JP4735283B2 - Paper sheet processing equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention transports paper sheets along a predetermined transport path and forms, for example, desired information on the paper sheets transported on the processing reference plane in the middle of the transport path, or The present invention relates to a paper sheet processing apparatus that performs information processing such as reading information on paper.

As an example of a paper sheet processing apparatus that transports a paper sheet along a predetermined transport path and performs information processing on a paper sheet transported on a processing reference plane in the middle of the transport path. Is a printer connected to a personal computer or the like.
In such a printer, a sheet feeding unit that stacks and stores sheets of paper sheets in a device case that provides an appearance, and a sheet is fed from the sheet feeding unit one by one and conveyed along a predetermined conveyance path. A printing mechanism (processing mechanism) that prints images of characters and figures on the surface of the paper that has been conveyed to the platen surface (processing reference surface) set in the middle of the conveyance path, and the printing Various operating devices such as a carriage for applying a predetermined moving force to the head are incorporated.

In recent printers, in order to make the paper sheet processing device more compact and space-saving, the front paper feed / discharge type in which both the paper feed unit and the printed paper discharge unit are located on the front side of the device. Various types have been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
In such a front feed / discharge type printer, a paper cassette in which sheets are stacked and fed for paper feeding is arranged at the lower part of the front of the apparatus, and a paper discharge tray for discharging the printed paper is provided in the paper cassette. A U-shaped transport path that is arranged above and connects between the paper cassette and the paper discharge tray is constructed in the apparatus case, and the platen surface is located in the middle of the linear transport path that forms the U-shaped transport path. Is set, the print head is arranged above the platen surface.

  The U-shaped conveyance path of the front feed / discharge type printer includes a paper feed roller and a driven roller for nipping and conveying the sheet to a platen surface provided on the downstream side of the conveyance path, and the conveyance The sheet fed into the path has been transported up to the platen surface and the intermediate roller and assist roller for nipping and transporting the sheet by the paper feed roller and the driven roller separated by a predetermined distance downstream on the transport path. A print head that performs print processing on the paper, a paper discharge roller that discharges the paper printed by the print head to a paper discharge tray at the exit of the conveyance path, a star wheel, and the like are arranged.

  Further, in the case of recent printers, for example, between the platen surface and the print head so that stable printing can be performed on various types of media such as plain paper, thick paper such as postcards, and CD-R. A processing gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts the gap, and a paper feed roller and a driven roller on the conveyance path that can adjust the gap between the rollers that sandwich the paper have been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2 and Patent Document). 3 and Patent Document 4).

  By the way, in the case of a front feed / discharge type printer, it is generally possible to open and close a part of the transport mechanism constituting the U-shaped transport path in order to remove paper jammed due to paper jam in the transport path. A transport path opening / closing mechanism is provided, and when a paper jam occurs, the transport path opening / closing mechanism is opened so that at least a part of the paper in a paper jam state can be exposed to the outside.

Japanese Patent No. 3520469 JP 2003-266856 A JP 2002-356036 A JP-A-5-309909

However, as a countermeasure against paper jam in a printer, there are many cases where it is not easy to remove a jammed paper simply by providing a transport path opening / closing mechanism that exposes at least a part of the paper jammed to the outside. It could create another problem.
In other words, a part of the jammed paper is sandwiched between the roller pairs of the transport path, so that it is difficult to remove with a small force, or when the jammed paper is forcibly pulled out, it is sandwiched between the roller pairs. There is a possibility that a part is torn off, and the torn piece remains in the transport path and causes a new failure during the next transport processing.

Also, if a part of the jammed paper is between the print reference surface and the print head, the print head may be damaged or damaged by rubbing against the print head when the jammed paper is pulled out. There was a possibility of inviting.
Further, when pulling out the paper jammed by the paper jam, if the driving roller of each roller pair is rotated by the frictional force with the paper, the rotation of the driving roller reverses the power transmission system, and the driving motor is rotated. Since the power generation phenomenon of the drive motor occurs, the circuit may be damaged by the power generation of the drive motor.
On the other hand, in order to prevent the occurrence of such a problem, if a new mechanism for preventing paper jam is additionally provided, an increase in cost due to the complexity of the configuration is inevitable.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is easy to remove jammed paper sheets when a paper jam occurs in the apparatus without additional equipment for preventing paper jam. It is possible to provide a paper sheet processing apparatus that can be handled and is excellent in maintainability.

