JPS61248835A - Paper feeder for printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To detect a fact that sheets of paper in a paper mounting part run out, by operating an empty switch with the movement of a buckling preventing plate when the paper runs out and, when the paper is not yet set there, neutralizing the operation of the empty switch with a reactive switch. CONSTITUTION:A plate 902 to be tightly attached to a paper discharge tray 16 supports a rotary shaft 904 on a flange part 903 free of rotation, while a buckling preventing plate 901 is rotatively moved in a paper direction by a spring 5. An arm 908 of this buckling preventing plate 901 opens or closes an empty switch 909 attached to the flange part 903 with rotation of the buckling preventing plate. When sheets of paper run out, the arm 908 selects the switch 909 from open to close. A reactive switch 911 is attached to a support plate 26 on its surface at the side of an intermediate pressure plate 22, and when the paper is not yet set there as well as when the plate 22 is situated in a position where it is held in the rear of a paper feeder, this switch comes open, neutralizing the operation of the switch 909.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a paper feeding device for a printer, and more particularly to a paper feeding device that is detachable from a printer and in which paper is set in an oblique state.

(Prior art) A paper feeder that automatically supplies paper to a printer is generally removable from the printer. is placed diagonally upright. With this paper feeder,
The paper is pressed against the feed roller by a pressure plate, and the paper is automatically fed one by one by the feed roller, and a buckling prevention plate is provided on the feed roller side to prevent the paper from buckling.

Further, the paper feeding device generally has a plurality of paper stacking sections so that paper of different widths or different types of paper can be set simultaneously.

However, such conventional printer paper feeders do not have a means to detect when the paper set in the paper feeder runs out, so it is possible to print without realizing that the paper has run out. However, there were other problems such as deterioration of the platen and wasteful consumption of electricity.

(Object of the Invention) Therefore, the present invention makes the anti-buckling plate of the paper feeder movable in the direction of the paper, and when the paper runs out, the anti-buckling plate moves and activates the empty switch. A disable switch is provided that detects whether paper has been set and disables the operation of the empty switch of the paper stack where no paper has been set from the beginning. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding device for a printer that can detect that a paper stacking section in use is out of paper.

(Structure of the Invention) The paper feeding device for a printer of the present invention includes a paper stacking section on which paper is set diagonally, a pressure plate that urges the paper toward the feed roller, and a pressure plate that sandwiches the paper. A paper feeding device for a printer comprising a buckling prevention plate located on the opposite side of the pressure plate to prevent paper from buckling, wherein the buckling prevention plate is movable in the direction of the paper, When there is no paper set in the paper tray, this anti-buckling plate moves and activates the empty switch, and detects that no paper is set in the paper tray and disables the operation of the empty switch. The present invention is characterized in that it is provided with an invalidation switch.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically explained based on examples.

The paper feeding device according to the present invention can be used in various printers such as a type printer, an impact printer such as a dot printer, or a non-impact printer such as a thermal printer. Indicate the case.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is a paper feeder incorporated in an automatic paper feeder, and this automatic paper feeder is detachably installed on the upper part of a printer 2, which is schematically shown by a chain line in FIG. It is attached.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper feeding device 1 has first and second paper stacking devices 4.4a that stack paper 3.3a before printing in an upright position, and a first The paper loading device 4 is located on the front side of the second device 4a, that is, on the left side in FIG.

As described above, since the paper 3.3a is placed not in a horizontal state but in an upright state, the paper feeding device 1 can be configured compactly.

The paper 3 sent out from the first paper loading device 4 is conveyed to the printer 2 as shown by arrow A in FIG. 5 will be taken away.

6.6a is a feed roller that is placed opposite to the platen 5 and cooperates with the platen 5 to convey the paper 3; 7 is a guide plate provided around the platen 5 for guiding the paper; Similarly to the platen 5, the feed roller 6.6a is provided on the printer side. In addition, as is known per se (the feed roller 6.6a and the guide plate 7 are used instead of the automatic paper feeder 1, for example, when a tractor is connected to the printer 2 and conveys the paper 3, the feed roller 6.6a and the guide plate 7 are are moved in the direction of separation.

When the paper 3 reaches the printing section 8 shown in FIG. 2, a hammer of a printing device (not shown) strikes the paper 3 through the type and ink ribbon, thereby printing predetermined information on the paper 3. After printing, the sheet 3 is fed again by the platen 5 and the feed roller 6.6a, and is sent out from the platen 5, and is sent to a pair of paper ejection rollers 13.1 of the paper ejection device 800.
4, the first paper ejection tray 15 or the second paper ejection tray 1
The paper is selectively ejected to either one of the paper ejection units configured as 6. This will be explained in detail later. Reference numeral 17 denotes an auxiliary charge plate detachably supported at the upper end of the second paper discharge tray 16. By using this back plate 17, even long sheets can be stacked without greatly curving.

The paper 3a sent out from the second paper loading device 4a is
After being conveyed in the direction of the arrow and printed in the printing unit 8 in the same way as the paper 3 described earlier, it is transferred to one of the paper output trays 1.
5 or 16.

The reason why the two paper loading devices 4.4a are provided is to enable selective feeding of paper of different widths or different types of paper such as sheet paper and envelope paper into the printing section 8.

Although the general flow state of the paper is as described above, details of each part of the paper feeder 1 will be explained next.

First, regarding the paper loading device, conventionally, a cassette containing sheets of paper has been used as this type of loading device, and this cassette is attached to a paper feeding device to feed the sheets one by one. In this case, prepare multiple cassettes each containing paper of various paper widths (width in the direction perpendicular to the plane of the paper in Figure 2), and feed the cassette containing paper of the desired width size. When used by attaching it to a paper device and using paper of a different width size, a cassette containing paper of that size is attached to the paper feeder instead of the previous cassette. However, using different cassettes in this way not only makes the replacement work complicated, but also requires preparing cassettes of various sizes in advance. Therefore, the paper loading device shown in the figure does not use cassettes. Two slideable guide members 18 and 118 are provided so that the paper can be placed on the paper and the both side edges of the paper can be guided according to the width when the width size of the paper to be used changes. Further, in this example, as will be described later, the feed rollers 20 and 20a transfer the paper to the loading device 4.4a.
Since the paper is fed out from the roller, it is necessary to press the paper placed on this roller, and for this purpose, each paper loading device 4.4a is provided with three pressure plates 21, 22, 121, . 21a, 22a, 12
1a is provided. Details of these are as follows.

The first paper loading device 4 is connected to the two side plates 24 of the paper feeding device 1.
A support plate 26 is firmly screwed to the support plate 25, and a support bracket 27 is immovably fixed to the support plate 26. As shown in FIG. 3, the support bracket 27 is provided with an opening 28, into which the tip step 29 of the plate 22 described above (hereinafter referred to as the intermediate pressure plate) is loosely fitted in a detachable manner. . A pair of locking pieces 30 are bored at the lower end of the intermediate pressure plate 22, and these locking valves 3
A pressurizing shaft 31 is rotatably fitted into the groove 0, and the pressurizing shaft 31 is supported by both side plates 24 and 25 in a manner to be described later. The locking valve 30 is formed integrally with the intermediate pressure plate 22 from synthetic resin, and the intermediate pressure plate 22 is separated from the pressurizing shaft 31 by elastically deforming the locking piece 30 and widening the concave groove. be able to. Further, two retaining rings 32 are locked to the pressurizing shaft 31, and these retaining rings 32 press both sides of the intermediate pressure plate 22 to prevent the plate 22 from moving laterally.

On both sides of the intermediate pressure plate 22, the already mentioned guide members 18, 118 for guiding the side edges of the sheet 3 are located. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the guide member (left guide member) 18 located on the left side when the automatic paper feeder is viewed from the front consists of a paper presser 33 that presses the side edges of the paper and a base 34. A pair of rising flanges 35 and 39 are protruded from the upper rear surface of the base 34. On the other hand, the support plate 26 has a rear (right side in FIGS. 2 and 5)
A protruding portion 36 is formed that protrudes toward the direction W and extends in the width direction W (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2), and an upper flange 37 forming this protruding portion 36 is connected to two rising flanges 35 and 39 of the guide member 18. It is located between. Further, a mounting member 38 having a substantially U-shaped cross section is provided so as to cover the protrusion 36, and its upper portion is attached to one of the rising flange 3.
It is screwed to 5. One end of a leaf spring 40 is fixed to the lower part of the mounting member 38, and this spring 40 is in pressure contact with the protruding lower surface 41 of the support plate 26. With this configuration, the guide member 18 is attached to the support plate 26 via the attachment member 38 and the leaf spring 40, and can slide in the width direction W while being guided by the protrusion 36 of the support plate 26.

On the base 34 of the left guide member 18, as shown in FIGS. 1, 4, and 5, a pressure plate (left pressure plate) 21 (as previously described) is arranged, and a A pin 42 is loosely fitted into a long hole 43 formed in the paper holding portion 33 of the left guide member 18. Also, a locking piece 44 similar to that of the intermediate pressure plate 22 is provided on the lower front surface of the left pressure plate 21. is installed protrudingly,
This is fitted onto the pressurizing shaft 31 so as to be relatively rotatable. Furthermore, a hook-shaped protrusion 45 provided on the lower side of the left pressure plate 21 engages with the lower edge of the sheet holding portion 33 of the left guide member 18 and is guided along this lower edge.

The guide member (right guide member) 118 located on the right side and the previously described pressure plate (right pressure brake) 121 located thereon are also constructed in exactly the same way as the left guide member 18 and the left pressure plate 21, except for differences. The only point is that these are located symmetrically in the width direction W. Therefore, a detailed explanation of each member of the right guide member 118 and the right pressure plate 121 will be omitted. These will be indicated by adding 100 to the given reference numeral.

The bottom 4 of the support plate 26 as shown in FIG. 2 and particularly in FIG.
6, a gate member 47 is fixedly supported on the upper surface thereof, and a plurality of sliding members 48 are fixed at positions that do not interfere with the gate member 47 (see also FIG. 21). Further, the feed roller 20 described above is located opposite to the gate member 47, and the rotating shaft 50 that fixedly supports this roller 20 is rotatably supported by both side plates 24 and 25, and is rotationally driven in a manner to be described later. Gate member 47 and feed roller 20
A slight gate gap G of, for example, about 0.5 to 1 m is provided between the gate and the peripheral surface of the gate.

As can be seen from FIG. 2, the lower edge of the sheets 3 stacked on the sheet stacking device 4 is attached to the sliding member 48 and the gate member 47.
The back of this paper stack is supported by three pressure plates 21, 22, 121, and in addition to these plates, long papers are placed on a support bracket 2.
Auxiliary blue plate 51 detachably locked to 7 (see Figure 3)
Supported in a leaning position.

Before feeding the stacked sheets 3, it is necessary to press the lower part of the sheet stack against the feed roller 20. For this purpose, a pressing mechanism 53 shown in FIGS. 7 to 10 is used.
is used.

