WO2016013576A1

WO2016013576A1 - Paper transport mechanism

Info

Publication number: WO2016013576A1
Application number: PCT/JP2015/070822
Authority: WO
Inventors: 泰彦羽木
Original assignee: スター精密株式会社
Priority date: 2014-07-25
Filing date: 2015-07-22
Publication date: 2016-01-28
Also published as: JP2016028975A

Abstract

Provided is a paper transport mechanism capable of efficiently correcting a curl set in a paper portion pulled out from a paper roll. A printer (1) transports a paper portion (P) by pulling out the paper portion (P) from a paper roll (R) wound in a roll shape, wherein the printer (1) is provided with an ironing section (S) which makes contact with the outer surface (Po) of the paper portion (P) passing through the ironing section (S), correcting a curl set in the paper portion (P); an upstream hold-down section (F1) disposed upstream of the ironing section (S) in the transport direction and pressing on the paper portion (P) from one side; and a downstream hold-down section (F2) disposed downstream of the ironing section (S) in the transport direction and holding down the paper portion (P) from the one side.

Description

Paper transport mechanism

The present invention relates to a paper transport mechanism that transports a paper portion by pulling out the paper portion from roll paper.

2. Description of the Related Art A paper transport mechanism that pulls out a paper portion from a roll paper in which a long paper is wound in a roll shape and transports the paper portion is employed in a printer, a facsimile machine, or the like (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The paper transport mechanism described in Patent Document 1 includes a platen roller, an idler roller disposed between the platen roller and roll paper, and the print head is disposed opposite to the platen roller. In a printer or a facsimile apparatus described in Patent Document 1 or the like, generally, after roll paper is set, the leading portion is manually pulled out from the set roll paper, and the leading portion is inserted between the platen roller and the print head. . By doing so, the paper portion pulled out from the roll paper is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction as the platen roller rotates. The paper portion is printed by the print head, then cut by a cutter and discharged as a receipt or the like.

JP 2014-51009 A

The roll paper used in the paper transport mechanism described in Patent Document 1 is compact and has high storage efficiency, but on the other hand, since it is wound in a roll shape, the paper portion is curled. As a result, a receipt or the like cut to a predetermined length may be rounded, and may be difficult to handle and look bad. For this reason, for example, in the case of a printer that is installed in a store or the like and issues a receipt for credit settlement, the store clerk halves the rounded receipt so that the customer can easily sign the receipt. It takes time and effort, such as folding and pulling to fix the curl and handing the receipt to the customer.

In view of the above circumstances, an object of the present invention is to provide a paper transport mechanism that can efficiently correct curling of a paper portion drawn from roll paper.

The paper transport mechanism of the present invention that solves the above-described object is provided by pulling out a paper part from a roll paper wound in a roll shape with one side of the long paper facing inward and the other side facing out. In the paper transport mechanism that transports parts,
A squeezing portion that contacts the other surface of the paper portion passing therethrough and corrects curl of the paper portion;
An upstream presser part that is disposed upstream of the ironing part in the transport direction and presses the paper portion from the one side;
And a downstream pressing portion disposed downstream of the ironing portion in the transport direction and pressing the paper portion from the one side.

According to the paper transport mechanism of the present invention, the paper portion is squeezed by the squeezing part while being pressed from the one side by the upstream side pressing part and the downstream side pressing part. Thereby, the curl of the paper portion can be corrected efficiently. Hereinafter, the force for squeezing the paper portion by the squeezing portion and correcting the curl of the paper portion may be referred to as correction force. In the paper transport mechanism of the present invention, the squeezing portion is urged toward the one side, so that the urging force is adjusted according to the roll diameter, and a suitable correction force can be applied.

In the paper transport mechanism of the present invention, as the roll diameter of the roll paper becomes smaller, the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion becomes weaker, and the squeezing portion is attached to the one side. Preferably.

By doing so, the biasing force is adjusted according to the roll diameter, and a suitable correction force can be applied.

Here, the strength of the curl of the paper portion varies depending on the roll diameter in the state of being wound in a roll shape, and the curl becomes relatively stronger as the roll diameter becomes smaller. When the correction force applied to the paper part is constant, it cannot cope with the change in the strength of the curl, and the correction of the curl is insufficient, or conversely, the correction force is too strong. It may end up curling. Further, the correction force applied to the paper portion varies depending on the size of the inner angle of the paper portion in a state where it is pressed by the upstream presser portion and the downstream presser portion and bent at the ironing portion. The corrective power becomes relatively stronger.

