JPH11208926A - Paper feeding mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To surely prevent skewing and jamming of paper sheets without increasing the size of the apparatus. In the thermal printer, inclined surfaces are formed at both ends in a direction orthogonal to a feeding direction of an insertion guide in the vicinity of a paper exit of an insertion portion. When the recording medium P is fed upward from the paper exit 5b toward between the platen 7 and the thermal head 8, the vicinity of both ends in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction abuts the inclined surface 6, and the feeding direction is changed. The vicinity of both ends in the direction perpendicular to the direction is deformed upward, and curved so as to protrude to the lower surface side. Therefore, the recording medium P easily moves to the upper surface side, is guided to a position sufficiently separated from the thermal head 8 between the platen 7 and the thermal head 8, and moves to the platen 7 side during printing processing. Therefore, the frictional resistance acting on the recording medium P is reduced, and the occurrence of skewing of the recording medium P can be prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet processing apparatus such as a printer for performing a printing process on a recording medium, in which a sheet such as a recording medium is transferred from an insertion section to a discharge section via a processing section. The present invention relates to a paper sheet feeding device for feeding paper.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A sheet processing apparatus for performing a predetermined process on a sheet is generally a sheet processing apparatus which feeds a sheet from an insertion unit to a discharge unit via a processing unit. It has a feeding mechanism. For example, in a printer that prints character data or the like on a recording medium such as a paper sheet, the recording medium is fed from an insertion unit equipped with a feeding guide and a feeding roller via a printing unit between a platen and a printing head. Feed to the discharge section. The recording medium is guided in a feeding position and a feeding direction from the paper entrance to the paper exit of the insertion portion by bringing one surface of the recording medium into contact with the feeding guide in the insertion portion.

However, in the printing section, both sides of the recording medium need to be opposed to the platen and the print head, and the recording medium must pass from the paper exit of the insertion section to pass through the printing section. A feeding guide for guiding the feeding position and feeding direction cannot be provided. Therefore, due to the action of the weight and wind of the recording medium and the movement of the print head to the platen side during the printing process, the feeding position and the feeding of the recording medium from the exit of the insertion section to the passage of the printing section. The feeding direction may fluctuate from an appropriate state, and skewing or jamming of the recording medium may occur.

Therefore, in a conventional printer, a print head and a ribbon cassette are mounted in a printing section, and a recording medium that has passed through an insertion section by a cassette cover formed on a carriage that reciprocates in a direction perpendicular to a feeding direction is fed to a platen. There is one that is pressed to the side. With this configuration, the feeding position and the feeding direction of the recording medium in the printing unit can be appropriately maintained.

Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-27963 discloses that
The card holder is provided with a window for moving the print head and a roller for pressing a print sheet as a recording medium against the platen, and a card holder having a curved shape along the platen with respect to the entire width of the platen in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction. It has been disclosed. With this configuration, the feeding position and the feeding direction of the recording medium can be properly maintained from the insertion section to the discharge section via the printing section.

[0006]

However, in the configuration in which the recording medium is pressed toward the platen by the cassette cover formed on the carriage, the recording medium is guided in an appropriate feeding position and feeding direction in the printing unit. Although it is possible, the recording medium cannot be guided to the proper feeding position and feeding direction from the exit of the insertion section to the printing section, and skew of the recording medium and occurrence of jams are reliably prevented. There was a problem that could not be done. On the other hand, in the configuration disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 3-27963, the recording medium can be guided to an appropriate feeding position and feeding direction from the insertion section to the ejection section via the printing section. In addition, a card holder that covers the platen for the entire width in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction is required, and there is a problem that the size of the apparatus is increased.

Further, the recording medium is deformed by guiding the recording medium to an appropriate feeding position and feeding direction from the insertion section to the paper discharging section via the printing section. The feeding mechanism does not correct the deformation of the recording medium, and the recording medium discharged from the discharge unit cannot be guided to an appropriate storage position, which hinders post-processing of the recording medium. There was a problem.

[0008] These problems are caused not only by a recording medium feeding mechanism used in a printer for performing printing processing on a recording medium, but also by
This is a problem common to general paper sheet feeding mechanisms that feed paper sheets to the processing unit.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to form an inclined surface between the insertion section and the processing section in contact with the vicinity of one end of one surface of a sheet in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction so that the sheet can be properly processed. The paper sheets are deformed in the direction perpendicular to the paper supply direction so as to maintain the proper paper supply position and paper supply direction, thereby ensuring the occurrence of skewing and paper jam without increasing the size of the device. Another object of the present invention is to provide a paper sheet feeding mechanism that can prevent the paper sheet from being prevented.

