JPH10120199A - Sheet feeding device and sheet processing device provided with the sheet feeding device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To prevent a sheet material from being bent in a manual feed mode. In a manual feed mode, a guide member is pressed against a feed roller by a coil spring to feed a sheet material. In an automatic feed mode, a coil spring (not shown) is used. The sheet material is fed by pressing the pressure plate 20 against the feed roller 19 by using the pressure plate 20, but the urging force of the coil spring 40 in the manual feed mode is reduced. Thus, in the automatic feeding mode, the feeding force required for separating and feeding the sheet material is secured, and in the manual feeding mode, the feeding force is weakened to prevent the sheet material from being bent. .

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet feeding apparatus for supplying a sheet material such as transfer paper for performing various processes such as image formation, and a sheet processing apparatus provided with the sheet feeding apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sheet feeding apparatus for supplying a sheet material for performing various processes such as image formation has been used in a sheet processing apparatus such as a recording apparatus, a copying machine, and a laser beam printer. The sheet material used in the sheet feeding device includes transfer paper, photosensitive paper, thermal paper,
There are various types such as electrostatic recording paper, OHP sheet, printing paper, plastic thin plate, card, envelope, postcard, manuscript paper, and the like. (1) The conventional sheet feeding apparatus has a mechanism for sequentially separating and feeding a plurality of set sheet materials one by one (hereinafter, referred to as “automatic feeding”), and a manual sheet feeding apparatus for feeding one sheet. A mechanism is provided for feeding the sheet material inserted one by one (hereinafter, referred to as “manual feeding”). In both the automatic feeding mode and the manual feeding mode, the sheet material is fed by common feeding means. Was to be fed. Further, the sheet material fed in this way is conveyed further downstream by the conveying means.

The reason for such a structure is as follows. It is conceivable that only the automatic feeding mechanism is provided without providing the manual feeding mechanism as described above. In such a case, a sheet stacking section for stacking a plurality of sheet materials may be provided, and a separating and feeding means for separating and feeding the sheet materials stacked on the sheet stacking section one by one may be provided.

However, the sheet materials fed by the sheet feeding device have various thicknesses and stiffness, and even if the same type of sheet material is used, the stiffness of the stiffness depends on the temperature and humidity environment. Different in strength.

On the other hand, there are various types of the separating and feeding means such as a separating claw type, a separating plate pressing type, a separating pad pressing type, and a retard type. However, when sheet materials having different thicknesses and types are used, or when the environment changes even when the same type of sheet material is used, separation may not be performed accurately.

Therefore, a manual feeding mechanism is provided as described above, and manual feeding is performed for a sheet material that cannot be accurately separated by automatic feeding. As a method to solve the above problems,
Equipped with two types of separation feeding means, separation claw type and separation plate pressing type, which separates relatively thin and stiff sheet material by separation claw type and presses thick and strong stiffness sheet material There has been proposed a method in which the signals are separated by a method.

However, even with such a method, there is a limit to the types of sheet materials that can be accurately separated, and further, there is a problem that the structure is complicated, and the apparatus becomes large and expensive.

Therefore, as described above, a manual feeding mechanism is provided in addition to the separation feeding mechanism to solve these problems. (2) On the other hand, in both cases of automatic feeding and manual feeding, it is necessary to convey the sheet material without skew.
Each method for skew correction was adopted. Specifically, in the case of automatic feeding, a method is adopted in which the sheet material is bent to remove skew, and in the case of manual feeding, the conveying force is temporarily released and manual skew correction is performed. A release mechanism that can be used (for example, a mechanism that temporarily releases the pressing of these rollers when the transport unit is configured by a transport roller and a pinch roller) is provided. That is, a device for correcting skew in automatic feeding and a device for correcting skew in manual feeding have been separately provided.

[0009]

Conventionally, the sheet material is fed by a common feeding means in both automatic feeding and manual feeding. Therefore, the sheet is fed by the feeding means. The feeding force applied to the material was of the same magnitude for both automatic and manual feeding. Here, in the case of automatic feeding, it is necessary to make the sheet force large enough to separate the sheet material. There was a problem of bending.

As a method for solving such a problem, there is a method of manually feeding the sheet material to the conveying means without using the feeding means in the case of manual feeding. However, according to this method, it is difficult to make the feeding force appropriate, and there is a problem that the sheet material is bent.

In addition, there is a method in which the separate feeding and the manual feeding are performed by separate feeding means and the respective feeding powers are made appropriate. However, there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large.

On the other hand, if the apparatus for skew correction is separate for automatic feeding and manual feeding as in (3) above, the sheet feeding apparatus becomes complicated and expensive. There was a problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet feeding apparatus for preventing a sheet material from being bent or skewed when performing manual feeding.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a small and inexpensive sheet feeding apparatus.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet feeding apparatus for feeding a sheet material smoothly when performing manual feeding.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a sheet processing apparatus provided with a sheet feeding device having the above-described characteristics.

[0017]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a feeding means for feeding a sheet material, and a sheet material disposed at a guide position close to the feeding means. And a pressing means for applying a pressing force between the feeding means and the guiding means, and a sheet material set on the guiding means and pressed by the feeding means. In the sheet feeding apparatus for feeding the sheet, the mode is switched between a first mode in which the guide unit is pressed against the feeding unit with a large pressing force and a second mode in which the guide unit is pressed against the feeding unit with a small pressing force. Mode switching means, and separates and feeds a plurality of sheet materials set in the guide means in the first mode, and sets the sheet materials in the guide means in the second mode. Was performed one feeding of the sheet material, characterized in that.

In this case, the mode switching means has a third mode in which the guide means is separated from the feeding means and held at a retracted position, and in the third mode, a sheet material is provided on the guide means. Is preferably set.

