JPH04365744A - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily feed paper by hand insertion without providing a paper feed port for exclusive use of hand insertion. CONSTITUTION:At the time of feeding paper by hand insertion, a front cover 1c is opened so as to supply recording paper 2 between paper discharge rollers 9, 9 under this opened condition. When the front cover 1c is opened, paper feed rollers 8, 8 and the paper discharge rollers 9, 9 are reversed, and further a picking roller 12 is placed in a rising position as shown by a two-dot chain line and also lifting a guide plate 13 by a protruding piece 1e advanced on a straight line L of connecting the uppermost positioned recording paper 2 in a paper feed cassette 3 to the paper feed rollers 8, 8. A slope 13b is formed in the guide plate 13, and conveyance of the recording paper 2 can be guided so that the recording paper 2 passes through above the straight line L at the time of feeding the paper by hand insertion.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding device used in printers and the like.

0002

[Prior Art] Paper feeding devices used in printers, etc.
Some printers are capable of automatically feeding the recording paper by picking up the recording paper from the paper feed cassette with a picking roller and then holding and transporting the recording paper with a paper feed roller. Further, some of this type of paper feeding apparatus is provided with a paper feeding port exclusively for manual paper feeding, so that paper can be manually fed as needed.

[0003] However, if a paper feed port is provided exclusively for manual paper feed, it becomes necessary to provide a dedicated paper feed path, which hinders miniaturization of printers and the like. Therefore, the present applicant has proposed a picking mechanism that allows manual paper feeding without providing a paper feeding port exclusively for manual paper feeding (Japanese Patent Application No. 2-267648). According to this mechanism, the picking roller can move up and down relative to the paper cassette, and when the picking roller is in the raised position, a space is formed between the picking roller and the recording paper in the paper cassette, and the paper is removed from the paper ejection side. Manual paper feeding is now allowed.

0004

However, if a space is simply formed between the picking roller and the recording paper in the paper cassette, the recording paper will not stay in the paper cassette when manually feeding paper from the paper output side. There is a risk that the front edge of the recording paper may get caught and bend the recording paper, causing printing defects or paper jams. Therefore, it may be possible to remove the paper cassette when manually feeding paper and use the storage space of the paper cassette as storage space for recording paper during manual paper feeding, but in this case, the work of removing the paper cassette is complicated. Then,
Poor workability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeder that can easily feed paper manually without providing a dedicated paper feed port.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems] A paper feeding device according to the present invention includes a paper storage section that stores recording paper, and a pair of paper feed rollers that are provided downstream of the paper storage section and that pinch and convey the recording paper. , is provided to be movable up and down relative to the paper storage unit, and at the lowered position contacts the uppermost recording paper in the paper storage unit to feed the recording paper between the paper feed rollers, while at the upper position it touches the uppermost recording paper in the paper storage unit A picking roller that forms a space between the paper and the paper to allow manual paper feeding from the paper ejection side, and a picking roller that is provided between the paper storage section and the paper feed roller to face the recording paper conveyance path between them. a regulating means for regulating the conveyance of the recording paper so that the recording paper passes above a straight line connecting between the paper feed rollers and the front end of the uppermost recording paper in the paper storage unit when manually feeding the recording paper from the paper ejection side; It is characterized by having the following.

[0007]

[Operation] According to the paper feeding device according to the present invention, a space is formed between the picking roller and the uppermost recording paper in the paper storage section at the raised position of the picking roller, thereby providing a paper feeding port exclusively for manual feeding. You can manually feed paper from the paper output side without any problems. Moreover, when manually feeding paper from the paper output side, the regulating means transports the recording paper so that it passes above the straight line connecting between the paper feed rollers and the front edge of the uppermost recording paper in the paper storage section. This prevents the recording paper from getting caught on the front edge of the uppermost recording paper in the paper storage section.

[0008]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. ◆ In a printer to which the paper feeding device according to the present invention is applied, as shown in FIG. The recording paper 2 is fed from within the cassette 3 to the printing mechanism section 4 and can be printed.

