JPH06115757A - Recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate necessity for a paper feed exclusive use motor in a paper feed process by successively connecting an arm in line with a turnable movable plate for supporting an intermediate driver of a turn unit, and turning this arm so as to open/close a feed path, passing from a paper feed part to a recording part, by a paper feed shutter. CONSTITUTION:When a paper feed command is output, a drive motor 13 is started while energizing a solenoid 12, to rotate an intermediate gear 9 while turning a movable plate 8. As a result, an arm 5 of a paper feed shutter 7 is turned simultaneously to rotate a paper feed roller 3, and recording paper 2 in the uppermost position of a paper stacker 1 is separated and conveyed. This recording paper 2 is advanced upward in a feed path narrowed between itself and a guide frame 20 by the arm 5, energized by a feed roller 18 and fed, while guided by a shutter 4, onto a recording surface 21. When a point end of the recording paper 2 leads to a conveying roller 15, the solenoid 12 is deenergized to close the shutter 4 and also placing the paper feed roller 3 in a idling condition.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an improvement of a recording paper conveying mechanism in a recording device such as a plotter or printer having an automatic paper feeding device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plotter or printer is commercially available with a recording apparatus having a mechanism for accommodating a plurality of recording sheets cut into a fixed size and automatically feeding the uppermost recording sheet one by one. Has been done. For example, a plotter equipped with an automatic paper feed mechanism is also disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-242097. FIG. 7 shows a conventional example including a device similar to the device described in the publication. In the figure, a paper feed roller 3 is elastically contacted with the uppermost one of the recording papers stored in the paper stacker 1, and the paper feed roller 3 is a paper feed motor provided exclusively for paper feed. Driven by 34, the feed roller drive belt 3
The two are linked so that they can be interlocked. Paper feed motor 34
However, when activated by a paper feed command, the paper feed roller 3 is interlocked, the topmost one of the recording papers is picked up from the paper stacker 1, and the guide frame 20 and the feeding guide plate 3 are picked up.
3, the feeding roller 18 and the feeding pinch roller 19 are guided.
Approaching the exit of the feeding route while obtaining the feeding assistance by. Further, the solenoid 12 is driven at the same time when the paper feed command is issued, and the paper feed shutter 31 connected to the solenoid 12 is driven.
The shutter arm 30 rotates about the shutter support shaft 6 against the biasing force of the return spring 10. As a result, the shutter 4 is opened and the recording paper can be moved to the beginning smoothly. The leading edge of the recording paper 2 fed on the drawing 21 through such a feeding path is nipped by the conveyance roller 15 and the pinch roller 16 driven by the drive motor 13 via the conveyance roller drive belt 17. Then, the feeding motor 34 and the solenoid 12 are de-energized, and the sheet feeding shutter 31
The shutter 4 is closed by the biasing force of the return spring 10. The biasing force of the return spring 10 is set to such an extent that the recording paper can be pulled out even if the shutter 4 is closed. When the trailing edge of the recording paper 2 is pulled out from the feeding path so as to be positioned on the drawing 21 in the above process, the recording paper 2 sandwiched by the conveying roller 15 and the pinch roller 16 is moved to a predetermined position according to the drawing command. It is transported back and forth to the position.

[0003]

By the way, the automatic paper feed mechanism in the conventional recording apparatus is provided with the paper feed motor dedicated to the paper feed operation in order to take out the uppermost recording paper from the paper stacker as described above. However, it is necessary to provide a drive circuit for the paper feed motor, and it is necessary to provide a feeding guide in order to accurately guide the recording paper in the feeding path.

