JP3528307B2 - Continuous paper loading mechanism, printing apparatus, loading method, and printing apparatus control method - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mechanism for loading continuous paper, and more particularly to a mechanism for easily loading continuous paper such as roll paper, a printing apparatus, a loading method and a control method.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Taking a printer as an example, continuous paper such as roll paper is guided from a storage location to a feed roller through a predetermined paper path and is further conveyed between a print head and a platen. The roll paper printed between the print head and the platen is ejected from the printer through the paper path, and in a printer equipped with a cutter, it is automatically cut at a proper length. The feed roller is composed of a pair of rollers, or a main roller and an elastic paper retainer that presses the paper against the main roller. The roll paper is sandwiched between the pair of rollers or the main roller and a portion (sandwiching portion) formed by the paper press, and the continuous roll paper is reliably conveyed at a predetermined speed.

When the roll paper is finished and a new roll paper is loaded into the printer, the new roll paper is set in the storage place. Then, the end of the roll paper is pulled out, the end of the roll paper is guided to the vicinity of the feed roller through a predetermined paper path, and the end of the roll paper is pushed into the nip portion of the feed roller. At this time, if the end of the roll paper is not evenly inserted into the holding section, it will not be conveyed straight,
It may cause paper jams and defective printing. Also, if the end of the roll paper is not cut cleanly, it may become jammed in the paper path to the feed roller or in the paper path after passing the feed roller. As described above, when the continuous paper is once loaded, the printing is smoothly performed, but the loading is troublesome and troubles are likely to occur.

Particularly, in recent years, a printing apparatus such as a printer has been greatly downsized, and a space for loading roll paper is very narrow. Further, in order to improve the printing quality, the space between the paper path and the printing portion has been reduced, and troubles such as paper jams are likely to occur.
On the other hand, the demand for POS and miniaturized printers as terminals of information processing devices may be increasing more and more. Therefore, there is a demand for a printer that can be easily handled by anyone regardless of age or sex, and can operate reliably without any trouble.

[0005]

