JPH10286996A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To miniaturize the entire structure of an apparatus by reducing printing space. SOLUTION: A transfer body 16 for transferring toner from a sensitive body 18 to a printing paper P is formed of an internal space G for housing a printing part A excluding the transfer body 16 and a fixed cylindrical body having a gate 16a for taking printing papers P in and out, and the printing part A in the fixed cylindrical body is constructed of a printing part that moves in the direction of axis and rotates round the axis of the transfer body 16. An exposure device 17 of the printing part A has a light source shedding light to the surface of the sensitive body 18 and is positioned on the axis of the transfer body 16.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer suitable for use in an electrophotographic apparatus using the recording principle of a copying machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, non-impact recording type printers have been widely used because of extremely low noise during recording and high-speed recording. Such a printer employs an electrophotographic system in which data is written on the surface of a photoreceptor by light such as a laser or an LED, and toner is attached to an electrostatic latent image corresponding to the written data by electrostatic force to perform development. Printers are known.

Conventionally, this type of printer is configured, for example, as shown in FIG. This will be described with reference to FIG. 1. In the printer denoted by reference numeral 1, after a laser beam emitted from a laser light source 2 is reflected by a polygon mirror 3,
The data is written by irradiating the surface of the photoreceptor 4, toner is adhered from the toner unit 5 to the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the written data, and the electrostatic latent image is developed.
Transfer to Reference numerals 7 and 8 denote a fixing unit for fixing the toner on the print paper P and a demagnetizing unit for initializing the potential application state of the photoconductor 4 after transfer.

[0004]

In a conventional printer, printing is performed by transporting the print sheet P in a linear direction. Therefore, the dimension of the print section in the transport direction of the print sheet P is set as the dimension of the print section in the transport direction. Required a linear dimension corresponding to. As a result, there is a problem that a printing space is widened and the entire apparatus is enlarged.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and by performing printing processing on print paper conveyed along the inner peripheral surface of the transfer member, it is possible to reduce the printing space, and thereby the apparatus It is an object of the present invention to provide a printer that can be downsized as a whole.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer according to the present invention, wherein data is written on a surface of a photoreceptor by an exposure device, and a latent image corresponding to the written data is written. In a printer that attaches toner from a toner section to a toner and develops it, and transfers it to print paper on a transfer body, the transfer body is an internal space that houses the printing unit excluding the transfer body and paper that can carry in and out the print paper. It is formed by a fixed cylinder having an entrance, and a printing part in the fixed cylinder is constituted by a printing part which moves in the axial direction of the transfer body and rotates around the axis, and the exposure device of the printing part is a surface of the photoreceptor. And a light source that emits light toward the transfer member, and is positioned on the axis of the transfer body.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first aspect, a paper pick mechanism capable of transporting print paper in a circumferential direction in the transfer body is provided.

[0008] The invention described in claim 3 is claim 1 or 2.
In the printer described above, a carry-in roller and a carry-out roller are provided near the paper entrance outside the transfer body.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the printer according to the first, second, or third aspect, a guide mechanism for guiding a print sheet is provided near the printing section.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described.
This will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 and 2 are a cross-sectional view and a perspective view schematically showing a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C show a printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a printing position of the printer and print paper at front and rear positions thereof. In FIG. 1, a printer denoted by reference numeral 11 includes a print head 12, a paper picking mechanism 13, a carry-in roller 14, and a carry-out roller 15.
And

The print head 12 has a transfer member 16, an exposure device 17, a photosensitive member 18, a toner portion 19, a fixing device 20, and a demagnetizing portion 21. The print head 12 is provided with the transfer body 1
6 (exposing device 17, photoreceptor 18, toner unit 19, fixing unit 20 and degaussing unit 21) except for printing unit
It is configured to be movable.

The transfer member 16 includes an exposure device 17 and the photosensitive member 1.
8, a toner unit 19, a fixing unit 20, a demagnetizing unit 21, and an internal space G for accommodating a printing unit transfer body 22, and a fixed cylindrical body having a paper entrance 16a through which print paper P can be loaded and unloaded. Thereby, the photosensitive member 18
The upper toner is transferred onto the print paper P. Note that a paper guide mechanism (not shown) that guides the print paper P is provided in the transfer body 16.

A round bar 23 having a guide groove (not shown) for guiding the exposing device 17 (printing unit transfer body 22) in a spiral direction is fixed on the axis of the transfer body 16.
3, a cylindrical rotating shaft 24 having a linear groove (not shown) for guiding the exposure device 17 in the axial direction of the transfer body 16.
Are rotatably arranged.

As a result, the printing unit transfer body 22 (printing unit A) moves in the axial direction of the transfer body 16 as shown by an arrow a in FIG. 2 and also as shown by an arrow b in FIG. 1 and FIG. The transfer member 16 rotates around the axis thereof.

The outer diameter of the round bar 23 is set smaller than the inner diameter of the rotating shaft 24, and the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 24 is set smaller than the inner diameter of the transfer body 16.

The exposure device 17 has a laser light source that irradiates light toward the surface of the photoreceptor 18, and is positioned on the axis of the transfer body 16. As a result, data is written on the surface of the photoconductor 18.

The photoreceptor 18 is disposed in the vicinity of the inner peripheral surface of the transfer body 16 so as to be rotatable in the direction indicated by the arrow c in FIGS. Photoconductor 1
The surface of the surface 8 is formed by the flashing of the laser beam by the exposure device 17 in synchronization with the image data. Toner section 19
Are disposed near the photoconductor 18. This allows
The toner is adhered to the photoreceptor 18 in the latent image state, and development is performed.

