arm 22 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 22a, and is biased by a spring or the like to rotate downward so that the first paper feed roller 21 contacts the first paper feed tray 15. . Further, the first arm 22 is configured to be retractable upward when the first paper feed tray 15 is attached or detached. The first paper feed roller 21 is rotated by the power of the first ASF motor 20M being transmitted via a transmission mechanism (not shown), and the paper P1 loaded in the first paper feed tray 15 is fed to the transport path 25. sent.

<First paper feed tray 15>
As shown in FIG. 2, the first paper feed tray 15 has an inclined wall portion 15a. The slanted wall portion 15a guides the paper P1 placed on the first paper feed tray 15 to the conveyance path 25 when the paper P1 is fed by the first paper feed roller 21.

<Conveyance path 25>
The conveyance path 25 is configured inside the housing 11, and curves upward from the rear end of the first paper feed tray 15 and toward the front side of the printer 1, as shown in FIG. The paper P1 fed from the first paper feed tray 15 is guided by the transport path 25 in a U-turn from below to above, and reaches the recording section 40.

<Fork road 25a>
A branch path 25a is connected to the conveyance path 25. The branch path 25 a is also configured within the housing 11 , extends in the vertical direction A<b>1 behind the first paper feed tray 15 , and is connected to the transport path 25 . The roll paper P2 fed from the paper feeding unit 3 is guided from the branch path 25a to the conveyance path 25, and guided from below to the front by the conveyance path 25 to reach the recording section 40.

<Conveyance roller pair 35 and paper ejection roller pair 36>
The conveying roller pair 35 includes a conveying roller 35a disposed on the lower side and a pinch roller 35b disposed on the upper side. The conveyance roller 35a is rotated by the power of the LF motor 35M being transmitted via a transmission mechanism (not shown). The pinch roller 35b rotates as the conveyance roller 35a rotates. The conveyance roller 35a and the pinch roller 35b cooperate to pinch the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 from the vertical direction A1, and transport the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 to the recording section 40.

The paper ejection roller pair 36 includes a paper ejection roller 36a arranged on the lower side and a spur roller 36b arranged on the upper side. The paper ejection roller 36a is rotated by the power of the LF motor 35M being transmitted via a transmission mechanism (not shown). The spur roller 36b rotates as the paper discharge roller 36a rotates. The paper discharge roller 36a and the spur roller 36b cooperate to sandwich the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 from the vertical direction A1, and convey the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 to the paper discharge tray 16.

<Recording section 40>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the recording unit 40 includes an inkjet head 41, a head moving mechanism 50, and a platen 6. Head moving mechanism 50 includes a carriage 51 . The carriage 51 reciprocates in the scanning direction (the left-right direction A3, which is perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the paper P1 and the roll paper P2). The inkjet head 41 is supported by a carriage 51.

The lower surface of the inkjet head 41 is an ejection surface 41b in which a plurality of ejection ports 41a are formed to eject ink onto the paper P1 and roll paper P2 conveyed below the inkjet head 41. As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of ejection ports 41a are arranged so that four ejection port rows are formed in the scanning direction, which are arranged along the transport direction. In this embodiment, black ink is ejected from the ejection ports 41a belonging to the rightmost ejection port row in FIG. 3, and color ink (magenta, cyan, and , yellow) is ejected. The inkjet head 41 discharges ink of each color as minute ink droplets from the discharge ports 41a under the control of the control unit 5 based on a recording command.

A tube joint 44 is integrally provided in the inkjet head 41. The inkjet head 41 and the tank unit 18 are connected via four flexible tubes (not shown) connected to the tube joint 44, and ink of each color is supplied to the inkjet head 41.

A platen 6 is disposed below the inkjet head 41 and supports the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 that are transported by the transport roller pair 35. The platen 6 is disposed in a portion of the reciprocating range of the carriage 51 through which the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 pass. Since the width of the platen 6 is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 that can be transported, the paper P1 and the roll paper P2 that are transported through the transport path 25 always pass over the platen 6.

The head moving mechanism 50 includes a pair of guide rails 52 and a belt transmission mechanism 53, as shown in FIG. The pair of guide rails 52 are arranged apart from each other in the front-rear direction A2 and extend parallel to each other in the left-right direction A3. The carriage 51 is arranged to straddle the pair of guide rails 52, and is reciprocated along the left-right direction A3 on the pair of guide rails 52.

Further, the belt transmission mechanism 53 includes two pulleys 54 and 55, an endless timing belt 56 partially fixed to the carriage 51, and a carriage motor 50M. The two pulleys 54 and 55 are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction A3, and a timing belt 56 is stretched between them. The pulley 54 is connected to a drive shaft of a carriage motor 50M, and when the carriage motor 50M is driven, the timing belt 56 runs, and the inkjet head 41 moves together with the carriage 51 in the scanning direction.

The inkjet head 41 ejects ink of each color from the ejection opening 41a under the control of the control unit 5 based on a recording command. That is, by reciprocating the carriage 51 in the left-right direction A3, the inkjet head 41 scans the paper P1 and the roll paper P2, and also discharges ink of each color from the discharge port 41a onto the platen 6. Images are recorded on paper P1 and roll paper P2 that are transported. Note that the printer 1 is provided with a linear encoder (not shown) having a large number of transparent parts (slits) arranged at intervals in the scanning direction. On the other hand, the carriage 51 is provided with a transmission type position detection sensor (not shown) having a light emitting element and a light receiving element. The printer 1 can recognize the current position of the carriage 51 in the scanning direction from the count value of the transparent part of the linear encoder detected by the position detection sensor while the carriage 51 is moving. Rotational drive is controlled.

As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 5 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), etc., and these components work together. , the first ASF motor 20M, the second ASF motor 80M (described later), the LF motor 35M, the carriage motor 50M, the inkjet head 41, the cutting motor 90M (described later), and the like. For example, the control unit 5 controls the inkjet head 41, the first ASF motor 20M, the LF motor 35M, the carriage motor 50M, etc. based on a recording command transmitted from the PC to record an image or the like on the paper P1. Further, the control unit 5 controls the inkjet head 41, the second ASF motor 80M, the LF motor 35M, the carriage motor 50M, the cutting motor 90M, etc., based on the recording command transmitted from the PC, so as to print an image on the roll paper P2. record etc.

Note that although the control unit 5 of this embodiment has one CPU and one ASIC, the control unit 5 includes only one ASIC, and this one ASIC performs necessary processing all at once. Alternatively, it may include a plurality of ASICs, and the plurality of ASICs may share and perform necessary processing.

<Paper feed unit 3>
As shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. mechanism 90. As shown in FIG. 1, the housing 60 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape and is configured to be detachably attached to the lower part of the printer main body 2. An opening 60b is formed approximately in the center of the front wall 60a of the housing 60. The second paper feed tray 61 is configured to be able to be inserted and removed from the opening 60b in the front-rear direction A2 (orthogonal direction), that is, to be able to be attached to and removed from the housing 60.

<Second paper feed tray 61>
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the second paper feed tray 61 includes a tray main body 61a, a support base 61b that supports the wound body P2a of the roll paper P2, and a guide member 61d. The support stand 61b and the guide member 61d are detachably provided to the tray body 61a. The tray main body 61a has a rectangular planar shape, as shown in FIG. Further, the tray main body 61a has a planar size that can accommodate, for example, an A4 size cut sheet in a state in which the support base 61b and the guide member 61d are removed. Further, the tray main body 61a has a slanted wall portion 61a1 at the rear end, as shown in FIG. The slanted wall portion 61a1 guides the roll paper P2 fed by the second paper feed roller 81 toward the branch path 25a.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the guide member 61d is disposed between the rear end of the tray body 61a and the support base 61b, and guides the tray body of the roll paper P2 unwound from the roll body P2a. It is a plate-like member for suppressing floating from the bottom part 61a2 (bottom surface) of 61a. As shown in FIG. 6, the guide member 61d has a substantially rectangular planar shape that is elongated in the left-right direction A3, and has a notch 61d1 formed at the center of the rear and a notch 61d2 at the front. The cutout portion 61d1 is formed so that the tip portions of a second paper feed roller 81 and a second arm 82, which will be described later, can move in and out as the second arm 82 rotates. A roller 72, which will be described later, is arranged in the notch 61d2.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the support stand 61b is arranged between the center and the front end of the tray body 61a in the front-back direction A2. The support base 61b includes a base body 62 having a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape and elongated in the left-right direction A3, and a plurality of rollers 63a to 63c. The table main body 62 has two inclined surfaces 62a and 62b formed on its upper surface, sandwiching the center in the front-rear direction A2. Of the two inclined surfaces 62a and 62b, the inclined surface 62a is arranged at the front, and the inclined surface 62b is arranged at the rear. These two sloped surfaces 62a and 62b are configured to slope downward as they approach each other. Eight rollers 63a are arranged along the left-right direction A3 at the rear end of the inclined surface 62a. Eight rollers 63b are arranged along the left-right direction A3 at the front end of the slope 62b. Eight rollers 63c are arranged along the left-right direction A3 at the rear end of the slope 62b. These rollers 63a, 63b contact the lower portion of the outer circumferential surface P2a1 of the rolled body P2a of the roll paper P2, and support the rolled body P2a from below. The plurality of rollers 63c guide the roll paper P2 unwound from the roll P2a. These plurality of rollers 63a to 63c are supported by the base body 62 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis parallel to the left-right direction A3. Therefore, the roll P2a of the roll paper P2 is also rotatable about the rotation axis C parallel to the left-right direction A3. Further, the base body 62 is formed with a groove 62c that is open upward. As shown in FIG. 6, the groove 62c is located at the center of the base body 62 in the front-rear direction A2 and between the two inclined surfaces 62a and 62b.