[0004]

In order to solve such a problem, in a recording apparatus according to the present invention, a sheet stacker in which recording sheets are stacked and housed, and the uppermost one sheet of the recording sheets from the sheet stacker are provided. A paper feed unit configured to elastically contact and feed the recording paper, a recording unit that forms a visual image on the fed recording paper, and a drive motor that reciprocally conveys the recording paper in the recording unit. An intermediate driving body supported by a rotatable movable plate and interlocking with the drive motor, engages the intermediate driving body and the sheet feeding roller by rotation of the movable plate, and at the same time, connects the movable plate. It is composed of a paper feed shutter which has an arm and which opens and closes a feeding path extending from the paper feed unit to the recording unit by rotating the arm. Further, when the paper feed shutter is in an open state, the arm can also serve as a feed guide for recording paper to be fed by narrowing the feed path on the paper stacker side.

[0005]

As a result, the power of the drive motor can be intermittently transmitted to the sheet feeding roller according to the opening / closing of the sheet feeding shutter provided in the feeding path, so that the dedicated sheet feeding motor in the sheet feeding process becomes unnecessary. . In addition, the arm equipped with the paper feed shutter
When the paper feed shutter is open, the feed path on the paper stacker side is narrowed to serve as a feed guide for recording paper.

[0006]

1 shows a recording apparatus of a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a plotter. In the figure, a paper feed roller 3 is elastically contacted with the top of the recording papers stacked and stored in the paper stacker 1, and the topmost one of the recording papers is rotated by the rotation of the paper feed roller 3. Taken from. As a method of separating the stacked recording sheets, a known method such as a friction pad type or a corner claw type can be adopted. A paper feed gear (not shown) for transmitting the power of the drive system to the paper feed roller 3 is coaxially supported on the rotation support shaft of the paper feed roller 3. An intermediate gear 9 serving as an intermediate driving body is attached to a movable plate 8 rotatably supported by a movable plate support shaft 11, and a part of the movable plate 8 is connected to a solenoid 12. Therefore, the movable plate 8 is rotated to a predetermined position in the direction of arrow A by driving the solenoid 12, and the intermediate gear 9 attached to the same body is also rotatable to a predetermined position. A return spring 10 is suspended on a part of the movable plate 8 so that the movable plate 8 can be returned to the position before the rotation when the drive of the solenoid 12 is turned off. Are

On the other hand, in the recording portion that forms a desired visual image on the recording paper 2 on the recording surface 21, a recording pen 22 that moves along the paper width direction of the recording paper 2 and a conveyance that conveys the recording paper 2 are provided. A pinch roller 16 is provided which is in elastic contact with the roller 15 and the conveying roller 15 to sandwich the recording paper 2. The conveying roller 15 is driven by a drive motor 13 via a conveying roller driving belt 17. Further, the power of the drive motor 13 is also transmitted to the intermediate gear 9 by the paper feed roller drive belt 14, and the intermediate gear 9 can be driven in conjunction with the conveyance of the recording paper 2. The intermediate gear 9 is configured so as to mesh with the above-mentioned paper feed gear by the rotation of the movable plate 8. In this state, the power of the drive motor 13 is applied to the paper feed roller 3.
Can be transmitted to.

In the vicinity of the recording surface 21, there is provided a paper feed shutter 7 having a shutter 4 and an arm 5 and rotatable around a shutter support shaft 6, and an end portion of the arm 5 is one of the movable plates 8. It is connected to the department. The length of the paper feed shutter 7 in the depth direction in the figure is substantially equal to or slightly longer than the paper width of the recording paper 2. Further, the arm 5 is a movable plate 8
Is always urged by the arm spring 29 in a direction in which it always comes into contact with. Therefore, the movable plate 8 is moved to the arrow A by the solenoid 12.
When it is rotated in the direction, the arm 5 connected to the movable plate 8 is also rotated against the urging force of the arm spring, and the shutter 4 is lifted and opened. On the contrary, when the drive of the solenoid 12 is turned off, the shutter 4 is closed, and the upper surface thereof is configured to be substantially the same as the recording surface 21 or a slightly lower surface so that the conveyance of the recording paper 2 is not hindered. Is taken into consideration. As described above, in the recording apparatus of FIG. 1, the recording paper 2 can be reciprocally transported on the drawing 21, while the recording pen 22 moves in the paper width direction of the recording paper 2 while repeating the vertical movement to be desired on the recording paper 2. It is in the form of a paper moving plotter that forms the visual image of.

