JPH11147622A - Paper transport device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Problem] To easily and surely prevent skew of a manually fed sheet, skew of a print position with respect to the sheet, and shift of a print start position with respect to the sheet. SOLUTION: A front table 15, an insertion direction guide 26 which is located forward in a conveying direction of a sheet S placed on the front table 15, and a conveying direction of the sheet S placed on the front table 15. A side end guide 34 arranged in a direction extending along the direction, and a direction in which the upper end protrudes above the upper surface of the front table 15 so that the center of rotation intersects the insertion direction guide 26 and the side end guide 34. To the moving rollers 36 to 39 and the moving rollers 36 to
It has a moving roller drive mechanism 46 for rotating and driving the sheet 39, and a paper transport mechanism for transporting the paper S toward the printing position. When the moving rollers 36 to 39 are rotationally driven, the paper S
Are automatically aligned such that the side ends are in contact with the side end guides 34 and the ends are in contact with the insertion direction guides 26.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device for conveying a sheet so that printing can be performed at a correct position on a manually inserted sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a paper transport device in a printer for printing on a manually inserted delivery slip will be described with reference to FIG. A front table 1 on which paper such as a delivery slip is placed is provided at the front of the printer, and a paper transport path 2 for transporting the paper is formed inside the printer. A plurality of feed rollers 3, 4, 5, and 6 are disposed along the paper transport path 2, and a platen 7 and a print head 8 are disposed at the end of the paper transport path 2 so as to face each other. A paper insertion port 9 facing the front table 1 is formed at the start end side of 2. Further, a shutter 10 is provided in the vicinity of the paper insertion opening 9 so as to be able to move back and forth between an advanced position which has advanced into the paper transport path 2 and a retracted position which has been retracted from within the paper transport path 2. A motor 11 for rotating and driving the feed rollers 3 to 6 is provided below the sheet transport path 2.

A feed gear 3a, a pulley 3b, and an input gear 3c are fixed to an end of the feed roller 3,
The motor gear 12 fixed to the motor 11 and the input gear 3c mesh with each other. A feed gear 4a and a pulley 4b are fixed to an end of the feed roller 4, and a driving belt 13 is provided between the pulley 4b and the pulley 3b.
Is wound.

A feed gear 5 is provided at one end of each of the feed rollers 5 and 6 located above the paper transport path 2.
a, 6a are fixed. An elevating mechanism (not shown) is connected to the feed rollers 5 and 6, and the feed rollers 5 and 6 are provided to be able to move up and down. When the feed rollers 5 and 6 are lowered, the outer peripheral surfaces of the feed rollers 5 and 6 come into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the feed rollers 3 and 4 which are opposed to each other and the feed gears 5a and 6a are connected to the feed gear 3a. , 4a.

[0005] A procedure for printing predetermined items on manually fed paper in this printer will be described. The sheet is placed on the front table 1, and the side edge of the sheet is brought into contact with a side end guide (not shown) arranged on the side of the front table 1, and the sheet is inserted into the sheet insertion slot 9. , And the leading end thereof is brought into contact with the shutter 10 which has advanced into the paper transport path 2.

In this state, when the execution key for executing the paper transport and printing is depressed, the shutter 10 moves to a position where the paper is retreated from the paper transport path 2 and the paper transport path 2 is in a paper-passable state. Further, the feed rollers 5 and 6 descend and their outer peripheral surfaces come into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the feed rollers 3 and 4, and the feed gears 5a and 6a mesh with the feed gears 3a and 4a. Further, when the motor 11 is started, all the feed rollers 3 to 6 are driven to rotate in the sheet conveying direction. Then, the sheet whose side end is in contact with the side end guide and whose front end is in contact with the shutter 10 is conveyed in the paper conveyance path 2, and the conveyed paper is subjected to predetermined items by the print head 8. Is printed.

[0007]

When a sheet is manually inserted, the operation of bringing the side end of the sheet into contact with the side end guide and the operation of bringing the leading end of the sheet into contact with the shutter 10 are manual operations. , These contact states tend to vary,
The side edge of the sheet may be separated from the side edge guide, or the leading edge of the sheet may be in contact with the shutter 10 at an angle.

If the execution key is depressed while the side edge of the sheet is separated from the side edge guide or the leading edge of the sheet is in contact with the shutter 10 at an angle, the sheet is moved to the side edge guide. The paper is conveyed at a position distant from the printer or in a skewed state, and the printing start position on the paper is shifted or the printing position is shifted obliquely.

When the paper is manually inserted, if it is confirmed that the side edge of the paper is correctly brought into contact with the side edge guide and that the front end of the paper is correctly brought into contact with the shutter 10, the skew of the paper is confirmed. In addition, it is possible to prevent the shift of the print start position and the oblique shift of the print position, but it is very troublesome to check the manual insertion state each time the paper is manually inserted, and the work efficiency is reduced.

