JPH06211367A - Automatic paper feeder and recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To achieve prevention of an improper feed of a sheet and miniaturizing a device by eliminating back tension of the sheet, in an automatic paper feeder. CONSTITUTION:A loaded sheet is fed out by a spare roller, and the sheet fed out is separated sheet by sheet by a separating roller 512 and a friction separating roller 530. After starting the separated sheet conveyed by conveying means 413, 414 of a recording part 400, the separating roller 512 and the spare roller are detached from the sheet. Thus by eliminating back tension applied to the sheet, the sheet can be prevented from its diagonal feed and jam. Since conveying force of the conveying means in the recording part 400 can be decreased, miniaturization of a device can be attained.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

The present invention relates to a printer, a copying machine,
The present invention relates to an automatic paper feeding device and a recording device applicable to a word processor, a personal computer, a facsimile, or a complex machine of these.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sheet separating means of a type in which sheets are separated and fed one by one between a separating roller rotating in a sheet feeding direction and a friction separating member abutting on the separating roller and having a high friction coefficient. There is a sheet feeding device provided with.

In this type of sheet separating means, the friction separating member is urged toward the separating roller by a spring, and the sheet is separated by the separating roller even when the separated sheet is conveyed by the conveying means on the recording portion side. Since it is sandwiched by the separating friction member, a large back tension is applied to the sheet.

If the back tension applied to the sheet is large as described above, there is a possibility that the straight traveling property of the sheet is hindered and the sheet may be skewed or jammed. Further, if the back tension is large, the carrying force of the carrying unit on the recording unit side must be increased, which may lead to an increase in the size of the apparatus.

Therefore, in order to reduce such back tension, the separating roller is a half-moon roller (D-cut roller), and a cylindrical idler roller is provided at a position facing the friction separating member on the drive shaft of the separating roller. The one provided is proposed.

In this structure, the cutout portion of the separating roller is made to face the fed sheet so that the sheet is not sandwiched between the separating roller having a high friction coefficient and the friction separating member, and the sheet is frictionally separated from the idler roller having a low friction coefficient. The back tension is reduced by sandwiching the sheet with the member.

[0007]

However, even the above-mentioned conventional improvements cannot sufficiently reduce the back tension. That is, the sandwiching force of the sheet between the idler roller and the friction separating means is only smaller than that of the separating roller, and the sheet is always given back tension.

Further, if the force of the spring for urging the friction separating means is increased in order to improve the separating performance, the sheet clamping force between the idler roller and the friction separating means is increased accordingly, and the back tension is increased. Resulting in.

As described above, when the back tension is always generated in the sheet, it is necessary to use a conveyance means having a conveyance force corresponding to the back tension. Therefore, there has been a problem in that when the size of the apparatus is reduced, it becomes an obstacle in reducing the size of the conveying means (motor or the like).

Furthermore, if a half-moon roller is used, the amount of paper feed is fixed, and if the amount of paper feed is increased, the diameter of the roller must be increased, which is also an obstacle to downsizing. Was there.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems. An object of the present invention is to reduce back tension as much as possible so as to prevent sheet feeding failure and downsize the apparatus. To do.

[0012]

SOLUTION: A separating roller for sending a sheet to a recording section, a friction separating member provided corresponding to the separating roller, a sheet supporting means for supporting a stacked sheet, and the sheet supporting means. A preliminary roller for feeding the sheet supported by the separating roller to the separating roller; a separating roller moving means for moving the separating roller between an operating position where the separating roller contacts the friction separating member and an inactive position where the separating roller separates; And a preliminary roller moving means for moving between a working position where the sheet comes into contact with the sheet and a non-working position where the sheet separates from the sheet.

Further, according to the present invention, the sheet supporting means for supporting the stacked sheets, the separating roller for sending out the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means to the recording portion, and the friction provided corresponding to the separating roller. Separation member, a stepped portion formed on the upstream side of the separation roller in the sheet supporting unit, and a separation roller moving unit that moves the separation roller between an operating position where the friction separating member abuts and an inoperative position where the separation roller separates. And are provided.

[0014]

With the above-described structure, the sheets stacked by the preliminary roller or the stepped portion are preliminarily separated, and the sheets are separated to some extent. Then, the separating roller and the friction separating member surely separate the sheets one by one and send them to the recording unit. As described above, since the sheet is reliably separated by the separating roller, even if the separating roller is moved to the inoperative position after the sheet is conveyed by the conveying unit in the recording unit, the sheet is not double-fed.

As described above, when the sheet is conveyed by the conveying means of the recording section, the separating roller is separated from the sheet, so that back tension is not generated in the sheet.

[0016]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the automatic paper feeder of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic sheet feeder 500 according to the present invention.

Here, 400 is a printer unit, and the automatic paper feeding unit 500 is fixed to the printer unit 400 in the positional relationship shown in FIG.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing an example of the structure of the automatic paper feeding unit 500 according to the present invention.

Reference numeral 511 denotes a main holder, which supports all the parts of the automatic paper feeding unit 500 and is fixed to the printer unit 400.

Reference numeral 512 denotes a separation roller for separating the recording papers one by one by rotation and sending the recording paper to the paper feeding unit of the printer unit 400. As shown in FIGS. Separation roller shaft 513 penetrates through
Convex part 512a of separating roller 512 and concave part of separating roller shaft 513
By engaging with 513a, it is possible to rotate integrally with the rotation direction.

A gear portion 513b is formed at one end (right end in FIG. 6) of the separation roller shaft 513, and the first gear of the clutch gear 517 is formed.
517a (see Fig. 13) meshes with clutch gear 517
The power from is transmitted. The gear ratio of the two gears 513b and 517a is 1: 1. When the clutch gear 517 makes one rotation, the gear portion 513b and the separation roller shaft 512 also make one rotation. The separation roller shaft 513 is fitted in a separation roller shaft holder (R) 519 between the gear portion 513b and the separation roller shaft 512 and is rotatably supported by the bearing portion 519b.