The printer case 1 has a middle part in the height direction (
near the front end (near the right end in Fig. 1)
The partition plate 1a runs horizontally from the rear end (left end in Figure 1).
is formed, and a vertical wall 1b is formed at the lower part near the front end.
A printing mechanism section 4 is provided on the front end side with the vertical wall 1b as a boundary, and a paper feed cassette 3 is installed on the rear end side with the vertical wall 1b as a boundary and below the partition plate 1a. ing. The vertical wall 1b is at the same height as the front wall of the paper feed cassette 3, and is joined to the front wall of the paper feed cassette 3.
It is used for positioning. The partition plate 1a is provided at a slightly higher position than the vertical wall 1b, and its front end is connected to the vertical wall 1b.
The recording paper 2 is fed from the paper feed cassette 3 to the printing mechanism section 4 through the space between the partition plate 1a and the vertical wall 1b.

The printing mechanism section 4 is provided with a platen 5 and a print head 6 facing the platen 5, and the recording paper 2 is fed between the print head 6 and the platen 5 for printing. It looks like this. The platen 5 extends below the print head 6 via a fixing means (not shown) in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction (direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1). The print head 6 is supported so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper feeding direction parallel to the platen 5 via guide shafts 7, 7, and is driven to run by the driving force of a carrier motor (not shown).

Paper feed rollers 8, 8 and paper discharge rollers 9, 9 are provided on the upstream and downstream sides of the printing mechanism section 4, respectively. After printing, the recording paper 2 is discharged to the outside of the printer case 1 through a paper discharge port 10 by paper discharge rollers 9, 9. The paper feed rollers 8, 8 and the paper ejection rollers 9, 9 are rotated in forward and reverse directions by the driving force of the paper feed motor, respectively, and can be manually fed from the paper ejection side if necessary. A paper discharge port 10 is formed in the front lid 1c of the printer case 1, and the paper discharge port 10 is formed in the front lid 1c of the printer case 1, and the paper discharge port 10 is formed in the front lid 1c of the printer case 1, and the paper discharge port 10 is formed in the front lid 1c of the printer case 1.
is discharged to the front of the front cover 1c through the paper discharge port 10. The lower end of the front lid 1c is rotatably supported via a hinge pin 1d, and is opened and closed by rotating around the hinge pin 1d. Further, the front lid 1c can be held in a fully open position and a fully closed position by a click mechanism (not shown). When the front lid 1c is fully open, the paper ejection rollers 9, 9 are exposed to the front as shown in FIG. 2, and paper can be manually fed from between the paper ejection rollers 9, 9 if necessary. This front cover 1c is engaged with an open/close detection switch (not shown), and the operation of the picking roller 12, paper feed rollers 8, 8, and paper ejection rollers 9, 9 is controlled by the opening/closing operation of the front cover 1c via this open/close detection switch. It is now possible to do so.

The paper feed cassette 3 is provided with a hopper plate 11 on which the recording paper 2 is placed so as to be movable up and down, and on both sides of the front end there are separators (not shown) that sandwich the recording paper 2 between the hopper plate 11 and the hopper plate 11. The claw is fixed and the recording paper 2
The topmost recording paper 2 is always fed from the same height position regardless of the number of sheets accommodated. A spring (not shown) is provided below the hopper plate 11 to bias the hopper plate 11 upward, and the recording paper 2 is held between the hopper plate 11 and the separating claw by the biasing force of this spring.

A picking roller 12 is provided above the front end of the paper feed cassette 3 and faces the paper feed cassette 3.
The recording paper 2 is fed from inside. The picking roller 12 is rotated together with the paper feed rollers 8, 8 and the paper discharge rollers 9, 9 by the driving force of the paper feed motor. This picking roller 12 is moved away from the recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3 by a picking mechanism (not shown) when the recording paper 2 is not being fed, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. As shown by the solid line in 1, it descends and contacts the recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3, and after feeding the recording paper 2, it rises again and separates from the recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3. It has become. Also,
When the paper feed rollers 8, 8 and the paper ejection rollers 9, 9 rotate in reverse, the picking roller 12 uses the picking mechanism to pick up the recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3, as shown in FIG.
A space is formed between the recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3 and the recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3, thereby allowing manual paper feeding from between the paper ejection rollers 9, 9. Such a picking mechanism is disclosed in the patent application No.
There is a structure shown in No. 267648.

