JPS63165242A - Cut paper housing cassette - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To securely separate and convey a sheet of cut paper by providing a guide plate which is engaged with a gap formed by separating sheets of cut paper laminated on a cassette one at a time from the top and making the top face of said guide plate inclined by a defined angle in a feeding direction. CONSTITUTION:Plural sheets of cut paper are laminated on a middle plate 14 in a cassette body 2'. A friction face 14c is stuck to the rear half part in the conveying direction of the middle plate 14, which is energized upward by means of springs 33b, 33b, raising a guiding projection part 14f up to a restraining part 2g. A guide plate 2d is installed on nearly the center part of the front part in the conveying direction. The guide plate 2d is inclined by a defined angle to the feeding direction of the sheet of cut paper. When a paper feeding operation is started, a roller within is in contact with the topmost sheet of cut paper is reversed by a defined quantity to back the topmost sheet of cut paper by a defined quantity and, then, as the roller is normally rotated, the guide plate 2d is engaged with a part in between the topmost sheet of paper and the second sheet of cut paper. And, by repeating this, the sheets of cut paper are securely separated and carried out one at a time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a cut paper storage cassette that stores cut papers in a stack and is equipped with a separating section for separating the topmost paper of the cut papers one by one. .

[Prior Art] Conventionally, a sheet-like thick letter is automatically taken out one by one and brought into contact with the rolling contact portion of a stopped platen roller and registration roller, and then the platen roller and registration roller are rotated. A paper feeding device has been proposed in which the paper is fed to a feeding section. In this paper feeding device, since the paper is thick, it is difficult to use the known claw separation method, and a separation method using a pair of separation rollers that rotate in forward and reverse directions is adopted.

Here, in an image forming apparatus, it is well known that it is effective to use coated paper in order to achieve high image quality. However, rubbing the coated surface of the coated paper with a separating roller that rotates in forward and reverse directions is extremely undesirable in terms of forming high-quality images. Therefore, a thickness separation method has been devised as a method for reliably separating paper sheets one by one without adversely affecting the coated surface.

In this conventional thickness separation method, if a separating section with a gap of m m is provided at the leading edge of the paper located at the front in the conveyance direction, the printing operation is performed when the middle part of the paper enters the gap of m m. will be executed. For this reason, paper and minutes! I
There is a problem in that the sliding between the gaps causes paper feeding load, and a large driving force is required to feed the paper. In addition, there are other problems such as the surface of the coated paper being scratched or the coated paper being skewed during the printing operation due to the sliding movement. Furthermore, due to its structure, as the paper advances during printing, when the trailing edge of the paper comes out of the separation gap, the impact causes disturbances in the paper feeding accuracy, and as a result, there is the problem that the image is distorted. ing.

Therefore, a paper separating section is installed at the rear of the paper conveyance direction, and the paper is once fed in the opposite direction to the paper conveyance direction, separated one by one at the trailing edge of the paper, and then the paper is moved toward the stationary platen roller. It has been proposed to solve the various problems mentioned above by using a post-separation method for conveying.

In this conventional post-separation method, as shown in Fig. tOC, the middle plate provided in the cassette body a is elastically supported by a pair of compression springs C, and A front presser claw d and a separating portion e are fixedly provided at the rear. The cut sheets f stacked on the middle board are stored with the front and rear ends of the topmost sheet being held down by the front presser claw d and the separating section e, respectively.

In such a configuration of the post-separation method, first, the uppermost sheet of the cut sheets is rotated along the direction shown by arrow B by a drive source (not shown) to rotate the sheet feeding roller g which is in pressure contact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet.
Send the top paper f backwards and separate it by 1lIl! ! Send it in between. In this way, the top paper f is separated, and
The front end of this top paper f comes off from the front presser claw d. After that, the paper feed roller g is rotated along the direction shown by the arrow A, the leading edge of the uppermost paper f is placed on the front presser claw d, and the paper feed roller g continues to rotate. The uppermost paper f is conveyed to the supplied section.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such a conventional post-separation method, as shown in FIG. and a separation lever e2 that pairs with the separation lever e2 to define a gap. The top paper f is sent rearward by the paper feed roller g and guided into the gap along the separation plate e1, so that only one top paper f is separated. However, in such a configuration, the paper f is thick and
As shown in FIG. 6B, when the downward curl is strong, the leading edge of the paper f does not align with the separation plate e1, and eventually
It will not be guided into the gap and will not be separated. especially,
When a large number of cut sheets are stacked, the curling force of the paper f becomes greater than the weight of the separating section e, resulting in a problem that a good separating operation cannot be performed.

This invention was made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and an object of the invention is to provide a cut paper storage cassette that can reliably and easily separate and transport cut papers. .

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the purpose, a cut paper storage cassette according to the present invention includes a cassette body for stacking and storing cut papers, and a top layer of the cut papers. A separation section having a gap for separating sheets of paper one by one, and a guide provided in this separation section that engages with the rear end of the cut paper sent backward and guides the rear end of the cut paper into the gap. The guide plate is characterized in that it is inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the rearward feeding direction of the cut paper.

[Function] According to the cut paper storage cassette configured as described above, the trailing edge of the uppermost paper sent rearward as the paper feed roller reverses is aligned with respect to the rearward feeding direction of the cut paper. The paper comes into contact with a guide plate arranged at a predetermined angle of inclination, and is guided into the separation gap of the separation part along this guide plate. In this way, even if the cut paper has a downward curl, since the guide plate is inclined, the trailing edge of the cut paper will surely abut the guide plate and be introduced into the middle of the minute. will be separated.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following, a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

External Appearance> FIGS. 1 and 2 show external views of a printer main body 1 of the printer device. A small-sized cassette 2 is detachably attached to the front of the printer body 1. Further, on the front of the printer main body 1, a makeup M is provided adjacent to the right side of the cassette 2.
3 is attached so that it can be opened. With the makeup M3 opened, as shown in FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 10. The sub-operation switch system 12 and the like are exposed to the outside. This makeup N3 is locked in a closed state by its claw 3a and a notch formed on the printer body 1 (not shown), and is unlocked by turning it lightly with your fingers in the direction of the arrow in FIG. It is configured to be in the open state shown in FIG. 2 when removed.

Further, on the front surface of the printer main body 1, a dust cover 4 for a paper feed port 11 is releasably attached above and adjacent to the cassette 2. This dust cover 4 has a claw portion 4a and is configured to be openable and closable in the same manner as the decorative lid 3. A dust cover switch SWI, which will be described later, is attached to the dust cover 4, so that it is possible to know whether the dust cover 4 is open or closed.

Further, on the front surface of the main body 1, a knob 5 for attaching and detaching the cassette 2 is arranged adjacent to the left side of the cassette 2. Details of this knob 5 will be described later. A power switch 6 is disposed above the attachment/detachment knob 5.

Further, a display 7 is provided on the upper left side of the decorative lid 3 described above. The display 7 includes a display section 7a that displays an abnormality in the paper supply system, a display section 7b that displays an abnormality in the ink supply system, a display section 7c that displays the print position A, and a display section Fd that displays the print position B. , a display section 7e for displaying the print position C is covered with a dust cover 7f.

Further, on the upper right side of the decorative lid 3, a main operation switch 8.
9 are arranged. Here, reference numeral 8 indicates a print switch, and this printer switch 8 is provided with an LED 8a that indicates that the print switch has been pressed.

Note that reference numeral 9 is not related to the present invention, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted.

The ink cartridge 10 described above is shown in FIG.
By pushing in the direction of the arrow, it is connected to the inkjet head IJU via a known needle, etc. At the same time, it is constructed so that it can be attached and detached using a lever that will be described later. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the sub-operation switch system 12 includes a switch 12a for selecting a pre-seat position, and the other switches are not related to the present invention, so their explanation will be omitted.

<Internal Layout> FIG. 3 is a top view schematically showing the internal configuration of the printer main body 1, and shows the main layout.

A carriage system CR, which will be described later, is disposed at the back left inside the printer main body 1, and the inkjet head IJU is main-scanned by this carriage system CR. A paper feed system PF is disposed on the front side of the carriage system CR. This paper feed system PF is a platen roller 22
, paper feed roller 18, paper feed motor M2, paper feed motor M1
The details will be described later.