Therefore, in view of such a situation, in the present invention, anyone can easily load a continuous paper such as a roll paper, and the roll paper is surely produced in a short time without causing a trouble. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mechanism capable of replenishing and exchanging paper, and a printing apparatus using the same. Particularly, in the present invention, it is an object of the present invention to eliminate the troublesome and detailed work such as passing a conventional roll paper through a narrow gap or pressing it against the nip portion of the feed roller, and to reliably load the paper with one touch. I am trying. Further, in view of the fact that such a one-touch and simple loading operation is required for a printer that is particularly miniaturized and generalized, a mechanism that enables reliable one-touch loading using a mechanism that is as simple as possible, and It is also an object to provide a device.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION A continuous paper roll of the present invention.
The binding mechanism transports continuous paper by sandwiching it with the sandwiching unit.
Feed roller and paper pusher with thin edge
A cover having a step and covering the storage area for the continuous paper.
Is equipped with the paper pushing means, and the edge portion is
It extends toward the nip of the feed roller,
Then, when the cover is opened, the edge portion is
Take the first position away from it, the cover closes
And a second position where the edge portion is adjacent to the holding portion.
The feature is that The printing apparatus of the present invention is
-Type continuous paper is nipped by the nip and conveyed to the printing unit.
Feeding roller and paper press with thin edge
Means, storage place for the continuous paper, and cover the storage place
A cover, the cover including the paper pushing means.
And the edge portion extends toward the holding portion.
Furthermore, when the cover is opened, the edge part is
Taking the first position away from the holding part,
When the bar is closed, the edge section is adjacent to the clamping section.
It is characterized by taking the second position. Furthermore, before
On the surface of the body that houses the feeding roller,
It is characterized in that a guide for guiding the paper is provided.
The feed roller is a main roller and an auxiliary roller.
-Or at least one of the paper retainers
Corresponding to the auxiliary roller or paper press at the edge
It is characterized in that it lacks a portion to be. In addition, the ream
A continuous paper path for guiding the continuous paper to the feed roller is provided.
From the first position through the paper path
It is characterized by moving to the second position. Book
The continuous paper loading method of the invention is directed to the direction of the printing means.
Printing that has a feed roller that nips and conveys continuous paper
When the continuous paper is loaded into the device, the clamping
To the paper pushing means with the thin plate edge extending toward
Therefore, a part of the continuous paper can be pressed,
The direction of the printing means with the folded part of the paper at the beginning
It is loaded into the. Law of the invention
The method of loading the roll paper is as follows:
A cover that covers the storage area of the
In a printing device having a feed roller that conveys
In the method for loading a roll paper, the cover is
A paper pushing means in which a thin plate-shaped edge portion extends toward the holding portion.
In addition, when you open the cover,
And then close the cover.
And the edge is adjacent to the feed roller,
Open the cover to load the
Set the roll paper in the storage location, and
Extend it along the body containing the feed roller, and
Characterized in that the cover is closed while holding the end of
To do. A method of controlling a printing apparatus according to the present invention is a method of storing roll paper.
Place the roll paper between the place and the cover that covers this storage place.
Feed roller that conveys to the printing means by this feed roller
Control method for controlling a printer
In addition, the cover is a thin plate-shaped
It is equipped with a paper pushing means with an extended bag part,
When opened, the edge part separates from the feed roller,
When the cover is closed, the edge part becomes the feeding roller.
Adjacent, and then the feed roller by the control means
Drive the roll, and the part of the roll paper folded in two
The roll paper is ejected from the printing device for a specified length.
Characterized by sending. Further, the printing device is
Paper detection means for detecting the presence or absence of roll paper, and the cover
Opening / closing detecting means for detecting opening / closing is provided.
Roll paper is nearing the end, the cover opens and the roll
Paper is supplied, and after the cover is closed,
The part where the feed roller is folded in two of the roll paper
Characterized by starting the feeding operation for discharging
It The roll paper loading method of the present invention is a roll paper.
Feed roller that nips the paper with the nipping unit and conveys it to the printing unit
In the method of loading roll paper with
Open the cover that covers the storage area for storing the
Place the edge of the roll paper on the case and close the cover
By doing so, the cover is provided toward the holding portion.
Fold the end of the roll paper in two by the extending edge part.
And then push it into the pinching section and
Paper through the paper path by the feed roller
It is characterized in that it is conveyed to a printing means. In the present invention, in contrast to the conventional loading method in which the end of the roll paper is pushed into the nipping portion of the feed roller, a part of the roll paper is folded in half and placed in the nipping portion of the feed roller to load the roll paper. I have to. Therefore, in the present invention, the paper pushing means having the thin plate-shaped edge portion is provided, and the edge portion is extended toward the sandwiching portion constituted by the feed roller. Therefore, when the roll paper is placed between the feed roller and the edge portion, a part of the roll paper is folded in half and pushed into the feed roller by the edge portion. The edge part has a first position where it is separated from the nipping part for placing the roll paper between the feed roller when the cover is opened and a nipping part for pushing the roll paper into the nipping part when the cover is closed. Take at least two positions of the adjacent second positions. As a result, the roll paper is folded in half by the feed roller,
The folded edge is sent to the printing means through the paper path.

The loading mechanism of the present invention only needs to be provided with an edge portion so as to push a part of the roll paper into the feed roller, and has a very simple structure and can be easily attached to a miniaturized printer. It is also highly reliable. Conventionally, it is necessary to handle the edge of the roll paper in order to load the roll paper, and in order to do this mechanically, a complicated mechanism and a power source are required. For this reason,
It is difficult to mount it on an inexpensive general-purpose printer. However, in the present invention, a complicated mechanism is unnecessary, and it is possible to configure the paper pushing means with a part of the cover of the continuous paper storage location. If a part of the cover constitutes the paper pushing means, no new power source is required to move the edge portion.