Further, in this case, the guide means comprises first and second guide means movably supported respectively, and the pressing means is provided between the first guide means and the feeding means. First pressing means for applying a pressing force to the second pressing means for applying a pressing force smaller than the pressing force of the first pressing means between the second guide means and the feeding means. Wherein the mode switching means is means for moving the two guide means, and executes the first mode by holding only the first guide means at a guide position, and executes the second mode. The second mode may be executed by holding only the guide means at the guide position, and the third mode may be executed by holding both the first and second guide means at the retracted position. .

Further, the guide means and the pressing means are provided one by one, and the mode switching means changes the pressing force of the pressing means and moves the guide means, and the guide means Is arranged at a guide position close to the feeding means and executes the first mode by increasing the pressing force of the pressing means,
The second mode is executed by arranging the guide means at a guide position close to the feeding means and reducing the pressing force of the pressing means, and holding the guide means at the retracted position, thereby setting the third mode. May be executed.

When a plurality of sheet materials are set on the guide means and the mode switching means is operated to set the first mode based on the above-mentioned structure, the sheet materials are applied to the feeding means with a large pressing force. It is pressed and separated and fed by the feeding means. Further, when one sheet material is set on the guide means and the mode switching means is operated to set the second mode, the sheet material is pressed by the feeding means with a small pressing force and is fed by the feeding means. Sent.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a word processor (sheet processing apparatus) according to the present embodiment. The word processor W ₁ is provided with a keyboard 1 for inputting various data required for recording or editing or the like, information or the like input by the keyboard 1 is adapted to be displayed on the display device section 2 ing. The display unit 2
Is constituted by an LCD, a CRT (CRT), or the like, is rotatably supported, is arranged at a position covering the keyboard 1 when not in use, and is configured to protect the keyboard 1. An ink jet recording device (printer) 3 is arranged on the back side of the display unit 2 so as to print various information on the sheet material 5. Reference numeral 4 indicates an opening for inserting a sheet material.

Here, the structure of the recording device 3 will be described with reference to FIG.
8 will be described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the structure of the printer section of the ink jet recording apparatus. This printer unit includes a platen 30 and a chassis 24 having walls 24b, 24b at both ends. A guide shaft 10 and a guide rail 28 are attached to these walls 24b, 24b to move in the direction B. Are located.

The guide shaft 10 and the guide rail 28 support the carrier 7 movably. On the other hand, pulleys 12a, 12a are rotatably supported at both ends of the guide shaft 10, and a timing belt 11 is wound around the pair of pulleys 12a, 12a. It is fixed to the carrier 7. The pulley 12a is driven to rotate by a carrier motor 13, and the above-described carrier 7 is driven via the pulley 12a and the timing belt 11 to scan in the B direction. . The HP near the guide shaft 10
A sensor 14 is provided to detect a scanning position of the carrier 7.

A head cartridge (sheet processing means) 6 having an ink jet recording head is detachably supported on the carrier 7 described above. next,
The structure of the head cartridge 6 will be described with reference to FIG.

The head cartridge 6 is shown in FIG.
As shown in detail in (b), a discharge unit 6a and an ink tank 6 detachably attached to the discharge unit 6a.
b.

Of these, in the discharge unit 6a,
An electric connection portion 601 is exposed on the side surface.
In a state of being mounted on the carrier, the carrier comes into contact with the support plate 9 on the carrier side to receive various electric signals from the carrier side.

A nozzle 602 is formed on the lower surface of the discharge unit 6a so as to discharge the ink in the ink tank 6b. Further, a hole 604 is formed on the other side surface of the ejection unit 6a, and the hook 605 on the ink tank side is locked in the hole 604 so that the ink tank 6b is mounted on the ejection unit 6a. Has become. Further, a claw 605 is provided in the vicinity of the hole 604 in the ejection unit 6a, and the head cartridge 6 is connected to the carrier 7 by engaging the claw 605 with the hook 8 on the carrier side.
It is designed to be attached to. That is, the head cartridge (sheet processing means) 6 forms an image on a sheet sent from a sheet feeding device (details will be described later) and processes the sheet.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2, a cap 31 formed of an elastic member such as rubber is provided on the right end of the printer section.
Are arranged, and when the head cartridge 6 is at the home position (right end position of the printer unit), the nozzle 602 of the head cartridge 6 and the cap 31 are opposed to each other. And this cap 31
It is shaped to cover the nozzle 602 and is connected to the pump 32. By applying a suction force to the nozzle 602, the ejection recovery process of the head cartridge 6 is performed, and bubbles, dust, and thickening occur. Ink or the like that is no longer suitable for recording is removed.

Here, a mechanism for driving the pump 32 will be described.

A roller gear 36 is provided at the right end of the transport roller 15.
The roller gear 36 is driven to rotate by the transport motor 16 together with the transport roller 15 (details will be described later). A trigger gear 37 is attached to the transport roller 15 so as to be movable in the axial direction. The trigger gear 37 is pressed by the roller cartridge 36 when the head cartridge 6 is scanned to the home position when the cartridge is scanned to the home position. Meshed,
It is configured to be driven to rotate integrally with the roller gear 36. On the other hand, a pump gear 35 is rotatably arranged near the pump 32, and the pump gear 35 is meshed with a trigger gear 37. The pump gear 35
Is formed with a cam surface for driving the pump 32.
When the pump gear 35 is driven to rotate by receiving the driving force from the roller gear 36 and the trigger gear 37, the pump 32 is driven.

Although the above-described ejection recovery process is performed by applying a suction force to the head cartridge 6, the present invention is not limited to this, and the energy generation element provided inside the nozzle is driven by driving the head cartridge 6. It may be performed by discharging ink.

On the other hand, the blade 3
The blade 33 is configured to selectively take a position where it comes into contact with the head cartridge 6 and a position where it does not come into contact with the cartridge 6 by means of a latch 34 or the like. Then, based on scanning the head cartridge 6 with the blade 33 held at a position in contact with the cartridge 6, wiping (removal of ink) of the nozzle forming surface is performed.

