JPH10338390A - Paper feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeding device that can simplify constitution of the device so as to reduce cost. SOLUTION: In a paper feeding device 11, rotation of a feed roller 13 for feeding paper stored in a paper storage part, and rotation of a register roller 14 provided downstream of the feed roller 13 so as to align a position of the tip of paper and to feed the paper to the printing part side are controlled by one control means 29. With this constitution, since rotation of the feed roller 13 and rotation or the register roller 14 are controlled by one control means 29 without controlling separately, constitution of the device can be simplified, and cost can be reduced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding device, and more particularly to a paper feeding device attached to a recording device such as a printer for supplying paper to a printing unit for printing paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording device such as a printer is provided with a paper feeding device for sequentially supplying paper to be printed to a printing unit for printing the paper. As shown in FIG. 4, a sheet feeding apparatus of this type includes a sheet feeding cassette 1 in which a large number of sheets are set in a stack, and a sheet feeding roller for feeding the sheets set in the sheet feeding cassette 1 one by one. 2 and the paper fed by the paper feed roller 2, the leading edge of the paper can be aligned so that proper printing can be performed on the paper, and the paper can be sent to the printing unit side. And a registration roller 3.

When the paper set in the paper supply cassette 1 is supplied, first, the paper supply roller 2 is rotated, and the rotation of the registration roller 3 is stopped. To the registration roller 3. At this time, the leading end of the sheet comes into contact with the stopped registration roller 3, and the sheet is skewed or slips between the sheet and the sheet feeding roller 2. If the feeding amount is not appropriate, the leading end position of the sheet is adjusted to an appropriate position so that appropriate printing can be performed on the sheet. Then, after the leading end position is adjusted and the paper feeding posture is corrected, the registration roller 3 starts rotating and the paper is fed to the printing unit side.
The paper feed roller 2 is controlled so as to be put on standby each time one sheet is fed, so that the next sheet is not fed until the sheet feed by the registration roller 3 is completed.

When the paper feed by the registration roller 3 is completed, the paper feed roller 2 rotates again, and the rotation of the registration roller 3 stops, and the next paper feed operation is started, and this operation is repeated. The paper is sequentially supplied to the printing unit side. In this case, the rotation of the paper feed roller 2 and the rotation of the registration roller 3 are performed using separate control means. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, a paper feeding solenoid 4 for controlling the rotation of the paper feeding roller 2 is provided on the paper feeding roller 2 via a paper feeding lever 6. The registration roller 3 is provided with a registration solenoid 5 for controlling the rotation of the registration roller 3 via a clutch mechanism 7 and an intermediate gear 8. The feed solenoid 4 and the registration solenoid 5 are provided so as to be interlocked with the gear 10, and independently control the rotation of the feed roller 2 and the rotation of the registration roller 3 to perform the above operation. I was going to do it.

[0005]

However, as described above, if the paper feed roller 2 and the registration roller 3 are controlled using separate control means, the configuration of the apparatus becomes complicated, and This causes a problem that the cost increases. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding device that can simplify the configuration of the device and reduce costs.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the invention according to claim 1 includes a paper feed roller for feeding paper stored in a paper storage unit, and a paper feed roller downstream of the paper feed roller. The paper feed roller is provided to receive the paper sent from the paper feed roller, adjust the leading edge of the paper so that proper printing can be performed on the paper, and feed the paper to the printing unit side. And a registration roller, wherein the rotation of the paper supply roller and the rotation of the registration roller are controlled by one control unit. According to such a configuration,
Since the rotation of the paper feed roller and the rotation of the registration roller are controlled by one control unit without being separately controlled, the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. it can.

[0007] The invention described in claim 2 is the first invention.
In the invention described in the above, the control means includes a sheet feeding actuator for controlling rotation of the sheet feeding roller, and a registration actuator for controlling rotation of the registration roller, wherein the sheet feeding actuator and It is characterized in that it is configured to operate in conjunction with the resist actuator. According to such a configuration, since the sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator operate in conjunction with each other, the rotation of the sheet feeding roller and the rotation of the registration roller can be reliably controlled by one control means with a simple configuration. can do.