Furthermore, the present invention greatly simplifies loading continuous paper such as roll paper. For example,
When the edge part is realized as a part of the cover for covering the storage space of the roll paper, the edge part is separated from the feed roller when the cover is opened to replace or attach the roll paper. Then, the end of the roll paper is extended to the top of the housing, and when the cover is closed, the edge portion pulls out the roll paper and pushes a part thereof into the nip portion of the feed roller. If the feed roller is driven in this state, loading of the roll paper is completed. As described above, according to the present invention, the loading of the roll paper needs only to open and close the cover.

Further, the roll paper is uniformly pushed into the feed roller by the edge portion. Therefore, the roll paper is always loaded straight, and troubles such as tilting in the paper path, causing paper jams, and distorting printing can be reliably avoided. Also, since the roll paper sent from the feed roller at the time of loading is folded in two, the roll paper can be set reliably without causing paper jams. That is, since the roll paper is fed out with the folded portion at the beginning, no distortion or the like occurs at the leading end portion that has entered the paper path. Therefore, the roll paper can be surely loaded regardless of the cut end. Further, since the leading end portion of the paper path is folded in two, the stiffness of the paper becomes strong and the paper is easily guided along the paper path. Also, since the thickness of the paper increases,
The pressure to press the paper is increased, and it is easy to obtain the driving force from the feed roller even in the initial loading state where the contact area with the feed roller is small, and it is possible to prevent idling.

It is also effective to provide a roll paper guide on the surface of the body accommodating the feed roller as a guide for pulling the roll paper onto the body during loading. Further, when the feed roller is a combination of the main roller and the auxiliary roller or the paper retainer, if the portion corresponding to the auxiliary roller or the paper retainer at the edge portion is omitted, the roll paper can be easily pushed into the nipping portion. Further, if a paper path for guiding the roll paper to the feed roller is provided and the edge portion moves through the paper path from the first position to the second position, the roll paper can be easily guided by the paper path. Becomes
Furthermore, the roll paper can be pre-folded in the paper path.

After the roll paper is pushed into the feed roller, the feed roller is automatically started to enable automatic loading. When starting the feed roller, not only opening and closing the cover, but also the condition that the roll paper is almost at the end and that the roll paper has been supplied. It is possible to prevent the paper from being fed.

[0012]

The present invention will be further described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show how the roll paper is loaded into the printer according to the embodiment of the present invention. The printer 10 shown here is provided with a substantially rectangular parallelepiped body 5 whose front and rear directions are slightly different, and a roll paper 6 is housed in the rear 5b of the body and in the front 5a of the body.
The printing mechanism is stored in. As shown in the sectional view of FIG. 2, the printing mechanism includes a guide shaft 13 installed in the left and right directions of the body and a carriage 12 that moves along the guide shaft 13, and is mounted on the carriage 12. Printing is performed by the printing head 11. A platen 14 is prepared at a position facing the print head 11, and the roll paper is guided into a gap between the print head 11 and the platen 14. The main body of the roll paper 6 wound in a roll shape is installed on the roll paper guide roller 4 in the storage space 5b, and reaches the paper feed roller 21 through the paper path 41 from here. The paper feed roller 21 is disposed substantially in the middle of the storage space 5a of the printing mechanism and the space 5b of the roll paper, and is located below the body. The roll paper is conveyed to the print head 11 through the paper path 42 by the paper feed roller 21, and the printed roll paper 6 is discharged to the outside from the discharge port 7 opened above the body 5. Paper path 4 upstream of the paper feed roller 21
1 is constituted by an outer paper guide 25 and an inner paper guide 26 extending downward from the upper side of the body 5, and the outer paper guide 25 is curved along the outer side of the paper feed roller 21. ing. Paper path 41 of paper feed roller 21
On the side of, the diameter is smaller than the paper feed roller 21,
A pair of auxiliary rollers 23 having a narrow width are provided, and are pressed against the paper feed roller 21 by a pressing spring 24. The paper feed roller 21 and the auxiliary roller 23 configure a first nipping unit 28 that nips and conveys the roll paper. In the paper path 42 downstream from the paper feed roller 21 that continues from the paper feed roller 21 to the print head 11, a small-diameter paper that comes into contact with the print head side of the paper feed roller 21 so as to form the second holding unit 29. A pressing roller 22 is provided, and a paper pressing plate 27 that guides the roll paper to the gap between the platen 14 and the print head 11 is also provided.