7 and 8, a rack member 54 is screwed to the outer surface of one side plate 24, and this rack member 54
A long hole 55 extending in the front-rear direction of the paper feeder is formed in the paper feeder.
Furthermore, a rack 56 is formed adjacent to this elongated hole 55. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the pressurizing shaft 31 passes through a long hole 55 and a corresponding long hole bored in the side plate 24, and a pinion 57 is attached to the end thereof. A boss 58 is fixed and integrally connected to this pinion 57.
The pinion 57 is fitted into the rack member 54 so that it can rotate and move in the elongated hole 55 of the rack member 54, and the pinion 57 is meshed with the rack 56. Also, as can be seen from FIG. 9, the other side plate 25
A second rank member 59 formed exactly the same as the rack member 54 described above is also fixed to the inner surface of the rack 6.
A second pinion 61 fixed to the other end of the pressurizing shaft 31 at
In addition, the boss 63 of the pinion 61 is rotatably fitted into the elongated hole 62 of the second rack member 59.

Furthermore, as can be seen from FIG.
5 is moored. Further, a pivot arm 67 is rotatably supported by a pivot pin 66 fixed to the side plate 24, and a leaf spring 68 is fixed to the tip of the pivot arm 67.

The operating pin 69 bored in the rotating arm 67 is connected to the side plate 24.
The cover 70 (FIG. 1) is fixed to the cover 70 (FIG. 1) through a hole (not shown), and an operation knob (not shown) is screwed to the tip of the hole (not shown).

Sliding member 48 or pressure plate 21.22.
When the paper 3 is to be placed on the sheet 121, the operator operates the operation knob to rotate the rotating arm 67 clockwise in FIG. 7, and then rotates it to the position shown in FIG. let

At this time, the leaf spring 68 at the tip of the arm engages with a stopper pin 74 protruding from the side plate 24, and the arm 67 is held in this position. At this time, the pressure shaft 31 comes into pressure contact with the cam surface 73 of the arm 67, and the arm 67 moves the pressure shaft 31 to the position shown in FIG. (the left side in FIGS. 7 and 8). Therefore, each pressure plate 21, 22, 121 pivotally mounted on the pressurizing shaft 31 rotates around its upper part, and its lower part is held in the rearwardly retracted position as shown by the chain line in FIG. . Therefore, a relatively wide space is created between each pressure plate and the feed roller 20, and the paper 3 can be set there (see FIG. 2). The number of sheets that can be set is set to an appropriate number, for example, about 200 to 250. As described above, after placing the lower edge of the paper 3 on the sliding member 48 and supporting the back part on the pressure plate, the paper is placed, and then the above-described operation knob is operated to move the pressure shaft 31 to the Rotates counterclockwise in the figure. As a result, the leaf spring 68
is removed from the stopper bin 74, and the pressure shaft 31 is removed from the tension spring 6.
5 and moves forward. At that time, both pinions 5
7.61 rotates while meshing with rack 56.60,
Along with this, the lower part of the pressure plate 21.22.121 also moves forward. The intermediate pressure plate 22 then pivots around its tip step 29, and the other two pressure plates 21.121 rotate around their respective bins 42.
rotates around the pin 42 while sliding through the elongated hole 43 of each guide member 18.118. Thus, the lower part of the sheet of paper leaning against the pressure plate is pressed against the peripheral surface of the feed roller 20 by a predetermined pressure by the spring 65. In this case, the pressure shaft 31 has two pinions 57.61 fixed to both ends thereof, and two racks 56.6 each.
0, the amount of movement of each end of the pressure shaft 31, and therefore each pressure plate 21
．． 22. The operating amount of 121 becomes constant, and the pressure applied to the pressurizing shaft 31 by the spring 65 does not act biasedly to one end of this shaft, but acts uniformly over the entire length of the shaft 31. However, each pressure plate presses the paper 3 with a uniform force, and the paper 3 is pressed against the feed roller 20 with a constant force. Furthermore, when the pressure shaft 3 operates, the boss 58.63 of the pinion 57.61 moves while rolling in the elongated hole 55.62 of the rack member 58.60, so the resistance force acting on the pressure shaft 31 is Therefore, the pressurizing shaft 31 operates smoothly.

The paper 3 is set as described above, when the paper holding bracket 33.1 of both guide members 18.118
33 is made wider than the width F of the paper 3 as shown in FIG. Lightly press each paper presser 33.133 (Figure 13)
. Usually followed by Pre, Rasha Plate 21.22.
121 is operated as described above to press the lower part of the paper 3 against the feed roller 20.

In this way, each guide member 18.118 is moved manually, and at this time, the guide member 18.1 described above is moved.
Since the leaf spring 40 is interposed between the guide member 18 and the support plate 26 (FIGS. 4 and 5), the guide member 18.118 can be smoothly slid along the protrusion 36 of the support plate 26. can. In addition, in this example, as shown in FIG. 5, a low-friction tape 77 made of a resin such as a polyester film is applied to the inner surface 76 and lower surface 41 of the flange 37 of the protrusion 36 of the support plate 26 over its entire length. 7 days are attached, the rising flange 39 of the guide member 18 is in contact with one tape 77, the leaf spring 40 is in pressure contact with the other tape 78, and the mounting member 38 has a cushioning sheet-like material. sliding members 79,80 are attached, and the mounting member 38 is attached to the support plate 26 via these members 79,80.
(The same is true for the right guide member 118). For this purpose, each guide member 18.118 is connected to the support plate 2.
6, the guide members 18 and 118 are elastically supported in the vertical and longitudinal directions, so that the sliding resistance of each guide member 18 and 118 is reduced, and they can be operated smoothly and without wobbling.

Further, since the upper flange 37 of the support plate 26 is held between the tape 77 and the sliding member 79, the problem of the guide member being tilted greatly during sliding is prevented. Guide member 18
．． If 118 is tilted during operation, it is difficult to move them smoothly. Also spring 40. Because the tapes 77 and 78 and the sliding members 79 and 80 are used, vibrations occur when the printer 2 is operated, or even when the tilting force of the paper 3 acts on each guide member, these may rattle or move loosely. It can also prevent inconveniences.

By the way, as described above, the guide members 18, 118 are operated to pinch the side edges of the paper, and at this time, as shown in FIG. 12, from the start of this operation, the pressure plate 21 supported by each guide member 18, 118 If at least a portion of the paper 3 is inserted into the back of the paper 3, each guide member operates while these plates scoop up the paper 3, which is advantageous because these members can operate smoothly.

In this way, each pressure plate 21.121 is attached to the paper 3.
To fit under each pressure plate 21.
It is desirable to set the width of these plates large so that the paper 3 can be placed on the paper 121.

On the other hand, the intermediate pressure plate 22
0, but in order to improve this pressing function, the width of the intermediate pressure plate 22 should be increased, and its width should be the same as the length 81 (length in the width W direction) of the feed roller 20. or more. In this way, it is desirable to increase both the width of the intermediate pressure plate 22 and the width of the other two pressure plates 21.121, but if this is done, the overall width size of these plates will only become significantly larger. Therefore, when the guide members 18 and 118 are brought closest to each other, the distance between the paper holding portions 33 and 133 of both members increases, making it impossible to center the paper 3 having a small width.

Therefore, in the illustrated configuration, as shown in FIG.
The width H2 of the portion facing the plate 22 is set to be thicker to obtain a high paper holding function.
Set the width at the top to be narrower.

Even in this case, since the upper part is not the part facing the feed roller 20, the paper holding function is not hindered.On the other hand, the upper part H3 of the pressure plate 21.121 supported by each guide member 18. The width of the upper part of the intermediate pressure plate 22 is small, so the overall width size can be kept small.Also, both pressure plates 21. 121 is set small.Thus, even if the width H2 at the bottom of the intermediate pressure plate is large, the overall width remains small.In this way, all the requirements for each pressure plate 21, 22, 121 are satisfied. However, it is possible to reduce the overall width size.In addition, the transition portion 82.18 between the upper and lower parts of both pressure plates 21.121
2 are formed in an inclined state, so that when they approach each other, the transition portions 82, 182 can also smoothly slip under the paper. When the left and right pressure plates 21 and 121 are closest to the intermediate pressure plate 22, the distance between the paper holding parts 33 and 133 is approximately equal to or less than the minimum paper width that can be fed. Of course, it is set so that

Also at this time, left and right pressure play) 2L 121
It is also possible to make the side edges of the intermediate pressure plate 22 contact each side edge of the intermediate pressure plate 22.

When feeding the paper 3, the feed roller 20 rotates clockwise in FIG. From there, they are sequentially sent out in the direction of arrow A (see FIG. 2). When the fed sheets 3 pass through the first sheet separating device 83 for the first sheet stacking device 4, only the uppermost sheet 3 is separated and fed to the printer 2. As will be described later, the paper separating device 83 in this example is composed of the previously described feed roller 20 and a friction pad 84 that is in pressure contact with the feed roller 20, between which the paper 3 passes.

At this time, the paper 3 is guided on its left and right sides by the paper pressing portions 33.133 of both guides 18.118 until the left end of the paper 3 reaches near the feed roller 20. This is because if the guide length is short, the paper 3 may be skewed in its width direction. When the leading edge of the paper 3 transported in this manner reaches the paper separation device 83, the paper 3 is separated by the paper separation device 83, but if too many papers 3 are fed into the separation device 83 at the same time, The separation device 83 will no longer be able to achieve the desired separation function. For this reason,
The paper loading device 4 is provided with the gate member 47 described above, and a minute gate gap G is created between the gate member 47 and the feed roller 20 as described above, and the sheet is fed by the feed roller 20. The paper 3 subjected to the action passes through this minute gap G. Therefore, the inconvenience of a large number of sheets 3 passing through this at the same time is prevented, and normally at most several sheets 3 pass through. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the length I (length in the width W direction) of the gate member 47 is equal to or greater than the width of the paper 3 of the maximum width size that can be fed. It is set. The reason why the gate member is formed in such a long length is as follows.

That is, as shown in FIG. 15, if the gate member 47'
If the length ■' is set to be the same as or slightly larger than the width H1 of the feed roller 20 or the friction pad 84, the paper 3 will be fed in an upright position, so the friction butt 84 and the feed roller The leading edge of the portion 3' other than the paper portion held between the paper sheets 20 falls downward due to the weight of the paper sheet 3 so as to move forward. Therefore, there is a possibility that wrinkles or folds may occur in the portion of the paper sandwiched between the pad 84 and the roller 20. Furthermore, when the paper 3 coming out of the paper section device 83 is guided by a guide plate 85 as shown in FIG. 16, the tip of the paper section 3' hits the guide plate 85, and (In this example, the guide plate 85 is actually positioned as shown in FIG. 6).

