Carrier device, and control device, control method and program therefor

JP2025034760APending Publication Date: 2025-03-13BROTHER KOGYO KK
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2023141365
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2023-08-31
Publication Date
2025-03-13

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  • Figure 2025034760000001_ABST
    Figure 2025034760000001_ABST
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Abstract

To properly carry a sheet type medium unwound from a roll body.SOLUTION: A printer comprises: a carrier part which carries a roll sheet unwound from a roll body in a carrying direction; a press-contact part which can be selectively at a press-contact position where a roll pair is pressed and a release position where the roll pair is released from being pressed; a roll sheet sensor which detects the roll sheet; and a control part. The carrier part has the roller pair which hold the roll sheet at a clamping point. The roll sheet sensor detects the roll sheet being positioned downstream from the clamping point in the carrying direction. The control part can execute: first determination processing (S3) to determine whether the roll sheet sensor detects the roll sheet; press-contacting processing (S4) to move the press-contact part from the release position to the press-contact position when it is determined through the first determination processing that the roll sheet is detected (S3: YES); and carrying processing (S5) to rotate the roll pair to carry the roll sheet to the carrier part after the press-contacting processing.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6
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Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device that conveys a sheet medium unwound from a roll, and a control device, control method, and program for the conveying device. [Background technology]

[0002] The inkjet recording mechanism of Patent Document 1 includes a storage section for storing roll paper, a transport path for transporting the roll paper from the storage section to the inkjet head, and transport rollers for clamping and transporting the roll paper on the transport path after it has been stored in the storage section. One of the transport rollers is attached to the cover, and the other is attached to the device body.

[0003] When replacing the roll paper, the cover is opened and one of the transport rollers moves away from the other, opening the transport path. After that, the roll paper is stored in the storage section, and when the cover is closed, one of the transport rollers moves toward the main body and clamps the roll paper together with the other transport roller. The roll paper is then transported by the transport rollers. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-1883 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the inkjet recording mechanism (conveying device) of Patent Document 1, when the cover is closed, there may be cases where the roll paper (sheet-like medium unwound from a roll body) is not positioned so as to be sandwiched between the conveying rollers (roller pair). In this case, even though the sheet-like medium is not sandwiched between the roller pair, the roller pair rotates, resulting in empty conveyance.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a conveying device that can appropriately convey a sheet medium unwound from a roll, a control device for the conveying device, a control method, and a program. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The conveying device of the present invention is a conveying section that conveys sheet-like medium unwound from a roll in a conveying direction, the conveying section having a pair of rollers that clamp the sheet-like medium at a clamping point, a pressure contact section that can selectively take a pressure contact position where the pair of rollers are pressed together and a release position where the pressure contact of the pair of rollers is released, a detection section that detects the sheet-like medium located downstream in the conveying direction from the clamping point, and a control section, wherein the control section is capable of executing a first judgment process that determines whether the sheet-like medium has been detected by the detection section, a pressure contact process that moves the pressure contact section from the release position to the pressure contact position if it is determined in the first judgment process that the sheet-like medium has been detected, and a conveying process that rotates the pair of rollers and causes the conveying section to convey the sheet-like medium after the pressure contact process.

[0008] The control device of the present invention is a control device that controls a conveying device having a conveying section that conveys sheet-like medium unwound from a roll in a conveying direction, the conveying section having a pair of rollers that clamp the sheet-like medium at a clamping point, a pressure contact section that can selectively take a pressure contact position where the pair of rollers are pressed together and a release position where the pressure of the pair of rollers is released, and a detection section that detects the sheet-like medium located downstream in the conveying direction from the clamping point, and is characterized in that it is capable of executing a first judgment process that determines whether the sheet-like medium has been detected by the detection section, a pressure contact process that moves the pressure contact section from the release position to the pressure contact position if it is determined in the first judgment process that the sheet-like medium has been detected, and a conveying process that rotates the pair of rollers and causes the conveying section to convey the sheet-like medium after the pressure contact process.

[0009] The control method of the present invention is a control method for controlling a conveying device that includes a conveying section that conveys sheet-like medium unwound from a roll in a conveying direction, the conveying section having a pair of rollers that clamp the sheet-like medium at a clamping point, a pressure contact section that can selectively take a pressure contact position where the pair of rollers are pressed together and a release position where the pressure contact of the pair of rollers is released, and a detection section that detects the sheet-like medium located downstream in the conveying direction from the clamping point, and is characterized in that the control method executes a first judgment process that determines whether the sheet-like medium has been detected by the detection section, a pressure contact process that moves the pressure contact section from the release position to the pressure contact position if it is determined in the first judgment process that the sheet-like medium has been detected, and a conveying process that rotates the pair of rollers and causes the conveying section to convey the sheet-like medium after the pressure contact process.

