JPH0441338A - Paper supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform positive takeout of sheet material with a small number of parts by providing a cassette with a recessed part with which a locking member is engaged in the charging completed position of a cassette and from which the locking member is lifted at the pull-out time of the cassette so as to retreat the suction means upward from the cassette. CONSTITUTION:A locking member 46 provided in the vertically movable state at a paper supply device body is engaged with a recessed part 54 formed at a cassette 20 when the cassette 20 is charged into a charging completed position so as to position/fix the cassette 20. This position is set into a position where the recessed part 54 is brought into contact with the intermediate part of sheet material in the state of the tip thereof being lifted by a suction means 25 so as to bend the sheet material, and in case plural sheets are lifted being sucked by the suction means 25, only one sheet remains in the sucked state and other sheets are disposed of by their own strength. In a case of the cassette being pulled out by wrong operation, the locking member 46 is pushed out from the recessed part 54, and the suction means 25 is retreated upward by the locking member 46.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a paper feeder in which a cassette containing stacked sheet materials can be inserted into and removed from the main body of a sheet feeder, and the sheet materials in the cassette can be lifted and taken out by suction means. Regarding paper devices.

Problems to be Solved by the Prior Art and the Invention In image forming devices such as thermal transfer recording devices, sheet materials, that is, recording papers, are stacked and housed in a cassette, and this cassette is connected to a paper feeding device. It is removable. In order to reproduce an image at a predetermined position on the recording paper, it is necessary to position the cassette at a predetermined position when the loading of the cassette into the paper feeding device is completed. For this reason, conventionally, a locking member is incorporated into the paper feeder to lock the cassette when the cassette is pushed into a predetermined position.

Further, a suction device is sometimes used to take out the recording paper in the cassette. In this case, the suction device is movable up and down toward the cassette, and this suction device uses its leading edge to suction the recording paper stacked on the top layer in the cassette and lifts the recording paper. The recording paper is taken out from the cassette. This suction device is moved up and down by a reciprocating member driven by a cam, an actuator, etc., and is moved up and down at a predetermined timing based on a control signal. However, if the cassette is pulled out of the paper feeder main body due to an operator's error while the tip of the suction device is inside the cassette, the suction device may hit the cassette and damage it.

On the other hand, even if a suction device is used to take out the recording paper in the cassette, there is no possibility that one or more sheets of recording paper will be suctioned by the suction device. do not have. To this end, it is necessary to reliably take out one sheet of recording paper from the cassette (a so-called sorting mechanism is incorporated into the paper feeding device).

Therefore, in the paper feeding devices developed so far that have suction devices, it is necessary to incorporate a locking mechanism for positioning the cassette and a mechanism for separating the recording paper into the paper feeding device. Upsizing was inevitable.

Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned prior art, the present invention uses a locking member to perform the cassette positioning operation, the suction device retraction operation when the cassette is attached/detached, and the recording paper separation operation, thereby reducing the number of parts. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device having desired functions.

Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a sheet feeder main body in which a cassette containing sheet materials is removably loaded.
In a sheet feeding device comprising a vertically movable suction means for suctioning and lifting the leading end of the sheet material, a locking member that comes into contact with the cassette when the cassette is inserted into or removed from the device main body is provided in the device. A recess that is attached to the main body so as to be movable up and down, engages with the locking member when the cassette is fully loaded, and raises the locking member when the cassette is removed to retract the suction means above the cassette. is formed in the cassette, and the recess is set at a position where the locking member abuts the sheet material lifted by the suction means and bends the sheet material.

The locking member provided on the main body of the paper feeder so as to be able to move up and down is
When the cassette is loaded to the loading completion position, it engages with a recess formed in the cassette to position and fix the cassette. This position is set at a position where the tip of the sheet material is brought into contact with the middle part of the sheet material being lifted by the suction means and bends the sheet material, and when a plurality of sheet materials are suctioned and lifted by the suction means. , only one sheet material is supported and other sheet materials are handled by their own strength. If the cassette is pulled out by mistake while the suction means is in the process of suctioning the sheet material, the lock member is pushed out of the recess, and the lock part retracts the suction means above the cassette. Collision between the suction means and the cassette is prevented, and damage to the suction means is prevented.

Embodiments Hereinafter, a paper feeding device will be described in detail based on illustrated embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing the main parts of a thermal transfer recording device incorporating a paper feeding device of the present invention, and shows a housing 10 of the device.
A platen roller 11 is rotatably mounted therein, and a thermal head 13 swingable about a support shaft 12 can press against and release from the platen roller 11. These thermal head 13 and platen roller 11 constitute an image forming section in the thermal transfer recording apparatus. In addition, these thermal heads 1
3 and the platen roller 11, there is a film roll 15 on the winding side, which is fed out from the film roll 14 on the supply side.
The ink film 16 to be wound up is conveyed.

These rolls 14, 15 are detachable from the housing 10. Driving the take-up side film roll 15; Therefore, the ink film 16 is guided by the peeling member 17 provided at the tip of the thermal head 13 and the film winding roller 18, and is guided by the take-up side film roll 15. It will be wound up. Further, the platen roller 11 has a length corresponding to the width of the ink film 16, and paper nipping rollers (not shown) are integrated with both ends of the platen roller 11. and,
A paper pressing roller 19 is brought into pressure contact with this paper nipping roller as shown in the figure.

As a result, when the platen roller 11 rotates to form an image, the paper nipping roller integrated with the platen roller 11 rotates.
This and the paper presser roller 19 are sandwiched together,
The recording paper will move in the forward and backward directions. Therefore, the width of the recording paper P is larger than the width of the ink film 16, and when the recording paper P is conveyed by the rotation of the platen roller 11, the paper pressing roller 19 prevents the recording paper from shifting.

A cassette 20 for accommodating recording paper, that is, sheet materials in a stacked state, is removably attached to the housing 10 through an opening 21 formed in the front wall 10a of the housing 10. A paper discharge tray 22 for holding recording paper after an image is formed is attached directly above the opening 21. Therefore, in the illustrated thermal transfer recording apparatus, the operation of attaching and detaching the paper feed cassette 20 and the operation of taking out recorded records can be performed from the front side of the housing 10.

In order to take out the recording sheets P in the cassette 20 one by one, a reciprocating member 2 is mounted on the support shaft 23 and is pivotable about the support shaft 23.
A vacuum cup 25 for vacuum suctioning the recording paper P is provided at the tip of the reciprocating member 24. A suction pump (not shown) is connected to the vacuum cup 25 via a port. Reciprocating member 2
4 in the clockwise direction in FIG. When it is returned to the position, the leading edge of the recording paper P is lifted to a predetermined position. In this position, the rotating roller 26
is rotatably attached to the roller holder 28, which is swingably provided on the support shaft 27. At the tip of the roller holder 28, there is a drive side that clamps and conveys the recording paper P in cooperation with the rotating roller 26. A suppression roller 29 is rotatably mounted.

The recording paper P, whose leading end has been lifted by the vacuum cup 25, is held between the suppression roller 29 and the rotation roller 26 by rotating the roller holder 28 clockwise, and is conveyed forward in the right direction in the figure. Suppression roller 2
A lower guide member 30 is installed between the platen roller 11 and the roller holder 28 in order to guide the recording paper P which is sandwiched between the platen roller 11 and the rotating roller 26 and conveyed forward. A guide member 31 is installed.

In the case shown in the figure, printing of an image on the recording paper P is carried out by transporting the recording paper P to the forward limit position and then returning it to the forward limit position. A guide plate 32 is installed on the right side of the platen roller 11 to guide the recording paper P while it is being conveyed to the forward limit position after passing the platen roller 11 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a state in which the cassette 20 is loaded in the paper feeder section in the housing 10 shown in FIG. 1 in the direction indicated by the arrow.

As shown in the figure, the cassette 20 has a front end wall 20a and a rear end wall 2.
0b, left and right side walls 20c and 20d, and a bottom wall 20e, and a storage space corresponding to recording paper is formed inside. When the cassette 20 is loaded into the main body of the paper feeder, the rear end wall 20b is connected to the front surface 10 of the housing 10.
exposed to a.

