JP4375294B2 - Recording medium insertion device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording medium insertion apparatus that inserts a sheet-like recording medium in which a thin film is laminated on a film into a pair of conveying rollers that conveys the recording medium at a predetermined speed.

  Recording medium insertion for manually inserting a recording medium from a pair of conveying rollers on the inlet side for conveying the recording medium at a predetermined speed in a recording medium processing apparatus for performing a predetermined processing on a sheet-like recording medium having a thin film laminated on the film As a device, a recording medium support unit that supports a recording medium wound in a roll shape, a pressure roller pair that sandwiches an end portion of the recording medium and conveys the recording medium to the inlet-side conveyance roller pair, and the pressure roller pair A device having a manual operation unit that is manually rotated is proposed.

The manual operation unit is mechanically coupled to the shaft of the upper roller of the pressure roller pair, and is configured such that the recording medium is sent out to the transport roller pair when the operator manually rotates the rotary knob. . The recording medium sent out by such a recording medium insertion device is inserted from a manual feed guide as shown in FIG.
JP 2003-326697 A

  However, when the recording medium is sent to the pair of conveying rollers on the entrance side of the recording medium processing apparatus using the above-described recording medium inserting apparatus, the recording medium is skewed, or the conveying speed of the recording medium by the conveying roller pair, that is, the The sending speed of the pressure roller pair that is manually rotated, that is, the circumferential speed of the pressure roller pair may be faster than the circumferential speed of the conveying roller pair. When the recording medium comes into contact with the transport roller pair at such time, the recording medium is wrinkled, or the leading end portion of the recording medium is bent due to an impact or speed difference due to a collision with the transport roller pair, There was a problem that a situation in which the thin film peeled off due to the bending and the commercial value was impaired occurred.

  In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention is to provide a recording medium insertion device capable of appropriately feeding a recording medium to a pair of conveyance rollers that convey at a predetermined speed even by manual operation. .

In order to achieve the above object, the first characteristic configuration of the recording medium insertion device according to the present invention is a sheet-like recording in which a thin film is laminated on a film as described in claim 1 of the claims. A recording medium inserting device for inserting a medium into a pair of conveying rollers that conveys a medium at a predetermined speed, a lower roller having both ends pivotally supported by a pair of side plates, an open state separated from the lower roller, and a lower roller An upper roller supported by the side plate so as to be movable up and down between the pressure contact state in contact with its own weight, a manual operation unit that is connected to the upper roller and rotationally drives the upper roller, and one end of the upper roller in the pressure contact state A damper gear that meshes with a gear fitted and fixed to the upper roller and attenuates torque transmitted to the upper roller via the manual operation unit, and the support shaft of the damper gear is centered on the axis of the upper roller. In that it is fixed to the side plate at a position offset from the vertical line that.

According to the above-described configuration, even if the manual operation unit is manually operated with a large force, the torque transmitted from the manual operation unit to the upper roller is attenuated by the damper gear, so that the leading edge of the recording medium collides with the conveyance roller pair. It is possible to avoid being conveyed at such a high speed, and the leading edge of the recording medium acts on the leading edge of the recording medium at the time of a collision, and the leading edge of the recording medium is bent, or the thin film is peeled off due to the bending. Thus, it can be conveyed smoothly and promptly without causing such a situation .

In addition, since the support shaft of the damper gear is fixed to the side plate at a position deviated from the vertical line passing through the axis of the upper roller, it does not interfere when the upper roller is repositioned to the open position or the crimping position. Since the pressing force against the recording medium sandwiched between the lower roller and the upper roller at the position does not deviate in the axial direction of the roller, the recording medium may be conveyed in an oblique direction toward the conveying roller pair. Disappear. As a result, the conveyance direction of the recording medium is inclined with the conveyance by the conveyance roller pair, and the recording medium is prevented from being bent or the thin film is peeled off due to the bending in the rear end direction of the recording medium. it can.

In the second characteristic configuration, as described in claim 2, in addition to the first characteristic configuration described above , a locking ring is fitted and fixed to both sides of the upper roller, and the upper roller is moved upward. in the open state engaged with the locking ring in that it includes an opening and closing operation mechanism having a stopper member for fixing the upper rollers.