Therefore, in the paper transport mechanism of the present invention, the ironing portion moves in the thickness direction of the paper portion according to the magnitude of the tension of the paper portion that passes therethrough, the upstream pressing portion and the downstream side. It adjusts the correction force to correct the curl of the paper part by changing the size of the inner angle of the paper part pressed by the presser part and bent at the ironing part in the thickness direction. Preferably there is.

In this way, when the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion changes due to the change in the roll diameter, the ironing portion moves according to the changed magnitude of the tension, and the size of the inner angle changes. Thereby, the magnitude of the correction force can be adjusted according to the strength of the curl of the paper portion. For example, the correction force increases as the roll diameter decreases and the curl of the paper portion increases. Adjustment to be possible.

Here, in the standby state in which the conveyance of the paper portion is stopped, the paper portion is in contact with the ironing portion, and when this state continues, the portion of the paper portion that is in contact with the ironing portion is bent. You may end up with a heel.

Therefore, in the transport device according to the present invention, a storage area provided between the upstream side presser and the downstream side presser and capable of storing a part of the paper portion, and the transport direction of the paper portion. It is good also as an aspect provided with the back feed means which back feeds in a reverse direction and makes the said paper part loop in the said accommodation area | region.

By looping the paper portion in the accommodation area by the back feed means, the tension applied to the paper portion is released, and the paper portion is separated from the ironing portion. It is possible to prevent the portion from being bent.

Here, the strength of the correction force applied to the paper portion differs depending on the conveyance speed for conveying the paper portion, and the correction force becomes relatively stronger as the conveyance speed is decreased.

Therefore, in the transport apparatus of the present invention, the transport means for transporting the paper portion, the detection means for detecting the roll diameter of the roll paper, and the transport speed at which the transport means transports the paper portion is detected by the detection means. Control means for controlling the roll diameter based on the roll diameter, and the control means may reduce the transport speed when the roll diameter is smaller than a predetermined size.

The control unit may continuously decrease the transport speed as the roll diameter decreases, or may gradually decrease the transport speed.

When the roll diameter is smaller than a predetermined size, the conveying speed is slowed down so that the correction force applied to the paper portion can be increased when the curl of the paper portion becomes strong.

According to the paper transport mechanism of the present invention, it is possible to efficiently correct the curl of the paper portion drawn from the roll paper.

It is a figure for demonstrating the curl of the paper part pulled out from the roll paper. It is a figure which shows notionally the technical idea which corrects the curl of the paper part in the paper conveyance mechanism of this invention. It is the perspective view which looked at the printer which is one embodiment of the present invention from the front right slanting upper part. It is a perspective view which expands and shows the decal member shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating a mode that the ironing angle of a paper part changes when the roll diameter of roll paper changes. FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a circuit configuration of the printer illustrated in FIG. 3. (A) is a figure which expands and shows the A section enclosed with the circle | round | yen of FIG.5 (c), (b) is a figure which shows a mode that the paper part shown to (a) was back-fed. It is a figure which shows the 1st modification from which the structure of the decal member shown in FIG. 7 differs. It is a figure which shows the 2nd modification from which the structure of the spring accommodating part shown in FIG. 5 differs. It is a figure which shows the 3rd modification from which the structure of a roll diameter sensor differs. It is a figure which shows the 3rd modification from which the structure of a roll diameter sensor differs.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The paper transport mechanism of the present invention can be applied to various devices that transport the paper portion by pulling out the paper portion from the roll paper. Not only printers and facsimile machines, but also devices that do not have functions such as printing and printing. It can also be applied to. First, the concept of the paper transport mechanism of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining curling of a paper portion drawn from roll paper, and FIG. 2 is a technique for correcting curling of the paper portion P in the paper transport mechanism 10 of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an idea notionally.

As shown in FIG. 1 (a), the roll paper R is wound in a roll shape with one side of the long paper facing inside and the other side facing outside. Hereinafter, the surface on one side of the sheet or sheet portion P may be referred to as an inner surface Pi, and the surface on the other side may be referred to as an outer surface Po. The paper portion P wound in a roll shape is curled and pulled out from the roll paper R, and as shown by the arrows in the figure, the paper portion P cut into a predetermined length has the inner surface Pi side inward. Will curl up. As shown in FIG. 1B, as the roll diameter of the roll paper R becomes smaller, the curl becomes stronger and the degree to which the cut paper portion P is rounded becomes larger.