[0010] The program of the present invention is characterized in that a conveying device comprising a conveying section that conveys sheet-like medium unwound from a roll in a conveying direction, the conveying section having a pair of rollers that clamp the sheet-like medium at a clamping point, a pressure contact section that can selectively take a pressure contact position where the pair of rollers are pressed together and a release position where the pressure of the pair of rollers is released, and a detection section that detects the sheet-like medium located downstream in the conveying direction from the clamping point, functions as a first judgment means that judges whether the sheet-like medium has been detected by the detection section, a pressure contact means that moves the pressure contact section from the release position to the pressure contact position when the first judgment means judges that the sheet-like medium has been detected, and a conveying means that rotates the pair of rollers and causes the conveying section to convey the sheet-like medium after processing by the pressure contact means. Effect of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, the pair of rollers in the pressed state rotates and conveyance starts with the sheet medium being securely sandwiched between the pair of rollers, thereby enabling the sheet medium unwound from the roll to be conveyed appropriately. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1]1 is a side view showing a state in which a roll body is accommodated in a paper feed tray in a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] 2 is a side view showing a state in which cut sheets are accommodated in a paper feed tray in the printer of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] 2A is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the pressure contact between the roller pair 30 in Fig. 1 is released, and FIG. 2B is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the pressure contact between the roller pair 30 in Fig. 1 is engaged. [Figure 4] 1A is a side view showing a state in which the paper feed tray is in a detached position in the printer of FIG 1, and FIG. 1B is a side view showing a state in which the paper feed tray is in a mounted position in the printer of FIG 1; [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer in FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a flow chart showing the control contents executed by a control unit of the printer in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0013] <Overall printer configuration> 1 and 2 is one embodiment of the "conveyor device" according to the present invention. The printer 100 includes a housing 100a, a paper feed tray 1, a paper discharge tray 2, a conveyor section 3, a cutting section 4, a head 5, and a control section 9. Elements of the conveyor section 3, excluding rollers 11 and 12 and a roller pair 30 described below, as well as the cutting section 4, the head 5, and the control section 9, are supported by the housing 100a.

[0014] The paper feed tray 1 is one embodiment of a "tray" according to the present invention. The paper feed tray 1 is movable in the front-rear direction relative to the housing 100a. By moving in the front-rear direction relative to the housing 100a, the paper feed tray 1 can selectively take an attached position (see Figs. 1, 2 and 4(b)) in which it is attached to the housing 100a, and a detached position (see Fig. 4(a)) out of the attached position. The detached position is located forward of the attached position. The paper feed tray 1 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100a through an opening 101 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a.

[0015] The paper feed tray 1 has a first storage section 10 (see FIG. 1) capable of storing a roll R, and a second storage section 20 (see FIG. 2) capable of storing a plurality of stacked cut sheets P. The first storage section 10 and the second storage section 20 are aligned in the front-to-rear direction. The first storage section 10 is located forward of the second storage section 20.

[0016] 1, the roll R is a long roll paper Rp wound in a roll shape around the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical core member Rc. The roll R is accommodated in the first accommodation section 10 with the axis Rx of the core member Rc aligned in the left-right direction.

[0017] The cut paper P is, for example, A4 size or letter size paper, and is stored in the second storage section 20 with its long dimension aligned with the left-right direction. The length of the cut paper P in the long dimension is shorter than the length of the roll paper Rp in the winding direction.

[0018] The roll paper Rp and the cut paper P correspond to the "sheet-like medium" of the present invention. The cut paper P also corresponds to the "cut medium" of the present invention.

[0019] The paper feed tray 1 has holders 15, 16 that hold the roll R stored in the first storage section 10 as shown in FIG. 1, rollers 11, 12 and a roller pair 30 that constitute the conveying section 3, and a support plate 14 that supports the cut paper P stored in the second storage section 20 as shown in FIG. 2.

