JPH0415721Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a paper feeding mechanism that feeds paper by feeding it from within a cassette case.

[Conventional technology]

Figure 3 is a side sectional view showing a conventional paper feeding mechanism of this type used in printing devices, etc.
2 is a cassette case, and 2 is a stage disposed within the cassette case 1. One end of the stage 2 is attached to the cassette case 1 by a rotation hinge 3.

Reference numeral 4 indicates a plurality of sheets of paper placed on the stage 2, and reference numeral 5 indicates a claw for holding down the paper, which is formed at the upper end of the cassette case 1.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a mounting section provided in a printing device or the like for mounting the cassette case 1, and limiters 7a and 7b are formed at the front and rear ends thereof, respectively.

Reference numeral 8 denotes a set lever, which is attached to a device frame (not shown) via a rotating shaft 9.
A leaf spring 10 is fixed to the set lever 8, and the leaf spring 10 can be moved into and out of the cassette case 1 through a hole provided in the bottom surface of the cassette case 1 and the mounting portion 6 by rotation of the set lever 8. ing.

Reference numeral 11 denotes a spring that is stretched between the set lever 8 and the device frame, etc., and the spring 11 is in a state where the set lever 8 is in contact with the limiter 7b of the mounting portion 6 as shown by the two-dot chain line, and when it is shown by the solid line. As described above, the leaf spring 10 applies a tensile force to the set lever 8 so that the set lever 8 can be held in a rotated state so as to push up the stage 2.

12a and 12b are guide plates forming a feeding path for the paper 4; 13 is a feeding roller disposed above the mounting section 6; this feeding roller 13 is moved up and down by a lifting means (not shown); The rotational force from the drive source causes it to rotate counterclockwise as shown by the arrow.

The operation of the above-described configuration is as follows.

First, the tip of the cassette case 1 is placed on the mounting portion 6, and the cassette case 1 is pushed in until it hits the limiter 7a. At this time, the set lever 8 is rotated upward so as to come into contact with the limiter 7b, and the leaf spring 1 is released.
0 is arranged to wait below the mounting part 6,
Further, the feeding roller 13 is retracted upward so as not to hit the cassette case 1. Therefore, the cassette case 1 is equipped with these leaf springs 10 and the feeding roller 1.
3.It can be installed without being hindered by 3.

Next, when the set lever 8 is pushed down with a finger or the like, the set lever 8 rotates downward about the rotary shaft 9, causing the leaf spring 10 to enter the cassette case 1 and push up the stage 2. Here, the stage 2 rotates upward around the rotation hinge 3, and the leading edge of the paper 4 on the stage 2 comes into pressure contact with the claw 5, so that the rotation of the stage 2 is stopped. Further, at this time, the set lever 8 is held by the tensile force of the spring 11 so as to stop with the plate spring 10 pushing up the stage 2.

In this state, the feed roller 13 is rotated by a rotational force from a drive source (not shown), and the feed roller 13 is lowered by an elevating means (not shown) to press against the paper 4 at the top. It is fed out by the rotational force, passes over the claw 5, and is fed into the guide plates 12a, 12b.

Thereafter, this paper 4 is continuously fed by a feed roller (not shown) and is fed to a printing section (not shown), etc. During this process, when the feeding of the paper 4 is detected by a sensor (not shown), the feeding roller 13 is moved to the elevating means. The rotation of the paper 4 is stopped while the paper 4 is raised and separated from the paper 4.

Further, when two or more sheets of paper 4 are fed out by the feeding roller 13, the second and subsequent sheets of paper 4 are sent back into the cassette case 1 by a reverse roller (not shown) provided so as to come into contact with the feed roller.

As described above, paper 4 is fed one time in one paper feeding operation.
Only one sheet is fed to a printing section or the like.

When removing the cassette case 1 from the mounting section 6, the set lever 8 is rotated upward, and the leaf spring 10 comes out of the cassette case 1 and descends below the mounting section 6. As a result, stage 2 rotates downward under its own weight and stops when it hits the bottom of cassette case 1.
All you have to do is pull it out. At this time, the state of contact of the set lever 8 with the limiter 7b is maintained by the tensile force of the spring 11.

[Problem that the invention attempts to solve]

The conventional paper feeding mechanism has been described above, but in the case of this paper feeding mechanism, it is necessary to rotate the set lever with a finger or the like when attaching and removing the cassette case 1 from the mounting section, resulting in poor operability. There was a problem that it was bad.