An openable and closable cover 1 is attached to a lower case 2 of the body 5 so that roll paper can be put in the storage space 5b of the body 5. This cover 1
A hinge 1a is rotatably connected to the case 2 at the side opposite to the side storing the printing function, that is, at the rear end of the body 5. The side of the end 1b of the cover 1 located above the paper feed roller 21 swivels up and down.
A paper pressing portion 50 extending downward from the cover is attached to the. The paper pressing portion 50 of this example is plate-shaped and has a thinly extending tip 51. The paper pressing portion 50 has a substantially wedge shape in which the entire thickness is reduced from the base portion 53 attached to the cover 1 toward the tip 51, and when the cover 1 is closed, the tip 51 is smoothly inserted into the paper path 41. It Further, the length of the paper pushing-in portion 50 is set so that the leading end 51 reaches the immediate vicinity of the paper feeding roller 21 when the cover 1 is closed. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the front end 51 of the paper pressing unit 50 lacks a portion 52 corresponding to the auxiliary roller 23. Therefore, even if the tip end 51 of the paper pushing portion is extended to be very close to the holding portion 28, the tip end 51 is not caught in the holding portion 28,
The roll paper 6 can be pushed in without causing any trouble until it hits the paper feed roller securely.

When loading the roll paper, first, the cover 1 is opened and the roll paper 6 is set. And
Holding the end 6a of the roll paper 6, pull out the roll paper to the upper part of the case 3 in front of the body 5. The case 3 covers the printing mechanism, the feed roller, and the like. The printer 10 of this example is provided with a pair of markers 59 on the upper part of the case 3 so that the roll paper can be pulled out straight. If the user sets the roll paper between the markers 59, the end of the roll paper is The position of 6a can be easily determined. Then, the end 6a of the roll paper is temporarily fixed to the case 3 with the finger 60 or the like, and the cover 1 is closed. As a result, the roll paper 6 is pressed against the paper feed roller 21 and the roll paper can be conveyed, and the loading operation performed by the user is completed. The paper feed roller 21 automatically moves to feed the roll paper through the paper path 42 toward the print head 12. As described above, in the printer of this example, the roll paper can be loaded only by closing the cover 1, and it is troublesome to insert the roll paper into the paper path or cut the end of the roll paper again so as not to jam it. Is not necessary at all.

The manner in which the roll paper is automatically loaded will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the end 6a of the roll paper is held on the case 3 with the cover 1 opened. When the cover 1 is in the open state, the front end 51 of the paper pressing portion is at a position away from the paper feed roller 21 (first position).
Therefore, the roll paper 6 is set between the paper feed roller 21 and the leading end 51 of the paper pushing portion.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3, when the cover 1 is closed, the front end 51 of the paper pushing portion passes through the paper path 41 and near the nipping portion 28 constituted by the paper feeding roller 21 and the auxiliary roller 23. Reach (second position). By this operation, the front end 51 of the paper pushing portion pushes the roll paper 6 from the opposite side of the paper feed roller 21, and as a result, the folded edge 6b of the roll paper 6 folded in half inside the paper path 41 becomes the first. It is pressed against the clamping unit 28 of No. 1.

When the paper feed roller 21 is driven in this state, the roll paper 6 is drawn into the first nipping portion 28 from the folded edge 6b. The folded end 6b is guided along the paper feed roller 21 by the outer paper guide 25, and the second nipping portion 2 constituted by the paper pressing roller 22.
Reach 9 The edge 6b sent out from the second holding unit 29 to the paper path 42 is guided to the gap between the print head 11 and the platen 14 through the paper path 42, and further passes through this gap from the discharge port 7 of the printer. It is discharged from the body 5.