[0020] Holder 15 is located forward relative to holder 16. Roller 11 is disposed on the inner surface of holder 15, and roller 12 is disposed on the inner surface of holder 16. Rollers 11 and 12 are rotatable about an axis extending in the left-right direction. When roll body R is accommodated in first accommodation section 10, the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion thereof is supported by rollers 11 and 12.

[0021] Between the lower surface of the holder 16 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 1a of the paper feed tray 1, a passage is formed through which the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R stored in the first storage section 10 passes. The roller pair 30 is disposed at the lower end of the holder 16 and clamps the roll paper Rp at a clamping point N within the passage. The roller pair 30 includes an upper roller 31 and a lower roller 32 that are aligned vertically with the clamping point N in between. The upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 are rotatable about an axis that extends in the left-right direction.

[0022] The support plate 14 is located behind the holder 16 and above the bottom wall 1a. A passage through which the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll R stored in the first storage section 10 passes is formed between the lower surface of the support plate 14 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 1a. The support plate 14 has a notch 14a in the center in the left-right direction at the rear end. The notch 14a is located on the movement trajectory of a movable paper feed roller 33, which will be described later.

[0023] The paper discharge tray 2 is disposed above the paper feed tray 1. The paper discharge tray 2 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100a through an opening 102 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a.

[0024] The conveying section 3 selectively conveys the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R stored in the first storage section 10, and the uppermost cut paper P among the multiple cut papers P stored in the second storage section 20, from the paper feed tray 1 to the paper output tray 2 in a conveying direction (the direction indicated by the arrow in Figures 1 and 2), and has the above-mentioned rollers 11, 12 and roller pair 30, paper feed roller 33, roller pairs 34-36, and guide 37.

[0025] The paper feed roller 33 corresponds to the "feed roller" of the present invention, and is rotatably supported at the tip of an arm 33a. The arm 33a has a tip that supports the paper feed roller 33 and a base end on which a shaft 33x is provided. The shaft 33x is supported by the housing 100a.

[0026] The arm 33a can swing about an axis 33x relative to the housing 100a. The arm 33a swings about the axis 33x, so that the paper feed roller 33 can selectively take a first position (see FIG. 1) at which the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R stored in the first storage section 10 can be fed, and a second position (see FIG. 2) at which the uppermost cut paper P of the multiple cut papers P stored in the second storage section 20 can be fed. When the paper feed roller 33 is in the first position (see FIG. 1), the paper feed roller 33 is disposed in the notch 14a of the support plate 14 and comes into contact with the roll paper Rp below the support plate 14 via the notch 14a.

[0027] The arm 33a is biased by a torsion spring 33s wound around an axis 33x in a direction in which the feed roller 33 approaches the bottom wall 1a of the feed tray 1 (i.e., in a direction in which the feed roller 33 comes into contact with the cut paper P). The torsion spring 33s corresponds to the "biasing portion" of the present invention.

[0028] Each of the roller pairs 34 to 36 includes a drive roller and a driven roller that rotates along with the drive roller.

[0029] In the conveying section 3, the upper roller 31 of the roller pair 30 is rotated by the drive of a rotary motor 3M1 (see FIG. 5), the paper feed roller 33 is rotated by the drive of a paper feed motor 3M2 (see FIG. 5), and the drive rollers of the roller pairs 34 to 36 are rotated by the drive of a conveying motor 3M3 (see FIG. 5). The rotary motor 3M1 corresponds to the "motor" of the present invention.

[0030] 1, when the roll R is stored in the first storage section 10, the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll R passes between the lower surface of the holder 16 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 1a, and then passes between the lower surface of the support plate 14 and the upper surface of the bottom wall 1a, and is pulled out toward the paper feed roller 33. The roller pair 30 is rotated by the drive of the rotary motor 3M1, and the paper feed roller 33 is rotated by the drive of the paper feed motor 3M2, so that the roll paper Rp is sent out (fed) toward the rear. As a result, the roll R rotates in the direction of the arrow, causing the rollers 11 and 12 to rotate.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 2, when multiple cut sheets P are stored in the second storage section 20, when the feed roller 33 rotates by driving the feed motor 3M2, the uppermost cut sheet P among the multiple cut sheets P (the cut sheet P in contact with the feed roller 33) is sent (fed) toward the rear.

[0032] The rear wall of the paper feed tray 1 (the wall constituting the downstream end in the conveying direction) has a first wall portion 1x and a second wall portion 1y spaced rearward from the first wall portion 1x. The space between the first wall portion 1x and the second wall portion 1y constitutes a conveying path V along which the roll paper Rp travels from the roller pair 30 to the cutting unit 4.

