JPH0912159A - Paper size detection device of paper feed cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide a paper size detection device of a paper feed cassette which can be made at a lower cost by a simple structure. CONSTITUTION: In this device, a sensor detected body 8 which can be moved integrally with a paper guide 7 is installed on the end guide 7 arranged slidably in a paper feed cassette 1 and two light sensors S1, S2 are installed on the fixed position of a main body side for storing the paper feed cassette 1 while facing to a slide position of the end guide 7 and paper sizes of four kinds of a storing record paper are detected by displacement of the sensor detected body 8 by slide operation of the end guide 7 by an operator.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper size detecting device for a paper feed cassette used in a cassette paper feed type recording device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For cassette feeding used in a recording apparatus that uses cut sheets, a method is used in which a size of recording sheets to be stored in each cassette is defined in advance and a dedicated cassette is used for each different sheet size. There is a method in which a paper feed cassette is commonly used for storing recording papers of different paper sizes.

In the latter case, as illustrated in FIG. 5, a paper guide (end guide) G1 for restricting the length of the stored recording paper on the bottom plate of the paper feed cassette C, and a paper for similarly restricting the width of the stored recording paper. Guides (side guides) G2 and G2 are provided so as to be slidable, so that the size of the stored recording paper can be adjusted according to the size.
It is usual to adjust the recording paper storage space in the cassette C. Further, this kind of paper feed cassette is provided with some detection means for detecting and displaying the size of the recording paper stored in the cassette.

[0004]

In the case of the paper guide shift type paper feed cassette, the paper size detecting means detects the position of the paper guide which is slid and displaced corresponding to the size of the stored recording paper to detect the paper size. It is usual to discriminate the size, but in the conventional one, there is a problem that the mechanism is very complicated and costly.

That is, in the existing detecting means, the displacement of the paper guide is transmitted to the sensor detected body provided on the side surface of the cassette through the interlocking mechanism provided on the bottom of the cassette, and the displacement of the sensor detected body is transmitted to the apparatus main body side. The mainstream method is to detect the paper size by detecting it with a sensor provided, but in this method, the interlocking mechanism built in the bottom of the cassette has to be a complicated structure with many parts, and the cassette as a whole is inevitable. It has the drawback of being profound and expensive. Further, in the case of this type of conventional detecting means, the number corresponding to the type of paper size that can be stored, for example, B5, A4, B4, A
If four paper sizes of three can be stored, four sensors are required, and the cost is increased in terms of the required number of sensors.

In view of the above problems of the present situation, it is an object of the present invention to provide a paper size detection device for a paper feed cassette, which has a simple structure and can be manufactured at low cost.

[0007]

As a means for achieving the above object, the present invention provides a paper guide slidably arranged in a paper feed cassette and a sensor detection target which is moved integrally with the paper guide. The body is provided, and the sensor is provided at a fixed position on the main body side for accommodating the paper feed cassette so as to face the slide portion of the paper guide.

Here, a non-contact type optical sensor is used as the sensor, and the object to be detected by the sensor is composed of a light shielding member. However, it is possible to use a contact sensor such as a filler sensor instead of the optical sensor.

Normally, the paper guide to which the present invention is applied is mainly the end guide illustrated in FIG. 5, but the side guide shown in FIG. 5 can of course be applied, and if necessary, both can be applied. .

As a preferred embodiment of the paper size detecting apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of sensors are provided at the separated positions on the main body side, while a plurality of sensors are intermittently detected on the sensor detected body which is moved integrally with the paper guide. A part may be provided and a plurality of sensors may be alternately turned on / off depending on the position of the paper guide.

[0011]

In this detection device, when the paper guide in the paper feed cassette is slid in accordance with the paper size of the stored recording paper, the sensor provided on the main body side is moved integrally with the paper guide. The paper size can be automatically detected by switching between ON and OFF depending on the presence or absence of the detection unit.
Further, by providing a plurality of sensors on the main body side and intermittently providing a plurality of detection portions on the sensor detected body that is moved integrally with the paper guide, the plurality of sensors are alternately turned on / off depending on the position of the paper guide. This makes it possible to detect the paper size that is twice as many as the number of sensors.

[0012]

EXAMPLES Examples of the present invention will be illustrated and described below.

1 and 2 show the outline of a paper feed cassette 1 according to the present invention. In this case, only an end guide for regulating the length of a recording paper housed vertically in the cassette is in the longitudinal direction. The slide format is shown.

That is, at the front end of the paper feed cassette 1,
Side guides 2 are provided at fixed positions on both sides, and a push-up plate 3 on which the leading end of the recording paper is placed is provided in the middle thereof. The push-up plate 3 has a base end pivotally supported by the cassette bottom plate 6, a tip end portion thereof floated upward by a push-up spring 4 interposed between the push-up plate 3 and the cassette bottom plate 6, and both sides of the tip end portion are side surfaces. The claw members 5 and 5 swingably attached to the guides 2 and 2 are engaged.