With the above-described configuration, the user separates the pressure-bonding roller pair from each other by the opening / closing operation mechanism, and the insertion side end of the recording medium is parallel to the axial direction of the pressure-rolling roller pair between the pressure-roller pairs. Then, the recording medium can be held between the pressure roller pairs by closing the pressure roller pairs with the opening / closing operation mechanism. That is, it becomes easy to adjust the posture of the recording medium when the recording medium is set between the upper roller and the lower roller, and the recording medium is fed to the pair of conveying rollers by sandwiching the recording medium in this way. The axial direction of the roller pair and the angle of the end on the insertion side of the recording medium can be prevented from being distorted, so that the conveyance direction of the recording medium is inclined with the conveyance by the conveyance roller pair, It is possible to prevent the recording medium from being bent in the rear end direction of the recording medium and the thin film from being peeled off due to the bending.

  As described above, it is possible to provide a recording medium insertion device capable of appropriately feeding a recording medium to a pair of conveying rollers that convey at a predetermined speed even by manual operation.

  Embodiments of a recording medium insertion device according to the present invention will be described below. In the present embodiment, an image or a character is printed by an ink jet printer including a water-based ink containing a sublimable dye, and the long recording medium wound up in a roll shape is heat-treated while being conveyed. A description will be given of a recording medium insertion device that feeds into a heat fixing device as a recording medium processing device for sublimating and fixing images and characters.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the recording medium Mp is integrally provided on the upper surface of a sheet-like base material M1 having a predetermined rigidity made of a synthetic resin material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). This is a sheet-like recording medium composed of a protective layer M2 made of a highly weather-resistant material such as a fluororesin, and an ink receiving layer M3 adhered and adhered to the upper surface of the protective layer M2 through an adhesive. In addition, the recording medium Mp is printed with an image such as a photographic image, an illustration, or a character on the surface of the ink receiving layer M3 with an aqueous ink containing a sublimable dye. In such a recording medium Mp, ink that has been subjected to heat treatment and sublimated passes through the protective layer M2 and is fixed to the substrate M1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heat fixing device 02 includes a metal external cover 80 and a heat cover 81 disposed in the external cover 80. The heat cover 81 is made of a heat insulating material (not shown). The heating cover 81 is substantially closed from the entire top, bottom, left and right front and back, and the inside of the heating cover 81 is configured as a heating region 82 of the recording medium Mp conveyed in the horizontal direction.

  The heating area 82 is provided with a heating / conveying mechanism 83 that conveys the recording medium Mp inserted from the recording medium insertion device 01, and the heating / conveying mechanism 83 is upstream of the conveying direction of the recording medium Mp. In order from the receiving conveyance roller pair 84, the first conveyance roller group 85, the second conveyance roller group 86 disposed near the center of the fixing processing unit 1D, the third conveyance roller group 87 disposed on the most downstream side, All rollers are rotationally driven at a predetermined peripheral speed synchronized with each other by a stepping motor and a transmission mechanism (not shown). That is, the transport roller pair 84 serves as a carry-in port for the recording medium Mp in the heat fixing device 02. The peripheral surface of each roller is made of a material such as silicon rubber having a high friction coefficient and high heat resistance.

  Further, the heating area 82 includes a plurality of rod-shaped heating elements 88 as heat sources arranged upstream of the center of the heating area 82 above the conveyance surface of the recording medium Mp, and the vicinity of the heating elements 88. A temperature sensor TS for detecting the temperature, and a heating fan mechanism 89 as a heating mechanism that is disposed on the downstream side of the center of the heating area 82 above the conveyance surface of the recording medium M and that diffuses and supplies heat from the heat source. A first heating mechanism 91 for heating the internal air to a predetermined temperature (for example, around 180 ° C.), a first heating panel 92 disposed between the first conveyance roller group 85 and the second conveyance roller group 86, The second heating panel 93 is disposed between the second conveyance roller group 86 and the third conveyance roller group 87, and includes a second heating mechanism 94 that heats the recording medium M from the back surface. Recorded media Mp is the fixing process is discharged onto the sloped discharge chute 95 formed in the polyethylene film provided on the outside is completed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the recording medium insertion device 01 includes a recording medium support unit 11 that supports both ends of a winding core of the recording medium Mp wound in a roll shape, and the recording medium support unit. 11, a pressure roller pair 10 that feeds and inserts the recording medium Mp toward the transport roller pair 84, a manual operation unit 12 that manually drives the pressure roller pair 10 to rotate, and a drive by the manual operation unit 12. A speed control mechanism 13 for controlling a peripheral speed of the pressure roller pair, an opening / closing operation mechanism 14 capable of switching the pressure roller pair 10 between a pressure bonding position and a separation position, and the recording medium Mp for the conveying roller pair 84. And a guide plate 15 that guides and supports the head.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the pressure roller pair 10 is a freely rotatable lower portion that is pressure-bonded by the weight of the upper roller 10a and the upper roller 10a that are drivingly connected to the rotary knob 17 serving as the manual operation unit 12. Each of the shaft portions is supported by bearings provided on the left and right side plates 16.

