JPS5978046A - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To simplify manipulation by supplying paper feed information similar to that for the time of installing a cassette to detecting means mounted on a main body unit for detecting the existence of paper stored in a cassette. CONSTITUTION:An upper cassette 101 and a lower cassette 102 are inserted in a main body unit 103 of a printer or the like, and the existence of the cassettes is detected by switches 104, 105, respectively. The existence of paper in each cassette is detected by respective pairs of lamps 106, 108 and photo sensors 107, 109. The lower cassette 102 selected by the main body unit 103 and properly insetalled will be detected by the switch 105 for detecting the existence of a cassette. Paper 110 intercepts light emitted from a light source 108 to the photo sensor 109, thereby indicating that paper is existent, so that the printer is in the operable state. Thus, the cassette can be mounted and demounted without any change of paper detecting means of the main body unit.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention Technique 74 Field of the Invention The present invention has a paper storage cassette and biopsies properties, and is capable of supplying paper by being attached to a main unit such as a printer or a copying machine to which paper is to be supplied. The present invention relates to a paper feeding device suitable for storing a large number of sheets.

PRIOR ART Conventionally, many of these types of multi-sheet storage type paper feeders are built into the printer body, and even removable types require connection of signal lines, etc. This made it difficult to provide versatility.

Purpose In view of the points mentioned above, an object of the present invention is to provide paper storage capacity that can be easily handled in the same manner as the paper storage capacity cent, and to operate completely independently from the printer itself without connecting a signal line, so that it can be used in various printers. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding device ξ having such versatility that it can be attached to a paper feeder ξ.

In order to achieve such an object, the present invention provides a paper feeding device that is interchangeable with a removable paper storage cassette and that supplies paper to a main body equipment to which paper is to be supplied. The present invention is configured to supply the same paper feeding information as when the cassette is installed to a detection means installed in the main unit for detecting the presence or absence of paper stored in the cassette.

Example Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is an internal 4A schematic diagram of a paper feeder to which the present invention is applied;
Figure 2 is a configuration diagram showing a state in which a paper storage cassette with 71 degree interchangeability with the paper feeding device shown in Figure 1 is installed;
This figure is a control circuit diagram of the paper feeding device shown in FIG. 1.

In FIG. 1, ■ indicates a paper storage table, which is lowered to the bottom end when replenishing paper. Here, the storage table 1 is lowered by the lifting motor 2.

A sprocket 3 is fixed to the output shaft of the lifting motor 2,
Power is transmitted to the sprocket 5A using the chain 4. Also, sprocket I/5A has another sprocket 5.
Fix B firmly and tension the chain 8 between it and the sprocket 7. A storage stand 1 is fixedly attached to the chain 8. With the above configuration, when the motor 2 rotates, the storage table 1 is raised.

When the storage table 1 rises and reaches the paper feeding level, the level sensor 9 is activated and the motor 2 is stopped. As a result of the above, the paper feeding standby state is entered.

A paper detection sensor 10 is provided in the paper transport path, and detects the presence or absence of paper in the paper transport path and the passage of the trailing edge of the paper.

In the paper feed standby state I described above, if there is no paper in the paper conveyance path, the paper feed system described below is activated.

The paper feeding system is operated by the rotation of the transport motor 11. Motor 1
1 has a pulley 12 fixedly attached thereto, and a belt 13 is used to transmit power to the pulley, an idler, and a paper feed input gear (not shown).

The paper feed roller 14 is fixed to the paper feed pulley 15, and the pulley lB
And a belt 17 is used to transmit power. Further, the above-mentioned paper feed input gear and the like transmit power to the pulley 16 via the rotary clutch J8 (see FIG. 3). This results in
While the one-turn clutch 18 is operating, the paper feed roller 14
continues to rotate.

As the paper feed roller 14 rotates, the paper on the topmost stage is sent out toward the conveyance path, and the conveyance roller pair 19A8 and 19
Reach B. Then, at a predetermined timing, another one-turn clutch 20 (see FIG. 3) is activated.

Here, the conveying roller 19A receives power from the above-mentioned paper feed input gear via a gear or the like via a one-turn clutch 20. The outer diameter of the conveying roller 19a and the rotation ratio at the time of power transmission are determined in advance so that the paper is conveyed to the leading edge of the conveying path by one rotation of the one-turn clamper 20 provided on the conveying path and then stopped.

