JP4345657B2 - Printer - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a printer.

  Conventionally, for example, a printer as shown in Patent Document 1 is known. This printer performs printing on a paper set unit in which print paper is set, a conveyance path for conveying the print paper set in the paper set unit, and the print paper conveyed from the conveyance path A printing unit; and a conveyance device that is provided in the middle of the conveyance path and receives print paper conveyed from the upstream conveyance path and sends the print paper to the downstream conveyance path. This transport device is provided with a chucker that receives and grips print paper from the upstream transport path, a receiving position for receiving the print paper, and a position that is separated from the receiving position by a predetermined distance. And a moving mechanism for moving between the delivery position and the delivery position to be sent to the downstream conveyance path.

Here, in order for the chucker to receive and send the print paper, it is necessary to drive the chucker to perform the receiving operation and the sending operation, respectively.
JP 2002-90904 A

  Therefore, in order to achieve the above object, the chucker is provided with a drive mechanism for driving the chucker, and the power supply is provided outside the chucker, and the power of the power supply is supplied to the drive mechanism between the chucker and the power supply. It is conceivable to arrange wiring for this purpose. Here, this wiring is required to be strong because the chuck moves.

  However, as long as the chucker moves, we want to avoid laying wiring on the chucker as much as possible. In addition, strong wiring is expensive and undesirable from a cost standpoint.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of preventing a flexible wiring from being provided on a moving object in a printer.

1st invention prints with respect to the paper set part in which a print paper is set, the conveying apparatus which conveys the print paper set to this paper set part, and the printed paper conveyed by this conveying apparatus A printer having a printing unit, wherein the conveying device is configured to be rotatable forward and backward around a central axis, and receives and grips the printed paper conveyed from the paper set unit between and facing each other. A pair of rollers, and a position where the roller pair is received at a position where the print paper is received and a position where the print paper is sent to the print unit and which is separated from the reception position by a predetermined distance. and a moving mechanism for moving the, provided outside the conveying device, of rotating at least one roller of the roller pair A first drive mechanism for driving, a second drive mechanism provided outside the conveying device for rotating at least one roller of the roller pair, and when the roller pair is located at the receiving position A first transmission mechanism that causes the roller pair to receive the print paper by transmitting a driving force of the first drive mechanism to at least one roller of the roller pair; A second transmission mechanism for transmitting the print paper to the roller pair by transmitting the driving force of the second drive mechanism to at least one roller of the roller pair, it is characterized in that it comprises and.

  As a result, when the roller pair is located at the receiving position and the delivery position, the driving mechanism transmits the driving force of the driving mechanism to at least one roller of the roller pair. By rotating at least one of the rollers in the forward or reverse direction, the print paper can be received and sent out. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a strong wiring for the moving object as described above.

  A second invention is characterized in that, in the first invention, the roller pair holding the print paper is configured not to rotate when moving from the receiving position to the sending position by the moving mechanism. It is what.

  As a result, the roller pair holding the print paper does not rotate when moving from the receiving position to the sending position by the moving mechanism, so that the roller pair can maintain the state in which the print paper is securely held during the movement. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print paper from falling from the roller pair.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the invention, the first drive mechanism includes at least one roller of the roller pair, and a downstream side of the paper set unit and an upstream side of the transport device. The second drive mechanism is configured to rotate at least one of the roller pairs. The second drive mechanism is configured to rotate at least one of the roller pairs. One roller and a conveyance roller that is provided on the downstream side of the conveyance device and on the upstream side of the print unit and receives print paper fed by a roller pair positioned at the feed position and conveys the print paper to the print unit It is for rotating .

  As a result, the first drive mechanism is also used to rotate at least one roller and the delivery roller of the roller pair, and the second drive mechanism rotates at least one roller and the transport roller of the roller pair. Therefore, the number of drive mechanisms can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, since it is not necessary to provide a strong wiring, the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where such a wiring is provided.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 shows an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. This ink jet printer is used in a photographic printing system, and is connected via a communication cable to a receiving block 100 (see FIG. 8) that acquires image data and order information and performs necessary correction processing and the like. The image data transmitted from the receiving block 100 via the communication cable is printed on the print paper P based on the order information.

  The ink jet printer includes a housing 1, a magazine housing portion 2 (paper set portion) disposed in a lower portion of the housing 1, and a cassette housing disposed in a substantially central portion in the vertical direction in the housing 1. A print unit 4 which is disposed on the upper portion of the housing 1 and prints image data on the print paper P; and the print paper P is transferred from the magazine storage unit 2 to the print unit 4. A first transport path for transporting, a second transport path for transporting the print paper P from the cassette housing unit 3 to the print unit 4, and a print paper P printed by the print unit 4 from the print unit 4 to the housing. A third transport path for discharging to the outside of the body 1; and a discharge tray 5 provided outside the housing 1 for receiving the print paper P discharged to the outside of the housing 1 by the third transport path. Yes. The front-rear direction of the case is the left-right direction in FIG. 1, the front side of the case is the right side of FIG. 1, and the rear side of the case is the left side of FIG. The left-right direction of the housing is a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