  The opening / closing operation mechanism 14 includes a long hole 14a formed in the vertical direction in the attachment portion of the upper roller 10a in the side plate 16, a stopper member 14b provided on the upper end side of the long hole 14a, and a later-described engagement. The upper roller 10a is engaged with the stopper member 14b by moving the upper roller 10a upward along with the long hole 16a together with the bearing so that the open state is maintained. It is configured.

  More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4 (b), the stopper member 14b is composed of a pair of locking projections arranged with the elongated hole 14a interposed therebetween, and each locking projection is pivotable to the left and right. While being supported, springs are urged toward the center of each other, and locking rings 14c are fitted and fixed on the left and right of the shaft portion of the upper roller 10a. By lifting both ends of the upper roller 10a, the locking projection and the locking ring 14c are engaged, and the locking projection opens to the left and right against the biasing force of the spring, and the locking ring 14c After passing upward, the locking projection returns to its original position, and is held open. In this state, when the upper roller 10a is pushed downward, the locking projections open to the left and right against the biasing force of the spring, and the locking projections 14c pass through the locking ring 14c downward. Will return to its original position.

  The upper roller 10a is moved to the open position by the opening / closing operation mechanism 14 and fixed, and the leading end of the recording medium Mp supported by the recording medium support part 11 is pulled out, and the upper roller 10a and the lower roller 10b Then, the recording medium Mp is held between the pair of pressure rollers 10 by returning the upper roller 10a to the pressure position.

  A gear 13a is fitted and fixed to one end of the shaft portion of the upper roller 10a that rotates in conjunction with the rotary knob 12, and a damper gear 13b that meshes with the gear 13a is rotatable on a support shaft 13c attached to the side plate 16. Is attached. In this state, when the rotary knob 12 is manually rotated, the upper roller 10a is rotated, and the lower roller 10b is linked to the recording medium Mp to be sent out toward the conveying roller pair 84. The torque applied to the rotary knob 12 is attenuated by the damper gear 13b meshing with the gear 13a, and the peripheral speed of the pressure roller pair is controlled to be lower than the peripheral speed of the transport roller pair 84.

  With such a configuration, even if the rotary knob 12 is manually operated with a large force, the leading edge of the recording medium does not collide with the conveying roller, and conversely, the winding force by the conveying roller pair 84 acts on the leading edge. Thus, the leading end portion of the recording medium Mp is bent, and the thin film is transported smoothly and promptly without being bent. That is, the speed control mechanism 13 is constituted by the gear 13a, the damper gear 13b, and the support shaft 13c.

  The support shaft 13c erected on the side plate 16 is attached so as to be deviated in either of the front and rear directions with respect to a vertical line passing through the shaft portion of the upper roller 10a. Consideration is made so that the pressing force is not biased in the axial direction so that the roller 10a is not hindered when the position is changed to the open position or the pressing position.

  Further, the gear 13 a is provided with a one-way clutch, and is configured so as to be able to idle in the feed-out direction after the recording medium Mp is inserted into the conveying roller pair 84, so that it is inserted into the conveying roller pair 84. Then, an unnecessary conveyance deterring force is not applied to the recording medium Mp.

  Hereinafter, an operation of inserting the recording medium Mp into the heat fixing apparatus 02 using the recording medium insertion apparatus 01 will be described based on a flowchart shown in FIG. First, the conveyance direction of the recording medium Mp by the conveyance roller pair 84 in the heat fixing device 02 and the conveyance direction of the recording medium Mp by the pressure roller pair 10 in the recording medium insertion device 01 are matched. That is, the recording medium insertion device 01 or the heat fixing device 02 is installed so that the conveyance roller pair 84 and the pressure roller pair 10 are parallel to each other and are horizontal, and the height of the guide plate 15 is adjusted (SA1). ).