[0033] The roll paper Rp fed by the roller pair 30 and the paper feed roller 33 passes through the transport path V toward the cutting unit 4, as shown in Fig. 1, and then toward the roller pair 34. Meanwhile, the cut paper P fed by the paper feed roller 33 is transported along a path that does not pass through the transport path V but passes through the front surface of the second wall portion 1y, as shown in Fig. 2, toward the roller pair 34. Note that the cut paper P located near the upper surface of the support plate 14 may be transported along a path that does not pass through the transport path V as described above, or may be transported along a path that passes through the transport path V like the roll paper Rp.

[0034] The roll paper Rp or cut paper P fed as described above is conveyed to the paper discharge tray 2 by the roller pairs 34 to 36 rotating as a result of the drive of the conveyance motor 3M3.

[0035] The guide 37 is disposed between the roller pair 34 and the roller pair 35 in the transport direction, and has a pair of members that sandwich the transport path of the roll paper Rp or the cut paper P therebetween.

[0036] The cutting unit 4 is located downstream in the transport direction from the paper feed tray 1, and upstream in the transport direction from the roller pair 34. The cutting unit 4 includes a fixed blade 4a extending in the left-right direction, and a disk-shaped rotating blade 4b arranged in contact with the fixed blade 4a. The rotating blade 4b moves left-right when driven by a cutting motor 4M (see FIG. 5). This causes the roll paper Rp to be cut in the left-right direction.

[0037] The head 5 corresponds to the "recording unit" of the present invention, and is disposed between the roller pair 35 and the roller pair 36 in the transport direction. The head 5 has a number of nozzles opening to its underside, and a driver IC5D (see FIG. 5). The head 5 may be either a line type in which ink is ejected from the nozzles while the head 5 is fixed, or a serial type in which ink is ejected from the nozzles while the head 5 moves left and right. When the roll paper Rp or the cut paper P transported by the transport unit 3 passes under the head 5, the driver IC5D drives the head 5 to eject ink from the nozzles, thereby recording an image on the roll paper Rp or the cut paper P.

[0038] The control unit 9 corresponds to the "control device" of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 5, the control unit 9 includes a CPU 91, a ROM 92, and a RAM 93. The ROM 92 stores programs and data for the CPU 91 to perform various controls. The RAM 93 temporarily stores data used when the CPU 91 executes a program.

[0039] <Roll paper sensor> 1 and 2, the printer 100 further includes a roll paper sensor 6. The roll paper sensor 6 detects the roll paper Rp located downstream in the transport direction from the clamping point N, and corresponds to the "detection unit" of the present invention.

[0040] The roll paper sensor 6 is supported on the bottom wall of the housing 100a and can rotate around an axis 6x extending in the left-right direction. The roll paper sensor 6 is biased by a spring or the like in the counterclockwise direction in Figures 1 and 2, and can selectively take the non-detection position shown by the dashed line in Figure 1 and the solid line in Figure 2, or the detection position shown by the solid line in Figure 1.

[0041] When the roll paper sensor 6 is in the non-detection position (see dashed line in FIG. 1), it blocks the transport path for the roll paper Rp. The roll paper Rp that is unwound from the roll body R passes through clamping point N and comes into contact with the roll paper sensor 6. At this time, the roll paper sensor 6, which is in the non-detection position, rotates clockwise in FIG. 1 about axis 6x against the biasing force of a spring or the like, and moves to the detection position (see solid line in FIG. 1). When in the detection position, the roll paper sensor 6 is in contact with the underside of the roll paper Rp.

[0042] The roll paper sensor 6 is electrically connected to the control unit 9 as shown in FIG. 6, and sends an ON signal to the control unit 9 when it is in the detection position.

[0043] <Pressure welded part> As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 100 further includes a pressure contact portion 7.

[0044] The pressure contact portion 7 can selectively take a pressure contact position (see FIG. 3(b)) where the roller pair 30 is brought into pressure contact, and a release position (see FIG. 3(a)) where the pressure contact of the roller pair 30 is released.

[0045] Two roller pairs 30 are disposed spaced apart in the left-right direction. The upper rollers 31 of the two roller pairs 30 are supported by the same shaft 31x. Holders 74 are attached to both left and right ends of the shaft 31x. The pair of holders 74 are supported by the bottom wall 1a of the paper feed tray 1 via springs 74s. The pair of holders 74 and the upper rollers 31 of the two roller pairs 30 are supported by the shaft 31x and are biased upward by the springs 74s.

[0046] The pressure contact portion 7 includes a cam gear 71, a push pin 72, a pair of pressing members 73, a connecting member 73x connecting the pair of pressing members 73, and a spring 73s. The cam gear 71 rotates by being driven by a pressure contact motor 7M (see FIG. 6). The push pin 72 is connected to the cam gear 71 and moves in the left-right direction in response to the rotation of the cam gear 71. The pair of pressing members 73 are disposed spaced apart in the left-right direction. The connecting member 73x extends in the left-right direction. The spring 73s connects the left pressing member 73 of the pair of pressing members 73 to the housing 100a. The pair of pressing members 73 are biased rightward by the spring 73s.

[0047] The above-mentioned elements constituting the insulation displacement portion 7 are supported by a housing 100a.

[0048] When the pressure contact portion 7 is in the release position (see FIG. 3(a)), the push pin 72 is not in contact with the pressing member 73, and the pressing member 73 is not in contact with the holder 74. At this time, in the two roller pairs 30, the upper roller 31 is biased upward by the spring 74s and is separated from the lower roller 32.

[0049] When the pressure contact portion 7 is in the release position (see FIG. 3(a)), the cam gear 71 rotates by the drive of the pressure contact motor 7M (see FIG. 6), and the push pin 72 moves leftward (see FIG. 3(b)). The push pin 72 moves leftward while pressing the right end of the right pressing member of the pair of pressing members 73, so that the pair of pressing members 73 moves leftward against the biasing force of the spring 73s. At this time, the pair of pressing members 73 come into contact with each of the pair of holders 74, and press the pair of holders 74 downward. As a result, in the two roller pairs 30, the upper roller 31 together with the pair of holders 74 moves downward against the biasing force of the spring 74s and comes into contact with the lower roller 32. When the pressure contact portion 7 is in the pressure contact position (see Figure 3 (b)), the two roller pairs 30 are in a pressure contact state, and the roll paper Rp or cut paper P is capable of being transported while being clamped between the upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 of each roller pair 30.

[0050] <Drive mechanism for roller pair 30> As described above, the roller pair 30 includes the upper roller 31, which is a drive roller that rotates by being driven by the rotary motor 3M1 (see FIG. 5), and the lower roller 32, which is a driven roller that rotates along with the upper roller 31. When the first gear 81 connected to the rotary motor 3M1 and the second gear 82 connected to the upper roller 31 are connected (see FIG. 4(b)), the driving force of the rotary motor 3M1 can be applied to the upper roller 31.

[0051] The first gear 81 is supported by the housing 100a. The second gear 82 is supported by the paper feed tray 1. Specifically, the second gear 82 is attached to the right end of the shaft 31x as shown in FIG.

[0052] 4(a), when the paper feed tray 1 is in the detached position, the first gear 81 and the second gear 82 are not connected, and the driving force of the rotary motor 3M1 cannot be applied to the upper roller 31. At this time, the roller pair 30 is disposed outside the housing 100a, and the pressure contact is released. In this state, the roll R can be accommodated in the first accommodation section 10, and the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll R can be passed between the upper roller 31 and the lower roller 32 of the roller pair 30 and clamped by the roller pair 30.

[0053] The roller pair 30 can hold the roll paper Rp both when the roller pair 30 is in the pressure contact state and when the roller pair 30 is in the pressure-release state.

[0054] When the paper feed tray 1 moves from the detached position (see FIG. 4(a)) to the attached position (see FIG. 4(b)) and reaches the attached position, the first gear 81 and the second gear 82 are connected. That is, the first gear 81 and the second gear 82 are connected in conjunction with the movement of the paper feed tray 1 from the detached position to the attached position. When the paper feed tray 1 is in the attached position, the first gear 81 and the second gear 82 are connected, and the driving force of the rotation motor 3M1 can be applied to the upper roller 31.

[0055] <Control content> A program executed by the control unit 9 (CPU 91) will be described with reference to Fig. 6. At the start of the program, the paper feed tray 1 is in the mounting position (see Figs. 1, 2 and 4(b)), and the pressure contact portion is in the release position (see Fig. 3(a)).

[0056] First, the CPU 91 determines whether or not a recording command has been received from an external device such as a PC (S1: second determination process).