At the rear end of the paper feed cassette 1, an end guide 7 for restricting the length of the recording paper stored vertically in the cassette is slidably arranged from the center of the cassette to the rear end. There is. The lower end of the end guide 7 is inserted into a guide groove 9 formed in the cassette bottom plate 6 in a slit shape in the longitudinal direction, and slide-positioned along the guide groove 9. . A plate-shaped sensor detection object 8 is integrally provided from the lower end of the end guide 7 protruding downward through the guide groove 9 toward the front in the guide sliding direction. The sensor detected body 8 is slidably moved on the lower surface of the cassette bottom plate 6 together with the end guide 7. Further, the sensor detected body 8 is provided with cutouts 8b located on one side of the guide groove 9 in some places, and a plurality of detection sections 8a forming a light shielding member of an optical sensor described later installed on the main body side.
Are provided intermittently.

On the other hand, on the side of the main body (not shown) for accommodating the paper feed cassette 1, two optical sensors S1 facing the slide part of the end guide 7 at a fixed position close to the cassette bottom plate 6, S2 is provided. This optical sensor S
Reference numerals 1 and S2 are arranged at positions directly below one side of the guide groove 9 at the separated positions corresponding to the intermittent shape of the detection portion 8a of the sensor detected body 8, and the sensor detected body 8 is provided thereon.
Is turned on when the detection section 8a of FIG. 8 arrives, and OF is detected when the detected body 8 is retracted from above or the cutout section 8b is arrived.
The sensor information is switched to the F state, and the sensor information is input to the determination means provided in the control unit of the apparatus body.

In the detection device having the above structure, when the operator slides the end guide 7 in the paper feed cassette 1 according to the paper size of the stored recording paper, the two sensors S1 and S2 provided on the main body side are operated. It is possible to automatically switch between ON and OFF depending on the presence or absence of the detection portion 8a of the sensor detection object 8 that is moved integrally with the end guide 7, and to automatically detect four types of paper sizes.

FIG. 3 shows an example of sensor operation in the case of discriminating and detecting four types of recording papers B5, A4, B4 and A3. (A) is a case where the end guide 7 is set at a position corresponding to the B5 recording paper length L1, and in this case, both the sensors S1 and S2 are turned off to detect the B5 paper size. Also, in (b), the end guide 7 is A4.
When the position is set to the position corresponding to the recording paper length L2, in this case, the sensor S1 is switched off and the sensor S2 is switched on to detect the A4 paper size. Further, (c) shows a case where the end guide 7 is set at a position corresponding to the B4 recording paper length L3. In this case, both the sensors S1 and S2 are turned ON to detect the B4 paper size. And, (d) shows a case where the end guide 7 is set at a position corresponding to the A3 recording sheet length L4. In this case, the sensor S1 is ON and S2 is O.
The FF is switched to detect the A3 paper size.

As described above, in the detection device according to the present invention,
The sensors S1 and S2 provided on the main body side can detect the sensor detection object 8 that is moved integrally with the end guide 7 to automatically detect the paper size. Therefore, a complicated mechanism is provided at the bottom of the cassette. No need to provide. Moreover, since the two sensors S1 and S2 can detect four types of paper sizes, in other words, the number of types of paper sizes that is twice the number of sensors, the required number of sensors can be saved. However,
When distinguishing two kinds of recording paper sizes, it is sufficient to install one sensor.

As a means for forming the detection portion 8a provided on the sensor detection body 8 integrated with the end guide 7, instead of the notch 8b shown in the embodiment, a slit hole 8c is opened as shown in FIG. You may allow it.

[0021]

As described above, if the paper size detecting device according to the present invention is adopted, it is complicated to operate the sensor detected body in conjunction with the paper guide at the bottom of the paper feeding cassette, as in the existing device. Since no additional mechanism is required and the number of types of paper that is twice as many as the number of sensors can be detected and the number of required sensors can be reduced, a recording paper size automatic detection means for a paper feed cassette that has a simple structure and is inexpensive It will be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a paper feed cassette showing an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an intermediate portion of FIG.

3 (a), (b), (c), and (d) are cross-sectional views corresponding to FIG. 2 showing the operation of the embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing another embodiment of the sensor detected object.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the outline of a paper guide slide type paper feed cassette.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Paper feed cassette 2 Side guide 3 Push-up plate 4 Push-up spring 5 Claw member 6 Cassette bottom plate 7 End guide 8 Sensor detected object 8a Detection part 8b Cutout 8c Slit hole 9 Guide groove S1, S2 Optical sensor

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A paper guide slidably arranged in a paper feed cassette is provided with a sensor detected body that is moved integrally with the paper guide, and the paper guide is fixed at a fixed position on the main body side for housing the paper feed cassette. A paper size detection device for a paper feed cassette, which is provided with a sensor facing the slide portion. 2. The paper size detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is an optical sensor, and the object to be detected by the sensor is a light shielding member. 3. The paper size detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the paper guide is an end guide attached to the cassette bottom plate to regulate the length of the recording paper.