As shown in FIG. 2, the paper transport mechanism 10 of the present invention includes a squeezing portion S, an upstream side pressing portion F1, and a downstream side pressing portion F2. In FIG. 2, the paper portion P is conveyed from the roll paper R obliquely to the left and upward as indicated by the thin straight arrow. On the transport path along which the paper portion P is transported, the upstream presser portion F1, the ironing portion S, and the downstream presser portion F2 are arranged in the order of description from the upstream side in the transport direction. The ironing portion S is in contact with the outer surface Po of the paper portion P and is urged toward the inner surface Pi side as indicated by a thick arrow in the drawing. Hereinafter, the inner surface Pi side may be referred to as one side, and the outer surface Po side may be referred to as the other side. That is, the ironing portion S is in contact with the outer surface Po of the paper portion P and is urged toward one side. The upstream side presser portion F1 is disposed upstream of the ironing portion S in the transport direction, and presses the paper portion P from one side. Further, the downstream presser portion F2 is disposed downstream of the ironing portion S in the transport direction, and presses the paper portion P from one side. When the paper portion P is transported in the transport direction, the ironing portion S sinks according to the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion P. The sheet portion P is bent at a predetermined angle at a portion in contact with the ironing portion S by the ironing portion S, the upstream side pressing portion F1, and the downstream side pressing portion F2. This bending angle corresponds to the inner angle in the present invention, and is hereinafter referred to as the ironing angle α. When the paper portion P passes through the ironing portion S in this state, the paper portion P is ironed by the ironing portion S, and the curl of the paper portion P can be corrected. The correction force applied to the paper portion P by being squeezed by the squeezing portion S varies depending on the squeezing angle α, and the rectifying force increases as the squeezing angle α decreases. In the paper transport mechanism of the present invention, as indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, the roll diameter of the roll paper R is reduced, and the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion P when the paper portion P is pulled in the transport direction. If it becomes smaller, it is also possible to adopt a mode in which the ironing portion S moves to one side. When this aspect is adopted, the correction force is increased by reducing the squeezing angle α as the roll diameter is reduced and the curl of the paper part P is increased, and according to the strength of the curl of the paper part P. The correction force can be adjusted. That is, the correction force can be adjusted by moving the ironing portion S in the thickness direction of the paper portion P in accordance with the magnitude of the tension of the paper portion P and changing the size of the ironing angle α.

In addition, when the ironing portion S has an arc shape, the correction force varies depending on the radius of the ironing portion S, and the correction force increases as the radius decreases. Further, the correction force varies depending on the speed (conveyance speed) at which the paper portion P is conveyed, and the correction force increases as the conveyance speed decreases. For these reasons, in addition to the adjustment of the ironing angle α described above, the correction force can be adjusted by combining the setting of the radius of the ironing portion S and the adjustment of the conveyance speed. Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a printer will be described based on the concept of the present invention described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the front right and obliquely upward. The printer 1 shown in FIG. 3 accommodates a roll paper (not shown in FIG. 1) in which a long heat-sensitive paper is wound in a roll shape, and the paper portion of the accommodated roll paper is pulled out from below. It is a thermal printer that prints on paper and cuts the printed paper. In FIG. 3, the lower left diagonal is the front (front side), and the upper right diagonal is the rear (back side). Hereinafter, directions such as front, rear, left and right may be used with reference to the state in which each component is assembled to the printer 1.

As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 1 includes a printer body 2, a printer cover 3, and a front cover 4. The printer cover 3 is pivotally attached to the printer main body 2 by one end of the printer cover 3 being hinged to the rear upper portion of the printer main body 2, and the printer main body can be rotated by rotating the printer cover 3. 2 can be opened and closed. FIG. 3 shows a state where the printer cover 3 is opened. The front cover 4 is detachably attached to the front upper portion of the printer body 2.

The printer main body 2 is provided with a storage unit 21 for storing roll paper. In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the roll paper is set in the accommodating portion 21 with the printer cover 3 opened as shown in FIG. The accommodating portion 21 has a support portion 211 that supports roll paper and a pair of

