EP1004529A1 - Rollenzuführgerät für ein Drucksubstrat mit nicht-einheitlicher Dicke - Google Patents

Rollenzuführgerät für ein Drucksubstrat mit nicht-einheitlicher Dicke Download PDF

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Publication number
EP1004529A1
EP1004529A1 EP98830705A EP98830705A EP1004529A1 EP 1004529 A1 EP1004529 A1 EP 1004529A1 EP 98830705 A EP98830705 A EP 98830705A EP 98830705 A EP98830705 A EP 98830705A EP 1004529 A1 EP1004529 A1 EP 1004529A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
shaft
feed
roller
feed device
feed unit
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Granted
Application number
EP98830705A
Other languages
English (en)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP1004529B1 (de
Inventor
Cosimo Cassiano
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
C.P.G. INTERNATIONAL S.P.A.
Original Assignee
Compuprint SpA
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Compuprint SpA filed Critical Compuprint SpA
Priority to DE1998613831 priority Critical patent/DE69813831T2/de
Priority to EP19980830705 priority patent/EP1004529B1/de
Priority to CN 99123979 priority patent/CN1254651A/zh
Publication of EP1004529A1 publication Critical patent/EP1004529A1/de
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of EP1004529B1 publication Critical patent/EP1004529B1/de
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

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Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H27/00Special constructions, e.g. surface features, of feed or guide rollers for webs
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41JTYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J13/00Devices or arrangements of selective printing mechanisms, e.g. ink-jet printers or thermal printers, specially adapted for supporting or handling copy material in short lengths, e.g. sheets
    • B41J13/02Rollers
    • B41J13/03Rollers driven, e.g. feed rollers separate from platen
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41JTYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J25/00Actions or mechanisms not otherwise provided for
    • B41J25/304Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface
    • B41J25/308Bodily-movable mechanisms for print heads or carriages movable towards or from paper surface with print gap adjustment mechanisms
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41JTYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J3/00Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
    • B41J3/28Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B41PRINTING; LINING MACHINES; TYPEWRITERS; STAMPS
    • B41JTYPEWRITERS; SELECTIVE PRINTING MECHANISMS, i.e. MECHANISMS PRINTING OTHERWISE THAN FROM A FORME; CORRECTION OF TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
    • B41J3/00Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed
    • B41J3/28Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers
    • B41J3/283Typewriters or selective printing or marking mechanisms characterised by the purpose for which they are constructed for printing downwardly on flat surfaces, e.g. of books, drawings, boxes, envelopes, e.g. flat-bed ink-jet printers on bank books or the like
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2404/00Parts for transporting or guiding the handled material
    • B65H2404/10Rollers
    • B65H2404/13Details of longitudinal profile
    • B65H2404/133Limited number of active elements on common axis
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2404/00Parts for transporting or guiding the handled material
    • B65H2404/10Rollers
    • B65H2404/14Roller pairs
    • B65H2404/144Roller pairs with relative movement of the rollers to / from each other
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65HHANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2404/00Parts for transporting or guiding the handled material
    • B65H2404/10Rollers
    • B65H2404/18Rollers composed of several layers
    • B65H2404/185Rollers composed of several layers easy deformable