Therefore, in the configuration shown in FIG. 14, the length of the gate member 47 is set to be equal to or greater than the maximum paper width size as described above, and the tip of the paper other than the paper part that hits the feed roller 20 is also 47, thereby eliminating the drawbacks shown in FIGS. 15 and 16. In this case, as can be seen from FIG. 14, the portion other than the gate member portion facing the feed roller 20 is recessed toward the rear (upward in FIG. 14) by an amount indicated by Δh.
This is to make it easier for the paper 3 to pass through parts other than the gate gear G. In addition, since the feed roller 20 is a portion where the roller 20 and the gate member 47 cooperate to define the gate gap G, the gate member 47 rolls the roller to the extent necessary to form the gap G of a predetermined width. It's approaching 20. In this way, since the elongated gate member 47 is provided and the pressure plate 21.121 presses the portion other than the sheet portion against the feed roller 20, the sheet 3 is fed while being correctly guided.

The gate member 47 is fixed to the bottom part 46 of the support plate 26 by a screw 87 passing through a long hole 88 formed in the gate member 47, and the long hole 88 extends long in the front-rear direction (vertical direction in FIG. 14). Therefore, by loosening the screw 87, the position of the gate member 47 in the front-rear direction, and therefore the size of the gate gap G, can be adjusted. Or, conversely,
It is also possible to form the gate member integrally with the support plate 26 in advance.

As mentioned above, the paper 3 is attached to the pressure plates 21 and 22.
．． 121 against the feed roller 20,
The feed roller 20 is fed by the rotation of the roller 20, and the feed roller 20 is connected to the paper separating device 83 briefly described above.
Since the feed roller also has one configuration, the contact point of the feed roller with respect to the paper 3 cannot be set at the upper part of the paper 3. Moreover, the paper 3 is placed in an upright state. For this reason, it is possible that the paper 3 placed on the loading device 4 may buckle as shown in FIG. 17 during standby before feeding or during feeding. Inconveniences such as delivery defects cannot be avoided.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, an empty detection means 900 equipped with a buckling prevention plate 901 is fixed on the back side of the second wandering paper tray 16 briefly described above, and when the paper 3 is set, the empty detection means 900 is fixed. A buckling prevention plate 901 is applied to the surface to prevent the paper 3 from buckling.

For the same purpose, a friction member 591 with a large friction coefficient is attached to the surface of the guide member 18 facing the paper side edge of the paper holding portion 33 as shown in FIG. ), both guide members 18.118
When the paper 3 is brought into contact with the side edge of the paper 3, the friction member 591 comes into contact with the side edge of the paper. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the paper 3 from buckling, bending, or sliding down, and also prevent the paper 3 from falling forward due to vibrations of the printer, thereby suppressing the occurrence of paper feeding failures.

By the way, if the paper 3 is placed vertically rather than horizontally, the weight of the paper 3 acts on the surface that receives the lower edge (leading edge) of the paper 3. Therefore, when setting paper 3 or during paper feeding operation, pressure plate 21, 22, 121
When the paper 3 is pressed against the feed roller 20 by the pressing force, a large frictional force acts on the paper 3, which may make it difficult to move the paper 3 smoothly. Not only that, but if this frictional force becomes excessive, pressure plate 2
1.22.If the pressing force by 121 is not increased, paper 3
cannot be pressed against the feed roller 20 with a predetermined pressure, and sufficient frictional force cannot be obtained between the feed roller and the paper 3 during paper feeding, causing the paper 3 to slip against the roller 20, resulting in paper feeding failure. There is a possibility that this may occur. Therefore, if we increase the pressing force by the pressure plate, that is, the force of the spring 65, and press the paper 3 against the feed roller 20 with a large force, then the paper 3 will be pressed against the feed roller 20 with a very large pressure. also occurs, paper 3
As a result, the number of sheets of paper 3 brought directly above the gate gap G described above increases. For this reason,
When the feed roller 20 rotates to feed paper, a large number of sheets of paper 3 are fed into the gate gear G at the same time,
There is a possibility that the paper separating action by the paper separating device 83 will be inhibited.

Therefore, in the illustrated configuration, the sliding member 4 briefly shown above is
8 is fixed to the bottom 46 of the support plate 26, and the lower edge of the paper 3 is placed on it to reduce the frictional resistance. In this way, the predetermined relationship between the paper 3 and the feed roller 20 can be maintained without pressing the paper 3 against the feed roller 20 with such high pressure that many sheets of paper 3 are fed into the gate gap G during paper feeding. Frictional force is obtained.

In this example, the sliding members 48 are made of a low-friction material such as polyacetal resin, and as can be seen from FIG. 14, a plurality of narrow sliding members 48 are used, and these are separated from each other in the width direction. It is arranged. Therefore, not only the lower edge of the paper 3 comes into contact with the sliding member having a small coefficient of friction and the frictional force is reduced, but also the lower edge and the sliding member 4
8 becomes smaller, and this also achieves a reduction in frictional force. Of course, it is also possible to adopt either one of a configuration in which a plurality of sliding members 48 are provided to reduce the contact area with the paper 3, or a configuration in which the members 48 are made of a low-friction material.

Each sliding member 48 has two tongues 91, 92, as shown in FIG.
93 are engaged, and the sliding members are coupled by the screws of the support plate 26. Note that 693 is a reinforcing rib provided on the sliding member 48.

The configuration and operation of the first paper stacking device 4 have been explained above, but next, the first paper separating device 83 briefly explained above.
Reveal the details.

As described above, the first paper separation device 83 includes a friction separation member configured as a friction pad 84! .

A feed roller 20 is provided opposite to this, and this roller 20 also serves as the feed roller 20 that constitutes one component of the paper placement device 4.

The friction pad 84 has a length that is approximately the same as the length of the feed roller 20 (in the width W direction), and is fixed to a holding portion 96 of a holder 95, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 19. The base 97 of the holder 95 is rotatably supported by a rotary lever 99 via a pin 200, and this lever 99 is rotatably supported by a pivot pin 201 on a support plate 26 and a fixed plate 98 fixed thereto. is supported by Further, a compression spring 202 is disposed between the rotating lever 99 and the protrusion of the fixed plate 98, and this spring 202 presses the rotating lever 99, and therefore the holder 95 and the friction pad 84, against the feed roller 20. At this time, the holder 9 that fixedly supports the friction pad 84
5 is also swingable with respect to the rotation lever 99, so when the friction pad 84 is pressed against the feed roller 20 by the spring 202, the pad 84 is applied to the roller 20 with uniform pressure over its entire longitudinal direction. comes into contact with. As described above, the feed roller 20 is fixed to the rotating shaft 50 that is rotatably supported by the side plates 24 and 25.

The feed roller 20, which also serves as a paper feed roller in the paper stacking device 4, rotates clockwise in FIG. and the friction pad 84, and is held therebetween. At this time, the frictional force exerted on the paper 3 from the feed roller 20 is transferred from the friction pad 84 to the paper 3.
The friction coefficient of the peripheral surface of the feed roller 20 with respect to the paper 3 and the friction coefficient of the surface of the friction pad 84 with respect to the paper 3 are determined so as to be larger than the friction force exerted on the paper 3.For example, the feed roller 20 is made of rubber. Further, the friction pad 84 is made of polyurethane foam. Therefore, when a sheet of paper 3 is held between the feed roller 20 and the friction pad 84, the paper 3 is conveyed in the direction of arrow A by the feeding action of the feed roller 20, and then moved to the friction pad 84.
Slip against 4. Further, when two sheets of paper 3 are simultaneously fed between these rollers 20 and the pad 84, the frictional force between the feed roller 20 and the paper 3 in contact with it causes the friction pad 84 to come into contact with it. Not only are these frictional forces greater than the frictional forces acting between the sheets 3, but only the sheets 3 that are in contact with the feed roller 20, i.e. the topmost sheet, are therefore affected by the sheet separation device. Sent from 83. Thus, the paper 3 sent out from the paper loading device 4
are separated by a paper separation device 83 and fed to the printer 2 one by one. As described above, the paper separation device 83 using the feed roller 2Q and the friction pad 84 can separate even thick paper 3, such as envelopes, even if the paper thickness changes.

The first paper stacking device 4 and the first paper separating device 83 that separates the paper 3 sent out from this device have been described above, but the second paper stacking device 4a (FIG. 2) and the A second paper separation device 8 that separates the paper 3a to be sent out.
3a (also see FIG. 2) has almost the same configuration as the first paper loading device 4 and the first paper separating device 83,
and works the same way. The difference is that the empty detection means 900 equipped with a buckling prevention plate 901 in the first paper mounting device 4 is fixed to the paper discharge tray 16, whereas the empty detection means 900 in the second paper mounting device 4a is fixed to the paper output tray 16. Means 9
00a is equipped with a buckling prevention plate 901a, and as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 6, the only difference is that a notch 203 is formed into which the feed roller 20a of the second sheet loading device 4a enters, and other than that, there is no substantial difference between the two. Therefore, the second paper loading device 4a and the second paper separating device 83
The main parts of each part of a are given the reference numerals with "a" added to the reference numbers given to the respective parts of the first paper stacking device 4 and the paper separation device 83, and detailed explanation thereof will be omitted.

The empty detection means 900 is shown in FIGS.
It is configured as shown enlarged in FIG. That is,
902 is a plate fixed to the paper output tray 16;
Plate 902 has a flange portion 903. The flange portion 903 rotatably supports a rotating shaft 904, and the rotating shaft 904 supports the buckling prevention plate 901. The buckling prevention plate 901 is rotated (moved) by a spring 905 in three paper directions (towards the back of the paper in FIG. 20), and its maximum rotation angle is regulated by a regulation plate 906 integrally formed with the flange portion 903. . Further, the rotation of the buckling prevention plate 901 in the opposite direction to the paper 3 is prevented by a stopper 907.
is regulated by contacting the flange portion 903.

The buckling prevention plate 901 has its tip portion bent in the opposite direction to the paper 3, so that the paper 3 will not be damaged. Further, the buckling prevention plate 901 has an arm 908, and the arm 908 turns off an empty switch 909 attached to the flange portion 903 by rotating the buckling prevention plate 901. On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, FIG. 11, FIG. 12, and FIG. 13, the intermediate pressure plate 22 has an escape window (hole) 910 at a position facing the buckling prevention plate 901. When the paper 3 runs out on the first paper loading device 4, the buckling prevention plate 9
01 enters the escape window 910. At this time, the buckling prevention plate 901 rotates from the A position to the B position in FIG. 21, and the arm 908'' switches the empty switch 909 from the ON (closed) state to the 0FF (open) state. 901, plate 902, flange 903, rotating shaft 904, spring 905, regulation plate 906, stopper 9
07, the arm 908 and the empty switch 909 collectively constitute an empty detection means 900 of the first paper mounting device 4, and the empty detection means 900 prevents the paper 3 from buckling and detects when the paper 3 runs out. to reliably detect.