Reference numeral 512 denotes a main shaft, which is supported by a right arm portion 511h and a left arm portion 511h 'formed on the main holder 511. And separation roller shaft holder (R)
Reference numeral 519 is a main shaft 521 and a convex portion 511b protruding from the main holder 511, and the positioning is performed, thereby forming a bearing member for positioning one end of the separation roller shaft 513.

The other end of the separation roller shaft 513 is fitted in a separation roller shaft holder (L) 523. The separation roller shaft holder (L) 523 has one end pivotally supported by the main shaft 521 and is configured to be vertically rotatable about the main shaft 521. Further, a spring hook portion 523a is formed at the other end of the separation roller shaft holder (L) 523, and the separation roller shaft spring 526 is wound between the spring hook portion 511c of the main holder 511, The separation roller shaft holder (L) 523 is always biased in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

A separating roller holder (L) 523 penetrates the separating roller shaft 513, and a cam press-fitting portion 513c projects to the opposite side. A separating roller cam 527 is press-fitted into the cam press-fitting portion 513c to separate it. Roller cam 527 separates roller shaft 51
It rotates together with 3.

The main roller holder 511 has the separating roller cam.
A cam receiving portion 511d is integrally provided at a position corresponding to 527, and the separation roller cam 527 is slidably contactable with the cam receiving portion 511d. Then, in the state of FIG. 4, the separation roller cam
Since 527 is in contact with the cam receiving portion 511d, the movement of the separation roller holder (L) 523 in the direction A in FIG. 4 is restricted.

The separating roller cam 527 is, as shown in FIG.
The outer periphery is formed in an eccentric shape with different radii around the fitting part, and when the separation roller shaft 513 rotates, the separation roller cam 527 has a radius difference,
The separation roller holder (L) 523 rotates up and down around the main shaft 521.

That is, the cam receiving portion of the main holder 511
When the maximum radius 527b of the cam radius is in sliding contact with 511d, the other end of the separation roller 512 is separated from the friction plate a530 provided on the paper feed guide 529 that supports the paper (inactive position), and the separation roller Form a paper path under 512. Also,
When the minimum cam radius part 527a comes to the cam receiving part 511d of the main holder 511, the left end of the separating roller shaft 512 can contact the friction plate a530 of the paper feed guide 529 (acting position), and at this time, the separating roller If there is a paper between the shaft 512 and the friction plate a530, the paper can be fed toward the paper feed section of the recording apparatus.

When the sheet is fed by the separating roller 512, the separating roller holder (R) 519 is fixed, so that only the separating roller holder (L) 523 side of the separating roller shaft 512 is displaced and the other separating roller 512 Only the end side is in contact with the friction plate a530. That is, this will be explained based on FIG. 6 showing the shape of the separating roller 512 viewed from the direction of the arrow C in FIG. 2. The portion of the separating roller 512 which is in contact with the friction plate a530 is tapered as shown in FIG. It prevents point contact when in contact with the plate a 530 and increases the contact area. This prevents the initial wear of the separation roller 512, and prevents the point contact with the paper, which enables stable paper catching.

Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the friction plate a530 is bent in a V shape and has a separation slope portion 530a, and forms a step S3 with a friction plate b538 which will be described later. The step S3 is for improving the separation performance of the sheets when a plurality of sheets are set.

To explain this, as shown in FIG. 4, when the separation roller 512 is in the inoperative position after the sheet 3 is passed to the side of the sheet feeding device of the recording apparatus, the uppermost sheet 3 is the recording apparatus. When the sheet feeding device moves in the direction of arrow J, a gap S4 is formed between the sheet 3'and the sheet 3'below the sheet 3 so that the sheet 3'will be rotated along with the sheet 3 and will not be double fed. Further, since the leading end of the sheet 3'abuts on the separation slope 530a and its forward movement is regulated, the effect of preventing double feeding is further enhanced.

A spare roller 531 provided on the upstream side of the separating roller 512 has a sleeve having a key groove 531a inside as shown in FIG. 7, and is formed on the key groove 531a and the spare roller shaft 533. The spare roller shaft is engaged with the key portion 533a.
Mates with 533. Spare roller holder 5 on both ends of shaft 533
Held by 35 bearings, shaft 533 and spare roller 5
The 31 can rotate as a unit.

The spare roller 531 is composed of a sheet feeding portion 531b of R1 having a large radius and a portion 531c of a small radius R2 which does not feed the sheet. Normally, the portion 531c of R2 is made to face a friction plate b538 below the roller. Paper can be set easily.

The auxiliary roller holder 535 has one end engaged with the main shaft 521 (see FIG. 8), and can freely rotate around the main shaft 521 in the direction of arrow D.

The auxiliary roller spring 539 is a double torsion spring, and the coil portions on both sides thereof are engaged with the main shaft 521 and are located on both outer sides of the auxiliary roller holder 535.
One end 539a of the spare roller spring 539 is the locking portion 511a of the main holder 511, and the other end is the separation roller shaft holder (R) 51.
It is locked to each of the 9 locking portions 519a (see FIG. 2). Further, the working arm 539b of the spare roller spring 539 is locked to the locking portion 535a of the spare roller holder 535 to give the spare roller holder 535 a turning tendency in the clockwise direction in FIG.

The cam shaft 533b formed at one end of the auxiliary roller shaft 533 is fitted into the deformed hole 511e (see FIG. 2) formed in the left arm portion 511h 'of the main holder 511, and the shaft portion 533b thereof. Contacts the lower edge 511f of the hole 511e and determines the position of the preliminary roller holder 535 in the D direction (see FIG. 8) together with the action of the preliminary roller spring 539.

A gear portion 533c is formed at the right end of the auxiliary roller shaft 533, and the second gear 517b of the clutch gear 517 is formed.
(See Fig. 13). Since the clutch gear 517 rotates on the main shaft 521, even if the auxiliary roller holder 535 rotates in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 8, the gear 533c of the auxiliary roller shaft 533 and the second gear 517 of the clutch gear 517 are rotated.
The meshing with b is maintained, and the auxiliary roller shaft 533 can always receive power from the clutch gear 517.

The gear ratio of the two gears is 1: 1 as in the case of the separation gear portion, and one rotation of the clutch gear 517 also rotates the gear portion 533c of the auxiliary roller shaft 533 once.

