JP3348699B2 - Printer paper feed mechanism - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feed mechanism of a printer, and more particularly to a structure of a paper cassette as a paper feed mechanism of a printer.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A paper feed mechanism of a conventional printer is provided with a paper cassette provided with a paper cassette capable of feeding paper. Make sure the paper is set.

The maximum storage paper size of the paper cassette is A3.
If so, the paper size is manually set in advance by the side guide in advance according to the paper size (one of A3, A4, A5, B4, and B5) smaller than the maximum storage paper size to be printed.

[0004] A mechanism for setting only one block is set in a storage section for sheets set in a sheet cassette. The thickness of the paper cassette is limited, and to print a larger number of papers, the number of sheets to be stored is limited by the height of the paper cassette. There was no other way but to increase the number of paper supply units and set the same size paper.

[0005] The maximum storage paper size of the paper cassette is A3.
If the paper size to be printed is A4, half the space of the paper cassette is empty.

[0006]

The first problem with the paper feeding mechanism of the above-described conventional printer is that when printing is performed for a larger number of sheets, the number of sheets stored in the sheet cassette is limited. And the number of prints was small.

[0007] The reason for this is that although there is an empty space in the paper cassette, a mechanism for setting only one block of the paper storage section set in the paper cassette is provided.

An object of the present invention is to print a larger number of sheets in a predetermined storage volume in a paper cassette in order to print a larger number of sheets. Without pulling out and refilling the paper cassette, or expanding the paper cassette, the available space in the cassette can be effectively used, and a larger number of papers can be automatically printed on a normal-sized paper cassette. An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding mechanism of a printer.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a paper feeding mechanism for a printer in a paper cassette having two guides, a side guide and an end guide for fixing paper, and two paper feed and end guide sides. And a center guide located in the middle of the two places is provided. The center guide is set at a position corresponding to the paper size, and the load from the paper pressed by the end guide on the reduced paper on the paper supply side is set. The center guide lock is released and the paper comes in contact with the paper feed roller when the paper presence sensor detects that the paper on the paper feed side has run out. The paper push-up plate intended to be lowered is lowered, the center guide bends only in the paper feeding direction, and the entire center guide is inserted into the bottom groove in the paper cassette. The end guide has one end of each spring fixed to the left and right ends, and the other end of the spring is fixed to the inside of the paper cassette, so that the paper is fed by the tension of the spring. to configure a force against the direction is applied to the paper end guide in the paper of the paper feed side runs out to move to the feeding side, after the paper has moved in the sheet feed side, the paper detecting sensor When the presence of the paper is confirmed, the paper lifting plate for contacting the paper with the paper feed roller is lifted.

[Operation] Large-capacity sheet feeding can be performed without increasing the thickness and the number of stages of the sheet cassette.

[0011]

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of a paper feed mechanism of a printer according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, in a paper cassette 1,
Paper feed roller 2 for feeding paper 6, side guide 3 for fixing paper 6, end guide 4 having springs 7 at both ends, and paper 6 for rear end paper storage 13
And a paper guide side paper storage unit 14, a center guide 5 for storing the paper separately, and an end guide stopper 15 for stopping the end guide 4 at the position of the center guide 5 are provided. At this time, the same number of sheets of paper 6 can be bundled in the same number of sheets and stored in two places, that is, the rear end paper storage unit 13 and the paper supply paper storage unit 14.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer according to the present invention.

In the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, one end is fixed in the paper cassette 1 and the other end is fixed to the end guide 4 by the expansion and contraction of the spring 7 in the paper feeding direction.
The end guide 4 is movable in the sheet feeding direction. Therefore,
When a force is applied to the paper 6 in the rear paper storage unit 13 in the paper feeding direction, the paper 6 can be moved in the paper feeding direction.

When all the sheets 6 set in the sheet storage section 14 on the sheet supply side are exhausted and become empty, the sheets 6 in the sheet storage section 13 on the rear end side pushed by the end guide 4 through the spring 7 are removed. Then, the center guide 5 is pushed down, the center guide 5 is tilted in the paper feeding direction around the bottom, and is stored in the center guide receiving groove 12 at the bottom of the paper cassette 1, so that the paper 6 passes above the center guide 5. ,
When the end guide 4 stops at the position of the center guide 5, the end guide 4 is moved to the sheet storage unit 14 on the sheet feeding side.

FIG. 3 shows a first embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 3, the paper 6 set in the rear paper storage unit 13 in the paper supply direction is pushed by the end guide 4 to the position of the paper supply paper storage unit 14 capable of supplying paper. The paper is then moved, and the paper can be fed by the paper feed roller 2.