Therefore, the present invention provides a skewed sheet that has been manually fed,
It is another object of the present invention to provide a paper transport device capable of easily and surely preventing a shift in a print start position and an oblique shift in a print position with respect to the paper.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet conveying device, comprising: a front table on which sheets are placed;
An insertion direction guide provided forward and backward in a paper transport direction in which the paper placed on the front table is transported toward the printing position; and a paper sheet placed on the front table. A side end guide arranged in a direction extending along the transport direction, and an upper end protruding above the upper surface of the front table so that a center of rotation intersects the insertion direction guide and the side end guide. A moving roller that drives the moving roller, a moving roller driving mechanism that rotates the moving roller, and a paper transport mechanism that transports the paper toward a printing position. Therefore, the moving roller comes into contact with the lower surface of the sheet placed on the front table, and when the moving roller is driven to rotate by the moving roller driving mechanism from this state, the sheet is moved by friction with the moving roller,
The sheet is aligned so that the front end of the sheet is in contact with the insertion direction guide moving to the advanced position and the side end of the sheet is in contact with the side end guide in parallel. After this alignment state, the paper is transported toward the printing position without moving skewing or moving away from the side edge guide by moving the insertion direction guide to the retracted position and driving the paper transport mechanism. Thus, a shift of the print start position and a shift of the print position in an oblique direction are prevented.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper transport apparatus of the first aspect, a plurality of moving rollers are provided in parallel. Therefore, when manually feeding small-sized paper, at least one of the moving rollers contacts the lower surface of the paper, and when manually feeding large-sized paper, a plurality of moving rollers are positioned on the lower surface of the paper. No matter what size paper is manually fed, the front edge of the paper is abutted parallel to the insertion direction guide and the side edge of the paper is parallel to the side edge guide. Butted and aligned.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the paper transport apparatus of the first or second aspect, when a load equal to or more than a predetermined value is applied to the moving roller during the moving roller driving mechanism, the moving roller is driven. A torque limiter that cuts off transmission of driving force is provided. Therefore, if a hand is put on the front table when the moving roller is driven to rotate, the hand is prevented from being pulled into the printer or the moving roller drive mechanism from being damaged by the action of an excessive load.

[0014]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall structure of a printer 14 employing the paper transport device of the present invention. On a front portion of the printer 14, a front table 15 on which paper S such as a delivery slip to be manually inserted is placed.
And a keyboard 16 on which various keys are arranged.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the overall structure of the sheet conveying device. Formed inside the printer 14 is a paper transport path 17 through which the paper S placed on the front table 15 is transported, and a plurality of feed rollers 18, 19, 20, 21 along this paper transport path 17. , 22 are arranged, and a platen 23 and a print head 24 are arranged on the end side of the paper transport path 17 so as to face each other.
A paper insertion port 25 facing the front table 15 is formed at the start end side of the sheet. Furthermore, this paper insertion slot 2
In the vicinity of 5, there is provided a comb-shaped insertion direction guide 26 which can move back and forth between an advanced position which has advanced into the paper transport path 17 and a retracted position which has been retracted from within the paper transport path 17. The insertion direction guide 26 has an advance / retreat drive mechanism (not shown).
The drive motor 27 (see FIG. 5) is connected via the. A feed motor 28 for rotating and driving the feed rollers 18 to 22 is provided below the paper transport path 17.

A feed gear 18a, a pulley 18b, and an input gear 18c are fixed to an end of the feed roller 18, and a motor gear 29 fixed to the feed motor 28 and the input gear 18c mesh with each other. A feed gear 19a and a pulley 19b are fixed to an end of the feed roller 19, and a drive belt 30 is wound between the pulley 19b and the pulley 18b. A feed gear 31 and a pulley 32 fixed coaxially are arranged below the feed roller 20. A drive belt 33 is wound between the pulley 32 and the pulley 18b.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the front table 15 and its peripheral portion, and FIG.
It is an enlarged view of a line section. On one side of the front table 15 in the width direction, a side end guide 34 to which the side end of the paper S placed on the front table 15 is abutted is arranged, and is placed on the front table 15. The insertion direction guide 26 is disposed at a position in front of the front table 15 along the sheet transport direction of the sheet S. At a position on the front table 15 close to the side end guide 34, a sensor 35a for detecting that the side end of the sheet S has moved to a position where it contacts the side end guide 34 is provided. Further, a sensor 35b for detecting that the leading end of the sheet S has moved to a position where it contacts the insertion direction guide 26 is provided at a position of the front table 15 close to the insertion direction guide 26.