The fixing device 20 is rotatably arranged in a position indicated by an arrow d in FIGS. 1 and 2 at a position in parallel with the photoreceptor 18 at a predetermined interval in the circumferential direction, independently of the operation of the printing unit transfer body 22. Has been established. As a result, the toner on the print paper P is fixed. The degaussing section 21 is provided near the photoconductor 18. Thus, the potential application state of the photoconductor 18 after the transfer is initialized.

The paper picking mechanism 13 has two paper pressing shafts 13a and 13b, and is movably disposed in the transfer body 16. Both paper holding shafts 13a, 1
3b approach each other by the urging force of a spring (not shown), hold the print paper P by pressure, and move along the inner peripheral surface of the transfer body 16. Thus, the print paper P is transported in the circumferential direction of the transfer body 16.

The paper holding shafts 13a, 13b
When the biasing force of the spring (not shown) is released,
The respective members are separated from each other, and the holding state of the print paper P is also released.

The carry-in roller 14 is provided on the paper carry-in side near the paper entrance 16a outside the transfer body 16.
Thereby, the print paper P outside the transfer body 16 is carried into the transfer body 16 from the paper entrance 16a. Unloading roller 1
Numeral 5 is provided on the sheet discharge side near the sheet entrance 16a outside the transfer body 16. Thereby, the print paper P in the transfer body 16 is carried out of the transfer body 16 through the paper entrance 16a.

Printing by the printer constructed as described above is performed by moving the printing unit transfer body 22 in the axial direction of the transfer body 16 while rotating about the axis of the transfer body 16. At this time, the exposure device 17
The toner is applied from the toner unit 19 to the electrostatic latent image corresponding to the written data and developed, and the developed image is continuously transferred to the printing paper P on the transfer body 16.

Next, the conveyance of the print paper P by the printer according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, the leading end portion of the print paper P is carried into the transfer body 16 by the carry-in roller 14 as shown in FIG.
Of paper holding shafts 13a and 13b. At this time, the printing unit transfer body 22 is
3 is located on the opposite side to the moving direction.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the print paper P is transported along the inner peripheral surface of the transfer body 16 by the paper picking mechanism 13, and as shown in FIG.
The printing paper P is positioned at the printing position in the box. At this time, the printing unit transfer body 22 is positioned in the printing position by rotating in the direction indicated by the arrow b in FIG.

After the printing is completed, the leading end of the print paper P is transferred to the discharge roller 14 by the paper picking mechanism 13 as shown in FIG. 7E, and is transferred by the discharge roller 14 as shown in FIG. It is carried out of the body 16. In this way, the print paper P can be transported by the paper pick mechanism 13, the carry-in roller 14, and the carry-out roller 15.

In the present embodiment, an example has been shown in which the printing unit transfer body 22 is transferred in the spiral direction of the transfer body 16 by rotating the rotating shaft 24, but the present invention is not limited to this. Instead, the same effect as that of the first embodiment can be obtained by a device (second embodiment) that is performed by rotating the printing unit transfer body 22 (exposure device).

In this case, as shown in FIG.
A spiral projection 32 for guiding the printing unit transfer body 22 (not shown in FIG. 5) on the outer peripheral surface of the fixed round bar shaft 31 which coincides with the axis of
And a driving source (not shown) for rotating the roller shafts 33a, 34a of the rollers 33, 34 rolling along the protrusion 32 in the direction of the arrow (the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow). For example, it is attached to the printing unit transfer body 22 by being incorporated in the exposure device 17 (not shown in FIG. 5).

Although the case where the light source of the exposure apparatus in this embodiment is a laser light source has been described, the present invention is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that another light source may be used.

Further, the paper guide mechanism (not shown) in the present invention is desirably provided at least in the vicinity of the printing section in order to reliably perform printing on the print paper P.

[0030]

As described above, according to the present invention, the transfer member for transferring the toner from the photoreceptor to the printing paper, the internal space for storing the printing part excluding the transfer member, and the printing paper can be loaded and unloaded. The printing unit in the fixed cylinder is formed by a printing unit that moves in the axial direction of the transfer body and rotates around the axis, and the exposure device of the printing unit includes a photoconductor. It has a light source that irradiates light toward the surface of the transfer body, and is positioned on the axis of the transfer body.By rotating the printing unit around the axis of the transfer body, by moving the print unit in the axial direction of the transfer body, Printing is performed.

Therefore, since the dimension of the printing section in the paper transport direction can be secured along the inner peripheral surface of the transfer body, the printing space can be reduced, and the overall size of the apparatus can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view schematically showing a printer according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C are perspective views showing a printing position by a printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention and print paper at front and rear positions thereof.

FIGS. 4A to 4F are cross-sectional views illustrating the conveyance of print paper by the printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a round bar and rollers for guiding a printing unit transfer body of a printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view schematically showing a conventional printer.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Printer 12 Print head 13 Pick mechanism 16 Transfer body 16a Paper entrance 17 Exposure device 18 Photoreceptor 19 Toner part A Printing part G Internal space P Print paper

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A printer which writes data on the surface of a photoreceptor by an exposure device, applies toner from a toner portion to a latent image corresponding to the written data, develops the latent image, and transfers the developed image onto print paper on a transfer body. The transfer body is formed by a fixed cylindrical body having an internal space for storing a printing unit excluding the transfer body and a paper entrance through which print paper can be loaded and unloaded, and the printing unit in the fixed cylinder is subjected to the transfer. An exposure device of the printing unit includes a light source that irradiates light toward the surface of the photoconductor, and includes a light source that irradiates light toward the surface of the photoconductor. A printer characterized by being positioned on a line. 2. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a paper pick mechanism capable of transporting print paper in a circumferential direction is provided in the transfer body. 3. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a carry-in roller and a carry-out roller are provided near the paper entrance outside the transfer member. 4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein a guide mechanism for guiding a print sheet is provided near the printing unit.