This paper feed cassette 3 and paper feed roller 8,
8, a guide plate 13 as a regulating means is provided opposite to the conveyance path of the recording paper 2 between the two, and this guide plate 13 allows the recording paper 2 to be placed in the paper feed cassette 3 during manual paper feeding.
The conveyance of the recording paper 2 can be guided so as to pass above a straight line L connecting the uppermost recording paper 2 and the paper feed rollers 8, 8.

The guide plate 13 is supported via guide pins 14 so as to be movable up and down along the vertical wall 1b. This guide plate 13 is urged downward via a tension coil spring 15, and can be pushed up against the urging force of the tension coil spring 15. Further, a push-up arm 13a is formed at right angles to the lower end of the guide plate 13, and the push-up arm 13a is pushed up against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 15 when the front cover 1c is opened. It looks like this. The push-up arm 13a is the paper feed roller 8
, 8, the platen 5, and the discharge rollers 9, 9, and reach near the lower end of the front lid 1c. A projecting piece 1e is integrally formed on the lower end of the front cover 1c, and the guide plate 13 is moved in a straight line L in conjunction with the opening/closing operation of the front cover 1c.
It is designed to move upwards and backwards.

That is, when the front cover 1c is opened, the rotating operation of the protruding piece 1e at this time pushes up the guide plate 13 via the push-up arm 13a against the biasing force of the tension coil spring 15. Guide plate 1 with front cover 1c fully open.
3 is extended onto the straight line L as shown in FIG. Furthermore, when the front cover 1c is closed, the rotation of the protruding piece 1e at this time causes the protruding piece 1e to be pushed up by the arm 13a.
The guide plate 13 is pushed down by the biasing force of the tension coil spring 15 so that the front cover 1c follows the guide plate 13, and the guide plate 13 is retracted from the straight line L as shown in FIG. 1 when the front cover 1c is fully open. .

This guide plate 13 has a slope 13b formed on the surface that extends along the straight line L and faces the space between the paper feed rollers 8, 8, so that the front cover 1c can be opened to manually feed paper. At this time, the rear end of the recording paper 2 comes into contact with the slope 13b and is guided by the slope 13b so that the recording paper 2 passes above the straight line L. Further, the guide plate 13 overlaps the front end of the partition plate 1a, and the front cover 1c
When paper is manually fed with the
It is designed so that it does not pass above a.

Next, the operation will be explained. ◆When feeding paper from the paper feed cassette 3, the front cover 1c is fully closed and the guide plate 13 is retracted from the straight line L as shown in FIG. 3, the picking roller 12
The uppermost recording paper 2 is taken out from the paper feed cassette 3.

The recording paper 2 taken out from the paper feed cassette 3 is fed between the paper feed rollers 8, 8, and is fed between the print head 6 and the platen 5 by the paper feed rollers 8, 8 to be printed. After printing, the paper eject roller 9,
9, the paper is discharged to the front of the front cover 1c through the paper discharge port 10. At this time, the picking roller 12 immediately rises and separates from the recording paper 2 after the recording paper 2 is fed between the paper feed rollers 8, 8, and does not become a resistance to the feeding of the recording paper 2.

When manually feeding paper, the front cover 1c is fully opened and the guide plate 13 is advanced along the straight line L, as shown in FIG. The paper rollers 9,9 are reversed and the picking roller 12 is placed in the raised position. In this state, the recording paper 2 is manually fed between the paper ejection rollers 9, 9, and the recording paper 2 is fed to the paper ejection roller 9 until the front end of the recording paper 2 is held between the paper feed rollers 8, 8. , 9 and paper feed rollers 8, 8, the paper is fed into the paper feed cassette 3 side. During this feeding, the rear end of the recording paper 2 comes into contact with the slope 13b of the guide plate 13, and the recording paper 2 is guided by the guide plate 13 to the partition plate 1.
The paper feed cassette 3 passes below the line a and above the straight line L.
The paper is surely fed into the space between the picking roller 12 and the uppermost recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3 without being caught by the uppermost recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3.