Below the front table 15, a plurality of moving rollers 36, 37, 38 and 39 are arranged. The upper ends of these moving rollers 36 to 39 project upward from a substantially rectangular hole 40 formed in the front table 15. In addition, these moving rollers 3
6 to 39 are arranged in parallel with each other, and are arranged such that the center of rotation intersects the side end guide 34 and the insertion direction guide 26 at an angle of about 45 °.

A pulley 36a and a gear 36b are fixed on the rotation center axis of the moving roller 36.
Are engaged with a motor gear 42 fixed to the moving motor 41. Pulleys 37a and 37b are fixed on the rotation center axis of the moving roller 37, and a drive belt 43 is wound between one pulley 37b and the pulley 36a. The pulley 3 is located on the rotation center axis of the moving roller 38.
8a and 38b are fixed, and a drive belt 44 is wound between one pulley 38b and the pulley 37a.
A pulley 39a is fixed on the rotation center axis of the moving roller 39, and a drive belt 45 is wound between the pulley 39a and the pulley 38b. Then, the moving motor 41, the gear 36b, the motor gear 42,
The pulleys 36a, 37a, 37b, 38a, 38b,
A moving roller driving mechanism 46 for rotating and driving the moving rollers 36 to 39 is constituted by the driving belt 39a, the driving belts 43, 44, 45 and the like.

The gear 36b includes the moving roller 36
A torque limiter (not shown) for interrupting the transmission of driving force to these moving rollers 36 to 39 when a load equal to or more than a predetermined value acts on the moving rollers 36 to 39 is provided.

Feed gears 20a, 21a, and 22a are fixed to one ends of the feed rollers 20, 21, and 22 located above the paper transport path 17, respectively. A drive motor 47 (see FIG. 5) is connected to these feed rollers 20 to 22 via a lifting mechanism (not shown), and the feed rollers 20 to 22 are provided to be able to move up and down. When the feed rollers 20 to 22 descend,
The outer peripheral surfaces of the feed rollers 21 and 22 are in contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the feed rollers 18 and 19 located opposite to each other, and the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller 20 is
5, the feed gears 20a to 22a are in contact with the upper surface of the sheet S placed on the feeder 5, and the feed gears 20a to 22a mesh with the feed gears 31, 18a, and 19a. These feed motors 28, feed rollers 18 to 22, feed gears 18a to 22a, 31,
The pulleys 18b, 19b, 32, the drive belts 30, 33, and the like constitute a paper transport mechanism 48 that transports the paper S on the front table 15 toward the printing position.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of the printer 14. CPU that controls various operations
The CPU 49 includes a ROM 50 storing fixed data such as a control program, a RAM 51 variably storing variable data, the print head 24 via a head driver 52, and the keyboard via a keyboard driver 53. 16, the feed motor 28 via the motor driver 54, the moving motor 41, the drive motors 27 and 47, and the sensors 35a and 35b via the sensor circuit 55 are connected.

In such a configuration, the paper S placed on the front table 15 is automatically aligned in a predetermined direction, and then is conveyed in the paper conveyance path 17, where a predetermined item is printed by the print head 24. This process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. FIG. 2 shows a state before the printing operation is started, in which the feed rollers 20, 21, 22 are located at the ascending position, and the insertion direction guide 26 has advanced into the paper transport path 17.

First, an operator places the sheet S on the front table 15 and depresses an execution key arranged on the keyboard 16. Here, the CPU 49 constantly detects whether or not the execution key is depressed (Step S).
1) When the CPU 49 detects that the execution key has been depressed, the movement motor 41 is driven to rotate by the control of the CPU 49 (step S2).

When the moving motor 41 is driven to rotate, the driving force of the moving motor 41 is applied to the pulleys 36a, 37a and 37.
b, 38a, 38b, 39a, drive belts 43, 44,
The moving rollers 36 to 39 are rotationally driven. When the moving rollers 36 to 39 are rotationally driven, the sheet S on the front table 15 is moved in a direction in which the side end is in contact with the side end guide 34 and the leading end is in contact with the insertion direction guide 26. Moved to When the side end of the sheet S is moved to a position where it contacts the side end guide 34, the sensor 35a is turned on, and when the leading end of the sheet S is moved to a position where it contacts the insertion direction guide 26, the sensor 35a is turned on. 35b turns on. Here, when the two sensors 35a and 35b are turned on, the paper S
The side ends are aligned in parallel with the side end guides 34 and the front ends are aligned in parallel with the insertion direction guides 26.

The CPU 49 constantly detects whether or not the sensors 35a and 35b are turned on (step S3).
The CPU 49 indicates that the sensors 35a and 35b have been turned on.
Is detected, the drive motor 27 is controlled by the CPU 49.
(Step S4), the driving of the drive motor 47 (step S5), and the rotation of the feed motor 28 (step S6).