[0057] When it is determined that a recording command has not been received (S1: NO), the CPU 91 repeats the process of S1.

[0058] When it is determined that a recording command has been received (S1: YES), the CPU 91 determines whether the recording command is an instruction to record on the roll paper Rp (S2).

[0059] If it is determined that the recording command instructs recording on roll paper Rp (S2: YES), the CPU 91 determines whether the roll paper sensor 6 is sending an ON signal (i.e., whether the roll paper Rp has been detected by the roll paper sensor 6) (S3: first determination process).

[0060] If it is determined that the roll paper sensor 6 is not transmitting an ON signal (S3: NO), the CPU 91 repeats the process of S3.

[0061] If it is determined that the roll paper sensor 6 is transmitting an ON signal (S3: NO), the CPU 91 drives the pressure motor 7M (see Figure 5) to move the pressure portion 7 from the release position (see Figure 3(a)) to the pressure position (see Figure 3(b)) (S4: pressure processing).

[0062] After S4, or if it is determined that the recording command does not instruct recording on roll paper Rp (i.e., the recording command instructs recording on cut paper P) (S2: NO), the CPU 91 executes recording processing (S5).

[0063] If the recording command instructs recording on roll paper Rp, in the recording process (S5), the CPU 91 executes a transport process in which the rotation motor 3M1, the paper feed motor 3M2, and the transport motor 3M3 are driven to rotate roller pair 30, paper feed roller 33, and roller pairs 34-36, thereby causing the transport section 3 to transport the roll paper Rp, and an ejection process in which ink is ejected from the nozzles of the head 5 by driving the driver IC 5D.

[0064] If the recording command does not instruct recording on roll paper Rp (i.e., if the recording command instructs recording on cut paper P), in the recording process (S5), the CPU 91 executes a transport process in which the paper feed motor 3M2 and the transport motor 3M3 are driven to rotate the paper feed roller 33 and roller pairs 34-36 and transport the cut paper P to the transport section 3, and an ejection process in which ink is ejected from the nozzles of the head 5 by driving the driver IC5D.

[0065] After S5, the CPU 91 ends the program.

[0066] <Effects> As described above, in this embodiment, the control unit 9 can execute a first determination process (S3) to determine whether or not roll paper Rp has been detected by the roll paper sensor 6, and if it is determined in the first determination process that roll paper Rp has been detected (S3: YES), a pressing process (S4) to move the pressing unit 7 from the release position (see FIG. 3(a)) to the pressing position (see FIG. 3(b)), and a transport process (S5) to rotate the roller pair 30 and transport the roll paper Rp to the transport unit 3 after the pressing process (S4). In this case, with the roll paper Rp securely sandwiched between the roller pair 30, the roller pair 30 in the pressed state rotates and transport begins. This allows the roll paper Rp to be transported appropriately.

[0067] The roller pair 30 is supported by the paper feed tray 1, and is disposed outside the housing 100a when the paper feed tray 1 is in the detached position (see FIG. 4(a)). In this case, the user can place the paper feed tray 1 in the detached position, store the roll R in the first storage section 10, and have the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll R sandwiched between the roller pair 30, and then place the paper feed tray 1 in the attached position. This allows the roll paper Rp to be securely sandwiched between the roller pair 30.

[0068] When the paper feed tray 1 is in the removed position, the first gear 81 and the second gear 82 are not connected, and when the paper feed tray is in the attached position, the first gear 81 and the second gear 82 are connected (see FIG. 4). In this case, a rotational force can be applied to the roller pair 30 by disposing the paper feed tray 1 in the attached position with a simple configuration.

[0069] The rear wall of the paper feed tray 1 (the wall constituting the downstream end in the conveying direction) has a first wall 1x and a second wall 1y spaced rearward from the first wall 1x (see FIG. 1). The space between the first wall 1x and the second wall 1y constitutes the conveying path V along which the roll paper Rp travels from the roller pair 30 to the cutting unit 4. For example, when the roll paper Rp jams, the user cuts the roll paper Rp with the cutting unit 4 and then moves the paper feed tray 1 from the mounting position to the detached position. After that, the user removes the damaged portion of the roll paper Rp outside the printer 100 with a cutter or the like, places the roll body R in the paper feed tray 1, passes the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R between the first wall 1x and the second wall 1y, and moves the paper feed tray 1 from the detached position to the mounting position. This allows the roll paper Rp to be smoothly guided to the cutting unit 4 in the subsequent conveying process, making it possible to prevent the jam from occurring again.

