JPS649950B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a roll-type plotter for drawing characters, figures, graphs, etc. using a pen, and in particular, a roll-type plotter having a platen equipped with a means for reliably feeding recording paper. Concerning the paper feeding mechanism of printers.

In this type of plotter, the recording paper is reciprocated in both directions by rotation of the platen, and a pen cartridge holding a pen is moved in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording paper is transported. Then, the pen is brought into pressure contact with the recording paper to draw characters, figures, graphs, etc. When drawing figures and graphs with this plotter, the recording paper must be sent out over a long distance. Therefore, if the platen has the same structure as a conventional printer, a slight slip will occur between the platen and the recording paper, and this slip will accumulate, causing an error in the paper feeding distance. This causes problems such as distortion of the drawn figure.

Means for solving the above problems are described, for example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 54-68317.
The outline is as follows.

That is, a plurality of microneedles are planted along the circumference of a printing paper feed roller, the printing paper is brought into pressure contact with the microneedles, and the printing paper is fed while being pierced one after another by the microneedles of the roller. .

However, in the above conventional technology, the printing paper has perforations (holes that are designed to engage with protrusions) formed on both ends thereof, and the paper is fed by engaging the protrusions with the perforations. It may not be applicable to the Oration method. There is no problem if the microneedles are pressed against a location other than the perforation forming area, but if the microneedles are pressed against the perforation forming area, the microneedles will not pierce the recording paper, so the platen will not pierce during the paper feeding process. The conventional problems such as slippage occurring between the printing paper and the recording paper and distortion of the figures drawn on the printing paper still remain.

Further, when the width of the printing paper is small, the microneedles may be pressed against only one end of the printing paper. Therefore, in such cases, slippage is likely to occur between the other end of the printing paper and the platen, resulting in disadvantages such as distortion of the figures drawn on the printing paper.

The present invention has been made by focusing on the above-mentioned conventional problems, and regardless of whether or not perforation is formed, slips do not occur between the printing paper and the platen, and paper feeding errors do not occur. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding mechanism for a roll type plotter.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding mechanism for a roll plotter that prevents slippage between the paper and the platen and paper feeding errors even when the paper is short in width. .

The present invention includes a sprocket at the end of the platen;
Both teeth are formed of metal or the like, and the recording paper is fed by being bitten by the sprocket or teeth, which prevents slippage between the platen and the recording paper, and allows the use of a variety of recording papers. It is characterized by the fact that

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a roll-type plotter, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a paper feeding section.

Reference numeral 1 in the figure is the base. The front part of the base is bent upward at a right angle to form a front plate 2.
Further, a left side plate 3 and a right side plate 4 are provided on the base 1, and a rear portion between the both side plates 3 and 4 is covered with a guide cover 5. A platen 6 is installed between the side plates 3 and 4. The recording paper is placed between platen 6, rubber roller 12, and rubber roller 1.
4. It is held by the paper press roller 15. The platen 6 is driven by a stepping motor 9 installed on the outside of the right side plate 4 and rotates in both forward and reverse directions, and the recording paper is sent out in the direction of arrows Xa and Xb by the platen 6. . On the other hand, a water-based or oil-based pen P is mounted on the pen cartridge 20. The paint cartridge 20 slides on a shaft 21 disposed between the left side plate 3 and the right side plate 4. Wires 22 are connected to both sides of the paint cartridge 20. This wire 22 is wound around upper and lower pulleys 23a and 23b arranged on the outside of the left side plate 3, and further around a drive pulley 24 that is rotatably installed on the outside of the left side plate 3 (see Fig. 2). ). On the other hand, a pulley (not shown) is also provided on the outside of the right side plate 4, and the wire 22 is also hung on this pulley. A gear 25 is integrated into the drive pulley 24, and a pinion 26 is attached to this gear 25.
are interlocking. The pinion 26 is a stepping motor 2 located under the guide cover 5.
It is fixed to the rotating shaft of 7. The forward and reverse driving force of the stepping motor 27 is provided by the pinion 26.
from there to the gear 25 and the drive pulley 24. The paint cartridge 20 is pulled by the wire 22 wound by the drive pulley 24 to move in the direction of the arrow Ya-Yb. A guide piece 2a is bent and formed at the upper end of the front plate 2, and a guide piece 2a is formed by bending the upper end of the front plate 2.
a engage with this guide piece 2a so as to sandwich it from above and below. The paint cartridge 20 is the shaft 21
While sliding on the top and moving in the Ya-Yb direction, the angle of the paint cartridge 20 facing the platen 6 (horizontal position in the figure) is maintained due to the engagement between the guide piece 2a and the recess 31a. ing. Also,
On the pen cartridge 20, there are multiple pens P by color.
is held in a rotary pen holder (only one pen P is shown in FIG. 1). Although a detailed explanation of the mechanism will be omitted, the pen holder is rotated by the operation of the pen switching mechanism, and the pen P of a predetermined color can be moved to the writing position (the uppermost position of the pen cartridge 20). A solenoid 52 for driving this pen switching mechanism is attached to a mounting plate 1a provided on the front right side of the base 1 using a mounting screw 53.
It is fixed by The plunger action of the solenoid 52 is transmitted to the shaft 21, and the reciprocating rotation of the shaft 21 causes the pen holder to rotate. Further, a hammer drive mechanism is mounted on the paint cartridge 20. Then, the operation of the solenoid in this drive mechanism is transmitted to the hammer, and the pen P, which has moved to the top of the pen cartridge 20, is pushed by the hammer and comes into pressure contact with the recording paper on the platen 6. ing. When the pen P is in pressure contact with the recording paper, the recording paper is sent out in the Xa-Xb direction, and the pen cartridge 20 is moved in the Ya-
When it is moved in the Yb direction, characters, figures, graphs, etc. are drawn on the recording paper surface according to the XY movement.
On the other hand, when the hammer is not pushing the pen P,
The pen return spring causes the pen P to retreat from the platen 6, thereby interrupting the writing operation.