[0008] Further, the invention described in claim 3 is based on claim 2.
In the invention described in (1), the paper feed actuator and the resist actuator are connected by a connecting arm. If the sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator are connected by the connection arm, the sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator can be reliably linked with a simple configuration, so that reliable control can be achieved while simplifying the apparatus. Can be realized.

[0009] The invention described in claim 4 is the invention according to claim 3.
In the invention described in (1), the control means further includes an actuator operating means, and the actuator operating means operates to swing the sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator. By providing such an actuator operating means, the rotation of the paper feeding roller and the registration roller can be controlled by swinging the paper feeding actuator and the registration actuator by the operation of the actuator operating means. Therefore, accurate and reliable control can be achieved while further simplifying the apparatus.

[0010]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is a side view showing a main part of an embodiment of a paper feeder according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a main part top view showing a driving mechanism of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG. An embodiment of the paper feeding apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The paper feeding device 11 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is incorporated in a recording device and sequentially supplies paper to be printed in the printing portion to a printing portion of the recording device having a print head and a platen roller. Section, a new sheet is printed each time printing of the sheet is completed.
They are supplied one by one.

As shown in FIG. 1, this paper feeding device 11
A paper feed cassette 12 as a paper storage unit in which a large number of papers are set in a stack, and a paper feed roller 13 for feeding the papers set in the paper feed cassette 12 one by one to a printing unit.
And the paper fed by the paper feed roller 13 is received,
A registration roller 14 is provided to adjust the leading end position of the paper so that proper printing can be performed on the paper, and to feed the paper to the printing unit side. The paper feed cassette 12 can be detachably attached to an upper opening of a casing 53 of the paper feed device 11, and the paper feed roller 13 is disposed at a lower end side of the paper feed cassette 12. The roller 14 is arranged on the downstream side of the paper feed roller 13. The driving for paper feeding from a driving source (not shown) is always input to the input gear 21, and the driving is transmitted from the constantly rotating input gear 21 to the paper feeding roller 13 and the registration roller 14. ,
The paper feeding device 11 is operated.

The paper feed roller 13 is provided on a paper feed roller shaft 15, and a paper feed roller gear 1 for transmitting drive to the paper feed roller shaft 15 is provided at an end of the paper feed roller shaft 15.
6 are provided. Then, the feed roller gear 16
Has a toothless portion 38 in which a tooth is not formed in a part thereof, and the teeth formed other than the toothless portion 38 are meshed with the input gear 21 arranged below the sheet feed roller gear 16. Are located. In addition, the feed roller gear 16
Inside the paper, every time the paper feed roller 13 feeds one sheet,
An intermittent gear 17 is provided to stop the rotation of the paper feed roller 13 and wait until the next paper feed.
The intermittent gear 17 has a cylindrical shape along the outer periphery of the feed roller shaft 15 and has a projection 18 projecting radially outward. 3
8 are provided.

A sheet feeding lever shaft 1 extending radially outward of the intermittent gear 17 in the same direction as the sheet feeding roller shaft 15.
The paper feed lever shaft 19 is provided with a paper feed lever 20 whose one end is engaged with the projection 18 of the intermittent gear 17 so as to be swingable. The paper feed lever 20 is urged by a spring 39 in a direction in which it comes into contact with the intermittent gear 17.
When the paper feed lever 20 is engaged with the protrusion 18 of the intermittent gear 17, the missing gear 38 of the paper feed roller gear 16 and the input gear 21 are arranged so as to face each other. The feeding roller gear 16 and the input gear 21 are prevented from meshing with each other. In this state, the paper feed roller 13 is moved by the torque spring 52 to the paper feed lever 2.
When the engagement between the 0 and the projection 18 of the intermittent gear 17 is released, the paper feed roller gear 16 is urged to rotate by a fixed angle until it engages with the input gear 21. .

When the paper is fed, the paper feed lever 20 is swung against the urging force of the spring 39 to release the engagement between the paper feed lever 20 and the projection 18 of the intermittent gear 17. As a result, the urging force of the torque spring 52 acts, and the paper feed roller gear 16 rotates until it meshes with the input gear 21.
Next, the input gear 21 and the paper feed roller gear 16 mesh with each other, the drive from the input gear 21 is transmitted, the paper feed roller 13 rotates, and the paper is fed.