The above object of the present invention is to provide a transport mechanism having a paper sheet drive roller and a pressing urging member for sandwiching and transporting a paper sheet to a processing reference surface provided on the transport path, and a middle part of the transport path. A processing reference surface set to the processing reference, a processing mechanism for performing information processing on the paper sheet transported on the processing reference surface, and the paper sheet sandwiched by the transport mechanism as the transport mechanism. A paper sheet release mechanism for releasing the paper, a transport path opening / closing mechanism capable of opening and closing a part of the mechanism constituting the transport path, and detection for detecting a paper jam of the paper sheet in the transport path When the paper jam is detected by the mechanism and the detection mechanism, the paper sheet release mechanism is operated to move the pressing biasing member away from the paper sheet drive roller and to release the paper sheet from being clamped. comprises a part, the,
An intermediate roller and an assist roller for the conveyance mechanism to nipping and conveying the paper sheet fed to the conveyance path between the paper sheet drive roller and the pressing urging member separated by a predetermined distance on the downstream side of the conveyance path And a power transmission to the intermediate roller via a one-way clutch mechanism that enables power transmission only from the paper feed motor that also serves as the drive source of the paper sheet drive roller during normal rotation of the paper feed motor. When the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, the paper feed motor is reversely operated to cut off power transmission between the paper feed motor and the intermediate roller. This is achieved by the paper sheet processing apparatus.

According to the paper sheet processing apparatus having the above configuration, when a paper jam occurs in the apparatus, the paper sheet release mechanism is automatically operated, and the pressing urging member is separated from the paper sheet drive roller to move the paper sheet. Release the grip on the kind.
Therefore, when the conveyance path opening / closing mechanism is opened and the jammed paper sheet is pulled out, the pressing biasing member is detached from the jammed paper sheet and the clamping force against the paper sheet does not act, so the jammed paper sheet is jammed. Paper sheets can be easily pulled out even with a small operating force, and further, when a part of a jammed paper sheet is pulled out, it does not break off and remain in the apparatus as a small piece.
Therefore, it is possible to easily remove the paper sheets jammed by the paper jam, and it is possible to improve the handling and maintenance of the apparatus when the paper jam occurs.
According to this configuration, when the jammed paper sheet is pulled out, a load on the paper feed motor side is not applied, and the paper pulling operation can be performed with a small operating force. Further, the rotational force acting on the intermediate roller due to the frictional force with the paper sheet to be drawn is not transmitted to the paper feed motor, and there is a possibility that the circuit in the apparatus may be damaged due to the power generation of the paper feed motor. Can be avoided, and the reliability and durability of the apparatus can be improved.

Further, the object of the present invention is to provide a transport mechanism having a paper sheet drive roller and a pressing biasing member for sandwiching and transporting paper sheets to a processing reference surface provided on the transport path, and the transport path. A reference plane for processing set in the middle of the processing, a processing mechanism for performing information processing on the paper sheet conveyed on the reference plane for processing, and between the reference plane for processing and the processing mechanism A processing gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts the gap, a paper sheet release mechanism that retracts the pressing urging member in a direction away from the paper sheet drive roller, and a part of the mechanism that constitutes the transport path can be opened and closed. A transport path opening / closing mechanism, a detection mechanism for detecting a paper jam of the paper sheet in the transport path, and when the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, the processing gap adjustment mechanism is operated to Between the reference plane for processing and the processing mechanism. With widening the gap, and a control unit for opening the clamping against the sheet away the pressing biasing member operates said paper sheet release mechanism from the paper sheet drive roller,
An intermediate roller and an assist roller for the conveyance mechanism to nipping and conveying the paper sheet fed to the conveyance path between the paper sheet drive roller and the pressing urging member separated by a predetermined distance on the downstream side of the conveyance path And a power transmission to the intermediate roller via a one-way clutch mechanism that enables power transmission only from the paper feed motor that also serves as the drive source of the paper sheet drive roller during normal rotation of the paper feed motor. When the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, the paper feed motor is reversely operated to cut off power transmission between the paper feed motor and the intermediate roller. This is achieved by the paper sheet processing apparatus.

According to the paper sheet processing apparatus having the above configuration, when a paper jam occurs in the apparatus, the processing gap adjustment mechanism and the paper sheet release mechanism are automatically operated, and the gap between the processing reference surface and the processing mechanism is established. And the pressing biasing member is separated from the paper sheet drive roller to release the paper sheet.
Therefore, when opening the transport path opening / closing mechanism and pulling out a jammed paper sheet, the jammed paper sheet rubs against the processing mechanism to contaminate the processing mechanism, or a part of the jammed paper sheet When it is pulled out, it does not tear off and remains in the apparatus as a small piece. Further, the jammed paper sheets can be easily pulled out even with a small operating force, and the handling and maintenance of the apparatus when a paper jam occurs can be improved.
In addition, the processing gap adjustment mechanism that automatically operates when a paper jam occurs, shares what is equipped to enable processing of paper sheets with different thicknesses as a countermeasure against paper jam. It is not necessary to newly equip a new paper jam countermeasure mechanism, and it is possible to realize the protection of the processing mechanism at the time of removing the paper jam jammed by the paper jam.
According to this configuration, when the jammed paper sheet is pulled out, a load on the paper feed motor side is not applied, and the paper pulling operation can be performed with a small operating force. Further, the rotational force acting on the intermediate roller due to the frictional force with the paper sheet to be drawn is not transmitted to the paper feed motor, and there is a possibility that the circuit in the apparatus may be damaged due to the power generation of the paper feed motor. Can be avoided, and the reliability and durability of the apparatus can be improved.

