JP4328809B2 - Print medium feeding mechanism and printer having the same - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a print medium feed mechanism, and more particularly to a print medium feed mechanism having a function of correcting skew of an inserted print medium. Moreover, it is related with the printer provided with this.

  Conventionally, when inserting a print medium such as paper into a printer, the operator has to insert the print medium against the abutting surface so that the print medium is not inserted obliquely. That is, a member that forms an abutting surface perpendicular to the feeding direction is provided near the paper insertion opening of the printer, and the print medium comes into contact with the abutting surface, so that the end portion on the insertion side of the printing medium is provided. Can be arranged along the abutting surface, and printing can be performed with the print medium in a normal posture.

  However, as described above, the operation that the operator must insert along the abutting surface when inserting the print medium is troublesome, and it is necessary to pay attention to the operation. There was a problem that it was lowered. In particular, since the operator is in a hurry during the busy season, there arises a problem that the abutting work as described above is neglected. In such a case, there is a problem that the inserted print medium may be ejected as a medium misset by the printer, which further reduces work efficiency and may hinder business.

  Also, some conventional printers are equipped with a skew correction mechanism that automatically corrects the skew of the inserted print medium as described above. For example, this is realized by a technique in which the inserted print medium is abutted against the abutting surface and is rotated while being in contact with the medium until some skew feeding is corrected.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-116406

  However, if the roller is idled while the print medium is sandwiched with high frictional force to convey the print medium, problems such as damage to the print medium occur. For example, when a magnetic tape or bar code such as a passbook is formed on the print medium, the magnetic tape or bar code is rubbed and damaged by the frictional force of the transport roller. For this reason, in an ATM for inserting a passbook, for example, (1) If the lower side of the transport path is a ceramic roller, the magnetic tape will be damaged, so a double magnetic tape passbook is not used. (2) The upper side of the transport path is ceramic. If the roller is used, the barcode will be damaged, so the bar code printing passbook will not be used. Furthermore, (3) If the upper side of the transport path is a ceramic roller, the magnetic tape will be damaged and the cover will not be printed. It was necessary to set restrictions. However, when such a restriction is provided, there is a problem that convenience for customers is impaired.

  It is also conceivable to replace the ceramic roller that transports the print medium with another material such as a rubber roller. However, if the idle rubber roller touches the print medium, the ink adhering to the rubber roller will remain on the print medium and the print medium will be printed. There arises a problem that the medium becomes dirty. In particular, if the printed part of the bar code becomes dirty, there is a problem that an error occurs when reading the bar code because accurate bar code recognition is impossible.

  Here, in Patent Document 1, the pressing force of the rotating roller that biases the conveying force to the printing medium is changed between a thin printing medium and a thick printing medium, and some rotating rollers are idled. Thus, a technique for correcting skew is disclosed. However, even with the technique described in this document, when the skew of a thick print medium is corrected, the rotating roller that is rotationally driven while being pressed with a strong pressing force is idled. There was a problem that damage could occur.

  For this reason, the present invention provides a print medium feeding mechanism that can improve the disadvantages of the above-described conventional example, and in particular, can appropriately correct skew while suppressing the occurrence of damage to the print medium. Objective.

Therefore, one aspect of the present invention is
A print medium feeding mechanism that conveys a print medium to a printing means installed in a printer that prints on the print medium,
A print medium regulating means installed on the print medium insertion path side with respect to the printing means on the print medium conveyance path, for regulating the print medium in a predetermined conveyance posture;
A first conveying roller fixedly supported on the first support shaft and driven to rotate;
A second conveyance roller that is fixedly supported by the second support shaft and conveys the print medium, the conveyance posture of which is regulated by the print medium regulating means, between the first conveyance roller, and
Provided with an annular roller that is not fixed to a predetermined support shaft, and is transported with the print medium before and after the conveyance posture is regulated by the print medium regulation means, sandwiched between the first conveyance roller and conveyed. The
It is characterized by that.

  According to the above invention, first, before the print medium is inserted into the conveyance path and the conveyance posture of the print medium is regulated, the print medium is interposed between the first conveyance roller and the annular roller not fixed to the predetermined shaft. In a state in which the print medium is sandwiched, the print medium is transported by the first transport roller being rotationally driven. Then, the posture of the print medium is regulated by the print medium regulating means in such a transport state. At this time, in some print media sandwiched between the first conveyance roller and the annular roller, the first conveyance roller and the annular roller may idle, but the annular roller is fixed to a predetermined support shaft. Therefore, a large frictional force is not applied to the print medium from the first conveying roller and the annular roller. Therefore, occurrence of damage to the print medium can be suppressed. After the orientation of the print medium is regulated, the print medium is sandwiched between the first transport roller and the second transport roller fixed to each support shaft and transported to the printing unit. For this reason, conveyance of the printing medium at the time of printing can be implemented reliably.

  The annular roller has a shaft diameter of the second support shaft so that the position of the outer peripheral portion can be displaced within a range from at least the same position to a predetermined position further outside with respect to the position of the outer peripheral portion of the second transport roller. An insertion hole having a larger diameter is inserted through the second support shaft.

  Accordingly, an insertion hole larger than the shaft diameter of the second support shaft is formed in the annular roller, and the second support shaft is inserted into and supported by the insertion hole. Therefore, the position of the outer peripheral portion of the annular roller is displaced with respect to the position of the outer peripheral portion of the second conveying roller fixedly supported by the second support shaft by displacing the position of the second support shaft within the insertion hole. It is displaced in the range from the same position to a predetermined position further outside. Then, when the outer peripheral portion of the annular roller is located outside the outer peripheral portion of the second transport roller, the print medium can be sandwiched between the annular roller and the first transport roller, and the outer peripheral portion of the annular roller is the first peripheral roller. When located at the same position or inside the outer peripheral portion of the transport roller, the print medium can be sandwiched between the second transport roller and the first transport roller. Therefore, each roller can be supported by the two support shafts, and the structure can be simplified.

  Further, in addition to the above configuration, the second support shaft is configured to be rotationally driven. As a result, both the first transport roller and the second transport roller that sandwich the print medium after the transport posture adjustment are rotationally driven, so that subsequent paper feeding can be performed more reliably, and printing accuracy can be improved. it can.

  A first support shaft and a first support shaft so as to realize a state in which the print medium is sandwiched between the first transport roller and the annular roller and a state in which the print medium is sandwiched between the first transport roller and the second transport roller; And / or roller position driving means for driving to change the position of the second support shaft.

  As a result, when the print medium is sandwiched between the first transport roller and the annular roller, the position of at least one of the support shafts is set so that the first transport roller and the annular roller abut on the outer side of the outer periphery of the second transport roller. Change. Further, when the print medium is sandwiched between the second transport roller and the first transport roller, the position of at least one of the support shafts is changed so that the first transport roller contacts the outer peripheral portion of the second transport roller. Therefore, by moving the first support shaft and the second support shaft, the holding state of the print medium by each roller, that is, the transport state can be changed, and the feed mechanism can be easily controlled.

  In addition, the second transport roller and the annular roller are adjacent to each other and mounted on the second support shaft, and the outer peripheral portion of the first transport roller is opposed to both outer peripheral portions of the adjacent second transport roller and the annular roller. The roller position driving means is arranged to drive so as to change the distance between the first support shaft and the second support shaft. The roller position driving means is characterized in that either one of the first support shaft and the second support shaft is driven to change relative to the other position.

  Thereby, by changing the distance between the first support shaft and the second support shaft, it is possible to change the roller that sandwiches the print medium facing the outer peripheral portion of the first transport roller. That is, when the position of the shaft is separated, the outer peripheral portion of the annular roller is located outside the second transport roller and can be sandwiched between the annular roller and the first transport roller. When the annular roller is pushed up by the first conveyance roller and the position of the outer peripheral portion of the annular roller becomes the same position as the outer peripheral portion of the second conveyance roller, the second conveyance roller and the first conveyance roller Can be sandwiched between rollers.

  Further, the second support shaft is arranged above the first support shaft. Furthermore, it has a pressing means for pressing the annular roller toward the first conveying roller.

  As a result, the annular roller is first positioned above the first conveying roller, so that the weight of the annular roller is applied to the first conveying roller, and an appropriate conveying force can be applied. Moreover, further conveying force can be urged | biased by urging | biasing pressing force to an annular roller.