  A print paper P, which is a long paper wound in a roll shape, is set in the magazine storage portion 2 while being stored and held in the paper magazine 8. The print paper P is wound so that the print surface to be printed is on the outside. On the other hand, a plurality of print papers P, which are cut sheets, are set in the cassette storage unit 3 while being stored and held in a rectangular box-shaped paper feed cassette 9. The print paper P in the paper feed cassette 9 is stacked in the thickness direction (vertical direction) with the print surface facing upward, and is pressed against a later-described feed roller 35 positioned above by the pressing plate 10. Yes. Then, the print paper P set in the magazine housing unit 2 or the cassette housing unit 3 is conveyed to the printing unit 4 as described later, printed by the printing unit 4, and discharged to the discharge tray 5. ing. In the magazine housing 2, it is also possible to set two print papers P having a small width in parallel in the left-right direction of the housing, and when two are set in parallel in this way, The set two print papers P are simultaneously pulled out from the magazine housing unit 2 and conveyed in two rows. The print unit 4 prints the two print papers P and discharges them simultaneously to the discharge tray.

  In the casing 1, a first supply unit U1, a cutter unit U2, a second supply unit U3, a switchback unit U4, and a print unit U5 are provided to constitute the first to third transport paths. The first transport path is composed of a first supply unit U1, a cutter unit U2, a switchback unit U4, and a print unit U5 in order from the magazine accommodating portion 2. Further, the second transport path is configured by a second supply unit U3, a switchback unit U4, and a print unit U5 in order from the cassette housing portion 3. Further, the third transport path is constituted by a print unit U5. The magazine housing unit 2, the cassette housing unit 3, the printing unit 4, the first supply unit U1, the cutter unit U2, the second supply unit U3, and the printing unit U5 constitute a main body unit.

  The first supply unit U1 is provided in the magazine housing portion 2 (paper magazine 8). The first supply unit U1 includes three support rollers 15 that support the roll-shaped print paper P, a guide member 16 that guides the print paper P to the cutter unit U2, and a print member that is provided in the middle of the guide member 16. A pressure supply roller 17 composed of driving and driven rollers 17a and 17b for transporting the paper P to the cutter unit U2, and a guide roller 18 provided on the upstream side of the guide member 16 and around which the print paper P is wound. It has. Of the three support rollers 15, a roller disposed on the front side of the casing is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown) to apply a rotational force to the print paper P around the center of the roll. Further, the drive roller 17a of the supply roller 17 is fed by an electric motor 30 disposed in the cutter unit U2 via a transmission belt 31 and a gear train 19 and a later-described feed roller 25 disposed in the cutter unit U2. The drive roller 25a and the drive roller 41a of the later-described roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 are rotated. A first paper detection sensor 20 is provided at the downstream end of the first supply unit U1, and when the print paper P is all pulled out from the magazine housing portion 2 by the first paper detection sensor 20, the first paper detection sensor 20 is provided. The rear end of the print paper P is detected. When the rear end of the print paper P is detected, the fact is notified to the operator via a display or the like.

  The cutter unit U2 is disposed on the rear side of the housing of the first supply unit U1 in a state of being fixed to the vertical frame 6 extending in the vertical direction, and is a crimp-type delivery unit that sends out the print paper P to the switchback unit U4. A cutting roller 25, a cutter 26 that is disposed downstream of the feeding roller 25 and that cuts the print paper P and includes a fixed blade 26 a and a movable blade 26 b, a drive mechanism that drives the movable blade 26 b, and the like And a guide member 28 that extends in the horizontal direction and feeds the print paper P from the roller 25 to a cutting position by the cutter 26. The cutter 26 cuts the print paper P drawn from the magazine housing unit 2 to a predetermined length based on the order information from the receiving block 100. The feed roller 25 includes one drive roller 25 a and two driven rollers 25 b that sandwich the print paper P, and these driven rollers 25 b are pressed against the drive roller 25 a by one compression coil spring 29. As described above, the drive roller 25a is rotated by the electric motor 30 through the transmission belt 31 together with the drive roller 17a of the supply roller 17 in the first supply unit U1 and the drive roller 41a of the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4. It is designed to be driven. The print paper P is moved rearward in the horizontal direction by the feed roller 25 and the guide member 28 and sent to the switchback unit U4, and is received by the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 as will be described later. After being gripped, it is cut by the cutter 26. The roller pair 41 may receive the print paper P after cutting instead of receiving the print paper P before cutting. However, in this case, since the conveyance path in the cutter unit U2 becomes long, it is preferable to receive it before cutting. A second paper detection sensor 58 for detecting the print paper P is provided at the downstream end of the cutter unit U2.