FIG. 4 is a structural view showing a state in which the paper of the embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer of the present invention has been moved from the rear end paper storage to the position of the paper storage on the paper supply side.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the sheet can be fed by the sheet feeding roller 2.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing one embodiment.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, a center guide lock 8 is provided on the center guide 5 in the first embodiment of the present invention, and the paper presence sensor 10 and the control unit 9 are connected. .

FIG. 6 shows a second embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing an operation of the exemplary embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 6, the paper presence sensor 10
When the control unit 9 detects that the paper 6 set in the paper supply side paper storage unit 14 has run out, the control unit 9 controls the center guide lock 8 to release the lock. As a result, the center guide lock 8 to which the center guide 5 is fixed is unlocked by moving in the lower direction of the paper cassette 1, and the center guide 5 is moved to the end guide 4.
As in the first embodiment, the center guide 5 falls down in the paper feeding direction and is stored in the center guide storage groove 12 at the bottom of the paper cassette 1 so that the paper 6 is Pass over the center guide 5,
When the end guide 4 stops at the position of the center guide 5, the end guide 4 moves to the sheet storage unit 14 on the sheet feeding side.

By providing the above mechanism, when the number of sheets 6 set in the sheet storage section 14 on the sheet supply side becomes small, the sheet 6 set in the sheet storage section 14 on the sheet supply side is moved from the end guide 4. This prevents the center guide 5 from falling down due to the force and causing a trouble at the time of sheet feeding.

FIG. 7 shows a third embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram showing an operation of the exemplary embodiment.

The third embodiment of the present invention is different from the second embodiment of the present invention in that the paper lifting plate 11 for lifting the paper 6 so as to contact the paper feed roller 2 is automatically raised and lowered. Is provided. In the third embodiment of the present invention, when the paper presence / absence sensor 10 detects that the paper 6 has run out in the paper storage unit 14 on the paper feed side, the same as in the second embodiment of the present invention, The center guide lock 8 is controlled by the control unit 9,
At the same time, the sheet lifting plate 11 is also controlled. This allows
The paper push-up plate 11 that has been lifted so as to contact the paper feed roller 2 to feed the paper 6 is lowered and becomes parallel to the bottom of the paper cassette 1. After this operation, the end guide 4
Is the sheet 6 in the sheet storage section 13 on the rear end side in the sheet feeding direction.
, The center guide 5 is depressed, and the center guide 5 and the upper portion of the paper pushing plate 11 are passed.
Is the center guide 5 by the end guide stopper 15.
The paper 6 is stopped at the position shown in FIG.
4 to a position where paper can be fed.

Then, the presence / absence of the paper 6 set in the paper storage unit 14 is checked again by the paper presence / absence sensor 10, and if the presence of the paper 6 is confirmed, the control unit 9 controls the paper. Then, the paper lifting plate 11 is lifted, and the paper 6 is brought into contact with the paper feed roller 2 so that paper can be fed.

By providing the above mechanism, when the paper 6 is moved to the paper storage section 14 on the paper feed side, the paper lifting plate 1
1 was lifted and paper 6 could not be moved well,
This prevents a problem that paper cannot be fed by the paper feed roller 2.

The center guide 5, the center guide lock 8, and the end guide stopper 1 described above.
Reference numeral 5 denotes a configuration in which the sheet is set at a predetermined position corresponding to the sheet size in advance according to the sheet size set in the sheet cassette 1. The method of setting the center guide 5, the center guide lock 8, and the end guide stopper 15 may be independent of each other, or may be configured as an integrated structure that can be set at a predetermined position.

The end guide 4 is driven by a spring 7
Has been described, the paper presence sensor 10
When the control unit 9 detects that the paper 6 set in the paper supply side paper storage unit 14 has run out, the control unit 9 controls the motor using a motor as a driving unit to drive the end guide 4. Is also good.

If the maximum paper size of the paper cassette 1 having the above-described paper feeding mechanism is, for example, A3, when printing of A4, A5, B4, or B5 of a smaller paper size is performed, the rear end paper storage is performed. Unit 13 and paper-side paper storage unit 14
Since the sheets can be set in the sheet storage sections of the two blocks, the number of prints can be twice as large as that of the related art.

[0033]

As described above, the first effect of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer according to the present invention is as follows. A large-capacity sheet can be fed without increasing the thickness and the number of steps.

