JP3635449B2 - Medium transport path switching mechanism - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a medium transport path switching mechanism, and more specifically, a medium transport that transports a recording medium transported to a transport path to a branch path selected according to a processing mode by switching a switching mechanism provided at a branch point. The present invention relates to a path switching mechanism.
[0002]
[Prior art]
FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a medium transport path for explaining the present invention, FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a conventional device, and FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the conventional device.
In FIG. 7, 1 is a conveyance path. 2 is an insertion / discharge port of the conveyance path 1, 3 is a conveyance roller, 4 is a medium, 5 is a print head, 6a and 6b are provided in the conveyance path 1 and are two branch points. Further, 11, 12, and 13 are branch paths branched at the branch points 6a and 6b, 14 is an accumulating unit, 15 is a temporary accumulating unit, 16 is a collecting unit, and 17, 18, and 19 are sensors.
[0003]
(1) and (2) are the first and second transport routes that reciprocate along the branch path 11, (3) and (4) are the third and fourth transport routes that reciprocate along the branch path 12, and (5) is This is a unidirectional fifth transport route for transporting the medium 4 to the collection unit 16. When printing on the medium 4, the first and second transport routes (1) and (2) are selected. Reference numerals 7a and 7b denote switching blades provided at the branch points 6a and 6b. The configuration of the switching mechanism provided with the switching blades 7a and 7b is shown in FIG. In FIG. 8, 7 is a switching mechanism. 73 is a blade shaft to which the switching blade 7a is fixed, and 74 is a link.
[0004]
A blade shaft 73 is fixed to one end of the link 74 by a screw, and the other end is connected to a drive source (not shown). When the link 74 is swung in the arrow direction by the drive source, the blades 7a and 7b follow in the same direction, and the branch points 6a and 6b are switched on and off. In addition, a switching mechanism having the same structure as the illustrated multi-stage branch point is provided in the transport path 1, but here, after explaining all the transport routes (1) to (5), Only the branch points 6a and 6b and the branch paths 11 to 13 are marked with reference numerals, and the operation of the conventional apparatus will be described. L6 is the length of the conveyance path between the branch points 6a and 6b, and L4 is the size of the medium 4 in the conveyance direction.
[0005]
The print medium 4 manually inserted into the insertion / discharge port 2 is sent along the arrow of the first transport route (1) and printed by the print head 5. When the medium 4 after printing is taken into the stacking unit 14, the medium 4 is directly conveyed in the same direction by the conveying roller 3. When the medium 4 inserted into the insertion / ejection port 2 is taken into the stacking unit 14 without printing, it is transported to the third transport route (3). When printing is performed when the medium 4 in the stacking unit 14 is discharged from the insertion / discharge port 2, the medium 4 is transported in the direction of the arrow of the second transport route (2) (referred to as the forward direction) and inserted / It is discharged from the discharge port 2.
[0006]
In this case, when printing is not performed, the medium 4 travels on the fourth transport route (4) and is discharged from the insertion / discharge port 2. For example, when it is desired to replace the medium 4 at hand with the new medium 4, the medium 4 is first inserted into the insertion / ejection port 2 and then passed through the third transport route (3) to the one-time stacking unit 15. Send it and make it wait. After waiting, the alternative medium 4 is taken out from the stacking unit 14 and transported to the second or fourth transport route {circle around (2)} or {circle around (4)}, and the new medium 4 is discharged from the insertion / discharge port 2. Thereafter, the old medium 4 is taken out from the one-time accumulating unit 15 and sent to the second branch path 12, and then conveyed to the collecting unit 16 through the fifth conveying route (5) and collected.
[0007]
Selection of the transport routes {circle around (1)} to {circle around (5)} through which the medium 4 is transported as described above is performed based on the control operation of a host control unit having a control function not shown. The control unit confirms the passage timing of the medium 4 with the sensors 17 and 19, and switches the switching blades 7a and 7b at the two branch points 6a and 6b independently ON / OFF to correspond to the processing mode. Any one of the fifth to fifth transport routes (1) to (5) is selected. In the switching operation of the branch point not illustrated and described, the setting of the transport route is controlled by the control unit according to the processing mode in the same operation.
[0008]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
As described above, the conventional switching mechanism 7 having the structure as shown in FIG. 8 is provided for each branch point 60 (generically indicated by a two-digit number with 0 in the first digit, the same applies to other members). The switching blades 70 are switched on and off independently, and any one of the five transport routes {circle around (1)} to {circle around (5)} corresponding to the processing mode is selected. Therefore, since the switching mechanism 7 provided with a drive source corresponding to the number of branch points 60 is arranged, not only the configuration becomes complicated and the production cost increases, but also an obstacle to promote downsizing. It was.
[0009]
On the other hand, in order to reduce the cost and reduce the size, the length L6 of the conveyance path between the two branch points 6a and 6b is shortened, and the two switching blades 7a and 7b are operated in conjunction with one drive source. It is possible. However, if the path length L6 is made smaller than the length L4 of the medium 4 so that L6 ≦ L4, the two switching blades 7a and 7b are switched before the medium 4 passes through the upstream branch point 6a. .