When the projection 18 rotates to a position where the projection 18 comes into contact with the paper feeding lever 20 by approximately one rotation, the paper feeding lever 20 is again engaged with the projection 18 by the urging force of the spring 39. And the missing tooth portion 38 of the feed roller gear 16
However, since the drive transmitted from the input gear 21 to the paper feed roller gear 16 is cut off in opposition to the input gear 21, the rotation of the paper feed roller 13 is continued until the paper feed lever 20 swings next time. It stops. Thus, the paper feed roller 13
Is configured to feed out sheets one by one each time the sheet feeding lever 20 swings once.

On the other hand, the registration roller 14 is provided on a registration roller shaft 22, and a registration roller gear 23 for transmitting drive to the registration roller shaft 22 is provided at the shaft end of the registration roller shaft 22. Have been.
The registration roller gear 23 meshes with an intermediate gear 24 disposed behind the registration roller gear 23.
Reference numeral 4 denotes an output gear 25 disposed rearward thereof and coaxial with the input gear 21 and disposed inside the input gear 21.
Are engaged. As shown in FIG. 2, the input gear 21 and the output gear 25 transmit drive via a clutch mechanism 26.

As shown in FIG. 2, the clutch mechanism 26 includes an input gear 21, an output gear 25, a clutch gear 27, and a planet gear 28. Clutch gear 27
Is disposed coaxially with the input gear 21 and outside the input gear 21, and meshes with the planetary gear 28 at its internal teeth. The planetary gear 28 is located within the input gear 21.
It is rotatably supported, and meshes with the internal teeth of the clutch gear 27 and the internal teeth of the output gear 25.

When the clutch gear 27 is fixed and stopped, the planetary gear rotates on the internal teeth of the fixed clutch gear 27 together with the rotation of the input gear 21, and meshes with the planetary gear 28. Output gear 25
, The drive from the input gear 21 is transmitted. On the other hand, when the clutch gear 27 is unlocked and the clutch gear 27 rotates, the clutch gear 27 rotates together with the input gear 21, and the planetary gear 28 rotates together with the clutch gear 27. Reference numeral 28 rolls on the internal teeth of the output gear 25, and the drive from the input gear 21 is not transmitted to the output gear 25. In this way, the clutch mechanism 26 transmits or cuts off the drive from the input gear 21 to the output gear 25 by rotating or stopping the clutch gear 27. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, a sensor 43 located near the registration roller 14
, The clutch gear 27 is rotated or stopped according to a signal from the sensor.

In such a configuration, in this embodiment, the rotation of the paper feed roller 13 and the rotation of the registration roller 14 are controlled by one control means 29. As shown in FIG. 1, the control means 29 includes a paper feed actuator 30 for controlling the rotation of the paper feed roller 13.
And a registration actuator 31 for controlling the rotation of the registration roller 14, and a solenoid 33 as an actuator operating means for operating these two actuators 30 and 31. The paper feed actuator 30 and the registration actuator 31 are connected by a connection arm 32, and the operation of the solenoid 33 causes the paper feed actuator 30 and the registration actuator 31 to swing, so that the paper feed roller 13 and the registration roller 14 The rotation of is controlled.

More specifically, the paper feed actuator 30 is configured such that a central portion in the longitudinal direction formed in an arm shape is provided behind the paper feed lever 20 and extends in the same direction as the paper feed lever shaft 19. It is swingably supported by an actuator shaft 34. Then, one end of the paper feed actuator 30 is
The sheet feed lever 20 is brought into contact with an end of the intermittent gear 17 opposite to the end engaged with the projection 18, and
The other end of the rod 3 of the solenoid 33 reciprocated up and down
It is fixed to 5. Further, the sheet feeding actuator 30
Is formed with a connecting portion 40 extending downward from the central portion in the length direction.