  Further, the outer peripheral portion of the first conveying roller is formed of a member having a higher friction coefficient than the outer peripheral portions of the second conveying roller and the annular roller. Further, the outer peripheral portion of the annular roller is formed of a member having a lower friction coefficient than the outer peripheral portions of the first transport roller and the second transport roller.

  As a result, first, even when the print medium is sandwiched between the first transport roller and the annular roller, the friction force by the first transport roller is high, so before or during the orientation of the print medium. Even so, an appropriate conveying force can be generated. On the other hand, even if the first conveying roller and the annular roller idle while the posture is regulated, the annular roller idles with a low frictional force, so that damage to the print medium can be effectively suppressed.

  In addition, the printing apparatus includes a printing medium attitude detection unit that detects whether or not the printing medium is regulated to a predetermined conveyance attitude, and the roller position driving unit is configured to detect the first support shaft and the above-described one based on the detection value of the printing medium attitude detection unit. It is characterized by driving to change the distance between the second support shafts. Furthermore, the print medium regulating means has an abutting surface that is positioned on the conveyance path and regulates the conveyance attitude by contacting the end of the print medium in the conveyance direction. The present invention is characterized by comprising a retreating means for retreating the print medium regulating means from the conveyance path based on the detected value.

  Thus, the conveyance posture of the print medium is automatically detected, and the rollers are switched according to the detected value, the print medium regulating unit is excluded from the conveyance path, and the conveyance to the printing unit is executed.

  The present invention also provides a printer including the above-described print medium feeding mechanism and a printing unit that performs printing on the printing medium conveyed by the printing medium feeding mechanism.

  Since the present invention is configured and functions as described above, according to this, since an excessive frictional force is not urged from the roller to the print medium before and during the regulation of the print medium, the print medium is conveyed without being damaged. The posture can be regulated, and the frictional force from the roller is increased after the regulation of the conveyance posture of the print medium, so that it has an excellent effect that it can be conveyed more reliably than ever before.

  The present invention relates to a print medium feeding mechanism mounted on a printer that handles print media having different sizes and thicknesses of media inserted from a paper insertion slot, such as a passbook printer. In particular, it is a mechanism that automatically corrects skew of print media having various thicknesses while suppressing damage to the print media. Hereinafter, the configuration and operation of the mechanism will be described in Examples.

  A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration of a print medium feeding mechanism. 3 to 8 are diagrams showing the configuration and operation of the print medium feeding mechanism, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the operation during printing of the printer.

[Constitution]
FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the internal configuration of a printer 100 according to the present invention. This figure mainly shows only the configuration around the conveyance path of the paper that is the print medium. Since other configurations are the same as those of a normal printer, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  First, the printer 100 is provided with an upper guide 71 and a lower guide 72 on the paper insertion port side (left side in the figure), and a paper insertion port is formed between these members. The sheet is inserted and conveyed in the direction of arrow Y1 (the direction from the left side to the right side in FIG. 1).

  The back side of the paper insertion opening, that is, the inside of the printer, on the paper conveyance path, the insertion side provided with rollers (11, 21 and the like) that bias the conveyance force to the inserted paper. A paper feed mechanism 10 (print medium feed mechanism), a print head 50 (printing means) that actually performs printing on the paper P using ink, and a discharge-side paper feed mechanism 60 that discharges the printed paper are provided. It has been. Hereinafter, since the present invention is characterized by the insertion-side sheet feeding mechanism 10 that conveys the sheet to the print head 50, this configuration will be described in detail.

  FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the configuration of the insertion-side paper feed mechanism 10. 3 to 4 are plan views of the configuration on the transport path including the insertion-side sheet feeding mechanism 10 as viewed from above. Further, FIGS. 5 to 6 show a configuration of each roller that realizes sheet feeding.

  First, the insertion-side feed mechanism 10 includes a pair of shafts such as an upper shaft 1 (second support shaft) and a lower shaft 2 (first support shaft). Then, the paper P inserted from the insertion port is sandwiched between the rollers mounted on the shafts 1 and 2, and the conveyance force is applied to the paper P so as to be conveyed.

  Specifically, first, a ceramic roller 11 (second transport roller) is fixedly supported on the upper shaft 1. For example, five ceramic rollers 11 are provided along the upper shaft 1 and each has an outer peripheral surface (outer peripheral portion) having a predetermined width. Further, the upper shaft 1 is configured to be rotationally driven by a conveying stepping motor 41, the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11 faces a sponge roller 21 of the lower shaft 2 described later, and the paper P is sandwiched therebetween. The paper P can be conveyed in both forward and reverse directions. The ceramic roller 11 is made of ceramic, but may be made of rubber or other material.

  In addition, an iron ring 12 (annular roller) having an outer peripheral surface (outer peripheral portion) width of about 7 mm is inserted through the upper shaft 1 adjacent to the side of each ceramic roller 1. ing. The outer diameter of the iron ring 12 is substantially the same as that of the ceramic roller 11, and the inner diameter of the iron ring 12 is formed to be about 6 mm larger than the diameter of the upper shaft 12. Therefore, a space is formed between the iron ring 12 and the upper shaft 1, and the iron ring 12 is equipped to hang on the upper shaft 1. That is, the iron ring 12 is not fixed to the upper shaft 1 but merely inserted so as to be rotatable around the upper shaft 1. When the iron ring 12 is hung on the upper shaft 1, the position of the outer peripheral surface of the iron ring 12 is relative to the position of the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11, as shown in FIGS. It is located further outside, for example, about 3 mm away (symbol D). Further, when the upper shaft 1 is positioned at substantially the center position of the iron ring 12 and is pushed up by the sponge roller 21 from below as described later, as shown in FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b), The position of the outer peripheral surface of the iron ring 12 is located at substantially the same position (height) as the position of the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11. Thus, in this embodiment, the position of the outer peripheral surface of the iron ring 12 is configured to be displaceable.

  Here, in the above description, the iron ring 12 is described as being made of iron, but may be formed of other materials such as resin. However, as will be described later, since the iron ring 12 idles with respect to the paper P when the skew of the paper P is corrected, the friction coefficient is lower than that of the ceramic roller 11 and the sponge roller 21 described below. It is desirable that the coefficient of friction is relatively low.

  The lower shaft 2 is provided with a sponge roller 21 (first conveying roller) supported on a fixed shaft. The sponge roller 21 is placed on the lower shaft 2 at a position corresponding to the position of the five ceramic rollers 11 mounted on the upper shaft 1 described above, that is, the outer peripheral surface faces the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11. Equipped with pieces. The roller width that is the outer peripheral surface of each sponge roller 21 is formed to be about 2 to 3 mm wider in the axial direction than the roller width of the opposing ceramic roller 11. The outer circumferential surface of each sponge roller 21 is opposed to the ceramic roller 11 and is also opposed to the outer circumferential surface of the iron ring 12 provided adjacent to the ceramic roller 11. That is, for example, as shown in FIGS. 5B and 6B, the outer peripheral surface of the sponge roller 21 is mostly opposed to the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11, and a part thereof is an iron ring. 12 also faces the outer peripheral surface.

  The driving force of the transporting stepping motor 41 that drives the upper shaft 1 is transmitted from the upper gear 42 to the idler gear 43 via the upper shaft 1, and further transmitted to the lower shaft 2 via the coupling 44. Is done. As described above, the sponge roller 21 is configured to be rotationally driven. In this embodiment, the ceramic roller 11 and the sponge roller 21 are particularly configured to be rotationally driven in the transport direction in synchronization. .

  Since the sponge roller 21 is rotationally driven as described above, the sponge roller 21 biases the conveyance force to the paper P as will be described later. Therefore, the sponge roller 21 has a friction coefficient higher than that of the ceramic roller 11 or the iron ring 12. Is good to be formed. However, the material is not limited to sponge, and it is desirable that the material is formed of a material having a relatively high friction coefficient. Further, it is desirable that the outer peripheral surface of the sponge roller 21 has elasticity and is formed of a relatively soft member. As will be described later, this can suppress damage to the paper P when the paper P that is being transported by being sandwiched between the iron ring 12 is idling during skew correction.

  Further, the lower shaft 2 on which the sponge roller 21 is fixedly supported is configured to be movable in the vertical direction by a sponge roller cam 46 that is rotated by the rotational force of the stepping motor 45 for the sponge roller vertical operation. (Roller position driving means). Specifically, the lower shaft 2 is moved such that the distance between the lower shaft 2 and the upper shaft 1 is increased or decreased.

  Here, the movable state of the lower shaft 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 5 shows a state where the sponge roller 21 of the lower shaft 2 is separated from the ceramic roller 11 of the upper shaft 1. 5A is a front view of the insertion-side sheet feeding mechanism 10, and FIG. 5B is a view of FIG. 5A viewed from the side. In this case, the iron ring 12 is hung from the upper shaft 1, the outer peripheral surface of the iron ring 12 is positioned below the position of the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11, and the outer peripheral surface of the sponge roller 21 is Position to abut. On the other hand, FIG. 6 shows a state where the sponge roller 21 of the lower shaft 2 is moved upward as indicated by an arrow Y14 so as to come into contact with the ceramic roller 11 of the upper shaft 1. 6A is a front view of the insertion-side sheet feeding mechanism 10, and FIG. 6B is a view of FIG. 6A viewed from the side. In this case, the iron ring 12 is pushed upward by the sponge roller 21, the outer peripheral surface of the iron ring 12 becomes the same position as the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11, and the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11 and the sponge roller 21. Are in contact with the outer peripheral surface.

  Further, in this embodiment, a pressing plate 13 that urges a pressing force downward from the upper side to the iron ring 12 using the spring force of the spring 14 is provided (pressing means). The pressing plate 13 is provided with a spring 14 and a pressing plate 13 corresponding to each iron ring 12 so as to operate independently with respect to each iron ring 12. Thereby, an appropriate pressing force can be applied downward to the outer peripheral surface located at the lower end of the iron ring 12, that is, the portion facing the sponge roller 21.

  Further, the insertion-side paper feed mechanism 10 in this embodiment has an abutting surface having a surface against which the edge of the paper P abuts on the conveyance destination by the ceramic roller 11 and the sponge roller 21, that is, the side opposite to the insertion port. A stopper 13 (printing medium regulating means) is provided. The abutting surface stopper 13 has a surface perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the paper P, that is, the rotation direction of the ceramic roller 1 and the sponge roller 21, and the edge of the paper P abuts on the end of the paper P. Sides are regulated perpendicular to the transport direction. That is, it is for regulating the paper P itself in a posture parallel to the transport direction. The abutting surface stopper 3 is rotated by the stopper cam 46 provided in conjunction with the rotation of the sponge roller vertical movement stepping motor 45 that drives the sponge roller 21 to move up and down. To do. Thus, the abutting surface stopper 3 is erected on the conveyance path so as to block the conveyance path before and when the sheet P is conveyed, and then, as will be described later. When it is determined that the posture of the paper P is regulated, the abutting surface stopper 3 is raised by rotating the stepping motor 45, the transport path is opened, and the paper P is transported to the print head 50. Thus, the retracting means which is a structure for retracting the abutting surface stopper 3 from the transport path is also provided.

  Further, an abutting detection sensor 32 (printing medium attitude detecting means) that detects whether or not the sheet P is correctly abutting against the abutting surface on the abutting surface (insertion side) of the abutting surface stopper 13. Is provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the abutting detection sensor 32 is composed of a plurality of infrared sensors arranged on the abutting surface at a predetermined interval. Operates to detect if part is located. When it is detected by at least two or more abutting detection sensors 32 that the sheet P is located at the installation location, it can be determined that the edge of the sheet is positioned in parallel to the abutting surface, and the conveyance posture of the sheet P is determined. It can be determined whether or not regulation is made to be parallel to the transport direction. The determination result by the abutting detection sensor 32 is used as a timing for controlling the vertical movement of the sponge roller 21 and the vertical movement of the abutting surface stopper 3 described above. Specifically, when the abutting detection sensor 32 determines that the paper P is correctly regulated, the sponge roller 21 is moved upward so that the paper P is sandwiched between the sponge roller 21 and the ceramic roller 11. At the same time, the abutting surface stopper 3 is moved upward to open the conveyance path.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a paper detection sensor 33 such as an infrared sensor for detecting the paper P is disposed in front of the ceramic roller 1, thereby detecting that the paper P has been inserted. Can do. Then, by detecting the insertion of the paper P, it is possible to start a conveyance process such as rotating all the rollers.

  The above is the configuration of the insertion-side paper feed mechanism 10 for transporting the paper P inserted into the printer 100 to the print head 50. Next, other configurations will be described. First, a print head 50 (printing means) for printing on the conveyed paper P is provided on the further back side of the insertion-side paper feed mechanism 10, that is, on the discharge port side. The print head 50 performs an operation (spacing operation) perpendicular to the transport direction of the paper P by an actuator (not shown) (for example, using a stepping motor or a DC servo motor) to print on the paper P. Do. In addition, the print head 50 includes a reflective sensor 51 and detects the edge of the paper P. This edge detection result is used to set a print location for the paper P.

  Further, similarly to the above-described insertion-side paper feed mechanism 10, the discharge-side paper feed mechanism 60 located further on the back side (discharge port side) of the print head 50 includes a ceramic roller 61 on the upper side and a sponge roller 62 on the lower side. This is a feed mechanism that acts to convey the paper P printed between them.

[Operation]
Next, the printing operation of the printer 100 described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 9 and other drawings.

  First, when the paper P is inserted from the insertion opening between the upper guide 71 and the lower guide 72 shown in FIG. 1 (step S1), the paper detection sensor 33 shown in FIG. 3 detects the paper P (step S2), and is used for conveyance. Driving of the stepping motor 41 is started (step S3). Then, the ceramic roller 11 to which the driving of the transporting stepping motor 41 is transmitted rotates in the transport direction (the direction of arrow Y11 in FIG. 5A). At the same time, the drive is transmitted from the upper gear 42 mounted on the upper shaft 1 to which the ceramic roller 11 is fixed to the idler gear 43, and the sponge roller 21 connected via the coupling 44 further forward is moved in the conveying direction ( It rotates in the direction of arrow Y12 in FIG. At this time, as shown in FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), the sponge roller 21 is positioned below without contacting the ceramic roller 11, and is separated by about 3 mm. The outer peripheral surface of the iron ring 12 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the sponge roller 21. At this time, the self-weight of the iron ring 12, the self-weight of the pressing plate 13, and the pressing force by the spring 14 (see the arrow 13 in FIG. 5A), the sponge roller 21 that is the outer peripheral surface of the iron ring 12 It is on the contact surface, and the outer peripheral surface of the iron ring 12 is pressed against the sponge roller 21.

  In this state, when the sponge roller 21 is rotated by using the detection by the paper detection sensor 33 as a trigger as described above, the paper P is placed between the iron ring 12 and the sponge roller 21 as shown in FIG. It is sandwiched between these outer peripheral surfaces, and the conveying force is urged by an appropriate frictional force, and is conveyed in the conveying direction (arrow Y1 direction). Then, as shown in FIG. 7A, a part of the edge on the insertion side of the paper P hits the abutting surface stopper 3 located about 5 mm behind the sponge roller 21, but at this time, the paper P As described above, P is pressurized by the iron ring 12 and the sponge roller 21 with a relatively weak force caused by the pressing force of the pressing plate 13 or the like, so that no excessive frictional force is applied to the stopper 13. The sponge roller 21 and the iron roller 12 that are close to the colliding part are idle with respect to the paper P. As shown in the plan view of FIG. 3, when the paper P is inserted obliquely, a part of the edge of the paper P comes into contact with the stopper 3 first. The location may not be in contact with the stopper 3. Then, since the rollers 21 and 12 close to the non-contact portion convey the applied portion with a weak frictional force (conveyance force) as described above, finally, as shown in FIG. The whole comes into full contact with the abutting surface stopper 3. That is, the end on the insertion side is perpendicular to the transport direction Y1, and skew is regulated (Yes in step S4). When the end sides of the paper P are aligned substantially straight to the abutting surface, at least two sensors corresponding to the width of the paper P among the abutting detection sensors 32 positioned in front of the abutting surface stopper 3. Detects the light blocking state, and the printer can recognize that the light has hit the abutting surface stopper 3. With this as a trigger, the driving of the transporting stepping motor 41 is stopped, and the rotation of the sponge roller 21 is stopped (step S5).

  After the regulation of the paper P as described above, the sponge roller cam 46 is rotated by driving the stepping motor 45 for moving up and down the sponge roller, and as shown by the arrow Y14 in FIG. The roller 21 moves up (step S6). Then, the iron ring 12 is pushed upward by the sponge roller 21 so that the outer peripheral surface of the sponge roller 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the ceramic roller 11 come close to each other, and the paper P is sandwiched. At the same time, the stopper cam 31 is rotated by the rotation of the sponge roller up / down stepping motor 45, and the abutting surface stopper 3 is lifted as shown by the arrow Y15 in FIG. 7B (step S7). Opened.