Further, a pump system PU is disposed in the center of the printer body 1. This pump system PU includes a negative pressure generation mechanism,
It is composed of a valve mechanism, a cap 104, etc. As can be seen from the relationship with FIG. 2, the ink cartridge 10 is located on the right side of the printer main body 1, and the height direction matches the bottom surface of the main body 1, and is held lower than the inkjet head head IJU. head head IJ
Keeping the tip of LI under negative pressure, the inkjet head IJL
This prevents ink from dripping from the tip of the J.

A lever 10a is rotatably provided on the right side of the printer body 1 by means of a fulcrum tab fixed to the printer body 1. As shown in FIG. By operating this lever 10a, the ink cartridge 10 can be attached or detached (replaced). A switch SW2 for detecting the presence or absence of the ink cartridge 10 is disposed behind the ink cartridge 10.

Incidentally, an electric circuit CIR is provided at the upper part of the ink cartridge 10, which is fixed to the printer main body 1 by a known method. This electric circuit CIR includes the printer body 1
The input terminal IN exposed on the rear right side of the is connected.

Further, a power source PS is provided on the rear left side of the printer main body 1.

By arranging the electrical system as described above, it is possible to economize on board removal, and furthermore, the heat generated by the circuit is reduced by the ink cartridge 10,
The influence on the inkjet head IJU is minimized. Furthermore, since the mechanical system and the electrical system are arranged separately, assembly and maintenance are facilitated.

Here, the above-described attachment/detachment knob 5 of the cassette 2 is formed in an abbreviated shape and is attached with a portion thereof exposed on the front surface of the printer main body 1.

The knob 5 is biased inward by a spring 13 and configured to be slidable in the direction of the arrow by a guide bin (not shown) or the like. Furthermore, cassette 2
A bottle 5a is installed upward at the tip extending to the lower center of the bottle. On the other hand, a triangular-shaped cam 2a is fixed to the center of the lower surface of the cassette 2 so as to be locked by a bin 5a. This cam 2a is
Together with the bin 5a, it constitutes a locking mechanism for the cassette 2. In addition, the two-dot chain line in the figure shows the state in which a dog-sized cassette is attached.

Cassette> Next, the configuration of the cassette 2 that accommodates printing paper P will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the small-sized cassette 2. FIG. The cassette 2 includes a cassette-like cassette body 2' with an open top. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the lower surface of the cassette body 2' is provided with the aforementioned cassette locking cam 2a. Furthermore, as shown in FIG.
A receiving part 2b is provided for receiving the spring 31 attached via the receiving part 2b.

In this way, the cassette 2 is always subjected to a biasing force by the spring 31 so as to be taken out in the removal direction. Therefore, when the locking cam 2a and the bin 5a are disengaged and the lock is released, the cassette 2 is automatically taken out forward by the biasing force of the spring 31.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, two holes 2h are formed in the rear part of the cassette main body 2' in a row in the vertical direction. A bottle 2c is selectively arranged in each hole 2h. Here, the protrusion 35 provided protrudingly from the bottom of the printer main body 1 is formed with a protrusion that fits into the hole 2h formed in the cassette main body 2', and the end face of each protrusion is A recess into which the bottle 2c is inserted is formed. Switches SW4 and SW5 operated by the bottle 2c are provided in the two recesses, respectively.

Here, in the small cassette 2, the bottle 2c is located in the upper hole 2h.
On the other hand, in the large cassette, the bin 2c exists only in the lower hole 2h and selectively operates the switch SW5. This allows the size of the cassette to be determined.

In this embodiment, only two types of cassettes are described in detail, but the present invention is not limited to this, and any number of types can be identified. Also, the reason why the pin 2C is placed inside the hole 2h is to prevent the bottle 2C from breaking or getting your hands dirty when removing the cassette 2 from the printer body 1 and inserting paper P. Furthermore, when removing the cassette 2 and pulling out paper from the platen 22 to clear a jam, etc., SW4. In order to operate SW5 and prevent it from malfunctioning, both switches SW4. The SW5 is fixedly installed in a place where fingers cannot reach it.

As shown in FIG. 4 again, the front part of the cassette body 2'
A paper front presser 2d is integrally formed at the center of the paper P in the width direction. The front presser foot 2d has a triangular cross section, the lower surface is approximately horizontal, and the slope is
It is designed to rise towards the front. By configuring the front presser 2d in this way, the front presser 2d
After the paper P that was being held down is pulled back,
Even if the paper P is fed forward, the paper P is
It is designed so that it can be lifted upward along the slope without getting caught.

The reason why the front presser 2d is located only at the center in the width direction of the paper P is because it has the following advantages compared to having the front presser 2d at the front or both ends.

1. The load during separation is small.

2. When separating, the two paper feed rollers 18 and this front presser 2d
These three points ensure the flatness of the paper, so the paper P can be stably separated.

3. When feeding paper toward the platen roller 22, the front presser foot 2d is located at the center and locally, so even if the paper is curled, the probability of it being caught is extremely low.

Although the front presser 2d has been described as being formed integrally with the cassette main body 2', the present invention is not limited thereto. It may be configured so that they abut, or it may be configured so that it is swingably attached.

Further, inside the cassette body 2', an intermediate plate 14 is housed so as to be movable eight times along the vertical direction. A guide 2e in the front and back direction of the middle plate 14 is formed on the front side of the cassette body 2', and a guide protrusion 14e formed on the front side edge of the middle plate 14 is inserted into both guides 2e. - Guided. Furthermore, side guides 2f for paper P are provided on both front sides of the cassette main body 2'. In addition, the cassette body 2
Upper regulating portions 2g of the middle plate 14 are formed on both rear sides of the middle plate 14. This restricting portion 2g is for pressing down a convex portion 14f formed at the rear side edge of the middle plate 14. In this cassette body 2', the upward movement of the middle plate 14 is restricted by the restriction portion 2g and the front presser 2d. In addition, both guides 2e, side guides 2f, and regulating portions 2g
are each integrally fixed to the cassette body 2'.

The aforementioned middle plate 14 has a slope 14a provided in the front half and slopes downward toward the front, and a convex portion 1 provided in the center.
4b, a friction material 14c attached on a horizontal surface provided in the rear half, a soft sheet 14g placed on the convex portion 14b, and a guide that engages with the guide 2e and side guide 2g of the cassette body 2', respectively. It is comprised of portions 14e and 14f, and a contact portion 14d with a separation lever 15, which will be described later. This middle plate 14 has coil springs 33 at both its front and rear parts.
a and 33b bias upward.

The separation lever 15 is formed into a substantially U-shape, and the base end of the separation lever 15 extends along the rear edge of the cassette body 2', and both ends are located at the center of the side edge of the cassette body 2'. It extends to the vicinity of the area. Cam portions 15b are provided at both ends.
, 15c are attached respectively. Further, the separation lever 15 is rotatably supported around a fulcrum 15a provided near the center of the cassette body 2' in the longitudinal direction.

Note that the separation lever 15 does not need to be rotatably supported, and may be configured to be swingably attached to the cassette body 2', for example. In short, it is sufficient that the separation lever 15 is configured so as to be swingably supported.

Furthermore, a separation portion 15d is provided near the center of the base end of the separation lever 15. Note that a separation plate 16 is fixed to the base end of the separation lever 15 where the separation portion 15d is provided. This separating plate 16 includes a separating part 16a having a convex part that is constricted and protrudes downward, and a paper regulating part 1.
6b.

Here, the reason why the separating portion 18a of the separating plate 16 is convex downward as shown in FIG. 7A is to reduce the contact resistance with the paper and to prevent curling of the paper. That is, if the separation part 16a is formed into a flat plate shape as shown in FIG. 7B, the paper will not enter the separation part due to the influence of both ends of the flat plate due to curling of the paper, but if it is squeezed, the paper will not enter the separation part as shown in FIG. As shown, the paper easily enters the gap defined between the separating portions 15d and 16a and is separated. The size t of the gap between the separating portions 15d and 16a is set to the relationship tx<t<2t2, where the thickness of one sheet of paper P is t1.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6A, this separating portion 16a is inclined by an angle θ with respect to the direction in which the paper moves backward. That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, even when the paper is curled downward, it is not affected by the problems caused by this curl. In this way, no matter what kind of curl the paper has, the paper can smoothly enter the gap t using the slope of the separating portion 16a as a guide.

The friction material 14c of the middle plate 14 is provided for feeding the final paper inside the cassette main body 2', and the friction material 14c is used for feeding the final paper in the cassette main body 2'.
'ex, has the same effect as the claw S claw fang. The friction material 14c is set to have a coefficient of friction that is approximately the same as but higher than that of paper, and is made of suede, cork, etc., for example.

Further, the sheet 14g of the intermediate plate 14 is provided to protect the printed portion of the paper. That is, as shown in FIG. 5, the paper P is inserted into the cassette main body 2' with the print side facing downward, and therefore, the last paper, that is, the bottom paper is always convex. The portion 14b receives a concentrated bending load,
This results in local deformation. Such local deformation may cause slight differences in color development, scratches, etc., locally after printing. In order to prevent this, a sheet 14g (for example, a cloth such as suede) is bonded to disperse the load instead of localizing it.

In 22, if the convex portion 14b of the middle plate 14 is provided over the entire width, if the paper is curled when the paper is pressed down by the two pairs of paper feed rollers 18, the paper will be thick. The effect of providing this convex portion 14b is lost. Therefore, by providing a local convex portion 14b in the center and pushing it down with a pair of paper feed rollers 18, a vertical curl is forcibly formed and the rigidity of the vertical curl is utilized.
The paper can be examined by effectively lifting the leading edge of the paper.

This has been confirmed through experiments.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, the aforementioned cam portions 15b and 15c are activated when the separation lever 15 is rotated when loading the paper P.

The middle plate 14 in contact with the coil spring 33a is connected to the coil spring 33a.

It is formed in such a shape that it is pushed down against the urging force of 33b. In this way, when loading the paper P, the cam portion 1
5b and 15c push down the middle plate 14, so that the leading edge of the middle plate 14 is largely separated downward from the front presser 2d of the cassette body 2', as shown in the figure. As a result, the leading end of the stack of sheets P to be loaded will fit well between the front presser 2d and the leading edge of the middle plate 14.

In addition, when the separation lever 15 is rotated back to its original position with the bundle of papers P loaded on the middle plate 14, the cam portion 15b of the separation lever 15 is removed.

15c no longer presses the middle plate 14, and therefore the middle plate 1
4 is lifted by the urging force of the coil springs 33a and 33b. In this way, the leading end of the bundle of papers P is elastically pressed from below by the middle plate 14 against the lower surface of the front presser 2d.

For large-sized cassettes, the separating parts 15d, 1
5e, it can be considered that the separation plate 16 is lowered to the rear and the width is expanded, and since the separation plate 16 is substantially the same, detailed explanation will be omitted. However, as is clear from FIG. 3, the U-shaped separation levers 15 have the same width, and the cassette width dimensions are also set to be the same.

Cassette Mounting Section> As described above with reference to FIGS. 2, 3, and 8, the printer main body 1 has an attachment/detachment knob 5 that locks the cassette 2 in the installed state, and It has a spring 31 that biases it.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, for positioning the cassette 2, the above-mentioned protrusion 35 is provided in the front-rear direction of the cassette 2, and a guide 17 is provided in the up-down direction. When the cassette 2 is mounted, the guide 17 engages with a convex portion 15c formed on the separation lever 15 to forcibly rotate the separation lever 15 downward. In this way, as the cassette 2 is installed, a bending load is forcibly applied to the paper P loaded in the cassette 2 using the front presser 2d of the cassette body 2' and the convex portion 14b of the middle plate 14 as fulcrums. Accordingly, the purpose is to give the paper a horizontal curl once and then correct the vertical curl (that is, the paper normally has a vertical grain, that is, a vertical curl with respect to the feeding direction).

Incidentally, the cassette 2 installed in the printer main body 1 in this way
To take out the cassette 2, the attachment/detachment knob 5 is slid laterally to release the lock, and the cassette 2 is ejected to the outside by the biasing force of the spring 31. Here, at the time of taking out, the cam portions 15b, 15 of the separation lever 15
The guide 17 comes into contact with c, and the printer body 1
Removal of the cassette 2 is stopped at an appropriate position where the cassette 2 is more partially protruded, thereby preventing an accident of the cassette 2 falling from the printer main body 1.

Paper Feed System PF> Next, the paper feed system PF will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9.

The paper feed system PF includes a paper feed roller 18 that engages with and feeds the uppermost sheet of the loaded paper P. The paper feed roller 18 is formed into a half-moon roller shape to facilitate attachment and detachment of the cassette 2, and has a plurality of roller bodies 1 disposed apart from each other along the axial direction.
8a, a shaft 18c to which these roller bodies 18a are coaxially fixed, a pulley 18d coaxially fixed to one end on the front side of this shaft 18c, and a pulley 18d coaxially fixed adjacent to this pulley 18d2, and a pin 18f attached to the outer periphery. The gear 18e is integrally formed with the gear 18e.

Note that both edge portions of the paper feed roller 18 are provided with cam portions 18b made of resin with relatively low frictional force. Furthermore, rubber serving as a high friction material is adhered to the circumferential surface of the roller body 18a.

The above-mentioned shaft iac is rotatably installed on the unillustrated base plate of the printer main body 1 via a bearing or the like on the unillustrated base plate, and is connected to the pulse motor M2 as a paper feeding motor. Further, the pulley 18d is connected via a belt 36 to a pulley 25 having a pin 25a on the outer periphery so as to rotate at a ratio of 1:1. This pulley 25 is rotatably supported on a ground (not shown) so as to be located adjacent to and above a platen roller 22, which will be described later.

Note that the pin 25a is adapted to engage with a cam portion 27b of a movable paper guide 27, which will be described later.

A switch SW6 is disposed outside the gear 18e. This switch SW6 is configured to be operated by a pin 18f of the gear 18e, and thereby functions as a switch for detecting the initial position of the paper feed roller 18.

Further, as shown in FIG. 8, paper guides 19 and 20 are fixedly installed within the printer body 1. One paper guide 1
9 is disposed with a tip extending below the platen roller 22, which will be described later, and the fed paper contacts the outer periphery of the platen roller 22, which is made of rubber. This is provided in order to prevent the roller from reaching the rolling contact portion with the registration roller 21, which serves as an idle ruler and is in rolling contact with the registration roller 21 for preventing paper from skewing.

That is, the paper guide 19 includes a flat portion 19a that extends along a substantially horizontal direction and is located forward of the tip end. This flat portion 19a functions to press down the paper P from above so that a loop of the paper P that occurs when the paper P is fed, which will be described later, does not become too large. With this configuration, one of the problems is that when the leading edge of the paper hits the rolling contact portion between the registration roller 21 and the platen roller 22 and the loop is further formed too large, the leading edge part Pf of the paper can be reversed. This is effective in preventing the registration roller 21 and the platen roller 22 from returning to the contact area and separating from the contact area. Another reason is that by pressing down on the formation of the loop from above, the spring force of the paper is reduced. In order to generate a conveying force (thrust force), especially in order to secure a wide printing range as in this embodiment,
Even when the registration roller 21 is located on the back side, this is effective in ensuring that the paper leading edge Pf reaches the rolling contact portion of both rollers 21 and 22.

A platen roller 22 is provided to further convey the paper fed by the paper feed roller 18 to the printing section.

This platen roller 22 is constructed by press-fitting a rubber roller onto a shaft 22a. The registration roller 21 described above is arranged so as to be in pressure contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower half of the platen roller 22 on the back side, and the pinch roller 23 is placed on the outer peripheral surface of the upper half of the platen roller 22 on the back side. are arranged so that they come into contact with each other. Note that both the registration rollers 21 and the pinch roller 23 are biased so as to come into pressure contact with the platen roller 22 by a spring (not shown).

As the platen roller 22 rotates, the paper P is fed while being held between the registration roller 21, the pinch roller 23, and the platen roller 22. Here, the distance between both the registration rollers 21 and the pinch roller 23 determines the effective printing range, in other words, the printing range. That is, good printing results cannot be obtained unless the top edge of the paper is engaged with the upper pinch roller 23, and good printing results are not obtained unless the bottom edge of the paper is engaged with the lower registration roller 21. You won't get it.

