JPH11334967A - Switch mechanism for medium carrying passage - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To continuously operate a plurality of switch blades despite of a single drive source, reduce the cost, and miniaturize a device by providing an escape function which opens a carrying passage by pressurizing the switch blades by a carrying force of a medium carried from the reverse direction to a switch mechanism for a medium carrying passage. SOLUTION: In an ordinary reset state of a switch mechanism 7, switch blades 7a, 7b are in positions shown by figures and, in a printing mode, a medium 4 is carried via a carrying route (1) or (2) reciprocating on a branch passage 11 in its reset state. Secondly, when the printing by the print mode of the medium 4 is unnecessary and the medium 4 is carried to a carrier route (3) or the third branch passage, the switch blades 7a, 7b are in their reset states. The respective blades 7b, 7a are retreated against the winding-back force of spiral springs by the carrier force of the medium 4 by the operation of an escape mechanism including the spiral springs wound around the support shafts of the respective switch blades 7a, 7b so as to allow the medium 4 to pass through.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a medium transport path switching mechanism, and more particularly, to a recording medium transported to a transport path by switching a switching mechanism provided at a branch point according to a processing mode. The present invention relates to a mechanism for switching a medium conveyance path for conveying a medium to a branch path.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing the structure of a medium transport path for explaining the present invention, FIG.
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the conventional device. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 1 denotes a transport path. 2 is an insertion / ejection port of the transport path 1,
3 is a conveying roller, 4 is a medium, 5 is a print head, 6a, 6
b denotes two branch points provided in the transport path 1. Also,
Reference numerals 11, 12, and 13 denote branch roads branched at branch points 6a and 6b, reference numeral 14 denotes an accumulation unit, reference numeral 15 denotes a temporary accumulation unit, reference numeral 16 denotes a collection unit,
17, 18, and 19 are sensors.

[0003] The first and the second reciprocate on the branch road 11.
Is a third and fourth transport route reciprocating in the branch path 12, and a unidirectional fifth transport route for transporting the medium 4 to the collection unit 16. When printing on the medium 4, the first and second transport routes are selected. 7
Reference numerals a and 7b denote switching blades provided at the branch points 6a and 6b. FIG. 8 shows the configuration of the switching mechanism provided with the switching blades 7a and 7b. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 7 denotes a switching mechanism. 73 is a blade shaft to which the switching blade 7a is fixed, and 74 is a link.

A blade shaft 73 is fixed to one end of the link 74 by a screw, and the other end is connected to a driving source (not shown). Then, the link 74 is driven by the driving source.
Is swung in the direction of the arrow, the blades 7a, 7b follow in the same direction, and the branch points 6a, 6b are switched ON / OFF. In addition, a switching mechanism having the same structure as the illustrated multi-stage branch point is provided in the transport path 1.
Here, all the transfer routes are explained, and then 2
Only the branch points 6a and 6b and the branch roads 11 to 13 are denoted by reference numerals, and the operation of the conventional apparatus will be described. L6 is the length of the transport path between the branch points 6a and 6b, and L4 is the size of the medium 4 in the transport direction.

The print medium 4 inserted into the insertion / ejection port 2 by hand is sent along the arrow of the first transport route and printed by the print head 5. When the printed medium 4 is taken into the stacking unit 14, the medium 4
Are transported in the same direction. When the medium 4 inserted in the insertion / ejection port 2 is taken into the stacking unit 14 without printing, the medium 4 is transported to the third transport route. When printing is performed when the medium 4 in the stacking unit 14 is ejected from the insertion / ejection port 2, the medium 4 is conveyed in the direction indicated by the arrow of the second conveyance route (referred to as a forward direction), and the insertion / ejection port 2 Is discharged from

In this case, when printing is not performed, the medium 4 travels along the fourth transport route and is discharged from the insertion / discharge port 2. Further, for example, when it is desired to replace the medium 4 at hand with a new medium 4, the medium 4 at hand is first inserted into the insertion / ejection port 2, sent to the temporary stacking unit 15 via the third transport route, and temporarily Wait. After the standby, the substitute medium 4 is taken out from the stacking unit 14 and the second or fourth medium is taken out.
The new medium 4 is discharged from the insertion / discharge port 2 by being conveyed to the transfer route or the transfer route. Thereafter, the old medium 4 is taken out of the temporary stacking unit 15, sent to the second branch 12, and then conveyed to the collection unit 16 via the fifth conveyance route to be collected.

The selection of the transport route through which the medium 4 is transported as described above is performed based on the control operation of a higher-level control unit having a control function (not shown). The control unit confirms the passage timing of the medium 4 by the sensors 17 and 19, and checks the switching blades 7a, 2b at the two branch points 6a, 6b.
7b is independently switched ON / OFF to select any one of the first to fifth transport routes to corresponding to the processing mode. In a branch point switching operation not shown and described, the control unit controls the setting of the transport route according to the processing mode in a similar operation.

[0008]

The conventional switching mechanism 7 having the structure as shown in FIG.
The switching blades 70 provided for each (collectively referred to as a two-digit number with a 0 added to the first digit, and other members as well) are independently switched ON / OFF to correspond to the processing mode.
One of the three transport routes is selected. Therefore, since the switching mechanism 7 provided with the drive source is arranged corresponding to the number of the branch points 60, the configuration becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases, and the switching mechanism 7 is a hindrance factor for promoting the miniaturization. Had become.

On the other hand, the path length L6 of the transport path between the two branch points 6a and 6b is shortened in order to reduce the cost and reduce the size, and the two switching blades 7a and 7b are driven by one drive source.
May be operated in conjunction with each other. However, if the path length L6 is smaller than the length L4 of the medium 4, L6 ≦
With L4, the two switching blades 7a and 7b are switched before the medium 4 passes through the upstream branch point 6a.

The switching state of the switching blades 7a and 7b at this time is shown in FIG. As apparent from the figure, at the branch point 6a, the switching blade 7a and the medium 4 overlap. Therefore, the medium 4 is forcibly pressed and damaged, or the conveyance is suppressed, and a jam occurs. As a result, the conventional switching mechanism 7 has problems such as the necessity of disposing of the medium 4 and stopping the operation of the transport device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems of the conventional apparatus, and a plurality of switching blades are operated in conjunction with a single drive source so that there is no failure and the production cost is low. It is an object of the present invention to realize a medium transport path switching mechanism capable of reducing the size and reducing the processing time.

[0012]

According to the present invention, a switching path provided at each branch point of a multi-stage configuration in the middle of a transport path is switched to select a transport path of a medium to be transported in accordance with a processing mode. In the switching mechanism of the medium transport path for transporting to the branched path, the media transport provided with an escape function of opening the transport path by pressing the switching blade by the transport force of the medium transported from the opposite direction to the switching mechanism of the medium transport path. This constitutes a road switching mechanism. Further, the present invention constitutes a mechanism for switching the medium transport path in which the path length between the branch points is set smaller than the length of the medium. Further, a switching mechanism of a medium transport path configured to switch a plurality of switching blades provided at a branch point of the transport path in conjunction with a single drive source is configured.

When the medium conveyed in the forward direction reaches the upstream switching blade, the arrival of the medium is detected by a sensor, and the leading edge of the medium passes through the leading edge of the switching blade. Are switched in conjunction with each other.
Therefore, the switching blade on the upstream side escapes by the provided escape function, so that no damage or jam of the medium occurs. When the medium is transported in the reverse direction through the transport path, the two switching blades rotate and escape while being pushed away in opposite directions. Therefore, at this time, the medium can be transported without performing a special switching operation.

[0014]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the basic configuration of the first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration and operation of the first embodiment, and FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of another state showing the operation, and the same reference numerals are used for members corresponding to the conventional device. Although a part of the description is duplicated, the first embodiment will be described in some detail. 2 and 3, 1
Is a transport path for transporting a recording medium (hereinafter simply referred to as a medium) 4 such as a boarding pass or a ticket, and is configured inside a ticket issuing machine or the like.
The medium 4 is a thin, long, thin paper sheet that can be printed on the front surface and is hard to break, and a magnetic layer capable of magnetically storing various common information is formed on the back surface.

In the first embodiment, the insertion / ejection port 2 and the branch path 11 branched at two branch points 6a and 6b.
The configuration of the transport path 1 provided with the components 13 to 13, the collection unit 16, the sensor 17, and the like is not different from the conventional apparatus shown in FIG. Then, the medium 4 inserted into the insertion / ejection port 2 by the control unit
Is transported by a plurality of pairs of transport rollers 3 in which a driving roller and a driven roller are combined, and is processed through first to fifth transport routes to in accordance with the processing mode. ing. Θ is the swing angle of the switching blades 7a and 7b, and Δθ is the escape angle.

In the first embodiment of the present invention, the switching mechanism 7 is configured differently from the above-described conventional device. The switching mechanism 7 of the first embodiment is shown in FIG. 1, and specific examples are shown in FIGS. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 75 denotes a helical spring, reference numeral 76 denotes a locking pin projecting from the outer periphery of the blade shaft 73, and reference numeral 77 denotes an engagement hole formed in the link 74.
The helical portion of the helical spring 75 is fitted on the blade shaft 73, and both ends are locked by a locking pin 76 and a link 74. Therefore, the blade shaft 73 connected to the link 74 is given a clockwise turning force by the spiral spring 75.

Due to the applied turning force, the constant locking pin 7
6 is pressed against one inner surface of the engagement hole 77. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6, the switching blade 7a fixed to the blade shaft 73 is provided with an escape function within the escape angle Δθ that allows clockwise rotation. The magnitude of the escape angle △ θ of the switching blade 7a is
This corresponds to the rotation angle of the locking pin 76 that rotates by engaging with the engagement hole 77.