The cam shape of the cam shaft 533b provided at one end of the auxiliary roller shaft 533 is the eccentric cam shape as shown in FIG. 9 which is the state seen from the arrow B in FIG. . Therefore, due to the relative relationship with the lower edge 511f of the deformed hole 511e of the main holder 511 with which the camshaft 533b is in contact, the auxiliary roller 531 is raised at the standby position, and the paper feed portion 531b of the auxiliary roller 531 comes to the lower side. When the spare roller
It has a function of lowering 531, and by raising it, it is possible to increase the allowable number of sheets that can be set between the friction plate b538 and the friction plate b538 during standby.

The increment of the vertical movement amount of the auxiliary roller 531 on the cam shaft 533b is (S1 + S2) in FIG. 9, and R1 in FIG.
If the value of R1 is increased by that amount, the permissible number of sheets to be fed is also increased. However, increasing R1 has a disadvantage of increasing the size of the apparatus, and decreasing R2 also has a limit in terms of the strength of the apparatus. Therefore, R1 and R2 are set appropriately.

Reference numeral 551 denotes a left guide for positioning the paper supported on the paper feed guide 529 in the width direction.
In this embodiment, the paper is fed to the printer unit 400 on the one side basis, and therefore the guide is provided only on one side.

The positional relationship between the separation roller 512, the auxiliary roller 531 and the left guide 551 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the two rollers 512 and 531 and the left guide 551 as seen from the direction of arrow H in FIG.

In the figure, the paper conveying direction (arrow I) of the two rollers 512 and 531 is inclined by an angle θ with respect to the left guide 551. This is because the initial position of the paper is inaccurate and the leading edge of the paper is, for example, e1 away (broken line in the figure),
The paper is fed by the rollers 512 and 531.
Since the sheet can be conveyed to the sheet feeding port (not shown) of the recording apparatus H while being moved to the position, it is possible to feed the sheet to an accurate position at the sheet feeding port. In this embodiment, θ = 20 ′ to 1 ° is set.

Next, the paper stopper 540 for determining the position of the leading edge of the paper when set on the paper feed guide 529 will be described.

The paper stopper 540 sets the leading end position of the paper when the operator sets the paper at the position where both rollers 512 and 531 are inoperative (the initial state position where they are not in contact with the friction plates).
It is decided that it is engaged with the fulcrum 511g of the main holder 511 and is urged by the stopper spring 541 in the direction of arrow E in FIG.

The portion of the paper stopper 540 facing the main shaft 521 has a U-shaped recess 540a as shown in FIG.
Is formed, and a stopper up cam 542 that rotates on the main shaft 521 is arranged there. Normally, in the initial position, the cam facing portion 540a of the paper stopper 540 is normally formed.
Comes into contact with the small diameter part (r1) of the cam, and its position is fixed. At this time, the paper feed guide 52 under the automatic paper feeder
Since the leading end portion 540b of the paper stopper 540 is in the corresponding receiving hole 529a of 9, the leading end portion 540b of the paper stopper 540 regulates and stops the paper inserted along the paper feed guide 529.

Further, the tip portion 540b of the paper stopper 540 is shown in FIG.
At the initial position, as shown in,
Just leaning. This is the center of rotation of the paper stopper 540 511
A surface that is substantially perpendicular to g is formed so that the paper stopper 540 does not receive lift force against the force in the paper entry direction.

The large radius r2 of the stopper up cam 542 is
Rotate counterclockwise from 10 and make contact 5 of paper stopper 540.
As shown in Fig. 12, the paper feed guide 52
A paper path with a gap S5 is created between 9 and 9 and is in the inoperative position.

Stopper up cam 542 and clutch gear
As shown in FIG. 13, 517 is the first key portion 542a and the key groove.
When it is integrated with 517c and the paper stopper 540 is in the non-acting position (gap S5), the two rollers 512 and 531 are still in the non-acting position, so that the paper passes the paper stopper 540 and the paper is fed to the recording device. You can enter your mouth. This state is the so-called manual feed mode. In the present embodiment, this occurs when the clutch gear 517 rotates 30 ° from the initial state.

Next, the power transmission portion to the clutch gear 517 will be described.

As described above, the stopper up cam 542 is engaged with the clutch gear 517 in the relationship of the key 542a and the key groove 517c. The stopper up cam 542 engages with the key groove portion 543c of the output gear 543 and the second key portion 542b on the side opposite to the engagement with the clutch gear 517, as shown in FIG. Reference numeral 544 denotes a bearing, which is fitted into a predetermined hole of the right arm portion 511h of the main holder 511 and holds the receiving portion 543a of the output gear 543.

The above-mentioned parts are on the axis of the main shaft 521, the rotation of the output gear 543 is transmitted to the clutch gear 517 via the stopper up cam 542, and further to the separating roller shaft 513 and the auxiliary roller shaft 533. Reportedly.

The output gear 543 has a helical tooth portion 543b, and
As shown in 15, meshes with the worm tooth portion 545a of the two-step gear 545 and transmits the rotation from the two-step gear 545. Two
The stepped gear 545 is locked in locking holes 546a (there are two upper and lower positions) of the motor bracket 546, and can freely rotate around the locking holes 546a.

The automatic paper feeding motor 501 has its mounting flange.
There are two convex portions 501b and 501c on the 501a, and a metal portion 501d. The metal receiving hole 546b of the motor bracket 546 and the locking portion.
546c and 546d are respectively locked, and in particular, the convex portion 501b and the locking portion 546c are rotated by the motor main body in the direction of arrow F around the metal portion 501d and the metal receiving hole 546b.
The motor bracket 546 and the motor 501 are positioned by overcoming the 546e and being locked. Motor bracket 546
Is fixed to the main holder 511 with three screws 547.

At this time, the four terminals 501f of the motor 501 face the substrate 548 side. A worm-shaped motor pinion 501e is provided at the tip of the output shaft of the motor 501, engages with the toothed portion 545b of the two-stage gear 545, and transmits the power of the motor 501.

The motor 501 is a pulse motor, which is bipolarly driven by two-phase excitation and makes one revolution in 20 steps. In addition, the total gear ratio of deceleration from the motor 501 to the clutch gear 517 is 1: 256.