The second paper mounting device 4a is also provided with an empty detection means 900a having a similar configuration, and although the empty detection means 900 of the first paper mounting device 4 is attached to the paper output tray 16, On the other hand, the second paper loading device 4a
The empty detection means 900a of the first paper loading device 4
The two are substantially the same except that they are attached to a support plate 26. Therefore, each component of the empty detecting means 900a of the second sheet placing device 4a includes the empty detecting means 900a of the first sheet placing device 4.
Each constituent part of 00 will be given a suffix "a" and its explanation will be omitted. Similarly, an escape window 910 is also provided on the intermediate pressure plate 22a of the second paper loading device 4a.
a is formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 11, a disabling switch 911 is attached to the support plate 26 of the first sheet loading device 4 on the surface on the intermediate pressure plate 22 side. An arm 912 extending in the direction of the pressure plate 22 is rotatably attached.

The invalidating switch 911 is activated when the intermediate preflex plate 22 is at the position indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. A position where the intermediate pressure plate 22 and the pressure shaft 31 are held at the rear side of the paper feeder 1 (
Hereinafter, when the intermediate pressure plate 22 is in the holding position), it will be in the OFF (open) state, and when the intermediate pressure plate 22 is not in the holding position, that is, when paper is set on the first paper placement device 4, the intermediate pressure plate 22 will be in the OFF (open) state. is in the ON (closed) state when it is pressing against the paper.

A disable switch 911a and an arm 912a having a similar configuration are also attached to the second paper stacking device 4a, and there is no substantial difference from the disable switch 911 and arm 912 of the first paper stacking device 4.

Empty switches 909.909a of the empty detection means 900.900a are connected in series, as shown in FIG. 22, and disable switches 911.91 are connected in parallel to each empty switch 909.909a.
1a is connected, and can be further connected in series with a cover open switch 914 attached to the printer 2 via a connector g13. The cover open switch 914 is normally attached to the printer 2 and is turned ON (closed) when the cover of the printer 2 is opened.
state to OFF (open) state. Connector 91
3 is composed of a plug 915 and a jack 916, and when the plug 915 is not inserted, the terminal 916a and end/pin 916b of the jack 916 are connected to form the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 23, and the plug 915 is inserted. , the terminal 916a and the terminal 916b are disconnected and the terminal 916a becomes the empty switch 909.909a or the invalid switch 91.
1.911a to the terminal 916C, resulting in the circuit configuration shown in FIG.

Also, as mentioned above, the empty switch 909.9
09 a is when the paper on the paper loading device 4.4a runs out.
Switching from ON to OFF, disable switch 911.9
11a is OFF when paper is set on the paper stacking device 4.4a, and is ON when no paper is set.

Therefore, the paper loading device 4 where no paper was set
．． 4a, the circuit is closed by the invalid switch 911.911a, and the circuit is opened and closed by ON-OFF of the empty switch 909.909a of the paper loading device 4.4a in which the paper is set. As a result, either the paper on the paper stacking device 4.4a that is set with paper runs out, or the paper feeding device 1
When the cover of printer 2 with attached is opened,
Either one of the switches 909, 909a, 914 turns from ON to OFF, and a signal is output to a display means (not shown). Therefore, if you do not set paper on all the paper stacking devices 4.4a (but only on the paper stacking device 4.4a that you are using), you can reliably detect paper out. This display means generally utilizes the means by which the printer 2 displays the cover oven.
As a result, the cover oven switch 914, the empty switch 909, 909a, and the invalid switch 911 are activated by the connector 913 to display the lamp, stop the printer, etc.
．． 911a can be easily connected, and paper out and cover oven status can be easily detected and displayed. When removing paper feeder 1, plug 915
By pulling out the paper feeder from the jack 916 and removing the automatic paper feeder from the printer 2, the cover oven state can be detected.

25 to 27 are diagrams showing an example applied to an automatic paper feeder in which not only two but n paper loading devices are provided, and in this case, n empty switches 909.9
09a, -...909n are connected in series, and each empty switch 909.909a.

...Disable switch 911.9 in parallel with 909n
11a.

...Connect 911n. Therefore, it is only necessary to send paper to the necessary paper placement device among the n paper placement devices provided, and when the sent paper runs out or the cover is opened, the display means will display the information. be able to.

Figures 28 and 33 show an empty switch that is OFF (open) when there is paper and ON when there is no paper.
A switch that is in the (closed) state is used as an invalid switch, a switch that is in the ON (closed) state when paper is set, and a switch that is in the OFF (open) state when paper is not set, and a switch that is used as a cover open switch. This uses a switch that is OFF (open) when the cover is closed and ON (closed) when the cover is open. Note that each empty switch, each invalid switch, and the cover open switch are the same except that the ON-OFF operation is opposite to that shown in each of the above embodiments. N is added in front of the code used for. In FIG. 28, the empty switches N909 and N909 al of each paper loading device are
,,---N 90911 and cover open switch N912 are connected in parallel with each other, and their respective empty switches N909 and N909 a.

...N909 Disable switch N91 in series with n
1, N911a,...N911n are connected. Therefore, one of the paper stacking devices set with paper runs out of paper, and one of the empty switches N909, N909a, =N909
When n is turned on or the cover is opened and the cover open switch N912 is turned on, the display means is activated.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 28 above, the cover open switch 912, the empty switch N909,
Since it is only necessary to connect N909a and ----N909n in parallel, there is no need to use a complicated connector 917 such as the connector 913 shown in FIGS. 22 to 27. Often the components can be made simple.

Paper 3.3a is selectively sent out from the first and second paper loading devices 4.4 and fed to the printer 2.

The paper 3 sent out from the first paper stacking device 4 and passing through the first paper separation device 83 is guided by the guide plate 85 described above with its leading edge as shown in FIG. .25 is turned downward by a guide roller 204 rotatably supported by a paper feed guide plate 205, which will be described later, and a manual feed guide plate 2, which will also be described in detail later.
It reaches the platen 5 and feed roller 6 of the printer 2 while being guided by the back surface of the printer 2. After the leading edge of the paper 3 is held between the platen 5 and the feed roller 6, the paper 3 is sent toward the printing section 8 by rotation of the platen 5.

A set (not shown) is provided near the platen 5 and the feed roller 6, and when the leading edge of the paper 3 is not detected by this sensor when a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the feed roller 20 started rotating, , a jam signal is generated.

As described above, the reason why the paper 3 is once placed on the guide roller 204 and then sent to the platen 5 is as follows.

That is, if the guide plate 85 and the guide roller 204 were not provided, the paper 3 exiting the paper separation device 83 was guided as shown by the broken line a in FIG. Then, the paper 3 hits the corner 206 of the friction pad 84. If the platen 5 and the feed roller 6 pull the paper 3 in this state, the corners 206 of the friction pad 84 and the paper 3 will rub against each other with strong force, which may cause the paper 3 to be damaged. In addition, the load applied to the platen 5 increases, and the paper 3 slips against the platen 5, making it impossible to carry out the desired paper conveyance.

Further, there is a possibility that excessive unnecessary pressure may be applied to the friction pad 84. If there is only one paper loading device and the second
If the paper loading device 4 is not provided, there is sufficient space to install the loading device, so by shifting this device 4 to the rear side, that is, to the right in FIG. It is possible to prevent the inconvenience of the paper 3 and the friction pad 84 rubbing against each other as described above. However, when a plurality of paper stacking devices are used as in the illustrated embodiment, there is no room to shift the position of the front paper mounting device 4 to the rear side.

Therefore, the slightly forward side of the friction pad 84 (the sixth
A guide roller 204 is provided on the left side of the figure, and the paper 3
By applying , the extending direction of the paper 3 with respect to the friction pad 84 is changed from the state shown by the broken line a to the state shown by the solid line A, thereby preventing the inconvenience of the paper 3 and the pad 84 rubbing strongly against each other. Additionally, guide plates 85 are provided fixedly attached to both side plates 24 and 25 so as to guide the leading edge of the paper 3 to the guide rollers 204. In this case, when the paper 3 is in a state of being pulled by the platen 5, that is, when the paper 3
When the paper 3 is held between the feed roller 20 and the pad 84 and is under tension due to the guide roller 204, the guide plate 85 is moved in the direction in which the paper 3 extends so that the paper 3 does not come into contact with the guide plate 85. It is arranged at an angle to the Therefore, the problem that the paper 3 pulled by the platen 5 hits the guide plate 85 and rubs against each other does not occur. Further, the left side of the guide plate 85 in FIG. 6 is close to the guide roller 204, and preferably extends in the tangential direction of the roller 204, so that the leading edge of the paper 3 can be guided to the guide roller 204 without any hindrance. It is also possible to turn the paper 3 by means of a guide member of a form other than the rollers 204. Also, the guide plate 8 in FIG.
A notch is formed at the right end of 5 to prevent interference with elements in the paper separation device 83.

By the way, the paper 3 is being guided as described above and its leading edge reaches between the feed roller 6 and the platen 5, but at this point the platen 5 is moving in the counterclockwise direction (arrow B) in FIG.
(in the opposite direction). Therefore, the leading edge of the paper 3 stops just before the gap between the feed roller 6 and the platen 5. At this time, the feed roller 20 continues to rotate, and in order to feed the paper 3, the feed roller 20 continues to rotate.
The portion of the paper that has come out swells and curves as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 6 and marked with the symbol 3. For this reason, paper 3
The leading edge of the paper 3 tends to enter between the feed roller 6 and the platen 5 due to the force of the paper 3 itself trying to become flat. Therefore, when the paper 3 reaches between the platen 5 and the feed roller 6, even if the paper is skewed, the bulge 31' is formed so that the leading edge of the paper 3 reaches the platen 5.
are aligned in the axial direction, and the skew is corrected. Thereafter, the platen 5 begins to rotate in the direction in which the paper 3 can be fed (in the direction of arrow B), and the paper 3 is transported correctly, that is, without skew.

On the other hand, the paper 3a sent out from the second paper stacking device 4a and passing through the second paper separation device 83a is
The paper reaches the platen 5 and the feed roller 6 while being guided by the previously described paper feed guide plate 205 fixed to the paper feed guide plate 205 . As can be seen from FIG. 6, the paper feed guide plate 205 consists of a first portion 205a that is flat or gently sloped, and a second portion 205b that slopes sharply downward.
A swinging guide plate 207 is provided near the transition portion between the second portion 205a and the second portion 205b, and the paper 3a is moved along this guide plate 207.
7 to the second portion 205b,
It is guided downward by the portion 205b and the manual feed guide plate 20B. At this time, since the tip of the swing guide plate 207 is curved almost along the paper feed guide plate 205, the paper 3a is reliably guided. In this way, the guide plate 207
By providing the paper 3a at the transition part in the bent state,
never stagnates.

When the leading edge of the paper 3a reaches between the feed roller 6 and the platen 5, since the platen 5 is rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 3a is corrected, but in order to allow for this slack, the swing guide plate 207 is fixed to the pin 207.
It is swingably supported by both side plates 24 and 25 by a. Therefore, when the leading edge of the paper 3a is stopped between the feed roller 6 and the platen 5, a part 33'' of the paper 3a lifts the swing guide plate 207 with its waist, as shown by the chain line in FIG. It can be a problem (sagging) at 38″.