As shown in FIG. 4, when the folded part of the roll paper 6 comes out of the discharge port 7, the paper feed roller 21 is temporarily stopped and the cutter of the discharge port 7 is used to fold it in two. Cut off the part that was marked. Of course, the user may disconnect himself. By these actions,
The roll paper 6 is arranged from the storage place 5b through the paper path 41, the paper feed roller 21, the paper path 42, and the gap between the print head 11 and the platen 14, and the loading is completed. During this time, the user only has to press the end 6a of the roll paper 6 against the printer case 3 and close the cover 1. It is not necessary to set the end of the roll paper through the paper path and close to the paper feed roller as in the past.
Therefore, there is no possibility that the end 6a of the roll paper is jammed in the paper path, the end 6a cannot be loaded due to insufficient insertion, and the roll paper is not reloaded. As described above, in the printer of this embodiment, the loading of the roll paper is surely completed only by the operation of closing the cover 1, so that the user can be freed from the trouble and burden of the conventional loading.

Further, instead of guiding the end 6a of the roll paper to the nip 28 as in the loading method of the present invention,
By guiding the folded edge 6b to the holding portion 28, the roll paper can be reliably loaded without being influenced by the condition of the end 6a of the roll paper. That is, the edge 6a of the roll paper is often not in a clean state such as the cut end being distorted or chips being attached when peeling the end 6a from the roll-shaped main body. Edge 6 of such roll paper
“A” causes a paper jam at the time of loading, and loading is repeated many times, and the end of the roll paper 6
It is necessary to cut a again. However, in the present invention, the roll paper is folded in half by the front end 51 of the paper pushing portion, and the edge 6b thereof is guided to the holding portion 28. The two-folded edge 6b is not affected by the state of the end 6a, and is bent almost straight by the tip 51 without distortion. Therefore, the roll paper does not get jammed in the paper path,
You can set the roll paper surely.

Even if the paper path 41 for guiding the roll paper to the paper feed roller 21 is not provided, if the roll paper 6 is pressed against the paper feed roller 21 by the tip end 51 of the paper pushing portion,
The roll paper can be folded in half and supplied to the print head 11 side. As in this example, if the paper path 41 is provided and the tip 51 of the paper pushing portion is passed through the paper path 41, the paper path 41
Since the roll paper is folded along with, the roll paper can be more reliably loaded without causing wrinkles or slight distortion when passing through the holding unit 28.
The paper path 41 also has a function of reliably guiding the leading end 51 of the paper pushing portion to the holding portion 28.

Loading with the folded edge 6b of the roll paper at the beginning has the following advantages. As in this example, the paper feed roller 21
By providing the first nipping portion 28 and the second nipping portion 29 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the paper, a mechanism is adopted in which the roll paper is brought into close contact with the paper feed roller in a wide range and the transport force is reliably transmitted to the roll paper. Often. In this case, at the time of loading, the end of the roll paper is located at the upstream first holding portion 28
Even if it passes through, it may not be pressed evenly against the second holding portion 29 and may be clogged by the second holding portion 29. However, by folding the roll paper in two as in this example, the thickness of that portion is increased and the strength is also increased. Therefore, since the edge 6b can be pressed against the second holding portion 29 with an even force, paper jam can be prevented. At the initial stage of loading, the conveyance force is difficult to be transmitted to the roll paper when the roll paper is sandwiched only in the first sandwiching portion 28, but in this example, the roll paper is folded in two, so the thickness of the roll paper increases. And is reliably conveyed by the holding section 28.

Further, when the roll paper is loaded with the folded portion at the beginning, the roll paper is elastic and is difficult to bend. Therefore, the paper path 42 moves from the paper feed roller 21 toward the gap between the print head 11 and the platen 14.
The paper is smoothly fed along the sheet, and the chance of interfering with the print head 11 or the like is reduced. Further, even if the print head 11 is brought into contact with the print head 11 or the like, it is unlikely to be caught or distorted there. In this way, by loading the folded portion at the head, it is possible to reliably perform loading. In the present invention, the user does not burden the user because the user does not fold the roll paper in half but automatically folds the roll paper in half and loads it.