[0070] The control unit 9 executes a pressing process (S4) when it is determined in the first determination process that roll paper Rp has been detected (S3: YES) and when it is determined in the second determination process that a recording command has been received (S1: YES). In other words, even if roll paper Rp is detected, the roller pair 30 remains in a released state of pressing (see FIG. 3(a)) while a recording command is not received. This reduces the load acting on the roller pair 30 due to pressing.

[0071] The paper feed tray 1 has not only a first storage section 10 capable of storing a roll R, but also a second storage section 20 capable of storing a plurality of stacked cut sheets P (see FIG. 2). The transport section 3 has a feed roller 33 and a torsion spring 33s as a feeding mechanism for the cut sheets P. When the cut sheets P are fed by a pair of rollers, it is difficult to continuously transport the cut sheets P. In this regard, in this embodiment, by adopting a feed roller 33 and a torsion spring 33s instead of a pair of rollers as a feeding mechanism for the cut sheets P, the cut sheets P can be continuously transported.

[0072] <Modification> Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various design modifications are possible within the scope of the claims.

[0073] In the above embodiment, the first storage section and the second storage section are aligned in the front-rear direction, but this is not limited thereto. For example, the first storage section and the second storage section may be aligned in the up-down direction. In this case, a tray having the first storage section and a tray having the second storage section may be arranged vertically in the housing.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the first and second storage units are provided on a tray that is movable relative to the housing, but this is not limiting. For example, the space within the housing may constitute the first and second storage units.

[0075] In the above-described embodiment (see FIGS. 1 and 2), the paper feed roller 33 (feed roller) is supported at the tip of the arm 33a, and the paper feed roller 33 is urged by the torsion spring 33s (urging portion) in the direction in which the paper feed roller 33 comes into contact with the cut paper P, but this is not limited to this. For example, the paper feed roller 33 may be in a fixed position, and the support plate 14 that supports the cut paper P may be movable up and down depending on the remaining amount of the cut paper P, and the support plate 14 may be urged by the urging portion (spring or the like) in the direction in which the paper feed roller 33 comes into contact with the cut paper P.

[0076] The pressure contact portion is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment (see pressure contact portion 7 in FIG. 3). For example, the pressure contact portion may be configured to move one of the roller pair in the rotation axis direction of the roller pair (left and right direction in FIG. 1) using a belt or the like, so as to selectively take the pressure contact position and the release position.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the roller pair is supported by the paper feed tray 1 (tray), but may be supported by the housing. In this case, when the tray moves from the detached position to the attached position, the sheet medium may pass between the roller pair and be clamped by the roller pair at the clamping point.

[0078] In the embodiment described above (see FIG. 4), the first gear and the second gear are connected in conjunction with the movement of the tray from the removal position to the installation position, but they may be connected under the control of the control unit.

[0079] The sheet medium is not limited to paper, but may be, for example, cloth, a resin material, or the like.

[0080] The recording unit is not limited to a liquid ejection type, but may be a laser type, a thermal transfer type, or the like.

[0081] The transport device according to the present invention does not necessarily have to have the second container.

[0082] The transport device according to the present invention is not limited to a printer, and may be a facsimile, a copier, etc. Furthermore, the transport device according to the present invention does not have to include a recording unit. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1 Paper feed tray (tray) 1x 1st wall part 1y 2nd wall 10 First storage section 20 Second storage section 3. Conveyor 30 Laura Vs. 33 Paper feed roller (feed roller) 33s Torsion spring (biasing part) 3M1 Rotary motor (motor) 4 Cut section 5 Head (recording section) 6 Roll paper sensor (detection part) 7 Pressure Welding Part 81 1st Gear 82 2nd Gear 9 Control unit (control device) 100 Printer (transport device) 100a housing N clamping point P Cut paper (cut media, sheet media) R Roll Body Rp roll paper (sheet media) V Transport Path

Claims

1. a conveying section that conveys a sheet-like medium unwound from a roll in a conveying direction, the conveying section having a pair of rollers that clamp the sheet-like medium at a clamping point; a pressure contact portion that can selectively take a pressure contact position where the roller pair is brought into pressure contact with the roller pair and a release position where the pressure contact between the roller pair is released; a detection unit that detects a sheet medium located downstream of the clamping point in the conveying direction; A control unit, The control unit is a first determination process for determining whether the sheet medium is detected by the detection unit; a pressing process for moving the pressing portion from the release position to the pressing position when it is determined in the first determination process that the sheet medium has been detected; a conveying process in which the pair of rollers is rotated after the pressing process to convey the sheet medium to the conveying section; A conveying device capable of executing the above.