When the slack 311 is formed as described above, the weight of the swinging guide plate 207 acts on this slack 3'' and presses this part. Therefore, the leading edge of the paper 3a becomes the slack 3a1.
' is pressed against the contact area between the platen 5 and the feed roller 6 by a force including the force from the guide plate 207 in addition to the force from the guide plate 207.
The effect of correcting the skew of the paper 3a is enhanced. Not only that, when the platen 5 starts rotating clockwise, the leading edge of the paper 3a is pushed between the platen 5 and the feeding roller 6,
Therefore, the sheet 3a starts to be conveyed immediately after the platen 5 starts rotating in the clockwise direction, and reliable conveyance is guaranteed. In order to further enhance this effect, it is advantageous to provide a biasing means such as a spring that exerts a rotational force in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 6 on the swing guide plate 207.

Furthermore, before the leading edge of the paper 3a is stopped by the platen 5 and the feed roller 6, the swing guide plate 207 is in the sixth position.
It maintains the lowered state shown by the solid line in the figure, that is, the guide position. At this time, the swinging guide plate 207 hits the spacer 209 that is locked or fixed to the paper feed guide plate 205 under its own weight, and a minute gap K of, for example, about 1 mm to 1.5 mm is created between the guide plates 205 and 207. It is formed. Therefore, the paper 3a can easily enter between the swing guide plate 207 and the paper feed guide plate 205, and even if the paper is weak and thin, it will not jam between the two guide plates 205 and 207. will not occur.

As shown in FIG. 29, the spacer 209 is disposed outside the transport path of the paper 3a and does not interfere with the progress of the paper 3a. Although two spacers 209 are used in FIG. 29, the number can be set to any appropriate number including one. Furthermore, if the spacer 209 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, the swinging acts on the swinging guide plate 207 when it returns from the rotated position to the original guiding position or when the swinging guide plate is in the guiding position. Both guide plates 207
．． Since there is a spacer 209 made of an elastic material between the two, it is possible to prevent noise that would occur if the two were in direct contact. This is particularly effective when both guide plates 205 and 207 are made of metal. A spacer may be provided on the side of the swing guide plate. Figure 30 shows spacer 2
09 is shown.

When the paper 3 is sent out from the first paper stacking device 4, the swing guide plate 207 is in a guide position that does not impede the progress of the paper 3, and does not cause any hindrance to the conveyance of the paper 3. On the other hand, since the swing guide plate 207 is lifted up into the conveyance space for the paper 3 when the paper 3 is not conveyed, the space required for arranging the guide plate 207 is kept small, and the space of the apparatus is further reduced. Achieve compactness. If the swing guide plate 207 is to rotate in a space other than the conveyance path of the paper 3 sent from the first paper placement device 4, another space must be provided for this purpose. However, this method inevitably suffers from the drawbacks of space loss and increased size of the device.

In FIG. 6, when the paper 3 or paper 3a fed by the rubber rotating in the direction of arrow B reaches the printing section 8,
The hammer of the printing device that moves in the width direction W is activated, and printing is performed by the impact action.The paper 3.3a that has been printed leaves the platen 5 and is conveyed upward; A paper holding member, commonly referred to as a card holder 210, is attached to the device, and the paper 3.3a leaving the platen 5 is guided by this card holder 210. The card holder 210 extends along the platen 5, as shown in FIG. 6, and its tip is located above the printing section 8. The length of the card holder 210 is paper 3.3a
The printing device moves in the width W direction while the holder 210 holds down the paper 3.3a.

The card holder 210 also has a function of preventing the paper portion located in the printing section 8 from lifting off from the platen 5. The card holder 210 is also used when the automatic paper feeder is not attached to the printer 2, but when the automatic paper feeder is attached and the paper 3.3a is transported upward from the platen 5. may cause the following drawbacks.

That is, the paper 3.3a that has left the platen 5 is guided upward as shown in FIG.
When the paper 3 or paper 3a is pulled up at 14, it hits the card holder 210 and is deformed as shown by the broken line.Therefore, the paper portion located in the printing section 8 is lifted from the peripheral surface of the platen 5. In this state, if a printing operation is performed by applying impact force to the paper 3 or paper 3a with a hammer as shown by arrow C, the completed print will have shading and the image quality will deteriorate. Since the paper portion is struck, there is also the disadvantage that the acclimatization noise at the time of striking increases.

In order to eliminate the above drawback, instead of guiding the paper 3.3a upward, it is necessary to feed the paper 3.3a diagonally upward and to the right (to the rear of the paper feeder) along the card holder 210 as shown by arrow d in FIG. The paper 3.3a should be brought into close contact with the circumferential surface of the platen 5 at the printing section 8. However, as in the illustrated paper feeder l, there is a
When the elements of the device 1, in the illustrated example the second output tray 16 (see FIG. 2), are located, the sheets 3.3a
The position of the second ejection tray 16, which cannot be conveyed and must be conveyed in a direction other than this direction, for example, upward, is further shifted to the rear (to the right in Figure 2) to create a space for ejection. It is also conceivable to create a paper feed roller, but in this case, the position of the feed roller 20 would also have to be shifted to the rear side, and the paper conveyance distance between the feed roller 20 and the platen 5 would increase. If the paper transport distance increases in this way, it becomes impossible to transport the short paper 3.3a.

For example, a short paper 3.3a with a minimum length of about 105 cranes
The paper feed device 1 is designed so that it can print on the paper, and also arranges the second ejection tray 6 on the diagonally rear side of the platen 5.
When configured, it is difficult to shift the feed roller 20 significantly to the rear (to the right) from the illustrated position. Therefore, it is impossible to eject paper 3.3a in the direction of arrow d (Fig. 38), and in the example shown, paper 3.3a is ejected almost upward, but if this is left unchecked, the paper 3.3a will be ejected as described above. cannot escape the drawbacks of

Therefore, in the paper feeder 1 shown in FIG. 2, as shown in FIG. 6, the paper 3 or paper 3a that has exited between the platen 5 and the card holder 210 is tilted toward the rear (to the right in the figure). A guide member 211 is provided, and this guide member 2
The paper that has passed through the guide portion 212 of No. 11 is again tilted to the left in the figure and guided to the paper discharge rollers 13 and 14. 21
3 is a mating guide member located opposite to the guide member 211, and these guide members 211 and 213 are as follows:
It is fixedly supported by both side plates 24 and 25.

As mentioned above, the paper 3 or paper 3a is transported by the paper ejection roller 13.1.
4, the paper is bent by the guide member 212 and then guided to the paper discharge rollers 13, 14, so that the part of the paper located in the printing section 8 does not rise from the circumferential surface of the platen 5. card.

It is held down by the card holder 210, but as mentioned above, the width of this holder 210 is narrow, so the card holder 2
10 cannot hold down the entire width of the paper 3.3a, and the part of the paper that has come off the holder tends to float, but by providing the guide member 211 shown in FIG. It is also possible to accurately guide the paper portion upward.

As shown in FIG. 32, a plurality of paper feed rollers 13, 14 of the paper ejecting device 800 are provided, and these are fixed to support shafts 215, 216, respectively, at intervals from each other. is rotatably supported by support plates 24 and 25, as shown by arrows in FIG.
One chassis shaft 216 is rotationally driven together with its paper ejection roller 14 by a drive system described later, and the other roller 13
The support shaft 215 is rotated by the roller 14.

At the upper part of both paper ejection rollers 13.14, sheets 3.3a are selectively placed on the first paper ejection tray 15 or the second paper ejection tray 16 as shown in FIGS. 1, 6 and 33. A switching guide member 217 is located for guiding the member 21.
7 extends approximately parallel to the support axis 213,216. This switching guide member is rotatably supported by both side plates 24.25 via pivot pins 217a protruding from each end thereof, and the switching guide member is rotatably supported by the side plates 24.25 through pivot pins 217a protruding from each end thereof. Place the paper in position 1 (the position indicated by the chain line in Figure 33) and place it in position 2.
It can be rotated between a second position (a position tilted opposite to the first position) where it is guided to the paper discharge tray 16. 219 (1st
Figure) is a knob for rotating the switching guide member 217.

A switch 218 is formed in the switching guide member 217 to prevent interference with the paper ejection roller 13.14, so that even if the guide member 217 is rotated to any position between the first and second positions, There is no contact between the member 217 and the rollers 13.14.

When discharging the paper 3 or paper 3a to the first stray paper tray 15, operate the knob 219 to release the paper 3 or the paper 3a to the switching guide member 21.
7 into the first position shown in FIG.

As a result, the paper 3 or 3a sent by the two rotating paper ejection rollers 13, 14 is ejected onto the first ejection tray 15 while being guided by the switching guide plate 217, and the next paper is placed on top of this paper. 3 or sheets 3a are sequentially stacked. By operating the knob 219, the switching guide plate 217 is
If the paper ejection rollers 13 and 14 are rotated to the second position tilted in the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the chain line in FIG.
Or 3a is ejected to the second ejection tray 16, and the paper 3 or 3a is placed with the previously ejected paper 3 or 3a facing down.
are stacked sequentially.

The printed sheets 3 or 3a stacked on the first paper ejection tray 15 have their printed surfaces facing down (normal stacking), and on the other hand, the paper 3 or 3a ejected onto the second ejection tray 16 3a has the printed side facing up (reverse stacking), so paper 3 or 3a is placed in either paper output tray.
Depending on whether the printed sheets 3 or 3a are discharged, the order of the printed sheets 3 or 3a can be arranged as desired by the operator.

In this case, the ejection direction of the paper 3 or 3a can be determined by an extremely simple operation of switching the switching guide member 217, and since the guide member 217 is located above the paper ejection roller 13.14, Switching guide member 2
The operator can easily check whether the paper 3 or 3a is in the first position or the second position by visual inspection, which prevents the operator from making the mistake of ejecting paper 3 or 3a to an undesired paper ejection tray. Manipulation can be prevented.

As described above, the paper 3 or 3a is conveyed while being guided by the switching guide plate 217, and after the trailing edge of the paper 3 or 3a comes out from between the two paper ejection rollers 13.14, the paper 3 or 3a is transferred to the paper ejection tray. Although it is ejected in an almost upright position,
At this time, if the rear end of the paper 3 or 3a that has passed between the rollers 13 and 14 is floating on the roller 13 or 14, the paper 3 or 3a will be ejected and stacked in an upright position. In this case, the paper 3 or 3a cannot be reliably ejected onto the paper ejection tray. From this point of view,
As shown in FIGS. 32 and 33, each paper ejection roller 13.
14 has a large number of tooth-like protrusions 22 over its entire circumference.
0 is formed (however, no protrusion 220 is formed on the paper ejection rollers located on each end side of each support shaft 215, 216, the reason for which will be made clear later). Also, a switching guide member 217 facing the paper ejection rollers 13 and 14
As shown in FIG. 33, an elastic sheet 221 is fixed to the portion, and these sheets are inclined diagonally upward in the direction of the first paper discharge tray 15 and the second discharge tray 16.
First and second sheet portions 221a, 221b
have.

Now, if we consider the case where paper 3 or 3a is discharged to the first paper discharge tray 15 as shown in FIG.
When the rear end 222 of a exits between both rollers 13, 14, this rear end 222 engages with the tooth-like protrusion 220 of the paper ejection roller 13, and from above the elastic sheet 221 approaching the roller 13. is held down by the first sheet portion 221a. For this reason, the paper 3 that has come out between both rollers 13 and 14
Alternatively, the sheet member 3a does not immediately separate from the circumferential surface of the roller 13, and the rear end 222 is released from the roller 13 by separating from the tip of the sheet member 221a. Therefore, the defect that the trailing edge 222 of the paper that has come out between both rollers slides on the circumferential surface of the roller 13 and floats while remaining on the circumferential surface is eliminated, and the paper 3.3a is reliably ejected to the paper ejection tray 15. be done. The same holds true when discharging paper onto the second paper discharging tray 16.

In other words, it is also possible to obtain the same effect as described above by using the frictional force between the roller and the paper 3.3a without providing the protrusion 220 at 13.14.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 32, the tooth-like protrusions 220 formed on the pair of discharging rollers 13, 14 facing each other do not contact each other, and the protrusions on one roller are in contact with the non-protrusive portions of the other roller. are in contact. For this reason, the paper 3 or 3a passing between these rollers 13, 14 is also deformed into a wave shape, and its rigidity is increased.

As described above, the switching guide member 217 is supported by the side plate 24.25 via the pivot pin 217a, and is rotated around the pin 217a to be brought to the first position and the second position. As shown in FIG. 34, a leaf spring 217b is fixed to the pivot pin 217a so that the guide member 217 is stably held at each position. A first recess 217 is formed on the surface of the side plate 25 facing the leaf spring 217b.
C and a second recess 217d are formed, and the switching guide member 21
When leaf spring 7 is rotated to the first or second position, leaf spring 2
At the tip of the member 17b, a protrusion 217e protruding toward the side plate elastically engages in the first recess 217C or the second recess 217d, and the member 217 is held. Also, a stopper 217 for stopping the switching guide member 217 when the switching guide member 217 rotates to a position outside the first or second position.
f, 217g are provided protruding from the side plate 25.

By the way, as briefly shown above, one of the plurality of paper ejection rollers 13 and 14, which is the outermost paper ejection roller, is not provided with the tooth-like protrusion 220. The reason is as follows.

Support shafts 215 supporting the paper ejection rollers 13 and 14, respectively
．． 216 are pressed toward each other at each end of the shaft so that a predetermined frictional force is generated between both rollers.

In the illustrated example, as shown in FIG. The shaft 215 is supported by both side plates 24 and 25 so as to be able to approach and separate from it with a slight stroke, and both ends of the shaft 215 are pressed toward the support shaft 216 by leaf springs 228.

When both ends of the support shaft 215 are pressed against the other support shaft 216 in this way, both rollers 13 made of an elastic material such as rubber
．． In No. 14, the pressure contact force in the central region in the longitudinal direction of the support shaft becomes weak, and the pressure contact force between the rollers located in the end regions increases, making it impossible to obtain a uniform pressure contact force over the entire area. The support shaft is long (
Also, the stronger the pressure applied to these, the greater the deflection of the support shaft, and the above-mentioned tendency becomes stronger. If the pressing forces of both rollers 13 and 14 become uneven in this way, there is an increased possibility that the paper will become skinny, wrinkled, jammed, etc.

Therefore, in the illustrated configuration, the outermost paper ejection roller of the paper ejection rollers 13, 14 is not provided with the protrusion 220, and the rollers on the inner side of these rollers are provided with the protrusion 220 to reduce the diameter of the inner roller. By substantially increasing the diameter of the outer rollers (and, conversely, by substantially reducing the diameter of the outer rollers), the pressing force of the delivery rollers 13.14 in the longitudinally central region of the support shafts 215. This allows for uniform pressure contact over the entire roller.

The above-described configuration is applicable not only to paper ejection rollers but also to rollers for conveying sheets in general.Following the same idea, the diameters of the rollers at both ends of one roller 13' can be made smaller as shown in FIG. . The difference in roller diameter is determined by calculating the deflection of the support shaft when all roller diameters are the same, depending on the pressure applied to both support shafts, shaft diameter, shaft length, etc. All you have to do is make the diameter of the roller smaller.

The first ejection tray 15 on which printed sheets 3 or 3a are stacked in an upright position is shown in FIGS. 2, 36, and 3.
As shown in FIG. 7, it consists of a fixed tray 229 and a swinging tray 230 made of, for example, synthetic resin. Fixed tray 2
29, pins 231 protruding from both side plates thereof engage with locking grooves 232 (Fig. 1) formed on both side plates 24 and 25 of the automatic paper feeder, and pins 231 protruding from the lower part of the fixed tray. The stoppers 233 contact the guide members 211 fixed to the side plates 24.25, so that the stoppers 233 are detachably supported on the side plates 24.25.

Further, in the swinging tray 230, the long holes 235 formed on both side walls thereof engage with the pins 236 protruding from the upper side walls of the fixed tray 229.
36 hits, it is supported by the fixed tray 229. In this case, the swing tray 230 is supported so as to be swingable around a pin 236 in the direction of arrow e (FIG. 2), and the paper 3
Or 3a is stacked on a rocking tray 230 supported in this way. When the sheets 3 or 3a are not stacked, the lower end of the swinging tray 230 comes into contact with the fixed tray and remains stationary, but as the sheets 3 or 3a are stacked and the number of sheets increases, the number of sheets 3 or 3a increases. Due to the weight, the swinging tray 230 rotates around the pin 236 in the clockwise direction in FIG. It can be placed on the table.

The other end 235 of the long hole 235 formed in the swinging tray 230
b is not closed but open. Therefore, when the swing tray is attached or detached, the pin 236 is passed through the other end 235b of the opening, thereby making it possible to easily attach or detach the swing tray. Further, by fitting the pin 236 into the elongated hole 235, the following advantages can be obtained.

That is, as shown in FIG.
．． Covers 70 and 234 made of synthetic resin, for example, are screwed to the covers 25, and handles 237 are integrally attached to the sides of these covers, and these handles 237 are attached when the automatic paper feeder 1 is transported. third hand
This can be lifted up as shown in Figure 7. In this case, both handles 237 are provided at positions that substantially pass through the center of gravity of the entire sheet feeding device, so that it can be easily lifted.

Further, on the lower surface of the handle 237, as shown in FIG. 37, a finger rest protrusion 237 (or recess) for preventing slipping is formed, so that the carrying operation can be carried out easily.

A concave portion may be provided in the cover 70.234, and this may be used as a handle.When the paper feeder 1 is lifted, the operator's chest or lower back will be able to locate the position between the elongated hole 235 of the swing tray and the pin 236. The swinging tray 23 can be moved to the rear side, that is, the side opposite to the operator, by
No excessive force is applied to the 0, which prevents the inconvenience of damaging the 0. In addition, in the unlikely event that the long hole 235 of the swinging tray 230
Even if the swinging tray 230 comes off the pin 236 of the fixed tray 229, the swinging tray 230 will only fall toward the second paper output tray 16, and will not fall involuntarily.
0 damage prevention effect is enhanced.

The relationship between the fixed tray 229 and the side plates 24 and 25 is exactly the same, so that no excessive external force is applied to the fixed tray 229 when transporting the paper feeder 1, and in the unlikely event that the fixed tray 2
29 comes off the side plate 24.25, the second paper output tray 1
It will fall to the side of 6, so it will not fall.

Also, when not transporting the fixed tray 229 or the swinging tray 2,
Even when an external force is applied to these parts, such as when a person bumps into them, damage to these parts can be prevented in the same way.

On the other hand, the second ejecting tray 16 is tilted toward the opposite side from the first ejecting tray 15, as shown in FIGS. located in the state,
It is fixed to both side plates 24 and 25. A swing plate 239 is arranged inside this tray 16, and the plate 23
One end of a spring 240 is locked to the spring 240, and this spring 240 is attached to a protruding pin 241 that is provided protrudingly from the inner side of both side walls of the tray 16.
and the other end is latched to the tray 16 itself. Therefore, the swing plate 239
When the sheets 3 or 3a are not stacked on the tray 16, the tray 16 is supported in a floating state while being balanced by the force of the spring 240 and the weight of the plate.

When sheets 3 or 3a are fed into the second wandering tray 16, the sheets 3 or 3a are placed leaning against the swing plate 239 and the blue plate 17, and the number of sheets increases sequentially. Accordingly, the weight of the sheets 3 or 3a causes the rocking plate 239 to move in the direction of the arrow f (FIG. 2) against the action of the spring 240, thereby unobstructing the sheets 3 or 3a (in an upright position). Can be stacked.

By the way, instead of placing the paper 3 or 3a on the paper stacking device and automatically feeding it into the printing section, it may be desired to feed the paper into the printing section manually by an operator. For this purpose, as clearly shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a manual feed slit 243 is formed at the bottom of the paper output tray 16, through which paper can be manually inserted in the direction shown by arrow g. It has become. Further, below the slit 243, the manual feed guide plate 20B briefly shown above is arranged, and this guide plate 208 consists of two mutually opposing plates fixed to the side plates 24 and 25. The paper inserted through the slit 234 is guided by these two plates, and is guided by the lower platen 5 and feed roller 6.
sent between.

When inserting paper into the slit 243, remove the stacked paper and move the swinging plate 239 to the left in FIG. 6 as necessary, so that the paper can be inserted without being obstructed by the plate 239. I can do it. Conversely, when the paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 16, the swing plate 239 prevents the stacked paper from falling into the slit 243. Even when the number of stacked sheets increases, the plate 239 blocks the slit and the sheets do not fall into the slit.

As explained earlier (printed paper is removed from the paper output roller 13.1
4, the paper is ejected onto the first or second ejection tray 15, 16. At this time, the paper ejected onto the conventional tray is moved by the rotating ejection roller 13 or 14 between the roller and the tray facing it. There was a risk that the paper would get caught in the gap between the edges and cause a jam or damage the paper.

Therefore, in the illustrated paper feeding device, a claw-like entanglement prevention member 244 is integrally provided at the lower part of the fixed tray 229 of the first ejecting tray 15 as shown in FIGS. 6, 36, and 40. In the illustrated example, a plurality of anti-engraving members 244 are provided, and these are arranged between the plurality of paper ejection rollers 13 so as not to interfere with the rollers. As can be seen from FIG. 6, when viewed from the side, the tips of the individual entrapment prevention members 244 do not touch the support shaft 215, but do not touch the outer circumferential surface of the paper ejection roller 13 (
The tooth-like protrusion 220 protrudes inwardly (not the outer circumferential surface), and as it moves away from the tip, it separates from the roller's outer circumferential surface and extends outward. With this configuration, the paper stacked between the paper ejection roller 13 and the swing tray 230 hits the inclined upper surface of the entrainment prevention member 244, and therefore does not get caught up in the paper ejection roller 13.

A completely similar entrapment prevention member 2 is also provided on the second paper output tray 16.
45 (FIG. 38) is provided to prevent the paper from being rolled up by the paper discharge roller 14.

Next, a drive system that drives each part of the paper feeder l will be described.

As shown in FIG. 34 (one side plate 25 has a spacer 25
An auxiliary plate 251 is fixed to the auxiliary plate 251 through the
A shaft 252 is rotatably supported on both side plates 24 and 25. A first intermediate gear 253 located on the outside of the auxiliary plate 251 is rotatably supported, and this gear 253 is
As shown in FIG.
6 and a third intermediate gear 257 are fixed, and the second intermediate gear 256 is engaged with the first intermediate gear 253. The third intermediate gear 257 meshes with a fourth intermediate gear 258 rotatably supported by the side plate 25, and the fifth intermediate gear 260, which is integrally and coaxially supported with this gear 258, is connected to the support shaft 216 of the paper ejection roller 14. It is engaged with a roller drive gear 259 supported via a one-way clutch (not shown). Furthermore, a fourth intermediate gear 258 meshes with a sixth intermediate gear 261, which is also rotatably supported on the side plate 25, and this gear 261 is connected to the first clutch device 262 for the feed roller 20 described above. It is engaged with the drive gear 263.

Further, this drive gear 263 is drivingly coupled via a seventh intermediate gear 266 to a second drive gear 263a in a second clutch device 262a for the other feed roller 2Oa.

As shown in FIGS. 42 to 45, the first clutch device 262 is connected to a rotating shaft 50 that fixedly supports the feed roller 20.
A drive disk 267 is rotatably supported on the shaft 50, and a clutch disk 269 is supported on the shaft 50 via a clutch 268.
The first drive gear 263 described above is integrally provided on the , and a launch pole 271 is supported via a pin 270 . In this case, the latch ball 271 is connected to the pin 270
It is loosely attached to a pin 270 so that it can freely rotate around the body and swing its head in the left-right direction in FIG. 43. The pin 270 also has a torsion coil spring 272.
One end of the spring engages with the drive disk 267 and the other end engages with the latch ball 271, whereby the tip 273 of the latch ball 271 is pressed against the sliding surface 274 of the clutch disk 269. Moreover, it is urged to the left in FIG. 43 and is pressed against the annular flange 275 of the clutch disc 269.

The sliding surface portion of the clutch disc 269 that the lunch ball 271 slides into contact with in the above-described state (the left portion in FIG. 43)
is referred to as the first zone ■, and the sliding surface portion on the right side in FIG. 43 is referred to as the second zone ■, then the first zone I
A protrusion 2711i is formed in the second protrusion 2711i.
A recess 277 is provided in the zone (2). One end 2 of the recess 277 when viewed in the circumferential direction of the clutch disc 269
78 has a stepped shape, and the other end side smoothly transitions continuously to the sliding surface 274. Similarly, when viewed in the circumferential direction of the disk 269, one end of the protruding portion 276 becomes an obliquely inclined stepped portion 279, and the other end smoothly forms a sliding contact surface 279.
It is an inclined surface 280 that slopes and transitions.

A projecting pin 281 is protruded from a portion of the drive disk 267 facing the clutch disk 269, and a stopper 282 made of a leaf spring is fixed to the corresponding clutch disk portion.

Now, if the platen 5, and therefore its shaft 254, rotates in the direction shown by arrow B in FIG. A first drive gear 263 of a first clutch device 262, which is drivingly connected to drive gear 255 via a first drive gear 263, rotates in the direction indicated by arrow X.

At this time, the protrusion pin 281 of the drive disk 267 hits the tip of the stopper 282 on the clutch disk 269 side (FIG. 44) and pushes it in the same direction X, so that both disks 267 and 269 rotate integrally.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 44, the distance between the tip 273 of the latch ball 271 and the stepped end 278 of the recess 277 is maintained at a predetermined value. The position of the latch ball 271 relative to the clutch disc 269 at this time will be referred to as a home position, and the angle θ1 around the disc axis center corresponding to the above distance will be referred to as a space angle.

The paper 3.3a placed on the first and second paper loading devices 4.4a is selectively fed by the rotation of either one of the feed rollers 20.20a. Let us consider the case where the paper 3 is fed from the paper stacking device 4.

When the platen 5 is rotating in the normal direction, both disks 267 and 269 rotate integrally in the direction of the arrow X, as described above.
The ball 271 is located at its home position at a distance corresponding to the integral space angle θ1 from the end 278 of the recess 277. At this time, the rotation of the clutch disk 269 in the direction of the arrow X is not transmitted to the rotating shaft 50 due to the action of one of the clutches 268 described above, and therefore the feed roller 20 is stopped.

When a paper feed command is issued to feed the paper 3, the platen 5, which had been rotating forward in the direction of arrow B, rotates by a predetermined angle in the opposite direction (rotation of the platen in this direction). is referred to as reverse rotation).

As a result, the drive disk 267 rotates in the Y direction opposite to the arrow X by an angle shown by θ2 in FIG.
to stop its rotation (note that the angle θ
2 is larger than the space angle θ1, and this angle θ2 will be referred to as the operating rotation angle). Therefore, as the drive disk 267 rotates in the Y direction, the latch ball 2
After the tip 273 of the clutch disc 269 slightly slides into contact with the first band 2 of the clutch disc 269,
When the tip 273 falls from the stepped portion 279 of the protruding portion 276, the drive disk 267 finishes rotating at the operating rotation angle θ2 (as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 44). (two-dot chain line) 0 Then, the rotation direction of the platen 5 is switched again, and the slight angle is
direction, thereby causing the drive disk 267 to
is again rotated by an angle θ3 in the direction of arrow X. At this time as well, the clutch disc 269 is stopped without rotating due to the braking action of the braking device 283, so the tip 2 of the ball 271
73 moves from the first zone (2) to the second zone (2) while being guided by the stepped portion 279 of the protruding brake 276, and then falls into the recess 277.

When this tip 273 engages with the stepped end 278 of the recess 277 as shown by the broken line in FIG. 44, the rotation of the drive disk 267 through the angle θ3 is completed. This angle θ
3 is also smaller than the operating rotation angle θ2, and there is a relationship of θ2=01+θ3. This angle θ3 will be referred to as the working space angle. Then, the platen 5 again begins to rotate in the opposite direction to arrow B, thereby causing the drive disk 267 to rotate in the direction of arrow Y.
At this time, the tip 273 of the latch ball 271 is engaged with the stepped end 278 of the recess 277, so it is pushed in the same Y direction, and the clutch disc 269 also rotates in the Y direction. . This rotation is transmitted to the rotary shaft 50 via the shaft 268, and the feed roller 20 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 6, so that the paper 3 is fed out as described in detail above.

When the leading edge of the paper 3 hits between the platen 5 and the feed roller 6, which rotate in the opposite direction to the arrow B, as shown in FIG. 6, its advance is stopped and a bulge is formed in the paper. What happens is exactly as I explained earlier.

When the predetermined bulge is formed, the platen 5 rotates forward (
Starting from arrow B), paper 3 is sent towards the printing section, but
At this time, the drive disk 267 begins to rotate in the direction of arrow X. Therefore, the tip 273 of the ball 271 is located in the recess 27.
7, the clutch disc 269 temporarily stops, and the feed roller 20 also stops, but as the drive disc 267 rotates in the X direction, the ball 271 returns to its home position, and from then on the protruding pin 281
pushes the stopper 282, and the clutch disk 269 rotates with the drive disk 267 in the direction of arrow X. however,
This rotation is not transmitted to the rotating shaft 50.

On the other hand, the second clutch device 262a is formed in the same form as the first clutch device 262, but as shown in FIG. 45, the space angle θ4 is different from that of the first clutch device 262; The only difference is that the space angle θ4 of the second clutch device 262a is set larger than the space angle θ1 of the first clutch device 262. Therefore, each part in FIG. 45 is given a reference numeral with the addition of "a" to the reference numeral given to each part in FIG. 44, and the details of its structure will be omitted.

The operation of the second paper loading device 4a when feeding the paper 3a is the same as when feeding the paper 3, except for the following points.

That is, like when feeding the paper 3, the platen 5 first rotates in the forward direction and then reversely rotates in the opposite direction, but the angle of this reverse rotation is set larger than when feeding the paper 3, and the second Latch ball 271 of clutch device 262a
Point a is the point at which the operating rotation angle θ5 (<θ2) shown in FIG. When the platen 5 is reversely rotated through a relatively large angle in this manner, the first clutch device 262
The drive disk 267 also rotates in the direction of arrow Y, but
At this time, the latch ball 271 rides over the protrusion 276 of the stopped clutch disk 269, and then continues to move in the Y direction in the first zone (3) of the sliding contact surface 274.

Then, as in the case of the first clutch device, after the drive disk of the second clutch device 262a rotates in the X direction by the operating space θ3, it rotates again in the Y direction, and the rotation of the drive disk is transferred to the clutch disk 269a and the rotating shaft. 50a and the feed roller 20a, and the paper 3
a is fed.

At this time, the drive disk 2 of the first clutch device 262
67 also rotates in the Y direction, at which time the protruding pin 281 hits the stopper 282 from the back side as shown by the chain line in FIG.
Since the stopper 282 is elastically deformed and overcome, the drive disk 267 moves over the clutch disk 269.
Without rotating the ball 271, the ball 271 comes into sliding contact with the first zone (2) of the clutch disc 269, and the disc 269,
Therefore, the feed port 20 does not rotate.

Conversely, the ball 271 of the first clutch device 262 is in the recess 2.
77 to engage the stepped end 278 of the drive disk 26
7 is the clutch disc 269 and the feed roller 20
When the feed roller 20a is being rotated, the ball 271a of the second clutch 262a is in sliding contact with the first zone I of the clutch disk 269a, and the feed roller 20a is not rotated.

As described above, by controlling the rotation of the platen 5, the sheets 3.3a can be selectively fed out.

The braking device 283 includes clutch discs 269 and 269 of both clutch devices 262 and 262a as shown in FIG.
It has a pair of brake members 285 that respectively abut on brake surfaces 284 and 284a formed on the side plate 284a, and these members 285 are pivotally connected to a pin 286 provided protrudingly from the side plate 25. Each brake member 2
85 is in pressure contact with the braking surface 284.284a and exerts a braking action on each clutch disc 269.269a.

Further, the rotation of the platen 5 also rotates the roller drive gear 259 supported by the support shaft 216 of the paper ejection roller 14, but only the rotation of the roller drive gear 259 when the platen 5 rotates forward in the direction of arrow B is caused by the rotation of the support shaft. The rotation of the gear 259 in the opposite direction is not transmitted to the support shaft 216 due to the action of a clutch.

The above-mentioned paper feeding device 1 is constructed as a unit as a whole, and this is positioned at a predetermined position of the printer 2 and supported by the printer. As shown in FIG. 41, a collar 28 is provided at each end of the platen shaft 254 in the printer 2.
8.289 is fitted to be rotatable relative to the shaft 254, and the drive gear 25 described above is mounted on the outside of one collar 288.
5 is fixed.

There is also a platen support plate on the left and right of printer 2)
290 and 291 are erected, and the grooves 292 and 293 of each collar 288 and 289 fit into the notches formed in each of them. The platen 5 thus rotates with its axis 254 relative to the collars 288,289. Further, another groove 294,295 is formed in each collar 288,289, and in these grooves 294,295, the aforementioned auxiliary plate 251 provided at the right end of the paper feeder 1 and the left side plate are formed. A notch 297.29B (see FIG. 1) formed in another auxiliary plate 296 fixed to 24 fits therein. In this way, the paper feeder 1 is positioned by the platen shaft 254 on its left and right sides and front and back.

Further, as shown in FIG. 47, leg members 300 made of an elastic material such as rubber are protruded from the side plates 24 and 25 of the paper feeder 1, and these are placed on the cover 301 of the printer 2. In this case, the pair of leg members 300 and the pair of auxiliary plates 25
1.296 only, connect paper feeder 1 to printer 20 cover 3
01 and the platen shaft 254, but in this case, a large load of the paper feeder R1 acts on the platen shaft 254, and as a result, the load on the platen shaft increases, and in extreme cases, the platen shaft 254 is color 288, 28
There is also a risk that it will become 9.

Therefore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 46, each auxiliary plate 251.
296 are respectively provided with protrusions consisting of bending brakes 302, and these are supported by respective platen support plates 290 and 291 on the printer side, and the automatic paper feeder 1
Part of the load is received by each support play) 290.291. In this way, it is possible to prevent the load of the paper feeder 1 from acting on the platen shaft 254 at all, reducing the load on the platen shaft 254 and preventing seizure between the shaft 254 and the collars 288 and 289. can. It goes without saying that the bent portions 302 may be replaced by protruding portions such as pins and protrusions provided on each of the auxiliary plates 251 and 296. Further, as shown by chain lines in FIG. 59, protrusions 302,' provided at other locations on the auxiliary plate may be supported by receivers 304 protruding from appropriate locations of the printer 2, such as the frame.

The paper feeder 1 is attached to and supported by the printer 2 as described above, but conventionally, the types of printers to which this type of automatic paper feeder can be installed are fixed.

In other words, although there are various types of printers, the automatic paper feeder that can be attached to each printer is determined by each printer model, and each printer cannot be equipped with any paper feeder other than the specified paper feeder. .

For this reason, automatic paper feeders were manufactured for each printer model, but it would be very convenient if one type of automatic paper feeder could be attached to many different types of printers, and if possible, to any type of printer. . However, the position of the printer part where the automatic paper feeder is attached and positioned (in the example shown, the position of the platen shaft collar) and the position of the drive gear 255 attached to the platen shaft differ depending on the printer model. Therefore, in the past, it was not possible to install an automatic paper feeder with a fixed form to fit all of these printers, and an automatic paper feeder had to be prepared for each printer model. .

Therefore, in the illustrated paper feeding device 1, as shown in FIGS. 48 and 41, the auxiliary plates 251, 296 for positioning this device are made separate from the side plates 24, 25, and the space between the auxiliary and side plates is The previously described spacer 250 and another spacer 305 are interposed, and each spacer 25
0.305 and each auxiliary plate 251.296 with screws 306.3
07, they are each removably fixed to the side plates 24 and 25. And as mentioned above, each auxiliary plate 251.296
Attach the force roller 288.2 to the platen shaft 254 on the printer side.
89 to position the paper feeder ll,
At this time, the width L5M of each spacer 250.305 is adjusted so that the gap J between both auxiliary plates is equal to the gap between the printer parts that support them, which is the gap between grooves 294.295 of both collars 288.289 in the example shown. and each auxiliary plate is fitted into the grooves 294 and 295 without any trouble. Also, when installing the automatic paper feeder 1 into a printer of another model in which the intervals between the grooves 294 and 295 of both colors are different, screws 306.
By loosening 307, at least one of the auxiliary plates 2
Remove 51.296 and install auxiliary plates with different widths and M in its place, match the spacing between both auxiliary plates to the spacing between color grooves 294 and 295 of a different model printer, and insert new ones into these grooves. Engage both auxiliary plates attached to the Further, if necessary, the auxiliary collar 234a may also be replaced with one of a different shape. However, the collar 234' does not need to be changed (the same applies to the covers on the other sides). In this way, by preparing spacers and auxiliary covers of different widths and using the spacers according to the printer model, you can easily replace only the spacers and auxiliary covers with the printer of various types. An automatic paper feeder of the same type can be installed to suit the machine.

Further, in the illustrated printer, the drive gear 255 is attached to the right end of the platen shaft 254, but depending on the type of printer, the drive gear may be attached to the left side of the platen shaft 255.

For such a printer, the auxiliary plate 251 on which the first intermediate gear 253 is attached and the other auxiliary plate 296 without the gear are installed interchangeably, and the auxiliary plate 296 is attached to the right end of the shaft 252. Second intermediate gear 256 (
(FIG. 41) is removed and fixed to the left end of the shaft 252. At this time, the shaft 252 is movable in its axial direction so that the gear 256 can be properly positioned. In this way, the drive gear 2 attached to the left end of the platen shaft 254
55, the first intermediate gear 253, and the second intermediate gear 256 can be sequentially meshed with each other, so that the shaft 252 can be rotationally driven without any trouble, and the second intermediate gear 257 can be driven to obtain the above-described operation. .

In addition, in the above embodiment, the invalid switch was configured to be turned ON-OFF by the intermediate pressure plate, but the fourth
As shown in FIGS. 9 and 50, the disable switch 931.9
31 a is turned 0N-OFF by rotating arm 67.67a
It is also possible to have a configuration in which That is, the invalid switch 93
1.931a is attached to the side plate 24, and in the holding position, the arm 932.93 of the disable switch 931.931a
2a is pushed by the rotating arm 67.67a to turn the invalidation switch 931.931a ON-OFF.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the present invention, even if no paper is set on a paper stacking unit that is not in use, the buckling prevention plate prevents the paper set in the paper stacking unit that is in use from running out. Since buckling of paper can be prevented, paper runout can be detected reliably and easily. Therefore, there is no need to set paper on all paper loading devices.
Printer operation can be simplified. Further, there is no need to provide an empty detection means separately from the buckling prevention plate, and the configuration of the printer paper feeding device can be simplified.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view of the automatic paper feeder with some components removed; FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the automatic paper feeder;
Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the intermediate pressure plate seen from the back side, Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view showing how the left guide member is installed, and Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of Figure 4 in the assembled state. , Fig. 6 is a partially enlarged view of Fig. 2, Fig. 7 is a view from the left side of Fig. 1 with the cover removed, and Fig. 8 is a view of Fig. 7 in operation.
FIG. 9 is a partial plan view partially shown in cross section;
Fig. 10 is a sectional view of the pinion, Fig. 11 is a sectional view showing the operating state of the pressure plate, Figs. 12 and 13 are front views showing the operation of the pressure plate, and Fig. 14 is a portion of the automatic paper feeder. FIG. 15 is a plan view, FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing the drawbacks of the conventional technology, FIGS. 16 and 17 are sectional views illustrating the drawbacks of the conventional technology, FIG. The figure is a partial view of the paper separation device as seen diagonally from the lower left side of Figure 2, Figure 20 is a back view of the empty detection means equipped with a buckling prevention plate, and Figure 21 is a partial view of the sheet separation device viewed diagonally from the lower left side of Figure 2.
-XX I arrow sectional view, FIG. 22 is a circuit configuration diagram of the empty detection means, invalid switch, and cover switch, FIG. 23 is a simplified circuit diagram when the empty detection means and invalid switch are not connected in FIG. Figure 24 is a simplified circuit diagram when the empty detection means and invalidation switch are connected in Figure 22, and Figure 25 is a circuit configuration of the empty detection means, invalidation switch, and cover switch when a large number of paper placement devices are provided. 26 is a simplified circuit diagram when the empty detection means and invalid switch are not connected in FIG. 25, and FIG.
Fig. 5 is a simplified circuit diagram when the empty detection means and the invalid switch are connected, and Fig. 28 is a circuit showing an example using an empty switch and an invalid switch in which the operation of the empty switch is opposite to that shown in Fig. 25. A configuration diagram, FIG. 29 is a perspective view of the paper feed guide plate, FIG. 30 is a partial cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 33 is a sectional view of the switching guide member, FIG. 34 is a perspective view showing the drive system,
FIG. 35 is a plan view showing another example of the paper ejection roller pair;
The figure is a perspective view of the first ejecting tray, FIG. 37 is an explanatory view showing the state in which the device is carried, and FIG. 38 is a perspective view of the second ejecting tray.
Figure 39 is a sectional view taken along the line X-X in Figure 38, and Figure 40 is a cross-sectional view of Figure 1.
A perspective view of the wandering tray, FIG. 41 is an explanatory view showing how to support the automatic paper feeder, FIG. 42 is an exploded perspective view of the clutch device,
Fig. 43 is a side view of the clutch device, Fig. 44 and Fig. 4
Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram explaining the operation of the clutch device, Fig. 46 is a partial front view showing the automatic paper feeder in a supporting state, Fig. 47 is a schematic side view showing another supporting state, and Fig. 48 is an automatic paper feeder. An exploded perspective view of the side part of the paper device, and FIGS. 49 and 50 are front views showing examples of other mounting states of the invalidation switch. 2...Printer, 3.3a...Paper, 4.4a...Paper loading section (device), 20.20
a...Fee F O-ra, 22.22a...
...Pressure plate, 901.901 a...
... Buckling prevention plate, 909.909 a ... Empty switch, 910.910 a ... Hole (relief window), 911.911 a, 931.931
a...Disable switch.

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In the paper loading section where the paper is set diagonally, there is a pressure plate that urges the paper towards the feed roller, and a seat for the paper that is located on the opposite side of the pressure plate with the paper in between. In a printer paper feeding device equipped with a buckling prevention plate that prevents buckling, the buckling prevention plate is movable in the paper direction, and when the paper set in the paper stacking section runs out, this buckling The present invention is characterized by being provided with an empty switch that is activated by movement of a prevention plate, and an invalidation switch that detects that no paper is set in the paper placement section and disables the operation of the empty switch. Paper feed device for printers. (2) The paper feed device for a printer according to claim 1, wherein the invalidation switch detects that no paper is set based on the position of a pressure plate.