Another object of the present invention is to form an inclined surface between the processing section and the discharge section in contact with the vicinity of both ends of the other surface of the paper sheet to prevent deformation of the paper sheet passing through the processing section. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper sheet feeding mechanism that does not hinder post-processing of paper sheets by performing correction.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding mechanism for feeding sheets from an insertion section through a processing section to a discharge section. And a processing unit, wherein an inclined surface is formed in contact with a predetermined range near both ends of one surface of the paper sheet in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a predetermined range near both ends of one surface of the paper sheet in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction between the insertion portion and the processing portion abuts on the inclined surface, Sheets are curved in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. Sheets that are curved in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction are more likely to move in the direction opposite to the direction in which the sheet is bent, so the sheets that have passed through the insertion section move according to the positional relationship between the insertion section and the processing section. By forming the inclined surface so as to protrude in a direction opposite to the direction in which the sheet is to be curved, the paper sheets that have passed through the insertion section are surely guided to the processing section.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a sheet feeding mechanism for feeding sheets from an insertion section through a processing section to a carry-out section. A first inclined surface which contacts a predetermined range near both ends of one surface of the sheet in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction, and the other surface of the sheet between the processing unit and the discharge unit A second inclined surface which is in contact with a predetermined range in the vicinity of both ends.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the sheet is bent by contacting the first inclined surface between the insertion section and the processing section, and the paper sheet is bent between the processing section and the discharge section. The contact with the second inclined surface causes the sheet to be curved in the opposite direction to the curvature due to the contact with the first inclined surface.
Therefore, the deformation of the paper sheet to be guided to the processing section is corrected by the contact with the second inclined surface, and the paper sheet discharged from the discharge section is accurately stored in the storage position.

The invention described in claim 3 is characterized in that an angle changing member for changing an inclination angle of the inclined surface is provided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the inclination angle of the inclined surface abutting on one surface of the paper sheet passing through the paper feeding section is changed, and the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction generated in the paper sheet is changed. The curvature of the curvature changes. Since the ease of movement to the opposite side of the direction of protrusion due to the curvature changes according to the curvature of the curvature generated in the paper sheet, the inclination is considered in consideration of the ease of changing the movement direction due to the thickness of the paper sheet etc. By appropriately setting the inclination angle of the surface, the sheets are reliably fed to the processing unit regardless of changes in the thickness of the sheets to be fed, and the curvature generated in the sheets is reduced. It is definitely corrected.

The invention described in claim 4 is characterized in that the angle changing member changes the inclination angle of the inclined surface according to the type of paper sheet.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the inclination angle of the inclined surface is automatically set in accordance with the type, such as the material and thickness of the paper sheet to be fed. Therefore, even when the type of paper sheet to be fed is changed, the paper sheet is reliably fed to the processing unit, and the curvature generated in the paper sheet is reliably corrected.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a position changing member for changing a position of the inclined surface in a direction orthogonal to a feeding direction.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, the position of the inclined surface is changed in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. When the type of the material or thickness of the paper sheet to be fed is changed, or when the size of the paper sheet to be fed is changed, the position of the inclined surface in the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction is changed. By making appropriate changes, the inclined surface surely comes into contact with a predetermined range near the end of the paper sheet.

In the invention described in claim 6, the position changing member changes the position of the inclined surface in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction according to the length of the paper sheet in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. It is characterized by the following.

In the invention described in claim 6, the position of the inclined surface in the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction is automatically set according to the type and size of the paper sheet to be fed. Therefore, even when the size of the paper sheet to be fed is changed, the paper sheet is reliably fed to the processing unit, and the curvature generated in the paper sheet is reliably corrected.

[0023]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The structure of a paper sheet feeding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below by taking a recording medium feeding mechanism applied to a printer as an example. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. In a printing unit 10 of a thermal printer, a carriage 12 on which a thermal head 8 is mounted reciprocates opposite a platen 7 via a belt 16 driven by a stepping motor 15.

A ribbon cassette 14 containing an ink ribbon coated with a heat sublimable ink is mounted on the carriage 12. The printing unit 10 is provided with a feeding roller 3, and the recording medium is fed between the platen 7 and the thermal head 8 by the rotation of the feeding roller 3. The ink ribbon stored in the ribbon cassette 14 passes between the thermal head 8 and the recording medium.

In the case where print data is thermally recorded on a recording medium such as plain paper, the thermal head 8 is moved toward the platen 7 while the carriage 12 on which the ribbon cassette 14 is mounted is moved forward while the thermal head is moved. A plurality of heating elements formed at 8 are selectively driven based on the contents of print data. As a result, the back surface of the ink ribbon that is in close contact with the surface of the recording medium is selectively heated, and the ink applied to the ink ribbon is transferred to the surface of the recording medium.

When print data is thermally recorded on a recording medium which is a thermal recording paper, the thermal head 8 is attached to the platen 7.
The plurality of heating elements formed on the thermal head 8 are selectively driven based on the contents of the print data while moving the carriage 12 on which the ribbon cassette 14 is not mounted in a state where the carriage 12 is moved to the side. Thereby, the surface of the recording medium is selectively heated, and the heated portion on the surface of the recording medium develops color.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view, a front view and a plan view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. The thermal printer 1 includes an insertion section 5 into which the recording medium P is inserted, and a printing section 10 for thermally recording print data on the recording medium P. The insertion section 5 is formed with an insertion guide 4 which is opened at a paper entrance 5a on the upper surface of the insertion section 5 and a paper exit 5b on the printing section 10 side. It is arranged facing the upper surface of the insertion guide 4. At both ends of the insertion guide 4 in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording medium P on the paper exit 5b side, inclined surfaces 6 whose outer sides in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording medium P are raised are formed. ing.

The recording medium P inserted from the paper inlet 5a of the insertion section 5 is inserted up to a position where the front end of the recording medium P is in contact with the upper surface of the insertion guide 4 and the front end thereof is in contact with the feeding roller 3. It is guided inside the part 5. When the feed roller 3 rotates in this state, the recording medium P passes between the feed roller 3 and the upper surface of the insertion guide 4 and is fed from the paper exit 5b to the printing unit 10. The paper exit 5b of the insertion unit 5 is connected to the platen 7 of the printing unit 10.
Further, the recording medium P is located below the thermal head 8, and is fed upward from the paper exit 5 b toward between the platen 7 and the thermal head 8.

At this time, the vicinity of both ends in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction on the lower surface of the recording medium P abuts on the inclined surface 6.
Therefore, when the recording medium P is exposed below the printing unit 10 from the paper exit 5b, the vicinity of both ends of the recording medium P in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction is deformed upward, and the recording medium P is moved in the feeding direction. In a direction perpendicular to the lower side. The lower surface of the recording medium P faces the thermal head 8 when being fed upward from the paper exit 5b. Also,
The upper surface of the recording medium P faces the platen 7 when being fed upward from the paper exit 5b.

In general, when a flexible sheet-like material such as a recording medium P is fed, if the sheet-like material is curved in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction, the sheet-like material will be protruded by the curve. It becomes easy to move in the opposite direction. Therefore,
When the recording medium P is fed upward from the paper exit 5b, the recording medium P is curved by protruding toward the lower surface side in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction by contact with the inclined surface 6. The medium P is easily moved to the upper surface side, and the recording medium P
Can be guided to a position closer to the platen 7 between the platen 7 and the thermal head 8.

That is, the recording medium P exposed from the paper exit 5b
Is guided to a position sufficiently separated from the thermal head 8,
Thermal head 8 moved to platen 7 side during printing process
Therefore, the frictional resistance acting on the recording medium P can be reduced, and the occurrence of skewing and jamming of the recording medium P can be reliably prevented.

The recording medium P exposed from the paper outlet 5b is easily moved to the upper surface side according to the magnitude of the inclination angle of the inclined surface 6 from the horizontal direction. Therefore, the inclination angle of the inclined surface 6 can be determined in consideration of the ease of deformation of the recording medium P in the feeding direction.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied. The thermal printer 1 to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to this embodiment is applied includes an inclined member 21 which is swingable with one end 21a as a fulcrum at both ends of the insertion guide 4 on the paper outlet 5b side in the feeding direction. And an operation member 22 having a lower end locked to the inclination member 21, and the inclination angle of the inclination member 21 can be changed by operating the operation member 22.

As described above, the ease of movement of the recording medium P exposed from the paper exit 5b toward the upper surface side depends on the ease of deformation in the feeding direction of the recording medium P and the ease of the paper exit 5b. Is different depending on the inclination angle of the inclined surface formed at the bottom. Therefore,
When the ease of deformation of the recording medium P to be fed from the insertion unit 5 to the printing unit 10 in the feeding direction changes, in order to feed all the recording media P to appropriate positions, Mouth 5
It is necessary to change the inclination angle of the inclined surface to be formed in b according to the ease of deformation of the recording medium P in the feeding direction.

