JP3351689B2 - Recording medium positioning device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording medium positioning device for aligning the positions of recording media.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in a passbook printer or the like, when a passbook as a recording medium is inserted into a medium transport path, it is necessary to press one side of the passbook against a reference surface to align the passbook.
As a method of pressing a recording medium such as a passbook against a reference surface, a method of pressing a recording medium against a reference surface by a leaf spring arranged on one side of a medium transport path, as described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-40833, is disclosed. The recording medium is pressed against the reference surface by a pair of width-adjusting rollers rotating in the width direction of the passbook.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The structure is relatively simple. The method is simpler in structure. However, when different passbooks having greatly different width sizes are used, there is a case where the passbook cannot be pressed against the reference surface by any method. This is because in the method (1), the amount of deflection of the leaf spring is limited, and in the method (2), a large stroke of the electromagnet cannot be obtained. The method is
Since the width adjustment roller is rotated, it is possible to adjust the width of the passbook by a desired width. However, this width adjustment roller
When transporting a medium to a target position, it is necessary to retract the medium from the medium transport path, and the structure including the mechanism for retracting the medium is complicated.

[0004] The present invention provides a recording medium alignment device capable of reliably aligning a wide recording medium and a narrow recording medium toward a reference surface without using a complicated alignment roller. The purpose is to do so.

[0005]

According to the first aspect of the present invention,
A medium conveyance path for guiding two types of recording media having different width sizes, a medium conveyance unit arranged in the medium conveyance path, and a side arranged on one side of the medium conveyance path to guide one side edge of the recording medium A reference surface, and a leaf spring disposed on the other side of the medium transport path to press the wide recording medium against the reference surface,
The recording medium is driven by a width-adjustment drive unit that operates only when the narrow recording medium is inserted into the conveyance path to press a side edge of the narrow recording medium, and the recording medium is moved to the reference surface. And a pressing member for pressing , wherein the pressing member
When the width shifting drive unit is not driven, the basic
It is located on the side of the reference plane. Therefore, the wide recording medium is shifted toward the reference surface by the leaf spring, and the narrow recording medium is shifted toward the reference surface by the pressing member.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the medium transport section includes a drive roller disposed so as to oppose the medium transport path therebetween, and a pinch roller supported by the drive roller so as to be capable of coming and going. A medium width detector for detecting a width size of a recording medium inserted into the medium transport path; and a drive for contact / separation when a wide recording medium is recognized immediately after the recording medium is inserted into the medium transport path. A contact / separation driving means for displacing the pinch roller by means of the unit and bringing the pinch roller into and out of contact with the drive roller a plurality of times and then maintaining the contact state. Therefore, when a wide recording medium is moved toward the reference surface by a leaf spring, the recording medium is recorded on the plane of the medium conveyance path by vibration when the pinch roller is moved toward and away from the driving roller by the contact / separation driving means. The state in which the medium easily slides is maintained.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a medium alignment detector for detecting an amount of displacement of the pressing member is further provided. Therefore, the displacement state of the pressing member is recognized based on the detection signal of the medium alignment detector.

[0008]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a recording medium (passbook). The recording medium 1 has two types, a narrow recording medium 1S and a wide recording medium 1L. The medium transport path 5 is formed by arranging the guide plate 4 between the side plates 2 and 3 facing each other. A medium transport unit 6 that transports the recording medium 1 inserted into the medium transport path 5
Is composed of a driving roller 8 and a pinch roller 9 which are opposed to each other with an opening 7 formed in the guide plate 4 therebetween.
A reference surface 10 for guiding one side edge of the recording medium 1 is formed inside the side plate 2, and a side edge of the wide recording medium 1 L is pressed on an inner surface of the opposite side plate 3 to form the opposite side edge. The reference plane 1
A leaf spring 11 that presses against zero is provided. In a state where the leaf spring 11 is maintained in a free state, the distance between the reference surface 10 and the inner surface of the leaf spring 11 at a portion closest to the reference surface 10 is set to a value smaller than the width of the wide medium 1L. The distance between the inner surface of the side plate 3 and the reference surface 10 is set to a value slightly wider than the width of the wide (maximum width) recording medium 1L.