The printer unit has a sheet feeding device, and the sheet feeding device feeds the sheet material 5 in a direction (C direction) orthogonal to the scanning direction (B direction) of the head cartridge 6. It is configured to send. Hereinafter, the sheet feeding device will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a plurality of feed rollers (feed means) 19 are provided on the chassis 24 of the printer section.
Are attached to the shaft portion 19a so as to be separated from each other, and are rotatably supported.
Is connected to a transport motor 16 via a clutch mechanism (not shown), and is driven to rotate by the motor 16.

On the other hand, at a position facing the feed roller 19, a pressure plate (first guide means) 20 for mounting a plurality of sheet materials is rotatably supported. In addition,
A side guide 21 is supported on the pressure plate 20 so as to be movable in the direction B, and the side guide 21 regulates the left and right positions of the sheet material 5.

As shown in FIG. 6 to FIG.
At 0, the manual guide 22 is supported so as to rotate about the shaft portion 22a. This manual feed guide 22
It has a guide portion (second guide means) 22d that can freely enter and exit through a slit provided in the pressure plate 20.

Then, the above-described pressure plate 20 and chassis 24
An elastic member (first pressing means) such as a coil spring (not shown) is interposed between the pressure plate 20 and the pressure roller 20 to urge the pressure plate 20 against the feed roller 19 to apply a pressing force therebetween. It is configured to be.

The one guide portion 22d is configured to rotate around the shaft portion 22a.
A cam plate 22e is integrally attached to an end of 2a. A coil spring (second pressing means) 40 is interposed between the spring hook portion 22b of the plate 22e and the projection 24a of the chassis 24, and urges the guide portion 22d to the feed roller 19. Thus, a pressing force is applied between them.

By the way, in the present embodiment, the coil spring (second pressing means) 40 is configured to apply a pressing force smaller than the pressing force of the elastic member (first pressing means). .

On the other hand, the printer section is provided with a mode switching means. By this mode switching means, the pressure plate 20 and the guide section 22d are moved to enable a mode capable of separating and feeding a plurality of sheets (first mode). (Hereinafter referred to as “automatic feeding mode”), a mode in which one sheet can be manually fed (second mode; hereinafter referred to as “manual feeding mode”), and a mode in which sheet materials are set ( Third mode, hereinafter referred to as “evacuation mode”). In the present embodiment, the mode switching means is constituted by a cam portion (first guide moving means) 19b, a manual feed lever (second guide moving means) 23, a stopper (first guide moving means) 41 and the like. However, these structures will be described below.

Cam portions (first guide moving means) 19b are arranged at both ends of the shaft portion 19a of the feed roller 19 (only one side is shown), and the pressure plate 20 is provided with these cam portions 19b. Protrusions 20a are formed at opposing positions. Then, based on the fact that the cam portion 19b is rotated to come into contact with the projection portion 20a, the pressure plate 20 is moved against the feeding roller 19 against an elastic member (first pressing means) not shown.
And the cam portion 19b is rotated to rotate the cam portion 19b.
The pressure plate 20 is brought close to the feed roller 19 and pressed against the roller 19 based on the urging force of the elastic member (first pressing means) by avoiding contact between the pressure plate 20 and the projection 20a.

A manual feed lever (second guide moving means) 23 is attached to the chassis 24 so as to be rotatable about a shaft 23a. As shown in FIG. The projection 23b and the projection 23c are attached. On the other hand, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the stopper 41 is mounted so as to be rotatable about the shaft portion 41a.
When the manual feed lever 23 is rotated in the E direction, the manual feed lever 23 engages with the protrusion 23c on the manual feed lever side and the protrusion 20b on the pressure plate side, so that the pressure plate 20 does not approach the feeding roller 19. The stopper 41, the projections 23c and the projections 20b also cause the pressure plate 20 to move the pressure plate 20 against an elastic member (first pressing means) not shown.
It is constituted so that it may separate from.

As described above, the cam portion 19b and the stopper 4
1, the pressure plate 20 takes a position away from the feed roller 19 (see FIGS. 4 and 7; hereinafter, the position of the pressure plate 20 is referred to as a "retreat position"). In a state where the sheet material is separated from the pressure plate 19, the sheet material can be set.
In the state in which is separated from the feeding roller 19, a manual feed mode is set. Further, when the pressure plate 20 is pressed against the feed roller 19, the pressure plate 20 defines a sheet material feeding path together with the feed roller 19, and particularly, when the sheet material is placed on the pressure plate 20, the sheet is placed on the pressure plate 20. The placed sheet material is fed to the feeding roller 1 by an elastic member (first pressing means).
9 (see FIG. 5; hereinafter, such a position of the pressure plate 20 is referred to as a “guide position”).

On the other hand, the above-described protrusion 23b on the manual feed lever 23 side is configured to hook the cam plate 22e on the manual feed guide 22 side. When the manual feed lever 23 is rotated clockwise, the protrusion 23b becomes The cam plate 22e is hooked, and the guide portion 22d is separated from the feed roller 19 against the coil spring 40 (hereinafter, this position is referred to as a "retreat position"), and the manual feed lever 23 is rotated counterclockwise. In this case, the projection 23b is disengaged from the cam plate 22e as shown in FIG. 7, and the guide portion 22d is pressed by the feed roller 19 by the coil spring (second pressing means) 40, and 19 together with the sheet material feeding path (hereinafter, this position is referred to as a “guide position”). A projection 20a is formed on the pressure plate 20 side, and a projection 22c is formed on the manual feed guide 22 side. The engagement of these projections 20a, 22c defines the guide position of the guide portion 22d. It has become. When the guide portion 22d is in the guide position, the manual feed mode is set, the pressure plate 20 is held at the retracted position by the stopper 41, and the guide portion 22d defines a sheet material feeding path together with the roller 19, When 22d is held at the evacuation position, the pressure plate 20 is set to the guide position to set the automatic feeding mode, or the pressure plate 20 is set to the evacuation position and set to the evacuation mode.

