JPH06144680A - Automatic paper feeding-discharging device for printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To lower the height of a paper discharge mechanism part for space saving so as to make a printer compact and thin by setting the minimum of height to the sheet passage of discharge rollers from the bottom face of a discharge tray disposed at the paper discharge mechanism part. CONSTITUTION:The bottom face 41 of a paper discharge tray 40 disposed at a paper discharge mechanism part is inclined at the specified angle theta upward onto the opposite side from the center part in the recording paper storing direction in relation to discharge rolles 31, 31 on the recording paper inlet side. The tray inlet side end part of concave curled recording paper 100 accommodated in the discharge tray 40 is made lower by one stage than the other side end part and positioned in a place sufficiently lower than the discharge rollers 31, 31.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic sheet feeding / discharging device for a thermal transfer printer, and more particularly to a type in which a sheet discharging tray is set in a sheet discharging mechanism and a recording sheet after printing is accommodated in the tray. The present invention relates to a structural improvement of a paper discharge mechanism section in a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, a video printer capable of making a hard copy of one field or one frame of information from a video signal, that is, a still image has become widespread. This type of printer mainly uses a thermal transfer system, but it is often used by forming a system with other video equipment, and it is preferable to store the printer together in a rack.
Therefore, there is a demand for adoption of a full front loading mechanism having an automatic paper feeding / discharging function in which the operation is performed from the front side, and the feeding, discharging, and taking in / out of the ink ribbon cassette are also performed from the front side. In such a printer, there is a type in which cut paper-shaped special paper is used and the recording paper after printing is stacked and accommodated in a discharge tray set in the printer housing. FIG. 4 shows an outline of a conventional paper discharge mechanism section. The recording paper 100 printed by the recording unit is
The paper is delivered to the paper ejection rollers 200, 200 through the paper ejection path 12, and is sandwiched therebetween. And the roller 20
The paper is fed into the paper discharge tray 300 set in the paper discharge mechanism by the rotation of 0,200, and is stacked and accommodated. The printed recording paper 100 accommodated in the paper discharge tray 300 is taken out of the printer at any time by pulling out the paper discharge tray 300.

[0003]

Generally, the recording paper 100 printed in the recording section is bent back toward the side to which heat is applied by heating the thermal head (printer head). That is, as shown in FIG. 4, both ends on the side to which heat is applied are lifted and curved in a concave curl shape which is curved upward. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, the conventional paper discharge tray 300 has a bottom surface that is a horizontal surface parallel to the bottom of the printer housing. Therefore, if the depth of the paper discharge tray 300 is designed on the assumption that the recording paper 100 does not warp, the depth becomes insufficient, and when the recording papers are stacked and accommodated in the tray, a concave curl shape is formed. The curved end of the recording paper 100 is located above and above the path through which the paper between the paper discharge rollers 200 passes, and closes the path. Therefore, when the next printed recording sheet is accommodated in the tray 300 through the discharge rollers 200, 200, the warped edge of the previously accommodated recording sheet becomes a jam, and the recording sheet is caught and smoothed. On tray 30
There is a problem that the paper cannot be accommodated in 0, and a paper discharge error or paper discharge becomes difficult. Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG.
From the bottom surface of the paper ejection tray 300, the paper ejection rollers 200, 200
The height H to the paper path is designed to be sufficiently high so that even if the recording paper is warped, the tray 3
It was stacked in 00 so that it could be accommodated. However, if the height H is set to an excessively high level in consideration of the warp of the recording paper, an extra space is required in the printer housing due to the increased height, and the height of the paper ejection mechanism is high. Therefore, the total height of the printer is increased. As a result, it has been an obstacle to reducing the size and thickness of the printer.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above points, and makes it possible to reduce the height of the paper discharge mechanism portion, and at the same time, the recording paper can be stored in the paper discharge tray without any problem regardless of the curl of the concave curl. The purpose of the present invention is to enable the printers to be successively accommodated and to make the printer device smaller and thinner.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention is directed to a discharge roller provided on the recording paper inlet side of the tray with the bottom surface of the discharge tray set in the discharge mechanism section. It was tilted upwards towards the opposite side. Further, one configuration of the present invention is characterized in that the bottom surface of the paper ejection tray is inclined upward by a predetermined angle from the central portion in the recording paper accommodation direction to the opposite side with respect to the paper ejection roller. In addition, 1 of the present invention
In one of the configurations, the bottom surface of the paper discharge tray is inclined and curved with respect to the paper discharge roller from the central portion in the recording paper accommodating direction to the opposite side, and the opposite side is inclined upward from the central portion to form a concave curved surface.