Next, the detection of the initial position (home position) of the automatic paper feeder 500 will be described. As shown in Figure 14,
The clutch gear 517 engages with the stopper up cam 542,
Adjacent to the left side of the cam portion 542c of the up cam 542, there is a cam portion 517d for initial position detection. Clutch gear 517
The cam portion 517d has a groove 517e for initial position detection, which is provided on the opposite side of the key groove 517c.

Next, a sectional view taken along the arrow G in FIG. 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, an initial lever 549 for initial position detection is located on the left side of the paper stopper 540.

The initial lever 549 is the main holder 511.
It is rotatably engaged with the rotation center shaft of 511g. Also,
On the side opposite to the rotation center 549a of the initial lever 549, there is a plate-shaped acting portion 549b for pushing the actuator portion 502a of the sensor switch 502 provided on the substrate 548. Further, a driven portion 549c that traces the cam portion 517d is provided between the rotation center 549a and the action portion 549b.

With these configurations, when the driven portion 549c of the initial lever is falling in the detection groove 517e of the clutch gear 517 (the state shown by the solid line in FIG. 16), the switch 502 is
signal on.

When the driven portion 549c of the outer peripheral portion 517f of the cam portion 517d is present (the state shown by the broken line in FIG. 16), the actuator portion 502a of the switch 502 is pushed and the off signal is output. From the above, the initial position of this device is determined based on the on signal of the sensor switch 502.

Here, the initial lever of the sensor 502
The positional relationship with the 549 must be accurately positioned so that it will not be erroneously detected. In this embodiment, the main holder 511 is provided with an abutting portion 511i (shown in FIG. 16) for positioning the sensor 502, and further, the substrate 54 on which the sensor 502 is mounted is attached.
8 is flexed so that the outer shape of the sensor 502 is brought into contact with the corresponding contact part to position accurately. Main holder 511
A substrate holding portion 511j (shown in FIG. 2) for bending the substrate 548 is provided in the.

Next, switching between the automatic paper feed mode and the manual feed mode will be described.

This switching is performed by the switching signal of the slide switch type paper feed switching switch 503 shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the changeover switch 503 is off.
When is the automatic paper feed mode, when it is the manual feed mode. A connector 550 is provided on the left end of the substrate 548 (shown in FIG. 2), and motor drive power is supplied from an external circuit (not shown) and the sensor switch 502 and the paper feed switch are provided.
The 503 signal is being output.

Here, the structure of the printer unit 400 will be briefly described.

In FIG. 1, a carrier 410 is provided with a head cartridge 412 in which a recording head 401 which constitutes recording means and an ink tank 411 which stores ink are connected. The carrier 410 is movably supported along a guide arranged in a direction orthogonal to the sheet feeding direction. Further, the carrier 410 is slidably fitted in a lead screw 417 (not shown), and is reciprocally moved along a guide by the rotation of the lead screw 417 by the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the carrier motor 402 coupled to the lead screw 417. To do.

The recording head 401 is of the ink jet type. For example, heat energy is generated by using an electrothermal converter, and bubbles are generated in the ink by heating exceeding film boiling, and stable volume expansion of the bubbles is performed. Ink droplets are ejected to print on paper.

When one line is recorded by scanning the carrier 410, the sheet is conveyed by one line by the conveying means and the next line is recorded. This conveying means is a rotating pair consisting of a conveying roller 413 and a pinch roller 414 in pressure contact with the conveying roller 413, and a discharge roller 415 and a spur 416 in contact therewith. The conveyance roller 413 and the discharge roller 415 are driven by the paper feed motor 403.

Reference numeral 404 is a home position sensor,
The carrier motor 402 scans the carrier 410, and a shield plate (not shown) provided on the carrier 410 shields the home position sensor 404 to detect a reference point such as a recording operation.

Reference numeral 405 is a paper sensor, which is an automatic paper feeder.
It is for detecting the presence of paper sent from 500.

A detailed description relating to the operation of the automatic sheet feeder 500 having the above-mentioned configuration will be described below. Figure 17 and Figure
Reference numeral 18 is a time-dependent explanation of changes in the operation of the automatic sheet feeder 500 to which the embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 17 is an operation explanatory diagram, and FIG. 18 is a timing chart diagram of each element.

In FIG. 17, (1) shows the state before the recording paper is loaded. (A) Paper stopper 540 is a receiving hole 529 corresponding to the paper feed guide 529.
It is in a. Therefore, the leading edge of the sheet 3 is positioned by the sheet stopper 540. (B) The separating roller 512 is in the inoperative position because the maximum radius portion 527b of the separating roller cam 527 is in contact with the cam receiving portion 511d of the main holder 511. (C) The spare roller 531 is the cam portion 533b of the spare roller shaft 533.
The maximum radius S1 of the main holder 511 comes to the lower edge 511f of the deformed hole 511e, and the small radius S2 53 of the spare roller 531
1c faces the paper feed guide 529 and is in the inoperative position. (D) The initial lever 549 has its driven portion 549c dropped in the cam groove 517e of the clutch gear 517, and the sensor switch
502 outputs an on signal.

(2) is also in the manual feed mode position when the motor 501 starts rotating and the clutch gear 517 rotates about 30 °. (A) Paper stopper 540 is a receiving hole 529a corresponding to the paper feed guide 529.
Then, as shown in FIG. 12, a paper path having a gap S5 is formed between the paper feed guide 529 and the paper feed guide 529, and the paper feed guide 529 is in the inoperative position. (B) The separation roller 512 is still in the inoperative position. (C) The spare roller 531 is still in the inoperative position. Since the two rollers 512 and 531 and the paper stopper 540 are in the inoperative position, the paper can enter the paper feeding port (not shown) of the recording apparatus beyond the paper stopper 540. (D) The driven portion 549c of the initial lever 549 rides on the cam outer peripheral portion 517f of the clutch gear 517, and the sensor switch 502 outputs an off signal.