side wall portions

212 and 212. When the printer cover 3 is closed, a paper discharge port 41 is formed between the front cover 4 and the printer cover 3. In FIG. 3, the paper discharge port 41 is indicated by the reference numerals of the front cover 4 and the printer cover 3 that define the paper discharge port 41. In the printer 1 shown in FIG. 3, a path connecting the storage unit 21 and the paper discharge port 41 is a paper transfer route, and a direction from the storage unit 21 toward the paper discharge port 41 corresponds to a transfer direction in the present invention. A decurling member 5 having an ironing portion S shown in FIG. 2 is provided on the downstream side of the accommodating portion 21 in the transport direction.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged perspective view showing the decal member 5 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, the decurling member 5 includes a damper 51 and a shaft 52 attached to the damper 51. The damper 51 also has a spring, which will be described later with reference to FIG. The damper 51 is a plate-like member that is long in the left-right direction. The upper end portion on the downstream side (front side) in the transport direction is provided with claw portions 512 at three positions in the left-right direction, that is, both end portions and the central portion. A notch 511 is formed between the claw portions 512. The shaft 52 is made of metal, and in this embodiment, a shaft having a diameter of about 2 mm is adopted. Further, a reduced diameter portion 521 having a diameter reduced to about 1.7 mm is formed at a position corresponding to the claw portion 512 in the shaft 52. The shaft 52 is rotatably attached to the damper 51 by having the reduced diameter portion 521 fitted into the claw portion 512. Note that the shaft 52 may be fixed to both end portions in the left-right direction by avoiding the conveyance path of the paper portion P in the damper 51 by an E-ring or the like. The shaft 52 has a squeezing portion S, which will be described in detail later. Although hidden behind the front cover 4 in FIG. 3, a cutter unit 43 and a print head 42, which will be described later with reference to FIG. 5, are provided on the downstream side of the decurling member 5 in the transport direction.

The printer cover 3 is provided with a platen roller 31 extending in the left-right direction, and a platen gear 311 for transmitting the rotational force generated by a transport motor (not shown) to the platen roller 31. Further, a fixed blade 32 is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the platen roller 31. In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, after the roll paper is set in the accommodating portion 21 with the printer cover 3 opened, the front end portion of the paper portion of the roll paper becomes the paper discharge port 41 before the printer cover 3 is closed. Pull it out of the printer. When the printer cover 3 is closed in this state, the platen roller 31 comes into contact with the print head 42 (see FIG. 5) with an appropriate pressure. As a result, the paper portion drawn from the roll paper is sandwiched between the platen roller 31 and the print head 42. The sandwiched paper portion is transported in the transport direction by the frictional action between the platen roller 31 and the print head 42 as the platen roller 31 rotates. In the present embodiment, the paper portion can be back-fed upstream in the transport direction by reversing the platen roller 31. Further, printing is performed on the paper portion by the print head 42, and the cutter unit 43 (see FIG. 5) is driven to cut the paper portion into a predetermined length.

A downstream guide member 33 is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the platen roller 31. The downstream guide member 33 has a downstream pressing portion F2 shown in FIG. An upstream guide member 34 is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction of the downstream guide member 33. The upstream guide member 34 has an upstream pressing portion F1 shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining how the ironing angle α of the paper portion P changes as the roll diameter of the roll paper R changes. In FIG. 5, the printer 1 shown in FIG. 3 is cross-sectioned in the front-rear direction, and the conveyance path of the paper portion P drawn from the roll paper R accommodated in the accommodation portion 21 and members arranged in this conveyance path are schematically shown. Show. Further, in FIG. 5, a state in which the roll diameter of the roll paper R becomes smaller is shown step by step from FIG. The paper portion P is indicated by a broken line so that it can be easily distinguished from the members of the printer 1. Further, after the paper is drawn out from the roll paper R and is sandwiched between the platen roller 31 and the print head 42, it is cut by the cutter unit 43 and discharged from the paper discharge port 41 (see FIG. 3). Thus, the direction from the roll paper R toward the paper discharge port 41 is the transport direction.

FIG. 5A shows a state where the roll diameter of the roll paper R is the maximum. In FIGS. 5A and 5B, a part of the roll paper R is omitted. As shown in FIG. 5A, a damper installation portion 2111 for installing the damper 51 of the decurling member 5 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction from the support portion 211 of the storage portion 21 in which the roll paper R is stored. Yes. A spring accommodating portion 2112 that accommodates the spring 513 of the damper 51 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the damper installing portion 2111. The damper 51 is attached to the damper installation portion 2111 with a hinge member (not shown) whose end on the upstream side in the transport direction extends in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Thereby, the damper 51 is rotatably provided in the damper installation part 2111. Further, the damper 51 is biased toward one side (see FIG. 2) by a spring 513, whereby the shaft 52 having the ironing portion S is also biased toward one side (see FIG. 2). An upstream presser portion F1 of the upstream guide member 34 is disposed upstream of the ironing portion S in the transport direction, and a downstream presser portion F2 of the downstream guide member 33 is disposed downstream of the ironing portion S in the transport direction. Is arranged. Further, an accommodation area A is formed between the upstream side presser part F1 and the downstream side presser part F2. A detailed description of the accommodation area A will be described later. The platen roller 31 and the print head 42 are disposed on the downstream side of the downstream guide member 33 in the transport direction, and the fixed blade 32 and the cutter unit 43 are disposed on the downstream side of the platen roller 31 and the print head 42 in the transport direction. Yes. The cutter unit 43 has a movable blade 431 and reciprocates the movable blade 431 with respect to the fixed blade 32.

In the state shown in FIG. 5A, the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion P when the paper portion P is transported is relatively large. For this reason, when the paper portion P is conveyed, the damper 51 rotates against the urging force of the spring 513, and the shaft 52 and the damper 51 are relatively greatly depressed. As a result, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A, the paper portion P drawn from the roll paper R does not contact the upstream guide member 34, and the outer surface Po contacts the shaft 52 of the decurling member 5. The inner surface Pi is conveyed while being pressed from one side by the downstream pressing portion F2 of the downstream guide member 33. As a result, the paper portion P is squeezed by the portion of the shaft 52 that is in contact with the paper portion P, that is, the ironing portion S, and the curl of the paper portion P is corrected. In FIG. 5A, the ironing angle α1 is, for example, about 130 degrees.

When the roll diameter of the roll paper R decreases, the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion P when the paper portion P is transported also decreases. For this reason, when the paper portion P is conveyed, the amount by which the damper 51 sinks also decreases, and the paper portion P contacts the upstream holding portion F1 of the upstream guide member 34 as shown in FIG. And it will be in the state pressed from one side by this upstream side press part F1. As a result, the ironing angle α2 is reduced to about 115 degrees, for example, and a correction force stronger than the correction force in the state shown in FIG.

When the roll diameter of the roll paper R is further reduced, the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion P is further reduced, and the amount of the damper 51 submerged when the paper portion P is transported is further reduced. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5C, the ironing angle α3 is smaller than the ironing angle α2 in the state shown in FIG. 5B, for example, about 90 degrees. Thereby, a correction force stronger than the correction force in the state shown in FIG. Thus, according to the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the correction force applied to the paper portion P can be increased as the roll diameter decreases and the curl of the paper portion P increases. Note that the squeezing angle α may be adjusted according to the waist and thickness of the paper, the basis weight, or environmental conditions such as temperature and humidity.

Further, when transporting the paper portion P, the shaft 52 and the damper 51 sink according to the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion P. Thereby, when the roll diameter of the roll paper R is large or the conveyance load at the time of the initial movement is reduced, deterioration of the platen roller 31 and drive system components, the load applied to the conveyance motor, and the like can be reduced. Furthermore, since the shaft 52 is rotatable with respect to the damper 51, wear of the shaft 52 can be suppressed and the frictional load on the paper portion P can be reduced. Also, by making the shaft 52 made of metal, the wear of the shaft 52 can be suppressed and the frictional load on the paper portion P can be reduced. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the diameter of the shaft 52 is set to 2 mm, the radius of the ironing portion S is 1 mm. As described above, since the correction force varies depending on the radius of the ironing portion S, the radius of the ironing portion S is adjusted between about 0.8 mm and 1.3 mm, for example, and the diameter of the shaft 52 is 1 It is also possible to adjust between about 6 mm and 2.6 mm. Further, when the paper portion P is squeezed by the squeezing portion S, a transport load is generated, and when the paper is thick paper or the environment in which the printer 1 is installed is low temperature, the paper is transported due to the stiffness of the paper. Although a load is generated, the conveyance load can be reduced by setting the diameter of the shaft 52 to 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm.

In the printer 1 of the present embodiment, conveyance of the paper portion P, printing on the paper portion P, and the like are controlled by a printer control unit 70 configured by a microcomputer.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of the printer 1 shown in FIG.

A printer control unit 70 is provided in the printer 1 shown in FIG. 3 as shown in FIG. A platen control circuit 74, a print head control circuit 75, a cutter control circuit 76, and a roll diameter sensor 77 are connected to the printer control unit 70. The printer control unit 70 includes a CPU 71, a RAM 72, and a ROM 73. The ROM 73 stores various programs such as a platen control program for controlling the platen control circuit 74, a print head control program for controlling the print head control circuit 75, and a cutter control program for controlling the cutter control circuit 76. Further, the ROM 73 stores correspondence data between the roll diameter of the roll paper R and the rotation speed of the platen roller 31 in the forward rotation direction. In this correspondence data, the rotational speed of the platen roller 31 with respect to the roll diameter of the roll paper R is obtained in advance as a test, and the roll diameter of the roll paper R and the rotational speed of the platen roller 31 are determined on a one-to-one basis. . The correspondence data is set so that, for example, when the roll diameter of the roll paper R becomes smaller, the rotation speed of the platen roller 31 in the forward rotation direction decreases and the conveyance speed of the paper portion P becomes slower. When the relationship between the roll diameter of the roll paper R and the rotation speed of the platen roller 31 is obtained by a mathematical expression, the rotation speed of the platen roller 31 may be obtained by calculation based on the roll diameter of the roll paper R.