On the other hand, the registration actuator 31 has an arm-shaped end portion disposed radially outward below the clutch gear 27 and extending in the same direction as the sheet feeding actuator shaft 34. By
It is swingably supported. On the upper side of the free end of the registration actuator 31, a projection 41 capable of fitting with the external teeth of the clutch gear 27, and extending upward, at a predetermined distance from the connecting portion 40 of the sheet feeding actuator 30, are provided. Opposing connecting portions 42 are formed.

The connecting arm 32 is connected to the connecting portion 40 of the sheet feeding actuator 30 and the registration actuator 31.
And a connecting arm shaft 37 extending in the same direction as the sheet feeding actuator shaft 34, which is arranged in the up-down direction, and is centrally arranged in the vertical direction and formed in an arm shape. I have. The upper end of the connecting arm 32 is rotatably connected to the connecting portion 40 of the sheet feeding actuator 30 via a shaft, and the lower end is rotatably connected to the connecting portion 42 of the registration actuator 31 via a shaft. ing.

Next, the operation of the control means 29 will be described.
This will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the paper is started and the paper set in the paper feed cassette 2 is
FIG. 3 shows a state in which the sheet is fed to the registration roller 14 by the sheet feeding roller 13, and FIG.
FIG. 2 is a view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing a state in which a sheet is sent to a printing unit side by the following.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the paper set in the paper feed cassette 12 is supplied, the paper feed actuator 30 operates the rod 35 of the solenoid 33 downward, so that the paper feed actuator 30 The paper feed lever 20 swings in the direction indicated by the arrow 45. Then, the engagement between the feed lever 20 and the projection 18 of the intermittent gear 17 is released,
The urging force of the torque spring 52 acts on the paper feed roller 13,
The paper feed roller gear 16 rotates until it meshes with the input gear 21, and then the input gear 21 and the paper feed roller gear 16 mesh, and the drive from the input gear 21 is transmitted, and the paper feed roller 13 rotates and the paper feed roller 13 rotates. Is sent.

On the other hand, the swing of the sheet feeding actuator 30 causes the connecting arm 32 connected to the sheet feeding actuator 30 to swing about the connecting arm shaft 37 in the direction indicated by the arrow 46. Then, the registration actuator 31 connected to the connection arm shaft 37 swings around the registration actuator shaft 36 in the direction indicated by the arrow 47, and the projection 41 formed on the registration roller actuator 31 moves out of the clutch gear 27. Move away from teeth. Then, when the clutch gear 27 disengaged from the projection 41 starts rotating, the rotation of the registration roller 13 is stopped via the clutch mechanism 26 described above.

When the paper feed roller 13 rotates and the registration roller 14 stops rotating, the paper is sent to the registration roller 14 by the paper feed roller 13 and the leading edge of the paper is When the paper is skewed by contacting the stopped registration roller 14 or slip occurs between the paper and the paper feed roller 13 and the feed amount at the leading end is not appropriate. Then, the leading edge of the sheet is adjusted to an appropriate position so that appropriate printing can be performed on the sheet.

The leading edge of the paper is
When the sensor 43 detects the sheet, the sensor 43 detects the sheet and adjusts the leading edge of the sheet.
After an interval of several seconds, a signal is sent to the solenoid 33. Then, as shown in FIG. 3, by the signal from the sensor 43, the rod 35 is actuated upward by the urging force of the spring 54, so that the sheet feeding actuator 30
The paper feed lever 20 swings in the direction shown by arrow 55 with the paper feed actuator shaft 34 as a fulcrum, and swings in the direction shown by arrow 55. Then, the paper feed lever 20 is
Is applied in the direction indicated by the arrow 55, that is, in the direction in which it comes into contact with the intermittent gear 17, and then it makes almost one turn, and the projection 18 rotates to the position in which it comes into contact with the paper feed lever 20. Then, the paper feed lever 20 is engaged with the projection 18 again. When the paper feed lever 20 is engaged with the protrusion 18, as described above, the toothless portion 38 of the paper feed roller gear 16 faces the input gear 21 and moves from the input gear 21 to the paper feed roller gear 16. , The rotation of the paper feed roller 13 is stopped.