<Return feed mechanism 70>
The return feed mechanism 70 is interlocked with the operation of moving the second paper feed tray 61 forward and removing it from the casing 60 from the fully attached state in which the second paper feed tray 61 is completely attached to the casing 60. , is a mechanism for feeding the roll paper P2 unwound from the roll P2a toward the roll P2a. The return feed mechanism 70 includes a pair of rollers 71 and 72 that can sandwich the roll paper P2 unwound from the roll P2a, and a rotation mechanism 73 that rotates the roller 71. The pair of rollers 71 and 72 are arranged between the tip end (rear end in FIG. 5) of the second paper feed tray 61 and the rolled body P2a when the second paper feed tray 61 is attached to the housing 60. and is rotatably supported by the second paper feed tray 61. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, one of the pair of rollers 71 and 72, the roller 71, extends in the left-right direction A3, and both ends thereof touch the left and right side walls of the tray body 61a. is rotatably supported. As shown in FIG. 5, the other roller 72 has a larger diameter than the roller 71 and is arranged so as to contact the roller 71 from above. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the roller 72 extends long in the left-right direction A3, is disposed in the notch 61d2 of the guide member 61d, and has both ends rotatably supported by the guide member 61d. ing. That is, the roller 72 is rotatably supported at the end (front end in FIG. 5) of the guide member 61d that is farthest from the tip end (rear end in FIG. 5) of the second paper feed tray 61. Further, the guide member 61d is arranged between the tip end (rear end in FIG. 5) of the second paper feed tray 61 and the return feed mechanism 70. Furthermore, since it is possible to sandwich the rolled paper P2 unwound from the rolled body P2a between the pair of rollers 71 and 72, the rolled paper P2 unwound from the rolled body P2a set on the support stand 61b can be held between the pair of rollers 71 and 72. By manually rotating the roller 72 counterclockwise in FIG. 5 while it is being held between the pair of rollers 71 and 72, the leading end of the roll paper P2 can be easily fed to a desired position and set. The desired position here is, for example, a position where the second paper feed roller 81 can be contacted when the second paper feed tray 61 is fully attached to the housing 60, or a position near the rear end of the tray body 61a in FIG. be.

The rotation mechanism 73 includes a power transmission section 74, a pinion gear 75, and a rack gear 76, as shown in FIG. The power transmission section 74 and the pinion gear 75 are arranged in parallel in the left-right direction A3 while being connected to each other. The power transmission section 74 is a known one-way clutch, is connected to the left end of the roller 71, and transmits the unidirectional rotational force of the pinion gear 75 to the roller 71. The power transmission section 74 in this embodiment transmits the rotational force when the pinion gear 75 rotates counterclockwise to the roller 71 in FIG. It is composed of The pinion gear 75 is configured to be rotatable by meshing with the rack gear gear 76. Further, these power transmission section 74 and pinion gear 75 are arranged on the left side of the tray main body 61a.

The rack gear 76 is arranged in the groove 60d of the housing 60. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 7, the groove portion 60d is formed at the lower end of the left side wall of the opening 60d from the front end to the center in the front-rear direction A2. The rack gear 76 is formed to extend in the front-rear direction A2. Further, the groove portion 60d is configured such that a power transmission portion 74 and a pinion gear 75 can be placed therein when the second paper feed tray 61 is attached to the housing 60. As shown in FIG. 7, when the second paper feed tray 61 is completely attached to the housing 60, the rack gear 76 is located at a position where its rear end does not mesh with the pinion gear 75 and is located forward of the pinion gear 75. Located in Therefore, when the second paper feed tray 61 is completely attached to the housing 60, the roller 71 becomes rotatable. Therefore, the transport load when transporting the roll paper P2 sandwiched between the pair of rollers 71 and 72 is reduced. Further, the rack gear 76 is arranged at a position where it can mesh with the pinion gear 75 in the partially installed state. The semi-installed state refers to the state of the second paper feed tray 61 from when the second paper feed tray 61 is moved forward from the fully mounted state until the second paper feed tray 61 is removed from the housing 60. Further, the rack gear 76 engages with the pinion gear 75 when the second paper feed tray 61 is moved forward from the fully installed state, thereby rotating the pinion gear 75 counterclockwise in FIG. When the second paper feed tray 61 in a partially installed state is moved rearward, it engages with the pinion gear 75, thereby rotating the pinion gear 75 clockwise in FIG.

<Second feeding section 80>
As shown in FIG. 5, the second feeding section 80 is provided above the second paper feeding tray 61. The second feeding section 80 has a second paper feeding roller 81 and a second arm 82 . The second paper feed roller 81 is pivotally supported at the tip of the second arm 82. The second arm 82 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 82a, and is biased by a spring or the like to rotate downward so that the second paper feed roller 81 comes into contact with the second paper feed tray 61. . Further, the second arm 82 is configured to be retractable to an upper retracted position (see FIG. 8) when the second paper feed tray 61 is attached or removed. The second paper feed roller 81 is rotated by the power of the second ASF motor 80M being transmitted through a transmission mechanism (not shown), and is unwound from the rolled body P2a housed in the second paper feed tray 61. Roll paper P2 is fed to branch path 25a via cutting mechanism 90.

<Cutting mechanism 90>
The cutting mechanism 90 is installed at the rear upper part of the housing 60, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. The cutting mechanism 90 is a known cutting mechanism that extends long along the left-right direction A3 and is capable of cutting the roll paper P2 along the left-right direction A3. The cutting mechanism 90 includes a guide section 92 that defines a conveyance path 91 through which the roll paper P2 fed by the second paper feed roller 81 passes, a cutter (not shown), and a cutting motor 90M that drives the cutter. (See Figure 4). The cutter is configured to be movable along the left-right direction A3, and cuts the roll paper P2 within the conveyance path 91. The cutting mechanism 90 cuts the roll paper P2 fed by the second feeding section 80 at a desired position under the control of the control section 5. Therefore, the leading end of the cut roll paper P2 is located above the leading end (the rear end in FIG. 5) of the second paper feed tray 61. In this embodiment, the leading end of the cut roll paper P2 is located within the transport path 91. In this embodiment, the cutting mechanism 90 is provided in the housing 60, but it may be provided in the printer main body 2.

<Operation of return feed mechanism 70>
Next, the operation of the return feed mechanism 70 when the second paper feed tray 61 of the paper feed unit 3 is attached to and removed from the housing 60 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 8 to 10. The printer 1 is normally used when the second paper feed tray 61 is completely attached to the housing 60, as shown in FIG. Since the roll paper P2 is cut by the cutting mechanism 90 when used for image recording, the leading end of the roll paper P2 exists within the transport path 91.

When the user pulls out the second paper feed tray 61 forward to remove it from the housing 60 in order to view the inside of the second paper feed tray 61, the pair of rollers 71 and 72 of the return feed mechanism 70 unwinds the second paper feed tray 61. The rolled paper P2 unwound from the body P2a is sent toward the rolled body P2a, and the leading end of the rolled paper P2 moves. Note that at this time, the second arm 82 has moved to the retracted position.

More specifically, when the second paper feed tray 61 is moved from the fully installed state shown in FIG. 5 to the partially installed position shown in FIG. 8, the pinion gear 75 and the rack gear 76 begin to mesh with each other. When the second paper feed tray 61 is further moved forward from this state, the pinion gear 75 engages with the rack gear 76 and rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9, as shown in FIG. That is, the roller 71 also rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9 together with the pinion gear 75. By rotating the roller 71 in this manner, the roll paper P2 held between the rollers 71 and 72 is sent toward the rolled body P2a. That is, the roll paper P2 is returned to the roll P2a. At this time, the roller 72 rotates clockwise in FIG. 9 as the roll paper P2 is returned to the wound body P2a by the roller 71. As a result, the paper roll P2 between the paper roll P2a and the pair of rollers 71 and 72 is slightly bent upward, but due to the stiffness of the paper roll P2, the paper roll P2a itself is rotated around the axis of rotation C. 9, it rotates clockwise and winds up the roll paper P2 returned by the return feed mechanism 70. Further, at this time, the wound body P2a is easily rotated about the rotation axis C because it is supported by the plurality of rollers 63a and 63b of the support base 61b. Therefore, it becomes easier to wind up the roll paper P2 returned by the return feed mechanism 70. In other words, even if the roll paper P2 is relatively stiff and flexible, the roll paper P2 can be easily wound up.

Then, when the second paper feed tray 61 is further moved forward, the roller 71 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 9 while the pinion gear 75 and rack gear 76 are engaged, and then as shown in FIG. When the pinion gear 75 moves forward than the rack gear 76 and the two are no longer engaged, the rotation of the roller 71 also stops. Further, the return feed mechanism 70, which is linked to the operation of removing the second paper feed tray 61 from the housing 60, returns the roll paper P2 to the wound body P2a while the pinion gear 75 is engaged with the rack gear 76. By returning the roll paper P2 to the roll P2a, the leading end of the roll paper P2 is placed between the rear end of the conveyance guide 61d and the tray main body 61a, as shown in FIG. In other words, the return feed mechanism 70 pulls out the second paper feed tray 61 from the fully installed state to a position where the pinion gear 75 is located in front of the rack gear 76 (a position where the engagement between the pinion gear 75 and the rack gear 76 ends). The rolled paper P2 is fed toward the rolled body P2a so that the leading edge of the paper P2 moves from the conveyance path 91 to the point of contact between the second paper feed roller 81 and the bottom 61a2 of the tray body 61a shown in FIG. It is configured as follows. Note that the return feed mechanism 70 is configured such that when the second paper feed tray 61 is pulled out from the fully installed state to a position where the pinion gear 75 is located in front of the rack gear 76, the leading end of the roll paper P2 touches the slanted wall of the tray body 61a. It is sufficient if it is possible to feed the roll paper P2 toward the rolled body P2a to a position located below the upper end of the portion 61a1.

After this, the second paper feed tray 61 is removed from the casing 60, and then the user moves the second paper feed tray 61 backward and reinstalls it into the casing 60. At this time, the pinion gear 75 and the rack gear 76 mesh with each other and the pinion gear 75 rotates clockwise in FIG. Do not send in the transport direction (backwards). Therefore, the leading end of the roll paper P2 does not move when the second paper feed tray 61 is attached to the housing 60, but remains within the tray body 61a, that is, located below the upper end of the slanted wall portion 61a1. Become. Even if the second paper feed tray 61 is pulled out from the casing 60 and then attached to the casing 60 in this way, the leading edge of the roll paper P2 is placed inside the tray main body 61a, so the second paper feed tray 61 When the roll paper P2 is attached, the leading end of the roll paper P2 does not come into contact with the second feeding section 80 or the components of the casing 60. Therefore, it is possible to attach the second paper feed tray 61 to the housing 60 without bending the leading end of the roll paper P2.

As described above, according to the paper feeding unit 3 of the present embodiment, when the second paper feeding tray 61 is removed from the housing 60, the rolled paper P2 unwound from the rolled body P2a is The leading end of the roll paper P2 is pulled back into the second paper feed tray 61. Therefore, when the second paper feed tray 61 is reattached to the housing 60, the leading end of the roll paper P2 is less likely to come into contact with the housing 60, etc., and is less likely to bend. Therefore, even when the second paper feed tray 60 is attached to and removed from the housing 60, the leading edge of the roll paper P2 is difficult to bend, so that paper feeding failures such as jams of the roll paper P2 occur when the roll paper P2 is fed. This makes it possible to suppress the occurrence of such problems.

The return feed mechanism 70 is arranged between the tip end (the rear end in FIG. 5) of the second paper feed tray 61 and the rolled body P2a in the front-rear direction A2. As a result, the return feed mechanism 70 is arranged between the tip of the second paper feed tray 61 and the rolled body P2a.

The return feed mechanism 70 includes a pair of rollers 71 and 72, and a rotation mechanism 73 that rotates the roller 71 in conjunction with the operation of removing the second paper feed tray 61 from the housing 60. This makes it possible to send the roll paper P2 toward the roll P2a when removing the second paper feed tray 61 from the housing 60 with a relatively simple configuration of the return feed mechanism.

The rotation mechanism 73 includes a pinion gear 75 and a rack gear 76. This makes it possible to rotate the roller 71 with a relatively simple configuration of the rotation mechanism 73.

Furthermore, the rotation mechanism 73 has a power transmission section 74 . This makes it possible to prevent the leading end of the roll paper P2 from moving and coming into contact with the housing 60 or the like when the second paper feed tray 61 is attached.

The second paper feed tray 61 has a guide in the front-rear direction A2 between the tip of the second paper feed tray 61 (rear end in FIG. 5) and a pair of rollers 71 and 72 (return mechanism 70). A member 61d is provided. This makes it possible to suppress floating of the roll paper P2 unwound from the roll P2a.

Also, when the return feed mechanism 70 removes the second paper feed tray 61 from the housing 60, the leading edge of the roll paper P2 is lower than the upper end of the leading end (the rear end in FIG. 5) of the second paper feeding tray 61. The roll paper P2 is returned so that the paper roll P2 is also placed downward. This makes it even more difficult for the leading end of the roll paper P2 to come into contact with the housing 60 or the like when the second paper feed tray 61 is attached to the housing 60 again.

Further, the support base 61b has a plurality of rollers 63a and 63b. This makes it possible to rotatably support the roll P2a of the roll paper P2 from below by the plurality of rollers 63a, 63b of the support stand 61b.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. For example, the paper feed unit 3 described above is an expansion unit that can be attached to and detached from the printer main body 2, but it may be fixed to the printer main body 2 integrally. Furthermore, a mechanism similar to the return feed mechanism 70 may be provided in the housing 11 and the first paper feed tray 15 of the printer main body 2, and a paper feed unit may be provided in the printer main body 2 itself. In this case as well, the same effects as in the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

The return feed mechanism 70 has a pair of rollers 71 and 72 and a rotation mechanism 73, and when the second paper feed tray 61 is moved forward from the housing 60 and removed, the winding Any configuration may be used as long as it is possible to send the rolled paper P2 toward the rolled body P2a so that the rolled paper P2 unwound from the body P2a is returned to the rolled body P2ab, and there are no particular limitations. isn't it. For example, when moving the second paper feed tray 61 forward, the outer circumferential surface of the lower roller of the pair of rollers that sandwich the roll paper P2 unwound from the roll body P2a comes into contact with the housing 60. The contact may cause the roller to rotate and send the roll paper P2 toward the roll P2a. In this case, it is not necessary to have the rotation mechanism 73.

The second paper feed tray 61 does not need to have the support base 61b. In this case, a shaft portion may be provided at the center of the wound body P2a of the roll paper P2, and the shaft portion may be rotatably supported by the tray body 61a. Moreover, the support stand 61b may be fixed to the tray main body 61a.

The guide member 61d may not be provided. Moreover, the roller 72 does not need to be supported by the guide member 61d. That is, the roller 72 may be rotatably supported by the tray body 61a.

The rotation mechanism 73 does not need to have the power transmission section 74. In this case, the configuration is such that when the second paper feed tray 61 is removed from the housing 60, the roll paper P2 is returned to the winding body P2a before the leading edge of the roll paper P2 contacts the housing 60 or the like. . This makes it possible to prevent the leading end of the roll paper P2 from coming into contact with the housing 60 and the like when the second paper feed tray 61 is attached to the housing 60.

When the second paper feed tray 61 is removed from the housing 60, the return feeding mechanism 70 moves the roll paper P2 unwound from the rolled body P2a toward the rolled body P2a. Even if the leading edge of the paper P2 is located slightly above the upper end of the leading edge (rear end in FIG. 5) of the second paper feeding tray 61 when the second paper feeding tray 61 is installed in the housing 60, good. Also in this case, when the second paper feed tray 61 is reattached to the casing 60, the leading end of the roll paper P2 is less likely to come into contact with the casing 60 and the like, making it difficult to bend.