(3) is a state in which the motor 501 is further rotated and the clutch gear 517 is rotated by about 80 °. (A) The paper stopper 540 is in the inoperative position as described above. (B) At this time, the separation roller 512 comes into contact with the friction plate a530 of the paper feed guide 529 and comes into the working position prior to the spare roller 531. (C) The spare roller 531 is still in the inoperative position, and the paper 3
Is not fed yet and is in the initial position. The two rollers
The separation roller 512 of the 512, 531 is set to the working position first in order to determine the separation mechanism of the separation unit and prevent double feeding of the paper before the paper is conveyed by the auxiliary roller 531. (D) The initial lever 549 pushes the sensor switch 502 to output an off signal as described above.

(4) is a state in which the motor 501 further rotates and the clutch gear 517 rotates about 105 °. (A) The paper stopper 540 is in the inoperative position as described above. (B) The separation roller 512 is in the operating position as described above. (C) The spare roller 531 is in the working position, and the sheet 3 starts to be fed.

At this time, when there are a plurality of sheets below the auxiliary roller 531, the friction coefficient between the auxiliary roller 531 and the sheet is larger than the coefficient between the sheets, so that only the uppermost sheet starts to be conveyed.
Further, since the friction coefficient between the friction plate b538 and the paper is still larger than that between the papers, a plurality of papers will not be conveyed at one time. Here, the friction coefficient between the auxiliary roller 531 and the paper ---. Mu.y The friction coefficient between the paper ---. Mu.k The friction coefficient between the paper and the friction plate b ---. Mu.mb, .mu.y>.mu.k> .mu.b. . (D) The initial lever 549 pushes the sensor switch 502 to output an off signal as described above.

(5) is a state in which the motor 501 is further rotated and the clutch gear 517 is rotated by about 290 °. (A) The paper stopper 540 is in the inoperative position as described above. (B) The separation roller 512 is in the working position as described above,
The paper 3 is sent to the paper feed port (not shown) of the recording apparatus by the separation roller 512 over the separation unit. (C) The spare roller 531 begins to be in the inoperative position. This is the same as the reason described in (3) above, and the backup roller 531
This is to prevent the double feed of the sheets by stopping the conveyance of the sheet by the auxiliary roller 531 before setting the inactive position first to release the separating mechanism of the separating unit. (D) The initial lever 549 pushes the sensor switch 502 to output an off signal as described above.

After that, the state of the item (1) is returned to, and the operation 1
Finish the cycle.

In the apparatus of this embodiment, the diameter of each roller is set to be small for downsizing, and therefore, the paper 3 does not reach the paper feed port of the recording apparatus in one cycle of operation, so that it is usually 2
Paper is fed in cycles. Further, a paper sensor 405 is provided at the paper feed port of the recording device (not shown) to detect whether or not the paper 3 reaches the paper feed port, and to detect the initial position between the items (4) to (5) in the second cycle. More clutch gear 517
When the paper sensor 405 detects the presence of paper at a position where the paper has rotated about 170 °, the paper is further conveyed to the position of 230 °, and thereafter, the paper feeding device of the recording device is activated in cooperation with the automatic paper feeding unit.

This is to align the leading edge of the paper (remove the resist).
In addition, by feeding the paper while pushing the paper in the automatic paper feeding unit 500, there is also an effect of improving the biting of the paper into the recording apparatus H. At this time, the paper feeding speed is set slightly slower on the recording apparatus side in order to improve the paper feeding accuracy.

Depending on the type of paper, there is a case where the paper sensor 405 does not have paper even after two cycles, so in the present proposal, up to four cycles are carried out.

After the paper is fed to the recording apparatus side, the automatic paper feeding section returns to the initial state of item (1). At this time, the leading end 540b of the paper stopper remains on the paper, but the stopper spring 541 is set sufficiently weak so as not to affect the paper feeding accuracy on the recording apparatus side.

Up to the position of the item (2), the motor 50 is driven at a speed slower than the automatic paper feed mode (about 500 pps in this embodiment).
Rotate 1 and stop. At this time, as described above, the operator can directly insert a desired sheet into the sheet feeding port of the recording apparatus H.
This mode is used for thick paper or the like that cannot be fed and conveyed by the automatic paper feeder 500.

Next, a block diagram showing a circuit configuration for implementing the present invention and its control sequence will be described. FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing the configuration of this embodiment.

In the figure, reference numeral 100 is a CPU, for example, which executes a certain procedure, and controls each unit in accordance with the sequence of the processing means of this embodiment.
Reference numeral 200 denotes a RAM provided with an area for expanding text data and image data, an area for work, etc., SRAM for holding the stored contents by a backup means such as a lithium battery even after the power is turned off, and power off It is composed of two types of DRAM whose stored contents are erased later. The DRAM section is provided with an initial step storage area 2001 and a rotation number storage area 2002 used in the present invention, and the SRAM section is provided with an initial presence / absence storage area 2003.

Reference numeral 300 is a ROM storing fixed data such as a program corresponding to the above procedure and other font data, and 400 is the printer section of the ink jet recording system described above.

Reference numeral 500 denotes the above-described automatic paper feeding unit for feeding the printer unit 400 one by one, and as described above, the automatic paper feeding motor 501, the paper feeding initial sensor 502, and the paper feeding switching sensor 503. , Separation roller 51
2. Includes spare roller 531 and paper stopper 540.

Reference numeral 600 denotes a keyboard unit having keys for inputting characters, numbers and other characters, keys for giving various commands, and the like, and 700 denotes a display unit having a display.

The operation control sequence of the automatic paper feeder 500 having the above-mentioned structure will be described with reference to the flowcharts of FIGS.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart for explaining the processing of the initial operation of the automatic paper feeder 500 when the power of the recording apparatus or the information processing apparatus is on. Power switch off
When the initial state of the automatic paper feeding unit 500 is started from the state of from 1 to on, a value corresponding to 142 steps is set and stored as an initial value in the initial step storage area 2001 in the DRAM in S1. . This value is the number of steps to drive the automatic paper feed motor 501 from the on edge of the paper feed initial sensor 502.

At the next step S2, it is determined whether the automatic paper feed mode or the manual feed mode. The paper feed switching sensor 503
If it is off and the automatic paper feed mode is determined, the value in the initial presence / absence storage area 2003 stored in the SRAM is checked in the next S3. When this value is 0, it means that the initial has not been completed, and when this value is 1, it means that the initial has already been completed. In addition, 0 is set as an initial value.