That is, in the present embodiment, in the automatic feeding mode, the guide portion 2 is operated by operating the manual feed lever 23.
This is realized when the pressure plate 20 is held at the guide position by holding the 2d at the retracted position and avoiding the contact between the cam portion 19b and the projection 20a. In this mode, the pressure plate 20
Is pressed against the roller 19 with a large pressing force by an elastic member (first pressing means), so that when a plurality of sheets are stacked on the pressure plate 20, they can be separated and fed.

The manual feed mode is realized when the manual feed lever 23 is operated to hold the guide portion 22d at the guide position and the pressure plate 20 is held at the retracted position by the stopper 41. In this mode, the guide section 22
Since d is pressed by the roller 19 with a small pressing force by a coil spring (second pressing means) 40, one sheet can be manually fed.

In the retreat mode, the cam 19b is brought into contact with the projection 20a to separate the pressure plate 20 from the feeding roller 19, and the manual feeding lever 23 is operated to move the guide 22d from the feeding roller 19. This is realized when they are separated. In this case, the sheet material can be set.

On the other hand, downstream of the pressure plate 20 and the guide portion 22d, a pair of rollers 15
(Hereinafter, “conveying roller 15” and “pinch roller 25”
) Are arranged so as to face each other, and the sheet material is further conveyed further downstream by rotating the conveyance roller 15.

The transport roller 15 is provided with a feed roller 19.
Is controlled so as to stop or rotate in reverse when feeding the sheet material, and to deflect the sheet material to correct the skew. Further, as shown in FIG. 4 and the like, the feeding roller 19 has a half-moon cross-sectional shape, and after the sheet material 5 is conveyed in the direction of the conveying roller 15 and is bent by a predetermined amount,
The feeding roller 19 is configured to avoid contact with the sheet material 5 so as not to apply a feeding force.

Further, the above-mentioned guide rail 28 is arranged on the downstream side of the transport roller 15, and a number of spurs 27 are attached below the guide rail 28, and oppose the spur 27. Paper discharge roller 26 in position
Are rotatably supported. These discharge rollers 26
Is pressed by a spur 27 by a spring (not shown) and driven to rotate as described below, thereby discharging the sheet material 5 to the outside of the apparatus.

That is, in the present embodiment, a gear 15a is fixedly provided at the end of the transport roller 15 and a gear is also fixedly provided at the end of the discharge roller 26. They are connected by a gear train 29. The gear 15a of the transport roller 15 is connected to a transport motor 16 via a clutch mechanism (not shown), and the transport roller 15 and the paper discharge roller 26 are driven to rotate by the motor 16.

Further, as shown in FIG.
An upper guide 17 is disposed at a position that covers the sheet 9, and a paper sensor 18 that detects the position of the sheet material 5 (the position in the direction C in the drawing) is provided on the upper guide 17.

Incidentally, the word processor W _{1 according} to the present embodiment is controlled by the CPU unit 70. Hereinafter, the CPU unit 70 will be described.
Description will be made with reference to FIG.

The CPU unit 70 is connected to the above-described keyboard 1 via a keyboard connector (KBC) 60.
And various kinds of data are inputted by the keyboard 1. Also, the CPU unit 70
Has a floppy disk drive connector (FDDC)
A floppy disk drive 52 is connected via 62 so that various kinds of information can be read from the floppy disk. Note that a hard disk or an external RAM may be connected instead of the floppy disk. Further, the CPU unit 70 has a ROM 51 that is a read-only memory,
Various programs, character codes, and dot patterns for operating 0 (described later) (character generator; CG)
And various data necessary for recording. Further, the detection unit 56 is connected to the HP sensor 14, the paper sensor 18, and the like provided in the recording device 3, and transmits detection information from these to a CPU 50 (described later). The CPU unit 70 has a read / write memory (RAM) 53 composed of a working area, a buffer area, and a text area. In the working area, the CPU 50 temporarily stores data in an instruction and a calculation result, and stores the data in the buffer. In the area, the keyboard 1, the interface section 67 and the floppy disk drive 5
Various data input from the second and the like are stored, and a document is stored in the text area.

On the other hand, the CPU unit 70 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 50, reads out programs and various data from the ROM 51, the floppy disk drive 52 and the like, performs necessary calculations and judgments, and performs various controls. It has become.

The CPU unit 70 is connected to the display unit 2 via an LCD connector (LCDC) 61, and the display unit 2 displays various information.

Further, the CPU unit 70 is connected to the head cartridge 6 via the head driver 54, and controls the driving of the head cartridge 6 by the CPU 50.

Further, the CPU unit 70 is connected to the transport motor 16 and the carrier motor 13 via the motor driver 55, and the CPU 50 controls the driving of these motors 16 and the like.

The CPU unit 70 is provided with a power supply 57. The power supply V _H for driving the head cartridge 6 and the power supply V for driving the transport motor 16 and the carrier motor 13 are provided.
_M , the power supply V for driving the floppy disk drive 52
It is configured to control the supply of the _FDD and the power supply _Vcc for other logic circuits.

Further, the CPU unit 70 has a controller 59. The CPU 50 performs data transfer of the head cartridge 6, changes the voltage and current of the driving power supply V _H , and performs various controls. I have.

Further, the CPU unit 70 has an RS232C64, a Centronics 65, a MODEM 66, and the like for controlling the recording device 3 and communicating with an external device by an external control device via an interface connector (IFC) 63,. Interface is connected.

Next, the operation when automatic feeding is performed will be described.

First, as shown in FIG. 4, the pressure plate 20 is set to the retracted position, and a plurality of sheet materials 5 are set on the pressure plate 20. The guide portion 22d is provided with the manual feed lever 23.
(See FIG. 6).

Next, when the transport motor 16 is driven, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 7, the cam portion 19b rotates in the direction D and stops contacting with the projection portion 20a, and the pressure plate 20 is pressed by the feed roller 19 by the action of an elastic member (first pressing means) (not shown). Take the guide position.

In this state, the feed roller 19 is further rotated, so that the stacked sheet materials 5 are separated one by one and fed in the direction of the transport roller 15.

On the other hand, while the sheet material is being fed in this way, the conveyance roller 15 stops rotating or rotates in the opposite direction. As a result, the leading end of the sheet material 5 is regulated by the roller 15 and a predetermined amount of bending occurs, so that the skew of the sheet material 5 is corrected.

Thereafter, the transport roller 15 is driven to rotate in the forward direction, and the sheet material 5 is transported further downstream. Then, after the information is printed by the head cartridge 6, the sheet material 5 is discharged in the direction shown by the arrow A as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation in the case of performing manual feeding will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG.
Is operated to hold the guide portion 22d at the retracted position and separate from the feed roller 19, and insert only one sheet material 5 into the guide portion 22d (FIG. 10; S1 to S3). Note that the leading end of the inserted sheet material 5 reaches the transport roller 15.

Next, as shown in FIG.
Is rotated in the E direction to bring the guide portion 22d to the guide position. Thereby, the sheet material 5 placed on the guide portion 22 d is pressed by the feed roller 19.

Next, when a recording command is received from input means such as the keyboard 1 (S4 in FIG. 10), the transport motor 16
Is driven, the feed roller 19 rotates clockwise, and the transport roller 15 rotates counterclockwise (FIG. 10; S
5). Since the rotation direction of the conveying roller 15 is opposite, the sheet material 5 is bent by the rotation of the feeding roller 19, but the feeding force of the feeding roller 19 is reduced to When the material 5 is excessively bent and comes into contact with another device, or in the case of a stiff sheet material, the feeding roller 19 is used.
And the sheet material 5 is slid.

Thereafter, the feed roller 19 and the transport roller 1
5 are rotated clockwise (FIG. 10; S6), whereby the sheet material 5 is conveyed to the downstream side of the conveying roller 15.

At this time, the transport roller 15 is driven until the transport of the sheet material 5 is completed, but the drive of the feed roller 19 is only one rotation (FIG. 10; S7). In addition, with the rotation of the feed roller 19, the cam portion 19 b rotates to press the protrusion 20 a on the pressure plate side, and the pressure plate 20 maintains a state separated from the feed roller 19.

Then, the head cartridge 6 is scanned, and information is printed on the surface of the sheet material 5 (FIG. 10;
S8).

In the case where the manual conveyance is continuously performed, the above-described operation is repeated (FIG. 10; S9, S3 to S3).
S8).

When terminating the manual feeding as described above, the manual feeding lever 23 is operated to operate the guide portion 22.
d from the feeding roller 19 (FIG. 10; S1
0).

Next, effects of the present embodiment will be described.

According to the present embodiment, automatic feeding is enabled by the pressure plate 20, and manual feeding is enabled by the guide portion 22d. Therefore, a sheet material that cannot be accurately separated by automatic feeding can be processed by manual feeding, and the types of sheet materials that can be processed are widened. In particular, the pressing force of the guide portion 22d is
Since the pressing force is set to be smaller than 0, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet material from being bent or skewed during manual feeding.

Further, as described in the above conventional technique,
There is no need to provide two types of separation feeding means of a separation claw type and a separation plate pressing type, and the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the sheet material is fed using the common feeding roller 19 in both the automatic feeding mode and the manual feeding mode.
The apparatus is smaller than when separate feeding means are used.

Further, in the case of manual feeding, the sheet material 5 is held between the guide portion 22d and the feeding roller 19. Therefore, the sheet can be fed without manually pressing the sheet in the feeding direction, and the sheet can be fed smoothly.

In this embodiment, in both the manual feed mode and the automatic feed mode, the skew of the sheet material is corrected by stopping or reversely rotating the conveying roller 15. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the release mechanism as described in the related art, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and cost.

In the above-described embodiment, the pressing force of the guide portion 22d at the time of manual feeding is made constant. However, it is needless to say that the pressing force is not limited to this. For example, the pressing force may be adjusted by changing the height of the projection 24a of the chassis 24 or replacing the coil spring 40 according to the sheet material to be used. With this configuration, it is possible to more reliably prevent the sheet material from being bent or skewed.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The same parts as those shown in FIGS. 1 to 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

The word processor (sheet processing apparatus) W _{2 according} to the present embodiment has the same structure as the above-described embodiment.
A pressure plate (first guide means) 20 rotatably supported is provided, and a guide portion (second guide means) 122d is provided so as to be able to move in and out (movable) from a slit provided in the pressure plate 20. Is provided. However, in the above-described embodiment, the guide portion 22d is provided at a position corresponding to each of the feed rollers 19, but in the present embodiment, the guide portion 122d is provided with each of the feed rollers (feed means) 1.
9 is provided at a position not opposed to 9 in the axial direction (see FIGS. 14 and 15).

As shown in FIG. 2, the feed roller 19 is composed of a plurality of rollers coaxially spaced apart from the shaft portion 19a, and the sheet material set on the pressure plate 20 or the guide portion 122d. Is to be fed.

A coil spring (not shown) (not shown) is provided between the pressure plate 20 and the chassis (main body) 24.
, Which presses the pressure plate 20 against the feed roller 19 to apply a pressing force therebetween. Further, a coil spring (second pressing means) (not shown) is interposed between the above-described guide portion 122d and the chassis (main body) 24, and the guide portion 1 is provided.
22d is urged against the feed roller 19 to apply a pressing force between them. The coil spring (second pressing means) that applies a pressing force to the guide member 122d is connected to the other coil spring (first pressing means).
Pressing means).

Further, in the present embodiment, the guide portion 122d is rotatably supported around the shaft portion 122a, and the end of the shaft portion 122a has a cam plate 122e as shown in FIG. Is attached. A hole 122c is formed in the cam plate 122e, and the projection 23b of the manual feed lever 23 is inserted into the hole 122c, and the manual feed lever 23 is rotated counterclockwise (F direction shown in FIG. 12). The guide portion 122d is configured to rotate in a direction approaching the feeding roller 19.