2 and 3 show how the recording paper 2 is actually fed onto the recording surface 21 with the above-mentioned configuration. In FIG. 2, when the recording apparatus receives a sheet feeding command input from the outside, the solenoid 12 is energized and driven, and at the same time, the drive motor 13 is activated to rotate the movable plate 8 and the intermediate gear 9.
Is rotated. As a result, the paper feed roller 3 is rotated via the intermediate gear 9, and at the same time, the arm 5 of the paper feed shutter 7 is rotated.
Is also rotated. Recording paper 2 on top of paper stacker 1
The separation / conveyance is started by the rotation of the paper feed roller 3, and the arm 5 of the paper feed shutter 7 is rotated to advance to the upper part of the feed path narrowed between the guide frame 20 and the upper part, and at a predetermined rotation speed. While the feeding assisting force of the rotating feeding roller 18 and the feeding pinch roller 19 is obtained, the feeding roller 18 and the feeding pinch roller 19 move further upward. When the process is further continued, the leading edge of the recording paper 2 is fed onto the recording surface 21 while being guided by the shutter 4. At this time, the trailing edge of the recording paper 2 is still sent out by the paper feed roller 3. The intermediate gear 9 and the drive motor 13
A timing belt or the like having elasticity is suitable for the paper feed roller drive belt 14 for interlocking the paper feed roller drive belt 14 and the rotation locus of the intermediate gear 9 and the paper feed roller drive so that the driving force can be transmitted by the rotation of the intermediate gear 9. Consideration is given to the elasticity of the belt 14. A portion of the arm 5 facing the feeding pinch roller 19 is provided with a hole having a predetermined shape area in order to avoid interference. Further, the feeding roller 18 and the feeding pinch roller 19 can be omitted when the feeding path is short.

FIG. 3 shows a state in which the paper feeding process of FIG. 2 is further advanced. In FIG. 3, when the leading edge of the recording paper 2 reaches the conveyance roller 15, the conveyance roller 15 and the pinch roller 16
Sandwiched between. At this time, the drive of the solenoid 12 is turned off, and the paper feed shutter 7 shifts the shutter 4 to the closed state in accordance with the return rotation of the movable plate 8. At this time, the force with which the shutter 4 is pressed against the guide frame 20 mainly depends on the biasing force of the arm spring 29 described above, but is set to such a force that the recording paper 2 can slip through when the shutter 4 is closed. As described above, when the leading end of the recording sheet 2 is ready to be conveyed by the conveying roller 15, the rotating plate 8 has returned to the position before the rotation, so that the sheet feeding roller 3 is in the idling state. No feeding force is applied to the trailing edge, and therefore no feeding force is applied to the next highest recording sheet in the paper stacker 1, so that the newly highest recording sheet is fed next time. Stay stationary until.

FIG. 4 shows a recording apparatus of a second embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a thermal transfer printer. In the figure, reference numeral 23 denotes a thermal head in which resistive elements are arranged in an array and heat is generated by selectively energizing the resistive elements, and 24 is a surface closely contacted between the thermal head 23 and the recording paper 2 and facing the recording paper 2. A heat-meltable ink layer is formed on the thermal head 2
3, the ink sheet on which the ink layer is transferred to the recording paper 2 at the dot portion corresponding to the resistance element which is selectively heated, 25 is a winding roll for winding the ink sheet 24, and 26 is the winding roll 25. Supply roll that sends out the ink sheet 24 in accordance with the rotation of the sheet, 27 a platen that holds the ink sheet 24 and the recording sheet 2 between the thermal head 23, and 28 transmits the rotation of the conveyance roller 15, that is, the power of the drive motor 13. The platen drive belt is shown, and these elements constitute the recording unit.