In the sheet processing apparatus having the above-described configuration, it is preferable that the sheet release mechanism is operated in conjunction with the processing gap adjustment mechanism.
According to this configuration, it is not necessary to provide a unique drive mechanism or control unit in the paper sheet release mechanism, and the configuration of the paper sheet release mechanism can be simplified.

Further, in the paper sheet processing apparatus having the above-described configuration, the transport mechanism includes the paper sheet drive roller and the pressing force that are separated from the paper sheet fed to the transport path by a predetermined distance on the downstream side of the transport path. It has an intermediate roller and an assist roller for nipping and conveying between members, and power transmission to the intermediate roller is performed only when the paper feed motor rotates forward from a paper feed motor that also serves as a drive source for the paper sheet drive roller. It is performed via a one-way clutch mechanism that enables power transmission. When the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, the paper feed motor is operated in reverse to operate the paper feed motor and the intermediate roller. It is desirable to interrupt the power transmission between them.
According to this configuration, when the jammed paper sheet is pulled out, a load on the paper feed motor side is not applied, and the paper pulling operation can be performed with a small operating force. Further, the rotational force acting on the intermediate roller due to the frictional force with the paper sheet to be drawn is not transmitted to the paper feed motor, and there is a possibility that the circuit in the apparatus may be damaged due to the power generation of the paper feed motor. Can be avoided, and the reliability and durability of the apparatus can be improved.

In addition, in the paper sheet processing apparatus having the above-described configuration, the object of the present invention is to dispose paper sheets after information processing while a paper cassette in which the paper sheets are stacked and accommodated is disposed at the lower part of the front surface of the apparatus. A paper discharge tray is disposed above the paper cassette, and the transport path connecting the paper cassette and the paper discharge tray is a U-shaped transport path and constitutes the U-shaped transport path. This is achieved by a paper sheet processing apparatus in which the processing reference surface is set in the middle of the linear conveyance path and the processing mechanism is disposed above the processing reference surface.
According to this configuration, the paper sheet processing apparatus can be made compact and space-saving.

Furthermore, in the paper sheet processing apparatus configured as described above, it is desirable that the processing mechanism has a print head.
According to this configuration, even when a paper jam countermeasure mechanism is not additionally provided, when a paper jam occurs in the apparatus, it is possible to easily remove a jammed paper sheet, and it is excellent in handling and maintenance. A printer can be provided.

According to the paper sheet processing apparatus of the present invention described above, when a paper jam occurs, the processing gap adjustment mechanism and the paper sheet release mechanism automatically operate, and the gap between the processing reference surface and the processing mechanism is increased. Since the paper is expanded or the pressing biasing member moves away from the paper sheet drive roller to release the paper sheet, it is jammed when opening the transport path opening / closing mechanism and pulling out the jammed paper sheet. Paper sheets that are jammed can be prevented from rubbing against the processing mechanism and rubbing the processing mechanism, or when a part of the jammed paper sheet is pulled out and remaining in the device as a small piece. Can be easily pulled out even with a small operating force.
Therefore, even if a paper jam countermeasure mechanism is not additionally provided, when a paper jam occurs in the apparatus, it is possible to easily remove the jammed paper sheet and to handle the paper sheet with excellent handling and maintenance. Equipment can be provided.

Hereinafter, a paper sheet processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
In this embodiment, the ink jet printer 1 shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an example of the paper sheet processing apparatus. However, as the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention, for example, a copier, a facsimile, A banknote change machine etc. are mentioned.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are external perspective views in a state where a paper discharge tray and an upper case are removed from the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 6 is a side cross-sectional view for explaining the paper transport path in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1, FIGS. 7 to 10 are side cross-sectional views of the main part of the paper transport path in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation when a paper jam occurs in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1.

The ink jet printer 1 according to the present embodiment is a front feed / discharge type printer, and as shown in FIG. A substantially box-shaped paper cassette 5 in which sheets P, which are similar, are housed in a stacked manner, is detachably inserted.
In addition, a paper discharge tray 6 for receiving the printed paper is provided so as to cover the open top surface of the paper cassette 5.

  Further, a display unit 7 such as an indicator and an operation unit 8 such as a power switch are disposed on the left and right sides of the front surface of the device case 4. The black ink cartridge mounting portion and the color ink cartridge mounting portion disposed on the left and right sides of the front surface of the apparatus case 4 are covered with a black ink cover 9 and a color ink cover 10 that can be freely opened and closed, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the paper sheet P that is fed out from the paper cassette 5 one by one by a pickup roller (paper feed roller) 21 of a paper feed unit 22 to be described later is conveyed in a U-shape inside the apparatus case 4. A transport mechanism 11 that transports along a path (transport path), a carriage 13 that is reciprocally moved in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the paper P in the middle of the U-shaped transport path by the transport mechanism 11, A print head (processing mechanism) 44 that is mounted on the carriage 13 and performs printing (information processing) by ejecting fine particles of recording ink onto the paper P, and an ink tank that stores the recording ink supplied to the print head 44 15, 16 and a control unit (CPU) (not shown) that controls the transport speed of the paper P by the transport mechanism 11, the moving speed of the carriage 13, the ink ejection operation of the print head 44, and the like. It is provided.