On the other hand, the switching mechanism 7 provided on the side of the branch point 6b for branching the branch paths 12 and 13 is common to the above-described switching mechanism 7 of the branch point 6a only for the constituent members. However, the spiral spring 75 is wound in the opposite direction, and the locking pin is pressed against the inner surface on the opposite side of the engagement hole 77. Therefore, the escape direction of the escape angle △ θ of the switching blade 7b is set in the counterclockwise direction. In particular, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the switching blade 7a
And 7b are connected by a connection link 78, and a single drive source (actuator) attached to the switching blade 7a side
At 79, the two switching blades 7a and 7b are configured to be switched in conjunction with each other (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

Here, the operation of the first embodiment will be described. In a normal reset state of the switching mechanism 7, the switching blades 7a and 7b are set at the positions shown in FIG. In the processing mode involving printing, the medium 4 is conveyed in this reset state as it is on the conveyance route reciprocating on the branch path 11 or any of the routes. Further, the printing process of the medium 4 in the print mode is not required, and the reset state of the switching blades 7a and 7b is continued as it is when the medium 4 is transported to the transport route of the third branch.

At this time, an escape function for allowing the rotation within the escape angle Δθ based on the conveying force of the medium 4 acts, and the switching blades 7b and 7a on the upstream and downstream sides of the conveying path are operated.
Is pushed away while resisting the rewinding force of the spiral spring 75, and escapes counterclockwise and clockwise, respectively. Next, when the medium 4 does not need to be printed and follows the transport route in the forward direction, the sensor 17 detects the leading end of the medium 4 taken in from the temporary stacking unit (or the stacking unit).

At the same time, the switching blades 7a and 7b swing by the swing angle θ, and are switched from the reset state in FIG. 2 to the switching state in FIG. Then, the medium 4 is discharged from the insertion / discharge port 2 through the transport route.
The medium 4 temporarily waiting in the temporary stacking unit 15 is collected by the collection unit 1.
In the case of the processing mode in which the switching blades 6 are collected, the switching blades 7a and 7b are started in the switching state shown in FIG. Then, the switching blades 7a and 7b are restored from FIG. 3 to FIG. 2 after the leading end of the medium 4 taken in from the temporary accumulating section by using the detection signal of the sensor 17 passes through the leading end of the switching blade 7a.

At this time, the escape function of the switching blade 7a that comes into contact with the medium 4 also operates, so that the switching blade 7a of the medium 4 that comes into contact with the medium 4 at the time of switching and after the switching prevents damage such as jamming or the like from occurring. . In particular, the processing mode of the above-described transport route is common to the transport route of the processing mode in which printing is performed while reciprocating along the branch path 11, so that the switching operation can be simplified accordingly and operability can be improved. 4 and 5 show an embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in the figure, in the embodiment, the electromagnetic force of the electromagnet is used as the drive source 79 of the switching mechanism 7, and the switching blades 7 a and 7 b are formed by a pair of blades of the same shape mounted side by side on the blade shaft 73. It is configured.

In the above-described embodiment, the case where the pair of front and rear switching blades are linked is exemplified. However, when there are a large number of branch paths, the number of sets may be increased or decreased as needed. Can be connected and driven by a single drive source. With such a configuration, it is expected that effects such as cost reduction will be further exhibited.

[0024]

According to the present invention, the switching blade provided at each branch point of the multi-stage configuration in the middle of the transport path is switched so that the transport path of the medium to be transported is switched to the branch path selected according to the processing mode. In the switching mechanism of the medium transport path to be transported, a switching mechanism of the medium transport path having an escape function for opening the transport path by pressing the switching blade by the transport force of the medium transported from the opposite direction to the switching mechanism of the medium transport path. Was configured. In addition, a switching mechanism of the medium transport path in which the path length between the branch points is set smaller than the medium length is configured. Further, a switching mechanism of a medium transport path is configured to switch a plurality of switching blades provided at a branch point of the transport path in conjunction with a single drive source.

Therefore, according to the switching mechanism of the present invention, it is possible to realize a switching mechanism of a medium transport path which is free from failures, is inexpensive in manufacturing cost, can be reduced in size, and can shorten the processing time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a principle configuration of a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration and operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of another state showing the configuration and operation of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a configuration of an example of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the embodiment of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the switching blade.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a medium transport path for explaining the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a conventional device.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of the conventional device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Conveyance path 2 Insertion / ejection port 3 Conveyance roller 4 Medium 5 Print head 6a, 6b Branch point 7 Switching mechanism 7a, 7b Switching blade 11, 12, 13 Branch path 14 Stacking section 15 Temporary stacking section 60 Branch point 16 Collection section 17 , 18, 19 Sensor 70 Switching blade 73 Blade shaft 74 Link 75 Spiral spring 76 Locking pin 77 Engagement hole 78 Connection link 79 Drive source,,, transport route L4 Medium length L6 Path length θ Swing angle △ θ Escape angle

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A medium transport for switching a transport path of a medium to be transported to a branch path selected according to a processing mode by switching a switching blade provided at each branch point of a multi-stage configuration in the middle of a transport path. A path switching mechanism, wherein the medium transport path switching mechanism is provided with an escape function for opening the transport path by pressing the switching blade with the transport force of the medium transported from the opposite direction. Switching mechanism. 2. The medium transport path switching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a path length between the branch points is set smaller than a length of the medium. 3. The medium transport path switching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of switching blades provided at a branch point of the transport path are switched in conjunction with a single drive source.