In S3, if 1 is set, it means that the automatic sheet feeding section 500 was stopped at the position where the initials were completed when the power was turned off last time, and the state remains as it is. Then, the initials of the automatic paper feeding unit 500 will be moved to the section called “completed”. If 0 is set in S3 and it is determined that the initials have not been completed, it is determined in next S4 whether or not the paper feed initial sensor 502 is on.

At this time, the paper feed initial sensor 502 is turned on.
If so, in order to turn off the paper feed initial sensor 502, the automatic paper feed motor 501 is driven in 710 steps in S5, and then the process proceeds to the next S6. Also,
If the paper feed initial sensor 502 is off, the process directly proceeds to S6.

At the next step S6, the initial operation is started and the automatic paper feeding motor 501 is driven, so that the separation roller 512, the spare roller 531 and the paper stopper 540 in the automatic paper feeding section 500 are at the initial completion position, that is, , 0 is set in the initial presence / absence storage area to indicate that the vehicle is not at the home position.

Then, in the next S7, the automatic paper feeding motor 501
Drive starts, and at the next S8, the paper feed initial sensor
After the on edge of 502 is detected, the automatic paper feed motor 501 is driven for the number of steps corresponding to the value stored in the initial step storage area, and then the automatic paper feed motor 501
Is stopped and the process proceeds to the next S9. In S9, 1 is set in the initial presence / absence storage area to indicate that the initial operation is completed, and the automatic paper feeding unit is set.
The 500 initials are complete.

If it is determined in S2 that the manual feed mode is selected, the process proceeds to S10.

At S10, the same judgment as at S3 is made. If it is determined in S10 that the initials have been completed, the process proceeds to S15.

In S15, the automatic paper feeding motor is set so that the state of the automatic paper feeding unit 500 is at the position corresponding to the manual feed mode.
When the driving of the 501 is started, the separation roller 512, the auxiliary roller 531 and the paper stopper 540 in the automatic paper feeding unit 500 are moved from the home position position in the initial presence / absence storage area as in S6. 0 is set.

Then, in the next S16, the automatic paper feed motor 50
1 is driven for 426 steps to change the state of each component in the automatic paper feed unit 500 to the position corresponding to the manual feed mode, and the initial operation of the automatic paper feed unit 500 is completed.

If it is determined in S10 that the initials have not been completed, the process proceeds to S11. Then, the same control as in S11 to S14, S6 to S9 is performed, and the process proceeds to S15, and the same control as above is performed after S15.

Next, FIG. 21 is a flow chart for explaining the processing of the operation of the automatic paper feeding section 500 until the driving of the paper feed motor in the paper feeding operation is started.

When a paper feed command is given, the paper feed switching sensor 503 is operated in S17 as in S2.
From the state of (1), it is determined whether the state of the automatic sheet feeding unit 500 is the automatic sheet feeding mode or the manual feeding mode.

If it is determined in S17 that the manual feed mode is set, the automatic paper feeder 500 does not operate, so
8, the drive of the paper feed motor 403 is started in S18, and the process ends. If it is determined in S17 that the automatic paper feed mode is set, the process proceeds to S19. Then, after performing the same control from S19 to S25 and from S3 to S9, the process proceeds to S26.

In S26, when the drive of the automatic paper feeding motor 501 is started to perform automatic paper feeding,
Similarly, 0 is set in the initial presence / absence storage area to indicate that the separation roller 512, the auxiliary roller 531 and the paper stopper 540 in the automatic paper feeding unit 500 are not present at the home position.

Then, in the next S27, the automatic paper feeding motor 50
Starts driving 1 and starts automatic paper feeding.

In the next step S28, as an initial value for judging how many rotations the separation roller 512 and the auxiliary roller 531 have made after the automatic paper feeding operation is started, the number of rotations storage area in the DRAM 2002 Set 1 in and continue to S29
Then, it is judged whether or not it is the first rotation since the various rollers start the automatic paper feeding operation.

If it is determined in S29 that it is the first rotation, the process proceeds to S30. At the time of the first drive, the area where the paper feed initial sensor 502 is turned on is measured. Therefore, in S30, the paper feed initial sensor is moved from the home position of the automatic paper feed unit 500 to the 4400 step automatic paper feed motor 501. Detection of on edge of 502 is started.

Then, in S31, the measurement from the on edge to the off edge of the paper feed initial sensor 502 is performed, and in the following S32, the paper feed initial sensor 502 is measured.
After storing half of the value from the on edge to the off edge in the initial step storage area, the process proceeds to S33.
In S33, the content of the rotation number storage area is changed to 2 in preparation for the determination that the drive for the second rotation is to be started.

In the subsequent S29, it is judged again whether or not the above-mentioned various rollers are driven for the first rotation, but this time, it is judged after the first rotation is driven and the processing of S33 is executed. Therefore, it is determined that it is not the first rotation, and the process proceeds to S34. In S34, in the second rotation drive,
2418-step automatic paper feed motor 50 from home position
At the position where 1 is driven, the on detection of the paper sensor 405 is performed.

If it is determined in S35 that the paper sensor is on, the automatic paper feed motor 50
After driving 1 for 853 steps, the process proceeds to S36, and S
At 36, the drive of the paper feed motor 403 is started.
Further, in the subsequent S37, the automatic paper feed motor 501 is driven from the on edge of the paper feed initial sensor 502 up to the value stored in the initial step storage area, and the processing ends.

If it is determined in S35 that the paper sensor is off, the process proceeds to S38. In S38, it is determined whether or not the various rollers have been driven four times. At the time point described above, the rotation of each type of roller is two rotations, and therefore the process proceeds to S33 to prepare for the determination that the drive is the third rotation, and the third rotation is continuously driven.

Then, in S29, it is determined again whether the drive is the first rotation. However, since this time the drive is the third rotation, the process proceeds to S34, and in the third drive, 2418 from the home position is performed. At the position where the step automatic paper feed motor 501 is driven, the on detection of the paper sensor 405 is performed.