For this reason, both registration rollers 21 and pinch roller 23
The distance between the inkjet head IJυ should be as narrow as possible without interfering with the printing operation by the inkjet head IJυ. In other words, as described above, in order to ensure a wide printing range, the lower registration rollers 21 are arranged as far away as possible.

On the central outer circumferential surface of the platen roller 22 mentioned above, namely,
An annular recess is formed in the center of the paper in the width direction.
A paper sensor 24 that detects whether or not the paper P is wrapped around the platen roller 22 is disposed within this recess. This paper sensor 24 is a reflective photosensor, and is fixed to a guide plate 26 (described later) so as to maintain an immovable position even when the platen roller 22 rotates.

Note that the paper sensor 24 is positioned so as to detect the leading edge of the paper slightly protruding upward from the registration roller 21. Note that the paper sensor 24 is not limited to a reflective type photosensor, and may be, for example, a transmission type photosensor or a mechanical switch such as a proximity switch or a limit switch. In short, paper P
Anything is fine as long as the tip can be detected.

The guide plate 26 described above is fixed to a base (not shown) of the printer main body 1. This guide plate 26 is located above the paper feed roller 18, and guides the stacker section 26a, which temporarily stacks the ejected paper, and a pair of paper ejection rollers 28 and 29, which will be described later, to transport the paper that has completed the printing operation. Paper guide section 1 to guide
6b and the mounting section 26 for attaching the paper sensor 24.
We are cultivating c.

In addition, the lower registration roller z1 and platen roller 22
A leaf spring 34 for holding the paper is disposed so as to come into contact with the outer circumferential surface between the paper. This leaf spring 34 ensures that the paper that has passed the lower registration roller 21 is brought between the platen roller 22 and the inkjet head IJU without leaving the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 22.

Further, a movable paper guide 27 is provided to guide the paper so that it is smoothly conveyed on the outer peripheral surface of the platen roller 22 between the inkjet head IJU and the upper pinch roller 23. The movable paper guide 27 is rotatably supported around the same axis as the shaft 22a of the platen roller 22, is urged counterclockwise by a spring 37 as shown by arrow A, and is fixed to the printer body 1. The position is regulated by a paper guide 30 provided. This spring 37
Originally, the movable paper guide 27 would be driven by the action of the cam even without this, but by providing this, good reciprocating movement of the movable paper guide 27 without rattling can be realized. Become.

This movable paper guide 27 further includes the above-mentioned pulley 2.
It has a cam part 27a that comes into contact with the bottle part 25a of No. 5. That is, as the motor M2 rotates, the paper feed roller 18 rotates, and the pulley 25 rotates via the belt 36, and accordingly, the paper guide 27 reciprocates around the platen roller 22 between points C and D. It turns out.

As shown in FIG. 9, this movable paper guide 27 has a window portion 27a formed in the portion where the upper pinch roller 23 is disposed, and the circumferential length of each window portion 27a is as follows. The size is set to allow rotation of this movable paper guide 27. As shown in FIG. 8, when the movable paper guide 27 is at the position indicated by point C, the pin 25a of the pulley 25 is not engaged with the cam portion 27b of the movable paper guide 27, and the biasing force of the spring 37 As a result, the paper guide 30 is brought into contact with the paper guide 30. In this state, the movable paper guide 27 is
It is brought upward to open the gap between the platen roller 22 and the inkjet head IJU.

On the other hand, when the movable paper guide 27 is in the position indicated by the dot in FIG.
5a is engaged and is in a state where it can rotate in response to the rotation of the pulley 25 against the biasing force of the spring 37. In this state, the movable paper guide 27 is brought downward,
The space between the platen roller 22 and the inkjet head IJU is closed.

As shown in FIG. 9, a gear 38 is coaxially attached to one end of the shaft 22a of the platen roller 22 on the near side. This gear 38 is a pulse motor Ml (paper feed motor)
The driving force of cam 39. It is connected to the shaft 22a of the platen roller 22 via a known one-way latch CL constituted by a pin 40 and a spring 41, and is connected to the shaft 22a of the platen roller 22.
The platen roller 22 is configured to transmit only a driving force in one direction to the platen roller 22. Therefore, the rotation direction of the platen roller 22 is only the direction shown by arrow A in FIG.

Furthermore, the paper discharge rollers 28 and 29 are disposed such that their rolling contact portions are located in the conveyance path of the paper P guided by the paper guide portion 26b of the guide plate 26. The upper paper ejection roller 29 is made of a roller made of plastic or the like, and is designed not to adversely affect the printed portion of the printed paper, and is integrally formed with a shaft 29a, as shown in FIG. It is rotatably supported by a bearing 47 of the printer main body 1. On the other hand, the lower paper ejection roller 28 is formed from a rubber roller, and is press-fitted onto the shaft 28a. A gear 44 is integrally attached to one end of this shaft 28a, and is configured to rotate together with the gear 44.

On the other hand, so as to rotatably support the shaft 28a at the tip,
A base plate 42 is provided. The base plate 42 is rotatably attached to a shaft 42a at its base end, and the shaft 42a is rotatably supported by a bearing (not shown). Therefore, the base plate 42 swings and rotates around the shaft 42a.

A gear 43 rotatably driven by a pulse motor M1 is rotatably fitted to this shaft 42a, and the gear 43 meshes with a gear 44 located at the tip of the base plate 42. This gear 44 is integrally fixed to a shaft 28a to which a lower paper ejection roller 28 is coaxially fixed, and the shaft 28a rotatably passes through the tip of the base plate 42. This base plate 4
2 and the gear 44 are connected to each other by a friction transmission mechanism composed of a spring 45 and a friction plate 46 that is pressed against the tip of the base plate 42 by the biasing force of the spring. That is,
The friction torque determined by the biasing force of the spring 45 and the friction coefficient of the friction plate 46 and the base plate 42 is 71%.If the load torque is T2, then in the case of T1>Tz, the gear 44 is moved to the base plate by the friction torque T of the friction transmission mechanism. 42 in a non-rotatable manner.

Therefore, the gear 44 is rotated in accordance with the rotation of the gear 43.
It will revolve around 3. In this way, the main plate 42 rotates around the axis 42a in the clockwise direction indicated by arrow A.
The lower paper ejection roller 28 is separated from the upper paper ejection roller 29.

Note that T I < 72 because the base plate 42 that has rotated downward hits a stopper (not shown). In this case 1. Gear 44 has friction torque T.

It rotates in response to the rotation of the gear 43 against the rotation of the gear 43.

In this way, the lower paper ejection roller 28 is driven to rotate in the clockwise direction indicated by arrow A, but since the lower paper ejection roller 28 has already separated from the upper paper ejection roller 29, The paper ejecting operation is substantially stopped.

On the other hand, in a state where the lower paper ejection roller 28 is separated from the upper paper ejection roller 29, when the pulse motor M1 reverses and starts rotating counterclockwise as shown by arrow B, the above-mentioned TI>1 Contrary to the above case, the main plate 42 rotates counterclockwise around the shaft 42a, and the lower paper ejection roller 28 rotates in the upper paper ejection roller 2.
9. As a result, Tt < T2, and as the gear 43 rotates counterclockwise, the gear 44
will be rotated clockwise.

According to the rotation of this gear 44, both paper ejection rollers 28 and 29
The two rotate in a state where they are in contact with each other. In this way, the paper ejecting operation is executed.

At this time, the rotational directions of the gear 38 and the gear 44 are connected in a relationship as indicated by the arrows also shown in FIG.

That is, the pulse motor M1 rotates in one direction, the gear 38 rotates in the direction shown by arrow A, and the platen roller 22 is similarly driven in the direction shown by arrow A via the one-way clutch CL. swings in the direction indicated by arrow A, and both paper ejection rollers 28, 29 are separated from each other as described above.

In this way, the ground plate 42 hits a stopper (not shown) and the load increases, causing the gear 44 to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow A. That is, the platen roller 22 always rotates while bearing the friction torque TI. Due to this friction torque T, the platen roller 22 when the motor M1 is intermittently fed.
It is possible to prevent photographing of images, etc., and improve paper feeding accuracy.

Here, when the pulse motor M1 reversely rotates in a direction opposite to the one direction described above, the gear 38 rotates in the direction shown by arrow B, but the one-way clutch CL causes the platen roller 2 to
The rotation is not transmitted to platen roller 22, and platen roller 22 remains stationary. Further, the base plate 42 swings in the direction shown by arrow B, both paper ejection rollers 28 and 29 come into contact with each other, the gear 44 rotates in the direction shown by arrow B, and the paper ejection roller 28 discards the paper P. Rotate in the direction. That is, the paper P held between the two paper discharge rollers 28 and 29 is discharged.

This one-way clutch CL prevents the paper P from being reversely inserted into the platen roller 22 even when the paper P is caught in the middle, and also removes the load on the rotation system of the platen roller 22 when discharging the paper, thereby reducing the The only driving force is Therefore, stability during paper ejection is improved, and paper can be stably ejected even in various harsh environments. Note that the discharged paper P is stacked on the stacker section 26a and can be taken out from the paper discharge port 11.

To summarize the configuration of the paper feed/delivery system so far, the paper feed roller 18 rotates in the direction shown by arrow B due to the rotation of the pulse motor (paper feed motor) M2 in the opposite direction, and the paper P is fed backwards. It enters the gap (1) between the separation parts 15d and 16a and is separated.

Next, the pulse motor M2 reverses and rotates in the normal direction, so that the paper feed roller 18 rotates in the direction shown by arrow A, and the paper P is sent toward the platen roller 22.

At this time, the leading edge of the paper is lifted up by the guide convex portion 14e of the intermediate plate 14 and is conveyed toward the platen roller 22 without hitting the presser portion 2d.

Then, the taken out paper P is conveyed via the paper guides 19, 20 to the rolling contact portion between the platen roller 22 and the lower registration roller 21. Since the rotation of the platen roller 22 is stopped in this state, the skew of the paper is corrected at this rolling contact portion. At this time, the second and subsequent sheets of paper P are pressed by the front presser 2d.
Since the paper is held down by the machine, double feeding will not occur.

Next, the pulse motor M1 rotates in one direction and the platen roller 22 is slightly rotated in the direction indicated by arrow A, thereby inserting the paper P between the platen roller 22 and the registration roller 21 and stopping.

Next, the pulse motor M2 rotates, and the movable paper guide 27 is moved to point D by the rotation of the boot 25. Furthermore, the pulse motor M1 rotates, and the platen roller 22 is rotated in the direction shown by arrow A. , the paper P is sent through a paper guide section made up of a pressing spring 34 and a movable paper guide 27, and the leading edge of the paper P is inserted between the upper pinch roller 23 and the platen roller.

Next, the pulse motor M2 rotates to return the paper feed roller 18 to the initial position (the position shown by the solid line in FIG. 8) and return the movable paper guide 27 to the zero point, making printing possible. Next, the pulse motor M1 is rotated to feed the paper P, and when the rear end of the paper P is removed from the pressure contact point between the platen roller 22 and the pinch roller 23, the pulse motor M2 is reversed and the paper discharge roller 28 is moved to the dotted line position. The sheets are moved from the position shown in the solid line (FIG. 8) so that they roll into contact with each other, and are further rotated in the direction shown by arrow B to eject the paper.

The detailed operation in this embodiment will be described later.

Note that the above-described movement of the lower paper ejection roller 28 toward and away from the upper paper ejection roller 29 does not have to be achieved by planetary motion of the gear 44 using such friction; A configuration using a cam mechanism may also be used.゛Control circuit shown in blank below> Fig. 11 shows a block configuration diagram of the control section of the embodiment device. In the figure, this control unit is a central processing unit (CPU) that handles the main control of the printer device.
)911.

The CPU 911 stores control programs shown in, for example, FIGS. 12A and 21H in a ROM (not shown), and controls the following peripheral circuits by executing this program.

A signal input section 901 is connected to this CPU 911, and via this signal input section 901, an RGB color image signal, a color television signal of NTSC%PAL or SECAM system, or various kinds of signals formed by a personal computer, etc. color image signals are input. Also,
This CPU 911 includes an input signal processing circuit 902 that converts color image signals other than RGB into RGB signals, and a line memory 90 that stores color image data for multiple lines.
4. An interpolation circuit 905 for enlarging a color image, an image processing circuit 906 for masking color image data, undercolor removal processing, etc., and an inkjet head IJ.
U driver circuits 908 are connected to each other.

Note that the above-mentioned line memory 904 stores analog RGB image signals from the input signal processing circuit 902 as digital RG signals.
An A/D converter 903 that converts the color image data into B image data is connected to the head driver 908, and a D/D converter 903 that converts the color image data from the image processing circuit 906 into an analog image signal is connected to the head driver 908.
A converter 907 is connected. Further, the head driver 908 is a piezo type inkjet head IJ.
Connected to U.

Furthermore, the CPU 911 includes a group of various operation switches 910.
is connected. This operation switch group 901 includes the aforementioned power switch 6, print switch 8, pump switch, and the like. Furthermore, the CPU 911 has
Pump system sensor 913, ink temperature sensor 917, encoder sensor 920, carriage motor driver circuit 921, motor M1 driver circuit 923, motor M
The driver circuit 925 of No. 2 and the driver circuit 927 of the LED display group 928 are connected.

Note that the LED display group 928 includes display LEDs 7a to 7.
e is included.

The operation will be explained below.

Cassette operation> When the cassette attachment/detachment knob 5 shown in FIG. 3 is moved to the left against the biasing force of the spring 13, the pin 5a fixed to the knob 5
The cam part 2a on the bottom surface of the cassette 2 is unlocked, and the cassette 2 is pushed out from the printer main body 1 by the bias of the return spring 31 shown in FIG. It stops at the point of contact. As a result, both cassette size sensors SW4 and SW5 are turned off, and by further pulling out the cassette 2 by hand, the cam portion 15c climbs over the lower surface of the guide 17, allowing the entire cassette 2 to be pulled out.

In FIG. 5, when the separation lever 15 is rotated in the direction shown by arrow A around the fulcrum 15a of the separation lever 15, the cam portions 15b and 15c come into contact with the contact portion 14d of the middle plate 14 in FIG. 14 is pushed down as shown in FIG. 5, especially the leading edge of the paper P placed on the middle plate 14 is lowered, and the gap between it and the front presser foot 2d becomes larger. As a result, the separation lever 15
Even if the operator takes his hand off the handle, it maintains its position due to its own weight moment and cam action, allowing the operator to load the paper P along the direction B indicated by the arrow with both hands. When the separation lever 15 is returned to its original position after loading the paper,
The middle plate 14 is pushed up by the biasing force of the coil springs 33a and 33b until the top of the leading edge of the paper comes into contact with the front presser foot 2d.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the cassette 2 is inserted into the paper feed port 11 of the printer main body 1. As a result, the separation lever 15
The cam portion 15c is pushed down midway by the guide 17 shown in FIG. 8, thereby pushing down the separation plate 16 attached to the separation lever 15. As a result, the trailing edge of the paper is pushed down, and the vertical curl of the paper is corrected by being bent by the convex portion 14b. When the cassette 2 is further pushed in against the biasing force of the spring 31, the cam portion 15b.

15c climbs over the guide 17, and the cam portion 2a of the cassette 2 shown in FIG. 3 pushes away the bottle 5a, and locks at the point where it gets over the cam portion 2a. In this state, the printer body 1
The protrusion 35 positions the tip of the cassette 2 as shown in FIG. 8, and SW4 is selectively turned on when the cassette is a small cassette, and SW5 is selectively turned on when the cassette is a large cassette. In this way, the cassette 2 can be easily and reliably set in the printer main body 1.

After loading, the paper P is pressed in front of the paper P by the cassette spring 33a via the middle plate 14 against the front presser 2d with an appropriate pressure as described later. Also, at the rear, the front presser foot 2d mentioned above
Since the separation lever unit consisting of the separation lever 15 and the separation plate 16 is rotatable without any fixed objects such as The paper P is pressed against the separated separation plate 16 via the middle plate 14 by the rear cassette spring 33b.

In this way, when the cassette 2 is installed in the printer main body 1, the front and rear ends of the top paper P are both pressed against the front presser 2d and the separation plate 16 by the spring force pushing up from below, so the number of sheets loaded changes. However, the top paper always maintains a constant height with respect to one width of the paper feed roller.