[0006]

Since the bottom surface of the discharge tray is inclined upward with respect to the recording paper inlet side and the side opposite to the discharge roller, when the concave curled recording paper after printing is accommodated in the discharge tray, The concave curled end on the side opposite to the paper discharge roller is lifted upward, and the concave curled end on the tray inlet side is located downward along the tray bottom. Therefore, the height of the curled end of the recording paper stored in the tray on the paper discharge roller side can be made sufficiently lower than the roller. As a result, the recording sheet after the next printing can be accommodated in the discharge tray without causing any trouble at the tray entrance. As a result, the height from the bottom of the tray to the paper path of the paper ejection roller can be minimized, and the height of the paper ejection mechanism, and thus the height of the printer device, can be reduced.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows the structure of the main part of a printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows the overall appearance of the printer. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 is a printer housing, and 2 is a front panel. The front panel is provided with an operation unit 3, a recording paper tray accommodating recording paper 100 before hard copy, that is, a paper feed cassette 4, and a paper discharge port 5 for taking out a hard copy. The paper feed cassette 4 is made up of a plurality of recording papers 100.
Are stacked, set, and put into and taken out of the device in a drawer shape. Reference numeral 6 is a door provided at the attachment / detachment port of the ink ribbon cassette. The ink ribbon cassette 7 is provided with a window 71, and the ink ribbon 8 is crossed across the window 71.
Is designed to run.

In the paper feed cassette 4, recording paper before hard copy is set, inserted into the apparatus in a drawer shape, and loaded in the paper feed position as shown in FIG. When the paper feed cassette 4 is loaded as shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed roller 10 of the paper feed mechanism unit is loaded.
Comes into contact with one end surface of one side of the uppermost recording paper 100 in the cassette 4, and the paper can be fed. The paper feed roller 10 is rotationally driven by, for example, a DC motor.

The paper feed / ejection mechanism section has a paper feed path 11 for guiding the recording paper 100 delivered from the upper part of the paper feed cassette 4 to the recording section, and the recording paper 10 hard-copied by the recording section.
A paper discharge path for discharging 0 is provided. The two paths 11 and 12 communicate with each other on the entrance side of the recording paper conveying rollers 13 and 13. One of the transport rollers 13, 13 is a pinch roller, and the other is a capstan. The capstan is rotated in the forward and reverse directions by a stepping motor (not shown). By the normal rotation, the recording paper 100 sent from the paper feed cassette 4 to the paper feed path 11 is nipped between the rollers and sent to the recording unit. A paper cueing sensor 14 is arranged near the entrance side of the transport rollers 13, 13. The paper cueing sensor 14 is composed of a reflective photoelectric sensor, detects a mark (not shown) on the back surface of the recording paper 100 sent to the recording section, and detects the position of the recording paper at the recording position during printing. Let it be done.

As shown in FIG. 1, a line type printer head 21 and a platen 22 are arranged in the recording section so as to face each other. When the ink ribbon cassette 7 is mounted in the printer and starts to operate, the ink ribbon 8 is pushed down by the rod 23 to become 8 '. The printer head 21 rotates like 21 ′, and the recording paper 100 and the ink ribbon 8 ′ are sandwiched between the printer head 21 and the platen 22 and pressed against the ink ribbon 8 ′. After printing, it returns to the original state.

The recording paper 100 after printing is sent out to the paper discharge mechanism section through the paper discharge path 12 by the reverse rotation of the conveying rollers 13, 13. Then, the recording paper 10 after printing
0 is sandwiched between the pair of paper discharge rollers 31 and 31, and its rotation causes the paper discharge tray 40 set in the paper discharge mechanism section.
Accommodated inside. In this way, the recording papers 100 after printing are sequentially stacked in the paper discharge tray 40 and accommodated in a predetermined number.