Also, depending on the amount of paper remaining on the stage, the position of the stage when pushed up by the leaf spring changes, so the pressing force received from the leaf spring changes, and this causes the paper to be fed out by the feed roller, Another problem was that paper feeding performance became unstable due to effects such as feeding by the feed roller and paper separation by the reverse roller.

The present invention was developed to solve these problems, and aims to realize a paper feeding mechanism with a simple structure that has good operability in attaching and detaching the cassette case to and from the loading section, and has stable paper feeding performance. This is the purpose.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve this object, the present invention provides a cassette case that has a stage inside that can rotate around one end as a fulcrum, and that stores paper by placing it on the stage, and a mounting section that mounts the cassette case. and,
A feeding roller disposed above the mounting section pushes up the other end of the stage of the cassette case mounted on the mounting section to hold the paper at the top of the stage at a predetermined height. A paper feeding mechanism that feeds out paper from within a cassette case by press-contacting and rotating a feeding roller against the paper, the paper feeding mechanism comprising: a notch provided in the cassette case;
A rotatable impeller disposed near the mounting portion and having a plurality of blades that enter the cassette case through the notch and push up the other end of the stage, and a motor with the impeller attached to a rotating shaft. a cassette detection means for detecting a cassette case mounted on the mounting section; a paper height detection means provided near the feeding roller and detecting the height of the paper on the stage; and a cassette detection means for detecting the height of the paper on the stage. When the cassette is detected by the paper cassette and the paper height detection means does not detect paper, the impeller is rotated by the motor, and the other end of the stage is pushed up by the rotation of the impeller. The present invention is characterized by comprising a control means for controlling the rotation of the impeller to stop when the paper height detection means detects the paper.

[Effect]

According to the present invention having the above-described configuration, when a cassette case containing sheets of paper placed on a stage is mounted on the mounting section, the cassette case is detected by the cassette detection means. Since the means does not detect paper, the control means drives the motor to rotate the impeller, so that the blades of the impeller enter the cassette case through the notch and push the stage upward. When the top paper on the stage reaches a predetermined height,
The paper is detected by the paper height detection means, and the control means stops driving the motor and stops the rotation of the impeller. Thereafter, the feeding roller comes into pressure contact with the uppermost sheet of paper, and the sheet is fed out from the inside of the cassette case by the feeding roller.

Further, when the cassette case is pulled out from the mounting section, the stage returns due to its own weight and the paper is stored in the cassette case.

Therefore, according to this, when attaching and detaching the cassette case to and from the mounting section, it is only necessary to push the cassette case into and pull it out from the mounting section, and there is no need to rotate the set lever with a finger etc. as in the conventional case. This improves operability.

In addition, the stage is pushed up by the rotation of the impeller, and when the paper reaches a predetermined height, the rotation of the impeller is stopped and the stage is held, so the pressing force changes depending on the amount of paper remaining. This eliminates any influence on paper feeding by the feeding roller, feeding and separation of paper by the feed roller and reverse roller, and stable paper feeding performance can be obtained.

Furthermore, since the impeller is directly attached to the rotating shaft of the motor, it has a simple structure and is hardly affected by manufacturing or assembly errors, resulting in a highly reliable paper feeding mechanism.

〔Example〕

Examples will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the state when a cassette case is attached and the state when paper is fed. FIG. It is a principal part top view of an example.

In the figure, 14 is a cassette case, 15 is a stage placed inside this cassette case 14,
One end of this stage 15 is attached to the cassette case 14 by a rotating hinge 16, and a protrusion 17 for receiving the stage 15 is provided at the bottom of the cassette case 14. A substantially horizontal state is obtained within the case 14.

A notch 18 is provided at the corner of the tip of the cassette case 14, and a tongue-shaped engagement portion 19 is formed at the other end of the stage 15 so as to be located near the notch 18. has been done.

Reference numeral 20 denotes a mounting section provided in a printing device or the like for mounting the cassette case 14, and a limiter 21 is formed at the tip thereof.

22 is a motor fixed to be located near the limiter 21 of the mounting portion 20;
An impeller 24 having a plurality of blades 23 with a bent tip 23a is attached to the rotating shaft of No. 2.
Each blade 23 enters into the cassette case 14 from the notch 18 by the rotation of the motor 22 and moves to the stage 1.
The engaging portion 19 of No. 5 is pushed up.

25 is a substantially L-shaped actuator provided on the guide plate 12a so as to be located near the feeding roller 13, and the rear end is pivotally supported for rotation.
The tip protrudes below the guide plate 12a.