In the following S35, the paper sensor 405
When it is determined that is on, the process proceeds to S36 and S3
6 → S37 and the same control as described above is performed. Also, S
When it is determined that the paper sensor 405 is off in 35, the same control as in S38 is performed. At the time point described above, the rotation of each roller is 3 rotations, so S
The process proceeds to 33, and preparations for the determination that it is the fourth rotation drive are made, and the fourth rotation drive is continuously performed.

Then, in S29, it is determined again whether the drive is the first rotation. However, since the drive is the fourth rotation this time, the process proceeds to S34, and in the fourth drive, 2418 steps from the home position are performed. At the place where the automatic paper feeding motor 501 is driven, the on detection of the paper sensor 405 is performed again.

In the following S35, the paper sensor 405
When it is determined that is on, the process proceeds to S36 and S3
6 → S37 and the same control as described above is performed. Also, S
If it is determined in 35 that the paper sensor 405 is off, the same control as in S38 described above is performed. This time, the paper sensor 40 is also used in the drive section of the 4th rotation.
Since 5 has not been turned on, the process shifts to S39, the error message is displayed on the display, the buzzer is used to notify the user of the abnormal state, and then the process shifts to S37. The same control as in S37 is performed and the process ends.

Next, FIG. 22 is a flow chart for explaining the processing of the operation of the automatic paper feed section 500 when switching from the automatic paper feed mode to the manual feed mode.

When the paper feed switching sensor 503 is switched from the automatic paper feed mode to the manual feed mode, the automatic paper feed unit
The control from S10 to S16 described at the time of the processing of the initial operation of 500 is executed, and the processing ends.

Next, FIG. 23 is a flow chart for explaining the processing of the operation of the automatic paper feed section 500 when switching from the manual feed mode to the automatic paper feed mode. Paper feed switching sensor 50
When 3 is switched from the manual feed mode to the automatic paper feed mode, the control from S4 to S7 described at the time of the processing of the initial operation of the automatic paper feed unit 500 is executed and the processing ends.

Even if there is a variation in the accuracy until the paper feed initial sensor 502 is turned on due to the control from S30 to S32, the automatic paper feed motor 501 is located approximately at the center of the on area of the paper feed initial sensor 502. Since it is possible to stop, it is possible to suppress variations in the home position of the automatic paper feed unit 500.

Next, a recording apparatus most suitable for providing the automatic sheet feeder of the present invention will be described. 24 and 25 show a laptop personal computer, in which 600 is a keyboard, 700 is a display, and the printer unit 400 and the automatic paper feeding unit 500 described above are built therein.

The paper feed guide 529 of the automatic paper feed unit 500 is arranged below the keyboard 600, and the keyboard 600 can be lifted to set the paper in the automatic paper feed unit 500. The paper recorded by the printer unit 400 is discharged from the discharge port 800.

Since such a personal computer is aimed at downsizing, there is a demand to keep the dimension in the thickness direction as small as possible. To such a demand, the automatic paper feeder of the present invention is sufficient. It is optimal because it can be downsized.

[0125]

As described in detail above, the present invention is
Since it is possible to prevent the back tension from being generated in the sheet by moving the separation roller from the acting position to the inoperative position during sheet feeding, it is possible to prevent skewing or jamming of the sheet due to back tension.

Further, since the back tension is prevented from occurring, the sheet conveying force can be set to be small, and the size of the apparatus can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an automatic paper feeding unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view showing a configuration example of the automatic paper feeding unit shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a state diagram showing a sheet conveyance state of the automatic sheet feeder shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the separation roller shown in FIG.

5 is a perspective view showing the shape of a cam provided on the shaft of the separation roller shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a view on arrow C in FIG.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting state of the spare roller shown in FIG.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the auxiliary roller shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a view on arrow B in FIG.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing an operating state of the stopper shown in FIG.

11 is a diagram showing the shape of the stopper shown in FIG.

FIG. 12 is a view showing an inoperative state of the stopper shown in FIG.

13 is an exploded perspective view showing a connection state of a stopper up cam and a clutch gear shown in FIG. 2.

14 is a diagram showing a connection state of the clutch gear and the output gear shown in FIG. 2.

15 is an exploded perspective view showing a mounting state of the automatic paper feeding motor shown in FIG.

16 is a view on arrow G in FIG. 2.

17 is an operation explanatory diagram illustrating an operation sequence of each unit of the automatic sheet feeding unit illustrated in FIG. 1.

18 is a timing chart showing the operation sequence of each unit of the automatic paper feeding unit shown in FIG.

19 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration for controlling the automatic paper feeding unit shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 20 is a flowchart of the initial operation of the automatic paper feeding unit shown in FIG.

21 is a flowchart of a paper feeding operation of the automatic paper feeding unit illustrated in FIG.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart of the operation of switching the automatic paper feed mode of the automatic paper feed unit shown in FIG. 1 to the manual paper feed mode.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart of the operation of switching from the manual feed mode to the automatic paper feed mode of the automatic paper feed unit illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 24 is an external perspective view showing an example of a case where the personal computer is used in a recording apparatus according to the present invention.

25 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the personal computer shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