21 and 22 are guides, between which the paper passes. Further, the second conveyance roller 23 is configured to cooperate with the conveyance roller 19A via the belt 24, and stops rotating when the paper reaches the tip of the paper conveyance path.

As described above, one sheet of paper is always placed on the conveyance path so that it can be fed to the main unit 103 such as a printer at any time.

Next, the operation when using a paper storage cassette that can be attached to the main body of the apparatus and is compatible with the paper feeding apparatus according to the present invention will be described.

In FIG. 2, 101 is a two-tier cassette, and 102 is a lower cassette, both of which are inserted into a main unit 103 such as a printer. 104 is a switch that detects the presence or absence of the upper cassette 101, and 105 is a switch that detects the presence or absence of the upper cassette 102. The lamp 106 is paired with an optical sensor 107, and constitutes a paper-free sensor that detects the paper-free state of the upper cassette tot. Similarly, the lamp 108 and the optical sensor 108 constitute a paperless sensor of the double cassette. Now, the lower force sensor 1102 is selected by the main unit 103, and the lower force sensor 1102 is selected by the main unit 103.
2 is installed correctly, the cassette presence detection switch 1
05, it is determined that the cassette is present. Also, paper 11
0 cuts off the light directed from the light source 108 to the optical sensor 109, so the display changes from "no paper" to "paper present". Thus, printer operation can begin. Pudding I - When the action begins.

The paper feed roller 111 of the printer rotates and feeds the paper in the uppermost stage of Cassen I. Furthermore, the series of paper feeding devices are provided with casters 50A and 50B, which move independently.
It is structured in a way that allows

Next, a control operation when a paper feeding device to which the present invention is applied is attached to a main body device such as a printer will be described.

The device can be controlled, for example, by a microcomputer. FIG. 1 is an example of this, and for example, a one-chip micro core computer 25 such as GO843 manufactured by NEC Corporation can be used. Hereinafter, the one-chip microcomputer 25 will be referred to as a microcomputer 25. PA of microcomputer 25, ,PA, ,PA2. INT
and PB, are input ports, and PE, , PE,
.

PE, PK, PF, and PF are output ports.

4 and 5 are flowcharts showing an example of a control program by the microcomputer 25. FIG. As mentioned above, when paper is replenished, the bottom end of the paper storage table 1 is lowered, and when the preparation for operation is completed, this program starts.

When this device is brought into contact with a main unit, for example, a printer, the light from the lamp 108 is reliably blocked by the paper guides 21, 22, etc., and conveyed at the same time, in order to transmit the presence or absence of paper to the printer without any action. Lamp 2 installed at the bottom of the road
At step 6, light is irradiated onto the optical sensor 108. For this purpose, the capo) PE and the lamp 2 are connected via the hammer driver 27.
Connect with 6.

In step 201 shown in FIG. 4, initial settings of the microcomputer 25 are performed. As a result, the capo PE becomes high level, the lamp 26 lights up, and the printer body determines that there is no paper. Next step 2
02, the detection signal of the level sensor 9 is input to the capo-1-P.
A is input, and it is determined whether the topmost sheet of paper is at the predetermined position. Initially, the paper storage table 1 is at the lower end, so the process advances to step 203. In step 203, the storage table l
In order to raise the output port PF by 1-1, the relay 28 is turned off (to output B, l. For example, the relay 28 is connected to the output port PF via the hammer driver 29. At times, the low level 17) (M number is output to the PF, and the relay is turned OFF. Then, preparations for applying +24V to the terminal 2A of the y-lowering motor 2 and OV to the terminal 2B are completed.In the initial stage ,
By outputting a signal to turn off the relay 30 connected to the output port PF through the hammer driver 31, the output port PF is turned off.

The lifting motor 2 remains stopped regardless of the output. The reason is that since no voltage is applied to the motor 2, it cannot rotate once. Next, relay 30 or O
When a signal is output from the converter capo-1-PF so as to
OV is applied to. As a result, the paper storage table 1 is
Start climbing. Here, step 203 forms a loop, so be sure to return to step 202. Then, when the paper storage table 1 rises and the paper contacts the level sensor 9 with a constant pressure, control proceeds to step 204.

