Conveying mechanism and sheet package

Abstract

To suppress occurrence of conveyance failure of paper when different types of paper are used.SOLUTION: A conveyance mechanism used in a printer, the conveyance mechanism including a tray on which a plurality of sheets are placed, a sheet feeding roller that rotates in a state where the sheet placed on the tray is pressed against the sheet feeding roller to convey the sheet in a direction in which the sheet is discharged from the tray, a biasing unit that biases the sheet toward the sheet feeding roller, and an adjustment sheet that is provided on a conveyance direction side of the sheet with respect to the tray and on which a front end of the sheet conveyed by the sheet feeding roller abuts, the conveyance mechanism further including an adjustment sheet placed on top of the plurality of sheets, the adjustment sheet includes a cutout portion for avoiding contact with the paper feed roller, at a position overlapping the paper feed roller in plan view.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a transport mechanism and a paper package. [Background technology]

[0002] The following Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which the thermal paper is conveyed to a printing mechanism by rotating a pickup roller while the thermal paper is pressed against the pickup roller by the biasing force of a spring. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-302455 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not take into consideration the use of multiple types of thermal paper, and if different types of thermal paper are used, the frictional force between the multiple sheets of thermal paper may become inappropriate, which may result in problems with the thermal paper being transported (for example, double feeds, where multiple sheets of paper are transported, non-feeds, where no paper is transported, etc.). [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In one embodiment, the transport mechanism is a transport mechanism used in a printer, and includes a tray on which multiple sheets of paper are placed, a paper feed roller that rotates while the paper placed on the tray is pressed against it, thereby transporting the paper in a direction to discharge the paper from the tray, a urging means that urges the paper toward the paper feed roller, and a stop surface that is located on the paper transport direction side of the tray and against which the front end of the paper transported by the paper feed roller stops, and further includes an adjustment sheet placed on top of the multiple sheets of paper, and the adjustment sheet has a cutout portion at a position that overlaps with the paper feed roller in a planar view to avoid contact with the paper feed roller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the transport mechanism of one embodiment, when different types of paper are used, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of problems in transporting the paper. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a configuration of a printer according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a paper package according to an embodiment; [Figure 3] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a paper package and a paper feed roller according to an embodiment; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] An embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. For convenience, in the following description, the Z-axis direction is defined as the up-down direction, the Y-axis direction as the left-right direction, and the X-axis direction as the front-rear direction. However, the positive Z-axis direction is defined as the up direction, the positive X-axis direction as the front, and the positive Y-axis direction as the right.

[0009] (Printer 10 configuration) Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a printer 10 according to one embodiment. The printer 10 shown in Fig. 1 includes a transport mechanism 100 and a printing mechanism 20. The printer 10 transports paper P to the printing mechanism 20 (between a thermal head 21 and a platen roller 22) using the transport mechanism 100, and can print on the paper P using the thermal head 21 of the printing mechanism 20.

[0010] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transport mechanism 100 includes a tray 101, a coil spring 102, a paper feed roller 103, and a front wall portion 104.

[0011] Tray 101 is a plate-like member that covers the lower side (negative side of the Z axis) of storage space 105 that stores multiple stacked sheets of paper P. Multiple sheets of paper P are placed on loading surface 101A, which is the upper surface of tray 101. Tray 101 is biased upward (positive direction of the Z axis) by the biasing force applied from coil spring 102, so that the multiple sheets of paper P placed on loading surface 101A can be pressed against paper feed roller 103 provided above (positive direction of the Z axis) and compressed.

[0012] A plurality of sheets of paper P are provided together as a paper package 30, and the plurality of sheets are placed together on the placement surface 101A of the tray 101. In this embodiment, thermal paper is used for the paper P because printing is performed on the paper P by the thermal head 21.

[0013] The coil spring 102 is provided below (negative side of the Z axis) the front side (positive side of the X axis) of the tray 101. The coil spring 102 is expandable in the vertical direction (Z axis direction). The coil spring 102 is an example of a "biasing means" that generates a biasing force when expanded, and this biasing force biases the paper P placed on the tray 101 upward (positive direction of the Z axis) toward the paper feed roller 103.