Cam members 41 and 42 are provided along the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls, respectively. Two support brackets 43, 44 are attached at a predetermined distance from each other in the position where the cassette 20 is to be loaded inside the main body of the paper feeder.
A long hole 45 extending along the thickness direction of the cassette 20 is formed in the cassette 20 .

A lock shaft 46 is supported at both ends thereof by these long holes 45, and this lock shaft 46 is guided by the long holes 45 and moves in the vertical direction in FIG. This lock shaft 4
6 is rotatably provided with two cam rollers 47 corresponding to the positions of the cam members 41 and 42. In order to bias the lock shaft 46 with a resilient force toward the cassette 20, a tension coil spring 48 is installed between one end of the lock shaft 46 and the support bracket 43; A similar spring member (not shown) is also installed between the bracket 44 and the other end of the lock shaft 47.

At the tip of the cam part 41.42, there is an inclined surface 51 for contacting the cam roller 47 and guiding it to the horizontal part of the cam part 41.42 when loading the cassette 20 into the main body of the apparatus. is formed to be inclined upward toward the rear end of the cassette 20. At the time of loading, the cassette 20 passes through the notches 39 formed at both ends of the front wall 20a,
Cam roller 47 contacts cam member 41.42.

The cassette 20 corresponds to the loading completion position of the cassette 20.
An inclined surface 52 inclined downward at an angle θ toward the rear end.
are formed on each cam member 41,42.

A recess 54 is formed by this inclined surface 52 and a locking surface 53 which is connected to the inclined surface 52 and is an arcuate surface corresponding to the outer peripheral surface of the cam roller 47 . This inclination angle θ is approximately 30° in the illustrated case. Therefore, cassette 2
0, each cam roller 4 is fully loaded.
7 enters into the recess 54, and the cassette is positioned and fixed by the lock shaft 46. In this state,
A lock shaft 46 extending in the width direction with respect to the cassette 20 is
The paper comes closest to the recording paper stored in the cassette 20 at a predetermined intermediate position between its leading edge and trailing edge.

As shown in FIG. 1, operating pieces 55 are provided integrally with the reciprocating member 24 in correspondence with the positions of the respective cam rollers 47. As shown in FIG. This actuating piece 55 is connected to the cassette 2
When the cam roller 47 is engaged in the recess 54 upon completion of loading the reciprocating member 24, it will not come into contact with the cam roller 47 even if the reciprocating member 24 swings.

Next, the operation of taking out recording paper from the cassette 20 by the L paper feeder will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

When the paper feeding operation has not been performed yet, the reciprocating section +A
24 is brought to the position shown in FIG. 1 by a drive means (not shown), and the vacuum cup 25 is set at the upper limit position. In this state, even if the lock shaft 46 moves up and down due to the attachment/detachment of the cassette 20, that is, the loading and unloading movements, the reciprocating member 24 will not be swung by the cam roller 47 via the operating piece 55. There isn't. In FIG. 1, the cassette 20 is indicated by a solid line.
indicates a state in which a loading operation is being performed, and a two-dot chain line indicates a state in which loading of the cassette 20 is completed. The lock shaft 46 at the time of completion of loading is activated by two cam rollers 47 provided on the cassette 20 when it reaches the loading completion position.
These portions function as locking members for positioning and fixing the cassette 20 by entering into the recesses 54, respectively.

When taking out the recording paper P stored in the cassette 20,
As shown in FIG. 3A, the reciprocating member 24 is swung in the time=1 direction by a drive source (not shown), and the recording paper P is attracted by the vacuum cup 25. As shown in FIG. If the reciprocating section +A24 is swung in two counterclockwise directions in the attracted state, the leading edge of the recording paper P is lifted, and the recording paper P is placed in the cassette 2.
Extracted from within 0. Next, the roller holder 28 is rotated, and the suppression roller 29 is rotated with the rotation roller 26 in pressure contact with the suppression roller 29 through the recording paper P, so that the recording paper P is directed toward the image forming section. transported.