In step 204, the control unit PF outputs a signal to turn off the relay 30. As a result, the rotation of the unloading motor 2 is stopped. Step 205
Now, the state of the paper detection sensor 32 connected to the input port PA is tested. When there is paper, the paper detection sensor 32 is turned to 0FFt, and when there is no paper, it is turned to ON4. This can be constructed with a microspin and a paper storage stand with holes in the vertical and horizontal positions. Since there is paper in the paper storage table 1 now, the process advances to step 206.

In step 206, the paper detection sensor 1 on the conveyance path described above is
Check the status of 0. Since there is no paper at first, the process proceeds to step 207. Nutep 20? Well, let's go!) P
By outputting high level I8- from E,
The hammer driver 33 is set to 01, and as a result, the transistor 34 is set to 1) to rotate the transport motor 11. However, the rotation of the clutch 8 and the clutch 20 is controlled by the plungers 35 and 36, respectively.
The transport system is still stopped.

In step 208, output port PE is set to high L/hell. This turns the hammer driver 37 ON.
Then, pull the plunger 35 and release the clasp on the 2nd day. Then, the clutch 18 starts rotating and feeds the paper as described above. Next, the output cap (PE) is set to a low level and the plunger 35 is returned, but as described above, the clutch 18 does not stop until it makes one revolution.

In the next step 209, the aforementioned transport roller pair 111
Wait until the paper reaches A and 18B. The delay time for this can be determined by, for example, attaching a slotted disc 38 to the transport motor 11, sandwiching it between photo ink printers 39, connecting the output signal to the INT terminal of the microcomputer 25, and counting the change. It can be determined by Also, during the delay in step 208, step 210 is always executed.

In step 210, as shown in FIG. 5, it is determined in step 301 whether or not the paper storage table 1 is raised and the paper is in contact with the level sensor 9. If the paper is in contact with the level sensor 9, in step 302, the elevating motor 11 is This is to stop the rotation of. In other words, if a predetermined number of sheets of paper on the upper part of the storage table run out after feeding the paper to the transport path, if you wait until the storage table 1 reaches -IJ￥ position and reaches n, during that time Paper cannot be fed to the conveyance path, resulting in a state where there is no paper.

In order to prevent such a situation, only the raising of the paper storage table 1 is started in step 218, which will be described later, and the stopping of the paper storage table 1 is monitored and controlled in steps 210, 211, and 212. ” - step 208 mentioned above.
etc., if a delay is required to turn the plunger ON or OFF, the deck control program shown in FIG. 5 may be always executed.

Note that steps 211 and 212 are also the same, so their explanation will be omitted.

When paper comes into contact with the pair of transport rollers 19A and 19B,
In step 213, a high level signal is output to the output port PE. Then, the hammer driver 40 drives the plunger 3G to release the latch of the clutch 20.

In this way, the W feed roller pair 18A and 18B rotates,
The paper is fed into the conveyance path, and the textile preparation for the printer body is completed. This time is also similar to step 208. That is, even if the operation of the plunger 38 is turned off by sending a low level signal from the output boat PE, the one-turn clutch 20 rotates. Therefore, the paper is conveyed to a predetermined position.

In step 214, the process waits until the paper has been conveyed to a predetermined position. At this time, deck control similar to step 208 is performed. When the paper is conveyed to the predetermined position, step 21
5, the lamp 26 is turned off (output boat PE,
reference).

As a result, the optical sensor 1 provided in the printer body
08 will no longer receive light, and the main body will be ready to pick up paper at any time.

In step 216, the rotation of the conveyance motor 11 is stopped by setting the output capo-1-PE to a low level.

In the next step 217, the level sensor 9 detects whether the height of the paper storage table 1 is appropriate, and if the height is low, step 218 is executed.

Step 218 is similar to step 203 described above.
The elevating motor 2 is rotated to the ascending side. In the next step, the lifting motor is not operated and the process returns to step 205. Thereafter, since the rising level is monitored at each step, the topmost position of the paper is always kept constant. Then, in step 2'08 for the second and subsequent times, the printer body picks up the paper and waits until there is no more paper on the conveyance path.