Further, a projection 122b is formed on the cam plate 122e. The projection 122b is locked by a stopper 141 provided on the chassis 24, so that the guide position of the guide 122d is adjusted. It is stipulated. Here, the height of the stopper portion 141 can be adjusted. Based on the adjustment of the guide position of the guide portion 122d, the pressing force of the guide portion 122d (the guide portion 122d is pressed by the second pressing means).
Is configured to be able to adjust the force urged by the feed roller 19).

In this embodiment, the shaft 12
The manual feed guide 122 is constituted by 2a, the guide portion 122d, the cam plate 122e, and the like.

In this embodiment, a cam portion (first guide moving means) 19a is formed on the feeding roller 19 in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.
The mode switching means is constituted by b, the manual feed lever (second guide moving means) 23, the stopper portion (first guide moving means) 141 and the like. And the cam part 19
The pressure plate 20 is moved to a retracted position (a position separated from the feeding roller 19) or a guide position (a position close to the feeding roller 19) by the b and the stopper portion 141. The manual feed lever 23 moves the guide portion 122d to a retracted position (a position separated from the feeding roller 19) or a guide position (a position close to the feeding roller 19).

That is, also in the present embodiment, the mode switching means presses the pressure plate 20 with a large pressing force to the feeding roller 1.
9, an automatic feeding mode (first mode) in which a plurality of sheet materials can be separated and fed, and a single sheet material by pressing the guide portion 122d against the feeding roller 19 with a small pressing force. The mode is switched between a manual feeding mode (second mode) that enables manual feeding and a retract mode (third mode) in which the pressure plate 20 and the guide portion 12d are separated from the feeding roller 19 and held at the retracted position. It is configured as follows. These modes correspond to the pressure plate 20 and the guide 122d.
The automatic feeding mode is realized by holding the pressure plate 20 at the guide position and at the same time
The manual feed mode is executed by holding the guide portion 122d at the guide position and holding the pressure plate 20 at the evacuation position, and the evacuation mode is executed by holding the pressure plate 20 and the guide portion. 122d
Is held in the retracted position.

Next, the operation in the case of performing the manual feed will be described.

First, as shown in FIG.
3, the guide portion 122d is held at the retracted position and separated from the feed roller 19, and the guide portion 122d is
, One sheet material 5 is inserted. Note that the leading end of the inserted sheet material 5 reaches the transport roller 15.

Next, as shown in FIG.
When 3 is rotated in the F direction, the guide portion 122d is held at the guide position defined by the engagement between the protrusion 122b and the stopper portion 141 (see FIG. 13). Accordingly, the sheet material 5 placed on the guide portion 122d is
As shown in FIG. 14 or FIG. The sheet material 5 is pressed downward by the feed roller 19 and upward by the guide portion 122d, and becomes wavy.

Further, when the feed roller 19 is rotated clockwise and the transport roller 15 is rotated counterclockwise, the sheet material 5 is bent, and the skew of the sheet material is corrected.

Thereafter, the feed roller 19 and the transport roller 1
When both the members 5 are rotated clockwise, the sheet material 5 is conveyed to the downstream side of the conveying roller 15. Then, the head cartridge 6 is scanned, and information is printed on the surface of the sheet material 5.

In the case of automatic feeding, the separation and feeding of the sheet material is performed in the same manner as in the above-described first embodiment based on operating the manual feed lever 23 to bring the pressure plate 20 into the guide position. It is.

Next, effects of the present embodiment will be described.

Generally, the closer the guide position of the guide portion 122d is to the rotation center of the feed roller 19, the greater the pressing force. However, according to the present embodiment, the pressing force is
The height can be adjusted by adjusting the height of 41. In other words, the pressing force can be increased when feeding a stiff sheet material, and the pressing force can be reduced when feeding a stiff sheet material. Bending and skew can be prevented more reliably.

Further, according to this embodiment, the same effects as those of the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

That is, automatic feeding is enabled by the pressure plate 20, and manual feeding is enabled by the guide portion 122d. Therefore, a sheet material that cannot be accurately separated by automatic feeding can be processed by manual feeding, and the types of sheet materials that can be processed are widened. In particular, since the pressing force of the guide portion 122d is set to be smaller than the pressing force of the pressure plate 20, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet material from being bent or skewed during manual feeding.

Also, as described in the above prior art,
There is no need to provide two types of separation feeding means of a separation claw type and a separation plate pressing type, and the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced.

Further, according to this embodiment, the sheet material is fed using the common feeding roller 19 in both the automatic feeding mode and the manual feeding mode.
The apparatus is smaller than when separate feeding means are used.

Further, in the case of manual feeding, the sheet material 5 is sandwiched between the guide portion 122d and the feeding roller 19. Therefore, the sheet can be fed without manually pressing the sheet in the feeding direction,
The feeding of the sheet material can be performed smoothly.

In the present embodiment, the skew of the sheet material is corrected by stopping or reversely rotating the conveying roller 15 in both the manual feeding mode and the automatic feeding mode. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the release mechanism as described in the related art, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and cost.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

The word processor (sheet processing apparatus) W _{3 according} to the present embodiment includes a pressure plate (guide means) 220 rotatably supported. A cam portion 19b is attached to the shaft portion 19a of the feeding roller (feeding means) 19 in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment, but the pressing plate 220 has a projection 220a at a position corresponding to the cam portion 19b. Are formed. Further, the protrusion 220a is configured to be movable in the sheet feeding direction (G direction shown in FIG. 16), and the protrusion 220a is provided with a spring hook (a support end of the coil spring). 220b is integrally formed. A coil spring (pressing means) 2 is provided between the spring hook 220b and a spring hook (main body, support end of the coil spring) 224 on the chassis side.
A pressing force acts between the feeding roller 19 and the pressure plate 220.

Therefore, based on controlling the rotational position of the cam portion 19b, the pressure plate 220
b (see FIG. 16; hereinafter, the position of the pressure plate 220 is referred to as a "retreat position") when the b presses the projection 220a, and (2) the cam 19b and the projection. The position where the contact with the portion 220a is avoided and the sheet 19 is pressed by the feed roller 19 based on the urging force of the elastic member (pressing means) to define the sheet material feeding path together with the roller 19 (see FIG. 17; hereinafter, see FIG. 17). , The position of such a pressure plate 220 is referred to as a “guide position”). That is, the above-mentioned elastic member (pressing means)
The pressure plate 220 at the guide position (the sheet material when the sheet material is placed on the pressure plate 220) is pressed against the feeding roller 19.

On the other hand, the manual feed lever 2 is
23 is rotatably supported. One end of the manual feed lever 223 is engaged with the protrusion 220a,
By rotating the lever 223, the protrusion 22
By moving Oa in the G direction, the pressing force of the coil spring 221 can be changed.

That is, in the present embodiment, the pressure plate 2
A mode switching means is constituted by the cam portion 19b as a means for moving the 20 and the manual feed lever 223 as a means for changing the pressing force of the coil spring 221. The mode switching means includes (1) an automatic feeding mode (first mode) in which the pressure plate 220 is pressed against the feeding roller 19 with a large pressing force to enable separation and feeding of a plurality of sheet materials. (2) a manual feed mode (second mode) in which the press plate 220 is pressed against the feed roller 19 with a small pressing force to enable manual feed, and (3) the press plate 220
It is configured to be able to switch to a retract mode (third mode) in which the sheet material can be set by holding the sheet at the retract position.

In the automatic feeding mode, the rotation position of the cam portion 19b is controlled to position the pressure plate 220 at the guide position close to the feeding roller 19, and the manual feed lever 223 is used.
The manual feeding mode is performed by controlling the rotation position of the cam portion 19b to move the pressure plate 220 close to the feeding roller 19 in the manual feed mode. And the manual operation lever 223 is operated to move the spring hook 220b so that the coil spring 22
1 can be executed by reducing the pressing force, and the retreat mode is controlled by controlling the rotational position of the cam portion 19b.
This can be performed by separating the roller 20 from the feeding roller 19.

Next, the operation when automatic feeding is performed will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG. 16, the cam portion 19b
, And the cam portion 19b presses the protrusion 220a to set the pressure plate 220 to the retracted position (retreat mode). Then, a plurality of sheet materials 5 are set on the pressure plate 220.

Next, when the transport motor 16 is driven, the cam portion 19b rotates clockwise so as not to contact the protrusion 220a, and the pressure plate 220 is pressed by the feed roller 19 by the action of the coil spring 221. Take the guide position (automatic feed mode).

In this state, the feeding roller 19 is further rotated, so that the stacked sheet materials 5 are separated one by one and fed in the direction of the conveying roller 15.

On the other hand, while the sheet material is being fed in this way, the transport roller 15 stops rotating or rotates in the opposite direction. As a result, the leading end of the sheet material 5 is regulated by the roller 15 and a predetermined amount of bending occurs, so that the skew of the sheet material 5 is corrected.

Thereafter, the transport roller 15 is driven to rotate in the forward direction, and the sheet material 5 is transported further downstream. Then, after the information is printed by the head cartridge 6, the sheet material 5 is discharged in the direction shown by the arrow A as shown in FIG.

Next, the operation when performing manual feeding will be described with reference to FIG.

First, as shown in FIG.
23 is rotated in the H direction, and the protrusion 220a is
Move to 3 side. Further, the rotational position of the cam portion 19b is controlled so that the cam portion 19b is brought into contact with the root portion of the projection 220a. In this state, the pressure plate 220 is held at the retreat position, and a minute gap is formed between the pressure plate 220 and the feed roller 19 (retreat mode). Then, when only one sheet material 5 is inserted from the minute gap, the leading end of the inserted sheet material 5 reaches the transport roller 15.

Next, when the feeding roller 19 is rotated clockwise, the cam portion 19b and the projection 220a are separated from each other,
The pressure plate 220 is pressed by the feed roller 19 by the action of the coil spring 221 to assume a guide position (manual feed mode). At this time, with the movement of the projection 220a, the lower spring hook 220b becomes the upper spring hook 2
24, and as a result, the urging force of the coil spring 221 is smaller than in the case of the automatic feeding.

Then, the feeding roller 19 is further rotated clockwise, and the transport roller 15 is rotated counterclockwise. As a result, the sheet material 5 is bent, and the skew is corrected.

Thereafter, the feed roller 19 and the transport roller 1
5 are driven to rotate clockwise, whereby the sheet material 5 is conveyed downstream of the conveying roller 15. Then, the head cartridge 6 is scanned, and information is printed on the surface of the sheet material 5.

Next, effects of the present embodiment will be described.

According to the present embodiment, automatic feeding and manual feeding can be performed. Therefore, a sheet material that cannot be accurately separated by automatic feeding can be processed by manual feeding, and the types of sheet materials that can be processed are widened. In particular, since the pressing force of the coil spring 221 in the manual feeding mode is smaller than the pressing force in the automatic feeding mode, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet material from being bent or skewed in the manual feeding mode.

Further, as described in the above conventional technique,
There is no need to provide two types of separation feeding means of a separation claw type and a separation plate pressing type, and the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced.

Further, according to this embodiment, the sheet material is fed using the common feeding roller 19 in both the automatic feeding mode and the manual feeding mode.
The apparatus is smaller than when separate feeding means are used.

Further, in the case of manual feeding, the sheet material 5 is held between the pressure plate 220 and the feeding roller 19. Therefore, the sheet can be fed without manually pressing the sheet in the feeding direction, and the sheet can be fed smoothly.

In this embodiment, the skew of the sheet material is corrected by stopping or reversely rotating the conveying roller 15 in both the manual feeding mode and the automatic feeding mode. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the release mechanism as described in the related art, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and cost.

[0134]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the first mode, a plurality of sheets can be separated and fed, and in the second mode, one sheet can be manually fed. Therefore, a sheet material that cannot be accurately separated by automatic feeding can be processed by manual feeding, and the types of sheet materials that can be processed are widened. In particular, since the pressing force acting between the feeding means and the guide means in the second mode is smaller than the pressing force in the first mode, it is possible to reliably prevent the sheet material from being bent or skewed during manual feeding.

Further, as described in the above conventional technique,
There is no need to provide two types of separation feeding means of a separation claw type and a separation plate pressing type, and the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, since automatic feeding and manual feeding are performed using the same feeding means, the size of the apparatus is reduced accordingly.

Further, in the case of manual feeding, since the sheet is sandwiched between the guide means and the feeding means, the sheet can be fed without manually pressing the sheet in the feeding direction. . Therefore, the feeding of the sheet material can be performed smoothly.

In the present invention, in any of the manual feeding mode and the automatic feeding mode, the skew of the sheet material is corrected by stopping or reversely rotating the conveying means. Does not require the release mechanism as described in the related art, and the apparatus can be reduced in size and cost.

Further, when the pressing force in the second mode can be adjusted, the pressing force becomes appropriate, and the bending or skew of the sheet material can be prevented more reliably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external appearance of a word processor according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a printer unit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating the structure of a head cartridge.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a sheet feeding mechanism.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a sheet feeding mechanism.

FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining a sheet feeding mechanism.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a sheet feeding mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a view for explaining a sheet feeding mechanism.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a CPU unit.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart for explaining the operation in the case of manual feeding.

FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a structure of a word processor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a word processor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a view for explaining the structure of a word processor according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating a guide position of a guide unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a guide position of a guide unit according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a diagram for explaining a structure of a word processor according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a diagram for explaining a structure of a word processor according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

5 Sheet Material 6 Head Cartridge (Sheet Processing Means) 15 Conveying Roller (Conveying Means) 19 Feed Roller (Feeding Means) 19b Cam (First Guide Moving Means, Mode Switching Means) 20 Pressure Plate (First Guide Means) 22 manual feed guide 22d guide part (second guide means) 23 manual feed lever (second guide moving means, mode switching means) 25 pinch roller (transport means) 40 spring (second pressing means) 41 stopper (first) 122d Guide part (second guide means) 141 Stopper part (first guide movement means, mode switching means) 220 Pressure plate (guide means) 221 Coil spring (pressing means) 223 Manual feed lever (mode switching means) W ₁ word processor (sheet processing apparatus) W ₂ word processing (Sheet processing apparatus) W ₃ word processor (sheet processing device)

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI B65H 5/36 B65H 5/36 11/00 11/00 J

Claims (15)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding means for feeding a sheet material, a guide means disposed at a guide position close to the sheet feeding means and defining a sheet material feeding path, and the feeding means and the guide means. Pressing means for applying a pressing force between,
In a sheet feeding apparatus which feeds a sheet material set on the guide means and pressed by the feed means, a first mode in which the guide means is pressed against the feed means with a large pressing force and a small mode in which the guide means is reduced Mode switching means for switching to a second mode for pressing the feeding means with a pressing force; and in the first mode, a plurality of sheet materials set on the guide means are separated and fed. In the second mode, one sheet material set on the guide means is fed. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said mode switching means has a third mode in which said guide means is separated from said feeding means and held at a retracted position, and in said third mode, a sheet material is applied to said guide means. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is set. 3. The guide means comprises first and second guide means movably supported, respectively, wherein the pressing means presses a pressing force between the first guide means and the feeding means. And a second pressing means for applying a pressing force smaller than the pressing force of the first pressing means between the second guide means and the feeding means.
Wherein the mode switching means is means for moving the two guide means, and the first mode is executed by holding only the first guide means at the guide position. Executing the second mode by holding only the second guide means at the guide position, and executing the third mode by holding both the first and second guide means at the retracted position. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said mode switching means comprises a first guide moving means for separating said first guide means from said feeding means against said first pressing means, and said second pressing means. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, further comprising: a second guide moving unit that moves the second guide unit away from the feeding unit in opposition. 5. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the feeding unit is a roller that is driven to rotate. 6. The sheet feeding device according to claim 3, wherein a pressing force of the second pressing unit is adjustable. 7. The feeding means comprises a plurality of rollers coaxially spaced apart from each other, wherein the second guide means is provided at a position not opposed to the rollers, and the second guide means The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein the pressing force of the second pressing unit can be adjusted by adjusting a guide position of the unit. 8. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said guide means and said pressing means are provided one by one, and said mode switching means changes the pressing force of said pressing means and moves said guide means, and said guide means is provided. The first mode is executed by arranging the guide means in the guide position close to the feeding means and increasing the pressing force of the pressing means to execute the first mode. The sheet feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the second mode is executed by reducing the pressing force of the pressing unit, and the third mode is executed by holding the guide unit at the retracted position. . 9. The sheet feeding device according to claim 8, wherein said pressing means is a coil spring interposed between the apparatus main body and said guide means. 10. The mode switching means moves at least one of the support ends so that the coil spring has a predetermined length in the first mode, and moves the coil spring in the second mode. The sheet feeding device according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the support ends is moved so that the length becomes shorter. 11. The sheet feeding device according to claim 8, wherein the feeding unit is a roller that is driven to rotate. 12. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a conveying unit disposed downstream of the guide unit to convey the sheet material. 13. The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 12, wherein said conveying means is a pair of rollers arranged to be opposed to each other and driven to rotate. 14. When the feeding means feeds a sheet material, the feeding means is stopped or reversely rotated,
The sheet feeding device according to claim 12, wherein the sheet material is bent to correct the skew thereof. 15. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: sheet processing means for processing a sheet fed from the sheet feeding apparatus. Sheet processing equipment.