[0014] The paper feed roller 103 is provided above the storage space 105 (in the positive direction of the Z axis). The paper feed roller 103 is a cylindrical member extending in the left-right direction (in the Y axis direction). The tray 101 presses multiple sheets of paper P against the lower portion of the outer circumferential surface of the paper feed roller 103. The paper feed roller 103 is rotated by a motor (not shown), thereby transporting the topmost sheet of paper P among the multiple sheets of paper P pressed against the paper feed roller 103 in the direction of ejection from the tray 101 (in the positive direction of the X axis) and toward the printing mechanism 20 (between the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22), which is provided in front of the transport mechanism 100 (in the positive direction of the X axis). However, due to inter-paper friction between the multiple sheets of paper P, the topmost sheets of paper P may be transported forward (in the positive direction of the X axis) by the paper feed roller 103.

[0015] The front wall 104 is provided in front of the storage space 105 (in the positive direction of the X axis). The front wall 104 has an abutment surface 104A at the top of its rear (negative side of the X axis) wall, which is an upwardly inclined surface (i.e., inclined so that it approaches the front (positive direction of the X axis) as it moves upward (positive direction of the Z axis)). The abutment surface 104A faces the front ends of some of the uppermost sheets of paper P among the sheets of paper P loaded on the tray 101. When some of the sheets of paper P are transported forward (positive direction of the Z axis) by the paper feed roller 103, the front ends of the some of the sheets of paper P abut against the abutment surface 104A, separating the some of the sheets of paper P so that only the topmost sheet of paper P is transported to the printing mechanism 20 (between the thermal head 21 and the platen roller 22).

[0016] (Configuration of paper package 30) Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the appearance of the paper package 30 according to one embodiment. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the paper package 30 and the paper feed roller 103 according to one embodiment.

[0017] 2 and 3, the paper package 30 has a plurality of stacked sheets of paper P and an adjusting sheet 31 placed on the sheets of paper P. That is, the adjusting sheet 31 is provided on top of the plurality of sheets of paper P.

[0018] The outer shape of the adjustment sheet 31 is the same as the outer shape of the paper P (that is, rectangular) and the same size.

[0019] The adjusting sheet 31 also has a cutout 31A at each of the front and rear ends. The cutout 31A is provided in the center in the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) and has a rectangular shape with the left-right direction (Y-axis direction) as its longitudinal direction.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 3, the cutout portion 31A provided at the front end of the adjustment sheet 31 is positioned so as to overlap the paper feed roller 103 when viewed from above (positive Z-axis direction), and is larger in size than the paper feed roller 103.

[0021] As a result, the adjustment sheet 31 is prevented from coming into contact with the paper feed roller 103 by arranging the paper feed roller 103 inside the cutout portion 31A.

[0022] Therefore, as shown in Figure 1, when the paper package 30 stored in the storage space 105 is pressurized from below (negative side of the Z axis) by the tray 101, the topmost sheet P of the multiple sheets of paper P is pressed against the paper feed roller 103, and the adjustment sheet 31 is pressed against the ceiling surface 105A of the storage space 105, avoiding contact with the paper feed roller 103.

[0023] Therefore, when the paper feed roller 103 rotates, the uppermost sheet P of the plurality of sheets P is transported, and the adjustment sheet 31 is not transported.

[0024] Here, in the conveying mechanism 100 according to one embodiment, the thickness of the adjustment sheet 31 is set to an appropriate thickness according to the type of paper P. In other words, the paper package 30 contains an adjustment sheet 31 with an appropriate thickness according to the type of paper P.

[0025] Specifically, in one embodiment of the conveying mechanism 100, the height position of the topmost sheet P among multiple sheets of paper P is positioned below (in the negative Z-axis direction) the ceiling surface 105A of the storage space 105 by the thickness of the adjustment sheet 31.

[0026] Therefore, in one embodiment, the conveying mechanism 100 can adjust the thickness of the adjustment sheet 31 to an appropriate thickness depending on the type of paper P, so that the height position of the topmost paper P among multiple sheets of paper P can be adjusted to an appropriate height position depending on the type of paper P.

[0027] As a result, the conveying mechanism 100 of one embodiment can optimize the pressure applied by the paper feed roller 103 to multiple sheets of paper P according to the type of paper P, and therefore can optimize the inter-paper friction force between multiple sheets of paper P according to the type of paper P.