  The second supply unit U3 includes a feed roller 35 that comes into contact with the print surface of the print paper P positioned at the top of a plurality of print papers P (cut sheet paper) set in the cassette housing unit 3, and the feed roller 35. And an electric motor 36 that drives the cutting roller 35 through a gear train 37. By driving the feeding roller 35, only one print paper P located at the top moves horizontally in the rearward direction of the housing. Then, it is sent out to the switchback unit U4. A third paper detection sensor 61 for detecting the print paper P is provided at the downstream end of the second supply unit U3.

  The switchback unit U4 constitutes a transport device provided in the middle of the first transport path and the second transport path. The switchback unit U4 receives the print paper P conveyed from the upstream conveyance path (that is, the first supply unit U1 and the cutter unit U2 or the second supply unit U3) located on the upstream side of the switchback unit U4. Upon receipt, the print paper P is sent out to the downstream conveyance path (that is, the print unit U5) located downstream of the switchback unit U4 in the direction opposite to the print paper moving direction at the time of receipt. That is, in the upstream conveyance path, the print paper P is conveyed toward the rear side of the housing with the print surface facing upward, and in the downstream conveyance path provided at a position above the upstream conveyance path, The paper P is transported toward the front side of the casing opposite to the upstream transport path with the print surface facing upward. However, in the switchback unit U4, the traveling direction of the print paper P faces the print surface upward. In this state, the print paper P is reversed without being bent so that the print paper P can be smoothly transferred from the upstream transport path to the downstream transport path without bending the print paper P.

  Specifically, the switchback unit U4 includes a gripping member that receives and grips the print paper P transported from the upstream transport path. In the present embodiment, the gripping member is configured as a roller pair 41 that is configured to be rotatable forward and backward about the central axis, and is opposed to each other in the vertical direction, and sandwiches the print paper P therebetween. One (the roller in contact with the back surface of the print paper P in this embodiment) is the driving roller 41a, and the other (the roller in contact with the print surface of the print paper P) is the driven roller 41b. The drive roller 41a is rotationally driven forward and backward around the central axis by an electric motor 30, 36, 77 (the electric motor 77 will be described later) via a transmission mechanism described later. By forward and reverse rotation of the drive roller 41a, the printing paper P is received and retracted from the upstream conveying path, and the printing paper P is sent to the downstream conveying path. Note that both rollers of the roller pair 41 may be driven, and the functions of driving and driven may be reversed up and down. A friction clutch (not shown) is provided between the driven roller 41b and its central axis.

  The transmission mechanism includes a first gear train 32 (first gear) that transmits the driving force of the electric motor 30 (first driving mechanism) to the driving roller 41a when the roller pair 41 is positioned at a first receiving position described later. (See FIG. 2)) and a pair of rollers 41 (not shown) for transmitting the driving force of the electric motor 36 (first driving mechanism) to the driving roller 41a when the roller pair 41 is positioned at a second receiving position described later. When the second gear train (first transmission mechanism) and the roller pair 41 are located at a delivery position described later, the driving force of the electric motor 77 (second driving mechanism) is not transmitted to the driving roller 41a. The third gear train (second transmission mechanism) is shown. The gear at the front end of the housing of the first gear train 32 meshes with the gear of the electric motor 30, and the gear at the rear end of the housing of the first gear train 32 is located in the vicinity of the first receiving position. When the roller pair 41 is located at the first receiving position, it engages with the gear of the drive roller 41a (see FIG. 2). The gear at the front end of the housing of the second gear train meshes with the gear of the electric motor 36, and the gear at the rear end of the housing of the second gear train is located in the vicinity of the second receiving position. When 41 is located at the second receiving position, it engages with the gear of the drive roller 41a. The gear at the front end of the housing of the third gear train meshes with the gear of the electric motor 77, and the gear at the rear end of the housing of the third gear train is located in the vicinity of the feed position, and the roller pair 41 Is positioned at the delivery position, it meshes with the gear of the drive roller 41a. The first gear train 32 transmits the driving force of the electric motor 30 to the drive roller 41 a so that the drive roller 41 a rotates normally. The second gear train 32 By transmitting the driving force to the driving roller 41a, the driving roller 41a is rotated forward, and the third gear train transmits the driving force of the electric motor 77 to the driving roller 41a, thereby driving the driving roller 41a. 41a is reversed.

  The roller pair 41 is linearly moved in the vertical direction by the moving mechanism at the housing rear side position of the cutter unit U2, the second supply unit U3, and the print unit U5. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the moving mechanism includes a rail mount 45 that is fixed to the vertical frame 6 and extends in the vertical and horizontal directions, and a vertical position at one end of the rail horizontal direction in the horizontal direction of the casing. A traveling rail 46 attached to extend, and a drive belt 48 that is wound around two pulleys 47 provided near the upper and lower ends of the traveling rail 46 and extends along the traveling rail 46, and a rail mount 45. And an electric motor 49 directly attached to the lower pulley 47. The drive belt 48 is driven forward and reverse by the electric motor 49. A bracket 50 is attached and fixed to the drive belt 48, and a slide member 51 that fits and slides on the travel rail 46 is fixed to the bracket 50, and the drive belt 48 is driven forward and backward by the electric motor 49. As a result, the bracket 50 reciprocates in the vertical direction. The vertical position of the bracket 50 can be determined by measuring the amount of movement (for example, the amount of rotation of the motor) from a reference position (for example, the lowermost end) where a sensor or the like for detecting the bracket 50 is provided. .

