JPH0890489A - Roll paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a roll paper feeder whereby paper from thin thickness to large thickness can be cut at a high speed by always fixedly holding a relative position relation between a rotary knife and a stationary knife of a rotary cutter. CONSTITUTION: A rotary cutter is constituted of a pair of rotary knife 251 and stationary knife 252 and a support frame 60 of journalling the rotary/fixed knives by holding a relative position therebetween in a prescribed relation, also to bring the support frame 60 into contact with also an upper surface of three bosses 71a, 71b, 71c by only a small area relating to an object 70 fixed with the rotary cutter 25.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a roll-shaped recording paper, which is pulled out by a predetermined length and cut by a rotary cutter.
The present invention relates to a roll paper feeding device that supplies an image forming apparatus such as a printer or a plotter, and in particular, to keep a relative positional relationship between a rotary blade (or a swinging blade) of a rotary cutter and a fixed blade constant. Roll paper feeder.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Unlike a large-sized electronic copying machine that handles large-sized paper such as A0 size or A1 size, a roll paper is mounted in a roll paper storage section, unlike an electronic copying machine that uses ordinary cut paper. The roll paper is cut into a predetermined length based on the length information of the original and used as recording paper. A rotary cutter is used to cut the recording paper. As is well known, a rotary cutter is composed of a rotary blade or a rocking blade (hereinafter, represented by a rotary blade) and a fixed blade.
The recording paper is cut by urging the driving means to rotate the rotary blade in one direction and continuously rubbing the blade edge with the fixed blade. On the other hand, in the rocking blade, the driving means is biased to rock the rocking blade, and the cutting edge is continuously rubbed with the fixed blade to cut the recording paper.

In the rotary cutter having such a structure, the relative positional relationship between the rotary blade and the fixed blade is deviated, and if the distance between the blades rubbed with each other becomes large, the cutting failure of thin paper occurs. In addition, if the blade interval becomes narrow, an excessive driving force is required for cutting thick paper. Therefore, in the rotary cutter, it is necessary to firmly position and fix the rotary blade and the fixed blade so that the relative positional relationship between them is always kept constant.

Regarding the structure of the rotary cutter, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-173889, a rotary blade and a fixed blade are supported by sheet metal frames at both ends thereof. Then, the sheet metal frame is fixed by bringing its flat bottom surface into surface contact with the device frame or the like and screwing it.

[0005]

The device frame of the roll paper feeder is generally made of sheet metal because of its cost and weight, and its flatness is difficult to control. Further, since the device frame is not required to have high rigidity, deformation such as “twist” or “distortion” is likely to occur. Therefore, when the sheet metal frame of the rotary cutter is brought into surface contact with the device frame and fixed by screws as in the above-mentioned conventional technique,
“Twist” and “distortion” of the sheet metal frame also affect the sheet metal frame of the rotary cutter. Therefore, even if the relative positional relationship between the rotary blade and the fixed blade is accurately maintained on the sheet metal frame, there is a problem in that the positional relationship between the blades is displaced in the actual use state in which the blade is fixed to the device frame. was there.

The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and even if the object to which the rotary cutter is fixed is deformed such as "twisted" or "distorted", the rotary blade and the fixed blade are It is an object of the present invention to provide a roll paper feeding device capable of cutting thin paper to thick paper at a high speed while maintaining the relative positional relationship of the paper sheets always accurately.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, in the present invention, in a roll paper feeding device equipped with a rotary cutter for cutting roll paper in accordance with the size of document information, the rotary cutter is used. A pair of rotary blades and a fixed blade, and a support frame that supports the rotary blades and the fixed blades while maintaining the relative positions of the rotary blades in a predetermined relationship, and the support frame of the rotary cutter is the support frame. The feature is that the object to be fixed is brought into contact with only three small areas.

[0008]

Since there is only one plane passing through any three points in the space, even if "twist" or "distortion" occurs in the fixed object and the relative positional relationship between the three small areas is displaced. ,
Since the support frame will be fixed on the plane uniquely defined by the three new small areas after the positional relationship is displaced, even if "fixation" or "distortion" occurs in the fixed object,
This will not be transmitted to the support frame and cause "deviation" in the relative positional relationship between the rotary blade and the fixed blade.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a large-sized printer device to which a roll paper feeding device of the present invention is applied. An image forming device 1 for forming an image on recording paper and a roll paper feeding device The roll paper feeding device 3 and the cut paper feeding devices 4 and 5 that feed the cut paper to the image forming apparatus 1. The recording paper on which the image has been formed is discharged onto the recording paper discharge tray 7 provided at the top of the printer.