  Thereafter, the transport stepping motor 41 is rotated again in the transport direction (step S8), so that the paper P can be transported to the print head 50 side while being sandwiched between the sponge roller 21 and the ceramic roller 11. At this time, when the ceramic roller 11 rotates, the sponge roller 21 also rotates in the same direction, so that the conveying force is strong and the structure is difficult to slip. In the present embodiment, the case where both the ceramic roller 11 and the sponge roller 21 are rotationally driven is illustrated. However, if at least the sponge roller 21 is rotationally driven, the skew correction and conveyance of the paper P are performed. realizable.

  The conveyance of the paper P to the printing position is managed by the distance from the abutting detection sensor 32. After the abutting surface stopper 3 is raised, the conveyance is controlled by the number of steps of the stepping motor to a predetermined position. Feed the paper. However, since the lateral direction (conveying direction and vertical direction) of the paper P cannot be positioned by a sensor arranged in the conveying path, the lateral direction is detected by the reflective sensor 51 mounted on the print head 50 (step S9). Specifically, when the print head 50 is spaced (moving in the horizontal direction), the boundary between the light passing through and the light blocking by the reflective sensor 51 is detected to determine the edge position of the paper P in the horizontal direction. For example, since the paper P is normally white, light is transmitted by the reflective sensor 51 on the surface of the paper P (white is reflected and light is transmitted), and other than the surface of the paper P is black, so light is blocked (black Is not reflected and thus shielded from light).

  Thereafter, printing on the positioned paper P is performed (step S10). When the printing is completed, the ceramic roller 61 and the sponge roller 62 of the discharge paper feed mechanism are rotated in the discharge direction by the stepping motor, and the paper P is discharged. (Step S11).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 7, the case where the thin paper P is conveyed as a print medium is illustrated as shown in FIG. 7. However, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. In the same manner as described above, the skew can be corrected and transported. In other words, the insertion-side paper feed mechanism 10 in the present embodiment has a gap of about 3 mm between the ceramic roller 11 and the sponge roller 21 as described above, so that a passbook of about 2 mm is temporarily inserted. However, as shown in FIG. 8A, the iron ring 12 is pushed upward by its thickness, but does not contact the ceramic roller 11. Accordingly, as described above, before the skew correction and during the skew correction, the thick medium P can be sandwiched between the sponge roller 11 and the iron ring 12 and conveyed to the abutting surface stopper 3. Then, after correcting the conveying posture of the printing medium P by the abutting surface stopper 3, the sponge roller 21 moves upward as shown in FIG. 8B, and the sponge roller 21 and the ceramic roller 11 perform thick printing. The medium P can be sandwiched and conveyed in the direction of the print head 50 and the discharge port.

  As described above, in the present invention, for example, even a thin print medium having a thickness of about 0.1 mm or a thick print medium having a thickness of about 2 mm is first sandwiched and transported between the sponge roller 21 and the iron roller 12. The transport posture is regulated. At this time, the roller is idled at a certain point, but the iron ring 12 is not fixed to the shaft. For example, a bar code or a magnetic tape printed on the print medium is damaged or scraped off. Damage can be suppressed.

  Here, although the case where the iron ring 12 is installed by being inserted through the upper shaft 1 is illustrated above, the lower shaft 2 may be equipped. In such a case, the pressing plate 13 may be provided on the lower side at the same time, and the iron ring 12 may be pressed from below to press the iron ring 12 against the opposing roller. Moreover, you may equip the iron ring 12 with another support shaft. In this case, in addition to the two support shafts described above, the positions of the other support shafts equipped with the iron ring 12 are also drive-controlled, and as described above, the paper P is fed according to the feeding status of the paper P. You may control the position of each roller nipped and conveyed.

  The present invention can be implemented not only in a bankbook printer installed in a bank ATM or the like, but also in a home printer or the like, and has industrial applicability.

1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an overall configuration of a printer according to the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows the insertion side paper feed mechanism disclosed in FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure of the insertion side paper feeding mechanism disclosed in FIG. 1, and its periphery. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an insertion-side paper feeding mechanism disclosed in FIG. 1 and a configuration around the insertion-side paper feeding mechanism, and shows a state of correcting skew feeding of paper. It is the figure which simplified the structure of the insertion side paper feeding mechanism disclosed in FIG. FIG. 5A shows a front view thereof, and FIG. 5B shows a view of FIG. 5A viewed from the side. It is the figure which simplified the structure of the insertion side paper feeding mechanism disclosed in FIG. FIG. 6A shows a front view thereof, and FIG. 6B shows a view of FIG. 6A viewed from the side. FIGS. 7A and 7B are simplified views of the configuration of the insertion-side paper feeding mechanism disclosed in FIG. 1, and FIGS. FIGS. 8A and 8B are simplified views of the configuration of the insertion-side paper feeding mechanism disclosed in FIG. 1, and FIGS. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an operation at the time of printing of the printer disclosed in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper shaft 2 Lower shaft 3 Abutting surface stopper 10 Insertion side paper feed mechanism 11 Ceramic roller (insertion side)
12 Iron ring 13 Pressing plate 14 Spring 21 Sponge roller (insertion side)
32 Abutting detection sensor 33 Paper detection sensor 50 Print head 51 Reflective sensor 60 Discharge-side paper feed mechanism 61 Ceramic roller (discharge side)
62 Sponge roller (discharge side)
71 Upper guide 72 Lower guide 100 Printer P Paper

Claims (8)

A printing medium feeding mechanism for conveying the printing medium to a printing means installed in a printer for printing on the printing medium,
A print medium regulating means installed on the print medium insertion path side with respect to the printing means on the print medium conveyance path for regulating the print medium in a predetermined conveyance posture;
A first conveying roller fixedly supported on the first support shaft and driven to rotate;
A second conveyance roller that is fixedly supported by a second support shaft and conveys the print medium, the conveyance posture of which is regulated by the print medium regulating means, sandwiched between the first conveyance roller, and
The second support is adjacent to the second transport roller , and transports the print medium before and after the transport posture is regulated by the print medium regulation means while being sandwiched between the first conveyance rollers. e Bei the inserted through annular roller without being fixed to the shaft,
The annular roller has an insertion hole having a diameter larger than the shaft diameter of the second support shaft, and is inserted into the second support shaft by forming a space between the second support shaft,
In a state where the annular roller is suspended from the second support shaft, the outer peripheral surface position of the annular roller is positioned below the outer peripheral surface position of the second transport roller, and the first transport roller and the annular roller When the annular roller is pushed up from below by the first conveying roller, the outer peripheral surface position of the annular roller is set to the second conveying roller. The first support shaft and / or the second support shaft and / or the second support shaft are located at substantially the same height as the outer peripheral surface so as to realize a state in which the print medium is sandwiched between the first transport roller and the second transport roller. Roller position drive means for driving to change the position of the support shaft,
A print medium feeding mechanism characterized by that. The outer diameter of the annular roller is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the second transport roller.
The print medium feeding mechanism according to claim 1. Arranged so that the outer peripheral portion of the first transport roller faces the outer peripheral portion of the adjacent second transport roller and the annular roller,
A pressing means for pressing the annular roller toward the first conveying roller;
The print medium feeding mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, The outer periphery of the first transport roller was formed of a sponge that is a member having a higher friction coefficient than the outer periphery of the second transport roller and the annular roller.
The print medium feeding mechanism according to claim 1, 2, or 3 . The outer peripheral portion of the annular roller is made of iron which is a member having a lower coefficient of friction than the outer peripheral portions of the first transport roller and the second transport roller .
The print medium feeding mechanism according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4 . Comprising a print medium posture detection means for detecting whether or not the print medium is regulated to a predetermined transport posture;
The roller position driving means is driven to change a distance between the first support shaft and the second support shaft based on a detection value of the print medium posture detection means.
The print medium feeding mechanism according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 . The print medium regulation means is located on a conveyance path, and has an abutment surface that regulates the conveyance posture by contacting an end portion on the conveyance direction side of the print medium,
Provided with a retracting means for retracting the print medium regulating means from the transport path based on the detection value of the print medium attitude detecting means;
The print medium feeding mechanism according to claim 6 . The printing medium feeding mechanism according to claim 1, and a printing unit that performs printing on the printing medium conveyed by the printing medium feeding mechanism.
A printer characterized by that.

Images