2 and 3, the carriage 13 is supported by a pair of carriage shafts 53, 53 extending in the paper width direction so as to be movable in the paper width direction, and is driven by a carriage motor 14. It is fixed to 54 and is reciprocated in the paper width direction according to the travel of the timing belt 54.
The ink jet printer 1 controls the ink ejection from the print head 44 mounted on the carriage 13 by setting the transport direction of the paper P as the sub-scanning direction and the moving direction of the carriage 13 as the main scanning direction. And image recording (printing).

In the case of the inkjet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the U-shaped transport path through which the paper P is transported by the transport mechanism 11 is an arc-shaped transport path for transporting the paper P fed from the paper cassette 5 as shown in FIG. A and a linear conveyance path B that connects the arcuate conveyance path A to the paper discharge tray 6.
Further, a guide part 34 which is a part of a mechanism constituting the arcuate conveyance path A of the U-shaped conveyance path is assembled to the rear opening / closing cover 17 shown in FIG. The rear opening / closing cover 17 that can open and close the portion 34 constitutes a conveyance path opening / closing mechanism that exposes a part of the paper P jammed in the arcuate conveyance path A due to a paper jam.

Further, the transport mechanism 11 includes an auto sheet feeder (ASF) unit and a paper feeding unit.
The auto sheet feeder unit is provided in the arcuate conveyance path A and the paper feeding unit 22 that feeds a plurality of sheets P stacked and accommodated in the paper cassette 5 one by one to the entrance of the arcuate conveyance path A at the rear of the apparatus. The intermediate roller 31 and the assist roller 33 for nipping and conveying the paper P fed out by the paper supply unit 22 to a downstream side by a paper feed roller 41 and a driven roller 42, and along the outer periphery of the intermediate roller 31. And a guide portion 34 that regulates the conveyance direction of the fed paper P in an arc shape reaching the exit of the arc-shaped conveyance path A.

  The intermediate roller 31 as a driving roller sandwiches and conveys the paper P by sandwiching the paper P with the assist roller 33 as a driven roller. A retard roller 32 is provided on the upstream side of the assist roller 33 to prevent a plurality of sheets P from being fed out to the arcuate conveyance path A.

The paper feeding unit is configured to feed a sheet P conveyed from the arcuate conveyance path A by a paper feeding roller 41 and a driven roller 42 set on the linear conveyance path B to a platen surface (processing reference) set downstream thereof. (Surface) 91 is a paper feed section that transports the sheet to the platen 91 provided with 91a (see FIG. 7).
In the present embodiment, the driven roller 42 presses and urges the upper surface of the paper P against the paper feed roller 41 as a driving roller that contacts the lower surface of the paper P, whereby the paper P is nipped and conveyed.

  Further, in the apparatus case 4, a print processing mechanism 43 including a print head 44 as a processing mechanism for printing an image such as characters and figures on the paper P conveyed on the platen surface 91 a of the platen 91. Is incorporated. The paper P, which has been printed by the print processing mechanism 43, is nipped and conveyed by a paper discharge roller 48a as a driving roller and a star wheel 48b as a driven roller, and discharged to a paper discharge tray 6 at the exit of the U-shaped conveyance path. Is done.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the paper feed unit 22 is configured such that a rear end of a paper feed lever 25 having a pickup roller 21 for feeding at the front end can be rotated in the vertical direction in the figure by a support pin 24. The sheet feeding unit 22 can bring the pickup roller 21 into contact with the uppermost sheet P in the sheet cassette 5 by swinging the sheet feeding lever 25 in the vertical direction.

In the paper feeding unit 22, when the ink jet printer 1 is stopped, the paper feeding lever 25 is maintained substantially horizontal as shown in FIG. 4, and the pickup roller 21 is kept away from the paper P on the paper cassette 5. .
At the time of paper feeding, the pickup roller 21 is pressed against the uppermost paper P in the paper cassette 5, as shown in FIG. As the roller 21 rotates, the paper P in the paper cassette 5 comes into contact with the inclined friction pad 23, and is fed out to the arcuate conveyance path A one by one while being separated by the frictional force and the stiffness of the paper P.

At this time, the retard roller 32 applies a force in a direction to push the paper P back to the paper cassette 5 and sandwiches it between the intermediate rollers 31 so as to separate the paper P one by one and to provide a downstream arcuate conveyance path. Separately conveyed to A.
When the paper supply is completed and printing is started by the print processing mechanism 43, the paper supply lever 25 is returned to the original horizontal state as shown in FIG.

An auxiliary guide member 35 is provided on the upper side of the guide portion 34 together with an assist roller 33 for feeding the conveyed paper P toward the linear transport path B side.
The auxiliary guide member 35 is rotatably supported at the rear end side with respect to the guide portion 34 and is swingable at the front end side.
As shown in FIG. 6, the auxiliary guide member 35 presses the sheet P conveyed from the arcuate conveyance path A to the linear conveyance path B by its own weight from the upper side, and holds the sheet P in the linear conveyance path B. To the front side of the ink jet printer 1.

  The paper feed roller (paper sheet drive roller) 41 and the driven roller (pressing biasing member) 42 are separated from the exit end of the arcuate transport path A (downstream end of the guide portion 34) by a predetermined distance toward the front side of the apparatus. As shown in FIG. 6, the sheet P sent from the arcuate conveyance path A to the linear conveyance path B is nipped and conveyed under the print processing mechanism 43 that is the printing position. The paper P can be positioned with respect to the print processing mechanism 43 by controlling the rotational driving amount of the paper feed roller 41.

As shown in FIG. 4, the print head 44 of the print processing mechanism 43 has a discharge nozzle 46 that discharges ink toward the paper P. A PW sensor 47 that detects P and its width is provided.
The PW sensor 47 detects the presence or absence of the paper P by detecting the reflected light of the light irradiated toward the paper P, and detects the width of the paper P by the movement of the carriage 13.
In the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, paper detection sensors that detect the presence or absence of the paper P are installed at a plurality of appropriate locations on the transport path. In this case, a transmissive sensor may be used.

  Furthermore, the inkjet printer 1 of the present embodiment adjusts the gap between the platen surface 91a and the print head 44 for the printing process on the paper P having different thickness and the direct printing process on the CD-R surface. A processing gap adjustment mechanism (APG = Auto Platen Gap mechanism) 51 is provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the processing gap adjusting mechanism 51 is rotatably mounted at each end of a pair of carriage shafts 53 and 53 that support the carriage 13 movably in the width direction of the paper P. The device case 4 side so that the transmission gear 55, the cam surface 57b raised on a part of the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 57a, and the cam 57 integrally formed with the transmission gear 55 abut on the outer peripheral surface of the cam 57. A ring-shaped cam receiver 59 supported by the housing, a gap adjustment wheel train 61 (see FIG. 2) for inputting rotational force to the transmission gear 55, and a gap adjustment for rotationally driving the gap adjustment wheel train 61. Motor 63.

  In the processing gap adjusting mechanism 51 configured as described above, the rotational driving force output from the gap adjusting motor 63 is input to the transmission gear 55 via the gap adjusting wheel train 61, and the transmission gear 55 is predetermined in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. When the angle rotates, as shown in FIG. 8, the cam surface 57 b of the cam 57 rides on the cam receiver 59 to move each carriage shaft 53 upward. Due to the upward movement of the carriage shaft 53, the print head 44 of the print processing mechanism 43 ascends integrally with the carriage 13, and the gap PG between the platen 91 and the platen surface 91a is expanded.

The cylindrical portion 57a of the cam 57 adjusts the gap PG between the platen 91 and the print head 44 to the minimum by contact with the cam receiver 59, and has a thickness among the paper types to be printed. Used when printing the thinnest paper P.
As shown in FIG. 9, the cam surface 57b of the cam 57 includes an inclined portion 58a in which the amount of protrusion from the rotation center gradually changes, and an arc portion 58b that maintains the maximum amount of protrusion of the inclined portion 58a. The inclined portion 58a is used for gap adjustment when printing on paper P or CD-ROM having different thicknesses such as postcards, and the arc portion 58b is provided between the platen 91 and the print head 44 when a paper jam occurs. This is used when the gap PG is adjusted to the maximum.

In the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the paper feed roller 41 is connected to a shaft end of a wheel train (gear train) that transmits rotation by the rotation of the paper feed shaft 71, as shown in FIG. And is driven by the rotation of the paper feed shaft 71.
A large-diameter belt wheel 72 is fixed to the outer periphery of the paper feed shaft 71. In addition, a small-diameter belt wheel 74 is provided on the output shaft of a paper feed motor (PF motor) 73 provided at the lower part on the left side of the ink jet printer 1, and this belt wheel 74 and a large-diameter belt wheel are provided. A timing belt 75 is wound around the belt 72. That is, the paper feed roller 41 is driven to rotate by the paper feed motor 73.

On the other hand, the driven roller 42 paired with the paper feed roller 41 is rotatably mounted on the tip (swinging end) of a swinging arm 77 that is swingably supported by a support shaft 76, as shown in FIG. Normally, the dimensions and the equipment position of the swing arm 77 are set so that the driven roller 42 as the pressing biasing member is kept in press contact with the paper feed roller 41 as the paper sheet driving roller. Yes.
In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, when the gap adjustment between the print head 44 and the platen 91 is performed by driving the gap adjustment motor 63, the tip of the swing arm 77 is interlocked. A paper sheet release mechanism 78 that swings and displaces upward and retracts the driven roller 42 in a direction away from the paper feed roller 41 is provided.

The paper sheet release mechanism 78 swings around the outer periphery of the rotating shaft 81 that rotates in the direction of arrow Y in FIG. 8 when the rotation of the gap adjusting motor 63 is transmitted, and when the rotation amount of the rotating shaft 81 reaches a predetermined angle. In this configuration, a release protrusion 82 is provided to push down the rear end of the arm 77 to swing the tip of the swing arm 77 upward.
Therefore, when the release projection 82 pushes down the rear end of the swing arm 77 by the rotation of the rotary shaft 81, the tip of the swing arm 77 swings upward as shown by the arrow Z in FIG. 42 is separated (released) from the paper feed roller 41.

Further, in the inkjet printer 1 of the present embodiment, a paper feed motor 73 that also serves as a drive source for the paper feed roller 41 is input to the paper feed shaft 71 via the belt wheel 74, the timing belt 75, and the large diameter belt wheel 72. The rotational driving force thus transmitted is transmitted to the intermediate roller 31 and the paper discharge roller 48 a via a train wheel (not shown) connected to the paper feed shaft 71.
However, in the case of the intermediate roller 31, a one-way clutch mechanism 84 that enables power transmission only when the paper feed motor 73 rotates forward is interposed between the intermediate roller 31 and the train wheel connected to the paper feed shaft 71.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the one-way clutch mechanism 84 of the present embodiment includes a relay gear 85 that is rotatably supported by a pivot 83 and to which the rotational force of the paper feed roller 41 is transmitted, and the relay gear 85 and an intermediate roller. A frame 87 in which an intermediate portion is rotatably supported by a pivot 86 disposed between the frame 31 and the frame 87, and is rotatably supported on one end side of the frame 87 via a torque limiter and fixed to the intermediate roller 31. The planetary gear 88 that can mesh with the gear 31a and the planetary gear 88 of the intermediate roller 31 that is meshed with the planetary gear 88 that is arranged on the pivot 86 so that the central axis coincides with the direction of the rotational force that is received from the relay gear 85. And a transmission gear 89 capable of transmitting a rotational force while swinging in the direction of engagement and disengagement.

  When the paper feed roller 41 is rotationally driven in the direction in which the paper P is normally conveyed (that is, when the paper feed motor 73 is rotating forward), the transmission gear 89 meshes the planetary gear 88 with the gear 31a of the intermediate roller 31. The rotational force is transmitted to the gear 31a of the intermediate roller 31 via the planetary gear 88 while maintaining the meshing state by swinging and biasing in the direction of rotation (the direction opposite to the arrow D shown in FIG. 10).

  On the other hand, when the paper feed roller 41 is driven in reverse by the reverse drive of the paper feed motor 73 as shown by the arrow E in FIGS. 7 and 10, the transmission gear 89 moves the planetary gear 88 from the gear 31 a of the intermediate roller 31. Since the meshing state is released by swinging and energizing in the direction of detachment (the direction of arrow D shown in FIG. 10), the planetary gear 88 simply rotates idle and cannot transmit the rotational force to the intermediate roller 31 gear 31a. Thereby, power transmission to the intermediate roller 31 via the one-way clutch mechanism 84 is interrupted.

In order to return the one-way clutch mechanism 84 to the original state in which power can be transmitted to the intermediate roller 31, the paper feed motor 73 is rotated forward, and the planetary gear 88 is transferred to the gear 31 a of the intermediate roller 31 via the transmission gear 89. What is necessary is just to carry out rocking | biasing biasing in the direction to mesh.
The swing range of the planetary gear 88 is defined by a pair of engaging portions 87 a and 87 b provided on the other end side of the frame 87 being engaged with the pivot 83.

Further, a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of each unit in the inkjet printer 1 of the present embodiment is provided in the PW sensor 47 provided in the print head 44 and the conveyance path during the paper feeding operation and the printing process. The signal of the paper detection sensor is monitored.
The control unit detects the presence or absence of the paper P in the transport path based on these detection signals, and the detection mechanism that detects the paper jam of the paper P in the transport path operates during the movement of the carriage 13. When the stop is detected and the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, the control unit determines that a paper jam has occurred, and performs an operation process according to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  In other words, the control unit determines whether or not the carriage (CR) 13 has stopped for each pass of the carriage 13 during printing (step S101). If the stop of the carriage 13 is not detected, the carriage 13 It is assumed that the one-pass printing by the movement of 13 in the paper width direction has been completed normally, and the process returns to step S101.

  If the stop of the carriage 13 is detected in step S101, it is determined that a paper jam has occurred, and the process proceeds to step S102. In step S102, the processing gap adjusting mechanism (APG) 51 is operated to cause the cam surface 57b of the cam 57 to ride on the cam receiver 59 as shown in FIG. 7, and the platen surface 91a of the platen 91 and the print processing mechanism 43 are moved. The gap PG with the print head 44 is set to the maximum position.

  Since the paper sheet release mechanism 78 operates in conjunction with the processing gap adjustment mechanism 51, in step S102, not only the gap adjustment by the processing gap adjustment mechanism 51 but also the operation of the paper sheet release mechanism 78 is performed. A release operation in which the driven roller 42 is separated from the paper feed roller 41 to release the paper P is performed.

