JPH11254771A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To save the labor for separating printed papers after cutting from blank papers after cutting and make a printer small by a simple constitution. SOLUTION: A paper ejection section 60 is set in the gravity vertical direction above a blank paper receiving box 50, and the length L3 in the paper carrying direction of a blank paper before printing is shorter than the distance L2 from a front end section 50a of the blank paper receiving box 50 to a paper contact section 60a of the paper edge section 60, and the blank paper after cutting is dropped onto the blank paper receiving box 50 and stored inside the bank paper receiving box 50. As the length L1 in the carrying direction of the printed paper is longer than the distance L2 from the front end 1a of an upper case 1 to the paper contact section 60a of the paper ejection section 60, the printed paper after cutting is ejected from an ejection outlet 4 onto the outside of the upper case 1 and a lower case 2. The automatic separation of the printer paper after cutting from the blank paper after cutting, therefore, can be carried out to make the structure of a body of an ink jet printer 100 small.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a printer,
In particular, the present invention relates to a printer having a paper cutting function for cutting continuous paper after printing into a plurality of sheets.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a printer having a paper cutting function for performing printing on continuous paper such as roll paper and cutting margin paper before printing and printed print paper from a roll paper after printing, for example, as shown in FIG. 2. Description of the Related Art Large-sized printers such as commercial plotters such as output machines are known.

[0003] In the above-described large-sized printer, cut blank paper is stored in a receiving box provided outside the printer main body.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned conventional printer has the following problems.

(1) Since the cut printing paper is discharged from the discharge port of the printer body into the receiving box, the cut printing paper and the cut blank paper are stored in the same receiving box. . For this reason, roll paper is transported as a process required for printing,
After printing on the roll paper and cutting the roll paper after printing, an extra separation step is required to separate the cut print paper from the cut blank paper. Once the cut printing paper and the cut margin paper are mixed once, it is difficult to automatically separate them. Therefore, it takes time for the sorting process, and the number of printing steps increases.

(2) Since the size of the printer body is large, it is necessary to secure a large weight and a large installation space. For this reason, it is difficult to easily and conveniently use the output device for a digital camera, for example. Therefore, applicable applications are limited.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems (1) and (2), and can eliminate the trouble of separating the cut printing paper and the cut margin paper. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printer that can be reduced in size with a simple configuration.

[0008]

According to the printer according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the blank paper storage portion provided in the case of the main body stores the cut blank paper, printing is performed from the continuous paper after printing. The physical size of the printer main body can be reduced without impairing the paper cutting function for cutting the previous blank paper and the printed printing paper. Therefore, it can be easily and conveniently applied to any use.

Further, the paper separating and discharging means provided near the end face of the opening of the case separates the blank paper after cutting and the printing paper after cutting according to the length in the paper transport direction, and outputs the remaining paper after cutting. The blank paper is discharged to the margin paper storage unit, and the cut printing paper is discharged to the outside of the case. For this reason, it is possible to save time and labor for separating the cut printing paper and the cut blank paper, thereby reducing the number of printing steps.

According to the printer of the second aspect of the present invention, the paper separating / discharging means is provided above the margin paper storing section in the vertical direction of gravity and has a paper discharging section for discharging printing paper out of the case. By utilizing gravity, it is possible to automatically separate the cut printing paper from the cut blank paper. Therefore, it is possible to easily save the trouble of separating the cut printing paper and the cut margin paper.

According to the printer of the present invention, the length of the printed printing paper in the paper transport direction is L1, the distance from the end face of the opening to the paper discharge section is L2, and the remaining length before printing is L2. Assuming that the length of the blank paper in the paper transport direction is L3, L1> L
A paper discharge unit is provided so that 2> L3. For this reason, by using a simple configuration, gravity and the difference in the length of the printed paper and the blank paper before printing in the paper conveyance direction can be used to separate the printed paper after cutting and the blank paper after cutting. It can be separated automatically. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the size of the printer body.

According to the printer according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the margin paper storage portion has a transparent portion through which the inside of the margin paper storage portion can be viewed from the outside, the margin paper storage portion is housed in the margin paper storage portion with a simple configuration. The capacity of the margin paper can be visually checked. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the margin paper accommodated with a simple configuration from overflowing outside the margin paper accommodation unit.