Above the medium transport path 5, the side edge of the narrow recording medium 1S is pressed to set the opposite side edge to the reference surface 1S.
There is provided a width shifting mechanism 12 for pressing to zero. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the width adjusting mechanism 12 includes a medium alignment magnet 13 which is a width adjustment driving unit, and a pressing member 14 connected to the medium alignment magnet 13. That is, the plunger 13a of the medium alignment magnet 13 is mounted on the frame 15 to which the medium alignment magnet 13 is fixed.
The drive arm 16 connected to the support member 17 is rotatably supported by a support shaft 17, and the pressing member 14 and the intermediate arm 18 are rotatably supported by a support shaft 19. The drive arm 16 and the intermediate arm 18 are connected by a link 20. Also, between the protruding piece 18a of the intermediate arm 18 and the protruding piece 14a of the pressing member 14, the counterclockwise rotation of the intermediate arm 18 is transmitted to the pressing member 14 via the spring 21. A spring 21 is stretched. Further, a detection piece 14b is formed integrally with the pressing member 14, and a medium alignment detector 22 for detecting the amount of displacement of the pressing member 14 by detecting the detection piece 14b.
Are provided on the frame 15. The pressing member 14
Is provided with an elastic piece 23 for elastically pressing the side edge of the narrow recording medium 1S.

As shown in FIG. 3, the pressing member 14 is returned in a returning direction (FIGS. 1 to 3) by a return spring 19a.
In this case, the stationary position is regulated by a stopper (not shown). That is, the return spring 19a is wound around the support shaft 19, one hook 19b is locked by the pressing member 14, and the other hook 19c is locked by a part of the frame 15 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). . Further, the urging force of the return spring 19a is controlled by the spring 21 and the intermediate arm 18.
In order to act on the plunger 13a of the medium positioning magnet 13 through the link 20 and the drive arm 16, the plunger 13a is urged in the protruding direction.

Next, the operation of the width shifting mechanism 12 will be described. The state shown in FIG. 1 is a state in which the medium positioning magnet 13 is off. When the medium alignment magnet 13 is turned on, as shown in FIG. 2, the plunger 13a is attracted against the urging force of the return spring 19a, so that the drive arm 16 rotates clockwise about the support shaft 17. Link 20
Pull. As a result, the intermediate arm 18 rotates counterclockwise about the support shaft 19 and pulls the spring 21.
At this time, since the tension force of the spring 21 is higher than the urging force of the return spring 19a due to the extension, the pressing member 14
Rotates counterclockwise around the support shaft 19 while bending the return spring 19a, and presses the narrow recording medium 1S against the reference surface 10 by the elastic piece 23. When the recording medium 1S is normally pressed against the reference surface 10, the displacement of the pressing member 14 is not insufficient, and the detected piece 14b is
2, the detection signal of the medium alignment detector 22 recognizes that the side edges of the narrow recording medium 1S are normally aligned with the reference surface 10.

When the medium positioning magnet 13 is turned off,
Since the medium alignment magnet 13 loses the pulling force of the plunger 13a, as shown in FIG. 1, the pressing member 14 is retracted above the medium transport path 5 until the pressing member 14 comes into contact with the stopper by the urging force of the return spring 19a. At this time, the spring 2
1 an intermediate arm 18 connected to the pressing member 14 by
Is rotated clockwise about the support shaft 19 and pulls the link 20 to the left in conjunction with the retreat operation of the pressing member 14, so that the drive arm 16 rotates counterclockwise about the support shaft 17. Then, the plunger 13a is returned to the projecting position shown in FIG.

In the case of a wide recording medium 1L, the leaf spring 11
To the reference surface 10. Such a recording medium 1
Is performed in a state where the pinch roller 9 is separated from the driving roller 8.

The contact / separation operation of the pinch roller 9 with respect to the drive roller 8 is performed by the contact / separation drive means 24 shown in FIG. The contact / separation drive means 24 is formed by connecting a pinch roller up / down magnet 25 serving as a contact / separation drive unit and roller arms 26 and 27 for rotatably supporting the pinch roller 9. Immediately after the recording medium 1 is inserted into the drive roller 5, the pinch roller 9 is brought into contact with and separated from the drive roller 8 a plurality of times, and then maintained in contact.