When the drive motor 27 is driven to rotate, the insertion direction guide 26 is moved to the retracted position, and the paper S
Can be transported in the paper transport path 17. When the drive motor 47 is driven to rotate, the feed rollers 20 to 22 are lowered, the outer peripheral surfaces of the feed rollers 21 and 22 are brought into contact with the outer peripheral surfaces of the feed rollers 18 and 19, and The surface is in contact with the upper surface of the sheet S placed on the front table 15, and the feed gears 20 a to 22 a
It meshes with 18a and 19a. Furthermore, feed motor 2
8, the feed rollers 18 to 22 are driven to rotate in a direction for transporting the paper S to the printing position, and the paper S on the front table 15 moves in the paper transport path 17 toward the printing position. Conveyed.

After driving the drive motors 27 and 47 and the feed motor 28, the CPU 49 turns on a sensor (not shown) which is provided immediately before the print head 24 and detects the presence or absence of the sheet S. Is detected (step S7), and the print head 24 is controlled to perform printing at a predetermined timing after the sensor is turned on (step S8).

Here, when the paper is manually fed into the printer 14, the roughly positioned paper S is simply placed on the front table 15, and the paper S comes into contact with the side end parallel to the side end guide 34. At the same time, the sheet is automatically aligned in a state where the leading end thereof is in contact with the insertion direction guide 26 in parallel, and the sheet is conveyed from the aligned state toward the printing position in the sheet conveying path 17. Therefore, it is possible to easily and reliably prevent the skew of the manually inserted paper, the oblique deviation of the printing position with respect to the paper, and the deviation of the printing start position.

Further, since the sheet is merely placed on the front table 15 and is not pressed against the moving rollers 36 to 39 from above, the sheet is not wrinkled by the conveying force of the moving rollers 36 to 39.

Further, since the gear 36b is provided with a torque limiter, the hands on the front table 15 are pressed against the moving rollers 36 to 39 when the moving rollers 36 to 39 are driven to rotate, and the load applied to the moving rollers 36 to 39 is a predetermined value or more. , The transmission of the driving force to the moving rollers 36 to 39 is interrupted by the action of the torque limiter. Therefore,
When the hand is put on the front table 15, the accident that the hand is drawn into the printer 14 by the rotational driving of the moving rollers 36 to 39 is prevented, and the moving roller driving mechanism 46 caused by the action of an excessive load is prevented. Damage is prevented.

[0032]

According to the paper transport mechanism of the first aspect of the present invention, the paper placed on the front table by manual insertion has its side end abutting in parallel with the side end guide and its leading end inserted in the insertion direction. It can be aligned in a state of contact with the guide, and by conveying the aligned paper toward the printing position, the skew of the manually inserted paper, and
It is possible to easily and surely prevent an oblique shift of the printing position and a shift of the printing start position with respect to the sheet.

According to the paper transport mechanism of the present invention, since a plurality of moving rollers are provided in parallel, at the time of manually feeding a small-sized paper, at least one of the moving rollers is used to feed the paper. The lower surface can be contacted, and when manually feeding large-sized paper, a plurality of moving rollers can be brought into contact with the lower surface of the paper, and therefore, when manually feeding paper of any size, The front end of the sheet can be brought into contact with the insertion direction guide in parallel, and the side end of the sheet can come into contact with the side end guide in parallel.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when a load equal to or more than a predetermined value is applied to the moving roller in the moving roller driving mechanism, the torque limiter interrupts the transmission of the driving force to the moving roller. The hand is drawn into the printer when the hand is put on the front table when the moving roller is driven to rotate.
It is possible to prevent the moving roller drive mechanism from being damaged by the action of an excessive load.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a printer that employs a sheet conveying device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the overall structure of the sheet conveying device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a front table and a peripheral portion thereof.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of the printer.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a sheet transport operation.

FIG. 7 is a side view showing a conventional paper transport apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 15 Front table 26 Insertion direction guide 34 Side end guide 36-39 Moving roller 46 Moving roller drive mechanism 48 Paper transport mechanism S Paper

Claims (3)

[Claims] A front table on which a sheet is placed;
An insertion direction guide provided forward and backward in a paper transport direction in which the paper placed on the front table is transported toward the printing position; and a paper sheet placed on the front table. A side end guide arranged in a direction extending along the transport direction, and an upper end protruding above the upper surface of the front table so that a center of rotation intersects the insertion direction guide and the side end guide. A paper transport device, comprising: a movable roller directed in a direction; a movable roller driving mechanism that rotationally drives the movable roller; and a paper transport mechanism that transports the paper toward a printing position. 2. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of moving rollers are provided in parallel. 3. A moving roller driving mechanism further comprising a torque limiter for cutting off transmission of a driving force to the moving roller when a load equal to or more than a predetermined value is applied to the moving roller.
Or the paper transport device according to 2.