The recording paper 100 after printing is curved in a concave curl shape in which both ends are warped upward by the heating of the printer head 21. Therefore, the discharge tray 40 is configured as follows in order to cope with the concave curl of the recording paper 100.

The paper discharge tray 40 includes paper discharge rollers 31, 31.
Is arranged on the opposite side from the recording paper exit side along the recording paper accommodation direction. The bottom surface 41 of this paper ejection tray 40
Is a horizontal plane parallel to the printer bottom from the center in the recording paper accommodation direction, and the side opposite to the paper discharge rollers 31 and 31 is inclined upward at a predetermined angle θ from the center. Therefore, when the recording paper 100 after printing is accommodated in the paper discharge tray 40 by the rotation of the paper discharge rollers 31, 31, as shown in FIG. 1, the curled end of the recording paper 100 opposite to the paper discharge rollers 31, 31 is formed. Is the bottom of the tray 4
1, the paper is ejected upwards and is ejected by the paper ejection rollers 31, 31.
The curled end on one side is located below the other end along the tray bottom. Therefore, the height of the curled end of the recording paper 100 accommodated in the paper discharge tray 40 on the paper discharge roller side is sufficiently lower than the path of the paper through the paper discharge rollers 31, 31. As a result, the recording paper 100 after the next printing can be smoothly accommodated in the tray 40 through the space between the discharge rollers 31 and 31 without any trouble. Further, by this, the depth of the paper discharge tray 40 is minimized, and the bottom portion 41 on the paper discharge roller side and the paper discharge roller 3 are provided.
It is possible to set the height H between the sheet path 31 and the sheet path H to a minimum.

FIG. 3 shows another example of the sheet discharge tray 40. The side opposite to the sheet discharge rollers 31, 31 from the center of the bottom surface 41 'in the recording sheet accommodating direction is inclined and curved upward, and is inclined upward. It is formed in a concave curved surface. The shape of the concave curved surface is formed, for example, according to the curl shape of the recording paper 100. Even with the structure of FIG. 3, it is possible to obtain the same effect as that of the paper discharge tray of FIG. That is, the discharge rollers 31, 31 of the recording paper 100 stored in the discharge tray 40.
The height of the side end can be made sufficiently lower than the discharge roller.

[0015]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the discharge roller side of the recording paper curved in the concave curl housed in the discharge tray is made sufficiently lower than the position of the roller. Accordingly, the depth of the paper discharge tray can be set to the minimum depth, and the height from the bottom surface to the paper path of the paper discharge roller can be reduced to the minimum. This makes it possible to reduce the height of the paper discharge mechanism and save space. As a result, the printer can be made smaller and thinner.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a structure of a main part of a printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing another example of the paper discharge tray according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 40 Paper ejection tray 31, 31 Paper ejection rollers 41, 41 Bottom surface 100 Recording paper

[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] November 26, 1993

[Procedure Amendment 2]

[Document name to be corrected] Drawing

[Correction target item name] All drawings

[Correction method] Change

[Correction content]

[Figure 1]

[Fig. 2]

[Figure 3]

[Figure 4]

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A paper discharge tray set in the apparatus by feeding recording paper fed from a tray to a recording unit through a paper feed path, printing the recording paper, and then sending the printed recording paper onto a paper discharge path. In an automatic paper feeder / ejector of a printer that sequentially accommodates the recording paper in the paper ejection tray by rotation of a paper ejection roller arranged near an end, the bottom of the paper ejection tray is separated from the paper ejection roller. An automatic paper feeding and discharging device for printers, whose side is inclined upward. 2. The automatic feeding of the printer according to claim 1, wherein the bottom of the paper discharge tray is inclined toward the opposite side of the paper discharge roller and upward from the center to the opposite side at a predetermined angle. Paper ejection device. 3. A bottom surface of the paper discharge tray is inclined toward the opposite side of the paper discharge roller from the central portion to the opposite side, and is formed in a concave curved shape in which the opposite side is inclined upward from the central portion. The automatic paper feeding / discharging device of the printer according to claim 1.