That is, the pinch roller 9 disposed on the back side in the insertion direction of the recording medium 1 is
The pinch rollers 9 arranged on the front side are rotatably supported by roller arms 27. A transmission shaft 28 that rotatably supports the rear roller arm 26 and a transmission shaft 29 that rotatably supports the front roller arm 27 are rotatably supported by the frame 30. Transmission shaft 2
Driving levers 31 and 32 are fixedly screwed to the intermediate portions of the driving levers 9 and 30. On both sides of the driving levers 31 and 32, pressing pieces 31 for pressing down the roller arm 26 or 27 are provided.
a, 32a are formed. Further, the driving lever 3
Bending pieces 31b, 32b formed on both sides of
Folded piece 26 formed at the end of roller arm 26, 27
A spring 33 is stretched between the drive lever 31a and the drive lever 31 on the rear side and a drive lever 32 on the front side is connected to a link 34.
Are connected by A rocking lever 35 is fixedly fitted to the deformed shaft portion 28a formed at the end of the transmission shaft 28 on the back side, and the free end of the rocking lever 35 is connected to the pinch roller via a link 36. The up / down magnet 25 is connected to a plunger 25a. The swing lever 35 is urged by a spring 37 in a return direction (clockwise around the transmission shaft 28).

FIG. 5 shows the relationship among the transmission shafts 28 and 29, the drive levers 31 and 32, and the roller arms 26 and 27. FIG. 6 shows the relationship between the transmission shaft 28 and the pinch roller up / down magnet 25. Indicates a connection relationship. Now, when the pinch roller up / down magnet 25 is turned on, the plunger 25a is attracted, so that the swing lever 35 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. The drive lever 31 connected to the transmission shaft 28 also rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Since this operation is transmitted to the drive lever 32 by the link 34, the drive lever 32 also rotates counterclockwise with the transmission shaft 29. At this time, since the drive levers 31 and 32 press the roller arms 26 and 27 with the pressing pieces 31a and 32a, the roller arms 26 and 27 rotate counterclockwise about the transmission shafts 28 and 29, and the pinch roller 9 is rotated. Is separated from the drive roller 8.

Pinch roller up / down magnet 2
When the switch 5 is turned off, the swing lever 35 returns clockwise together with the transmission shaft 28 by the urging force of the spring 37.
As a result, the drive lever 31 and the drive lever 32 connected to the drive lever 31 by the link 34 return clockwise in FIG. 5, but the spring 33 is extended by this return operation, so that the roller arm 26, 2
7 returns clockwise around the transmission shafts 28 and 29 by the pulling force of the spring 33, and brings the pinch roller 9 into contact with the drive roller 8.

As shown in FIG. 7, the drive rollers 8 are arranged in two rows on the rear side and the front side, and pulleys 39 are fixed to the ends of the respective shafts 38. These pulleys 39 will be described later. An endless belt 40 is wound around a pulley driven by the transport motor. A tension pulley 41 is provided between the two pulleys 39.

As shown in FIG. 8, a medium insertion port 42 is formed on the front side of the medium conveyance path 5 and the medium insertion port 42 is formed.
A medium width detector 43 is provided on the right side of
Media width detectors 44 and 45 are provided on the left side of 2. The detector 44 is provided inside the detector 45.
In the present embodiment, the detectors 43 and 44 are on and the detector 4
When 5 is off, it is recognized that the narrow recording medium 1S is inserted, and when all the detectors 43, 44, 45 are on,
It is recognized that the wide recording medium 1L has been inserted. When the detector 43 is off and the detectors 44 and 45 are on, it is not recognized as size recognition data.

Then, as shown in FIG.
A CPU 47 for controlling the operation of each unit based on the program written in the ROM 46 and a RAM 48 for temporarily storing variable data are connected by a bus line. Further, the CPU 47 includes the medium alignment detector 2
2, a medium width detector 43, 44, 45, a driver 49 for driving the medium alignment magnet 13, a driver 50 for driving the pinch roller up / down magnet 25, and a rotational force applied to the drive roller 8. Is connected to a driver 52 that drives a transport motor 51 that transmits the signal.