When the recording paper 2 is fed to this position,
After that, paper feed rollers 8, 8 and paper ejection roller 9,
9 is rotated in the forward direction and is fed between the print head 6 and platen 5 by paper feed rollers 8, 8 for printing in the same way as when feeding paper from the paper feed cassette 3. After printing, the paper is ejected. The paper is discharged to the front of the front cover 1c through the paper discharge port 10 by the rollers 9,9.

A second embodiment is shown in FIG. ◆
In this embodiment, a pair of interlocking arms 16 are provided below the guide plate 13, and when the front cover 1c is opened, the guide plate 13 is
is being pushed up. 1 pair of interlocking arms 1
6 are arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction, and each is supported so as to be swingable via a support pin 17. An engagement pin 13c that engages with one end of one of the interlocking arms 16 is provided on the guide plate 13, and an engagement pin 13c that engages with one end of the other interlocking arm 16 is provided on the other end of the interlocking arm 16. A dowel pin 16a is erected, and the other end of this interlocking arm 16 is pushed up by the rotation of the projection 1e when the front cover 1c is opened, so that the guide plate 13 is pushed up.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when the front cover 1c is opened during manual paper feeding, the guide plate 13 is pushed up indirectly via the interlocking arm 16.

FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment. ◆
In this embodiment, the guide plate 13 is urged upward by a tension coil spring 15, a magnetic body 18 is attached to the lower end of the guide plate 13, and an electromagnet 19 is provided below the magnetic body 18, and the electromagnet 19 is in a demagnetized state. The guide plate 13 is advanced onto the straight line L, and the guide plate 13 is retracted from the straight line L when the electromagnet 19 is energized. The operation of the electromagnet 19 is controlled by the opening/closing detection switch of the front cover 1c, so that it is energized when the front cover 1c is fully closed and demagnetized when the front cover 1c is fully open.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when paper is fed from the paper feed cassette 3, the electromagnet 19 is energized and the guide plate 13 is retracted from the straight line L, and when paper is fed manually, the electromagnet 19 is demagnetized and the guide plate 13 is moved away from the straight line L. It is advanced onto straight line L.

A fourth embodiment is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. In this embodiment, the guide plate 13 is urged downward by a tension coil spring 15, and an operating arm 13d is formed at right angles to the lower end of the guide plate 13, and a magnetic body 18 is attached to the upper surface of the operating arm 13d. An electromagnet 19 is provided above the magnetic body 18, and the electromagnet 1
When the electromagnet 19 is in the energized state, the guide plate 13 is advanced onto the straight line L, and when the electromagnet 19 is in the demagnetized state, the guide plate 13 is retracted from the straight line L. Further, a paper detection sensor 20 is embedded in the partition plate 1a at a portion facing the guide plate 13, and the operation of the electromagnet 19 is controlled by the paper detection sensor 20 and the opening/closing detection switch of the front cover 1c. The electromagnet 19 is demagnetized when the front cover 1c is fully closed, and is excited when the recording paper 2 is detected by the paper detection sensor 20 when the front cover 1c is fully open. Note that the guide plate 13 is a portion extending on the straight line L, and the surface facing the paper feed rollers 8 and 8 is an arcuate surface.

Therefore, in this embodiment, when paper is fed from the paper feed cassette 3, the electromagnet 19 is demagnetized and the guide plate 13 is retracted from the straight line L, and when paper is fed manually, the space between the partition plate 1a and the guide plate 13 is removed. When the rear end of the recording paper 2 reaches , the electromagnet 19 is energized and the guide plate 13 is aligned with the straight line L.
be promoted to the top.