The mechanism for supplying the recording paper 2 to the recording portion may be the same as the structure shown in FIG. 1, and the function and operation of each component in the paper feeding process are as described in FIG. is there. The recording apparatus of FIG. 4 is compatible with multi-color recording, and the ink sheet 24 has a shape substantially equal to the area of the recording paper 2 and is coated with yellow, magenta, cyan, and, if necessary, black color inks in a frame-sequential manner. Has been done.
In the actual recording operation, while the recording paper 2 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow B by the conveyance roller 15 driven by the drive motor 13, the resistive elements of the thermal head 23 are selectively energized to form an ink layer from the ink sheet 24 on the recording paper. 2 and the recording for one page with a predetermined color is completed, the thermal head 23 is lifted and the recording paper 2 is returned in the direction opposite to the arrow B. At this time, the next color of the ink sheet 24 is also sent to a predetermined position by the winding roll 25. The lowering of the thermal head 23 and the close contact with the platen 27 are performed again,
The next color is recorded in the same manner as the previous color.

5 and 6 show how the next recording sheet is supplied through the above-described recording operation process.
The function and operation of each element of the automatic paper feeding mechanism in FIGS. 5 and 6 are the same as those in FIGS. 2 and 3.
The recording unit when the recording paper 2 is being supplied is shown in FIG.
Further, as in the case where the recording pen 22 is set to the raised position in FIG. 3, the thermal head 23 is set to the raised position and automatic paper feeding is performed, and the leading end of the recording paper 2 passes through the platen 27 and a predetermined amount. After reaching the position, the thermal head 23 is lowered and closely operated to start recording.

[0014]

As described above, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention,
The power of the drive motor can be intermittently transmitted to the paper feed roller according to the opening and closing of the paper feed shutter provided in the feeding path of the automatic paper feed mechanism, so that a dedicated paper feed motor is not required during the paper feed process. It is possible to provide a recording apparatus having an automatic paper feeding mechanism configured at a low price. Further, since the arm provided on the paper feed shutter narrows the paper feed path on the paper stacker side to serve as a paper feed guide when the paper feed shutter is open, the conventional feed guide plate is eliminated. It is also possible to obtain the effect that the automatic paper feeding mechanism can be simplified.

[0015]

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 shows a recording apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a case where a shutter is in an open state in the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 shows a case where the shutter shifts from an open state to a closed state in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 4 shows a recording apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 shows a case where the shutter is in the open state in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 6 shows a case where the shutter shifts from an open state to a closed state in the embodiment of FIG.

FIG. 7 shows a recording apparatus in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Paper Stacker 2 Recording Paper 3 Paper Feed Roller 4 Shutter 5 Arm 6 Shutter Support Shaft 7 Paper Feed Shutter 8 Movable Plate 9 Intermediate Gear 10 Return Spring 11 Movable Plate Support Shaft 12 Solenoid 13 Drive Motor 14 Paper Feed Roller Drive Belt 15 Conveyor Roller 16 Pinch roller 17 Conveying roller drive belt 18 Feeding roller 19 Feeding pinch roller 20 Guide frame 21 Drawing 22 Recording pen 29 Arm spring A Rotating direction of movable plate 8 B Conveying the recording paper 2 at the time of recording in the second embodiment direction

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A sheet stacker in which recording sheets are stacked and stored,
A paper feed unit configured to feed the recording paper from the paper stacker by elastically contacting the uppermost one of the recording papers; a recording unit that forms a visual image on the fed recording paper; A drive motor that reciprocally conveys the recording paper in the recording unit; an intermediate drive member that is supported by a rotatable movable plate and works in conjunction with the drive motor;
When the movable plate rotates, the intermediate driving body and the paper feed roller are engaged with each other, and at the same time, the movable plate has an arm that is connected to the movable plate. A recording device including a paper feed shutter that opens and closes a path. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the paper feed shutter is in an open state, the arm serves also as a feed guide for recording paper to be fed by narrowing the feed path on the paper stacker side. Recording device.