JP2000038248A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To increase the number of loadable mediums without widening the distance between an exhaust port and the uppermost medium loaded on a load section too much by providing a controlling section moving the load section in the separating direction from the exhaust port by the prescribed quantity when the count value of a means counting the number of discharged mediums exceeds the prescribed value. SOLUTION: A medium discharged to a stack tray 5 from an exhaust port 4 is loaded on the stack tray 5, the lever 7a of a tray sensor 7 is toppled, and a control circuit detects it. When the count value of the number of discharged mediums exceeds the prescribed value set in advance, the control circuit drives a motor 12 via a drive circuit to move the stack tray 5 in the direction C to the position corresponding to the number of loaded mediums determined in advance, thus the number of loadable mediums can be increased without widening the distance between the discharge port 4 and the uppermost medium loaded on the stack tray 5 too much. A medium drop and a medium jam are prevented, and loading performance can be improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to a printing apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a printing apparatus, printed media are sequentially discharged from a discharge port to the outside of the apparatus, and are stacked on a stack tray, which is a stacking section provided near the discharge port, or on a stacking section of the apparatus main body. Loading. The loaded medium has been removed by the operator.

[0003]

In the above conventional printing apparatus, the number of stackable media is determined by the media outlet and the bottom surface of the stack tray, or the bottom of the stacking section of the apparatus body (hereinafter referred to as the stacking section). Is determined by the distance. If the distance between the discharge port of the medium and the bottom of the stacking section is increased in order to increase the number of stackable sheets, the medium is dropped from the stacking section by the force of discharge, so that it is impossible to increase the distance too much. Therefore, the number of media that can be loaded is restricted by the relationship between the thickness of the media and the height of the discharge port. Even if the capacity of the media cassette that supplies the media into the apparatus is increased, its performance is sufficiently exhibited. It was impossible to do.

In a printing apparatus shared by a group, since the number of printed sheets is large, the loaded medium blocks the discharge port when there is no operator who removes the printed medium due to a long vacation or the like. As a result, a problem such as a media jam occurs.

[0005]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to a printing apparatus for sequentially discharging printed media from a discharge port to the outside of the apparatus and loading the medium on a stacking section provided near the discharge port. A counting means for counting the number of the media discharged from the discharge port, a driving means for moving the stacking portion in a vertical direction, and when the count value of the counting means exceeds a predetermined value, the driving means And a control unit for performing control for moving the stacking unit by a predetermined amount in a direction away from the discharge port.

According to the present invention, the counting means counts the number of the discharged medium every time the medium is discharged from the discharge port. When the control unit detects that the count value of the counting unit has reached a predetermined value, the driving unit moves the stacking unit in a direction away from the discharge port by a predetermined amount. Thus, the number of stackable media can be increased without excessively increasing the distance between the discharge port and the uppermost medium stacked on the stacking unit.

Therefore, it is possible to improve the loading performance, such as preventing the medium from dropping and preventing the medium from jamming by closing the discharge port with the medium.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Elements common to the drawings are assigned the same reference numerals.

[0009] First Embodiment FIG. 1 a schematic perspective view showing a facsimile apparatus of the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view showing a facsimile apparatus of the first embodiment, FIG. 3 FIG. 2 4 is a cross-sectional view of the facsimile apparatus taken along the line AA. FIG. 4 is a facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

In FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a facsimile apparatus 1 as a printing apparatus includes a medium cassette 2 for loading a medium (not shown) from a side for supplying a medium into the apparatus to a side for discharging the medium, and a counterpart. A printer unit 3 for printing data received from the office onto a medium, an outlet 4 formed on a side surface of the printer unit 3 and passing when a printed medium is discharged outside the apparatus, and a printed medium A stack tray 5, which is a stacking unit to be stacked, is provided.

The discharge port 4 is provided with a discharge sensor 6 for detecting passage of a medium, and the stack tray 5 is also provided with a tray sensor 7 which is a loading state detecting means for detecting the loading of the medium. I have. And each sensor lever 6
Each of the sensors arranged in the apparatus using a and 7a as actuators is connected to a control circuit described later.