FIG. 7 shows a fifth embodiment. ◆
In this embodiment, an air tube 21, which constitutes a part of the regulating means, is provided between the paper feed rollers 8, 8 and the paper feed cassette 3.
is attached facing upward. The air tube 21 is connected to an air pump 22 that constitutes another part of the regulating means. The air pump 22 is operated by an open/close detection switch of the front lid 1c when the front lid 1c is fully open.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the air pump 22 is operated during manual paper feeding, and the paper feed rollers 8, 8
When the rear end of the recording paper 2 reaches between the paper feed cassette 3 and the
The wind pressure from the air tube 21 pushes the rear end of the recording paper 2 up above the straight line L, and the rear end of the recording paper 2 is pushed up to the picking roller 12 and fed without being caught by the uppermost recording paper 2 in the paper feed cassette 3, as in the above embodiment. It is reliably fed into the space between the topmost recording paper 2 in the paper cassette 3.

A paper shelf for manual paper feeding is formed on the back side of the front cover 1c, and the paper ejection roller 9, using this paper shelf as a guide,
If it is possible to manually feed paper from 9 to 9, it will be easier to manually feed paper.

Further, in the above embodiment, the front cover 1c is opened to feed paper manually, but a switch for manual paper feeding is separately provided to control the paper feed rollers 8, 8 and the paper ejection rollers 9, 9. By controlling the rotation, etc., paper can be manually fed from the paper discharge port 10 with the front cover 1c closed.

In the above embodiment, the guide plate 13 is overlapped with the partition plate 1a to prevent the recording paper 2 from entering above the partition plate 1a during manual paper feeding, but the picking roller 12 is overlapped with the partition plate 1a. The recording paper 2 is raised to an upper position, the front end of the partition plate 1a is set short so as not to overlap the guide plate 13, and the recording paper 2 is guided above the partition plate 1a between the partition plate 1a and the guide plate 13. This guide and the guide plate 13 separate the recording paper 2 from the partition plate 1 during manual paper feeding.
It may also be guided above a.

[0033]

[Effects of the Invention] As explained above, according to the paper feeding device according to the present invention, there is no need to provide a paper feeding port exclusively for manual feeding.
Moreover, it has an excellent effect in that paper can be easily fed manually.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a printer to which a paper feeding device according to the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the operation of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of a printer showing a second embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view of a printer showing a third embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a printer showing a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged plan view of a main part showing the operation of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a printer showing a fifth embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Recording paper 3 Paper cassette (paper storage section) 8
Paper feed roller 12 Picking roller 13 Guide plate (regulating means) 21 Air tube (regulating means) 22 Air pump (regulating means)

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A paper accommodating section for accommodating recording paper, a pair of paper feed rollers provided downstream of the paper accommodating section for pinching and conveying the recording paper, and a pair of paper feeding rollers arranged so as to be movable up and down with respect to the paper accommodating section. is brought into contact with the uppermost recording paper in the paper accommodating section at the lowered position to feed the recording paper between the paper feed rollers, and at the same time leaves a space between it and the uppermost recording paper in the paper accommodating section at the raised position. A picking roller is provided between the paper accommodating section and the paper feed roller to face the recording paper conveyance path between them, and a picking roller is formed to allow manual paper feeding from the paper ejection side. regulating means for regulating the conveyance of the recording paper so that the recording paper passes above a straight line connecting between the paper feed rollers and the front end of the uppermost recording paper in the paper storage section when the paper is manually fed. A paper feeding device characterized by the following. 2. In claim 1, the regulating means is provided so as to be movable along the straight line, and is retracted from the straight line when feeding paper from the paper storage section, and when manually feeding paper from the paper ejection side. A paper feeding device characterized in that it is a guide member that extends in a straight line and guides the conveyance of recording paper. 3. In claim 1, the regulating means includes an air tube installed upward between the paper storage section and the paper feed roller, and an air pump to which the air tube is connected. A paper feeding device characterized in that when paper is manually fed from the side, the recording paper is pushed upward in the straight line by wind pressure from an air tube.