However, if the operator accidentally pulls out the cassette 20 during paper feeding, the inclined surface 52 forming the recess 54 will push up the cam roller 47 and cause the lock shaft 46 to rise. Then, due to the contact between the cam roller 47 and the actuating piece 55, the reciprocating member 24
However, as shown in FIG. 3(B), the vacuum cup 25 swings counterclockwise and is retracted above the cassette 20. This prevents damage to the vacuum cup 25 due to malfunction.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the leading end of the recording paper P in the cassette 20 is lifted up by the paper feeder and the recording paper is taken out from the cassette 20. In this state, as shown in FIG. 3(A), after the vacuum cup 25 is brought into contact with the recording paper P,
This is done by swinging the reciprocating member 24. If the vacuum cup 25 attracts other recording papers P1 and P2 in addition to the topmost recording paper P in the cassette 20, the leading ends of each of the plurality of recording papers will be lifted by the vacuum cup 25. become. In this lifting operation, the locking shaft 46 extending in the width direction of the recording paper is closest to the recording paper at the intermediate portion in the longitudinal direction of the recording paper, and as shown in FIG. It will be bent into a cross-shaped shape. Therefore, due to this bending, the other recording paper P1 attached to the original recording paper P,
At P2, a force is generated to direct each leading edge downward due to the stiffness of the recording paper, and as a result, as shown in the figure,
The other recording sheets P1 and P2 are separated from the original recording sheet P and returned to the cassette 20. The position of the recess 54 is set at a position where this handling operation can be performed smoothly.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the paper feeding device, and in this figure, members common to those in the previous embodiment are given the same reference numerals.

In this case, the support brackets 43, 44 are provided with guides 61 that come into contact with the upper surfaces of both side walls 20c, 20d of the cassette 20 and guide the cassette. Since the guide 61 is provided with the inclined portion 62, the pushing operation when loading the cassette 20 becomes easy.

Further, the elongated holes 45 formed in each of the support brackets 43, 44 are inclined at an angle close to perpendicular to the inclined surface 52 formed in the cam member 41, 42. Therefore, the elastic force exerted by the cam roller 47 on the inclined surface 52 due to the spring 48 acts almost perpendicularly to the inclined surface 53, so that when the operator pulls out the cassette 20, the operator has to resist relatively. You will no longer feel any sensations.

In each of the above embodiments, the cam members 41, 42 may be arranged on the outside of the side walls 20c, 20d of the cassette 20, or on the outside of the side walls 20c, 2O.
The slope 51.53 and the recess 55 may be formed on the d itself.

Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the locking member functions as a locking system for positioning and fixing the cassette at a predetermined position within the main body of the paper feeder, and also allows the suction means to lift a plurality of sheet materials. It also functions as a member that bends the sheet material and handles the sheet material when the cassette is pulled out, and also has the function of retracting the suction means when the cassette is pulled out during paper feeding operation. Therefore, the sheet material can be reliably taken out with a small number of parts.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing a thermal transfer recording device incorporating the paper feeding device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the main body of the paper feeding device in FIG. 1, and FIG. A cross-sectional view showing the state in which the sheet material is adsorbed, FIG. 3 (B
) is a cross-sectional view showing a discharge in which the cassette is pulled out while the flagstone action is being performed, ':fS4 is a cross-sectional view showing the discharge in which the sheet material is being handled, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the discharge in which the sheet material is being removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the main body of the paper feeding device. 20... Cassette, 23... Support shaft, 24... Reciprocating part shrine, 25... Vacuum cup (suction means),
41.42...Cam part 10A, 46...Lock shaft, 4
7...Cam roller, 54...Concave portion, P...Recording paper (sheet material).

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] A paper feeder comprising a paper feeder main body in which a cassette containing sheet material is removably loaded, and a suction means for sucking and lifting the leading edge of the sheet material, which is movable up and down. A locking member that comes into contact with the cassette when the cassette is inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body is installed in the apparatus main body so as to be vertically movable, and engages with the lock member at a position where loading of the cassette is completed; A recess is formed in the cassette to raise the lock member and retract the suction means above the cassette when the cassette is extracted, and the lock member abuts the sheet material lifted by the suction means. A paper feeding device in which the recess is set at a position where the sheet material is bent.