[0028] For example, in one embodiment, when using paper P with a relatively high inter-paper friction force, the conveying mechanism 100 can optimize the inter-paper friction force between multiple papers P by making the thickness of the adjustment sheet 31 relatively thick, thereby weakening the pressure force applied by the paper feed roller 103.

[0029] Furthermore, for example, in the conveying mechanism 100 according to one embodiment, when a paper sheet P having a relatively low inter-paper friction force is used, the thickness of the adjustment sheet 31 is made relatively thin, thereby increasing the pressure applied by the paper feed roller 103 and optimizing the inter-paper friction force between multiple papers P.

[0030] Therefore, the transport mechanism 100 according to the embodiment can prevent transport problems (double feed, non-feed, etc.) of the paper P even when the type of the paper P is changed.

[0031] In addition, in one embodiment, even if multiple sheets of paper P are transported by rotating the paper feed roller 103, the conveying mechanism 100 can abut the front ends of the multiple sheets of paper P at an appropriate height position on the abutment surface 104A of the front wall portion 104, thereby allowing the multiple sheets of paper P to be separated in an appropriate manner.

[0032] In this embodiment, the cutout portion 31A is also provided symmetrically at the rear end of the adjustment sheet 31, so even if the paper package 30 is stored in the storage space 105 in an upside-down state, the paper feed roller 103 is positioned inside the cutout portion 31A, so the adjustment sheet 31 can avoid contact with the paper feed roller 103. Therefore, the user can store the paper package 30 in the storage space 105 without being aware of the front and rear of the paper package 30.

[0033] Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims.

[0034] For example, in this embodiment, the adjustment sheet 31 has a notch portion 31A at the end in the conveying direction, but this is not limited to this, and if the position where the paper feed roller 103 overlaps is other than the end in the conveying direction, the notch portion 31A may be provided at a position other than the end in the conveying direction. [Explanation of symbols]

[0035] 10 Printers 20 Printing mechanism 21 Thermal head 22 Platen roller 30 paper packages 31 Adjustment sheet 31A Notch 100 Conveying mechanism 101 Tray 101A Mounting surface 102 Coil spring (biasing means) 103 Paper feed roller 104 Front wall 104A Abutment surface 105 Containment Space 105A Ceiling surface P paper

Claims

1. A transport mechanism for use in a printer, comprising: a tray on which a plurality of sheets of paper are placed; a paper feed roller that rotates while being pressed against the paper placed on the tray, thereby conveying the paper in a direction to be discharged from the tray; a biasing means for biasing the paper toward the paper feed roller; an abutment surface that is provided closer to the tray in the sheet conveyance direction and against which the leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the sheet feed roller abuts; Equipped with Further, an adjustment sheet is placed on top of the plurality of sheets of paper, The adjusting sheet is A notch is provided at a position overlapping the paper feed roller in a plan view to avoid contact with the paper feed roller. A transport mechanism characterized by:

2. The thickness of the adjustment sheet is determined according to the type of paper.

2. The transport mechanism according to claim 1.

3. The adjusting sheet is The cutout portion is provided at an end portion in the conveying direction.

2. The transport mechanism according to claim 1.

4. The adjusting sheet is The notch portions are provided at positions symmetrical with respect to the conveying direction.

2. The transport mechanism according to claim 1.

5. The outer shape of the adjustment sheet is the same shape and size as the outer shape of the paper.

2. The transport mechanism according to claim 1.

6. A paper package for a transport mechanism that transports paper by a paper feed roller, Multiple sheets of paper and an adjustment sheet placed on top of the plurality of sheets of paper; Equipped with The adjusting sheet is A notch is provided at a position overlapping the paper feed roller in a plan view to avoid contact with the paper feed roller. A paper package characterized by:

7. The thickness of the adjustment sheet is determined according to the type of paper. The paper package according to claim 6 .

8. The adjusting sheet is The notch is provided at an end of the sheet in the conveying direction. The paper package according to claim 6 .

9. The adjusting sheet is The notch is provided at each of symmetrical positions in the conveying direction of the paper. The paper package according to claim 6 .

10. The outer shape of the adjustment sheet is the same shape and size as the outer shape of the paper. The paper package according to claim 6 .

Images