According to the printer according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the margin paper storage section has a detection section capable of mechanically or optically detecting the capacity of the stored margin paper. For this reason,
With a simple configuration, the capacity of the margin paper accommodated in the margin paper accommodation unit can be reliably detected. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the margin paper stored with a simple configuration from overflowing outside the margin paper storage unit.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer for printing a photographic image of L size or panoramic size.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the ink jet printer 100 according to the first embodiment, a roll paper 10 as a continuous paper is disposed outside the upper case 1 and the lower case 2 as a case made of, for example, resin. Is done.
The rear end 1b of the upper case 1 and the rear end 2b of the lower case 2 form a paper feed port 3 for supplying the roll paper 10 into the upper case 1 and the lower case 2. An opening is formed between the front end 1a of the upper case 1 and the front end 2a of the lower case 2, and the front end 1a, the front end 2a, and the front end 50a of the blank paper receiving box 50 described later form an upper case. A discharge port 4 for discharging a cut print sheet to be described later is formed outside the lower case 1 and the lower case 2. The front end 1a constitutes the upper end of the discharge port 4, and the front end 2a is located at substantially the same position in the horizontal direction as the front end 1a. Here, the front end 1a and the front end 2a correspond to the "end face of the opening" described in the claims.

In the vicinity of the paper feed port 3 inside the lower case 2,
A paper transport unit 20 for transporting the roll paper 10 into the upper case 1 and the lower case 2 is provided. Paper transport unit 2
Reference numeral 0 denotes a transport roller 21 driven by a drive motor (not shown), and a driven roller 22 that contacts the transport roller 21 and transports the roll paper 10 by friction. The transport roller 21 and the driven roller 22 are made of a non-slip material such as rubber. By rotating the transport roller 21 and the driven roller 22, the roll paper 10 can be transported in the direction indicated by the arrow X in FIG.

On the other hand, in front of the paper transport section 20, a printing section 30 of the ink jet system for printing on the roll paper 10 and forming a photographic image is arranged adjacent to the paper transport section 20. The printing unit 30 is covered by the upper case 1. The printing unit 30 performs printing by a known inkjet method, and has a carriage 31 driven by a step motor (not shown). An ink jet head 32 is arranged on the carriage 31 so as to face the roll paper 10 transported from the paper transport unit 20. The inkjet head 32 includes the carriage 31
Is moved in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.
It is possible to perform printing by ejecting the ink liquid onto the roll paper 10 transported to zero.

A printing section 3 is provided in front of the printing section 30.
A cutting unit 40 is provided for cutting the blank paper before printing and the printed printing paper from the roll paper printed with 0. The cutting section 40 has a fixed blade 41 and a movable blade 42. The fixed blade 41 is arranged below the roll paper after printing, that is, on the lower case 2 side. It is arranged on the upper side, that is, on the upper case 1 side. The drive unit (not shown) of the movable blade 42 is synchronized with the drive motor of the paper transport unit 20 and the step motor of the print unit 30, so that the print unit 30 stops printing on roll paper that is not printing on roll paper, or prints. The unit 30 is operable during any of printing operations for printing on roll paper. When the movable blade 42 is driven downward from the state shown in FIG. 1, the fixed blade 41 and the movable blade 42 sandwich the roll paper after printing, so that the blank paper before printing and the blank paper before printing are printed. The used printing paper can be cut.

Further, in front of the cutting section 40, a blank paper receiving box 50 as a blank paper receiving section is installed near the front end 2a of the lower case 2. The blank paper receiving box 50 includes the cutting section 4.
0 is for accommodating blank paper cut from the roll paper after printing, and is made of a transparent material such as a transparent resin. The front end 50a of the blank paper receiving box 50 is located substantially at the same position in the horizontal direction as the front end 1a of the upper case 1, and forms the lower end of the discharge port 4. Further, a rear end 50 b of the blank paper receiving box 50 that faces the front end 50 a is located on the front side of the fixed blade 41. Since the blank paper receiving box 50 is transparent, the inside of the blank paper receiving box 50 can be visually recognized through the discharge port 4 from the outside.