Therefore, the operation member 22 is operated in accordance with the material and thickness of the recording medium P to be fed from the insertion section 5 to the printing section 10 to swing the inclined member 21 so that the recording medium to be fed is recorded. Regardless of the material and thickness of the medium P, the recording medium P exposed from the paper exit 5b can always be fed to an appropriate position of the printing unit 10.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention is applied. The thermal printer 1 to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to this embodiment is applied has a rack gear 31b which is swingable with one end 31a as a fulcrum at both ends of the insertion guide 4 on the paper outlet 5b side in the feeding direction. An inclined member 31, and a stepping motor 32 having a pinion gear 32a meshing with the rack gear 31b,
By supplying a drive signal of a pulse number corresponding to the material and thickness of the recording medium P to the stepping motor 32, the inclination angle of the inclination member 31 can be changed according to the thickness of the recording medium P.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a thermal printer to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to the third embodiment is applied. The control unit of the thermal printer 1 accepts an input operation of the type of the recording medium P by the operator before starting the feeding of the recording medium P (s
1) It is determined whether a postcard is set as the recording medium P to be fed (s2). When a postcard is set as the recording medium P to be fed, the control unit outputs a drive signal of a predetermined pulse number for the postcard to the stepping motor 32 to compare the inclination angle of the inclination member 31. When a sheet other than a postcard is set as the recording medium P to be fed (s3), a drive signal having a predetermined number of pulses for a non-postcard is output to the stepping motor 32 to incline. The inclination angle of the member 31 is made relatively small (s4). Thereafter, the control unit accepts the insertion of the recording medium P (s5).

With the above processing, in the thermal printer 1 to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to this embodiment is applied, a postcard whose thickness is thicker than that of plain paper and whose deformation in the feeding direction is not easy is supplied as a recording medium. In the case of feeding, the inclination angle of the inclination member 31 is increased based on an input operation by the operator as compared with the case where plain paper is fed. Thus, regardless of the type of the recording medium P to be fed, which is a postcard or plain paper, the recording medium P can always be fed from the paper exit 5b to an appropriate position of the printing unit 10. . The type of the recording medium P set by the operator is not limited to the postcard.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing another processing procedure in a thermal printer to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to the third embodiment is applied. When the recording medium P is inserted into the insertion unit 5, the control unit of the thermal printer 1
Before the feeding of the recording medium P is started, the thickness of the recording medium P is detected (s11), and the inclination angle of the inclined member 31 corresponding to the detected thickness of the recording medium P is calculated (s12). Next, the control unit reads the current tilt angle of the tilt member 31 (s1).
3) It is determined whether or not the calculated inclination angle matches the current inclination angle (s14). If the two do not match in this determination, the stepping motor 32 is driven to change the tilt angle of the tilt member 31 to the calculated tilt angle (s1).
5) The feeding of the recording medium P is started (s16).

According to the above processing, in the thermal printer 1 to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to this embodiment is applied, the inclination member 31 is detected based on the detection result of the thickness of the recording medium P inserted into the insertion section 5. Determine the tilt angle. That is, the inclination angle of the inclination member 31 is increased in order to cope with the difficulty in the deformation in the feeding direction as the recording medium P becomes thicker. Thus, even when the thickness of the recording medium P to be fed changes variously, the recording medium P can always be fed from the paper exit 5b to an appropriate position of the printing unit 10.