12A to 12H show flowcharts of various control programs executed by the CPU 911.

Initial Process> FIG. 12A shows a flowchart of the initial process from power-on of the printer device to standby state. In step 5101, the operator presses the power switch 6. Process 5
In step 102, the current state of the power switch 6 is checked, and if it is in the ON state, it is turned OFF and the process proceeds to step 5101, where it is turned on.
If it is in the FF state, it is turned on and the process proceeds to step 5103. Note that the above is performed independently by the power supply circuit, and the CPU
This has nothing to do with 911 processing.

Next, conditions necessary for starting printing are inspected and displayed. That is, in step 5103, the loaded state of cassette 2 is checked, and if there is no cassette 2, an abnormality flag is set in step 5106, and the LED 7a is blinked to notify that there is an abnormality in the paper supply system. In addition, if cassette 2 is loaded, if it is a large size cassette (SW5=ON), the large size is displayed in step 5104, and if the small size cassette (SW4=ON) is loaded, the large size cassette is displayed.
), the normal size is displayed in step 5105. Furthermore, in step 5107, the pinch roller sensor is checked;
If there is an abnormality, an abnormality flag is set in step 5111, and an abnormality in the paper supply system is displayed.

If it is normal, the ink cartridge sensor SW2 is checked in step 5108, and if the ink cartridge 10 is not loaded, an abnormality flag is set in step 5112, and the ink system abnormality (LED 7b) is blinked. Further, if the ink cartridge 10 is loaded, the presence or absence of an abnormality flag is checked in step 5109, and if there is an abnormality flag, step 511
If it is 0, an abnormality is displayed and the process returns to step 5103. If there is no abnormality flag, normal is displayed in step 5113.

In step 5114, the paper sensor 24 is checked, and if the paper P remains in the paper conveyance path, then in step 5200, a paper ejecting process, which will be described later, is executed. If no paper P remains, the home position sensor SW3 is checked in step 5115, and the carriage 20
1 is not at the home position, a home process, which will be described later, is executed in step 5300.

As a result of the above, if there is no abnormality, the standby state (S
Enter TANDBY). In this standby state, cassette exchange, print commands, and pump commands are received and received. That is, when loading of a new large size cassette is detected in step 5116, the mode is switched to large size mode in step 5130. Also, if loading of a small size cassette is detected in step 5116,
Furthermore, the size switch is checked in step 5117, and if the size switch is set to postcard size, the mode is switched to postcard mode in step 5140, and if it is not postcard size, the mode is switched to normal mode. Also, in step 5118, print switch 8
If the press of the pump switch is detected in step 5119, a print step 5400, which will be described later, is executed, and if the press of the pump switch is detected in step 5119, the pump step 5500 is executed.

<Printing process> FIGS. 12D to 12F show a flowchart of the printing process. The printing process includes a status check process before paper feeding, a paper feeding process, a printing process, and a paper ejecting process.

When the press of the print switch 8 is detected in step 8118, the print LED 8a is turned on in step 5401 to notify that the print operation is in progress.

In step 5600, the next status check step is performed as an inspection immediately before printing starts.

(Status Check Process) FIG. 128 shows a flowchart of the status check process. In step 3601, the dust cover sensor S
Check WI and confirm that dust cover 4 is closed (SW1=ON)
If there is, the LED 7a is displayed blinking in step 5602 to notify of an abnormality in the paper supply system because it interferes with paper ejection, and the process proceeds to step 5608 to enter a standby state. The standby state is canceled when the operator opens the dust cover 4. The same applies below. Furthermore, in step 5603, the cassette sensor SW4
Check SW5 and find that no cassette is loaded (SW
4=OFF, 5W5=OFF), in step 5604, the LED 7a is flashed to indicate an abnormality in the paper supply system, and the printer enters a standby state.

Furthermore, in step 5605, the ink cartridge sensor SW
2 is checked, and if the ink cartridge 10 is not loaded (SW2=OFF), in step 5606, the LED 7b is blinked to notify of an abnormality in the ink system, and the printer enters a standby state. Further, if there is no abnormality mentioned above, it is normal and the next paper feeding process is performed.

In the initial process, the OFF state of the paper sensor 24 (Step 5114) and the ON state of the home position sensor SW3 (Step 5115) necessary to start printing have been achieved, but it is necessary to check for this type of abnormality from time to time. Therefore, these inspection steps may be included in the status check step.

(Paper feeding process) FIG. 12B shows a flowchart of the paper feeding process.

The paper feeding process consists of a separation process of separating the topmost paper P+ from the cassette 2, and a conveyance process of sending this separated paper to the platen roller 22.

(1) Separation process In the separation process, only one top paper P of the cassette 2 is pulled out in the opposite direction (opposite to the transport direction) and separated. Step 57
01 and step 5702, the paper feed roller 18 is at the initial position α in FIG. 10A. Rotate the pulse motor (paper feed motor) M2 in the opposite direction until (SW6=ON). As a result, the paper feed roller 18, which had rotated slightly in the conveyance direction during the previous paper feed, is returned to the initial position α0.

When the initial position α0 is detected in step 5701, step 370
3, the pulse motor M2 is further rotated by N3 steps in the opposite direction. As a result, first the paper feed (half-moon) roller 1
Cam portion 18b made of resin with relatively low frictional force of No. 8
begins to come into contact with the top paper P1. Here, even if the number of stacked sheets changes, the paper feed roller 18 always has a constant height with respect to the top paper P, so the cam portion 18b of the rotating paper feed roller 18 hits the top paper P. The angle of contact is also always constant.

At that time, the frictional force between the top paper P and the second paper 22 is μ
2, the cam portion 18b and the top paper P.

The relationship between the frictional force μm and the relationship μm × μ2 is set. Therefore, when the paper feed roller 18 further rotates, due to the action of the cam portion 18b,
The stacked paper P and the middle plate 14 are pushed down against the coil spring 33b.

As the stacked paper P descends, the separation lever 15 moves toward the guide 1.
7, and the separation plate 16 comes into contact with the upper rear end of the top paper P1 only by its own weight accompanied by the moment force of the separation lever 15.

Further, since the separation lever 15 and the guide 17 are separated, the biasing force of the coil spring 33b becomes a force that exclusively presses the uppermost paper P against the cam portion 18b of the paper feed roller 18. In this state, as will be described later, the rubber portion 18 of the paper feed roller 18
This means that a pressure force sufficient to feed the paper PI with the minimum value a forward/backward is obtained.

When the paper feed roller 18 continues to rotate further, the paper feed roller 18
The rubber portion 18a, which has a relatively large frictional force, begins to come into contact with the top paper PL. At this time, if the frictional force between the rubber portion 18a and the top paper 23 is μ3, then there is a relationship between μ2 × μ3 between the frictional force μ between the topmost paper P and the second sheet of paper 22. It is set like this. As a result, the top paper P
1 begins to slide backward (in the direction opposite to the conveying direction) as the rubber portion 18a rotates, and the rear end of the uppermost sheet PI is sent toward the gap t' between the separating portions 15d and 16a.

Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 6A, the separating portion 16a has an angle θ with respect to the traveling direction of the paper P, so that the uppermost paper P,
The rear end portion can always be guided into the gap t along the separating portion 16a.

Furthermore, the separating portion 15d similarly has an angle θ, so that the interval of the gap t is also kept constant.

In this way, while the rear end of the top paper PI is guided to the gap t, its front end is pulled out from the front presser 2d, and the tenth
As shown in Figure A, due to the bending step of the middle plate 14 and the function of the convex portion 14b, the front half of the top paper P is lifted up, and the second paper P is lifted up.
Completely separate from 2. At this time, if the pressing force of the coil spring 33a against the paper P against the front presser foot 2d is too small, papers other than the top paper PL (especially the second sheet of paper) will be pulled out from the front presser foot 2d; Part 18a
Due to this, the pulling force will be insufficient and separation will not be possible. Therefore, the biasing force of the coil spring 33a is determined by also considering the pressing force of the paper P against the front presser 2d.

Here, the feed amount N3 steps of the pulse motor M2 is determined in consideration of the following points. That is, if the distance (separation amount) from which the rear end of the top paper P1 passes through the gap t until it hits the abutment part 16b of the separation plate 16 is Sl, then the 10th
There is a relationship of Sl>S2 with the dimension S2 of the front presser foot 2d in Figure A. In this way, when the rear end portion of the top paper P1 is restricted from further rearward conveyance by the abutment portion 16b, the top paper P1 is moved.

The front end portion of is reliably pulled out from the front presser foot 2d.

Therefore, the rotation angle α of the paper feed roller 18 in step 5703 is
1, that is, the feed amount N3 steps of pulse motor M2 is
It is determined in consideration of this separation amount Sl. Here, as mentioned above, since the angle at which the cam portion 18b of the paper feed roller 18 contacts the uppermost paper P is constant, the paper feed amount added at the time of separation may also be constant, so that the pulse motor M2 The feed amount N3 steps can also be kept constant, resulting in simple control and configuration. Note that the value N is set to a large value in consideration of margins under various environments.

(2) Conveyance process In the conveyance process, the separated top paper P1 is transported in the forward direction (conveyance direction).
send to In steps 5704 and 5705, the pulse motor M2 is rotated in the forward direction (direction A of the paper feed roller 18) until the paper feed roller 18 reaches the initial position α0. As a result, the paper feed roller 18 rotates in the forward direction by a rotation angle α and returns to the initial position α.

Returning to
, to the paper initial position X0 above the front presser foot 2d.

At this point, the rear end of the top paper P1 has come out from the gap t, so in the next conveyance, the top paper P
The load passing through the gap and the occurrence of scratches due to contact with the gap can be prevented, and stable conveyance is possible. In particular, when thick paper (for example, thickness of about 0.25□) is used, load fluctuations during printing have a large effect on printing accuracy, so this embodiment, which has no load after separation, is very effective. be.

In step 5704, the initial position α is set. By detecting this, in step 5706, the pulse motor M2 is further rotated by N4 steps in the forward direction. As a result, first the paper feed roller 18
is the initial position α. It rotates in the A direction by a rotation angle α (not shown). Then, the separated top paper P is sent toward the platen roller 22 by the conveyance force of the rubber portion 18a that comes into contact with it. In this way, the front end of the separated paper P is moved along the paper guides 19 and 20 to the platen roller 22.
It comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface of. Then, as the paper feed roller 18 continues to rotate further, a loop-shaped bend occurs in the separation paper below the paper guide 19 as shown in FIG. 10B.

As the paper feed roller 18 continues to rotate further, this loop-shaped bending grows, and this loop forms a flat part 19 of the paper guide 19.
a, a conveyance force is generated on the separation paper due to the spring force caused by the loop, and the leading edge of the paper reliably abuts against the rolling contact portion of the registration roller 21 and the platen roller 22. In this way, the skew of the separation paper is corrected, and the paper feed roller 18 temporarily stops at the angle α3 at this point. In this way, the thrust generated by the spring force of the paper itself ensures that the paper reaches the rolling contact portion between the registration roller 21 and the platen roller 22 even if it is slightly curled.

In step 5707, the pulse motor (paper feed motor) Ml is rotated by X1 steps in the transport direction. As a result, the platen roller 22 is slightly rotated in the direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. 10B, and the front end of the paper P is bitten into the rolling contact portion between the platen roller 22 and the registration roller 21.

In steps 5708 and 5709, the paper feed roller 18 is at the initial position α. The pulse motor M2 is rotated in the conveying direction until . This causes the paper feed roller 18 to completely separate from the separation paper P, leaving the latter half of the separation paper P free.

In step 5710, pulse motor M2 is rotated in the opposite direction by Ns steps. As a result, the paper feed roller 1 in FIG.
8 is a pulley 18d that rotates by an angle α4 in the direction shown by arrow B from the initial position α0 and is provided coaxially with the paper feed roller 18.
and a pulley 2 connected one-to-one via a toothed belt 36.
5 is rotated by an angle α4. As a result, the bin 25a integrally formed with the pulley 25 pushes out the cam portion 27b of the movable paper guide 27, and the paper guide 27 resists the biasing force of the return spring 37, as indicated by arrow B in FIG. The paper guide 27 begins to rotate in the direction shown in FIG.

In steps 5711 and 5712, the paper sensor 24 is
The pulse motor M1 is rotated in the conveyance direction until it reaches N. In the paper sensor 24, the front end of the separation paper P is connected to the registration roller 21.
The position slightly advanced forward is detected, and the front end of the separation paper P is reliably guided to the paper guide section.

When the ON state of the paper sensor 24 is detected in step 5711,
In step 5713, the pulse motor M1 is further rotated by X2 steps in the transport direction. As a result, the platen roller 22
rotates in the direction shown by arrow A, further conveys the separated paper P via a paper guide section consisting of a presser spring 34 and a movable paper guide 27, and then passes the front end of the paper P between the platen roller 22 and the upper pinch roller 23. Insert it into the transition area with. At this time, since the movable paper guide 27 is formed coaxially with the platen roller 22, this gap can be designed to be small in advance, and the gap between the paper guide portions is always constant.

In this way, when the paper P is bitten between the platen roller 22 and the pinch roller 23, the paper P does not float relative to the platen roller 22. In steps 5714 and 5715, the paper feed roller 18 The pulse motor M2 is rotated in the transport direction until it reaches the initial position α.

When the initial position of the paper feed roller 18 is detected in step 5714, the pulse motor M2 is further rotated in the forward direction in step 5716.
Rotate by 6 steps. As a result, the paper feed roller 18 further rotates to an angle α4, separating the pin 25a of the pulley 25 and the cam portion 27a of the movable paper guide 27, and the movable paper guide 27 is moved by the biasing force of the spring 3F as shown in FIG. The printer is retracted in the direction shown by arrow A to the position shown by symbol C, and becomes ready for printing.

(Printing process) Figures 12E and 12F show a flowchart of the printing process. There are roughly three types of print modes; when the paper size is large, the large size mode is uniquely determined, and when the paper size is small, the sub-operation (mode) switch 12a is operated before operating the print switch 8. You can select normal mode or postcard mode.

In step 5402, the paper sensor 24 is checked, and if the paper is not wrapped around the platen roller 22 in the above-mentioned paper feeding process, the paper sensor 24 is in the OFF state, so the paper feeding has failed.
In step 5403, an LED is turned on to notify of an abnormality in the paper supply system.
7a is illuminated, and in step 5404 it enters a standby state. Further, if paper is wrapped around the platen roller 22, the paper sensor 24 is in the ON state, and therefore paper feeding is normal.

Further, in step 5405, the cassette size is checked, and if the cassette size is large, in step 5407, the pulse motor M1 is moved by X31 steps to form a margin.

Further, in step 5408, "840" is set in the dot number register in the carriage scanning direction, and in step 409, "1120" is set in the line number register C in the paper feeding direction. If the size is small, the size switch is further checked in step 5406, and if the size is normal, the pulse motor M1 is moved by X32 steps in step 5410. Furthermore, in step 5411, "435" is set in the dot number register, and in step 5412, "580" is set in the line number register C.
Set.

Also, if it is a postcard size, in step 5413 the pulse motor M
1 by X33 steps, and further, step 5414
Set "435" in the dot number register and proceed to step 5.
At step 415, the line number register C is set to 580''.

In step 5416, the dot number counter 1 and the line number counter C1 are both initialized to "0°", and in step 5417, one line of image data is transferred to the line memory 904.In step 8418, the linear motor for the carriage (not shown) is transferred. (CR motor) and start printing operation.

(1) One-point printing process FIG. 12E shows a flowchart of the one-point printing process. In step 5419, zone slot 1-204b (
In the case of reverse scanning, when a change in the zone slit 204b') from black (dark) to white (bright) is detected, the carriage 201
is at the start position of the print zone, and step 5
At 420, the dot number counter L is set to "0".

In step 5421, if the large size mode is selected, proceed directly to step 5424 and immediately set the timing slit 20.
Detection of a change from black to white in 4a is started. When this change is detected, the dot number counter L1 is set to + in step 5425.
Do 1. In step 5426, the contents of the dot number counter L and the dot number register are compared, and if LI is low, the process proceeds to step 5427 to print one point, and then proceeds to detect the next timing slit 204a.