  A support plate 52 is fixed to the bracket 50, and one end portions of the driving roller 41 a and the driven roller 41 b in the roller pair 41 are rotatably supported by the support plate 52. Along with the movement, the roller pair 41 moves linearly in the vertical direction. Although not shown, the other end portions of the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b are supported by a support portion formed at the other end portion in the left-right direction of the housing of the rail mount 45 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction. .

  By the moving mechanism, the roller pair 41 is provided at a receiving position for receiving the print paper P from the upstream conveyance path, and at a position spaced apart from the reception position by a predetermined distance, and the print paper P is moved to the downstream conveyance path. A linear movement is made between the delivery position and the delivery position. That is, a position substantially the same as the downstream end of the cutter unit U2 (a position near the lower end of the traveling rail 46) is a receiving position for receiving the print paper P from the cutter unit U2 (hereinafter referred to as a first receiving position). A receiving position (hereinafter referred to as a second receiving position) for receiving the print paper P from the second supplying unit U3 is a height position that is substantially the same as the downstream end of the second supplying unit U3 (a substantially central position in the vertical direction of the traveling rail 46). Has been. On the other hand, a height position (position near the upper end of the traveling rail 46) that is substantially the same as the upstream end of the print unit U5 is a sending position for sending the print paper P to the print unit U5. Thus, the downstream end of the upstream conveyance path and the upstream end of the downstream conveyance path are separated by a predetermined distance (a value determined by the arrangement of the units U1 to U5 and set to the smallest possible value). In response to this, the roller pair 41 moves.

  The switchback unit U4 receives the print paper P from the upstream conveyance path (cutter unit U2) by the roller pair 41 at the first receiving position, and after the print paper P is cut by the cutter 26, Alternatively, after receiving and gripping the print paper P from the upstream conveyance path (second supply unit U3) by the roller pair 41 at the second receiving position, the roller pair 41 that grips the print paper P by the moving mechanism is The print paper P is moved to the sending position while being separated from the upstream conveyance path, and the print paper P is moved to the downstream conveyance path in the direction opposite to the moving direction of the print paper P when receiving the print paper P at the sending position. It is configured to send out. The moving direction of the print paper P sent out to the downstream side conveyance path is in the horizontal direction opposite to the moving direction at the time of reception (frontward of the casing). As described above, a friction clutch is provided between the driven roller 41b of the roller pair 41 and the central shaft thereof. For this reason, the roller pair 41 is moved to the first receiving position or the second receiving position by the moving mechanism. In addition to the drive roller 41a of the roller pair 41, the driven roller 41b does not rotate when moving from the feed position to the delivery position. That is, the roller pair 41 that holds the print paper P does not rotate when the moving mechanism moves from the first receiving position or the second receiving position to the sending position.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the support plate 52 has first and second support portions for supporting the print paper P positioned below the print paper P held by the roller pair 41 at the front and rear portions of the casing of the roller pair 41. The second support members 56 and 57 are fixed (not shown in FIG. 3). The first support member 56 has a role of guiding the print paper P from the cutter unit U2 to the roller pair 41 in a horizontal state.

  On the other hand, a bent portion bent downward is formed at the rear portion of the housing of the second support member 57, and a pressing roller 59 is in contact with the bent portion. The presser roller 59 is rotatably attached to the tip of the arm 60 that is rotatably supported by the support plate 52, and abuts against the bent portion of the second support member 57 by the weight of the presser roller 59. ing. The bent portion of the second support member 57 and the pressing roller 59 prevent the printed paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 from dropping down and coming into contact with the rear inner wall surface of the housing 1. That is, on the rear side of the switchback unit U4 in the casing 1 (the portion corresponding to the moving range of the roller pair 41 on the opposite side of the upstream conveyance path and the downstream conveyance path with respect to the roller pair 41). Is provided with a space 12 for the print paper P that is gripped by the roller pair 41. By hanging the print paper P downward as described above, the front and rear direction of the space space 12 in the front and rear of the housing is provided. The length along the (upstream direction of the upstream conveyance path) can be made as small as possible. On the other hand, by hanging the print paper P downward, the space 12 for the print paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 is below the portion corresponding to the moving range (below the first receiving position). Although it is necessary to extend, in the present embodiment, with respect to the first transport path, the upstream transport path located on the upstream side of the switchback unit U4 and the first receiving position are set to the print paper P set in the magazine housing portion 2. Therefore, the space 12 can be easily extended downward without increasing the height of the housing 1.

  Although not shown, restriction members for restricting the movement of the print paper P in the width direction are provided at both ends of the first and second support members 56 and 57 in the paper width direction. Both regulating members are configured to be able to change the interval in accordance with the paper width (the width of the paper can be determined by detecting the identification code portion provided in the paper magazine 8). When the print paper P is conveyed in two rows as described above, another regulating member enters the conveyance path at the center between the two regulating members, and is conveyed in two rows by these three regulating members. The movement of each printed paper P in the width direction is restricted.

  The print unit U5 is provided at a fixed base 65 fixed to a horizontal frame 7 extending in the horizontal direction at the upper end position of the vertical frame 6, and is provided at an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the fixed base 65, and supports the print paper P during printing. A print table 66 and a print head 67 facing the print paper P located on the print table 66 and ejecting ink to the print paper P for printing are provided. The print table 66 and the print head 67 constitute the print unit 4. A fourth paper detection sensor 62 for detecting the print paper P is provided at the upstream end of the print unit U5.

  The print table 66 is not configured to suck and hold the print paper P from the lower side of the print table 66 with a fan or the like, and does not have a suction hole or the like as shown in FIG. . At both ends of the print table 66 in the paper width direction (X direction shown in FIG. 4), a plurality of grooves 66a (6 in each embodiment) extending in the paper transport direction (Y direction) are provided in the paper width direction. It is formed to line up at a predetermined interval. Each of the grooves 66a is provided corresponding to both positions in the width direction of the print paper P having various sizes. In each groove 66a, the ink ejected from the print head 67 is arranged in the width direction of the print paper P. An ink absorbing material 68 for absorbing the ink is fitted when it comes off from both ends (especially, it easily comes off when performing borderless printing). A concave portion 66b is formed in the central portion of the print table 66 in the paper width direction, corresponding to each position of three head units 67a described later, and 2 pieces of print paper P are placed in each concave portion 66b. An ink absorbing material 69 that absorbs ink preliminarily ejected (trial strike before printing) from each head unit 67a of the print head 67 when being printed in a row is fitted.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the print head 67 has a plurality of ink discharge nozzles 67b on the bottom surface (the surface facing the print table 66) in the sub-scanning direction (paper transport direction (Y direction)). Three head units 67a are provided so as to form a row, and these three head units 67a are arranged at intervals in the sub-scanning direction. Note that only one nozzle row of each head unit 67a is shown in FIG. 4, but actually, a plurality of nozzle rows are arranged in the paper width direction corresponding to each of a plurality of colors of ink. Further, the number of head units 67a is not necessarily three, but may be one or two, or may be four or more.

  The upper surface of the print head 67 is fixedly attached to a drive belt 70 for reciprocating the print head 67 in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 1 (X direction shown in FIG. 4)). The drive belt 70 extends in the main scanning direction, and is wound around two pulleys 71 (only one is shown in FIG. 1) disposed at both ends thereof and rotatably supported on the upper portion of the fixed base 65. It is hung. The one pulley 71 is rotationally driven by an electric motor (not shown). A guide rail 72 extending in the main scanning direction along the drive belt 70 is attached and fixed to the upper portion of the fixed base 65, and the print head 67 is guided by the guide rail 72 while being driven by the drive belt 70. It reciprocates in the scanning direction. The print paper P on the print table 66 is intermittently (stepwise) conveyed in the sub-scanning direction by a constant unit conveyance amount by a conveyance roller 75 provided on the upstream side of the print table 66, and this intermittent conveyance is performed. At each stop of the print paper P at the time, the print head 67 is scanned one time in the main scanning direction (one-way operation or one-time operation), and the ink of each head unit 67a at each position in the main scanning direction during this scanning. Ink is ejected from the ejection nozzle 67b. That is, after one scan of the print head 67, the print paper P is transported by the unit transport amount, and then the print head 67 is scanned once again, and this operation is repeated to print a desired image. .

  The transport roller 75 is provided at the upstream end of the print unit U5 (that is, the upstream end of the downstream transport path and in the vicinity of the roller pair 41 (see FIG. 5) positioned at the delivery position). The print paper P delivered by the roller pair 41 positioned at the delivery position is received and conveyed to the printing unit 4. Like the feed roller 25 in the cutter unit U2, the transport roller 75 includes one drive roller 75a and two driven rollers 75b that sandwich the print paper P, and the two driven rollers 75b are one compression coil spring. 76 is pressed against the driving roller 75a. The drive roller 75a is rotated by an electric motor 77 via a transmission belt 78.

  The height position of the sandwiched portion of the print paper P sandwiched by the transport roller 75 is higher than the upper surface of the print table 66, and the print paper P is wound around the drive roller 75a while being printed. The portion of the print base 66 that is wound around the drive roller 75a by the guide roller 79 that is supported from the upper end of the print table 66 so as to have a gap above the upstream end. In other words, the print paper P is conveyed in a state where the back surface of the print paper P is substantially in contact with the upper surface of the print table 66.

  On the other hand, on the downstream side of the printing table 66, two pairs of pressure bonding composed of driving and driven rollers 81a and 81b are provided to form a third transport path for discharging the printed paper P to the outside of the housing 1. The mold discharge rollers 81 are provided at intervals in the paper transport direction. The drive roller 81 a of each discharge roller 81 is driven simultaneously by the electric motor 82 via the transmission belt 83. The height of the downstream discharge roller 81 is higher than that of the upstream discharge roller 81, and the print paper P is lifted between the downstream discharge roller 81 and the upstream discharge roller 81 and the downstream side. A guide member 84 that leads to the discharge roller 81 is provided.

  As described above, since the print paper P is lifted to a position higher than the upper surface of the print table 66 on the upstream side and the downstream side of the print table 66, the portion of the print paper P on the print table 66 is the print table 66. It comes to be pressed against the top surface. Thereby, the flatness of the print paper P on the print table 66 is ensured. In particular, the print paper P conveyed from the magazine housing unit 2 is curled so that the central portion in the length direction protrudes toward the print surface side with respect to both ends by the rolls of the roll. Even if the print paper P is curled, the flatness can be secured without being attracted to the print table 66. In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the print paper P conveyed from the magazine accommodating portion 2 is corrected for the curl before being supplied to the print table 66, so that the flatness is further improved. Can do.

  The discharge tray 5 is provided on the front side of the discharge roller 81 outside the casing 1 and protrudes forward of the casing 1, and an auxiliary tray 5a is stored at the front end thereof. . When the length of the printed paper P to be discharged is longer than the length of the discharge tray 5, the auxiliary tray 5a can receive the long printed paper P by pulling it forward of the housing 1. ing.

  In the present embodiment, the transport rollers 75 of the switchback unit U4 and the print unit U5 are configured to wind the roll on the print paper P after the print paper P transported from the magazine housing unit 2 is cut by the cutter 26. It constitutes a curl correction device that corrects curl caused by wrinkles. In the case of the print paper P conveyed from the cassette housing unit 3, since the curl is not normally curled, the curl correction device does not operate.

  Specifically, the transport roller 75 of the print unit U5 has a role as a holding member that holds one end portion of the print paper P sent out by the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 at the sending position. Reference numerals 41 respectively extend along the width direction of the print paper P held by the transport roller 75 and face each other while holding the vicinity of the one end of the print paper P therebetween. That is, when the transport roller 75 receives the print paper P sent out from the switchback unit U4 and clamps the front end portion (rear end portion at the time of receiving), the transport roller 75 temporarily stops its operation and holds the front end portion. It is supposed to be. At this time, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 holds the vicinity of the front end portion of the print paper P held by the transport roller 75. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, in a state where the print paper P is held by the transport roller 75, the roller pair 41 holding the print paper P is moved in the opposite direction of the roller pair 41 by the moving mechanism of the switchback unit U4. Move to the other roller (drive roller 41a) side. As a result, the print paper P is wound around the driven roller 41b on the upper side of the roller pair 41 in a state bent to the side opposite to the curl, and a portion between the transport roller 75 and the roller pair 41 of the print paper P A tension is applied to. In other words, the print paper P is curled by the curl caused by the roll so that the central portion in the length direction protrudes toward the print surface with respect to both ends. By wrapping, bend to the opposite side of the curl. For this purpose, the roller pair 41 is moved to the drive roller 41a side (that is, the lower side), which is the roller opposite to the print surface, so that the print paper P is wound around the driven roller 41b. As the roller pair 41 moves, the portion of the print paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 moves from the vicinity of the front end portion to the rear end portion side. As a result, the print paper P is squeezed by the roller pair 41 such that the side protruding from the curl (print surface side) is inside, and the curl is corrected. The conveyance roller 75 is configured to hold the print paper P in a state where the conveyance is stopped during the curl correction of the print paper P.

  Even if the rear end portion of the print paper P is detached from the roller pair 41, the roller pair 41 continues to move downward and returns to the first receiving position in order to receive the next print paper P. That is, the curl of the print paper P is corrected when the roller pair 41 moves from the sending position to the first receiving position. If the length of the print paper P is longer than the distance between the first receiving position and the sending position, the roller pair 41 is moved further downward than the first receiving position to omit the print paper P. The curl is corrected throughout and then returned to the first receiving position. Even when the print paper P is long as described above, the use of the space for hanging the print paper P downward as described above makes it possible to correct the curl over the entire print paper P without enlarging the casing 1 up and down. Can be done.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the inkjet printer has a microprocessor 101 (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a conveyance control unit 102 connected to the CPU 101 via a data bus, a head control unit 103, and a print control. Unit 104, semiconductor memory RAM / ROM 105, communication interface 106, first paper detection sensor 20, second paper detection sensor 58, third paper detection sensor 61, and fourth paper detection sensor 62 described above.

  The conveyance control unit 102 controls the operation of each of the units U1 to U5. The head control unit 103 controls the operation of the print head 67. The communication interface 106 is for transmitting and receiving information to and from the reception block 100. The print control unit 104 controls the print paper P to print image data based on the image data received from the receiving block 100 via the communication interface 106.