[0010]
The switching state of the switching blades 7a and 7b at this time is shown in FIG. As apparent from the figure, the switching blade 7a and the medium 4 are superposed at the branch point 6a. Therefore, the medium 4 is forcibly pressed and damaged, or the conveyance is suppressed and a jam occurs. As a result, the conventional switching mechanism 7 has problems such as the disposal of the medium 4 and the operation stop of the transfer device.
[0011]
The present invention was made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional apparatus, and a plurality of switching blades are operated in a linked manner by a single drive source so that there is no failure, and the production cost is low and the size is reduced. It is an object of the present invention to realize a medium transport path switching mechanism that can shorten the processing time.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention switches a switching blade provided at each branch point of a multistage configuration in the middle of a transport path, and transports a transport path of a transported medium to a branch path selected corresponding to a processing mode. A switching mechanism having an escape function on each of the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium transport path, and a switching mechanism for switching each switching blade in conjunction with the same drive source, Each of the switching blades is switched in a predetermined direction after the leading edge of the medium has passed through the upstream switching blade and before reaching the downstream switching blade, and the upstream switching blade having an escape function is used to transfer the medium. To open the medium conveyance path.
Further, the path length between the branch points is set smaller than the length of the medium.
[0013]
When the medium conveyed in the forward direction reaches the upstream switching blade, the arrival of the medium is detected by the sensor, and the upstream and downstream switching blades are interlocked after the leading edge of the medium passes the leading edge of the switching blade. Can be switched. Therefore, since the upstream switching blade escapes by the assigned escape function, the medium is not damaged or jammed. When the medium is transported in the reverse direction on the transport path, the two switching blades rotate and escape while being pushed away in the reverse direction. Therefore, at this time, the medium can be transported without performing a special switching operation.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the basic configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration / operation of the first embodiment, and FIG. 3 is another state showing the configuration / operation of the first embodiment. In the explanatory diagram, the same reference numerals are used for members corresponding to the conventional apparatus. Although a part of the description overlaps, the first embodiment will be described in some detail.
2 and 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a conveyance path for conveying a recording medium (hereinafter simply referred to as a medium) 4 such as a boarding pass or a boarding ticket, and is configured inside a ticket issuing machine or the like. The medium 4 is printed on the front surface using a slightly thick and thin paper sheet that is difficult to break, and the back surface is formed with a magnetic layer that can magnetically store various common information.
[0015]
In the first embodiment, the configuration of the conveyance path 1 provided with the insertion / discharge port 2 and the branch paths 11 to 13 branched at the two branch points 6a and 6b, the recovery unit 16, the sensor 17, and the like is shown in FIG. There is no difference from conventional devices. Then, the medium 4 input to the insertion / discharge port 2 by the control unit is conveyed by a plurality of pairs of conveyance rollers 3 that are a combination of a driving roller and a driven roller, and the first to fifth conveyance routes according to the processing mode. It is common to the operation of the conventional apparatus that the processing is performed via 1 ▼ to 5). Note that θ is the swing angle of the switching blades 7a and 7b, and Δθ is the escape angle.
[0016]
In Embodiment 1 of the present invention, the switching mechanism 7 has a different configuration from the conventional device. A switching mechanism 7 according to the first embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, and specific examples are shown in FIGS.
In FIG. 1, 75 is a spiral spring, 76 is a locking pin protruding from the outer periphery of the blade shaft 73, and 77 is an engagement hole formed in the link 74. The spiral portion of the spiral spring 75 is fitted to the blade shaft 73, and both ends are locked to the locking pin 76 and the link 74. Therefore, the blade shaft 73 connected to the link 74 is given a clockwise turning force by the spiral spring 75.
[0017]
Due to the applied turning force, the locking pin 76 is always in pressure contact with one inner surface of the engagement hole 77. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the switching blade 7a fixed to the blade shaft 73 is given an escape function within an escape angle Δθ that is allowed to rotate clockwise. The magnitude of the escape angle Δθ of the switching blade 7 a corresponds to the rotation angle of the locking pin 76 that engages and rotates with the engagement hole 77.
[0018]
On the other hand, the switching mechanism 7 provided on the side of the branch point 6b that branches the branch paths 12 and 13 is common to the above-described switching mechanism 7 of the branch point 6a only for the constituent members. However, the spiral spring 75 is wound in the opposite direction, and the locking pin is pressed against the inner surface on the opposite side of the engagement hole 77. Therefore, the escape direction of the escape angle Δθ of the switching blade 7b is set in the counterclockwise direction. In particular, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the switching blades 7a and 7b are connected by the connecting link 78, and the two switching blades 7a are connected by a single drive source (actuator) 79 provided on the switching blade 7a side. And 7b can be switched in conjunction with each other (see FIGS. 4 and 5).
[0019]
Here, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.
In the normal reset state of the switching mechanism 7, the switching blades 7a and 7b are set at the positions shown in FIG. In the processing mode with printing, in this reset state, the medium 4 is transported as it is to the transport route {circle around (1)} or {circle around (2)} that reciprocates on the branch path 11. Further, the printing process by the printing mode of the medium 4 is unnecessary, and the reset state of the switching blades 7a and 7b is continued as it is when the medium 4 is transported to the transport route (3) of the third branch path.
[0020]
At this time, an escape function that allows rotation within the escape angle Δθ based on the conveyance force of the medium 4 acts, and the switching blades 7b and 7a on the upstream side and the downstream side of the conveyance path are wound by the spiral spring 75. It is pushed away while resisting the return force and escapes counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively. Next, when printing on the medium 4 is not required and the forward transport route (4) is followed, the sensor 17 detects the leading edge of the medium 4 taken from the temporary stacking unit (or stacking unit).
[0021]
At the same time, the switching blades 7a and 7b are swung by a swinging angle θ and switched from the reset state of FIG. 2 to the switching state of FIG. Then, the medium 4 passes through the transport route {circle around (4)} and is discharged from the insertion / discharge port 2. In the processing mode in which the medium 4 temporarily waiting in the temporary stacking unit 15 is collected in the collecting unit 16, the switching blades 7a and 7b are started in the switching state shown in FIG. Then, the switching blades 7a and 7b are restored from FIG. 3 to FIG. 2 after the leading edge of the medium 4 taken in from the temporary accumulation unit using the detection signal of the sensor 17 passes through the leading edge of the switching blade 7a.
[0022]
Also at this time, the escape function of the switching blade 7a that contacts the medium 4 works, so that the switching blade 7a of the medium 4 that contacts and passes after switching is prevented from being damaged or jammed. In particular, the processing mode of the transport route (3) is common to the transport routes (1) and (2) of the processing mode in which printing is performed while reciprocating along the branch path 11, and the switching operation is simplified accordingly and the operability is improved. Can be improved.
4 and 5 show an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, in the embodiment, an electromagnetic force of an electromagnet is used for the drive source 79 of the switching mechanism 7, and the switching blades 7 a and 7 b are respectively formed by a pair of blades having the same shape and mounted on the blade shaft 73. It is configured.
[0023]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where a pair of front and rear switching blades are linked is illustrated. However, when there are a large number of branch paths, the number of pairs may be increased or decreased as appropriate. If necessary, three or more switching blades may be used. Can be connected and driven by a single drive source. If comprised in this way, it can be anticipated that effects, such as cost reduction, are exhibited further.
[0024]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention switches a switching blade provided at each branch point of a multistage configuration in the middle of a transport path, and transports a transport path of a transported medium to a branch path selected corresponding to a processing mode. A switching mechanism having an escape function on each of the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium transport path, and a switching mechanism for switching each switching blade in conjunction with the same drive source, Each of the switching blades is switched in a predetermined direction after the leading edge of the medium has passed through the upstream switching blade and before reaching the downstream switching blade, and the upstream switching blade having an escape function is used as a medium conveying force. To open the medium conveyance path.
Further, the path length between the branch points is set smaller than the length of the medium.
[0025]
Therefore, according to the switching mechanism of the present invention, it is possible to realize a medium transport path switching mechanism that can be reduced in size, reduced in processing time, without failure, and at the same time shortened in processing time.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a basic configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration / operation of the first embodiment.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of another state showing the configuration and operation of the first embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the switching blade.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a medium conveyance path for explaining the present invention.
FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a conventional apparatus.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of a conventional apparatus.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance path 2 Insertion / discharge port 3 Conveyance roller 4 Medium 5 Print head 6a, 6b Branch point 7 Switching mechanism 7a, 7b Switching blade 11, 12, 13 Branch path 14 Accumulation part 15 Temporary accumulation part 60 Branch point 16 Collection part 17 , 18, 19 Sensor 70 Switching blade 73 Blade shaft 74 Link 75 Spiral spring 76 Locking pin 77 Engagement hole 78 Connection link 79 Drive source (1), (2), (3), (4), (5) Conveyance Route L4 Media length L6 Road length θ Swing angle Δθ Escape angle

Claims (2)

In the medium transport path switching mechanism for switching the switching blade provided at each branch point of the multistage configuration in the middle of the transport path and transporting the transport path of the transported medium to the selected branch path corresponding to the processing mode ,
A switching blade having an escape function is provided on each of the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the medium transport path, and a switching mechanism that switches the switching blades in conjunction with the same drive source is provided. After passing through the upstream switching blade and before reaching the downstream switching blade, the switching blades are interlocked to switch to a predetermined direction, and the upstream switching blade having the escape function is transported to the medium. A medium transport path switching mechanism, wherein the medium transport path is opened by pressing with force .   2. The medium transport path switching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a path length between the branch points is set smaller than a length of the medium.

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