Hereinafter, the entire operation will be described with reference to a flowchart shown in FIG. 10, mainly focusing on the control operation of the contact / separation driving means 24. When the recording medium 1 is inserted into the medium insertion slot 42, the width size is detected by the medium width detectors 43, 44, and 45. When it is determined that the medium width is wide (when it is determined that the medium is a wide recording medium 1L), the pinch roller up / down magnet 25 is
Is turned on and off once, and a counter (not shown) is incremented each time. When the pinch roller up / down magnet 25 is turned on and off, as described above, the pinch roller 9 comes into contact with the drive roller 8 after being separated therefrom. In this example, the pinch roller up / down magnet 25 is driven until the counter value becomes 2, and the counter is cleared. That is, while the pinch roller 9 is separated from the driving roller 8 twice, the wide recording medium 1L is pressed against the reference surface 10 by the leaf spring 11.

When the medium width is determined to be narrow (when it is determined that the recording medium 1S is narrow), the driver 4
9 to turn on the medium positioning magnet 13 for a certain time,
During the ON period, the pinch roller up / down magnet 25 is turned on and off once by the driver 50. As a result, during the time when the pinch roller 9 separates from the driving roller 8 and comes into contact again, as described above,
Presses the recording medium 1S by the elastic piece 23 and presses the reference surface 10
Press Each time this series of operations is performed, the medium alignment detector 2
Check the output of 2. When the medium alignment detector 22 is off, it indicates that the pressing member 14 has not been displaced to the position where the recording medium 1S is pressed to the reference surface 10. In this case, the medium alignment magnet 13 is turned on for a certain period of time. West,
The operation of turning on / off the pinch roller up / down magnet 25 once during the ON period is repeated. The pressing member 14 rotates to a predetermined displacement angle when the recording medium 1S is pressed against the reference surface 10, and in this case, the medium alignment detector 22 detects the detected piece 14b and outputs an ON signal.

After the recording medium 1L or 1S is pressed against the reference surface 10 as described above, the process proceeds to medium conveyance. That is, the transport motor 51 is driven by the driver 52 and the drive roller 8 is driven to transport the recording medium 1L or 1S. Then, the process proceeds to the read / write processing. Since this processing is the same as the conventional processing, the description is omitted.

As described above, when the recording medium 1 is shifted toward the reference surface 10, the leaf spring 11 presses only the wide recording medium 1L against the reference surface 10, so that the recording medium 1L does not need to be largely displaced. . Thereby, the recording medium 1L can be reliably pressed against the reference surface 10 within the range of the amount of deflection of the leaf spring 11.

Since the pressing member 14 presses only the narrow recording medium 1S against the reference surface 10, there is no need to largely displace the recording medium 1S. Accordingly, the stroke of the medium alignment magnet 13 does not become insufficient, and the recording medium 1S
Can be reliably pressed against the reference surface 10.

A spring 21 is provided in the driving force transmission path between the medium positioning magnet 13 and the pressing member 14, and the pressing member 14 has an elastic piece 23 for pressing the recording medium 1S. For example, even if an abnormal state such as the presence of foreign matter that interferes with the pressing member 14 in the medium transport path 5 occurs, an excessive load is applied to the medium alignment magnet 13 by the bending operation of the spring 21 and the elastic piece 23. There is no such thing.

Further, the wide recording medium 1L is
When the pinch roller 9 is moved toward or away from the drive roller 8 by the contact / separation drive means 24, the recording medium 1 easily slides on the plane (guide plate 4) of the medium transport path 5 when the width is adjusted to the width. State can be maintained. Thus, the recording medium 1 can be more reliably pressed against the reference surface 10.

Further, since the medium positioning detector 22 for detecting the displacement of the pressing member 14 is further provided, the displacement state of the pressing member 14 can be recognized by the detection signal of the medium positioning detector 22. By this recognition, as described above, the operation of the contact / separation driving unit 24 is repeated, or
An abnormality in which the pressing member 14 cannot be displaced can be detected.