On the other hand, due to the swing of the paper feed actuator 30, the connecting arm 32 connected to the paper feed actuator 30 causes the connecting arm shaft 37 to serve as a fulcrum.
It swings in the direction indicated by 0. Then, the connecting arm shaft 3
7, the registration actuator 31 swings in the direction indicated by the arrow 51 with the registration actuator shaft 36 as a fulcrum, and the projection 41 formed on the registration roller actuator 31 moves in the direction meshing with the external teeth of the clutch gear 27. Moving. Then, the projection 41 and the clutch gear 27
When the rotation of the clutch gear 27 stops due to the engagement with the external teeth of the registration rollers 13, the registration rollers 13 start rotating via the clutch mechanism 26 described above.

As described above, when the rotation of the paper feed roller 13 is stopped and the registration roller 14 is rotated, the paper is sent to the printing unit side by the registration roller 14, and the paper supply roller 13 Waits until the next sheet is sent. When the paper feed by the registration roller 14 is completed, the rod 35 of the solenoid 33 is operated downward again, whereby the paper feed roller 13 starts rotating, and the rotation of the registration roller 14 is stopped.
The next sheet feeding operation is started, and this operation is repeated, and sheets are sequentially supplied one by one to the printing unit side.

According to such a configuration, the sheet feeding roller 13
And the rotation of the registration roller 14 are controlled by one control means 29 without being separately controlled, so that the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. . In addition, since the sheet feeding actuator 30 and the registration actuator 31 are connected by the connecting arm and operate in conjunction with each other, it is possible to realize reliable control with a simple configuration. Also, by the solenoid 33 as the actuator operating means,
Paper feed actuator 30 and resist actuator 31
Can be controlled to control the rotation of the sheet feed roller 13 and the rotation of the registration roller 14, thereby achieving more accurate and reliable control while further simplifying the apparatus.

Incidentally, as the actuator operating means of this embodiment, an electromagnetic clutch, a motor or the like may be used in addition to the solenoid 33. Further, the control unit 29 may be provided on only one side or on both sides of the side of the sheet feeding device 11. Further, a plurality of intermediate gears may be provided in the drive transmission path.

[0032]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation of the paper feed roller and the rotation of the registration roller are controlled by:
Since control is performed by one control unit without performing separate control, the configuration of the apparatus can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator operate in conjunction with each other, the rotation of the sheet feeding roller and the rotation of the registration roller can be reduced by one with a simple configuration. The control can be surely performed by two control means. According to the third aspect of the present invention, since the sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator are connected by the connection arm, the sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator can be reliably linked with a simple configuration. Therefore, reliable control can be realized while simplifying the apparatus.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, by providing the actuator operating means, the operation of the actuator operating means causes the sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator to swing, thereby rotating the sheet feeding roller. And the rotation of the registration rollers can be controlled, and therefore, while further simplifying the apparatus,
And accurate and reliable control can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a main part side view showing an embodiment embodying a sheet feeding device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a main part top view showing a driving mechanism of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a main part side view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing a state in which the paper feeding device is being operated.

FIG. 4 is a main part side view corresponding to FIG. 1 and showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Paper feeder 12 Paper feed cassette 13 Paper feed roller 14 Registration roller 29 Control means 30 Paper feed actuator 31 Registration actuator 32 Connecting arm 33 Solenoid

Claims (4)

[Claims] A paper feed roller for feeding paper stored in a paper storage unit; and a paper feed roller provided downstream of the paper feed roller for receiving paper sent from the paper feed roller and applying the paper to the paper feed roller. A registration roller for aligning the leading edge of the paper so as to perform accurate printing, and having a registration roller for feeding the paper to the printing unit side. A sheet feeding device, wherein rotation of a roller is controlled by one control means. 2. The control means includes a sheet feeding actuator for controlling rotation of the sheet feeding roller, and a registration actuator for controlling rotation of the registration roller. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is configured to operate in conjunction with the registration actuator. 3. The sheet feeding actuator and the registration actuator are connected by a connecting arm.
The sheet feeding device according to claim 2. 4. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 3, wherein said control means further comprises an actuator operating means, and said actuator operating means operates so as to swing said sheet feeding actuator and said registration actuator. apparatus.