JPH0744182U - Printer automatic paper feeder / discharger - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] (Correction) [Purpose] It is possible to reliably return the recording paper that is not compatible with the recording sent to the paper feed path to the top of the recording paper tray without causing a paper jam. [Structure] The recording paper 10 is disposed on the recording paper inlet side of the conveying rollers 16 and 16 for feeding the recording paper 100 to the recording unit 30.
The first and second sensors 18 and 19 for detecting the type, the shape, the setting direction, and the end surface of the paper, and the return path 20 that leads to the paper feed path 12 from the paper feed cassette 4 to the transport rollers 16 and 16. A path switching device 22 that has the paper feeding path 12 and the paper returning path 20 depending on whether the paper is fed or returned.
And a return roller which is disposed adjacent to the return path 20 and returns the recording sheet 100 ′ that is not suitable for recording and is returned through the return path 20 from above the paper feed cassette 4 to the uppermost inside. Equipped with.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention relates to an automatic paper feeding / discharging device of a printer, and more particularly, to improvement of a paper discharging structure when the paper of a printer using special paper is not suitable for recording.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 Recently, video printers capable of making a hard copy of one field or one frame of information from a video signal, that is, a still image are becoming widespread. Most printers of this type are of the thermal transfer type, but in many cases they are used by forming a system with other video equipment, and it is preferable to store them together in a rack. Therefore, it is required to employ a full front loading mechanism that has an automatic paper feeding / discharging function that allows operations to be performed from the front, and paper feeding / paper ejection and ink ribbon cassette loading / unloading can also be performed from the front. Recently, a color video printer capable of printing a full-color hard copy has attracted attention. In such color video printers, special paper with a resin coating on the surface is used so that the ink on the ink sheet can be easily transferred. This special paper is set on the recording paper tray and loaded / set in the drawer in the apparatus. Then, it is sent out from the tray to the paper feed path by the automatic paper feeding / discharging mechanism, and is sent to the recording unit having the print head. The special paper after recording by the print head (hereinafter referred to as recording paper) is discharged through the paper discharge path by switching the path, and is stored in, for example, a paper discharge tray. Therefore, with printers that use dedicated chart paper, it is sometimes the case that the user sets a chart paper of a type or shape that is not suitable for recording in the chart paper tray, or sets the chart paper in an unsuitable setting direction. Occurs. Therefore, a printer equipped with an automatic paper feeding / discharging mechanism has a recording paper discriminating function from the past and determines whether the recording paper set in the tray is suitable for recording. The recording paper is ejected outside the device by switching the path, or returned to the original position in the recording paper tray before the start of feeding. That is, when recording paper that is not suitable for recording is sent from the tray to the paper feed path, it is determined that it is not suitable by detecting the mark on the back surface of the recording paper, and rotation of the transport roller causes the recording paper to be recorded inside. After feeding all the way to the set, the paper path was switched from the paper feed side to the paper discharge side, and the incompatible recording paper was discharged to the outside of the device through the paper discharge path by the reverse rotation of the transport rollers.

On the other hand, when the recording paper is not suitable for recording, the surface is too smooth, and the frictional resistance is low, the frictional force between the paper and the paper feed roller is insufficient, and slippage occurs between the two. Become. Therefore, when the tray is in a stationary state, it can be fed out a little from the tray by rotating the paper feed roller, but since the paper feed path in front of it is curved, it receives contact resistance from the paper feed path. The paper cannot be fed further than that, and the paper cannot be fed. This state was detected by the rotation time or the number of rotations of the paper feed roller, and when a certain value was exceeded, it was determined that an abnormality had occurred. Then, the paper feed roller is reversed to return the recording paper unsuitable for recording to the original position in the tray before the paper feed was started.

[0004]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, when ejecting recording paper that is not suitable for recording to the outside of the device, the hardness and slippage of the paper are different except for special paper. That is, there has been a problem that paper jam phenomenon occurs frequently. When returning the nonconforming recording paper to the original position in the tray, the user pulls out the tray from the device each time, removes the recording paper stack, removes the nonconforming recording paper at the bottom, and then repeats the recording paper again. Had to be set on the tray, which was extremely complicated. Further, there is a problem that the next recording paper cannot be fed unless the incompatible recording paper is removed from the tray, and therefore the recording unit cannot record.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above points, and it is possible to reliably return the recording paper, which is not suitable for the recording, sent to the paper feeding path, to the upper portion in the recording paper tray without causing a paper jam. At the same time, it is possible to remove the returned nonconforming recording paper at any time and at any time so that the next recording paper can be immediately fed to the recording unit without any trouble.

[0006]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention is directed to a printer equipped with an automatic paper feeding / discharging mechanism, which is arranged on the recording paper feeding side of a conveying roller for feeding the paper to the recording portion, and is provided for recording paper fed to the recording portion. It has a detection unit that detects the type, shape, setting direction, and end face of the paper, and a paper return path that extends from the tray to the transport rollers to the top of the tray. A path switching unit that switches between the paper path and the return path, and a recording sheet that is arranged adjacent to the return path and is not suitable for the record returned to the return path, is rotated in the return direction. When the recording paper sent to the recording unit is judged to be unsuitable for recording, the path switching is performed based on the signal of the detecting means. Paper operating means Switches the road to Kaekami side, reverse the conveying roller, and to return the recording sheet to Kaekami roller on said Kaekami path.

Further, according to the present invention, a first sensor that detects the type, shape, and setting direction of the recording paper fed to the recording unit is provided on the recording paper carry-in side of the conveying roller, and is provided near the paper feed path. A second sensor is provided for detecting the trailing end portion of the recording sheet fed to the recording unit, and the second sensor is used when the recording sheet fed to the recording unit is determined to be unsuitable for recording by the first sensor. Based on the detection of the trailing edge of the recording paper by the sensor, the path switching means is operated to switch the paper path to the paper return side, and at the same time, the conveyance roller is rotated in the reverse direction to return the incompatible recording paper through the paper return path. It is characterized by being configured to return to Laura.

[0008]

[Action]

 When the recording paper sent from the bottom edge of the tray to the paper feed path is sent to the recording unit by the rotation of the transport roller, the recording paper is not special paper, the type and shape are not correct, or the setting direction is incorrect. If the detection unit determines that the recording sheet is not suitable for recording, the recording sheet that is not suitable is fed to a predetermined position on the recording unit side by the forward rotation of the conveying roller. When the trailing end of the recording paper in the feeding direction is detected by the detection means, the signal is received and the path switching means operates to switch the paper path to the return side. At the same time, the transport roller reverses and returns the recording paper in the middle of the feeding path to the returning roller through the returning path. The returned nonconforming recording paper is returned to the upper part in the tray by the rotation of the return rollers. Therefore, it is possible to reliably return and return a recording sheet that is not suitable for recording from the middle of the feeding path to the upper part of the tray without causing a paper jam. In addition, recording paper that is not suitable for recording is returned to the top edge of the tray.Therefore, it is not necessary to pull out the tray each time and remove the incompatible recording paper. Can be removed. Further, since the improper recording paper is returned to the uppermost end portion in the tray, the next recording paper can be immediately fed to the recording unit without any trouble and can be recorded.

[0009]

【Example】

 FIG. 1 shows a main structure of a printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 shows an overall view 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 containing recording paper before hard copy, that is, a paper feed cassette 4, and a discharge port 5 for taking out a hard copy. The paper feed cassette 4 is formed by stacking a plurality of recording paper sheets, setting the recording paper sheets, and putting the recording paper sheets into and out of the apparatus. Reference numeral 6 is a door provided at the attachment / detachment opening 61 of the ink ribbon cassette. The ink ribbon cassette 7 is provided with a window 71, and the ink ribbon 8 runs across the window 71.

The paper feed cassette 4 sets a plurality of recording papers before hard copy, is inserted into the apparatus in a drawer shape, and is loaded in a paper feed position as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, when the paper feed cassette 4 is loaded, the paper feed roller 10 comes into contact with the recording paper 100 at the lowermost end through the opening 41 at the bottom of the cassette 4, and the paper can be fed. The paper feed roller 10 is rotationally driven by the DC motor 11, for example. A paper feed port 42 for feeding the recording paper 100 is formed at the lower end of the paper feed cassette 4 on the paper feed side.

The paper feed / ejection mechanism section has a paper feed path 12 for guiding the recording paper 100 sent from the paper feed port 42 of the paper feed cassette 4 to the recording section, and a recording paper hard-copied by the recording section. A paper discharge path 13 for discharging 100 is provided. The two paths 12 and 13 communicate with each other on the entrance side of the recording paper conveying rollers 16 and 16. The paper feed / paper discharge paths 12 and 13 are provided with a path switch 14 for switching between the two paths 12 and 13. The path switching device 14 is actuated by driving the solenoid 15 and switches the two paths 12, 13 to either the paper feeding side or the paper discharging side. When the recording paper 100 is supplied, the recording paper 100 is switched as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, and is switched to the paper feed path 12 side. Further, at the time of discharging the sheet after hard copy, the sheet is switched as shown by the broken line in FIG. 1 and the path is switched to the sheet discharging path 13 side.