Further, a paper discharge section 60 is disposed near the discharge port 4 and above the blank paper receiving box 50 in the direction of the arrow Z shown in FIG. 1, that is, above the vertical direction of gravity. The paper discharge unit 60 includes a discharge roller 61 driven by a drive motor (not shown), and a spur roller 62 that contacts the discharge roller 61 and discharges the cut margin paper and the cut print paper by friction. I have. The discharge roller 61 is made of a non-slip material such as rubber, and the spur roller 62 is made of a shuriken-shaped thin stainless steel resin-molded material. A plurality of discharge rollers 61 and spur rollers 62 are provided in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

Next, the dimensions of each part will be described.

The length of the printed printing paper in the paper transport direction is L1
And the front end 1a of the upper case 1 constituting the end face of the opening.
And a paper discharging unit 6 from the front end 50a of the blank paper receiving box 50.
L1>L2>, where L2 is the distance to the paper contact portion 60a of 0 and L3 is the length of the margin paper before printing in the paper transport direction.
A paper discharge unit 60 is provided to be L3. If the distance from the paper contact portion 60a of the paper discharge portion 60 to the cutting portion 40 is L4, then L3> L4.

Here, the discharge port 4 may be opened to such an extent that the leading end of the roll paper after printing in the paper transport direction does not collide. Front end 1a of upper case 1 as upper end of outlet 4
Is too low, or if the front end 50a of the blank paper receiving box 50 as the lower end of the discharge port 4 is too high, the leading end of the roll paper after printing may have the front end 1a of the upper case 1 or the margin paper receiving box 50. There is a risk of colliding with the front end 50a. If the front end 1a of the upper case 1 is too high, dust or dirt may enter the upper case 1 and the lower case 2. Also,
If the front end 50a of the blank paper receiving box 50 is too low, the capacity of the blank paper receiving box 50 becomes small, and the stored blank paper may easily overflow the outside of the blank paper receiving box 50.

Next, the operation of the ink jet printer 100 having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIGS.

(1) As shown in FIG. 2, the roll paper 10 is transported in the direction of arrow X by
Passes through the inkjet head 32 of the printing unit 30, the inkjet head 32 is moved by the carriage 31 in the arrow Y direction shown in FIG. 2, and performs printing by ejecting an ink liquid onto the surface of the roll paper 10. At this time, the inkjet head 32 is moved larger than the width of the roll paper 10 in the direction of the arrow Y and hits both sides of the roll paper 10 to perform printing over the entire width of the roll paper 10 in the direction of the arrow Y. it can. On the other hand, a margin portion before printing is formed at the leading end of the roll paper after printing. As described above, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the roll paper 10a after printing is composed of blank paper 11 before printing, printed printing paper 12 and unprinted roll paper 13.
And

(2) As shown in FIG. 4, the roll paper 10a after printing is further conveyed in the direction of arrow X, and the boundary between the blank paper 11 before printing and the printed printing paper 12 is When the printing unit 30 reaches the position where the printing unit 30 stops printing on the roll paper 10a on which the printing is not performed on the roll paper 10a, or when the printing unit 30 performs printing on the roll paper 10a, the movable blade 4
2 is driven, and the fixed blade 41 and the movable blade 42
The blank paper 11 before printing is cut from the roll paper 10a by sandwiching 0a.

(3) As shown in FIG. 5, when the roll paper 10b from which the blank paper before printing has been cut is further transported in the direction of arrow X, the blank paper before printing becomes as shown in FIG. Arrow X
Direction, that is, the length L3 of the paper transport direction is the margin paper receiving box 50.
Is shorter than the distance L2 from the front end 50a to the paper contact part 60a of the paper discharge part 60, and falls on the blank paper receiving box 50 to be stored inside the blank paper receiving box 50. At this time, the roll paper 10b is composed of the printed printing paper 12, the blank paper 11b before the next printing, and the next printing paper 12b being printed or in the middle of printing.
And unprinted roll paper 13b.

(4) As shown in FIG. 6, the roll paper 10b is further transported in the direction of arrow X, and the boundary between the printed printing paper 12 and the blank paper 11b before the next printing reaches the cutting section 40. Then, the printed printing paper 12 is cut from the roll paper 10b by the cutting unit 40.

(5) As shown in FIG. 1, the length of the printed printing paper in the direction of arrow X, that is, the length L1 in the paper transporting direction is from the front end 1a of the upper case 1 to the paper contacting portion 60a of the paper discharging portion 60.
Is discharged from the discharge port 4 to the outside of the upper case 1 and the lower case 2. When the roll paper from which the printed printing paper is cut is further transported, the roll paper is cut at the boundary between the blank paper before the next printing and the next printed printing paper, and the cut blank paper is It falls on the blank paper receiving box 50 shown in FIG. 1 and is stored inside the blank paper receiving box 50.

(6) As described above, the blank paper before printing and the printed printing paper are cut from the rolled paper after printing, and the cut blank paper is placed on the blank paper receiving box 50 shown in FIG. The printing paper that has fallen and is stored inside the blank paper receiving box 50 and cut is then supplied to the upper case 1 and the lower case 2 through the discharge port 4 shown in FIG.
Is discharged to the outside.

(7) When the last printing is completed, the roll paper after printing is conveyed, the printing paper finally printed is cut from the roll after printing, and the cut printing paper is discharged from the discharge port to the outside. It is ejected and printing ends.

In the first embodiment, the cut margin paper falls onto the margin paper receiving box 50 and is accommodated in the margin paper receiving box 50, and the cut printing paper passes from the discharge port 4 to the upper case. 1 and the outside of the lower case 2. For this reason, it is possible to save time and effort for separating the cut printing paper and the cut blank paper, thereby reducing the number of printing steps. In addition, the separation of the printed paper after cutting and the blank paper after cutting is performed by utilizing the gravity and the difference in the length of the printed paper and the blank paper before printing in the paper transport direction. Thus, automatic sorting is possible, and the physical size of the inkjet printer 100 can be reduced. Furthermore, since the inside of the blank paper receiving box 50 can be visually recognized from the outside through the discharge port 4, the capacity of the blank paper accommodated inside the blank paper receiving box 50 can be visually confirmed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inside of the blank paper receiving box 50 from being filled with the stored blank paper and the stored blank paper overflowing to the outside of the blank paper receiving box 50.

In the first embodiment, the rear end portion 50b of the blank paper receiving box 50 is located in front of the fixed blade 41, and the distance L4 from the paper contact portion 60a of the paper discharge portion 60 to the cutting portion 40 is set.
Is configured to be shorter than the length L3 of the margin paper before printing in the transport direction. However, if the rear end of the margin paper receiving box is located behind the fixed blade, the distance from the paper contact part of the paper discharge part to the cutting part is longer than the length of the margin paper in the conveying direction before printing. It may be configured.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
Shown in The substantially same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the second embodiment, a blank paper receiving box 70 is provided.
Has a bottom plate 71, compression coil springs 72 and 73, and a push button switch 75. One end of the compression coil springs 72 and 73 is in contact with the bottom surface 74 of the margin paper receiving box 70, and the other end is in contact with the surface of the bottom plate 71 facing the bottom surface 74. Compression coil springs 72 and 73
The bottom plate 71 is lifted in the direction of arrow Z shown in FIG. The button portion 76 of the push button switch 75 faces the bottom plate 71. The bottom plate 71 is moved in the direction opposite to the arrow Z,
When the bottom-moving force overcomes the urging force of the compression coil springs 72 and 73 and the bottom plate 71 pushes the button 76, an electric circuit (not shown) is closed. Here, the bottom plate 71, the compression coil springs 72 and 73, and the push button switch 75 correspond to the "detection unit capable of mechanically detecting the capacity of the stored margin paper" described in the claims.

In the second embodiment, the roll paper 10c after printing is
The blank paper 11c cut from the paper and accommodated in the blank paper receiving box 70 fills the blank paper receiving box 70, and the blank paper 11c
When the weight overcomes the urging force of the compression coil springs 72 and 73, the bottom plate 71 moves in the direction opposite to the arrow Z and pushes the button portion 76 of the push button switch 75, the electric circuit is closed and the blank paper receiving box 70 is It can be detected that the stored blank paper 11c is full. Therefore, with a simple configuration, the margin paper 11 stored in the margin paper receiving box 70 can be used.
The capacitance of c can be reliably detected. Therefore,
It is possible to reliably prevent the blank paper 11c housed in the blank paper receiving box 70 from overflowing with a simple configuration.

(Third Embodiment) FIG. 8 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
Shown in The substantially same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals.

In the third embodiment, a blank paper receiving box 80
The light emitting element 81 is arranged on one side surface 83 of the both side surfaces 83 and 84 facing each other across the printed roll paper,
The light receiving element 82 is arranged on the other side 84. The light emitting element 81 and the light receiving element 82 are opposed to each other, and the light emitted from the light emitting element 81 reaches the light receiving element 82 as long as it is not interrupted on the way, and when the light is not interrupted for a predetermined time or more,
An electric circuit (not shown) is closed. Here, the light emitting element 81 and the light receiving element 82 correspond to the “detection unit that can optically detect the capacity of the stored margin paper” described in the claims.

In the third embodiment, the margin paper 11 cut from the roll paper after printing and stored in the margin paper receiving box 80 is used.
When the blank d fills the blank paper receiving box 80 and the blank paper 11d blocks the light emitted from the light emitting element 81, the light does not reach the light receiving element 82. When the time during which the light does not reach the light receiving element 82 exceeds a certain value, the electric circuit is opened and the blank paper receiving box 80 is opened.
Is filled with the stored margin paper 11d. Therefore, the capacity of the margin paper 11d accommodated in the margin paper receiving box 80 can be reliably detected with a simple configuration. Therefore, it is possible to reliably prevent the margin paper 11d housed with the simple configuration from overflowing to the outside of the margin paper receiving box 80.

In the embodiments of the present invention, the case where the present invention is applied to an ink-jet printer for printing a photographic image using an ink-jet head has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention can be applied to a printer that prints characters, and can also be applied to a printer using various print heads such as a dot impact system.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing a first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an ink jet printer.

FIGS. 2A and 2B are views for explaining the operation of the ink jet printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A is a schematic plan view of roll paper, and FIG. FIG.

FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the ink jet printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A is a schematic plan view of roll paper, and FIG. FIG.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the ink jet printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 4A is a schematic plan view of roll paper, and FIG. FIG.

FIGS. 5A and 5B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the ink jet printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 5A is a schematic plan view of roll paper, and FIG. FIG.

FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the ink jet printer according to the first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 6A is a schematic plan view of roll paper, and FIG. 6B is a schematic cross section of the ink jet printer. FIG.

FIG. 7 is a schematic sectional view of an inkjet printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

8A and 8B show an ink jet printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 8A is a schematic plan view, and FIG. 8B is a schematic sectional view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 upper case (case) 1a front end (end face of opening) 2 lower case (case) 2a front end (end face of opening) 3 paper feed port 4 discharge port 10 roll paper (continuous paper) 11 blank paper 12 printing paper Reference Signs List 20 paper transport unit 30 printing unit 31 carriage 32 inkjet head 40 cutting unit 50, 70, 80 blank paper receiving box (margin paper storage unit) 60 paper discharge unit 71 bottom plate (detection unit) 72, 73 compression coil spring (detection unit) 75 Push-in switch (detection section) 81 Light-emitting element (detection section) 82 Light-receiving element (detection section)

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A case having an opening, a paper conveyance unit for conveying continuous paper into the case, a printing unit for printing on the continuous paper conveyed into the case, and printing from the continuous paper after printing A cutting section that cuts the previous blank paper and printed printing paper; a blank paper storage section that is provided in the case and stores the cut blank paper; and a cutting section that is provided near an end face of the opening and cuts. Separating the blank paper after cutting and the printing paper after cutting according to the length in the paper transport direction, discharging the blank paper after cutting into the blank paper storage section,
A paper sorting / discharging means for discharging the cut printing paper out of the case. 2. The paper sorting and discharging means according to claim 1, further comprising a paper discharging portion provided above the blank paper storage portion in the vertical direction of gravity and discharging the cut printing paper out of the case. The printer according to claim 1. 3. The paper discharge section has a length L1 in the paper transport direction of the printed printing paper, a distance L2 from an end face of the opening to the paper discharge section, and a margin before the printing. Assuming that the length of the blank sheet in the paper transport direction is L3, L1>L2> L3
The printer according to claim 2, wherein the printer is provided so as to be as follows. 4. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the blank paper storage unit has a transparent portion that allows the inside of the blank paper storage unit to be visible from the outside. 5. The printer according to claim 1, wherein the blank paper storage unit has a detection unit capable of mechanically or optically detecting the capacity of the stored blank paper.