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a roller feed device for a print substrate of non-uniform thickness and, in particular, to a feed device according to the preamble of the first claim.
  • Roller feed devices are commonly used in printers of various types such as, for example, dot-matrix printers.
  • a device of this type is formed by two opposed feed units; each feed unit is constituted by a rigid shaft on which friction rollers are mounted for pulling or pushing along a print substrate.
  • a disadvantage of the known feed devices described above is that they do not operate correctly in the presence of a print substrate of non-uniform thickness in a transverse direction relative to a feed axis, such as, for example, an open bank book with a spine parallel to the feed axis. In this situation, the rollers are not in fact pressed against a thinner portion of the book with sufficient force; this causes a misalignment of the book, resulting in malfunctioning of the printer.
  • the object of the present invention is to prevent the aforementioned problems.
  • a roller feed device as described in the first claim is proposed.
  • the present invention provides a roller feed device for a print substrate of non-uniform thickness in a transverse direction relative to a feed axis, comprising a first feed unit and a second feed unit disposed substantially opposite one another, each feed unit having a shaft perpendicular to the feed axis for connection to a drive motor for rotating the shaft, and at least one friction roller mounted on the shaft in order to be rotated by the shaft, the friction rollers acting on the print substrate in an operative condition in which the print substrate is interposed between the first feed unit and the second feed unit, in which the shaft of at least one of the first and second feed units is resiliently deformable by flexure in order to bend according to the thickness of the print substrate in the operative condition.
  • the present invention also proposes a printer comprising the feed device.
  • this shows a serial dot-matrix printer 100 for banking uses.
  • the printer 100 has a mechanical support framework 103; inside the frame 103 there is a print head 106 having a matrix of pins (not shown in the drawing).
  • the head 106 is supported by a carriage 109 which can run on two guide bars 112a, 112b.
  • the pins of the head 106 face a platen 115 parallel to the guide bars 112a, 112b.
  • a cartridge of inked ribbon 118 is arranged in a manner such that a portion of the inked ribbon is interposed between the pins of the head 106 and the platen 115.
  • the movement of the head 106 defines a printing line 121 on the platen 115.
  • a support platform 124 is articulated to the frame 103 externally.
  • a bank book 127 is placed on the platform 124 in order to be inserted manually through a front slot 130.
  • a slide 133 and a support plate 136 face one another and are arranged between the front slot 130 and the head 106.
  • the support plate 136 houses alignment rollers 139 (bearing against an abutment element 142), thickness-detection levers 143, and a feed unit 148b with idle rollers (opposite a feed unit 148a with driven rollers).
  • a stopper 145 constituted, for example, by a series of teeth projecting upwards from the slide 133, is provided between the support plate 136 and the head 106.
  • a lower slide 151a and an upper slide 151b which face one another are arranged on the opposite side of the head 106.
  • a feed device (described in detail below) constituted, respectively, by a feed unit 154a with driven rollers and by a feed unit 154b with driven rollers, disposed opposite one another.
  • the printer 100 also includes a pair of tractor-feed devices 157 which are used for feeding towards the print line 121 a continuous (fanfold) module not shown in the drawing, which is inserted through a rear slot 160.
  • Printing data are supplied by a processing system (not shown in the drawing) by means of a suitable cable connected to an interface connector 163.
  • the operation of the printer 100 is controlled by a microprocessor logic control unit 166 in response to commands supplied by the processing system or input by a user by means of an external panel 169.
  • the alignment rollers 139 and the idle rollers of the feed unit 148b are raised so as to be spaced from the abutment element 142 and from the driven rollers of the feed unit 148a, respectively; at the same time, the stopper 145 is raised to block access to the printing line 121.
  • the book 127 is inserted in the front slot 130, the book 127 is interposed between the slide 133 and the support plate 136.
  • a presence sensor (not shown in the drawing), disposed on the support plate 136, detects the insertion of the book 127.
  • the logic control unit 166 consequently lowers the alignment rollers 139; these rollers 139 align the book 127 relative to the printing line 121 (in dependence on signal supplied by a pair of alignment sensors, not shown in the drawings, disposed on the support plate 136) and simultaneously urge the book 127 against the stopper 145.
  • the idle rollers of the feed unit 148b and the stopper 145 are lowered.
  • the units 148a, 148b then feed the book 127 towards the printing line 121 along an axis 172 perpendicular thereto.
  • the book 127 is transported to the printing line 121 between the head 106 (and the respective inked ribbon 118) and the platen 115.
  • the distance of the head 106 from the platen 115 is adjusted dynamically in dependence on the thickness of the book 127 detected by the levers 143.
  • the book 127 is advanced with an intermittent motion; each time the book 127 stops, the head 106 passes across the printing line 121 (in the two directions alternately) so as to print several lines (of characters or of a graphics image) on the book 127 in succession.
  • the book is then pulled along by the feed device 154a, 154b disposed downstream of the printing line 121.
  • the idle rollers of the feed unit 148b are raised and the direction of rotation of the driven rollers of the feed units 154a, 154b and 148a is reversed so as to urge the book 127 towards the front slot 130.
  • the idle rollers of the feed unit 148b are lowered.
  • the book 127 is thus urged outwardly by the rollers 139 which put the book 127 out of alignment in order to indicate the completion of the printing operation visually to an operator.
  • the alignment rollers 139, the idle rollers of the feed unit 148b, and the stopper 145 are raised and the printer 100 returns to the stand-by condition.
  • serial dot-matrix printer has a different structure, for example, with two or more feed units with driven rollers; alternatively, a parallel printer, a daisy-wheel printer, an ink-jet printer, or the like is envisaged.
  • the book 127 is fed in with a spine parallel to the feed axis 172 so that its thickness is not uniform in a transverse direction relative to this axis. Similar remarks apply if another print substrate such as a passport, an airline ticket, or the like is used; it should in any case be noted that the feed device of the present invention may be used with any type of print substrate even with a thin substrate of uniform thickness (such as, for example, a sheet of paper).