  Under the control of the conveyance control unit 102, the units U1 to U5 operate as follows.

  When printing is performed on the print paper P set in the magazine housing unit 2, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 is positioned at the first receiving position (see FIG. 1). Then, by operating the support roller 15 and the supply roller 17 of the first supply unit U1, the feed roller 25 of the cutter unit U2, and the drive roller 41a of the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4, the print paper P is stored in the magazine housing portion. 2 and is conveyed to the roller pair 41 located at the first receiving position.

  The driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 rotates in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 (forward rotation), and receives and holds the print paper P conveyed from the cutter unit U2 in the rearward direction in the horizontal direction. To do. That is, the print paper P is sandwiched between the driving roller 41a and the driven roller 41b. The drive roller 41a continues to drive and draws the print paper P into the space space 12 on the rear side of the casing. Then, after the leading edge of the print paper P is detected by the second paper detection sensor 58, after the amount determined based on the order information is conveyed, the movable blade 26b of the cutter 26 is operated to cut the print paper P. The After this cutting, the driving roller 41a continues to drive, and stops when the rear end portion of the cut print paper P is gripped by the roller pair 41. At this stage, the print paper P gripped by the roller pair 41 is not on the upstream conveyance path, but is separated from the upstream conveyance path.

  Subsequently, the drive belt 48 of the switchback unit U4 operates, and the roller pair 41 moves upward and stops at the delivery position (see FIG. 5). As a result, the print paper P is conveyed from the receiving position to the sending position in a state where it is separated from the upstream conveying path (cutter unit U2).

  Thereafter, the transport roller 75 starts to operate, and the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 rotates (reverses) in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5 so that the cut print paper P faces the front of the casing in the horizontal direction. It sends out to the conveyance roller 75.

  When the print paper P is sent out, the front end of the print paper P (rear end at the time of receipt) is detected by the fourth paper detection sensor 62, and the print paper P is detected by a predetermined amount (the front end of the print paper P is conveyed). The operation of the driving roller 41a and the conveying roller 75 of the roller pair 41 is temporarily stopped when the amount of the roller 75 is fed. As a result, the leading end portion of the print paper P is held and held between the transport rollers 75. Thereafter, in this holding state, as described above, the roller pair 41 holding the print paper P is moved downward to correct the curl of the print paper P (see FIG. 7). Eventually, the rear end portion of the print paper P is detached from the roller pair 41, but the roller pair 41 continues to move downward and returns to the first receiving position.

  After the roller pair 41 returns to the first receiving position or before returning to the first receiving position and after the rear end portion of the print paper P has passed the position where it deviates from the roller pair 41, the conveying roller 75 is actuated again. Then, the print paper P held at the time of curl correction is conveyed to the print table 66. The print head 67 is moved in the main scanning direction while being intermittently conveyed by the conveyance amount by the conveyance roller 75, and printing on the print table 66 is performed from the ink discharge nozzle 67 b of each head unit 67 a of the print head 67. Printing is performed by ejecting ink to the paper P.

  The printed print paper P is discharged to the outside of the housing 1 with the print surface facing upward by the discharge roller 81 and received by the discharge tray 5.

  On the other hand, when printing is performed on the print paper P set in the cassette housing portion 3, the roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 is positioned at the second receiving position (see FIG. 6). Then, by the operation of the feed roller 35 of the second supply unit U3, the print paper P is pulled out from the cassette housing portion 2 and conveyed to the roller pair 41 located at the second receiving position.

  Subsequently, like the print paper P pulled out from the magazine accommodating portion 2, the roller pair 41 grips the rear end portion of the print paper P, and then moves upward and stops at the sending position. As a result, the print paper P is conveyed from the receiving position to the sending position in a state where the print paper P is cut off from the upstream conveying path (second supply unit U3).

  Thereafter, the transport roller 75 starts to operate, and the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 reverses to send the print paper P to the transport roller 75 of the print unit U5 in the direction opposite to the moving direction when receiving the print paper P.

  When the print paper P is delivered to the conveyance roller 75, the front end of the print paper P is detected by the fourth paper detection sensor 62. In the case of the print paper P set in the cassette housing unit 3, it is not necessary to correct the curl. Therefore, the transport roller 75 continues to operate without stopping, and the print paper P sent out from the switchback unit U4 is removed. Receiving and transporting to the printing stand 66 as it is. The roller pair 41 of the switchback unit U4 moves downward and returns to the second receiving position after the rear end of the print paper P is detected by the fourth paper detection sensor 62.

  Next, in the same manner as the print paper P drawn out from the magazine housing unit 2, printing is performed by moving the print head 67 in the main scanning direction while intermittently transporting the print paper P by the transport amount by the transport roller 75. . The printed print paper P is discharged by the discharge roller 81 to the outside of the housing 1 with the print surface facing upward, and is received by the discharge tray 5.