Further, in the present invention, since the roll paper is automatically folded in half and guided to the paper feed roller, it is only necessary to newly provide a paper pushing portion. The paper pressing unit may be separately attached to the printer body or the like so as to be pivotable or laterally movable. If it is attached or formed in association with the cover as in this example, it is possible to prevent the number of parts from increasing, and the tip of the paper pushing part can function by closing the cover without adding a power source. In addition, even if the paper pushing part is provided on the cover side as in this example, the weight of the cover does not increase significantly, and even if the paper pushing part is moved up and down, it does not affect the printing mechanism of the printer. It does not affect the operability of the printer or the print quality. For example, in the printer as in this example, if a platen or a paper feed roller is attached to the cover side and moved up and down, the roll paper can be loaded without passing through the paper path. However,
Since it is necessary to mount a platen, a paper feed roller and a drive mechanism on the cover side, the weight of the cover increases significantly. Furthermore, if these mechanisms are attached to the side of the cover that is likely to be shocked each time the roll paper is replaced, the engagement of the drive members will change, the gap between the platen and print head will change, and so on. Hard to hold. However, if the configuration of this example is adopted, such a problem does not occur at all, and there is no obstacle to the function of the printer. Also,
Since the cover is simply provided with the paper pushing part, there is almost no impact on the manufacturing cost and the assembly is easy. Furthermore, since the paper push-in section can be moved through the paper path, it is not necessary to secure a new space for the printer to install the paper push-in section, and even if the printer is downsized, the size can be reduced. There is no need to change or complicate the mechanism. Therefore, it can be easily mounted on a small-sized and inexpensive printer which has recently been in great demand as a terminal for POS and home information equipment.

In this example, the second position is described in detail as the first nipping portion 28 composed of the paper feed roller 21 and the auxiliary roller 23, but the auxiliary roller is not always necessary. Instead, for example, the tip of the paper pressing unit 50 may directly press the paper feed roller. In this case, the front end of the paper pushing portion 50 has a spring property and is in pressure contact with the paper feed roller, and the roll paper 6 is pressed by the paper feed roller in a folded state. In this state,
When the paper feed roller 21 is driven, the roll paper 6 is loaded from the folded edge 6b to the pressed side of the end 6a. When the roll paper 6 is loaded with the folded portion at the beginning, the paper is stiff and therefore difficult to bend. The roll paper 6 on the main body side rolled in a roll shape from the folded edge 6b. Also loaded together. Even if it is bent, the folded end 6b cannot be greatly bent because it abuts on the outer paper guide 25, and the roll paper 6 has a length from the folded edge 6b to the end 6a side. Since the lengths of the first holding portion and the second holding portion 29 are set to be sufficiently longer, the folded edge 6b is guided to the second holding portion 29 and the second holding portion 29. Be drawn into. The roll paper drawn into the second nipping unit 29 is nipping between the paper pressing roller 22 and the paper feeding roller 21 and is reliably loaded, and the end 6a of the paper pressing unit 50 is the tip of the paper pressing roller. After passing through the first nipping unit, the roll paper 6 is fed only to the second nipping unit 29, and is fed from the paper feeding roller 21 toward the gap between the print head 11 and the platen 14 in the paper path. Paper is smoothly fed along 42. In this case as well, the same effect as described above can be obtained.