  • the feed unit 154b is constituted by a shaft 205 which is elongate along a longitudinal axis 210 perpendicular to the feed axis 172 and the ends of which are connected (by means of suitable bearings, not shown in the drawing) to the frame of the printer.
  • the shaft 205 has a generally rectangular cross-section with slightly convex smaller side surfaces.
  • Friction rollers 220a-220e are fitted on the shaft 205.
  • the roller 220a (similar remarks apply to the other rollers 220b-220e) is constituted by a central disk-shaped body 225; the disk 225 is typically made of rubber and has a rough lateral surface.
  • a hub 230 constituted by a hollow cylinder with a radius smaller than that of the disk 225; the hub 230 is longer than the disk 225 and projects to an equal extent from both ends (to the left and to the right) of the disk 225.
  • Inside the hub 230 (half way along its length) there is a partition in which a through-hole 235 complementary to the shaft 205 is formed.
  • the through-hole 235 is slightly larger than the shaft 205 so that the roller 220a is coupled loosely to the shaft 205.
  • the feed unit 154a is constituted by a shaft 236 of square cross-section which is elongate along a longitudinal axis 237 (coplanar with and parallel to the axis 210).
  • Friction rollers 238a-238e projecting from the lower slide 151a are coupled with the shaft 236 in a fixed manner and each bears against a corresponding roller 220a-220e of the feed unit 154b.
  • the shafts 205 and 236 are connected by a system of gears 239 to a drive motor (not shown in the drawings).
  • a drive motor (not shown in the drawings).
  • the shafts 205 and 236 rotate about the respective longitudinal axes 210 and 237, rotating the rollers 220a-220e and 238a-238e, respectively.
  • the corresponding rollers of the two feed units are spaced apart slightly, a different number of friction rollers (or even only one roller) is provided, the central body of each roller has a structure with spokes, the rollers are mounted on the shaft in another manner, etc.
  • the shaft 205 is resiliently deformable by flexure so that, in an operative condition in which the book 127 is interposed between the feed units 154a and 154b, the shaft 205 bends according to the thickness of the book 127, as shown in the front view of Figure 2b (the elements already shown in Figure 2a are identified by the same reference numerals).
  • the shaft 236, however, is rigid (that is, with negligible deformation in the application in question) so that it remains straight when the book 127 is interposed between the feed units 154a and 154b. Similar remarks apply if the shaft 236 is resiliently deformable and the shaft 205 is rigid, or if the shafts of both feed units 154a, 154b are resiliently deformable.
  • the solution of the present invention is also extremely reliable, simple and can be mass-produced at very low cost.
  • the shaft 236 is typically made of steel.
  • the shaft 205 is made of a material having a modulus of elasticity substantially lower than that of steel (205,800 N/mm 2 ), for example 3-6 times lower; the shaft 205 is preferably made of a polyamide resin. With suitable dimensions of the cross-section of the shaft 205, it is possible to achieve an optimal flexibility value thereof (the ratio between the deflection and the force bringing it about, which is substantially linear in the field of application in question), so as to allow the shaft 205 to bend according to the thickness of the book 127 whilst exerting a resilient force on the book 127 such as to keep the rollers 220a-220e pressed well against the book.
  • the flexibility of the shaft 205 at a central point along the axis 210 is preferably between 1 mm/N and 50 mm/N; for example, with a shaft 25 cm long and with a rectangular cross-section with sides of 5 mm and 3 mm, a flexibility of 10 mm/N is achieved (in the direction of the smaller sides).
  • Polyamide resin also ensures good torsional stiffness (for the driving of the rollers 220a-220e).
  • the shaft has a different cross-section, is made of a different material such as an acetal resin, etc.
  • a flat spring 240a-240e made, for example, of spring steel, is associated with each of the rollers 220a-220e.
  • the spring 240a (similar remarks apply to the other springs 240b-240e) has a rear end 245 which is bent slightly downwards; two through-holes provided in the rear end 245 are used for riveting the spring 240a to the upper slide 151b.
  • the spring 240a terminates at the front in a fork (formed, for example, by blanking) having a left-hand arm 250a and a right-hand arm 250b.
  • a free end of each arm 250a, 250b is bent to a semicircular shape (open at the bottom) and bears on a respective end of the hub 230 which projects from the disk 225.
  • each spring 240a, 240e therefore exerts a further resilient force which presses the associated roller 220a-220e towards the feed unit 154a; this ensures an improved grip of the rollers 220a-220e on the book 127, or permits the use of a more flexible shaft which follows the thickness of the book 127 better (for a given pressure exerted by the rollers 220a-220e on the book 127). Similar remarks apply if the flat springs have a different structure or if other equivalent resilient means are used; the feed unit of the present invention may, in any case, also be formed without such springs.
  • Each flat spring 240a-240e described above also keeps the associated roller 220a-220e, which is fitted loosely on the shaft 205, in axial position (relative to the upper slide 151b, which is fixed to the frame of the printer).
  • Two shoulders 255a and 255b are preferably provided on the shaft 205, between two adjacent rollers, for example, the rollers 220c and 220d.
  • Each shoulder 255a, 255b abuts the partition inside the hub of the roller 220c and 220d, respectively. This keeps the shaft 205 in axial position relative to the rollers 220c and 220d (which are fixed to the upper slide 151b by means of the springs 240c and 240d, respectively) preventing removal of the shaft 205.
  • the resilient deformation of the shaft 205 and of the springs 240a-240e is not generally uniform along the shaft 205 but is greater in its centre (particularly in the case of print substrates which are very narrow with respect to the feed axis 172).
  • the outer springs 240a and 240e (disposed at the ends of the shaft 205) have an elastic constant (stiffness) greater than that of the inner springs 240b-240d (disposed between the outer springs 240a and 240e); in particular, the outer springs 240a and 240e are made from two superimposed metal plates, whereas the inner springs 240b-240d are made from a single metal plate.
  • the resilient force exerted (by the shaft 205 and by the springs 240a-240e) on each roller 220a-220e is thus substantially uniform along the shaft 205, ensuring optimal operation of the feed device 154a, 154b.
  • the feed device of the present invention may, in any case, also be formed with identical springs for all of the rollers (possibly with the shaft having a variable cross-section along the longitudinal axis).