The platen control circuit 74 is connected to a transport motor (not shown) that rotates the platen roller 31. The print head control circuit 75 is connected to the print head 42 shown in FIG. 5, and the cutter control circuit 76 is connected to the cutter unit 43 shown in FIG.

The platen control circuit 74 drives the carry motor according to the control of the CPU 71 based on the platen control program, and rotates the carry motor forward or backward. When the transport motor rotates in the forward direction, the platen roller 31 also rotates in the forward direction, whereby the paper portion P is transported in the transport direction. On the other hand, when the conveyance motor is reversed, the platen roller 31 is also reversed, whereby the sheet portion P is back-fed in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction.

The print head control circuit 75 causes the print head 42 to perform a printing operation on the paper portion P according to the control of the CPU 71 based on the print head control program. The print head 42 performs printing on the paper portion P that is in contact with the heat generating elements by selectively causing the heat generating elements to generate heat according to the control of the CPU 71.

The cutter control circuit 76 drives the movable blade 431 of the cutter unit 43 according to the control of the CPU 71 based on the cutter control program. When the movable blade 431 is driven, the paper portion P is cut by the movable blade 431 and the fixed blade 32.

The roll diameter sensor 77 detects the roll diameter of the roll paper R. In the present embodiment, as the roll diameter sensor 77, a reflection type sensor (not shown) provided on the side wall portion 212 of the accommodating portion 21 shown in FIG. A mechanical switch or the like may be used instead of the reflective sensor.

Next, the operation of the main program performed by the printer control unit 70 shown in FIG. 6 will be described.

This main program starts when the printer 1 is turned on. First, when the CPU 71 of the printer controller 70 determines that a print command has been generated, the CPU 71 drives the transport motor to start the rotation of the platen roller 31 and starts printing on the paper portion P by the print head 42. When the platen roller 31 rotates, the paper portion P is transported in the transport direction, and the curl is corrected by being squeezed by the squeezing unit S. Here, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, as the roll diameter of the roll paper R becomes smaller and the curl of the paper portion P becomes stronger, the ironing angle α becomes smaller and the correction force becomes stronger. Further, in the present embodiment, the CPU 71 drives the transport motor so that the rotation of the platen roller 31 becomes the rotation speed determined by the corresponding data based on the roll diameter of the roll paper R measured by the roll diameter sensor 77. . As a result, as the roll diameter of the roll paper R becomes smaller and the curl of the paper portion P becomes stronger, the conveying speed is reduced and the correction force is increased. By adjusting the ironing angle and the conveyance speed, the correction force can be adjusted according to the strength of the curl of the paper portion P.

After the printing by the print head 42 is completed, the CPU 71 stops the conveyance of the paper portion P. Next, the CPU 71 drives the movable blade 431 of the cutter unit 43. Thereby, the paper portion P is cut into a predetermined length. When the conveyance of the next paper portion P is not performed for a predetermined time after the conveyance of the paper portion P is completed, the CPU 71 drives the conveyance motor and reverses the platen roller 31 to back-feed the paper portion P. Note that the CPU 71 may back-feed the paper portion P every time the paper portion P is cut.

FIG. 7A is an enlarged view of a portion A surrounded by a circle in FIG. 5C, and FIG. 7B is a state in which the paper portion shown in FIG. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, the accommodation area A is a connecting portion between the upstream guide member 34 and the downstream guide member 33 and above the shaft 52 (on one side). Is provided. That is, the accommodation area A is an area provided between the upstream side presser part F1 and the downstream side presser part F2. When the paper portion P is back-fed from the state shown in FIG. 7A, the paper portion P including the portion that has been in contact with the ironing portion S is loosened in the storage area A as shown in FIG. It becomes a curled state and loops. As a result, the tension applied to the paper portion P is released, and the paper portion P is separated from the ironing portion S. Therefore, even if the standby state continues, the paper portion P can be prevented from being bent.

Next, modifications of the printer 1 described so far will be described. In the following description of the modified example, components having the same names as those of the components described so far will be described with the reference numerals used so far, and redundant descriptions may be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a view showing a first modified example in which the configuration of the decal member 5 shown in FIG. 7 is different.