Also, in step 5426, if L, <L is not satisfied, printing of one line is finished, and the process proceeds to the next line feeding operation.

Note that if it is not the large size mode in step 5421, the process advances to step 5422 or step 5423, and the zone slit 204b (in the case of reverse scanning, the zone slit 204b'
) waits for the detection of a change from white to black. This allows step 5
This is done in order to delay the start of detection of the timing slit 204a of 424 and change the print zone.

(2) Line feeding process Figure 12F shows a flowchart of the line feeding process.

In step 3428, the contents of the line number counter cI are incremented by 1. In step 5429, the contents of the line number counter C0 and the line number register C are compared, and if CI is C, then in step 5430, a change from white to black in the zone slit 204b' (in the case of reverse scanning, the zone slit 204b) is detected. wait. When this change is detected, the carriage 20
1 means that it is at the end position of the row scan, step 5431
to stop the CR motor.

In step 5432, the number of pulses for one line is applied to the pulse motor M1, and the platen roller 22 is driven in the transport direction to feed the paper by one line.Furthermore, in step 5600, a status check is performed just in case. In step 5433, the next line of image data is transferred to the line memory 904. In step 5434, the drive direction of the CR motor is reversed to perform bidirectional scanning, and the process returns to step 5419. Also, step 5
If C,<C is not found in step 429, printing of one page is completed, and the carriage 201 is returned to the home position in a home step 5300, which will be described later, and the paper is ejected in a paper ejecting step 5200.

(Paper discharge process) FIG. 12C shows a flowchart of the paper ejection process.

In steps 5201 and 5202, the pulse motor M1 is rotated until the output of the paper sensor 24 turns OFF (no paper), and the pulse motor M1 is rotated until the rear end of the paper P wrapped around the platen roller 22 passes the paper sensor 24 section. Transport paper P.

When the output of the paper sensor 24 is turned off, the process proceeds to step 5203, in which the pulse motor M1 is further advanced by X4 steps in the transport direction, and the platen roller 22 is further rotated in the transport direction.

As a result, the rear end of the paper P is reliably ejected from between the pinch roller 23 and the platen row 22. Step 52
At step 04, the pulse motor M1 is rotated by X steps in the opposite direction, thereby rotating the gear 43 in FIG. 9 in the direction indicated by arrow B. As a result, the base plate 42 swings in the direction shown by arrow B, and therefore, the paper discharge roller 28 rotatably placed in contact with the swinging end of the base plate 42 rotates once in the direction shown by arrow B. At this time, since the paper P has already been sent between the paper ejection rollers 29 and 28, the paper P is pressed between the paper ejection rollers 28 and 29 by the rotational force of the base plate 42, and due to the rotation of the paper ejection roller 28. will be discharged accordingly.

Although not shown, the paper sensor 2
If the output of paper sensor 24 is OFF, the rotation control until the output of paper sensor 24 is turned OFF is omitted, and the pulse motor M1 is immediately rotated by X4 steps in the transport direction. As a result, the base plate 42 swings in the direction shown by arrow A, and the lower paper ejection roller 28 is released downward relative to the upper paper ejection roller 29 and waits below the paper guide 26. In this way, passage of the front end of the paper P is not obstructed. Therefore, the front end of the paper P comes out of the movable paper guide 27, is guided by the paper guides 30 and 26b, and is guided between the pair of paper discharge rollers 28 and 29.

Margins below [Effects of the Invention] As detailed above, the cut paper storage cassette according to the present invention has a cassette body that stores stacked cut papers, and a gap for separating the topmost paper of the cut papers one by one. and a guide plate provided in the separating part to engage with the rear end of the cut paper sent backward and guide the rear end of the cut paper into the gap, the guide plate , is characterized by being inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the rearward feeding direction of the cut paper.

Therefore, according to the present invention, there is provided a cut paper storage cassette that can reliably and easily separate and transport cut papers.

Margin below

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the printer device, Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing the printer device shown in Fig. 1 with the decorative lid and dust cover open, and Fig. 3 shows the internal configuration of the printer device. Figure 4 is a schematic top view, Figure 4 is a partially cutaway perspective view of the structure of the cassette, and Figure 5 shows the state of the cassette in which a bundle of paper can be loaded by rotating the separation lever. Figure 6A is a side sectional view showing how the separation section and separation plate are installed, and Figure 6B is a schematic view of the conventional state in which paper curled downward is not separated along the horizontal separation plate. 7A and 7B are front views showing the shape of the separation plate and modifications thereof, respectively. FIG. 8 is a side sectional view showing the structure inside the printer main body in which the cassette is inserted. Figure 10A is a perspective view showing the structure of the paper supply system, Figure 10A is a side sectional view showing how the paper is separated by the paper feed roller, and Figure 10B is the separated paper up to the rolling contact between the platen roller and registration roller. 10C is a side view showing the conventional positional relationship between the paper feed roller, platen roller, registration roller, and pinch roller. FIG. 11 is the CPU and each device in the control system of the printer device. , a block diagram showing the connection relationship with the equipment, FIG. 12A is a flowchart of the initial process from power-on to standby state, FIG. 12B is a flowchart of the paper feeding process, FIG. 12C is a flowchart of the paper ejection process, 2D diagram to 12th floor
Figure 12G is a flowchart of the printing process, Figure 12G is a flowchart of the interrupt operation when the power is turned off, and Figure 121 is a flowchart of the status check process. 2'
...Cassette body, 2a...cam, 2b...reception part, 2C...bin, 2d...front presser, 2e...
Guide, 2f side guide, 2g...regulating section, 2h...
... Hole, 21... Decorative lid, 3a... Nail, 4...
Dust cover, 4a...claw, 5...removal knob,
5a... Bin, 6... Power switch, 7... Display unit, 7a-7C... Display section, 7f-... Dust cover, 8... Print switch (main operation switch), 8a
...LED, 9...Main operation switch, 10...Ink cartridge, 10a...Lever, tab...
Fulcrum, 11...Paper feed port, 12...Sub-operation system switch, 13...Spring, 14...Medium plate, 14a...Slope, 14b...Protrusion, 14c...Friction Body, 14d...
・Contact part, 14e; 14f... Guide convex part, 14g
... Soft sheet, 15 ... Separation lever, 15
a - fulcrum, 15 b: 15 c - cam part, 1
5d...Separation part, 16...Separation plate, 16a...Separation part, 16t)...Paper regulation part, 17...Guide, 1
B...Paper feed roller, 18a...Roller body, 18b
...Cam part, 18c...shaft, 18d...pulley,
18e...Gear, 18f...Bin, 19...Paper guide, 19a...Plane part, 20...Paper guide, 21
... Registration roller, 22 ... Platen roller, 2
2a... Axis, 23... Pinch roller, 24... Paper sensor, 25... Pulley, 25a... Bin, 26...
...Guide plate, 26a...Stacker part, 26b...
Paper guide section, 26c... mounting section, 27... movable paper guide, 27a... window section, 27b... cam section, 2
8... Lower paper ejection roller, 29... Upper paper ejection roller, 30... Paper guide, 31... Spring, 32 Mounting part, 33a; 33b... Coil spring, 34... Leaf spring, 35...Protrusion, 36...Belt, 37...
・Spring, 38... Gear, 39... Cam, 40...
Bottle, 41... Spring, 42... Main plate, 42a...
Shaft, 43...Gear, 44...Gear, 45...Spring, 46...Friction plate, 47...Bearing, SWl...Dust cover switch, SW2...Ink cartridge switch, SW3 ... Home position sensor, SW
4...Small cassette detection switch, SW5...Large cassette detection switch, SW6... Paper feed roller initial position detection switch.

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A cassette body that stores cut sheets in a stack, a separation section that has a gap for separating the topmost sheet of the cut sheets one by one, and a separation section that is provided in this separation section to separate the cut sheets that are fed backwards. It is equipped with a guide plate that engages with the rear end and guides the rear end of the cut paper into the gap, and the guide plate is characterized by being inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the rearward feeding direction of the cut paper. Cut paper storage cassette. (2) The cut paper storage cassette according to claim 1, wherein the guide plate is formed integrally with an upper member that defines a gap. (3) The cut paper storage cassette according to claim 1, wherein the gap is set below the position of the uppermost paper.