When there is no more paper in the storage table 1, the process advances from step 205 to step 218. Then, when the printer body picks up the paper and there is no more paper on the conveyance path, the process proceeds to step 220. Here, by turning on the light 2G, the light sensor 108 is irradiated with light, and the printer main body 1
03 detects a paperless state.

In step 221, high level No. 48 is sent from the output port PF to drive the relay 28 and open the contact! ;)
J change. Next, the output capo) and PF are set to high relay, and the relay 30 is driven to close the contacts.As a result, OV is applied to the end f2A of the A lowering motor 2, 24 V is applied to the terminal 2B, and the lowering Start rotating to the side.

In step 222, the apparatus is lowered until the level sensor 41 provided below detects the lower level of the paper feed table 1. In the next step 223, the output port PF
, outputs a 0-level signal and stops the rotation of the lifting motor 2. This completes the preparation for paper replenishment and ends this program.

In the embodiment described above, the lamp 26 is provided at a position where it can block the light from the lamp 108 attached to the printer body and emit light to the optical sensor 108, and the lamp 28 is turned on and off by N). The printer main body control unit is configured to determine whether paper is present or paper is absent by executing the jill command. However, without providing a light shielding plate, the structure is such that the light from the lamp attached to the printer body passes through the conveyance path of the paper feeding device and reaches the optical sensor 109, and the shank is placed in this optical path. The shank may be opened and closed by a plunger or the like, and the shutter may be opened at the same lighting timing as the lamp 26 of the above-described embodiment. Alternatively, the shack may be constructed of liquid crystal and operated in the same manner.

Furthermore, when using a printer body that detects paper by contact with paper using a microswitch, etc.,
The structure may be such that the cutting of the microstrip can be controlled by a plunger or the like.

``Effects'' - As explained above, according to the invention, the printer can be provided with a paper status signal transmission means equivalent to that when the paper storage cassette is attached.

There is no need to make any changes to the paper detection means provided in the main unit, and since it can be attached and detached like a cassette, a very versatile paper feeding device can be obtained.

Further, by being configured to be able to move independently, when replenishing paper, it can be easily moved to a position where it is easy to replenish, making it possible to easily replenish a very large amount of paper.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 is an internal configuration diagram of a paper feeding device to which the present invention is applied;
The figure is a configuration diagram showing a state in which a paper storage cassette compatible with the paper feeder shown in Fig. 1 is installed, Fig. 3 is a control circuit diagram of the paper feeder shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. Figure 5 is the third
This is a flowchart showing a control program for the microcomputer 25 shown in the figure. 1... Paper storage stand, 2... Lifting motor, 3... Sprocket, 4... Chain, 5A, 5B... Sprocket), 7... Sprocket, 8... Chain, 9 ... Level sensor, 10 ... Paper detection sensor, 11 ... Conveyance motor, 12 ... Pulley, 13 ... Belt, 14 ... Paper feed roller, 15 ... N weight pulley . 16...Pulley, 17...Belt, 1B...One rotation clutch, +9A, 19B...Conveyance roller, 20...--
21. 22...Paper guy 1pe 23...Transporting cola, 24...Hell;..., 25...Microcomputer, 26...Lamp, 27...Hammer driver, 28... Relay, 28... Hammer I Lime, 30... Relay, 31... Hammer driver. 32... Paper detection sensor, 33... Hammer driver, 34... Transistor, 35... Plunger, 36... Plunger, 37... Hammer driver, 38... Disc with slot, 39 ...Photo ink label. 40...Hammer driver/rover, 41...Level sensor, 101...Upper cassette, 102...]-stage force seven, 103...Printer main body, 104, 105...Cassette presence/absence detection Sui Nchi,
106... Lamp, 107... Optical sensor, +08... Lamp, 109... Optical sensor, 110... Paper, 111... Picture paper roller, 201-223, 301, 302... 760g Kai Ste Club.

Claims (1)

[Claims] A paper feeding device that is compatible with a removable paper storage cassette and supplies paper to the main device by being attached to the main device to which the paper is to be supplied, wherein the paper is stored in the cassette when attached to the main device. The apparatus is characterized in that it is configured to supply paper information similar to that of the paper cassette to a detection means installed in the main unit in order to detect whether or not the paper is loaded. With paper feed device.