5 and 6 show a control system and a control flowchart for driving the paper feed roller 21 when loading the roll paper in the printer of this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the printer 10 of this example is
A near-end detector 65 that determines the presence or absence of roll paper and a cover open detector 66 that determines whether the cover 1 is open or closed are provided in the roll paper storage portion 5b. The near-end detector 65 is installed near the axis of the roll of the roll paper 5, and determines whether or not the roll paper is nearly exhausted based on the presence or absence of roll paper in this portion. In addition, the cover open detector 66
Is located near the hinge 1a of the cover and determines whether the cover is open or closed based on the movement of the hinge 1a. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, these detectors 65 and 66 notify the control unit 61 of the printer 10 of the roll paper state and the cover open / closed state. Then, the control unit 61
The paper feed control unit 63 is controlled according to the opened / closed state of the roll paper and the cover to idle feed the roll paper for a predetermined length. After that, the print permission is given to the print control unit 62 and printing is performed.

In the printer of this example, the paper feed controller 63
The idle feeding operation is performed under the following conditions shown in FIG. First, in step 71, the near-end detector 65 detects that the roll paper is exhausted or nearly exhausted as a paper exhaustion. When this state is detected, the opening / closing of the cover is detected in step 72. When it is detected that the cover is open, in step 73, the near-end detector 65 detects that the roll paper is replenished. Then step 74
When it is detected that the cover is closed in step S75, the process proceeds to step 75, and the paper feed roller is driven to feed the roll paper idly. When the folded part fed into the paper path of the printer as the head of the roll paper is ejected from the printer, the idling is stopped and the loading is completed. If the discharge port is equipped with a cutter mechanism, the cutter may be automatically operated to cut the roll paper after the idle feed. In the printer of this example, the idle feeding of the roll paper is controlled in consideration of the presence / absence of the roll paper as well as the opening / closing of the cover, so that the roll paper is not wasted. Also, when the roll paper is replenished, the paper feed roller is automatically activated when the cover is closed, and at that time, the edge of the roll paper folded in two is pushed into the nipping portion by the tip of the paper pushing portion. Therefore, the roll paper can be reliably loaded.

In the present embodiment, the present invention is described in more detail by taking a printer using roll paper as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the printer and may be applied to a printing apparatus using continuous paper such as a facsimile. Of course, can be applied. Further, the present invention is not limited to roll paper, and can be applied even to a printing device that handles continuous paper supplied in a folded state.
It is possible to provide a printing device that can be reliably loaded without making a mistake.

[0029]

As described above, in the present invention, instead of inserting the end of the continuous paper into the nipping portion, the roll paper folded in half by the edge of the paper pushing portion is automatically fed to the nipping portion. It is possible to load continuous paper such as roll paper with one touch by pressing.
Therefore, anyone can easily replace or replenish continuous paper in a printing device such as a printer, which has become smaller and more complicated and has a narrow paper path. Further, the mechanism according to the present invention has a simple structure and is inexpensive, and further, since it can be easily adopted in a small-sized printer, a printer as a POS or a home terminal, a facsimile, etc., which has been recently important. It is a loading mechanism suitable for the printing apparatus of.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing how a roll paper is mounted on a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the printer shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view showing how roll paper is mounted.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the printer shown in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cover is closed.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of the printer shown in FIG. 1, and is a view showing how a folded portion of roll paper is ejected from the printer.

5 is a block diagram showing an outline of a control system relating to paper feeding of the printer shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing control relating to paper feeding of the printer shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 ... Cover 2 ... Lower case 3 ... Upper case 5 ... Printer body 6 ... Roll paper 6a ... Edge of roll paper 6b..Folded edges of roll paper 7 ... Discharge port 10 ... Printer 11 ... Printing head 12. Carriage 13 ... Guide shaft 14 ... Platen 21..Paper feed roller 22..Paper pressing roller 23..Paper feed auxiliary roller 24..Pressing spring 25 ... Outside paper guide 26 ... Inside paper guide 27 ... Paper holding plate 28..First clamping unit 29..Second holding part 41, 42 ... Paper path 50 ... Paper pushing section 51 .. Tip of paper pushing section 65 ... Near-end detector 66 .. Cover open detector

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (56) Reference JP-A-4-101873 (JP, A) JP-A-62-83955 (JP, A) JP-A-5-169740 (JP, A) JP-A-5- 85666 (JP, A) JP-A-2-33048 (JP, A) Actually developed 56-27941 (JP, U) Actually developed 4-75858 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B41J 15/04

Claims (10)

(57) [Claims] 1. A cover having a feed roller for nipping and transporting continuous paper with a nipping portion and a paper pushing means having a thin plate-shaped edge portion, and a cover for covering a storage place of the continuous paper is the paper pushing. hand
A step, the edge portion extends toward the nip portion of the feed roller, and further, when the cover is opened, the edge portion takes a first position away from the nip portion, and the cover is provided. Is closed, the edge portion takes a second position adjacent to the sandwiching portion, and a continuous paper loading mechanism. 2. A feeding roller for nipping a roll-shaped continuous paper by a nipping section and conveying it to the printing means, a paper pushing means having a thin plate-shaped edge portion, a storage place for the continuous paper, and a storage place for the continuous paper. A cover for covering, the cover includes the paper pushing means, the edge portion extends toward the holding portion, and when the cover is opened, the edge portion holds the holding portion. The printing apparatus is characterized in that when the cover is closed in a first position in which the edge section is separated from the other section , the edge section assumes a second position in which the edge section is adjacent to the sandwiching section. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein a guide that guides the continuous paper is provided on a surface of a body that houses the feed roller. 4. The feed roller according to claim 2, wherein the feed roller includes at least one of a main roller and an auxiliary roller or a paper retainer, and a portion of the edge portion corresponding to the auxiliary roller or the paper retainer is missing. A printing device characterized by the above. 5. A paper path according to claim 2, further comprising a paper path for guiding the continuous paper to the feed roller, wherein the edge portion moves from the first position to the second position through the paper path. A printing device characterized by. 6. A paper pusher having a thin plate-shaped edge portion extending toward the nipping portion when loading the continuous paper into a printing apparatus having a feed roller that nips and conveys the continuous paper toward the printing unit. A method for loading continuous paper, characterized in that a part of the continuous paper is pressed by means for loading and the half-folded part of the continuous paper is loaded in the direction of the printing means starting from the folded portion. 7. A roll paper storage location, and a cover covering the repository, the roll paper rows definitive the printing device having a feed roller for conveying the printing unit across the roll sheet
And have you the loading process, the cover is provided with a paper pushing unit extending in the toward the holding portions lamellar edge portion, further, the edge portion and open said cover away from said feed roller, said cover When the roll paper is loaded, the cover is opened, the roll paper is set in the storage location, and the end of the roll paper is stored in the feed roller. A method for loading roll paper, which is characterized in that it extends along a body, and the cover is closed while holding the end thereof. 8. A control method for a printing apparatus, comprising : a roll paper storage location, a cover for covering the storage location, a feed roller for nipping the roll paper to convey it to the printing means, and a control means for controlling the feed roller. In the above, the cover is provided with a paper pushing means in which a thin plate-shaped edge portion extends toward the holding portion, the edge portion separates from the feed roller when the cover is opened, and the edge portion when the cover is closed. Is adjacent to the feed roller, and then the feed roller is driven by the control means to feed the roll paper by a predetermined length so that the folded portion of the roll paper is discharged from the printing device. A method for controlling a printing apparatus, comprising: 9. The printing apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising a paper detection unit that detects the presence or absence of the roll paper, and an open / close detection unit that detects whether the cover is open or closed. Near the end, the cover is opened, the roll paper is supplied, and after the cover is closed, the feed roller starts a feeding operation for discharging the folded portion of the roll paper. A method for controlling a printing apparatus, comprising: 10. A printing hand in which roll paper is sandwiched by a sandwiching section.
A roll paper roll with a feed roller
In the printing method, a cover for covering a storage place for storing the roll paper is opened, an end of the roll paper is placed on a case, and the cover is closed so that the cover is provided on the cover.
The edge portion extending toward the holding portion causes the roll
Fold the end of the roll paper in half and push it into the nip, and then roll the half-folded roll paper with the feed roller.
And is conveyed to the printing means through the paper path.
How to load roll paper.