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  • Delivering By Means Of Belts And Rollers (AREA)
EP19980830705 1998-11-24 1998-11-24 Rollenzuführgerät für ein Drucksubstrat mit nicht-einheitlicher Dicke Expired - Lifetime EP1004529B1 (de)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
DE1998613831 DE69813831T2 (de) 1998-11-24 1998-11-24 Rollenzuführgerät für ein Drucksubstrat mit nicht-einheitlicher Dicke
EP19980830705 EP1004529B1 (de) 1998-11-24 1998-11-24 Rollenzuführgerät für ein Drucksubstrat mit nicht-einheitlicher Dicke
CN 99123979 CN1254651A (zh) 1998-11-24 1999-11-22 厚度不均匀的打印对象物的辊子送进装置

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
EP19980830705 EP1004529B1 (de) 1998-11-24 1998-11-24 Rollenzuführgerät für ein Drucksubstrat mit nicht-einheitlicher Dicke

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
EP1004529A1 true EP1004529A1 (de) 2000-05-31
EP1004529B1 EP1004529B1 (de) 2003-04-23

Family

ID=8236897

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
EP19980830705 Expired - Lifetime EP1004529B1 (de) 1998-11-24 1998-11-24 Rollenzuführgerät für ein Drucksubstrat mit nicht-einheitlicher Dicke

Country Status (3)

Country Link
EP (1) EP1004529B1 (de)
CN (1) CN1254651A (de)
DE (1) DE69813831T2 (de)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1489028A4 (de) * 2002-03-15 2005-09-21 F & F Ltd Blattzuführvorrichtung und drucker
US20260001736A1 (en) * 2024-06-26 2026-01-01 Pfu Limited Medium conveying apparatus

Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS60154087A (ja) * 1984-01-24 1985-08-13 Canon Electronics Inc シ−ト材送り装置
EP0372248A1 (de) * 1988-11-14 1990-06-13 Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd. Blattzuführung
US4968164A (en) * 1987-07-06 1990-11-06 Societe D'applications Generales D'electricite Et De Mecanique Sagem Printing assembly, adapted for reduction of its operational sound level
EP0472893A1 (de) * 1990-07-20 1992-03-04 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Blattransportvorrichtung und Tintenstrahlaufzeichnungsgerät mit dieser Vorrichtung
US5553845A (en) * 1993-07-20 1996-09-10 International Business Machines Corporation Paper feed roller

Patent Citations (5)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS60154087A (ja) * 1984-01-24 1985-08-13 Canon Electronics Inc シ−ト材送り装置
US4968164A (en) * 1987-07-06 1990-11-06 Societe D'applications Generales D'electricite Et De Mecanique Sagem Printing assembly, adapted for reduction of its operational sound level
EP0372248A1 (de) * 1988-11-14 1990-06-13 Tokyo Electric Co., Ltd. Blattzuführung
EP0472893A1 (de) * 1990-07-20 1992-03-04 Canon Kabushiki Kaisha Blattransportvorrichtung und Tintenstrahlaufzeichnungsgerät mit dieser Vorrichtung
US5553845A (en) * 1993-07-20 1996-09-10 International Business Machines Corporation Paper feed roller

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
PATENT ABSTRACTS OF JAPAN vol. 009, no. 319 (M - 439) 14 December 1985 (1985-12-14) *

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP1489028A4 (de) * 2002-03-15 2005-09-21 F & F Ltd Blattzuführvorrichtung und drucker
US20260001736A1 (en) * 2024-06-26 2026-01-01 Pfu Limited Medium conveying apparatus

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
EP1004529B1 (de) 2003-04-23
CN1254651A (zh) 2000-05-31
DE69813831D1 (de) 2003-05-28
DE69813831T2 (de) 2004-02-26

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