Next, the structure of the platen 6 and the structure of the paper pressing mechanism in this roll plotter will be explained.

The platen 6 is made of synthetic rubber or the like, and is fixed to the shaft 7. The left side exposed portion 7a and the right side exposed portion 7b of the shaft 7 relative to the platen 6 have an oval shape in cross section. Metal disks 17a and 17b having teeth around the periphery are fitted into the left exposed portion 7a, and
A spacer 6a is fitted on the left side of the metal disk 17b, and a spacer 6b is fitted on the left side of the metal disk 17a. The spacers 6a and 6b are molded to have the same diameter as the platen 6. A sprocket 18a is attached to the left side of the spacer 6b. Metal disc 17b, spacer 6a, metal disc 17a,
The spacer 6b and the sprocket 18a are in close contact with the left end of the platen 6, are prevented from coming off by an E-shaped ring 32, and are designed to rotate together with the platen 6. Further, the left end portion 7c (having a perfect circular cross section) of the shaft 7 is rotatably inserted into the sleeve 33. This sleeve 33 is fitted into the hole 34a of the moving lever 34. On the other hand, on the right side exposed portion 7b of the shaft 7, there is a metal disc 17c with teeth formed around the periphery and a spacer 6c, similar to the above-mentioned 17a and 17b.
and a sprocket 18 similar to the above 18a.
b are fitted in order in close contact with each other so that they rotate together with the platen 6. These are E
It is prevented from coming off by a mold ring 35. Further, the right end portion 7d (having a perfect circular cross section) of the shaft 7 is rotatably inserted into the sleeve 36. This sleeve 36 is fitted into a hole 37a of a moving lever 37. The moving lever 37 has a second
As shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5, a support hole 37b is formed at a lower position.
is rotatably supported by a pin 38 fixed to the right side plate 4, and is prevented from coming off by a ring 39. Furthermore, an actuating piece 37c is protruded further below the moving lever 37, a pin 40 is fixed to the upper end of the moving lever 37, and a roller 41 is rotatably attached to the pin 40. The right end portion 7d of the shaft 7 passes through a sleeve 36 fitted to the moving lever 37, and projects outward from the notch 4a of the right side plate 4. On the other hand, the moving lever 34 located on the opposite side also has a support hole 34b formed at a lower position, and is rotatably supported by a pin (the same as 38) provided inside the left side plate 3. Further, an operating piece 34c is formed at the lower end of the moving lever 34, a pin 40 is fixedly provided at the upper end, and a roller 41 is rotatably attached to this. The left end 7c of the shaft 7 passes through a sleeve 33 fixed to the moving lever 34, and projects outward from the notch 3a of the left side plate 3. Notch 4a on right side plate 4 and notch 3a on left side plate 3
is configured to have a constant width in the front-rear direction. The boss portion 33a of the sleeve 33 has a notch 3.
a, and the boss portion 36a of the sleeve 36
Each of the moving levers 34, 37 can rotate about the pin 38 within the range in which the levers 34 and 37 move within the notch 4a. Further, a spring 43 is hung between a pin 40 fixed to both moving levers 34 and 37 and a pin 42 on the outside of the left side plate 3 and right side plate 4 (pin 42, spring 43
(shows only one side). The elastic force of the spring 43 urges the moving levers 34, 37 rearward, and the platen 6 is pulled away from the paint cartridge 20 within the width of the notches 3a, 4a. The right end 7d of the shaft 7 is the right side plate 4
The gear 8 protrudes to the outside, and a gear 8 is attached to it. This gear 8 consists of two thin gears 8a and 8b.
It is divided into One of the thin gears is fixed to the right end of the shaft 7 by a spring pin 44. The other thin gear 8b is loosely inserted into 8a so as to be rotatable. A pin 45 is screwed into a female threaded hole 8c formed in the thin gear 8a, and this pin 45 protrudes rightward through an elongated hole 8d of the other thin gear 8b. Further, a pin 46 is fixed to a female screw hole 8e provided in the thin gear 8b, and a spring 47 is hung between the pin 45 and the pin 46. Due to the elastic force of the spring 47, the thin gears 8a and 8b are urged to rotate in opposite directions by the gap between the pin 45 and the elongated hole 8d. Then, while the platen 6 is moving in the direction approaching the pen P, the pinion (not shown) fixed to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor 9 provided on the outside of the right side plate 4 is connected to Gears 8a and 8b are designed to mesh together. In this state, the rotational force of the stepping motor 9 is transmitted to the thin gears 8a and 8b via the pinion. Since the thin gears 8a and 8b are biased in opposite directions by the spring 47, there is no backlash at the meshing portion with the pinion. Therefore, when the stepping motor 9 is reversed to change the paper feeding direction by the platen 6, the backlash caused by the backlash of the gears is absorbed, so that the line drawn by the pen P can be smoothly traced without being cut off. It's getting old.