As shown in FIG. 8, the damper 51 of the decal member 5 of the first modified example has a squeezing portion S that contacts the outer surface Po of the paper portion P. The damper 51 is biased by a spring 513. The decurling member 5 of the present modified example has a larger sheet pulling force than the decurling member 5 having the rotatable shaft 52 shown in FIG. It can be easily manufactured by integral molding of resin or the like. In addition, a member for reducing a friction load such as a fluororesin tape may be provided in the ironing portion S, the upstream holding portion F1, the downstream holding portion F2, or the like to reduce the sheet pulling force.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a second modification example in which the configuration of the spring accommodating portion 2112 shown in FIG. 5 is different.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the spring accommodating portion 2112 of the second modified example has a wall portion 2112a and a spring receiving bottom portion 2112b. The spring receiving bottom portion 2112b is a portion that receives the spring 513, and is rotatably attached to the lower end portion of the wall portion 2112a by a hinge member 2112c extending in a direction orthogonal to the paper surface. As shown in FIG. 9 (b), in this modification, with the hinge member 2112c as an axis, the upstream portion of the spring receiving bottom 2112b in the transport direction is rotated clockwise as indicated by a thick arc-shaped arrow in the figure. It can be rotated. Accordingly, the position of the lower end portion of the spring 513 moves downward and the spring 513 extends, so that the urging force of the spring 513 is weakened and the damper 51 is likely to sink. As a result, even if the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion P is the same, the ironing angle α increases and the correction force can be weakened. In this modification, the ironing angle α4 in the state shown in FIG. 5A is about 90 degrees, whereas the ironing angle α5 in the state shown in FIG. 5B is as large as 115 degrees. As described above, in this modified example, the thickness of the paper (thick paper or thin paper) is adjusted by moving the position of the lower end of the spring 513 downward together with the adjustment of the correction force according to the roll diameter of the roll paper R. ), The type of paper, or the degree of curling depending on the usage environment such as temperature and humidity, etc., the correction force can be adjusted more finely. The rotation of the spring receiving bottom 2112b may be performed manually by providing a manual lever or the like, or a mode of rotating by a solenoid or the like may be employed.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are diagrams showing a third modification example in which the configuration of the roll diameter sensor 77 is different, and the manner in which the roll diameter of the roll paper R gradually decreases from FIG. 10 (a) to FIG. 11 (b). Show.

As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the printer 1 of this modification includes an arm member 6. A contact roller 61 is provided on one end side of the arm member 6, and the contact roller 61 is in contact with the outer peripheral surface R 1 of the roll paper R. The arm member 6 is rotatably attached about a shaft body 62 as an axis, and the contact roller 61 on one end side contacts the outer peripheral surface R1 of the roll paper R by a biasing member (not shown). It is energized. Thereby, the arm member 6 operates following the change of the roll diameter of the roll paper R, and the one end side rotates downward as the roll diameter decreases.

In this modification, a sensor substrate 2121 is provided at the upper end portion of the left side wall portion 212, and two

roll diameter sensors

77 and 77 are provided on the substrate 2121. The substrate 2121 is attached to the side wall portion 212 such that the

roll diameter sensors

77 and 77 are located outside the side wall portion 212 in the left-right direction. Thereby, interference with the

roll diameter sensors

77 and 77 and the roll paper R is prevented. These

roll diameter sensors

77 and 77 are constituted by transmission type sensors, and a shield plate 63 capable of shielding between the projector and the light receiver in the

roll diameter sensors

77 and 77 is provided on the right edge portion of the arm member 6. It has been.

FIG. 10A shows a state in which the roll diameter of the roll paper R is the maximum, and the upstream pressing portion F1 of the upstream guide member 34 is not in contact with the paper portion P. When the paper portion P is transported in the transport direction, the back tension due to the weight of the roll paper R causes a strong tension in the transport direction on the paper portion P, so that the damper 51 sinks greatly and the ironing angle α increases. As a result, the correction force applied to the paper portion P is reduced. Further, the two roll diameter sensors 77 do not detect the shielding plate 63, and the conveyance speed of the paper portion P does not change.

As shown in FIG. 10B, as the roll diameter of the roll paper R becomes smaller, compared with the state shown in FIG. The amount of sinking is reduced. As a result, compared to the state shown in FIG. 10A, the ironing angle α becomes smaller and the correction force applied to the paper portion P becomes stronger. The shielding plate 63 of the arm member 6 is in a state of shielding the detection area of the roll diameter sensor 77 on one side. In FIG. 10B, a state in which the shielding plate 63 of the arm member 6 shields the detection area of the roll diameter sensor 77 on one side is shown by encircled with a perspective view seen from the diagonally left rear. When the one-side roll diameter sensor 77 is shielded by the shielding plate 63, the one-side roll diameter sensor 77 enters a detection state, and the conveyance speed of the paper portion P is slightly reduced, and is applied to the paper portion P. Slightly strengthened correction power.

