JPH08259023A - Paper sheet separating mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To feed a paper sheet even in a paper sheet having little bending such as a thick paper in a paper sheet separating mechanism of a paper-feeding device in a printer or the like. CONSTITUTION: The position of the upper surface of stacked paper sheets is restricted to a prescribed hight by the upper paper pressing plate 22 of a separation claw, by providing a pushing-up plate to the bottom part of a tray corresponding to the advancing end part of the paper sheet so that the end part of the paper sheet is pushed up, and also by providing a separation claw to the one end or both ends of the paper advancing end part of the tray. At the same time, the front end position of the stacked paper sheets is restricted by the front paper pressing plate 23 of the separation claw, and also the clearance between the undersurface 25 of the upper paper pressing plate 22 and the upper end 26 of the front paper pressing plate 23 is formed so that it is larger than the thickness of one sheet of paper and is smaller than that of two sheets of the paper, thereby the paper sheets can be separated and conveyed one by one from the uppermost part of the paper sheets that have been housed inside a tray in accordance with rotation of a paper-feeding roller 4.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet separating mechanism of a sheet feeding device in a printer, etc.
The present invention relates to a paper separating mechanism for allowing paper sheets such as thick paper sheets with little bending to be fed.

In a printer or the like, a paper feeding device is provided in which a large number of sheets are collectively stored in a tray or the like in the apparatus, separated one by one by a sheet separating mechanism and supplied to a printing section. It is commonly used.

The paper separating mechanism in such a paper feeding device is required to be able to use thick paper such as thick paper, or paper having a small thickness and a large rigidity.

[0004]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 shows an outline of a printer device. In the printer device 1, the paper 2 is generally stored in a tray 3, and the whole tray is stored in the printer device through an insertion opening provided at the bottom of the printer device 1.

A large number of sheets of paper 2 in the tray are accommodated in a stack, and when printing, the paper is turned over by the sheet-turning roller 4.
The sheets are extruded one by one in the direction of the arrow, delivered to the sheet supply section 5, raised along the sheet guide 6, and conveyed to the printing section 8 in accordance with the rotation of the sheet feed roller 7.

FIG. 5 shows an outline of the tray, in which (a) shows the sheet before storage and (b) shows the sheet after storage. The tray 3 is composed of a rectangular flat plate-shaped container that is slightly larger than the paper, and has a push-up plate 11 at the bottom thereof for pushing the paper upward.

The sheets 2 are stacked and placed on the push-up plate 11 to be stored in a tray. Paper 2
In the state where it is stored in the tray, the front end portion 13 is pushed up by the push-up plate 11 provided on the bottom portion, and one or both corners 14 are suppressed by the separating claws 12 to move upward. I will not let you escape.
The front end of the sheet corresponds to the traveling direction of the sheet at the time of sheet feeding.

6A and 6B show a conventional sheet separating mechanism, wherein FIG. 6A shows a state before sheet feeding and FIG. 6B shows a state during sheet feeding. In the figure, the tray and the lifting plate are omitted.

The sheet-turning roller 4 is pressed against the sheet 2 from above, and rotates in the direction of the arrow when feeding,
The rubber ring 15 is configured to push the paper 2 forward.

When the uppermost sheet 16 moves forward, the corner 14 hits the separating claw 12, but when the sheet turning roller 4 still rotates in this state, the corner 14 separates the separating claw 12.
Since the paper sheet 2 cannot be moved because it is held down by, the intermediate portion 17 of the paper sheet 2 is bent as shown in FIG.

When the sheet turning roller 4 further rotates,
The corner portion 14 of the sheet comes off from the separation claw 12 and floats up.
In this state, only the uppermost sheet 16 is pushed by the rotation of the sheet turning roller 4 and is conveyed to the sheet supply unit 5.

[0012]

In the conventional sheet separating mechanism, only one sheet is separated and conveyed to the sheet supply section by utilizing the deflection of the sheet when the sheet is turned by the sheet turning roller. It has become.

However, in the case of a paper having a high rigidity such as a thick paper, since there is little bending at the time of turning the paper, even if it is pushed by the paper turning roller, it does not come off from the separation claw,
Therefore, there is a problem that the sheet separating mechanism cannot separate and feed the sheets one by one.

The present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and in a paper feeding device in a printer or the like, it is possible to separately feed paper with little bending such as thick paper. The purpose is to provide a paper separating mechanism.

[0015]

[Means for Solving the Problems] By accommodating a plurality of sheets of paper 2 in a tray 3 and advancing the paper in accordance with rotation of a paper-turning roller 4 in contact with the upper surface of the paper 2,
In a sheet separating mechanism of a sheet feeding device that separates and conveys sheets one by one from the top of the stored sheets, the front end of the stored sheets is lifted to the bottom of the tray corresponding to the front end of the sheets in the forward direction. The upper push-up plate 11 is provided, the separation claws 12 are provided at one end or both ends of the leading end of the tray in the paper advancing direction, and the upper paper pressing plate 22 provided in parallel with the paper in the separation claw 12 collects the sheets. The upper surface position of the stacked sheets is regulated to a predetermined height, and the front edge position of the stacked sheets is regulated by the front sheet presser plate 23 provided so as to be perpendicular to the sheet advancing direction in the separation claw 12. Further, the gap between the lower surface 25 of the upper paper pressing plate 22 and the upper end 26 of the front paper pressing plate 23 is formed so as to be larger than the thickness of one sheet of paper and smaller than the thickness of two sheets of paper.

[0016]

The sheet 2 accommodated in the tray 3 is pushed upward by the push-up plate 11 provided at the bottom of the tray. When the sheet turning roller 4 provided in contact with the upper surface of the sheet rotates, the stored sheet tries to move forward.

At this time, a separating claw 12 is provided at one end or both ends of the leading end of the tray in the paper advancing direction, and the upper paper pressing plate 22 is provided.
The upper surface position of the stacked sheets is regulated to a predetermined height, and the front end position of the stacked sheets is regulated by the front paper pressing plate 23.

Since a gap larger than the thickness of one sheet of paper and smaller than the thickness of two sheets of paper is formed between the lower surface of the upper paper retaining plate and the upper end of the front paper retaining plate. Through the gap, the sheets are conveyed one by one from the top of the stored sheets.

Therefore, according to the paper separating mechanism of the present invention, a thick paper such as a thick paper, or a paper having a small thickness and a large rigidity and having a small deflection and utilizing the conventional deflection is used. Even if the paper cannot be separated,
It is possible to surely separate one by one.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows an embodiment (1) of the present invention, in which (a) shows a state before sheet feeding and (b) shows a state during sheet feeding. Further, (c) and (d) show details of the separating claw, (c) is a front view, and (d) is a side view. In the figure, the same elements as those in FIG.
Is the separating claw of the present invention. The separation claw 21 is (c),
As shown in (d), it has an upper paper pressing plate 22, a front paper pressing plate 23, and a side paper pressing plate 24, at a position corresponding to the front end portion 13 of the paper with respect to the tray 3. It is fixed at one or both ends.

The upper paper restraining plate 22 is a plate-like portion that is provided so as to be parallel to the surface of the paper 2 when the paper 2 is stored in a tray (not shown), and suppresses the corners 14 of the paper 2. It acts to keep it at a predetermined height. Front paper holding plate 23
Is a plate-shaped portion that is provided perpendicular to the surface of the paper 2 so that the paper 2 is stored in a tray at a right angle to the forward direction of the paper 2, and the front end portion 13 of the paper is above a predetermined position. It acts to keep you from moving forward. Side paper holding plate 24
Is a plate-like portion provided perpendicular to the surface of the paper 2 so that the paper 2 is stored in a tray and is parallel to the forward direction of the paper 2, so that the side surfaces of the stacked paper are aligned. To act.

When the separation claw 21 is fixed to the tray,
Between the lower surface 25 of the upper paper restraining plate 22 and the upper end 26 of the front paper restraining plate 23, a gap t larger than the thickness of one sheet and smaller than the thickness of two sheets is formed in the horizontal direction. Has been formed.

Therefore, when the sheet 2 is stored in the tray and the sheet turning roller 4 is operated, the sheet 2 is pushed forward and only the uppermost sheet is separated through the gap of the separation claw 21. , And is conveyed to the paper supply unit 5.

Therefore, according to the paper separating mechanism of the present invention, there is little deflection such as thick paper such as thick paper, or paper having a small thickness but large rigidity, and it is similar to the conventional paper separating mechanism. Even in the case of a sheet that cannot be separated by bending the sheet at the separation claw portion, the sheets can be reliably separated and fed one by one.

The separating claws 21 are prepared in plural kinds having different gaps t and are replaced according to the paper to be used, so that the thickness of the paper to be used can be changed.

FIG. 2 shows an embodiment (2) of the present invention, showing another form of the separating claw, in which the thickness of the paper to be used is changed by exchanging some parts. Is illustrated in an exploded perspective view, (b) and (c) show an assembled state,
(B) is a front view, (c) is a side view.

In the separating claw shown in FIG. 2, 31 is a fixed separating claw and 32 is a variable front paper restraining piece. The fixed separation claw 31 has an upper paper pressing plate 33 and a side paper pressing plate 34,
These shapes and functions are similar to those of the upper paper holding plate 22 and the side paper holding plate 24 shown in FIG. Example
The separation claw (2) is a fixed separation claw 31 and is fixed to the tray 3 at one end or both ends at a position corresponding to the front end portion 13 of the sheet.

The fixed separating claw 31 has a tongue piece 35 formed of a plate-like portion provided perpendicularly to the surface of the sheet 2 so as to be perpendicular to the forward direction of the sheet 2, and the variable front sheet is provided at this portion. By fixing the holding piece 32, it is possible to perform the same function as the front paper holding plate 23 shown in FIG.