2. A housing and a tray that can selectively take an attached position attached to the housing and a detached position removed from the attached position by moving relative to the housing, the tray being capable of accommodating the roll body; 2. The conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of rollers is supported by the tray and is disposed outside the housing when the tray is in the removed position.

3. a first gear supported by the housing and connected to a motor that applies a rotational force to the pair of rollers; a second gear supported by the tray and connected to at least one of the pair of rollers; When the tray is in the removal position, the first gear and the second gear are not connected to each other, When the tray is in the mounting position, the first gear and the second gear are connected to each other. The conveying device according to claim 2 .

4. A housing and a tray that can selectively take an attached position attached to the housing and a detached position removed from the attached position by moving relative to the housing, the tray being capable of accommodating the roll body; a cutting unit supported by the housing, the cutting unit cutting the sheet medium downstream of the tray in the conveying direction; a wall constituting a downstream end of the tray in the conveying direction includes a first wall portion and a second wall portion spaced apart from the first wall portion, The conveying device according to claim 1 , wherein a space between the first wall portion and the second wall portion forms a conveying path along which the sheet medium travels from the pair of rollers to the cutting section.

5. a recording unit that records an image on the sheet medium transported by the transport unit, The control unit is A second determination process may be further executed to determine whether or not a recording command has been received.

2. The conveying device according to claim 1, characterized in that the pressing process is executed when it is determined in the first judgment process that the sheet medium has been detected and when it is determined in the second judgment process that the recording command has been received.

6. A first storage section capable of storing the roll body; A second storage section capable of storing a plurality of cut media, which are shorter than the sheet medium constituting the roll body, in a stacked state, The conveying unit is a feed roller that feeds the uppermost cut medium out of the plurality of cut media contained in the second container in the transport direction; The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a biasing section that biases at least one of the feed roller and the cut medium in a direction in which the feed roller comes into contact with the cut medium.

7. A control device for controlling a conveying device including a conveying section that conveys a sheet-like medium unwound from a roll in a conveying direction, the conveying section having a pair of rollers that clamp the sheet-like medium at a clamping point, a pressing section that can selectively take a pressing position where the pair of rollers are pressed together and a release position where the pair of rollers are released from the pressure contact, and a detection section that detects the sheet-like medium located downstream of the clamping point in the conveying direction, a first determination process for determining whether the sheet medium is detected by the detection unit; a pressing process for moving the pressing portion from the release position to the pressing position when it is determined in the first determination process that the sheet medium has been detected; a conveying process in which the pair of rollers is rotated after the pressing process to convey the sheet medium to the conveying section; A control device capable of executing the above.

8. A control method for controlling a conveying device including a conveying section that conveys a sheet-like medium unwound from a roll in a conveying direction, the conveying section having a pair of rollers that clamp the sheet-like medium at a clamping point, a pressing section that can selectively take a pressing position that presses the pair of rollers into contact with each other and a release position that releases the pressure of the pair of rollers, and a detection section that detects the sheet-like medium located downstream of the clamping point in the conveying direction, a first determination process for determining whether the sheet medium is detected by the detection unit; a pressing process for moving the pressing portion from the release position to the pressing position when it is determined in the first determination process that the sheet medium has been detected; a conveying process in which the pair of rollers is rotated after the pressing process to convey the sheet medium to the conveying section; A control method comprising:

9. a conveying device including: a conveying section that conveys a sheet-like medium unwound from a roll in a conveying direction, the conveying section having a pair of rollers that clamp the sheet-like medium at a clamping point; a pressing section that can selectively take a pressing position where the pair of rollers are pressed together and a release position where the pair of rollers are released from the pressure; and a detection section that detects the sheet-like medium located downstream in the conveying direction from the clamping point; a first determination means for determining whether the sheet medium is detected by the detection unit; a pressing means for moving the pressing portion from the release position to the pressing position when the first determination means determines that the sheet medium has been detected; and a conveying unit that rotates the pair of rollers to convey the sheet medium to the conveying unit after the processing by the pressing unit; The program is characterized by causing the program to function as follows.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • Ink jet recording mechanism

    JP1997001883A