Prior to the detection of the thickness of the recording medium P inserted into the insertion section 5, an input operation of the material of the recording medium P by the operator is accepted, and the inclination member is determined based on the material and the thickness of the recording medium P. Alternatively, the inclination angle of 31 may be determined. That is, the ease with which the recording medium P is deformed in the feeding direction varies depending on not only the thickness but also the material of the recording medium P. For example, a recording medium made of a resin such as an OHP sheet is more difficult to deform in the feeding direction than plain paper having the same thickness. Therefore, by determining the inclination angle of the inclined member 31 based on the material and thickness of the recording medium P, each of various types of recording medium P is supplied from the paper exit 5b to an appropriate position of the printing unit 10. Can be sent.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to the fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention is applied. The ease of movement of the recording medium P in the feeding direction changes according to the amount of bending in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording medium P, and the amount of bending in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the recording medium P is It changes depending not only on the inclination angle of the inclined surface that contacts the medium P, but also on the contact position of the inclined surface on the recording medium P. Therefore, FIG.
As shown in (A), an inclined member 41 having an operation member 42 is provided at the paper exit 5b of the insertion guide 4 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction, and the deformation of the recording medium P in the feeding direction is reduced. By changing the position of the inclined surface 6 in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction according to the easiness, the recording medium P is always kept at an appropriate position regardless of the material and thickness of the recording medium P to be fed. Can be fed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7 (B), an inclined member 51 formed with a rack gear 51a is provided at the paper exit 5b of the insertion guide 4 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the feeding direction, and is provided on the rack gear 51a. By providing the stepping motor 52 having the meshing pinion gear 52a, a process similar to the process shown in FIG. 5 or FIG. By changing the amount of curvature of the recording medium P by changing the contact position of the inclined member 51 in the direction in which the recording medium P is bent, the recording medium P is always kept at an appropriate position regardless of the material and thickness of the recording medium P. Can be fed.

The position of the inclined member 41 or 51 in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction is determined by the recording medium P to be fed.
, The recording medium P can always be fed to an appropriate position even when the size of the recording medium P to be fed changes variously. it can.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view and a plan view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention is applied. In the thermal printer 1 to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to this embodiment is applied, an inclined surface 6 is provided between an insertion portion 5 having an insertion guide 4 and a printing portion 10 having a platen 7 and a thermal head 8, and printing is performed. Unit 10 and discharge unit 20 above printing unit 10
And a discharge guide 60 in which a discharge groove 61 is formed. The discharge groove 61 is shaped so as to be displaced toward the thermal head 8 as it goes outward in a plane perpendicular to the feeding direction on the plane due to the inclined groove 62.

A recording medium P which is fed from the insertion section 5 to the printing section 10 and in which printing data is thermally recorded in the printing section 10
Is continuously moved upward by the rotation of the feed roller 3,
The paper is discharged to the discharge part 20 via a discharge groove 61 formed in the discharge guide 60. At this time, the curved recording medium P protruding toward the thermal head 8 due to contact with the inclined surface 6 is curved.
Is deformed so as to protrude toward the platen 7 side and be curved by the inclined grooves 62 at both ends of the discharge groove 61. Accordingly, while the recording medium P is being discharged to the discharge unit 20 via the discharge groove 61, the deformation given by the contact with the inclined surface 6 while being fed from the insertion unit 5 to the printing unit 10. And a deformation in the opposite direction is given.

As a result, the deformation of the recording medium P caused by the contact with the inclined surface 6 is caused by the discharge groove 6 having the inclined groove 62 formed therein.
1, the recording medium P is discharged to the discharge section 20 in an appropriate state without being deformed, and the post-processing for the recording medium P can be easily performed.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to the seventh and eighth embodiments of the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 9A or 9B, the inclined groove 71 or 81 in the discharge guide 60 is used.
Of the inclination member 21 or 3 shown in FIG. 4 or FIG.
By changing the operation member 72 manually or automatically by driving the stepping motor 82 in accordance with the inclination angle of 1, the recording medium P is supplied to the recording medium P while being fed from the insertion section 5 to the printing section 10. The printing unit 10
Can be reliably corrected while the paper is discharged to the discharge part 20 (not shown).

In this case, the operating member 7 shown in FIG.
The operation member 22 shown in FIG. 3 can be used as 2 and the stepping motor 32 shown in FIG. 4 can be used as the stepping motor 82 shown in FIG. 9B.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to the ninth and tenth embodiments of the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 10A or 10B, the inclined groove 9 in the discharge guide 60
The arrangement position in the direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of 1 or 101 is
The insertion portion 5 can be manually or automatically changed by operating the operation member 92 or driving the stepping motor 102 in accordance with the arrangement position of the inclined member 41 or 51 shown in FIG. 7A or 7B. The deformation imparted to the recording medium P while being fed from the
Can be reliably corrected while the paper is discharged to the discharge part 20 (not shown).

In this case, the operating member 42 shown in FIG. 7A can be used as the operating member 92 shown in FIG. 10A, and the stepping motor 10 shown in FIG.
As step 2, the stepping motor 52 shown in FIG.

In each of the above embodiments, the recording medium feeding mechanism applied to the thermal printer has been described as an example. However, other paper sheets than the recording medium are transferred from the insertion unit through the processing unit. The present invention can be similarly implemented in other paper sheet feeding mechanisms that feed the paper to the discharge section.