As shown in FIG. 11A, when the roll diameter of the roll paper R is further reduced, the amount of sinking of the damper 51 when the paper portion P is conveyed further decreases. As a result, compared to the state shown in FIG. 10B, the ironing angle α becomes smaller and the correction force applied to the paper portion P becomes stronger. Note that since the state detected only by the roll diameter sensor 77 on one side does not change, the conveyance speed of the paper portion P does not change.

As shown in FIG. 11B, when the roll diameter of the roll paper R is further reduced, the amount that the damper 51 sinks when the paper portion P is conveyed is much different from the state shown in FIG. Although not provided, the shielding plate 63 of the arm member 6 shields the detection areas of the two

roll diameter sensors

77 and 77, and both roll diameter sensors 77 are in the detection state. For this reason, the conveyance speed of the paper portion P is further reduced, and the correction force applied to the paper portion P is strengthened as compared with the state shown in FIG. In this modification, the conveyance speed of the paper portion P is changed in three ways using two roll diameter sensors 77, but the conveyance speed is changed in two ways using one roll diameter sensor 77. Alternatively, three or more roll diameter sensors 77 may be used to change the transport speed to four or more.

As described above, according to the paper transport mechanism 10 and the printer 1 of the present embodiment, the curl of the paper portion P drawn from the roll paper R can be corrected efficiently.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made within the scope described in the claims. For example, in the present embodiment, a mode in which the paper portion P is pulled out from the lower side of the roll paper R is described as an example. However, the paper portion P is pulled out from the upper side of the roll paper R and, for example, ironed downward. A mode of energizing the part S may be adopted. Similarly to the ironing part S, the upstream side pressing part F1 and the downstream side pressing part F2 may also be constituted by a rotatable shaft.

In addition, even if it is a structural requirement contained only in each description of each embodiment and each modification demonstrated above, you may apply the structural requirement to another embodiment and another modification.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Paper conveyance mechanism 1 Printer 31 Platen roller 33 Downstream side guide member 34 Upstream side guide member 5 Decal member 51 Damper 52 Shaft 70 Printer control part 77 Roll diameter sensor A Storage area F1 Upstream side pressing part F2 Downstream side pressing part P Paper part Pi inner surface Po outer surface R Roll paper S Ironing part

Claims

In a paper transport mechanism that transports the paper portion by pulling out the paper portion from the roll paper wound in a roll shape with the one side of the long paper on the inside and the other side on the outside,
A squeezing portion that contacts the other surface of the paper portion passing therethrough and corrects curl of the paper portion;
An upstream presser part that is disposed upstream of the ironing part in the transport direction and presses the paper portion from the one side;
A paper transport mechanism, comprising: a downstream side pressing portion that is disposed downstream of the ironing portion in the transport direction and presses the paper portion from the one side.
In the paper transport mechanism, as the roll diameter of the roll paper becomes smaller, the tension in the transport direction applied to the paper portion becomes weaker.
The paper transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the ironing portion is biased toward the one side.
The squeezing part moves in the thickness direction of the paper part in accordance with the magnitude of the tension of the passing paper part, and is pressed by the upstream side pressing part and the downstream side pressing part. 3. The correction of correcting the curl of the paper portion by changing the inner angle of the bent paper portion by moving in the thickness direction. Paper transport mechanism.
A storage area that is provided between the upstream presser portion and the downstream presser portion and that can store a part of the paper portion;
4. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a back feed unit configured to back feed the paper portion in a direction opposite to the transport direction and loop the paper portion in the storage area. 5. Paper transport mechanism.
Conveying means for conveying the paper portion;
Detecting means for detecting a roll diameter of the roll paper;
Control means for controlling the conveying speed at which the conveying means conveys the paper portion based on the roll diameter detected by the detecting means,
5. The sheet transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the control unit slows the transport speed when the roll diameter is smaller than a predetermined size. 6.
Transport means for transporting the paper portion;
The transport means sandwiches the paper portion between the platen roller and the print head and rotates the platen roller to transport the paper portion in the transport direction by a frictional action between the platen roller and the print head. The paper transport mechanism according to claim 1, wherein
The transport means sandwiches the paper portion between the platen roller and the print head and rotates the platen roller to transport the paper portion in the transport direction by a frictional action between the platen roller and the print head. The paper transport mechanism according to claim 5.