The stacking tray 5 is supported by a screw shaft 8 and a screw shaft 9 provided on the apparatus main body, and is movable along the screw shaft 8 and the screw shaft 9 in the direction of arrow CD. I have. That is, the screw shaft 8, the screw shaft 9, and the stack tray 5 have a feed screw structure.
And the rotation of the screw shaft 9 causes the stacking tray 5 to move in the direction of arrow C-
Move in the D direction.

The screw shaft 8 and the screw shaft 9 are connected to the shafts 10a and 11a of the screw shaft pulley 10 and the screw shaft pulley 11, respectively, as shown in FIGS. A motor shaft pulley 13 that is rotated by the drive of a motor 12 is provided inside the apparatus. The screw shaft pulley 10 and the screw shaft pulley 11 rotate when the rotation of the motor shaft pulley 12 is transmitted by a timing belt 14. It has become.

The screw shafts 8 and 9, the screw shaft pulleys 10 and 11, the motor 12, and the motor shaft pulley 13
And the timing belt 14 constitute driving means.

Next, the stack tray 5 in the above configuration
A control system of the facsimile machine 1 necessary for operating the facsimile apparatus will be described. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a control system of the facsimile apparatus according to the first embodiment.

In FIG. 5, the facsimile apparatus 1 is provided with a control circuit 18 for controlling the entire apparatus. The control circuit 18 is connected to the discharge sensor 6 and the tray sensor 7. The control circuit 18 includes a counter 19
When the control circuit 18 detects from the output result of the discharge sensor 6 that the medium has passed the one-sheet discharge port 4, the count value of the counter 19 is increased by one. The discharge sensor 6 and the counter 19 constitute a counting means.

A drive circuit 20 is also connected to the control circuit 18, and the drive circuit 20 drives the motor 12 to rotate.

Next, the operation of the stack tray 5 when the medium is discharged in the above configuration will be described. First, the facsimile apparatus 1 that has received the communication data feeds the medium in the medium cassette 2 to the printer unit 3 by using a feeding roller (not shown). After printing the received data on the medium, the medium is sequentially discharged from the discharge port 4 to the stack tray 5.

At this time, the medium operates the lever 6a of the discharge sensor 6 provided at the discharge port 4. Then, the output of the discharge sensor 6 changes, and the control circuit 18 detects the passage of the medium. Then, the count value of the counter 19 provided in the control circuit 18 increases by one.

The ejected medium is stacked on the stack tray 5, and the lever 7a of the tray sensor 7 is depressed. Then, the output of the tray sensor 7 changes, and the control circuit 18 detects that the medium is loaded on the stack tray 5.

As the number of discharged media increases, the counter 1
When the count value of 9 exceeds a predetermined value, the control circuit 18 drives the motor 12 via the drive circuit 20. The rotation of the motor 12 is controlled by a motor shaft pulley 13.
And the screw shaft pulley 10 via the timing belt 14
The rotation is transmitted to the screw shaft pulley 11, and the screw shaft 8 and the screw shaft 9 are rotated to move the stacking tray 5 in the direction of arrow C to a position corresponding to a predetermined number of stacked sheets.

When a predetermined number of media are stacked on the stack tray 5, the operation of moving the stack tray 5 in the direction of arrow C by a predetermined distance is repeated, and the operator removes all the media stacked on the stack tray 5. Then, the lever 7a of the tray sensor 7 returns to the original state, which is detected by the control circuit 18, and is transmitted to the motor 12 via the drive circuit 20.
Is rotated in the opposite direction. The rotation of the motor 12 is transmitted through the motor shaft pulley 13, the timing belt 14, the screw shaft pulley 10, and the screw shaft pulley 11.
Is transmitted to the screw shaft 9 and the screw shaft 8 and the screw shaft 9 are rotated, and the stack tray 5 is moved in the arrow D direction to the reference position (the position where the stack tray 5 is positioned when no medium is loaded). ). At the same time, the control circuit 18 resets the count value of the counter 19.

In the first embodiment described above, the number of discharged sheets is detected, and when a predetermined number or more of sheets are stacked on the stack tray 5, the stack tray 5 is moved away from the discharge port 4. Without excessively increasing the distance between the uppermost medium loaded on the stack tray 5 and
The number of stackable media can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to improve the loading performance, such as preventing the medium from dropping and preventing the medium from jamming due to blocking the discharge port 4 with the medium.

Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a facsimile apparatus according to the second embodiment.

In the second embodiment, instead of using the ejection sensor lever 6 shown in the first embodiment to count the number of ejected sheets, an ejection medium using a photoelectric transmission type sensor is used. The detection sensor 15 is provided on the side wall 1 a of the facsimile machine 1. The ejection medium detection sensor 15 includes a light receiving side and a light emitting side, but only the light receiving side 15a is illustrated in the drawing.

Next, a control system of the facsimile machine 1 required to operate the stack tray 5 in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a control system of the facsimile apparatus according to the second embodiment.

In FIG. 7, the facsimile apparatus 1 is provided with a control circuit 21 for controlling the entire apparatus. The control circuit 21 is connected to a discharge medium detection sensor 15. When the medium is stacked on the stacking tray 5 at a predetermined height or more, the output from the light receiving side 15a to the control circuit 21 changes because the light from the light emitting side is blocked by the medium, The control circuit 21 detects that the amount of loaded media has reached the upper limit. A drive circuit 20 is also connected to the control circuit 21. The drive circuit 20 drives the motor 12 to rotate.

The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Next, the operation of the stack tray 5 when the medium is discharged in the above configuration will be described. The communication data is received and printed on a medium, and the printed medium is sequentially discharged from the discharge port 4 to the stacking tray 5. The discharged medium is stacked on the stacking tray 5, and The operation is the same as that of the first embodiment until the lever 7a is tilted, the output of the tray sensor 7 changes, and the control circuit 21 detects that the medium is stacked on the stacking tray 5.

When the number of ejected media increases and the media loaded on the stack tray 5 reaches a predetermined height, the light on the emission side of the ejected media detection sensor 15 is blocked by the media. The output of the light receiving side 15a changes. Then, the control circuit 21 detects that the medium loading amount has reached the upper limit, and drives the motor 12. The rotation of the motor 12 is transmitted to the screw shaft pulley 10 and the screw shaft pulley 11 via the motor shaft pulley 13 and the timing belt 14, and rotates the screw shafts 8 and 9 to move the stack tray 5 in the direction of arrow C. To a position corresponding to a predetermined loading height.

When the operator removes all the media loaded on the stacking tray 5, the lever 7a of the tray sensor 7 returns to the original state, which is detected by the control circuit 21, and the motor 12 is rotated in the reverse direction. . The rotation of the motor 12 moves the stack tray 5 in the direction of arrow D to a reference position (a position where the stack tray 5 is positioned when no medium is loaded).

As described above, in the second embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are obtained, and when the height of the loaded medium becomes higher than usual due to the curl of the medium, the first embodiment is performed. In the embodiment of the present invention, there is a possibility that the discharge port 4 is blocked and a trouble such as a medium jam occurs,
In the second embodiment, the discharge medium detection sensor 15 can detect that the medium is curled. Therefore, even if the height of the medium is increased for reasons other than an increase in the number of sheets, the discharge medium 4 can be blocked. Problems such as medium jams do not occur.

When a plurality of types of media are inserted into the apparatus, the number of stackable trays 5 varies depending on the thickness of the media. However, in the second embodiment, Since it is detected that the medium stacking amount has reached the upper limit based on the stacking height, it is possible to stack media having different thicknesses on the stack tray 5.

Further, according to the second embodiment, for example, when the facsimile machine 1 is shared by a group, a medium on which received data that has reached a plurality of persons is printed is stacked on a plurality of stacking trays 5. There is a possibility that the medium is loaded, but when an operator takes out only the medium on which the received data addressed to him is printed from the stack tray 5,
The height of the loaded medium changes accordingly. In the second embodiment, since the loaded amount of the medium is detected based on the height of the medium, it is necessary to always accurately detect the loaded amount even when the medium is partially removed. Is possible.

Third Embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same parts as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a facsimile apparatus according to the third embodiment.

In the third embodiment, a screw shaft 8 having a feed screw structure for moving the stacking tray 5 shown in the first and second embodiments in the direction of arrow CD is used. 9, a motor 12, a timing belt 14
Instead of using a plurality of pulleys, coil springs 16 and 17 as urging means were provided. One end of each of the coil springs 16 and 17 is provided on the side wall 1 a of the facsimile machine 1, and the other end is provided on the stack tray 5. Then, the stack tray 5 is urged in a direction (arrow D direction) approaching the discharge port 4.