Moreover, although an example in which the present invention is applied to a printer that records on paper P has been described above, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to the entire paper feeding unit capable of accommodating the wound body P2a of the roll paper P2.

3 Paper feed unit 60 Housing 61 Second paper feed tray (paper feed tray)
61a Tray body 61b Support stand 61d Guide members 63a, 63b Roller 70 Return feed mechanism 71 Roller (one roller)
72 Roller (other roller)
73 Rotation mechanism 74 Power transmission section 75 Pinion gear 76 Rack gear

The paper feed unit of the present invention includes a paper feed tray capable of accommodating a rolled body of roll paper, a housing that movably supports the paper feed tray , and an outward direction of the paper feed tray with respect to the housing. and a return feeding mechanism that pulls back the leading end of the roll paper unwound from the roll toward the paper feed tray in conjunction with the movement of the roll paper.

Claims (10)

a paper feed tray that can accommodate a roll of paper;
a casing that movably supports the paper feed tray;
In conjunction with the outward movement of the paper feed tray with respect to the casing in the direction perpendicular to the rotation axis of the roll, the leading edge of the roll paper unwound from the roll is transferred to the paper feed tray. A paper feeding unit characterized by comprising a return feeding mechanism for pulling the paper back towards the target. The return feeding mechanism feeds the roll paper unwound from the rolled body toward the rolled body in conjunction with the outward movement of the paper feed tray with respect to the housing in the orthogonal direction. The paper feed unit according to claim 1, wherein the leading end of the roll paper is pulled back toward the paper feed tray. The return feed mechanism is disposed between the tip of the paper feed tray and the rolled body when moving the paper feed tray inward with respect to the housing in the orthogonal direction. The paper feeding unit according to claim 2, characterized in that: The return feed mechanism rotates a pair of rollers that are rotatably supported by the paper feed tray and can sandwich the rolled paper unwound from the roll, and one roller of the pair of rollers. It has a rotation mechanism,
The feeder according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the rotation mechanism rotates the one roller in conjunction with the outward movement of the paper feed tray with respect to the housing in the orthogonal direction. paper unit. The rotation mechanism is
a pinion gear that transmits rotational force to the one roller;
The paper feed unit according to claim 4, further comprising a rack gear provided in the housing and meshed with the pinion gear so as to rotate the pinion gear as the paper feed tray moves in the orthogonal direction. . The rotation mechanism further includes a power transmission section that transmits rotational force from the pinion gear to the one roller,
The power transmission unit transmits the rotational force of the pinion gear, which rotates by meshing with the rack gear, to the one roller when the paper feed tray is moved outward with respect to the housing in the orthogonal direction. 2. A rotational force of the pinion gear, which rotates by meshing with the rack gear, is not transmitted to the one roller when the paper feed tray is moved inward with respect to the housing. 5. The paper feeding unit according to 5. The paper feed tray is provided with the winding between the tip of the paper feed tray and the return mechanism when the paper feed tray is moved inward with respect to the housing in the orthogonal direction. The paper feed unit according to any one of claims 2 to 6, further comprising a guide member that prevents the roll paper unwound from the rotating body from floating off the bottom surface of the paper feed tray. The paper feed tray is provided with the winding between the tip of the paper feed tray and the return mechanism when the paper feed tray is moved inward with respect to the housing in the orthogonal direction. A guide member is provided to prevent the roll paper unwound from the rotating body from floating from the bottom surface of the paper feed tray,
The other roller of the pair of rollers is rotatably supported at an end of the guide member that is farthest from the tip of the paper feed tray;
The paper feeding unit according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein the one roller is rotatably supported by the paper feeding tray below the other roller. The return feed mechanism is configured such that the leading edge of the roll paper when the paper feed tray is moved in the orthogonal direction and removed from the housing is the upper end of the leading edge when the paper feed tray is attached to the housing. The paper feed according to any one of claims 2 to 8, characterized in that the roll paper unwound from the winding body is sent toward the winding body so that it is disposed below the winding body. unit. The paper feed tray has a tray main body and a support base disposed on the tray main body and supporting the wound body from below,
The paper feeding unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the support base includes a plurality of rollers that are rotatable while contacting a lower portion of the outer peripheral surface of the wound body.

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