3 Paper (sheet) 100 CPU 200 RAM 300 ROM 400 Printer unit 401 Recording head 402 Carrier motor 403 Paper feed motor 404 Home position sensor 405 Paper sensor 600 Keyboard unit 700 Display unit 500 Automatic paper feed unit 501 Automatic paper feed motor 501a Flange 501b Convex part 501c Convex part 501d Metal part 501e Pinion 501f Terminal 502 Sensor switch (paper feed initial sensor) 502a Actuator 503 Paper feed changeover switch (paper feed changeover sensor) 511 Main holder 511a Spare spring locking part 511b Convex part (separation holder ( R) receiving part) 511c Spring hooking part (for separation spring) 511d Cam receiving part 511e Deformed hole 511f Lower edge of deformed hole 511g Support point 51 h Right arm part 511i Sensor contact part 511j Substrate pressing part 512 Separation roller 512a Separation roller convex part 513 Separation roller shaft 513a Separation roller shaft convex part 513b Separation roller shaft gear part 513c Separation roller shaft cam press-fitting part 517 Clutch gear 517a 1st gear 517b 2nd gear 517c Key groove 517d Cam part 517e Cam groove 517f Outer peripheral part 519 Separation roller holder (R) 519a Engagement part (preliminary roller spring) 519b Bearing part 521 Main shaft 523 Separation roller holder (L) 523a Spring Hanging part 526 Separation roller spring 527 Separation roller cam 527a Cam radius minimum part 527b Cam radius maximum part 529 Paper feed guide 529a Receiving hole (paper stopper) 530 Friction plate a 530a Separation slope part 531 Spare roller 531a key -Groove 533 Preliminary roller shaft 533a Key portion 533b Cam shaft portion 533c Gear portion 535 Preliminary roller holder 535a Spring locking portion 538 Friction plate b 539 Preliminary roller spring 539a Left end 539b Working arm 540 Paper stopper 540c U-shaped recess 540c This tip portion Contact part 541 Stopper spring 542 Stopper up cam 542a First key part 542b Second key part 542c Cam part 543 Output gear 543a Receiving part 543b Has tooth part 543c Key groove part 544 Bearing 545 Two-step gear 545a Worm tooth part 545b Has tooth part Bracket 546a Locking hole (two-stage gear) 546b Metal receiving hole 546c Locking part 546d Locking part 546e Claw part 547 Screw (for fixing motor bracket) 548 Board 549 Initial lever 549a rotation center 549b shaped working portion 549c follower 550 connector 551 left guide

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁵ Identification number Office reference number FI technical display location B65H 3/52 310 E 8712-3F G03G 15/00 108 7369-2H H04N 1/00 108 K 7046- 5C (72) Inventor Kuji Naito 3-30-2 Shimomaruko, Ota-ku, Tokyo Canon Inc.

Claims (16)

[Claims] 1. A separation roller for sending a sheet to a recording unit, a friction separation member provided corresponding to the separation roller, a sheet supporting unit for supporting a stacked sheet, and a sheet supporting unit supported by the sheet supporting unit. A preliminary roller that feeds the sheet to the separation roller, a separation roller moving unit that moves the separation roller between an operating position where the separation roller contacts the friction separating member and an inactive position where the separation roller separates, and the preliminary roller contacts the sheet. An automatic sheet feeding device, comprising: a preliminary roller moving unit that moves between an operating position and a separating inactive position. 2. The separating roller moving means and the preliminary roller moving means move the separating roller and the preliminary roller from the working position to the non-working position after the sheet is started to be conveyed by the conveying means provided in the recording apparatus. The automatic paper feeder according to claim 1, wherein the automatic paper feeder is moved. 3. The separation roller moving means has a separation roller cam provided on the other end of a drive shaft that supports the separation roller and is swingable about one end as a fulcrum, and the separation roller cam is rotated by one rotation of the drive shaft. 3. The automatic sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the separating roller is moved between an operating position and an inactive position by rotating the drive shaft and swinging the drive shaft. 4. The automatic paper feed according to claim 3, wherein the separation roller is formed in a cylindrical shape, and is provided on the drive shaft so that only one side of the axial end portion abuts the friction separation member. apparatus. 5. The taper surface is formed at an end portion of the separation roller that abuts the friction separation member, and the taper surface abuts the friction separation member at the operating position. Automatic paper feeder. 6. The automatic sheet feeder according to claim 2, wherein a friction separating member is arranged so as to face the auxiliary roller. 7. The auxiliary roller moving means has an auxiliary roller cam provided at one end of a parallel-movable drive shaft that supports the auxiliary roller, and the auxiliary roller cam is rotated and driven by one rotation of the drive shaft. 7. The automatic sheet feeder according to claim 6, wherein the auxiliary roller is moved between an operating position and an inactive position by moving the shaft in parallel. 8. The preliminary roller has a large diameter portion and a small diameter portion, the large diameter portion is in contact with the sheet at the working position, and the small diameter portion is separated from the sheet at the non-working position. The automatic paper feeder according to claim 7. 9. The automatic sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the separating roller and the auxiliary roller have driving forces transmitted from the same driving source. 10. A sheet regulation guide that regulates a side end portion of the sheet along a sheet feeding direction, wherein the separation roller and the auxiliary roller are configured to abut the sheet regulation guide with the sheet end portion. The automatic sheet feeder according to claim 1, wherein the sheet is fed in an oblique direction with respect to the regulation guide. 11. A sheet supporting means for supporting the stacked sheets, a separating roller for feeding the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means to a recording portion, and a friction separating member provided corresponding to the separating roller. A stepped portion formed on the upstream side of the separation roller in the sheet supporting means; and a separation roller moving means for moving the separation roller between an operating position where the separating roller contacts the friction separating member and an inoperative position where the separating roller separates. An automatic paper feeder characterized in that 12. The separating roller moving means moves the separating roller from the working position to the non-working position after the sheet is started to be conveyed by the conveying means provided in the recording apparatus. Automatic paper feeder. 13. The automatic sheet feeder according to claim 12, further comprising a preliminary roller for feeding the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means to the separating roller. 14. A recording unit for recording on a sheet, a separating roller for feeding the sheet to the recording unit, a friction separating member provided corresponding to the separating roller, and a sheet supporting unit for supporting the stacked sheets. A preliminary roller for feeding the sheet supported by the sheet supporting means to the separating roller, and a separating roller moving means for moving the separating roller between an operating position where the separating roller contacts the friction separating member and an inactive position where the separating roller separates. And a preliminary roller moving unit that moves the preliminary roller between an acting position where the preliminary roller contacts the sheet and an inactive position where the preliminary roller separates from the sheet. 15. The separating roller moving means and the preliminary roller moving means move the separating roller and the preliminary roller from an operating position to an inoperative position after the sheet is started to be conveyed by the conveying means provided in the recording apparatus. 15. The recording device according to claim 14, wherein the recording device is moved. 16. The ink-jet method in which the recording unit energizes an electrothermal converter in response to a signal and ejects ink due to bubble growth caused by heating beyond film boiling by the electrothermal converter for recording. 16. The recording apparatus according to claim 15.