A plurality of roll papers can be accommodated in the roll paper feeding device 3, and as described later in detail, an image is formed while cutting the paper drawn from each roll paper into a predetermined length. A mechanism for feeding paper to the unit 1 is provided. Similarly, the cut sheet feeding devices 4 and 5 are provided with a mechanism for feeding stacked cut sheets one by one to the image forming unit 1 while feeding the cut sheets one by one. Further, a manual sheet feeding section 6 is provided on the side surface of the image forming apparatus 1, and it is also possible to manually feed cut sheets. A message such as a paper jam or a paper shortage is displayed on the operation display unit 8 of the image forming apparatus 1.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the roll paper feeding device 3 pulled out from the printer body, and in this embodiment, two roll papers 11a and 11b are accommodated. A rail mechanism 10 is provided on the side surface of the roll paper feeding device 3, and the roll paper feeding device 3 is structured to be pulled out by the rail mechanism 10 in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction of the roll paper.

The cut sheet feeding devices 4 and 5 can be pulled out from the printer main body in the same manner as the roll sheet feeding device 3, but they are not shown here. Further, a paper quality selection switch 17 and a paper series selection switch 18 for each roll paper are installed on the upper front part of the roll paper feeding device 3, and when the roll paper is set, the paper quality of the paper and the roll to be used. Which paper is used is registered.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic structure of a sheet conveying path inside the printer device. In the roll paper feeding device 3, the recording paper 20 delivered from the roll papers 11a and 11b by the delivery roller 22 is subjected to image formation via the rotary cutter 25 and the transport roller 36 arranged on the paper transport path 23. It is supplied into the paper transport path 24 on the side of the apparatus 1. On the other hand, cut sheet feeders 4 and 5
Then, the cut sheets 30a and 30b stacked are drawn into the sheet conveying path 32 one by one, and the conveying rollers 31a to 31e.
Is supplied to the inside of the image forming apparatus 1 via.

In the image forming apparatus 1, the recording paper 20 supplied into the paper carrying path 24 is carried downstream by the carrying roller 51, reaches the image transfer portion through the registration roller device 27, and is formed on the photosensitive drum 26. The formed toner image is transferred by the discharge of the transfer corotron 28. The recording paper onto which the toner image has been transferred is guided to the fixing device 42 by the vacuum carrying device 41. The recording paper on which the fixing is completed is discharged onto the recording paper discharge tray 7 by the discharge roller 43.

The discharge roller 43 is composed of a pair of concavo-convex rollers, and imparts rigidity to the discharged recording paper by a corrugation action so that the discharged recording paper is neatly arranged on the recording paper discharge tray 7. The clam shell 9 including the recording paper discharge tray 7 can be opened up to the broken line position 9'by operating a handle (not shown), thereby removing a paper jam and improving maintainability.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of the paper transport path in the roll paper feeder 3 more specifically, and the same reference numerals as those used above denote the same or equivalent parts. The roll paper feeding device 3 can be loaded with roll papers 11a and 11b of A3 size to A1 size.
2b selectively feeds at a constant speed V (mm / sec). The delivery rollers 22a and 22b also have a function of rewinding the roll paper remaining after the cutting operation in a direction opposite to the paper feed direction.

Reflective photosensors 14a and 14b for detecting the width of the recording paper are provided downstream of the delivery rollers 22a and 22b and before the confluence portion 15. In the initialization operation, the roll paper 11a
The recording paper pulled out from (11b) is fed by the feeding roller 2.
Photosensor 14a (14b) by 2a (22b)
After the sheet is sent to the detection position and the size is detected, the standby state is reached when the leading end position reaches the merging portion 15 of the sheet conveyance path.

A rotary cutter 25 is provided downstream of the confluence section 15. When the rotary cutter 25 receives the cutting operation signal in response to the document length information,
The drive means (not shown) is urged to rotate the rotary blade 251, and the blade edge 251a thereof is continuously rubbed against the fixed blade 252 to cut the recording paper into a predetermined length. Since the recording paper continues to be conveyed during cutting by the rotary cutter 25, the rotary cutter 25 is obliquely attached to the paper conveyance direction so that the cutting portion is perpendicular to the conveyance direction.