-Effect-
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the roller pair 41 is located at the first receiving position, the second receiving position, and the delivery position, the driving force of the electric motors 30, 36, and 77 is applied by the gear train 32, respectively. Since the transmission is transmitted to the drive roller 41a of the roller pair 41, the roller pair 41 causes the electric motors 30, 36 and 77 to rotate the drive roller 41a of the roller pair 41 forward or backward via the gear train 32, thereby P can be received and sent out, respectively. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a strong wiring on the moving object (that is, the bracket 50 or the like). Therefore, the cost can be reduced as compared with the case where such wiring is provided.

  Further, since the roller pair 41 holding the print paper P does not rotate when moving from the receiving position to the sending position by the moving mechanism, the roller pair 41 holds the print paper P securely during the movement. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the print paper P from falling from the roller pair 41.

  The electric motor 30 is also used to rotate the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41 and the driving roller 25a of the sending roller 25, and the electric motor 36 includes the driving roller 41a and the sending roller 35. Since the electric motor 77 is also used for rotating the driving roller 41a and the driving roller 75a of the conveying roller 75, the number of electric motors is reduced. Can do.

  In this embodiment, the transmission mechanism is constituted by the gear train 32. However, when the roller pair 41 is located at the first receiving position, the second receiving position, and the sending position, respectively, the electric motors 30, 36, As long as the driving force of 77 can be transmitted to the driving roller 41a of the roller pair 41, the transmission mechanism may be any mechanism.

  In this embodiment, the roller pair 41 that holds the print paper P is not rotated by the friction clutch when the roller 41 is moved from the first receiving position or the second receiving position to the sending position by the moving mechanism. The rotation may be prevented by means other than the friction clutch.

  In this embodiment, the printer is an ink jet printer, but may be a printer other than an ink jet printer.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and can be implemented in various other forms without departing from the spirit or main features thereof.

  As described above, the above-described embodiment is merely an example in all respects and should not be interpreted in a limited manner. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims, and is not restricted by the text of the specification. Further, all modifications and changes belonging to the equivalent scope of the claims are within the scope of the present invention.

  As described above, the present invention is useful for a printer in which print paper set in a print set unit is pulled out from the print set unit and conveyed to the print unit, and particularly for a printer used in a photographic print system. Useful.

It is the schematic seen from the housing | casing side which shows the structure of the inkjet printer which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is the figure seen from the housing | casing side which shows the structure of a switchback unit. It is the figure seen from the housing | casing rear which shows the principal part of a switchback unit. It is a top view which shows a printing stand. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 illustrating a state when a roller pair of the switchback unit is located at a delivery position. FIG. 3 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a state when a roller pair of the switchback unit is located at a second receiving position. FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 showing a state in which curling of the printed paper is corrected. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a control system.

P Print paper U1 First supply unit U2 Cutter unit U3 Second supply unit U4 Switchback unit (conveying device)
U5 Print unit 2 Magazine housing (paper set)
3 Cassette housing (paper set)
4 Print unit 30, 36, 77 Electric motor ( first drive mechanism, second drive mechanism )
32 Gear train ( first transmission mechanism )
41 Roller pair 45 Rail mount (moving mechanism)
46 Traveling rail (movement mechanism)
47 Pulley (movement mechanism)
48 Drive belt (moving mechanism)
49 Electric motor (movement mechanism)

Claims (3)

A paper set unit in which print paper is set, a transport device that transports the print paper set in the paper set unit, and a print unit that performs printing on the print paper transported by the transport device A printer,
The transport device is configured to be rotatable forward and backward around a central axis and receives a pair of roller papers that are opposed to each other and transported from the paper set unit therebetween, and holds the roller pair. A receiving position for receiving the print paper and a moving mechanism provided at a position separated from the receiving position by a predetermined distance and moving the print paper to a sending position for sending the print paper to the print unit;
A first drive mechanism provided outside the conveying device and configured to rotate at least one roller of the roller pair;
A second drive mechanism provided outside the conveying device for rotating at least one roller of the roller pair;
When the roller pair is positioned at the receiving position, the driving force of the first driving mechanism is transmitted to at least one roller of the roller pair, thereby causing the roller pair to receive the print paper. 1 transmission mechanism;
When the roller pair is located at the delivery position, the print paper is delivered to the roller pair by transmitting the driving force of the second drive mechanism to at least one roller of the roller pair. And a second transmission mechanism . The printer according to claim 1.
The printer is characterized in that the roller pair holding the print paper is configured not to rotate when the moving mechanism moves from the receiving position to the sending position. The printer according to claim 1 or 2,
The first driving mechanism includes at least one roller of the roller pair, and print paper provided on the downstream side of the paper set unit and on the upstream side of the transport device and set in the paper set unit. For rotating the feed roller that feeds the roller pair located at the receiving position,
The second drive mechanism is fed by at least one roller of the roller pair, and a roller pair that is provided on the downstream side of the transport device and on the upstream side of the print unit and positioned at the feed position. It is for rotating a conveyance roller that receives print paper and conveys it to the printing unit.
A printer characterized by that.

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