[0029]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a medium transport path for guiding two types of recording media having different width sizes, a medium transport section arranged in the medium transport path, and one side of the medium transport path. A reference surface disposed on the other side of the medium transport path for guiding one side edge of the recording medium, a leaf spring for pressing the wide recording medium against the reference surface, and a width within the transport path. A pressing member that is driven by a width-adjusting drive unit that operates only when the narrow recording medium is inserted, presses a side edge of the narrow recording medium, and presses the recording medium against the reference surface. The pressing member is used to drive the width
When the section is not driven, it is positioned closer to the reference plane than the leaf spring.
Location and have Runode, when asked width recording medium to the reference surface, the leaf spring so presses only wide recording medium to the reference plane, it is not necessary to largely displace the recording medium. Thereby, the recording medium can be reliably pressed against the reference surface within the range of the amount of deflection of the leaf spring. Further, since the pressing member presses only the narrow recording medium against the reference surface, there is no need to largely displace the recording medium. Thus, the stroke of the width shifting drive unit does not become insufficient, and the recording medium can be reliably pressed against the reference surface.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the medium transport unit includes a drive roller disposed so as to oppose the medium transport path therebetween, and a pinch roller supported by the drive roller so as to be capable of coming and going. A medium width detector for detecting a width size of a recording medium inserted into the medium transport path; and a drive for contact / separation when a wide recording medium is recognized immediately after the recording medium is inserted into the medium transport path. And a contact / separation drive means for displacing the pinch roller by means of the pinch and bringing the pinch roller into and out of contact with the drive roller a plurality of times, and thereafter maintaining the contact state, so that a wide recording medium is referenced by a leaf spring. In the case of moving the recording medium to the surface, the vibration when the pinch roller is moved toward and away from the driving roller by the contact / separation driving means can maintain the recording medium in a state where the recording medium can easily slide on the plane of the medium conveyance path. it can. Therefore, even if a leaf spring having a small pressing force is used, a wide recording medium can be reliably pressed against the reference surface.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, a medium alignment detector for detecting an amount of displacement of the pressing member is further provided. The displacement state of the pressing member can be recognized. Based on this recognition, the operation of the contact / separation driving unit can be controlled, or an abnormality in which the pressing member cannot be displaced can be detected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing a width shifting mechanism including a pressing member according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing the width shifting mechanism in a state where the width of the recording medium is shifted by a pressing member.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the width shifting mechanism.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the contact / separation driving means.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a main part of the contact / separation driving means.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a contact / separation drive unit.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a structure for transmitting power to a driving roller.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a medium insertion port.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic circuit.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the overall operation mainly of the control operation of the contact / separation driving means.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Recording medium 1L Wide recording medium 1S Narrow recording medium 5 Medium conveyance path 6 Medium conveyance part 8 Drive roller 9 Pinch roller 10 Reference surface 11 Leaf spring 13 Width adjustment drive part 14 Press member 22 Medium alignment detector 24 Contact Separation drive unit 25 Contact / separation drive unit 43-45 Medium width detector

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 9/10 B65H 9/00 B65H 9/04

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A medium conveyance path for guiding two types of recording media having different width sizes, a medium conveyance section arranged in the medium conveyance path, and a medium conveyance section disposed on one side of the medium conveyance path and configured to carry the recording medium. A reference surface for guiding one side edge, a leaf spring disposed on the other side of the medium transport path to press the wide recording medium against the reference surface, and the narrow recording medium inserted into the transport path. pressing the side edge of the recording medium only is driven by the width shifting drive unit for driving operation narrower when the a pressing member for pressing the recording medium to the reference surface, the
A pressing member is provided when the width shift drive unit is not driven.
Neyori even recording medium Seii apparatus characterized that you have located on the side of the reference plane. 2. A recording medium inserted into the medium transport path, the medium transport unit having a drive roller disposed opposite the medium transport path and a pinch roller supported to be able to contact and separate from the drive roller. A medium width detector for detecting the width size of the recording medium, and the pinch roller is displaced by the contact / separation drive unit when the recording medium is recognized as a wide recording medium immediately after the recording medium is inserted into the medium conveyance path, and the pinch roller is displaced. 2. The recording medium positioning apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a contact / separation drive unit that maintains the contact state after the contact with the drive roller a plurality of times. 3. The recording medium positioning device according to claim 1, further comprising a medium positioning detector that detects a displacement amount of the pressing member.