[0053]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the predetermined range near both ends of one surface of the paper sheet in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction between the insertion portion and the processing portion is set to the inclined surface. By contacting and bending the paper sheet in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction, by forming an inclined surface so that the paper sheet that has passed through the insertion portion protrudes and curves to the opposite side to the direction to be moved, Sheets that have passed through the insertion section can be reliably guided to the processing section without increasing the size of the apparatus.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the paper sheet is bent by contacting the first inclined surface between the insertion section and the processing section, and the paper sheet is bent between the processing section and the discharge section. The sheet is bent in the opposite direction to the curve caused by the contact with the first inclined surface by making contact with the second inclined surface, thereby deforming the sheet to be guided to the processing unit. The paper sheets corrected by the contact with the inclined surface and discharged from the discharge unit can be accurately stored in the storage position, and post-processing for the paper sheets can be accurately executed.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the inclination angle of the inclined surface that comes into contact with one surface of the paper sheet that has passed through the paper feeding unit is changed so as to be orthogonal to the feeding direction generated in the paper sheet. By changing the curvature of the direction of curvature, the inclination angle of the inclined surface can be appropriately set in consideration of the easiness of changing the moving direction due to the thickness of the paper sheet and the like, and the paper sheet to be fed can be set. Irrespective of a change in the thickness of the sheet, the sheets can be reliably fed to the processing section, and the curvature generated in the sheets can be surely corrected.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the sheet is to be fed by automatically setting the inclination angle of the inclined surface in accordance with the type of the material or thickness of the sheet to be fed. Even when the type of the paper sheet changes, the paper sheet can be reliably fed to the processing section, and the curvature generated in the paper sheet can be reliably corrected.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, even if the material such as the material and thickness of the paper sheet to be fed or the size of the paper sheet to be fed is changed, the paper can be fed. By appropriately changing the position of the inclined surface in the direction perpendicular to the direction,
The inclined surface can be reliably brought into contact with a predetermined range near the end of the paper sheet, and the paper sheet that has passed through the insertion section can be reliably fed to the processing section, and the curvature generated in the paper sheet can be reduced. Can be reliably corrected.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the sheet is fed by automatically setting the position of the inclined surface in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction according to the size of the sheet to be fed. Even when the type or size of paper to be changed, the paper can be reliably fed to the processing section, and the curvature generated in the paper can be reliably corrected.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view, a front view, and a plan view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to the first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to a second embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to a third embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a thermal printer to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to the third embodiment is applied.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating another processing procedure in a thermal printer to which the recording medium feeding mechanism according to the third embodiment is applied.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a configuration of a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to fourth and fifth embodiments of the present invention is applied.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are a side sectional view and a plan view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to seventh and eighth embodiments of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a main part of a thermal printer to which a recording medium feeding mechanism according to ninth and tenth embodiments of the present invention is applied.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1-Thermal Printer 3-Feed Roller 4-Insertion Guide 5-Insertion Portion 5a-Inlet Port 5b-Outlet Port 6-Slope 7-Platen 8-Thermal Head 10-Printing Unit 20-Ejecting Unit P-Recording Medium

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A sheet feeding mechanism for feeding sheets from an insertion section to a discharge section via a processing section, wherein a sheet feeding mechanism intersects the insertion section and the processing section at right angles to the feeding direction. A sheet feeding mechanism, characterized in that an inclined surface is formed in contact with a predetermined range near both ends of one surface of the sheet in the direction in which the sheet is rotated. 2. A sheet feeding mechanism for feeding sheets from an insertion section to a carry-out section via a processing section, wherein the sheet feeding mechanism intersects at right angles to the feeding direction between the insertion section and the processing section. Forming a first inclined surface in contact with a predetermined range near both ends of one side of the sheet in the direction, and between a processing unit and a discharge unit in a predetermined range near both ends of the other side of the sheet. A paper sheet feeding mechanism, wherein a second inclined surface that abuts is formed. 3. The paper sheet feeding mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising an angle changing member for changing an inclination angle of the inclined surface. 4. The paper sheet feeding mechanism according to claim 3, wherein the angle changing member changes the inclination angle of the inclined surface according to the type of the paper sheet. 5. The sheet feeding mechanism according to claim 1, further comprising a position changing member for changing a position of the inclined surface in a direction orthogonal to a feeding direction. 6. The paper according to claim 5, wherein the position changing member changes the position of the inclined surface in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction according to the length of the paper sheet in the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction. Leaf feeding mechanism.