The reason is that when feeding a small sheet that is less than half of the maximum sheet size that can be accommodated in the sheet cassette, a double amount of sheets is set in the previously empty space in the sheet cassette. This is due to the automatic paper feed mechanism.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an embodiment of a sheet feeding mechanism of a printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a sheet feeding mechanism of the printer according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing a first embodiment of a paper feeding mechanism of the printer of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer according to an embodiment of the present invention has moved from a rear end side paper storage unit to a position of a paper supply side paper storage unit;

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram showing a second embodiment of the paper feeding mechanism of the printer of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a configuration diagram illustrating an operation of a paper feed mechanism of a printer according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram illustrating an operation of a paper feed mechanism of a printer according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 paper cassette 2 paper feed roller 3 side guide 4 end guide 5 center guide 6 paper 7 spring 8 center guide lock 9 control unit 10 paper presence / absence sensor 11 paper push-up plate 12 center guide receiving groove 13 trailing end paper storage unit 14 paper feed Side paper storage unit 15 End guide stopper

Claims (5)

(57) [Claims] 1. A side guide and an end guide for fixing a sheet in a sheet cassette, and two sheets of a sheet disposed on a sheet feeding side and an end guide side, and a center guide located between the two points. The end guides fix one side of each spring to both left and right ends,
By fixing the other side of the spring to the inside of the paper cassette, a force is applied in the paper feeding direction due to the tension of the spring. The paper feed mechanism of the printer, wherein the paper feed mechanism is moved to the paper feed side. 2. A side guide and an end guide for fixing a sheet in a sheet cassette, and a sheet disposed at two positions on a sheet feeding side and an end guide side, and a center guide located between the two points. And the center guide is
It bends only in the paper feeding direction, and the entire center guide is housed in the groove at the bottom of the paper cassette. The end guide has one end of each spring fixed to both left and right ends, and the other end of the spring By fixing one of the sides to the inside of the paper cassette, a force is applied to the paper feeding direction by the tension of the spring,
A paper feeding mechanism for a printer, wherein the paper on the end guide is moved to the paper feeding side when the paper on the paper feeding side runs out. 3. A side guide and an end guide for fixing a sheet in a sheet cassette, and a sheet disposed at two positions on a sheet supply side and an end guide side, and a center guide located at an intermediate position between the two points. And the center guide is
The paper-out sensor detects that the paper on the paper-side has run out, supported by a center guide lock that prevents the load from the paper pressed by the end guide from being applied to the paper on the paper-side that has run out. As a result, the center guide lock is released, the center guide bends only in the paper feed direction, and the entire center guide is housed in the groove at the bottom of the paper cassette. One side of the spring is fixed, and the other side of the spring is fixed to the inside of the paper cassette, so that a force is applied to the paper feeding direction due to the tension of the spring. A paper feed mechanism for a printer, wherein the paper on the end guide is moved to the paper feed side when the paper is lost. 4. A side guide and an end guide for fixing paper in a paper cassette, and two paper guides, one on the paper feed side and the other on the end guide side, and a center guide located between the two places. And the center guide is
The paper-existence sensor detects that the paper on the paper-side has run out, supported by the center guide lock to prevent the load from the paper pressed by the end guide from being applied to the paper on the paper-side that has run out. As a result, the center guide lock is released, and the paper push-up plate for contacting the paper with the paper feed roller is lowered, the center guide is bent only in the paper feeding direction, and the center guide is inserted into the bottom groove in the paper cassette. The end guide has one end of each spring fixed to the left and right ends, and the other end of the spring is fixed to the inside of the paper cassette. The configuration is such that a force is applied in the paper feed direction, and the paper on the end guide side is Sheet feeding mechanism of the printer, characterized by so moving. 5. A side guide and an end guide for fixing a sheet in a sheet cassette, and a sheet disposed at two positions on a sheet supply side and an end guide side, and a center guide located between the two points. And the center guide is
The paper-existence sensor detects that the paper on the paper-side has run out, supported by the center guide lock to prevent the load from the paper pressed by the end guide from being applied to the paper on the paper-side that has run out. As a result, the center guide lock is released, the center guide bends only in the paper feeding direction, and the entire center guide is housed in the groove at the bottom of the paper cassette. One side of the spring is fixed, and the other side of the spring is fixed to the inside of the paper cassette, so that a force is applied in the paper feeding direction due to the tension of the spring. When the paper runs out, the paper on the end guide side is moved to the paper feed side.After the paper is moved to the paper feed side, the paper By the present has been confirmed, the paper feed mechanism of the printer, characterized in that to make the paper push-up plate the purpose of contacting the paper feed roller is raised.