  Next, the upper roller 10a is lifted upward and locked, the rollers 10a and 10b are separated (SA2), and the leading end side of the recording medium Mp is pulled out between the rollers 10a and 10b (SA3). Thereafter, the upper roller 10a is lowered to sandwich the recording medium Mp between the rollers 10a and 10b (SA4).

  When the manual operation unit 12 is manually rotated by an operator (SA5), the pressure roller pair 10 rotates in accordance with the rotational drive of the manual operation unit 12 (SA6). At this time, the torque is attenuated by the damper gear 13 b, and the peripheral speed of the pressure roller pair 10 is maintained at a lower speed than the peripheral speed of the transport roller pair 84.

  The recording medium Mp is sent in the direction of the transport roller pair 84 as the pressure roller pair 10 rotates, and when the vicinity of the tip of the transport medium pair 84 comes into contact with the transport roller pair 84 (SA7), By being inserted into the rotation and inserted, it is inserted into the heat fixing device 02 (SA8). It should be noted that once the leading end portion of the recording medium Mp is inserted into the heat fixing device 02, the subsequent portion is sequentially inserted at the conveying speed by the conveying roller pair 84 by the action of the one-way clutch. Will go.

  Hereinafter, another embodiment will be described. In the above-described embodiment, the speed control mechanism 13 is described as the torque control mechanism including the gear 13a, the damper gear 13b, and the support shaft 13c. The damper gear 13b is used as the torque control mechanism. Is not limited to the above, and is composed of a roller fitted into and fixed to the shaft portion of the upper roller 10a and a friction plate pressed against the roller, and the torque is attenuated by the frictional force between the roller and the friction plate. Alternatively, other known torque limiting mechanisms can be employed.

  In the embodiment described above, the manual operation unit 12 is provided on the shaft portion of the upper roller 10a. However, the manual operation unit 12 may be provided on the shaft portion of the lower roller 10b. In this case, the speed control mechanism is provided on the lower roller 10b side.

  The stopper mechanism described in the opening / closing operation mechanism 14 is not limited to the above-described structure, and any known technique can be used as long as the mechanism can fix the upper roller 10a lifted upward in the open position. .

Any embodiment described above also only one example of the present invention, specific structure of each part to the extent that Sosu effects of the present invention can of course be changed as appropriate.

Explanatory drawing of the main structure of the recording medium insertion apparatus by this invention Illustration of recording medium Explanatory diagram of heat fixing device and arrangement relationship between heat fixing device and recording medium inserting device (A) Front view of the recording medium insertion device according to the present invention, (b) Explanatory drawing of a state where the pressure roller pair is separated from each other by the opening / closing operation mechanism. Flowchart for explaining the operation of inserting a recording medium into a heat fixing apparatus using the recording medium insertion apparatus of the present invention

10: Pressure roller pair 10a: Upper roller 10b: Lower roller 12: Manual operation unit 13: Speed control mechanism 14: Opening / closing operation mechanism 84: Conveying roller pair Mp: Recording medium

Claims (2)

A recording medium inserting device for inserting a sheet-like recording medium in which a thin film is laminated on a film into a pair of conveying rollers that conveys the recording medium at a predetermined speed,
A lower roller having both ends pivotally supported by a pair of side plates; an upper roller supported by the side plates so as to be movable up and down between an open state spaced from the lower roller and a crimped state in contact with the lower roller by its own weight; A manual operation unit that is connected to the upper roller and rotationally drives the upper roller, and is engaged with a gear fitted and fixed to one end of the upper roller in a crimped state, and is transmitted to the upper roller through the manual operation unit And a damper gear for attenuating the generated torque, and a support shaft of the damper gear is fixed to the side plate at a position deviated from a vertical line passing through the axis of the upper roller . An opening / closing operation mechanism provided with a stopper member that is fitted and fixed to both sides of the upper roller, and engages with the locking ring and fixes the upper roller in an opened state in which the upper roller is moved upward. The recording medium insertion device according to claim 1, further comprising: