JPH07242347A - Paper feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] It is not necessary to adjust the balance of the pressing force of the left and right pick rollers, and it is possible to feed media with different left and right thickness without skewing or paper feeding failure. [Structure] The plurality of pick rollers 3 includes a rotary shaft 6 and a gear 3.
The driving force is transmitted from the pick motor 5 via b. The pick rollers 3 are sandwiched by pick covers 3a that are urged downward by springs and the like, and each pick cover 3a rotates about a rotation shaft 6. When feeding paper to the printer 4 etc., the hopper motor 1
Drive b to raise the hopper 1 and set it at the paper reference position. Then, by rotating the pick motor 5, the pick roller 3 picks the paper 2 and the separation pad 7
Then, the sheets are separated one by one and fed to the printer 4 or the like. Since the plurality of pick rollers 3 move independently of each other, even if the thickness of the sheet is not uniform, it is possible to feed the sheet without causing skew or feeding failure.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a paper feeding device for feeding a paper set in a hopper to a printer or the like, and more particularly, the present invention is capable of favorably feeding a medium such as an envelope having different left and right thicknesses. The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that can perform

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 7 is a view showing a conventional paper feeding mechanism,
In the figure, 14 is a sheet set in a hopper, and 16 is a sheet.
Is a pick roller for picking paper, 17 is a separating pad,
50 is a gear connected to the shaft of the pick motor, 51 is a one-way clutch, 52 is a gear that drives the pick roller 16, 53 is a support plate, 54 is a shaft, 55 is a shield plate,
56 is a sensor.

In the figure, when the paper is fed, the paper 14 is put in the hopper.
Is set, the motor (not shown) rotates and the hopper moves up by the cam mechanism. When the hopper rises and the paper 14 rises, the pick roller 16 also rises, the plate 53 rotates about the shaft 54 in the direction of the arrow in the figure, and the shield plate 55 rotates. When the shield plate 55 rotates a predetermined amount, the sensor 56 produces an output and the motor stops. As a result, the hopper is set at the paper feed position, and the paper 14 is pressed by the pick roller 16 with an appropriate pressing force.

When picking a sheet, the pick motor is driven to rotate the pick roller 16 via the gear 50, the one-way clutch 51, and the gear 52, and the pick roller 16 picks the sheet. The sheets picked by the pick roller 16 are separated one by one by a separating pad 17 and fed to a printer body (not shown).

[0005]

In the conventional paper feeding device, several pick rollers are attached to one shaft as described above. Therefore, it is necessary to adjust the balance of the pressing forces of the left and right pick rollers, and if the adjustment is not correct, skewing of the paper or feeding failure may occur. In particular,
When feeding media such as envelopes having different left and right thicknesses, the pick roller comes into contact only with a portion where the thickness of the medium is thick, and therefore skewing and feeding failure often occur.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and it is not necessary to adjust the balance of the pressing forces of the left and right pick rollers, and the media having different left and right thicknesses can be used. , Without causing skew or feeding failure
An object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device that can feed.

[0007]

FIG. 1 shows the principle of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is a hopper for feeding a sheet, 2 is a sheet set in the hopper 1, 3 is a pick roller for picking the sheet, and a plurality of pick rollers 3 are provided,
Each of the plurality of pick rollers 3 is sandwiched by a pick cover 3a that is urged downward by a spring or the like. Further, each pick cover 3a rotates about the rotary shaft 6.

Reference numeral 3b is a gear attached to the pick roller 3, and gear 4 to which the driving force is transmitted from the rotary shaft 6 is connected to the paper feed destination such as a printer 5 and 5 is connected to the rotary shaft 6 to drive the pick roller 3. A pick motor, 7 is a separation pad for separating picked sheets one by one, 8 is a sensor for detecting the movement of the pick roller, 9 is an output of the sensor 8, and the hopper 1
Is a control means for controlling the position of.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 of the present invention is a paper feeding device for feeding the paper 2 set in the hopper 1 to the printer 4 and the like by picking it with several pick rollers 3. , The drive force of the pick motor 5 is transmitted from the rotary shaft 6 via the gear 3b and the rotary shaft 6 driven by the pick motor 5, and
A plurality of pick rollers 3 that rotate independently about each other are provided. When the paper is fed, the pick rollers 3 that rotate independently press the paper 2 set in the hopper 1 to pick the paper 2. It is configured to do.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device for feeding the paper 2 set in the hopper 1 by the several pick rollers 3 to the printer 4 or the like, the paper is driven by the pick motor 5. Rotating shaft 6 and the rotating shaft 6
And a pick cover 3a that rotates about an axis as a shaft, and the driving force of the pick motor 5 is transmitted from the rotary shaft 6 through a gear 3b while being independently sandwiched between the pick cover 3a and the rotary shaft 6. Attached to the pick cover 3a on the paper set reference side, a plurality of pick rollers 3 that rotate in a vertical direction, a separation pad 7 provided below the pick roller 3 for separating picked paper 2 one by one, A sensor 8 for detecting the movement of the pick roller 3 and a control means 9 for controlling the position of the hopper 1 are provided, and the control means 9 is provided with the paper 2 when the paper is fed.
Is set until the sensor 8 operates, the hopper 1 is set at the paper reference position, and the paper 2 is pressed by the pick rollers 3 that rotate independently, and the paper 2 is picked. .

[0011]

In FIG. 1, the driving force is transmitted from the pick motor 5 to the plurality of pick rollers 3 via the rotary shaft 6 and the gear 3b. The pick rollers 3 are sandwiched by pick covers 3a that are urged downward by springs and the like, and each pick cover 3a rotates about a rotation shaft 6.

Therefore, when the pick rollers 3 are pushed up from below by the paper 2, the pick rollers 3 rotate independently. A sensor 8 for detecting the movement of the pick roller 3 is provided on the pick cover 3 on the paper set reference side.
Is attached. When feeding the paper from the hopper 1, the control means 9 drives the hopper motor 1b to drive the hopper 1
Raise. As a result, the paper 2 and the pick roller 3
And the pick cover 3a rotates about the rotary shaft 6,
The pick roller 3 moves up. When the sensor 8 provided on the pick cover 3 on the paper set reference side produces an output, the control means 9 stops driving the hopper motor 1b,
The hopper 1 is set at the paper reference position.

Then, by rotating the pick motor 5, the pick roller 3 picks the paper 2, and the picked paper 2 is separated one by one by the separation pad 7 and fed to the printer 4 or the like. Since the plurality of pick rollers 3 rotate independently of each other as described above, even if the thickness of the paper is uneven, each pick roller 3 presses the paper with a predetermined pressing force to prevent the skew or the skew. It can be fed without causing a paper feed failure.

In the first and second aspects of the present invention, as described above, the paper 2 set in the hopper 1 is pressed by the pick rollers 3 that rotate independently of each other to pick the paper 2. With this configuration, it is not necessary to adjust the balance of the pressing force of the left and right pick rollers, and media such as envelopes with different thicknesses on the left and right can be fed without causing skew or paper feeding failure. can do.

[0015]

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 11 is a platen and 12
Is a print head, 13 is a hopper for feeding paper, 14 is paper set in the hopper, and 15 is a cam for raising / lowering the hopper 13. The vector of the moment around the hopper rotation center due to the hopper weight at the contact point between the hopper 13 and the cam 15 is always toward the cam rotation center, and no rotational force is applied to the cam 15 due to the hopper weight.

16 is a pick roller, 17 is a separating pad,
Reference numeral 18 is a one-way clutch that transmits only one direction of rotational force, 40 is a pick cover, and a plurality of pick rollers 16 are provided. Each pick roller rotates about the axis of the one-way clutch 18 as described later. It is sandwiched by the pick cover 40, and can be raised / lowered independently depending on the thickness of the sheet 14.

Reference numerals 19 and 20 denote inserters for feeding paper.
Rollers 35 are discharge rollers for discharging printed paper. 21 is a paper sensor for detecting the presence of paper, 22
Is a hopper motor for driving the cam 15, and 23 is an LF (line feed) motor for feeding the paper.
24 is a pick motor for driving the pick roller,
The driving force of the pick motor 24 is transmitted to the pick roller 16 via the one-way clutch 18 described above, and the rotational force is transmitted to the pick roller 16 only in the paper picking direction.

Reference numeral 25 is a sensor, and 26 is a shield plate.
The shield plate 26 is attached to the pick cover 40 on the paper set reference side of the plurality of pick rollers, and when the hopper rises and the paper 14 rises, the pick roller 16 also rises together with the pick cover 40 as in the above-described conventional example. The shield plate 26 rotates about the shaft of the one-way clutch 18. As a result, when the sensor 25 is turned on, the hopper motor 22 is stopped and the hopper 13 is set to the paper feeding position.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the construction of the pick roller of this embodiment. The same components as those shown in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, and 14 is a sheet of paper, 16, 16 ', 1
6 "is a pick roller, 17 is a separation pad, 18 is a one-way clutch, 25 is a sensor for detecting the rise of the pick roller, and 26 is a shield plate which rotates in response to the rotation of the pick roller.

Reference numeral 41 is a gear connected to the shaft of the pick motor, and the gear 41 is the one-way clutch 1 described above.
8 and the pick motor rotates, gear 41,
The shaft 42 rotates via the one-way clutch 18.
43, 43 ', 43 "are gears attached to the shaft 42, and the gears 43, 43', 43" are gears 44, 44 ',
44 ", and further gears 44,44 ', 4
Pick rollers 16, 16 ', and 16 "are attached to 4", respectively.

40, 40 'and 40 "are pick covers, and the pick covers 40, 40' and 40" are springs 45,
It is urged downward by 45 ', 45 ", and
The shaft 42 rotatably extends through the pick covers 40, 40 ', 40 ", and the shafts of the gears 44, 44', 44" and the pick rollers 16, 16 ', 16 "are respectively pick covers 40, 40". It is rotatably attached to the ', 40'.

Therefore, when the pick motor rotates and the shaft 42 rotates, the pick rollers 16, 1 are driven through the gears 43, 43 ', 43 "and the gears 44, 44', 44".
6 ', 16 "rotate respectively. When the pick rollers 16, 16', 16" are pushed up from below, the pick covers 40, 40 ', 40 "are springs 45, 4".
Each of the pick rollers 16, 16 ′ and 16 ″ independently moves up against the 5 ′ and 45 ″ and rotates about the shaft 42.

For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the right side of the sheet 14 is thick, the pick cover 40 "rotates and the pick roller 16" moves up. Further, the shield plate 26 is attached to the pick cover 40, and when the sheet 14 rises and the pick roller 16 rises as described above,
The sensor 25 operates.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the configuration of the control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those shown in FIG. 2 are designated by the same reference numerals, 12 is a print head, and 21 is a sheet. A sensor, 22 is a hopper motor for raising / lowering the hopper, 23 is an LF motor for feeding the paper, 24 is a pick motor for driving the pick roller, 25 is a sensor for detecting the rise of the pick roller, and 27 is a head mounted. It is a CR motor that drives the carrier.

Reference numeral 28 denotes a print control unit, which is a print control unit 28.
Drives the CR motor 27 to move the carrier carrying the print head 12 in the direction perpendicular to the paper feed direction, and the print head 12 prints on the paper 14. A line feed control unit 29 controls the LF motor 23, the hopper motor 22, and the pick motor 24 that feed the paper to feed the paper to the print position.

Reference numeral 30 denotes a paper feed control unit, which is a paper feed control unit 30.
Controls the hopper motor 22 and the pick motor 24 based on the outputs of the paper sensor 21 and the sensor 25 to feed the paper. Further, 31 is a printer main unit, 32 is a processor for controlling the printer, 33 is a storage device for storing print data, and 34 is a storage device for storing a control program.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a control timing chart of the printer apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the overall operation of the printer apparatus will be described with reference to FIG. First, the paper feeding control unit 30 shown in FIG.
The hopper 13 is raised to set the hopper 13 at the paper reference position. Then, the pick roller 24 is rotated by the pick motor 24 to pick the paper 14 (see FIG. 5).
of).

Then, when the paper sensor 21 detects the paper, the line feed controller 23 of FIG.
Is driven to rotate the inserter rollers 19 and 20. As a result, the first-out of the paper is started (in FIG. 5), the paper 14 is sent to the predetermined position, and the first-out is completed (in FIG. 5). Next, the print control unit 28 shown in FIG. 5 drives the CR motor 27 and the print head 12, the CR motor 27 moves the print head 12 in the row direction, and the print head 12 prints on the paper. Then, each time the printing of one line is completed, the LF motor 23 feeds the paper to perform a line feed (, in FIG. 5).

When the printing for one page is completed, the paper is discharged by the discharge roller 35 (in FIG. 5).
FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the sheet feeding device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the operation of the sheet feeding device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. When a paper feed command is issued, the paper feed control unit 3
0 rotates the hopper motor 22 in step S1 of FIG. As a result, the cam 15 in FIG. 2 rotates and the hopper 13 rises.

As the hopper 13 rises, the paper 1
When 4 touches the pick roller 16 and pushes up the pick roller 16, the pick cover 40 shown in FIG.
Rotate the shield plate 26. In step S2,
When the shield plate 26 rotates, the sensor 25
Is turned on, and the hopper motor 22 is rotated until the sensor 25 is turned on.

When the sensor 25 is turned on, the hopper motor 22 is stopped in step S3. As a result, the hopper 13 is set at the sheet feeding position. At that time, since the pick rollers 16, 16 ′, 16 ″ move independently as described above, for example, even if the thickness of the paper 14 is different as shown in FIG. 1
The 6 "position corresponds to the paper thickness,
Press the paper with an appropriate pressing force.

Then, in step S4, the pick motor 24 is rotated to move the pick rollers 16, 16 ', 1
The paper 14 is picked by 6 ″, and it is determined in step S5 whether the paper sensor 21 is turned on.
When the paper sensor 21 is turned on, the paper 14 is abutted against the inserter roller 19 in step S6, and the pick motor 24 is stopped in step S7.

In step S8, the LF motor 23 is rotated, and in step S9, the paper is first fed out and the paper feed command is ended. Thereafter, the paper 14 is sent to the positions of the platen 11 and the print head of FIG. 2 for printing, and is ejected through the inserter roller 20 and the ejection roller 35. In the above embodiment, the pick roller is sandwiched by the pick covers, and each pick roller can rotate independently. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Instead, for example, by providing a plurality of pick covers in which a plurality of pick rollers are sandwiched together and configured so that each of the plurality of pick covers can be rotated independently, each of the plurality of pick rollers is independent. Then, the sheet can be pressed.

In the above embodiment, the paper feeding apparatus of the present invention is applied to the printer, but the application of the present invention is not limited to the printer, and the paper is loaded in the hopper. Paper, such as FA
It can be applied to various devices such as an X, a copying machine, and a scanner.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention, the papers set in the hopper are pressed and picked by the pick rollers that rotate independently of each other. It is not necessary to adjust the balance, and media such as envelopes having different left and right thicknesses can be fed without causing skew or paper feeding failure.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration of a printer device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration of a pick roller of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a printer control device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a control timing chart of the printer device of the present embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the processing of the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,13 Hopper 1b, 22 Hopper motor 2,14 Paper 3,16,16 ', 16 "Pick roller 3a, 40,40', 40" Pick cover 3b, 41,43,43 ', 43 "44,44', Four
4 "gear 4,31 printer body 5,24 pick motor 6 rotary shaft 7,17 separation pad 8,25 sensor 9 control means 11 platen 12 print head 15 cam 18 one-way clutch 19,20 inserter roller 21 paper sensor 23 LF Motor 26 Shield plate 27 CR motor 28 Print control unit 29 Line feed control unit 30 Paper feed control unit 32 Processor 33, 34 Storage device 35 Discharge roller 45, 45 ', 45 "Spring

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. The paper (2) set in the hopper (1),
Use several pick rollers (3) to pick and print
In the paper feeding device feeding to (4), the rotary shaft (6) driven by the pick motor (5) and the pick motor (5) from the rotary shaft (6) via the gear (3b).
Driving force is transmitted, and a plurality of pick rollers that rotate independently around the rotation shaft (6) as an axis.
(3) is provided, and pick rollers that rotate independently during paper feeding
A paper feeding device characterized in that the paper (2) set in the hopper (1) is pressed by the (3) and the paper (2) is picked. 2. The paper (2) set in the hopper (1),
Use several pick rollers (3) to pick and print
In the paper feeding device for feeding to (4), the rotary shaft (6) driven by the pick motor (5) and the pick cover (3a) which rotates around the rotary shaft (6).
, And the driving force of the pick motor (5) is transmitted from the rotary shaft (6) via the gear (3b) via the gear (3b), and the rotary shaft (6) serves as an independent shaft. A plurality of pick rollers (3) that rotate in a rotating manner, a separation pad (7) that is provided under the pick roller (3) and separates the picked paper (2) one by one, and a paper setting standard. Attached to the side pick cover (3a),
A sensor (8) for detecting the movement of the pick roller (3) and a control means (9) for controlling the position of the hopper (1) are provided, and the control means (9) is used for feeding the paper (2 ) Is set until the sensor (8) operates and the hopper (1) is set to the paper standard position, and the paper (2 ) Is pressed to pick the paper (2).