Therefore, the variable front paper restraining piece 32 is made of a flat plate-like member having a through hole 36 penetrating therethrough, and by fitting the tongue piece 35 at the inserting hole 36,
The variable front paper pressing piece 32 and the fixed separation claw 31 are fixed to each other.

As the variable front paper restraining pieces 32, a plurality of kinds having different heights h are prepared and exchanged to replace the lower surface 37 of the upper paper restraining plate 33 and the variable front restraining pieces 32. Different gaps t can be formed between the upper end 38 and the upper end 38 of the sheet, so that it is possible to cope with the change in the thickness of the sheet to be used by exchanging only the variable front restraint piece 32.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment (3) of the present invention, showing another form of the separating claw, in which one component is movable so that the same separating claw can be used. An example is shown in which it is possible to cope with a change in the thickness of the paper used, and (a) is a diagram showing a disassembled state,
(B) is a figure which shows the assembled state.

In the separation claw shown in FIG. 3, 41 is a fixed separation claw and 42 is a movable separation claw. Fixed separation claw 41
Has an upper paper pressing plate 43 and a side paper pressing plate 44, and their shapes and functions are similar to those of the upper paper pressing plate 22 and the side paper pressing plate 24 shown in FIG. Example (3)
The separation claw is fixed to the tray at the fixed separation claw 41. The movable separation claw 42 has a side plate 45 having a shape similar to that of the side paper press plate 24, and a front paper press plate 46 having a shape similar to that of the front paper press plate 23 shown in FIG. ing.

The fixed separating claw 41 has a hole 47 in the side paper pressing plate 44, and the movable separating claw 42 has a long hole 48 in the side plate 45. 48
And a bolt 49 through the side paper restraining plate 44 and the side plate 4
5 are overlapped in parallel with each other and are tightened by a nut 50 to be integrated, and the separation claw 31 shown in FIG.
It can be formed in the same shape as.

At this time, the movable separation claw 4 is formed by utilizing the elongated hole 48.
By adjusting the height of 2, between the lower surface 51 of the upper paper restraining plate 43 and the upper end 52 of the front paper restraining plate 46, in the horizontal direction, the thickness is larger than the thickness of one sheet, and it is equivalent to two sheets. It is possible to form a gap smaller than the thickness of. Therefore, only by adjusting the height of the movable separation claw 42, it is possible to deal with the change in the thickness of the paper used. The gap in this case can be easily adjusted by using a known thickness gauge.

[0035]

As described above, according to the paper separating mechanism of the present invention, a thick paper such as a thick paper, or a paper having a small paper thickness and a large rigidity and having a small deflection and a conventional deflection. Even if the paper cannot be separated by the paper separating mechanism using, it is possible to surely separate the sheets one by one, so that it is possible to expand the types and range of the sheets that can be used in the sheet feeding device in the printer or the like. Therefore, it greatly contributes to the performance improvement of printers and the like.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an embodiment (1) of the present invention, in which (a)
Shows the state before feeding, (b) shows the state during feeding, (c)
Shows the details of the separation nail.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an embodiment (2) of the present invention, in which (a)
Is an exploded perspective view, (b) is a front view, and (c) is a side view.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an embodiment (3) of the present invention, in which (a)
Is a diagram showing a disassembled state, and (b) is a diagram showing an assembled state.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of a printer device.

5A and 5B are diagrams showing an outline of a tray, in which FIG. 5A shows a sheet before storage and FIG. 5B shows a sheet after storage.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a conventional paper separating mechanism, which is (a).
Shows the state before feeding, and (b) shows the state during feeding.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Paper 3 Tray 4 Paper Turning Roller 11 Push-up Plate 12 Separation Claw 22 Upper Paper Holding Plate 23 Front Paper Holding Plate 25 Lower Surface of Upper Paper Holding Plate 22 26 Upper Edge of Front Paper Holding Plate 23

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of sheets are stored in a tray, and the sheets are moved forward in accordance with the rotation of a sheet-turning roller brought into contact with the upper surface of the sheets, so that one sheet is stored from the top of the stored sheets. In a paper separating mechanism of a paper feeding device that separates and conveys paper sheets one by one, a push-up plate that raises the front end portion of the stored paper is provided at the bottom of the tray corresponding to the front end portion of the paper in the forward direction, and Separation pawls are provided at one or both ends of the leading end of the tray in the paper advancing direction, and an upper paper pressing plate provided in parallel with the paper at the separation pawls causes the upper surface position of the accumulated paper sheets to reach a predetermined height. The front end position of the stacked sheets is regulated by the front paper restraining plate provided so as to be perpendicular to the forward direction of the paper at the separating claw, and further the lower surface of the upper paper restraining plate and the front side. Suppress paper Paper separating mechanism, characterized in that the clearance between the upper end was formed to be smaller than the two sheets a thickness of greater the paper than one sheet thickness of the paper in.