A photocoupler sensor 26 includes a light emitting element, a light receiving element, etc., and is provided at a position corresponding to the actuator 25. The photocoupler sensor 26 and the actuator 25 constitute paper height detection means for detecting the height of the paper 4 on the stage 2 in this embodiment.
The rotation of the motor 22 is controlled according to the output of the motor 6.

27 is a feed roller, and 28 is a reverse roller. Both rollers 27 and 28 are arranged vertically facing each other so as to abut each other between guide plates 12a and 12b forming a paper feeding path. The feed roller 27 is rotated by a driving source such as a motor (not shown) in a counterclockwise direction as shown by an arrow in FIG. The roller 28 is also rotated counterclockwise by a drive source (not shown) that is different from the drive source described above. Therefore, the reverse roller 28 rotates in the opposite direction to the feed roller 27 on the side in contact with the feed roller 27. In other words, the reverse roller 28 rotates in the direction to feed the paper 4 toward the cassette case 14. There is.

Note that the drive source that rotates the feed roller 27 has a larger rotational force than the drive source that rotates the reverse roller 28.

Next, the operation of the above-described configuration will be explained.

First, the leading end of the cassette case 14 containing the paper 4 placed on the stage 15 is placed on the mounting section 20, and the cassette case 14 is then placed in the limiter 2.
When the cassette is pushed in until it hits point 1, a micro switch (not shown) serving as cassette detection means is turned on and the printing device etc. are started up.

At this time, each blade 23 of the impeller 24 is attached to the stage 1 in the cassette case 14 as shown in FIG.
The actuator 25 is located at a position where it does not come into contact with the engaging portion 19 formed in the actuator 5, and the actuator 25 is lowered to a position where it is not detected by the photocoupler sensor 26.

Here, when the control means (not shown) confirms that the photocoupler sensor 26 does not detect the actuator 25, the motor 22 is driven, and the impeller 24 rotates together with its rotation shaft. Due to this rotation of the impeller 24, the impeller 23, which was located below the stage 15, enters the inside of the cassette case 14 through the notch 18 provided therein.
The tip portion 23a of the blade 23 engages with the lower surface of the engaging portion 19 of the stage 15, and pushes up the engaging portion 19.

As a result, the stage 15 rotates upward around the rotation hinge 16, and as a result, the stage 1
The paper 4 on top of the sheet 4 hits the tip of the actuator 25 and pushes up the actuator. Therefore, the actuator 25 rotates upward using the other end as a fulcrum, and as shown in FIG.
Reach position 6. Here, photocoupler sensor 2
6 detects the actuator 25, the motor 22 is stopped at this detection timing, and the impeller 24 is stopped.
rotation is stopped.

By stopping the rotation of the impeller 24 in this manner, the rotation of the stage 15 is also stopped, and the leading edge of the paper 4 at the top of the stage 15 is held at a predetermined height.

In this state, the feeding roller 13,
A counterclockwise rotational force is applied to the feed roller 27 and the reverse roller 28 by a driving source (not shown), and the feeding roller 13 is lowered by a lifting means (not shown) to move the stage 1
As a result, the paper 4 is fed out from inside the cassette case 14 under the rotational force of the feeding roller 13, and the paper 4 is fed out from the inside of the cassette case 14, and the paper 4 is fed out from the inside of the cassette case 14, and
2b and is held between the feed roller 27 and the reverse roller 28.

As described above, the rotational force is applied to the reverse roller 28 in the counterclockwise direction, but the rotational force of the feed roller 27, which comes into contact with the reverse roller 28 and rotates counterclockwise, is greater, so that the paper 4 is If only one sheet is held, feed roller 2
The rotational force of the reverse roller 28 is rotated counterclockwise, that is, in the paper feeding direction, and the paper 4 is thereby fed to a printing section (not shown) or the like.

When two or more sheets of paper 4 are fed out by the feeding roller 13, the coefficient of friction between the sheets of paper 4 is low, so
The reverse roller 28 rotates counterclockwise, thereby sending the second and subsequent sheets 4, that is, the sheets 4 that do not come into contact with the feed roller 27, back into the cassette case 14.

Therefore, it is possible to reliably separate only one sheet of paper 4 and feed it to the printing section, and when the feeding of the paper 4 is detected by a sensor (not shown) during this feeding, the feeding roller 13 moves up and down. It is raised by the means and separated from the paper 4, and its rotation is stopped.

In addition, the feed roller 27 and the reverse roller 28
The rotation of the paper 4 is stopped after the paper 4 is fed.

When removing the cassette case 14 from the mounting section 20, pull the cassette case 14 in the opposite direction from when it was mounted, and the engaging section 19 of the stage 15 will be attached to the impeller 24.
The stage 15 comes off from the tip 23a of the blade 23.
rotates downward due to its own weight, hits the convex portion 17, and stops in a substantially horizontal state. As a result, the paper 4 on the stage 15 is stored in the cassette case 14, and then the cassette case 14 is inserted into the loading section 2.
Just pull it out from 0.

Moreover, by removing the cassette case 14 from the mounting part 20 in this way, the micro switch can be removed.
It turns off, and the printing device etc. goes into a standby state.

When the cassette case 14 is reinstalled in the mounting section 20, the same operation as described above is performed again. At this time, each blade 23 of the impeller 24 is in the position when the cassette case 14 was previously pulled out, so that it does not interfere with the mounting.

Further, the impeller 24 has a plurality of blades 23, and one of them is always waiting below the stage 15, so that when the cassette case 14 is attached, the stage 15 can be pushed up in a short time. The paper 4 at the top of the stage 15 is processed each time so that the leading edge of the paper 4 at the top is at the same height as the leading edge of the paper 4 at the top when the paper was fed last time based on the position detection of the photocoupler sensor 26. Regardless of whether the device is powered on or off, the leading edge of the paper 4 can always be held at a predetermined height no matter when the cassette case 14 is attached or detached.

[Effect of idea]

As explained above, in the present invention, when the cassette case is installed in the loading section, the stage inside the cassette is pushed up by the impeller, and when the topmost sheet of paper on the stage reaches a predetermined height, The detection means detects this and stops the rotation of the impeller, and when the cassette case is pulled out from the mounting section, the stage returns due to its own weight and the paper is stored in the cassette. Compared to a structure in which the set lever is rotated with a finger or the like, the effect of improving the operability when attaching and detaching the cassette case is obtained.

In addition, as mentioned above, when the paper at the top of the stage reaches a predetermined height, the impeller stops rotating and holds the stage in the raised position. Regardless, the pressing force remains constant, which means that even if the stage position changes depending on the amount of remaining paper, the pressing force does not change unlike the conventional structure in which the stage is pushed up by a leaf spring. There is also an effect that stable paper feeding performance can be obtained since there is no influence on paper feeding, feeding by the feed roller and reverse roller, separation, etc.

In addition, since the impeller is directly attached to the rotating shaft of the motor, it has a simple structure and is hardly affected by manufacturing or assembly errors, making it possible to realize a highly reliable paper feeding mechanism. It will be done.

Furthermore, since the stage is pushed up by an impeller having multiple blades and the paper is held at a predetermined height, the paper level can be controlled in a short time after the cassette case is installed in the mounting section. It also has the advantage of saving energy and time, and can be widely used as a paper feeding mechanism for devices such as printing devices and facsimile machines that are required to feed sheets one by one.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a plan view of essential parts of the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a side sectional view showing a conventional paper feeding mechanism. It is. 4...Paper, 13...Feeding roller, 14...
Cassette case, 15... Stage, 16... Rotating hinge, 18... Notch, 19... Engaging part, 2
0... Mounting part, 22... Motor, 23... Vane,
24... Impeller, 25... Actuator, 26
...Photocoupler sensor, 27...Feed roller, 28...Reverse roller.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claim for Utility Model Registration] A cassette case that has a stage inside that can rotate about one end as a fulcrum and that stores paper by placing it on the stage, a mounting part to which the cassette case is mounted; a feed-out roller disposed above the mounting section, and pushing up the other end of the stage of the cassette case mounted on the mounting section to hold the topmost paper on the stage at a predetermined height; In a paper feed mechanism that feeds out paper from within a cassette case by pressuring and rotating a feeding roller against the paper, a notch provided in the cassette case;
A rotatable impeller disposed near the mounting portion and having a plurality of blades that enter the cassette case through the notch and push up the other end of the stage, and a motor with the impeller attached to a rotating shaft. cassette detection means for detecting a cassette case mounted on the mounting section; paper height detection means provided near the feed roller for detecting the height of the paper on the stage; and the cassette detection means. When the cassette is detected by the paper cassette and the paper height detection means does not detect paper, the impeller is rotated by the motor, and the other end of the stage is pushed up by the rotation of the impeller. A paper feeding mechanism characterized by comprising a control means for controlling the rotation of an impeller to stop when the paper height detection means detects the paper.