A hole 3b is bored in the rear position of the left side plate 3, a hole 4b is bored in the rear position of the right side plate 4, and both holes 3
Both ends of the connecting shaft 48 are supported by b and 4b. Both ends of the communication shaft 48 protrude outward from the left side plate 3 and the right side plate 4, and operating levers 16a and 16b are fixed to the tip portions, respectively. The operating levers 16a and 16b have a symmetrical shape, and cams 16c and 16d are integrally formed at the bottom of each lever 16a and 16b. Fourth
As shown in FIG.
are adapted to come into pressure contact with rollers 41 provided on the moving levers 34 and 37, respectively.

Next, a paper holding mechanism for the platen 6 will be explained.

A lower shaft 11 and an upper shaft 13 are provided opposite to each other on the front side of the platen 6. Lower shaft 1
1 is rotatably provided with a pair of cylindrical rubber rollers 12, and an upper shaft 13 is rotatably provided with a pair of cylindrical rubber rollers 14. In addition, there is a 1
A pair of paper pressing rollers 15 are also rotatably provided. The paper pressing roller 15 is made of rubber or resin and is formed into a bead shape. Each roller 12, 14, 15 is prevented from coming off by an E-shaped ring 55. The left end of the lower shaft 11 and the left end of the upper shaft 13 are fixed to a support plate 56, and the right end of the lower shaft 11 and the right end of the upper shaft 13 are fixed to a support plate 57.
is fixed. Both support plates 56 and 57 are formed into an arc shape along the surface of the platen 6. A bracket 56a is formed at the center of the support plate 56, and a bracket 57a is formed at the center of the support plate 57. A bracket 56a of the support plate 56 is fitted onto pins 59a and 59b provided on the actuation lever 58, and a bracket 57a of the support plate 57 is fitted onto pins 61a and 61b provided on the actuation lever 60. pin 59
E-shaped rings 62 are fitted to the ends of a and 61a to prevent them from coming off. The actuating lever 58 and the actuating lever 60 are shaped symmetrically to each other. A support hole 60a is formed in the lower part of the operating lever 60, and this is rotatably supported by a pin 63 provided inside the right side plate 4. on the other hand,
A support hole 58a is formed in the lower part of the actuation lever 58, and this is rotatably supported by a pin (same as 63) provided inside the left side plate 3. An E-shaped ring 64 is fixed to the tip of the pin 63 to prevent it from coming off. The operating levers 58 and 60 are respectively formed with projecting pieces 58b and 60b that face inward of the device, and these projecting pieces 58b and 60b are connected to the operating pieces 34c and 37c provided at the lower ends of the moving levers 34 and 37. It is now possible to touch it. Furthermore, spring hook pieces 58c, 60c are formed at the midsections of the operating levers 58, 60, and a spring 65 is hooked onto these pieces. The other end of the spring 65 is hung on a pin 66 provided on the inner surface of each of the left side plate 3 and the right side plate 4 (the pin 66 is attached to the right side plate 4).
(only the side one is shown). Due to the elastic force of the spring 65, the operating levers 58, 60 are urged to rotate rearward, and each roller 12, 14, 1
5 can be pressed against the front surface of the platen 6.