The transport rollers 16 and 16 are rotated in the forward and reverse directions by driving the stepping motor 17. By the normal rotation, the recording paper 100 sent from the paper feed port 42 of the paper feed cassette 4 to the paper feed path 12 is nipped and fed to the recording unit. A first sensor 18 is arranged near the recording paper inlet side of the conveying rollers 16, 16. The first sensor 18 is composed of a reflective photoelectric sensor, and the type and shape of the recording paper 100 sent to the recording unit by the transport rollers 16 and 16, that is, whether it is a dedicated paper or not, is set correctly. It is designed to detect whether or not. Further, a second sensor 19 is arranged near the paper feed path 12 on the side of the transport rollers 16, 16. The second sensor 19 is composed of, for example, a reflection type photoelectric sensor, and when the recording paper 100 is fed to the recording portion side by the rotation of the conveying rollers 16 and 16 to a predetermined position, its rear end face in the feeding direction is moved. It is designed to detect.

A paper return path 20 is attached to the paper feed path 12. The paper return path 20 communicates above the paper feed cassette 4 from a predetermined portion of the paper feed path 12 on the side of the conveying rollers 16 and 16. Further, a paper return roller 21 is arranged on the upper side of the paper feed side of the paper feed cassette 4. The return roller 21 is disposed adjacent to the return path 20. The paper return roller 21 is rotationally driven in the paper return direction by the same drive source as the paper feed roller 10, that is, the motor 11. However, they may be rotationally driven by separate drive sources. A path switch 22 is attached to each of the paper supply path 12 and the paper return path 20. The path switching device 22 switches the paper feed path 12 and the paper return path 20 to either one by driving the solenoid 23. That is, in a normal paper feed state, the path is switched to the paper feed path 12 side as shown by the solid line in FIG. 1, and when returning incompatible recording paper, as shown by the broken line in FIG. Switch the route to.

The recording unit 30 is configured as follows. The ink ribbon cassette 7 is loaded from the front surface of the front panel and loaded as shown in FIG. In the recording unit 30 of FIG. 1, 31 is a line type printer head and 32 is a platen. Bobbins 9, 9 for winding and storing the ink ribbon 8 are provided at a pair of end portions of the window portion 71 of the ink ribbon cassette 7. 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 33 and becomes 8 '. The printer head 31 rotates like 31 ′, and the recording paper 100 and the ink ribbon 8 ′ are sandwiched between the printer head 31 and the platen 32 and contact the ink ribbon 8 ′. After printing, it returns to the original state.

The recording paper 100 is a special paper in the form of cut paper, and its surface is coated with a resin so that the ink of the ink ribbon 8 is easily transferred. As shown in FIG. 3, black marks 101 are formed on the surface of the recording paper 100 at two locations on both sides, that is, four locations in total. The mark 101 ... Is detected by the first sensor. The detection of the marks 101 ... Aligns the recording paper 100 at the time of printing. That is, the first sensor 18 functions as a recording paper cueing sensor. Further, by detecting the ground color (white) on the back surface of the recording paper 100 and the black mark 101 ..., it is determined whether or not the recording paper sent to the recording unit 30 is a designated special paper, and its type and shape. Is correct and whether the setting direction is correct is determined.

Next, the operation of the automatic paper feeding / discharging device configured as described above will be described.

The recording paper 100 delivered from the paper feed port 42 of the paper feed cassette 4 by the rotation of the paper feed roller 10 is guided to the transport rollers 16 and 16 through the paper feed path 12. Then, it is sandwiched between the two rollers 16 and 16 and is fed to the recording unit 30 side by its normal rotation. In the meantime, the ground white on the back side of the recording paper 100 and the black of the marks 101 ... Are detected by the first sensor 18, and whether or not the recording paper being fed at present is a dedicated paper is set. It is determined whether the direction is correct. When it is determined that the recording paper 100 is a regular exclusive paper and the set direction is correct, that is, the recording paper 100 is suitable for recording, the recording paper 100 is detected by the marks 101 ... Of the first sensor 18. Cue to the print position. The recording paper 100 reciprocates with respect to the printer head 31 a predetermined number of times by the forward and reverse rotations of the transport rollers 16 and 16. In the reciprocating process, the inks of the colors of yellow (Y), magenta (M), and cyan (C) of the ink ribbon 8 are sequentially transferred to predetermined portions of the recording paper 100. When the printing of the three colors is completed, that is, when the final printing of the cyan (C) ink is completed, the path switching unit 14 is activated at that time to switch the path from the paper feeding path 12 to the paper discharging path 13. Replace. Next, the recording rollers 100 after printing are discharged to the paper discharge mechanism section through the paper discharge path 13 by the reverse rotation of the transport rollers 16 and 16, and are sequentially stacked on the paper discharge cassette 35 arranged in the paper discharge mechanism section. Be accommodated.

On the other hand, when the recording paper 100 ′ sent out from the paper feed cassette 4 is other than the dedicated paper or the first sensor detects that the setting direction is incorrect, the recording paper 100 ′ is unsuitable for recording. To be determined. That is, when the ground white on the back surface of the recording paper and the two black marks 101, 101 adjacent to each other are sequentially detected, the rotation speed and rotation speed of the transport rollers 16, 16 are uniquely determined. By detecting the positions of the white and black marks 101 and 101 of the color on the basis of the passage time, it is possible to determine whether or not the paper is dedicated paper and whether the set direction is correct.

When it is determined that the recording paper 100 'is unsuitable for recording, the recording paper 100' is moved to a predetermined position toward the recording unit 30 by the forward rotation of the conveying rollers 16 and 16 as shown in FIG. Sent in. Then, the rear end face in the feeding direction is detected by the second sensor 19. The path switching unit 22 operates based on the detection signal, and switches the paper feed / discharge path from the paper feed path 12 to the paper return path 20. At the same time, the conveying rollers 16 and 16 reversely rotate, and the recording paper 100 'which is not suitable for recording is returned to the position of the returning roller 21 through the returning path 20. At this time, the return roller 21 is rotationally driven in the return direction. Therefore, the recording paper 100 'returned to the paper return roller 21 is cut off from the conveying rollers 16 and 16, and is returned to the uppermost part inside the paper feed cassette 4 only by the rotation of the paper return roller 21. It Since the nonconforming recording paper 100 'is returned to the uppermost part in the paper feeding cassette 4, the recording paper 100 at the next lowermost end is sent out by the rotation of the paper feeding roller 10 without any trouble. It can be fed to 30 and printed. In addition, the recording paper 100 'that is not suitable for recording is not sent to the inner part of the recording section, but is returned through the return path 20 when it is sent to a certain position, so that the paper feed cassette does not cause a paper jam. It is possible to reliably return and return the paper within 4. The returned nonconforming recording paper 100 'can be arbitrarily removed at any time.

[0020]

[Effect of device]

 As is clear from the above description, according to the present invention, when a recording sheet that is not suitable for recording sent to the paper feed path is fed to the recording unit side to a certain level, the recording paper in the recording paper tray is returned through the return path. Since the paper is returned and sent back to the top, it can be reliably sent back without causing paper jams, and the paper jam phenomenon can be reduced. In addition, since the returned nonconforming recording paper is stored at the top of the recording paper tray, the next recording paper at the bottom end can be sent from the tray without any trouble and can be fed to the recording unit, and recording can be performed. Can Furthermore, the top non-conforming recording paper can be removed at any time by pulling out the tray at any time, which does not require any troublesome work.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a main structure of an automatic paper feeding / discharging device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view of a color video printer to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the recording paper used in the printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view for explaining the operation of the automatic paper feeding / discharging device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 4 paper feed cassette (tray) 10 paper feed roller 12 paper feed path 13 paper discharge path 16 and 16 transport roller 18 first sensor 19 second sensor 20 paper return path 21 paper return roller 22 path switch (switching means) 30 recording unit 100, 100 'recording paper

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] April 13, 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 (2)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. A plurality of recording sheets set in a tray are sequentially sent to a sheet feeding path from a lower end side by rotation of a sheet feeding roller, and the fed recording sheets are sent to a recording unit by forward rotation of a conveying roller. In a printer automatic paper feeding / discharging device that discharges a recording sheet after recording onto a sheet discharge path by reversing the conveying roller, a state of the recording sheet that is fed to the recording sheet feeding side of the conveying roller. And a detection means for detecting the end face of the paper, and a paper return path extending from the paper feed path to above the tray. The paper feed path and the paper return path are switched to one according to the paper feed / paper return operation. A path switching unit and a return roller which is disposed adjacent to the return path and returns recording paper that is incompatible with the record returned to the return path into the tray from above by rotation in the return direction. With and When it is determined that the recording paper fed to the recording unit is unsuitable for recording, the path switching means is operated based on the signal of the detection means to switch the path to the paper return path side and to convey the paper. An automatic paper feeding / discharging device for a printer, characterized in that a roller is rotated in the reverse direction and a recording sheet unsuitable for recording is returned through the sheet returning path. 2. A first sensor for detecting the type, shape, and setting direction of the recording paper fed to the recording unit, and a second sensor for detecting the trailing end of the fed recording paper in the feeding direction. When the fed recording paper is determined by the first sensor to be unsuitable for recording, the path switching means is operated based on the detection signal of the second sensor, and the path is returned to the return path side. 2. The automatic paper feeding / discharging device for a printer according to claim 1, wherein the conveyance roller is rotated in the reverse direction so that the incompatible recording paper is returned through a paper return path.