Downstream of the rotary cutter 25, there are provided a conveying roller 36 and a reflective photosensor 34 for detecting the leading edge of the roll paper. The transport roller 36 is disposed so as to face the encoder wheel 38, and the encoder wheel 38 rotates following the running of the roll paper,
A pulse signal corresponding to the rotation amount is output from the encoder. This pulse signal is input to a control system (not shown) as a signal indicating the amount of roll paper conveyance after the leading edge of the recording paper reaches the photo sensor 34, so that the conveyance length of the recording paper can be recognized. ing. The encoder wheel 38 is made of a metal disc-shaped body, and the coefficient of friction is maintained at a constant value regardless of the quality of the recording paper conveyed.

The control system converts the received pulse signal into the transport length, and when the transport length of the roll paper reaches a predetermined length, issues a cutting operation signal to the drive unit of the rotary cutter 25. The photo sensor 34 is also used to detect the paper jam at the leading end of the roll paper, the trailing end of the roll paper after cutting, and the residual of the roll paper other than during the paper feeding operation.

Below the roll paper mount, fulcrums 44a,
The levers 45a and 45b that rotate around 44b are arranged so as to be pressed against the outer peripheral surfaces of the roll papers 11a and 11b. The rotation angles of the fulcrums 44a and 44b are detected by a sensor (not shown), and when the distance δ between the outer diameter of the remaining roll paper and the outer diameter of the core 57 becomes 8 mm or less, a residual amount insufficient signal is issued to the control system. Is set, and the fact that the remaining amount of recording paper has become small is displayed on the operation display unit 8 to prompt the operator to prepare for replenishment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram specifically showing the structure of the area surrounded by the broken line A in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 (a) shows that the upper baffle 50 provided on the paper transport path 24 is closed. The state is shown, and the figure (b) has shown the state where the upper baffle 50 was opened.

The upper baffle 50 of the paper transport path 24 is generated on the recording paper when the leading end of the paper is temporarily stopped by the registration roller 27 in order to synchronize the toner image formed on the photosensitive drum 26 with the recording paper. The upper baffle 50 is opened by absorbing the "bending" that occurs, and when the registration sensor 52 detects the leading edge of the sheet, the cam mechanism 54 rotates and the lever 53 rotates about the shaft 53a. It is like this. At this time, the nip formed by the transport rollers 51a and 51b is also eliminated, so that the recording paper becomes free. The flexure of the recording paper also serves to absorb the impact applied to the paper when the roll paper is cut by the rotary cutter 25 in the roll paper feeder 3.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a structure in which the core 57 of the roll paper is supported at both ends. The bearing member 46, which is provided coaxially with the central axis of the core 57, is sandwiched by the side surface of the groove and the L-shaped lever 49 in the groove provided in the roll paper support plate 47. In such a configuration, when the roll paper 11 is finished, the core 57 is dragged by the roll paper, and the bearing member 46 moves up the slope of the groove against the holding force of the L-shaped lever 49, the L-shaped lever is moved. 49 rotates in the direction of the arrow around the rotary shaft 49a. When one end of the L-shaped lever 49 kicks the claw of the photo interrupter type sensor 50, a signal is output to the control system to notify the movement of the core 57.

Here, the operation when the roll paper is completed during paper feeding will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a roll paper end determination method by the control system. As described above, if the roll thickness of the roll paper becomes thin during feeding and the distance δ (roll paper thickness) between the outer diameter of the remaining roll paper and the outer diameter of the core 57 becomes 8 mm or less, the control system is instructed. Is notified that the remaining amount of roll paper is insufficient. After that, when the paper is further pulled out and the roll paper ends, the core 57 is dragged in the paper transport direction by the paper pulling force of the feed roller 22. As a result, as described with reference to FIG. 6, the bearing member 46 of the core 57 moves up the slope of the roll paper support plate 47, and the L-shaped lever 4
9 kicks the photo interrupter type sensor 50 with a nail and notifies the control system of the movement of the core 57.

In the control system, as shown in FIG. 7, the roll paper end determination is made only when both the remaining amount of roll paper and the movement of the core 57 are detected. Therefore, due to intermittent paper conveyance or the like, a force exceeding the holding force of the L-shaped lever 49 is applied to the core 57 to move the roll paper main body in the paper feed direction, and even if this is detected by the sensor 50, the roll paper alone is detected. The end is not judged. Therefore, even if the movement of the roll paper main body in the paper feed direction is erroneously detected, the end determination of the roll paper is not made based on this.