Next, the operation of the platen 6 and the paper holding mechanism configured as described above will be explained.

Figure 3 shows the platen 6 and paper presser rollers 1.
2, 14, 15 and a perspective view showing the positional relationship of the pen P, and FIGS. 4 and 5 are right side views of the paper holding mechanism according to its operation.

Recording paper 7 used in this roll plotter
0, as shown in FIG. 3, may have small holes 70a for feeding at both ends, or may not have small holes 70a. Recording paper 7 provided with small holes 70a
In the case of 0, the pawls 18c, 1 of the sprockets 18a, 18b provided on both sides of the platen 6
8d fits into the small hole 70a, and the rotation of the platen 6 and the movement of the recording paper 70 become completely synchronized. In addition, in the case of recording paper that is not provided with small holes 70a for feeding, each rubber roller 12,
Both ends of the sheet of paper pressed against the platen 6 by the metal discs 14 are bitten by the teeth of the metal discs 17a, 17b, and 17c. Therefore, in this case as well, no slip occurs between the recording paper and the platen 6, and the rotation of the platen 6 and the transport of the recording paper are completely synchronized. In addition, metal disk 17
a and 17b are provided in two rows on the left side of the platen 6, so when using short recording paper, these metal discs 17a and 17b and the rubber roller 1
4 securely holds one end of the paper.

The recording paper is placed on the platen 6 as shown in FIG.
The recording paper is wound around the front surface of the platen 6, and both ends of the recording paper are pressed and held against the platen 6 by four upper and lower rubber rollers 12 and 14. Due to its own elasticity, the recording paper has the property that the upper center (the part indicated by A) tends to rise toward the front, but the paper presser roller 15 provided on the upper shaft 13 prevents this rising. blocked. The paper pressing roller 15 has a bead shape and makes linear contact with the recording paper, so that the pressure resistance against the recording paper is small. Therefore, the paper pressing roller 15 presses with a small force against the recording paper whose both ends are forcibly held by the sprockets 18a, 18b or the metal discs 17a, 17b, 17c. The paper press roller 15 does not cause wrinkles or tears in the paper. Also, paper presser roller 1
5 is small, so a wide field of view of the writing area with the pen P can be ensured.

When loading recording paper, the operating lever 16a or 16b is operated. FIG. 4 shows a state in which recording paper 70 is loaded. Operation levers 16a, 16b (both connected to the communication shaft 4)
8) are tilted away from the pen P. At this time, the cam 16 at the lower end of the operating levers 16a, 16b
c and 16d contact the roller 41 at the top of the moving levers 34 and 37 and push it toward the pen P. Therefore, the moving levers 34 and 37 are
8 as a fulcrum in a direction opposing the force of the spring 43, the platen 6 rotates until the boss portions 33a, 36a of the sleeves 33, 36 come into contact with the front ends of the notches 3a, 3b of the left side plate 3, right side plate 4. That is, pen P
is moving forward in the direction of In addition, in the state shown in FIG. 4, the operating piece 34 at the lower end of the moving levers 34, 37
c, 37c are the projecting pieces 58 of the operating levers 58, 60.
b, away from 60b. Therefore, the operating levers 58 and 60 are pulled by the springs 65, the support plates 56 and 57 approach the platen 6, and the rubber rollers 12 and 14 as well as the paper presser roller 15 move the recording paper 70 onto the platen 6. It is pressed against the front.