  In the next step S103, the paper feed motor (PF motor) 73 is reversely rotated to swing the planetary gear 88 of the one-way clutch mechanism 84 shown in FIG. Since the meshing state is released by moving, the power transmission between the paper feed roller 41 and the intermediate roller 31 is interrupted.

Next, display processing such as indicator lighting to inform the user of the occurrence of a paper jam error is performed to stop the printer (step S104).
That is, when a paper jam occurs in the apparatus, the processing gap adjusting mechanism 51 and the paper sheet release mechanism 78 are automatically operated, and the paper feed motor 73 and the intermediate roller 31 are driven by the reverse rotation of the paper feed motor 73. The power transmission between the two is cut off, and then the occurrence of a paper jam error is notified.

As described above, according to the ink jet printer 1 of the present embodiment, when a paper jam occurs in the apparatus, the processing gap adjusting mechanism 51 is automatically operated, so that the gap between the platen surface 91a and the print head 44 is increased. The gap GP is maximized.
Therefore, when the rear opening / closing cover 17 serving as the transport path opening / closing mechanism is opened and the jammed paper P is pulled out, the jammed paper P is rubbed against the print head 44 of the print processing mechanism 43 so that the print head 44 is moved. There is no risk of fouling, and the jammed paper P can be removed safely.

  In the inkjet printer 1 of the present embodiment, the processing gap adjustment mechanism 51 that is automatically operated by the control unit when a paper jam occurs is provided for the purpose of, for example, enabling processing of paper P having different thicknesses. The paper is used for paper jam countermeasures, and it is not necessary to add a new paper jam countermeasure mechanism, so the configuration is not complicated, and the cost for removing paper P jammed by paper jams is reduced. Can be easily done without hanging.

When the jammed paper P is pulled out, the driven roller 42 is detached from the jammed paper P by the paper sheet release mechanism 78 operated in conjunction with the processing gap adjusting mechanism 51 to hold the paper P. Since it is open, the jammed paper P can be easily pulled out even with a small operating force, and further, when a part of the jammed paper P is pulled out, it can be left in the apparatus as a small piece. Disappear.
Therefore, it is possible to easily remove the paper P jammed by the paper jam, and it is possible to improve the handleability and maintainability of the inkjet printer 1 when the paper jam occurs.

  Further, in the case of the ink jet printer 1 according to the present embodiment, even when the intermediate roller 31 is in contact with the jammed paper P, the reverse operation of the paper feed motor 73 is automatically performed after determining the occurrence of paper jam. Since the power transmission between the paper feed motor 73 and the intermediate roller 31 is interrupted by the one-way clutch mechanism 84, the paper feed motor 73 side load is not applied when the jammed paper P is pulled out. The operation of pulling out the paper P can be performed with a small operating force.

  Further, in the state where the power transmission is interrupted by the one-way clutch mechanism 84, the rotational force acting on the intermediate roller 31 due to the frictional force with the paper P to be pulled out is not transmitted to the paper feed motor 73, and the paper feed The inconvenience of causing circuit damage in the apparatus due to the power generation of the paper feed motor 73 can be avoided, and the reliability and durability of the inkjet printer 1 can be improved.

Further, the paper sheet processing apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the ink jet printer exemplified in the above embodiment. For example, the present invention can be applied to various devices having a similar transport path for transporting paper sheets such as a thermal printer, a copier, a fax machine, a scanner, a magnetic information reading device, a magnetic information recording device, and a bill changer. Even when a magnetic head, which is a processing unit of the processing mechanism, is in contact with a medium that is a paper sheet, as in a magnetic information reader, if a jam is detected, the medium is attached to the magnetic head or the magnetic head. Providing the gap by moving the energizing biasing member in the direction of retreating from the conveyance path has the same effect as the above-described embodiment that makes it easy to pull out the jammed medium.
The detection mechanism for detecting a paper jam detects a paper jam when the carriage 13 stops operating in the middle of movement. For example, the detection mechanism detects the amount of movement of the paper P and does not feed a predetermined amount within a predetermined time. In addition, when the paper feed motor or the carriage motor is a DC motor, the current value may be abnormally large and may be detected as a paper jam when it exceeds a predetermined value.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the paper jam occurs, the processing gap adjusting mechanism 51 maximizes the gap GP between the platen surface 91a and the print head 44. Absent.
Furthermore, although the flat platen 91 has been described as an example of the processing reference surface, it may be a roller platen.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the driven roller has been described as an example of the pressing bias member in the transport mechanism. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and recording sheets as sheets are stacked and accommodated. The mechanism for transporting the uppermost recording paper from the paper feeding cassette that is being fed by the feed roller includes a paper feeding cassette that urges the recording paper to the feed roller.

1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a state where a paper discharge tray and an upper case are removed from the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 1. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the inkjet printer shown in FIG. 2 from the rear surface side upper side. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a sheet conveyance path in the ink jet printer illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a paper feeding state of the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view showing a paper conveyance state of the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part of a paper conveyance path in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 8 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a normal conveyance state of a sheet in the conveyance path illustrated in FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of the processing gap adjusting mechanism when a paper jam occurs in the transport path shown in FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a state where power transmission between the drive motor and the intermediate roller in the conveyance path illustrated in FIG. 9 is interrupted. 2 is a flowchart showing an operation when a paper jam occurs in the ink jet printer shown in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Inkjet printer (paper sheet processing apparatus), 2 ... Upper case, 3 ... Lower case, 4 ... Device case, 5 ... Paper cassette, 6 ... Paper discharge tray, 11 ... Transport mechanism, 13 ... Carriage, 14 ... Carriage Motor 17, rear opening / closing cover (conveyance path opening / closing mechanism) 31, intermediate roller 32, retard roller (driven roller), 41 paper feed roller (paper sheet drive roller) 42, driven roller (pressing biasing member) , 43... Print processing mechanism, 44... Print head (processing mechanism), 48 a... Discharge roller, 48 b .. driven roller, 51... Processing gap adjustment mechanism, 53. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Cam receiver, 63 ... Gap adjustment motor, 73 ... Paper feed motor, 78 ... Paper sheet release mechanism, 84 ... One-way clutch mechanism, 91 ... Platen, 91a ... Platen surface (Reference plane for processing), A ... circular conveyance path, B ... linear conveyance path, P ... paper (paper sheets)

Claims (5)

A transport mechanism having a paper sheet drive roller and a pressing biasing member for sandwiching and transporting paper sheets to a processing reference surface provided on the transport path;
A reference surface for processing set in the middle of the conveyance path;
A processing mechanism for performing information processing on the paper sheet conveyed on the processing reference plane;
A paper sheet release mechanism for releasing the paper sheets sandwiched by the transport mechanism from the transport mechanism;
A transport path opening / closing mechanism capable of opening and closing a part of the mechanism constituting the transport path;
A detection mechanism for detecting a paper jam of the paper sheet in the transport path;
When the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, a control unit that operates the paper sheet release mechanism to release the pressing urging member from the paper sheet drive roller to release the paper sheet, and
Equipped with a,
An intermediate roller and an assist roller for the conveyance mechanism to nipping and conveying the paper sheet fed to the conveyance path between the paper sheet drive roller and the pressing urging member separated by a predetermined distance on the downstream side of the conveyance path And having
Power transmission to the intermediate roller is performed from a paper feed motor that also serves as a drive source for the paper sheet drive roller via a one-way clutch mechanism that enables power transmission only during normal rotation of the paper feed motor. And
Wherein when the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, the paper sheet processing apparatus characterized that you cut off the power transmission between said paper feed motor reverse rotation by operating the paper feed motor intermediate roller . A transport mechanism having a paper sheet drive roller and a pressing biasing member for sandwiching and transporting paper sheets to a processing reference surface provided on the transport path;
A reference surface for processing set in the middle of the conveyance path;
A processing mechanism for performing information processing on the paper sheet conveyed on the processing reference plane;
A processing gap adjustment mechanism for adjusting a gap between the processing reference surface and the processing mechanism;
A paper sheet release mechanism for retreating the pressing biasing member in a direction of separating from the paper sheet drive roller;
A transport path opening / closing mechanism capable of opening and closing a part of the mechanism constituting the transport path;
A detection mechanism for detecting a paper jam of the paper sheet in the transport path;
When the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, the processing gap adjustment mechanism is operated to widen the gap between the processing reference surface and the processing mechanism, and the paper sheet release mechanism is operated. A control unit that releases the pressing biasing member from the paper sheet driving roller and releases the paper sheet; and
Equipped with a,
An intermediate roller and an assist roller for the conveyance mechanism to nipping and conveying the paper sheet fed to the conveyance path between the paper sheet drive roller and the pressing urging member separated by a predetermined distance on the downstream side of the conveyance path And having
Power transmission to the intermediate roller is performed from a paper feed motor that also serves as a drive source for the paper sheet drive roller via a one-way clutch mechanism that enables power transmission only during normal rotation of the paper feed motor. And
Wherein when the detection mechanism detects a paper jam, the paper sheet processing apparatus characterized that you cut off the power transmission between said paper feed motor reverse rotation by operating the paper feed motor intermediate roller . The paper sheet processing apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the paper sheet release mechanism is operated in conjunction with the processing gap adjustment mechanism. In the paper sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
A paper cassette in which the paper sheets are stacked and accommodated is disposed at the lower part of the front of the apparatus, and a paper discharge tray for discharging the paper sheets after information processing is disposed above the paper cassette,
The transport path connecting the paper cassette and the paper discharge tray is a U-shaped transport path, and the processing reference plane is set in the middle of the linear transport path constituting the U-shaped transport path. And the processing mechanism is arranged above the processing reference plane. It said processing mechanism, the paper sheet processing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that it has a print head.

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