The other structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

Next, the operation of the stack tray 5 when the medium is discharged in the above configuration will be described. The first data is received until the communication data is received and printed on a medium, and the printed medium is sequentially discharged from the discharge port 4 to the stack tray 5.
This is the same as the embodiment.

As the number of ejected media increases and the number of media stacked on the stack tray 5 increases, the stack tray 5 is pressed against the urging force of the coil springs 16 and 17 due to the weight of the medium. Moving in the direction of arrow C, the distance between the outlet 4 and the uppermost medium becomes longer. Therefore, it is possible to further load the medium.

When the operator removes all the media loaded on the stack tray 5, the coil spring 16,
By the urging force of 17, the stack tray 5 moves in the direction of arrow D to a reference position (a position where the stack tray 5 is positioned when no medium is loaded).

In the third embodiment, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be obtained, and various sensors, screw shafts 8 and 9, motor 12, timing belt 14, and a plurality of The same effects as in the first embodiment can be obtained without using pulleys, and the amount of loaded media can be easily increased.

According to the third embodiment, for example, when the facsimile machine 1 is shared by a group, a medium on which received data that has reached a plurality of people is printed is stacked on the stacking tray 5. However, when an operator takes out only the medium on which the received data addressed to him is printed from the stack tray 5,
The weight changes accordingly. In the third embodiment, the stacking amount of the medium is detected based on the weight of the medium. Therefore, even if the medium is partially removed, the stacking tray 5 can be moved correspondingly. .

In the above embodiment, the facsimile machine 1 has been described as an example of a printing apparatus. Is also effective.

[0044]

As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the counting means for counting the number of media ejected from the ejection port, the driving means for moving the loading section in the vertical direction, When the count value exceeds a predetermined value, a control unit that controls the driving unit to move the loading unit in a direction away from the discharge port by a predetermined amount is provided, so that the discharge port and the loading unit in the loading unit are provided. The number of stackable media can be increased without excessively increasing the distance to the upper-level medium. Therefore, it is possible to improve the loading performance such as preventing the medium from dropping and preventing the medium from jamming due to the medium blocking the discharge port.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a facsimile apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating the facsimile apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the facsimile apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the facsimile apparatus according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view showing a facsimile apparatus according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating a control system of the facsimile apparatus according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a facsimile apparatus according to a third embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Facsimile machine 4 Discharge port 5 Stack tray 6 Discharge sensor 7 Tray sensor 8 Screw shaft 9 Screw shaft 12 Motor 15 Discharge medium detection sensor 16 Coil spring 17 Coil spring 18 Control circuit 19 Counter 21 Control circuit

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A printing apparatus for sequentially discharging printed media from a discharge port to the outside of the apparatus and loading the medium on a stacking unit provided near the discharge port, wherein the number of the media discharged from the discharge port is counted. Counting means, a driving means for moving the loading portion in the vertical direction, and when the count value of the counting means exceeds a predetermined value, the driving means moves the loading portion in a direction away from the discharge port by a predetermined amount. A printing apparatus, comprising: a control unit for performing control. 2. A printing apparatus wherein a printed medium is sequentially discharged from a discharge port to the outside of the apparatus, and is stacked on a stacking section provided near the discharge port, wherein the medium is stacked on the stacking section to a predetermined height. Discharging medium detecting means for detecting that the loading section moves vertically, and when the discharging medium detecting means detects a medium, the driving means places the loading section in a direction away from the discharge port. A printing apparatus, comprising: a control unit that performs control for performing a fixed amount movement. 3. A loading state detecting means provided in the loading section and detecting whether or not the medium is loaded on the loading section, wherein the control section controls the loading state by the loading state detecting means. The printing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the stacking unit returns the stacking unit to a reference position when it is detected that the stacking unit has been removed. 4. A printing apparatus for sequentially discharging printed media from a discharge port to the outside of the apparatus and loading the loaded medium on a loading section provided near the discharge port, wherein the loading section is movable, and the printing section is attached to the loading section. A printing apparatus, further comprising: an urging means for applying an urging force to move the stacking section vertically according to the weight of the medium stacked on the stacking section.