In this state, when the stepping motor 9 rotates the platen 6 in the forward and reverse directions, the recording paper
It is sent in the Xa-Xb direction. Then, the other stepping motor 27 moves the paint cartridge 2.
0 in the Ya-Yb direction and presses the pen P against the recording paper 70, predetermined characters, figures, etc. are drawn.

FIG. 5 shows the state in which the recording paper is removed from the platen 6. The operating levers 16a and 16b are rotated in a direction toward the pen P. This results in
The restraint force exerted on the pin 41 by the cams 16c and 16d is eliminated, and the moving levers 34 and 37 are rotated by the force of the spring 43. And the sleeve 33,
36 until the boss portions 33a, 36a come into contact with the rear ends of the notches 3a, 4a on the left side plate 3 and right side plate 4,
That is, the platen 6 is retreating in the direction away from the pen P. Furthermore, when the operating levers 34, 37 rotate, the operating pieces 34c, 37c at the lower ends push the projecting pieces 58b, 60b of the operating levers 58, 60.
Due to this pressing force, the actuating levers 58, 60 are rotated in a direction opposing the spring 65, and the actuating levers 58, 60 are
The support plates 56 and 57, which are integral with the platen 60, are separated from the platen 6. Platen 6 and support plate 56,5
7, the rubber rollers 12,
14. The paper pressing roller 15 will be separated from the platen 6 by a large distance. The recording paper is inserted from the rear of the upper part of the guide cover 5 to the lower side of the platen 6 in the state shown in FIG. 5 (see the arrow in FIG. 5). The leading edge of the recording paper is placed on the curved guide 10 from above the guide cover 5.
It passes above and further rises upward from the front of the platen 6. At this time, the operation lever 16a,
When the recording paper 16b is tilted to the state shown in FIG. 4, the recording paper is wound around the front surface of the platen 6 by the rollers 12, 14, and 15.

In the illustrated embodiment, continuous teeth are formed around the metal discs 17a, 17b, and 17c provided at both ends of the platen 6, but these teeth have a defective part in the middle. It may be formed continuously.

As described above, according to the present invention, a sprocket and teeth are provided at the end of the platen, and the recording paper is engaged with the sprocket or bitten by the teeth, so that it is possible to form perforation on the recording paper. When rotating the platen with or without
No slips occur between the platen and the recording paper, and errors in paper feeding are eliminated. Therefore, even when the recording paper is fed a long distance to draw figures and graphs with the pen, or even when the recording paper is fed back and forth many times, the lines drawn by the pen will not be distorted. It becomes possible to accurately depict recorded contents regardless of whether or not perforations are formed.

Also, since the platen has both sprockets and teeth, there are small holes 70a for feeding at both ends.
It is also possible to use the recording paper 70 having a hole 70a and send it out without slipping it against the platen.Also, it is now possible to use letter paper that does not have the small hole 70a, and a wide variety of paper types can be used. Become.

Furthermore, if the teeth at one end of the platen are made into two rows as described in claim (2), even if the paper is short in width, the paper can be fed while being pierced by the two rows of teeth. Therefore, slips do not occur between the platen and the recording paper, and paper feeding errors do not occur. This makes it possible to accurately draw recorded contents even on paper with a short paper width.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show embodiments of the present invention.
The figure is an overall perspective view of the roll type plotter, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the platen and paper holding mechanism, Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship of the platen, paper holding mechanism, and pen, and Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the positional relationship of the platen, paper holding mechanism, and pen. FIG. 5 is a right side view of the platen and the paper holding mechanism showing a state in which paper is loaded, and FIG. 5 is a right side view of the platen and the paper holding mechanism showing a state in which no paper is loaded. 1... Base, 3, 4... Side plate, 6... Platen, 7... Shaft, 17a, 17b, 17c...
...Metal disc with teeth, 18a, 18b... Sprocket, 20... Pen cartridge, P... Pen.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A roll-type plotter in which rollers are in pressure contact with both ends of a platen that rotates in both directions, and a pen that is in pressure contact with the platen is mounted on a bench carriage that moves in the axial direction of the platen. A sprocket is provided at the end of the platen, and teeth arranged in a circumferential direction of the platen are provided at a position inside the sprocket at the end of the platen and in a portion that is pressed against the roller. The paper feeding mechanism of a roll-type plotter. 2. The paper feed mechanism for a roll plotter according to claim 1, wherein the platen has two teeth in the axial direction at one end and one tooth at the other end.