FIG. 8A shows the rotary cutter 25.
FIG. 2B is a sectional view of the rotary cutter 25.
FIG. The rotary cutter 25 has a rotary blade 2
51 and a fixed blade 252 that is biased in the direction of the rotary blade 251 by a spring 69. The rotary blade 251 is rotatably supported at its opposite ends by a pair of side plates 62a and 62b. Both ends thereof are provided with a pair of side plates 62a, 6
By 2b, the spring 69 is pivotally supported in a state where it can be swung by elasticity. The pair of side plates 62a, 62b
Together with the pair of reinforcing members 61a and 61b constitute the support frame 60.

The support frame 60 is housed in a bat-shaped cutter support frame 70 which is sheet metal processed. Cutter support frame 7
Three bosses 71a, 71b, 71c and two positioning pins 72a, 72b are erected on the bottom surface of 0, and the pair of side plates 62a, 62b of the support frame 60,
Openings 64a, 64b, 64c at positions facing the three bosses 71a, 71b, 71c, and openings 65a, 65b at positions facing the two positioning pins 72a, 72b.
Are provided respectively. In this embodiment, the boss 71 is composed of a welding nut, but it may be composed of a diaphragm of the support frame 70.

The support frame 60 is fixed to the cutter support frame 70 by first inserting the positioning pins 72a and 72b into the openings 65a and 65b to relatively position the two, and then the side plates 62a and 62b. An opening 64a provided in
From the 64b, 64c side, screw 63 to the boss 71a, 71
It is performed by screwing into b and 71c.

In this embodiment, one end of the support frame 70 is a fixed end and is fixed to the device frame or the like (not shown) by the two screws 73, but the other end has two guide pins 32. Are arranged in the up-down direction, and are movable up and down with respect to an elongated hole provided in a device frame or the like. Therefore, it is possible to adjust the right angle of the support frame 70 with respect to the roll paper feeding direction during assembly.

In the rotary cutter having the above structure,
A support frame 60 that pivotally supports the rotary blade 251 and the fixed blade 252.
Are fixed to the support frame 70 only in three small areas on the upper surfaces of the bosses 71a, 71b, 71c. Here, since there is only one plane passing through any three points in the space, "twisting" or "distortion" occurs in the support frame 70, and the relative positional relationship between the respective fixing points, that is, the upper surfaces of the bosses 71a, 71b, 71c. Even if the support frame 60 is displaced, the support frame 60 is fixed on a new plane uniquely determined by the bosses 71a, 71b, and 71c after the positional relationship is displaced, so that the support frame 70 is "twisted". Even if "distortion" occurs, this is the support frame 60
Will not be transmitted to.

Generally, in the rotary cutter, if the relative positional relationship between the rotary blade 251 and the fixed blade 252 is strictly defined, a slight deviation in the relative position of the rotary cutter itself to the recording paper is sharp. Has little effect on. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present embodiment described above, even if “twist” or “distortion” occurs in the support frame 70 (including the device frame), the relative positional relationship between the rotary blade 251 and the fixed blade 252 is Since it is always kept constant, thin to thick paper can be cut stably and at high speed.

[0033]

As described above, according to the present invention, even if "twist" or "distortion" occurs in the support frame, the device frame, etc. to which the rotary cutter is fixed, the rotary blade and the fixed blade of the rotary cutter are Since the relative positional relationship of is always kept constant, it becomes possible to cut from thin paper to thick paper at high speed.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a large-sized printer device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the roll paper feeding device in a pulled-out state.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a roll paper feeder.

5 is a diagram specifically showing a configuration of a region surrounded by a broken line A in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration in which a core of roll paper is supported at both ends.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing functions of a control system.

FIG. 8 is a configuration diagram of a rotary cutter.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Image forming apparatus, 3 ... Roll paper feeding apparatus, 4, 5 ... Cut paper feeding apparatus, 6 ... Manual feeding section, 7 ... Recording sheet discharge tray, 8 ... Display section, 11 ... Roll paper, 22 ... Sending roller, 25 ... Rotary cutter, 26 ... Photosensitive drum, 30 ... Cut paper, 57 ... Core, 60 ... Support frame, 70
... Cutter support frame, 71a, 71b, 71c ... Boss, 7
2a, 72b ... Locating pin, 251 ... Rotating blade, 252
… Fixed blade

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A roll paper feeding device comprising a rotary cutter for cutting roll paper according to the size of document information, wherein the rotary cutter includes a pair of rotary blades and a fixed blade, and the rotary blade and the fixed blade. , A supporting frame that axially supports the relative positions of the two in a predetermined relationship, and the supporting frame of the rotary cutter makes contact with an object to which the supporting frame is fixed in only three small areas. A roll paper feeding device characterized by: