JPH09188016A - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a printer of a multipass type capable of feeding paper in both directions and simple in structure and easy to operate. SOLUTION: A printer is equipped with the printing head 16 attached to a movable carriage 22, the platen 18 cooperating with a printing head, the rear feed roller 34 arranged on one side of the platen and the front feed roller 32 arranged on the other side of the platen. An attaching means selectively attaching a front cut sheet feed, a rear cut sheet feed 36, a front tractor 38 and a rear tractor 40 is provided and the rear tractor 40 is arranged so as to pass through the gap between the rear feed roller 34 and the platen 18 to directly supply continuous form paper to the platen 18.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a multi-pass type printer having feed rollers on both sides of a platen and capable of conveying paper in both front and rear directions.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for multi-pass (forward / backward conveyance) of wire dot printers. For this reason, feed rollers are provided on both sides of the platen, and these feed rollers are rotated in the forward direction or the reverse direction, so that single-cut sheets (sheets cut into a predetermined size such as A4 and B5) are printed by the printer. The printed paper supplied from the front or rear of the printer, or the cut paper supplied from the rear of the printer and the printed paper discharged from the front or rear of the printer, or Continuous paper (continuous paper with feed holes on both sides, also called continuous paper or continuous paper) is supplied from the front of the printer and the printed paper is discharged from the rear of the printer, or continuous paper is printed by the printer. It is desirable to be able to eject the printed paper supplied from the rear of the printer from the front of the printer.

[0003]

In a multi-pass type printer satisfying such requirements, parts such as a table, a stacker, a cut sheet feeder, and a tractor are selectively used in addition to the platen and the feed roller. It is necessary to arrange them, and the paper conveyance path becomes complicated and an appropriate paper guide mechanism is required, as well as the number of movable parts for switching the conveyance path increases and the configuration becomes complicated. There is a problem.

Further, in a multi-pass type printer in which the transfer path is manually switched, if the operator is unfamiliar, the switching of the transfer path is apt to occur. Therefore, there is a demand for a multi-pass type printer which has a simple structure and can be operated by anyone and is easy to use.

For example, in the conventional printer, when feeding the continuous form paper from the tractor to the platen, the continuous form paper passes through the feed roller on the front side in the conveying direction of the platen. The feeding action by the feed roller is not performed. The feed roller ahead of the platen is used to pull the paper. This is to prevent the paper from sagging between the tractor and the front feed roller. Therefore, in the conventional multi-pass type printer,
Nip roller elevating mechanisms or spring pressure adjusting mechanisms are provided for the feed rollers on both sides of the platen, which complicates the structure and reduces the space inside the printer. Further, such a nip roller lifting mechanism or spring pressure adjusting mechanism is designed to manually operate a lever,
An unfamiliar operator may not be able to operate.

Further, a sensor for detecting the position of the paper is used to control the conveyance of the paper, but in the conventional multi-pass type printer, such a sensor is duplicated for the front conveyance and the rear conveyance. Is provided, which causes an increase in cost. Further, if the platen, the feed roller, and the tractor are driven by one motor, a large-sized motor is required, the drive transmission mechanism becomes complicated, and the cost increases. Also, a transmission switching mechanism or a speed change mechanism may be required on the way.

Further, it may be desired that more parts such as a table, a stacker, a cut sheet feeder, and a tractor can be mounted. For example, it may be desired to arrange two tractors in front of and behind the printer, attach a cut sheet feeder, and provide a table and a stacker. However, such an arrangement has a problem that the printer has to be upsized. In particular, it was difficult to arrange the cut sheet feeder, the stacker, and the tractor together in the rear part of the printer.

An object of the present invention is to provide a printer which can convey a sheet in both directions from the front side and the rear side, has a simple structure, and can be easily operated. Another object of the present invention is to provide a printer that can mount more components such as a table, a stacker, a cut sheet feeder, and a tractor.

[0009]

A printer according to the first aspect of the present invention comprises a casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and the platen. A first feed roller disposed on one side of the platen and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to a platen and the other side of the casing. In the printer capable of feeding the platen from the first feed roller and the platen, the first tractor for arranging the first tractor to feed the continuous form paper directly to the platen is provided. It is characterized in that the mounting means 1 is provided.

According to this structure, the first tractor is the first
Is arranged so as to directly feed the continuous form paper to the platen through between the feed roller and the platen. With this configuration, the first tractor is arranged at a more erected angle (for example, closer to 45 degrees) than before, and the space in the depth direction of the printer casing can be effectively used. Therefore, the stacker, the cut sheet feeder, and the like can be mounted together with the first tractor by changing the height position, for example, at the rear part of the casing without increasing the size of the printer casing. Further, since the continuous form paper sent by the first tractor does not pass through the first feed roller, it is possible to eliminate the lift mechanism of the nip roller of the first feed roller.

Preferably, a continuous guide is provided from the first tractor toward the platen. As a result, the tractor can more reliably supply the continuous form paper directly to the platen while maintaining the erected angle more than in the past.

Preferably, in addition to the first tractor, the table, the second tractor, the first cut sheet feeder and the second cut sheet feeder can be selectively attached to the casing. That is, the printer includes, in addition to the first mounting means, the first of the casing.
Second mounting means for arranging the first cut sheet feeder on the side on which the tractor is arranged, and a second mounting means for arranging the table on the side of the casing opposite to the side on which the first tractor is arranged. 3 mounting means, a fourth mounting means for disposing a second tractor on the side of the casing opposite to the side on which the first tractor is provided, and a side of the casing on which the first tractor is provided. And a fifth mounting means for disposing the second cut sheet feeder on the opposite side, and casing the first tractor, the second tractor, the first cut sheet feeder, and the second cut sheet feeder. Can be selectively attached to the table and paper can be fed from at least one of these devices and the table.

Preferably, when the first cut sheet feeder is selected, the table acts as a stacker, and when the second cut sheet feeder is selected,
A stacker can be attached instead of the first cut sheet feeder. As a result, for example, a cut sheet feeder can be arranged in front of and behind the printer, or a large-capacity stacker can be arranged in the rear of the cut sheet feeder arranged in the front. Also, the first
A stacker can be arranged between the tractor and the first cut sheet feeder.

Preferably, the table is movably attached to the casing, and the second cut sheet feeder is arranged below the table in a lifted position. Further, the positional relationship between the first tractor and the first feed roller is different from the positional relationship between the second tractor and the second feed roller. Also, the first
A stacker can be arranged between the tractor and the first cut sheet feeder.

Preferably, the first and second feed rollers include respective nip rollers, the nip rollers of the first feed roller being arranged in a substantially fixed position with respect to the first feed roller. Therefore, for the nip roller of the first feed roller, the lifting mechanism or the spring pressure adjusting mechanism is unnecessary. In this case, the second
The feed roller nip roller can be movably arranged with respect to the second feed roller.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including a casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and one side of the platen. A first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen, the first and second feed rollers having a second rotation direction of the first rotation direction and vice versa. In the printer, which is rotatable in the rotation direction of, and is capable of supplying the sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and the sheet from the other side of the casing to the platen, the carriage has a lower end portion of the print head. A paper guide attached at a position almost the same height as the paper guide, and a paper forward feed method and a paper backward feed method that are provided side by side in the paper transport direction on the paper guide. Characterized in that of comprising the two indicating lines indicating the print reference position. The print head is mounted on a movable carriage and faces the print head.

In this structure, two indicator lines are provided on the paper guide attached to the carriage. The paper guide itself is provided at a predetermined position with respect to the print head, and the indicator lines are arranged side by side in the paper transport direction to indicate the print reference position. Therefore, one indicator line indicates the print reference position when the paper transport direction is from the front to the rear of the printer, and the other indicator line indicates when the paper transport direction is from the rear to the front of the printer. It may indicate the print reference position. Therefore, the print reference position can be indicated in any of the paper conveyance directions.
Using this, fine adjustment of the print position can be performed.
This is particularly suitable for a multi-pass type printer.

Preferably, the paper guide is made of a transparent plate. The indicator line can be printed on the surface of the paper guide. While observing the print position and the indicator line of the paper passing under the paper guide, the print position can be finely adjusted in correspondence with the front transport direction or the rear transport direction of the paper.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including a casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and one side of the platen. A first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen, the first and second feed rollers having a second rotation direction of the first rotation direction and vice versa. In a printer that can be rotated in the rotation direction of No. 1 and can supply paper to the platen from one side of the casing and also to supply paper to the platen from the other side of the casing, It is characterized in that it is provided with a sheet leading edge detecting means provided on a line perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction.

In this structure, the paper leading edge detecting means is provided on a line which passes through the printing portion of the print head and is perpendicular to the paper conveying direction. Only one sheet leading edge detecting unit can detect that the leading edge of the sheet in the front transport direction or the rear transport direction passes through the printing unit. When the leading edge of the sheet is detected, the sheet can be positioned and printed at a predetermined upper margin position.

Preferably, the carriage is provided with a paper guide attached at a position substantially at the same height as the lower end of the print head, and the paper leading edge detecting means is provided in the paper guide. The paper guide itself is provided at a predetermined position with respect to the print head, and the paper leading edge detecting means can be easily provided on a line which passes through the print portion of the print head and is perpendicular to the paper transport direction.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including a casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and one side of the platen. A first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen, the first and second feed rollers having a second rotation direction of the first rotation direction and vice versa. In a printer that can be rotated in the rotation direction of, the paper can be supplied to the platen from one side of the casing, and the paper can be supplied to the platen from the other side of the casing. , The first
And a flap valve for guiding a sheet fed toward one of the second feed rollers and a sheet conveyed in a reverse direction from the one feed roller, the flap valve being rotatable on a bearing. It is characterized in that it is attached to the shaft supported by the above, facing the one feed roller, and is urged toward the paper guide by an elastic member.

In this structure, the flap valve is provided to guide the sheet fed toward the one feed roller and the sheet conveyed in the opposite direction from the one feed roller. The flap valve is mounted on a shaft rotatably supported in a bearing, facing one of the feed rollers and biased by a spring towards the paper guide. When the sheet is fed toward the one feed roller, the sheet passes between the flap valve and the sheet guide while opening the flap valve, and when the sheet is conveyed in the opposite direction from the one feed roller, Prevent the paper from passing between the flap valve and the paper guide to ensure that the paper follows a transport path that bypasses the flap valve.

Preferably, a cut sheet feeder is provided on the side of the casing on which the one feed roller is provided, and the paper guide forms an upper portion of a paper conveying path extending from the cut sheet feeder to the one feed roller. And the sheet fed from the cut sheet feeder is fed to the one feed roller through the gap between the sheet guide and the flap valve, and is conveyed in the opposite direction by the one feed roller. Is conveyed below the flap valve, the flap valve being configured to prevent paper conveyed in the reverse direction from passing between the paper guide and the flap valve, and the bearing Are arranged on a flange provided on the paper guide. In this way, for example, the paper is fed from the feed roller at the rear of the printer to the platen, the printed paper is discharged to the front of the printer, while the paper is fed from the table at the front of the printer to print. The ejected sheets can be discharged to the rear part of the printer, and the sheets having different conveying directions can be reliably conveyed without jamming.

Preferably, the shaft is formed as a D-cut shaft having a flat surface, the bearing has a D-shaped internal shape corresponding to the shape of the shaft, and the flap valve has a flat surface between the shaft and the bearing. It is possible to move within the play area between departments. As a result, the flap valve is movable within the play between the flat portion of the shaft and the bearing, and the initial position is maintained by the action of the spring, so that the flap valve can be manually operated, There is no need to operate electrically.

Preferably, the flap valve is formed by bending a thin plate material into a wedge shape, and its open end is fixed to the shaft. This allows the flap valve to allow the paper to pass smoothly along its surface without the paper getting caught in the flap valve. Further, the flap valve is lightweight, and for example, a sheet supplied from the cut sheet feeder can easily open the flap valve.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including a casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and one side of the platen. A first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen, the first and second feed rollers having a second rotation direction of the first rotation direction and vice versa. In the printer which is rotatable in the rotation direction of the casing and is capable of supplying the sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and the sheet from the other side of the casing to the platen, the second feed roller side of the casing. And a paper guide disposed between the second feed roller and the table, the table being for paper supply. The stacker can be used as a table and a stacker for discharged sheets, and the sheet guide is movable so as to guide and guide sheets toward the second feed roller when the table is used as a sheet supply table. It is characterized in that it is formed as a stopper for receiving the trailing end of the ejected paper when used as.

In this structure, the table arranged on the second feed roller side of the casing can be used as a sheet supply table and a sheet discharge stacker. On the other hand, the paper guide is arranged between the table and the second feed roller, and guides the paper toward the second feed roller when the table is used as a table for paper supply and When it is used as a stacker, it functions as a stopper that receives the trailing edge of ejected sheets.

Preferably, the table is movably formed so as to interlock with the paper guide. Therefore, the paper guide moves according to the usage state of the table, and guides or functions as a stopper as described above.

Preferably, the paper guide is rotatably provided about the axis of the second feed roller, and is biased by a spring to a position for guiding the paper toward the second feed roller. As a result, the paper guide can be efficiently arranged at a limited position near the second feed roller, and at the same time, a movable structure can be adopted.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including a casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and one side of the platen. A first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen, the first and second feed rollers having a second rotation direction of the first rotation direction and vice versa. In the printer capable of rotating in the rotation direction of No. 1 and supplying paper to the platen from one side of the casing, and also supplying paper to the platen from the other side of the casing, the platen and the first and second A first drive means for driving the feed roller, a first tractor capable of supplying the continuous form paper to the platen from one side, and a planer from the other side. A second tractor capable of driving a second tractor capable of supplying a continuous form sheet to a ten, and the first driving means and the second driving means are provided independently of each other. It is characterized by that.

In this structure, the first driving means drives the platen and the first and second feed rollers, and the second driving means drives the tractor. Thus, the first
Since the drive means and the second drive means are independently provided, it is possible to simplify the gear transmission mechanism, for example, and to reduce the load on the drive motor and increase the size of the drive motor. Disappear. Further, the driving speed can be changed between the first driving means and the second driving means.

Preferably, said first drive means comprises a first gear train connected to a first motor and said second drive means is connected to a second motor separate from the first motor. A second gear train that has been created. In this way, the first drive means and the second drive means are provided independently.

Preferably, a pick roller, an intermediate feed roller, a third gear train connected to a third motor for driving the pick roller, and a feed roller drive for driving the intermediate feed roller. A cut sheet feeder including a gear and the feed roller drive gear is connected to the gear of the first gear train when the cut sheet feeder is mounted in the printer. In this way, the driving means of the cut sheet feeder is provided independently of the first and second driving means, but the gear for driving the intermediate feed roller is the same as the gear of the first gear train. It is designed to be connected so that the sheet conveyance speeds are matched.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer in which a casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and one side of the platen. A first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen, the first and second feed rollers having a second rotation direction of the first rotation direction and vice versa. In a printer that can be rotated in the rotation direction of No. 1 to supply paper to the platen from one side of the casing and also to supply paper to the platen from the other side of the casing, a cut sheet feeder, the platen and the A drive means of the printer including gears arranged on one side of the printer for driving the first and second feed rollers, and the cut sheet. A cut sheet feeder drive means provided in the feeder, the cut sheet feeder comprising a pick roller driven by the cut sheet feeder drive means and an intermediate feed roller not driven by the cut sheet feeder drive means. And an intermediate feed roller drive gear for driving the intermediate feed roller, wherein the intermediate feed roller drive gear is composed of a pair of gears arranged on both left and right sides of the cut sheet feeder, and the cut sheet feeder is It is characterized in that the intermediate feed roller drive gear is connected to the gear of the drive means of the printer when the gear is attached to the printer from either the front side or the back side.

In this structure, the driving means of the printer drives the platen and the first and second feed rollers, and the driving means of the cut sheet feeder drives the pick roller of the cut sheet feeder. The intermediate feed roller drive gear for driving the intermediate feed roller of the cut sheet feeder is not driven by the drive means of the cut sheet feeder, but is connected to the gear of the drive means of the printer, thereby cutting The sheet feeding speed of the printer and that of the printer are matched. Moreover, the drive gear is composed of a pair of gears arranged on both left and right sides of the cut sheet feeder, and the gear is the gear of the drive means of the printer regardless of whether the cut sheet feeder is attached to the printer from the front side or the back side. It is designed to be connected with. Therefore, the common cut sheet feeder can be attached from either the front side or the back side of the printer.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including a casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and one side of the platen. A first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen, the first and second feed rollers having a second rotation direction of the first rotation direction and vice versa. In a printer that can rotate in the rotation direction of the sheet, and can supply the sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and the sheet from the other side of the casing to the platen, A first and a second tractor arranged to supply paper.
Feed rollers include respective nip rollers, at least the nip rollers of the second feed roller being movably disposed relative to the second feed roller when using the tractor, and further including the second nip roller. It is characterized in that it comprises a switching means for switching the position of the nip roller with respect to the feed roller, and the switching means includes a motor and a transmission member.

In this structure, the continuous sheet fed by the tractor passes through the second feed roller, but at this time, since the nip roller of the second feed roller is lifted up, it is not substantially fed. . Therefore, the continuous form sheet is conveyed by the conveying action of the tractor and the conveying action of the first feed roller. This prevents slack from occurring in the continuous form paper. When the cut sheet is used, the nip roller of the second feed roller is pressed against the second feed roller. The switching means for switching the position of the nip roller with respect to the second feed roller is
It includes a motor and a transmission member. Therefore, when the position of the nip roller is switched between the case of using the continuous form paper and the case of using the single form paper, a manual operation is not required and an electric operation can be easily performed.

Preferably, it further comprises a tractor arranged to feed the continuous form paper to the platen directly between the first feed roller and the platen,
The switching means is formed so that the drive of the first tractor and the drive of the further tractor can be selectively switched. That is, the transmission member driven by the motor can switch the usage states of the front and rear tractors.

Preferably, the motor of the switching means is
The first and second feed rollers, the driving means for the platen, and the driving means for the tractor are provided separately. That is, the motor of the switching means is provided exclusively for switching so that no load is applied to the driving means of the first and second feed rollers, the platen and the driving means of the tractor, and the motor is simple and reliable. The transmission mechanism is to be achieved.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer including a casing, a movable carriage, a print head mounted on the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and one side of the platen. A first feed roller and a second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen, the first and second feed rollers having a second rotation direction of the first rotation direction and vice versa. In order to detect the position of the carriage in a printer that can be rotated in the rotation direction of No. 1 and can supply paper to the platen from one side of the casing and also to supply paper to the platen from the other side of the casing. Two detectors provided at fixed positions and attached to the carriage to generate a detection signal when approaching the positions of the two detectors A single detection unit is provided, and the detection unit detects the position of the carriage in the moving direction regardless of the conveyance direction of the sheet, and thus can position the carriage at the print start position. It is characterized by. In this case, printing is performed so that it can be read when viewed from the selected transport direction.

In this structure, a single detecting unit and two detecting units are provided for positioning the printing start position of the paper, that is, the left end or the right end margin position.
This detecting means detects the position of the carriage in the moving direction regardless of the conveying direction of the paper, and thus the carriage can be positioned at the print start position. Therefore, even in a multi-pass type printer, the positioning can be performed at the print start position of the carriage by a single detection unit, which simplifies the configuration and allows the sheet to be conveyed in one conveyance direction or the other conveyance direction. By determining the reference position of the carriage, it is possible to improve the printing throughput.

Preferably, the two detecting portions have the same width as each other as a detecting piece, and which detecting portion is moved by a large movement in one direction when the detecting means is on any one of the detecting portions. To judge. Preferably, the 2
The two detection parts have different widths as detection pieces, and when the detection means is on any one of the detection parts, the two detection parts move largely in one direction and the shielded area has the shorter width of the two detection parts. Which of the detection units is determined by checking whether the detection unit is larger than the above. In either case, the left and right ends of the carriage can be positioned by a single detecting means, and the structure can be simplified.

[0044]

1 is a cross-sectional view of a multi-pass type printer according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer with a cover and the like removed. Is. In these figures, the right side of the figure is the front side of the printer, and the left side of the figure is the rear side of the printer.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, the printer 10
Has a casing 12 and a cover 14 which is a part of the casing. The print head 16 and the platen 1 facing the print head 16 are provided at substantially the center of the casing 12.
And 8 are arranged. The ink ribbon cassette 20 is arranged above the print head 16. The print head 16 is of an impact type having, for example, 24 pins (not shown) driven by a known piezoelectric actuator (not shown), and the platen 1 is provided by the piezoelectric actuator.
The pin pushed toward 8 prints on the paper via the ink ribbon of the ink ribbon cassette 20.

The carriage 22 supports the print head 16 and the ink ribbon cassette 20, and also guide shaft 2
4 and the rail 26 so as to be movable in the lateral direction. A part of the carriage 22 is coupled to a belt 28a wound around a pulley 28, and the pulley 28 has a motor 30 (FIG. 3).
Driven by Therefore, the carriage 22 is the motor 3
Driven by 0.

Front feed roller 32 and nip roller 3
2a is arranged on the front side of the platen 18, and the rear feed roller 34 and the nip roller 34a are arranged on the rear side of the platen 18. These feed rollers and nip rollers 32, 32a, 34, 34a have their respective shafts 3
2b and 34b, which are short roller portions mounted axially at intervals and are firmly fixed to the shaft by press fitting (nip roller 32a in FIG. 3,
Only the shafts 32b, 34b of 34a are visible, but the feed rollers 32, 34 are also attached to the shafts). The nip roller 32a is the front feed roller 3
2, the nip roller 34a is supported in a substantially fixed position relative to the rear feed roller 34.

The front feed roller 32 and the rear feed roller 34 have the same outer diameter and are driven in the same direction at the same speed. Therefore, at least between the front feed roller 32 and the rear feed roller 34, the sheet can be stably conveyed without slack, and the sheet is printed on the platen 18 in a stable state by the print head 16. Also,
The front feed roller 32 and the rear feed roller 34 can be driven in both the first rotation direction and the second rotation direction opposite thereto, so that the sheet is conveyed from the front side to the rear side of the casing 12. The casing 12 can be conveyed from the rear side to the front side. From this point of view, the front feed roller 32 and the rear feed roller 34 (and the assembly including the shaft) are manufactured in the same lot under the same manufacturing control so that there is as little difference as possible.

The cut sheet feeder 36 is the printer 10.
It is attached to the rear of the car. Further, the front tractor 38
Is arranged obliquely below the front feed roller 32 in the casing 12, and the rear tractor 40 is arranged obliquely below the rear feed roller 34 in the casing 12. The front tractor 38 is arranged so as to feed the continuous form paper toward the front feed roller 32. The rear tractor 40 is arranged at a slightly higher angle than the front tractor 38, for example, at an angle of about 30 degrees with respect to the horizontal, and the platen is passed between the rear feed roller 34 and the platen 18 on the conveyance route of about 45 degrees. 18 is arranged so as to directly supply the continuous form paper. The tractors 38 and 40 have pin-shaped projections provided on the endless belt, and the pin-shaped projections can feed the continuous-form paper while engaging with the holes provided on both sides of the continuous-form paper.

A table 42 (FIG. 2) is arranged at the front of the printer 10. Further, an operation panel 44 is provided on the front part of the printer 10. As shown in FIG. 4, the operation panel 44 includes various operation buttons and a display unit. For example, the operation panel 44 includes a paper selection button 44a. Each part of the operation panel 44 is connected to a computer control device (not shown), for example, a paper selection button 44.
By continuing to press a, it is possible to select the operation mode of the front continuous book, the rear continuous book, and the single-cut form. Single-cut mode includes table 42, front cut sheet feeder,
And insertion of cut sheets from the rear cut sheet feeder 36. Selection of the table 42, the front cut sheet feeder, and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 will be described later with reference to FIG.

Assuming that the single-cut mode is selected and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 is used, the single-cut sheet is inserted into the printer from the cut sheet feeder 36 and conveyed by the rear feed roller 34 and the front feed roller 32. , Is printed on the platen by the print head 16 and is discharged onto the table 42. In this case, table 4
2 acts as a stacker. When it is selected to manually feed the cut sheet from the table 42, the cut sheet is inserted from the table 42, conveyed by the feed rollers 32 and 34, and printed on the table 42 or The paper is discharged to the discharge unit on the rear side of the printer 10.

When the front continuous book mode is selected, the nip roller 32a is lifted with respect to the front feed roller 32, and a gap is formed between the front feed roller 32 and the nip roller 32a. The continuous form sheet placed on the front side of the printer 10 is sent toward the front feed roller 32 by the front tractor 38, passes between the front feed roller 32 (which does not substantially act) and the nip roller 32a, and passes through the platen 1.
8 is printed by the print head 16, is pulled by the rear feed roller 34 and the nip roller 34a, and is discharged to the discharge portion on the rear side of the printer.

When the rear continuous book mode is selected, the nip roller 32a is pressed against the front feed roller 32. The continuous form sheet placed on the rear side of the printer 10 is the rear tractor 40.
Sent by the rear feed roller 34 and the platen 1
8 is directly conveyed to the platen 18, printed by the print head 16 on the platen 18, pulled by the front feed roller 32 and the nip roller 32a, and discharged onto the front table 42 of the printer.

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 10, the casing 12 of the printer 10 has a cut sheet feeder 36.
Alternatively, the front tractor 38, the rear tractor 40, the discharged sheet stacker, etc. can be selectively attached. The cut sheet feeder 36 can be attached to the front and / or the rear of the casing 12. In FIG. 5 to FIG. 10, broken line arrows indicate supply of cut sheets,
The discharge direction is shown, and the solid arrows show the supply and discharge directions of the continuous form paper.

In FIG. 5, the front table 42, the front tractor 38, and the rear tractor 40 are attached to the casing 12. Further, the rear stacker 46 is arranged horizontally. Therefore, when the cut sheet is manually fed from the table 42, the cut sheet is printed and then discharged onto the table 42 or the rear stacker 46. When feeding the continuous form paper by the front tractor 38, the continuous form paper is printed and then discharged onto the rear stacker 46. When the continuous form paper is supplied by the front tractor 40, the continuous form paper is printed and then discharged onto the front table 42.
In FIG. 6, the front table 42 and the front tractor 38 are attached to the casing 12. A rear stacker 46 is also arranged.

In FIG. 7, the front table 42 and the rear tractor 40 are attached to the casing 12. A rear stacker 46a is also arranged. The stacker 46 of FIGS. 5 and 6 is arranged in a substantially horizontal state, while the stacker 46a of FIG. 7 is arranged at an angle of rising to the left. In FIG. 8, the front table 42, the front cut sheet feeder 36, and the rear tractor 40 are the casing 1
It is attached to 2. Also, two rear stackers 4
6, 46a are arranged. In this case, front table 4
2 is arranged at a slightly upward angle, and the front cut sheet feeder 36 is arranged below the front table 42.

In FIG. 9, the front table 42, the rear tractor 40, and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 are attached to the casing 12. The rear stacker 46 is also arranged. In this case, the front table 42 is used as a table during manual feeding and is used as a large-capacity sheet stacker when the rear cut sheet feeder 36 is used.

In FIG. 10, the front table 42, the front cut sheet feeder 36, the front tractor 38, the rear tractor 40, and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 are attached to the casing 12. That is, the printer 10 is shown in a fully equipped state. However, in actual use, one of the front cut sheet feeder 36 and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 is selectively used. Also,
One of the front tractor 38 and the rear tractor 40 is selectively used.

FIG. 11 is a view showing a mounting means for the front cut sheet feeder 36, the front tractor 38, the rear tractor 40, and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 provided in the casing 12 of the printer 10. The front cut sheet feeder 36 is attached to the supporting portions 74c and 74d at the front of the casing 12. The rear cut sheet feeder 36 includes support portions 74a, 74 at the rear portion of the casing 12.
It can be attached to b. Front tractor 38
The tractor frame 38a is mounted on the front supporting portions 74c and 74d of the casing 12. That is, the front cut sheet feeder 36 and the front tractor 38 are selectively attached to the supporting portions 74c and 74d. The tractor frame 40a of the rear tractor 40 is adapted to be attached to the support portions 41a and 41b at the rear portion of the casing 12. Further, as will be described later, a mounting means for the front table 42 is provided.

Next, the features of each part of the printer 10 of the embodiment will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a paper guide 48 is attached to the carriage 22 at the lower end position of the print head 16. Paper guide 4
Reference numeral 8 has an opening for passing a printing portion (a pin existing region) of the print head 16. The paper guide 48 guides the paper conveyed along the lower surface thereof.

The paper guide 48 supports a pair of skew detection sensors 50 located on both sides of the print head 16. The skew detection sensor 50 detects whether the fed paper is conveyed in a straight posture, and if the paper is not conveyed in a straight posture, the feed roller 3
It is designed so that the sheets 2 and 34 are reversed to return the sheet to the original state and the sheet is not jammed.

The paper guide 48 further supports a paper leading edge detection sensor 52. The sheet leading edge detection sensor 52 detects the leading edge of the conveyed sheet and is used to position the carriage 22 at the print start position. The skew feeding detection sensor 50 and the sheet leading edge detection sensor 52 may be optical sensors, for example, reflection type sensors.

The paper guide 48 is made of a transparent plastic plate and has an indicator line 5 on one side of the print head 16.
4 are provided. As shown in FIG. 12A, the paper leading edge detection sensor 52 is provided in the print unit 16 a of the print head 16.
Is arranged on a line L that passes through the center of the sheet and is perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. Therefore, the sheet leading edge detection sensor 52 generates a detection signal at the same time when the leading edge of the conveyed sheet reaches the center of the printing portion 16a of the print head 16. In FIG. 12A, P ₁ indicates a sheet conveyed from the front side, and P ₂ indicates a sheet conveyed from the rear side. The arrow X indicates the transport direction from the front side, and the arrow Y indicates the transport direction from the rear side.
This configuration is particularly useful in the printer 10 of the embodiment in which the paper is conveyed from both front and rear directions.

That is, the conventional paper leading edge detection sensor is arranged on the front side in the transport direction with respect to the center of the printing portion 16a of the print head 16. Then, in the case of a multi-pass type printer in which paper is conveyed from both front and rear directions, two sensors are required on both sides of the printing unit 16a.
However, according to this embodiment, the paper edge detection sensor 52
Since only one can detect the leading edge of the sheet conveyed from both front and rear directions, the cost reduction effect is great. Moreover, by detecting the leading edge of the sheet conveyed from both front and rear directions by the common sheet leading edge detection sensor 52, there is no influence of the variation in the detection accuracy due to the difference in the sheet conveying path, and the sheet can be detected with high accuracy. 10 contributes to performance improvement.

When the upper margin of the print margin of the paper is extremely small, it may not be possible to stop the paper from the detection of the front end of the paper to the print start position. Even in such a case, since the leading edge position of the paper is detected and known, it is necessary to stop the paper after advancing the paper by a predetermined amount, then back the paper and then re-advance it to perform minute positioning. So there is no practical problem.

FIG. 12B is a diagram showing a modification of the arrangement of the sheet leading edge detection sensor 52. In this example, the two paper edge detection sensors 52 are connected to the printing unit 16 a of the print head 16.
Are arranged on both sides of the print head 16 on a line L that passes through the center of the sheet and is perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. Also in this example, the leading edge of the sheet conveyed by the sheet leading edge detection sensor 52 is the print head 1.
A detection signal is generated at the same time when it reaches the center of the printing unit 16a of No. 6. Further, the two sheet leading edge detection sensors 52 can detect the skew feeding of the sheet conveyed from both front and rear directions, so that the skew feeding detection sensor 50 can be omitted.

Further, since the two paper edge detection sensors 52 are attached to the carriage 22 via the paper guide 48, they can move in the lateral direction of the paper together with the carriage 22 and detect the lateral edge of the paper. . Therefore,
When a sheet having a lateral dimension smaller than the print width is conveyed, an alarm is generated or the sheet is returned to prevent the print pin from directly hitting the platen 18. be able to.

FIG. 13 shows the indicator line 54 provided on the transparent plastic paper guide 48.
There are two indicator lines 54, 54 in FIG.
a, 54b. Each indicator line 54
(54a, 54b) are provided at the printing reference positions corresponding to the front transport direction X and the rear transport direction Y. For example, it is provided at the position of the underline when printing characters.

In FIG. 14, one indicator line 54a is compared with the lower end position of printing on the sheet P ₁ conveyed from the front side (A), and the other indicator line 54b is conveyed from the rear side. It can be compared to the bottom position of the print on P ₂ . Therefore, with reference to the indicator line 54, it is possible to finely adjust the sheet conveyance while observing the actual printing. In particular, when a printing frame is already present on the paper such as a slip, fine adjustment can be performed while comparing the printing frame with the indicator line 54.

1 and 3, a carriage sensor 56 for detecting the position of the carriage 22 is attached to the rear portion of the carriage 22. Two detection pieces 58L, 58R cooperating with the carriage sensor 56 are fixed to the transverse beam of the casing 12. In the printer 10 of the embodiment, the position of the carriage 22 can be detected by the one carriage sensor 56 and the two detection pieces 58L and 58R, and the carriage 22 can be positioned at the print start position in any of the paper conveyance directions. it can. The details will be described later with reference to FIGS. 35 to 40.

In FIG. 1, a front upper guide 60 and a rear upper guide 62 are arranged in front of and behind the paper guide 48. The front upper guide 60, the paper guide 48, and the rear upper guide 62 form an upper guide portion of the paper transport path. Integrated front lower guide 64 and rear lower guide 66
Are arranged before and after the platen 18. Further, the front guide 68 is arranged in front of the front feed roller 32,
The consecutive-form guide 70 is a mounting means 74 for the rear tractor 40.
It is arranged along the path of the continuous form paper from a, 74b to the platen 18. Further, a flap valve 72 is arranged below the rear upper guide 62. The front guide 68, the continuous-form guide 70, and the flap valve 72 form a lower guide portion of the sheet conveyance path. However, flap valve 7
2 may form an upper guide portion of the paper transport path.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 15, the rear cut sheet feeder 36 passes through the opening 12a provided at the rear portion of the casing 12, and is supported by the rod-shaped support portions 74a and 74b provided inside the casing 12. It is adapted to be supported at a predetermined position. Rod-shaped support portion 74
The a and 74b extend from the side plate member 12b of the casing 12 so as to project into the opening 12a.

As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, guide holes 12c and 12d are provided in the side wall of the opening 12a, and the rear stackers 46 and 46a are provided with these guide holes 12c.
c, 12d is inserted. Inside the casing 12, a support portion 12e that supports the inner end portions of the rear stackers 46 and 46a is provided. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 10, the rear cut sheet feeder 36 and the rear stackers 46 and 46a can be attached. The rear stacker 46 is arranged horizontally, and the rear stacker 46a is arranged upward to the left. On the other hand, in the rear part of the casing 12, there is a further opening (not shown) below the opening 12a.
The continuous form paper supplied from the front tractor 38 has the opening 12
a, or discharged through a further opening.

17 and 18 are views showing the mounting portion of the table 42 of the casing 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the casing 12 has side walls 12f on both sides of the space in which the table 42 is to be placed. FIG. 17 shows this side wall 12
f, the side wall 12f has two guide holes 76a, 76b.
Having. The table 42 has pins 42 extending from its side portion.
a, 42b, and these pins 42a, 42b are inserted into these guide holes 76a, 76b.

The guide hole 76a located on the front end side of the table 42 has a hook-like shape composed of an upper horizontal portion and a lower inclined portion, and the rear guide hole 76b is composed of an upper vertical portion and a lower horizontal portion. It has a T-shape. As shown in FIG. 17, when the table 42 is in a substantially horizontal posture, the pin 42a on the front end side is located at the front end of the upper horizontal portion of the guide hole 76a, and the rear pin 42b is on the rear guide hole 76b.
It is located approximately in the center of the lower horizontal part. This position corresponds to, for example, the table 42 in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 18, when the table 42 is in the inclined posture, the pin 42a on the front end side is located at the lower inclined portion of the guide hole 76a, and the rear pin 42b is the front end of the rear guide hole 76b. Located in. This position corresponds to the table 42 in FIG. 9, for example.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the front cut sheet feeder 36 can be attached to the front side of the casing 12. In this case, the table 42 is raised further and the cut sheet feeder 36
Is inserted below the table 42. In order to lift the table 42 in this way, the pin 42a on the front end side is slid rearward in the guide hole 76a while being positioned at the center of the hook, and the rear pin 42b is positioned vertically above the rear guide hole 76b. Raise upward in the department. In order to support the front cut sheet feeder 36 inserted from the front part of the casing 12, the rod-shaped support parts 74c and 74d (see FIG. 1).
1, FIG. 29) is provided in the casing 12. FIG.
9, the front cut sheet feeder 36 and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 are the same, but the engaging portions (recesses) of the support portions 74c and 74d and the front cut sheet feeder 36 are the same as the support portion 74a. , 74b which are engaged with the rear cut sheet feeder 36 (recesses) are at different positions.

19 and 20 show the front feed roller 3
2 shows the details of the front guide 68 arranged in front of 2. The front guide 68 is movably arranged so as to interlock with the table 42. The front guide 68 is a guide portion 68 having a gentle curved surface facing the paper transport path.
a and side plate portions 68b connected to both ends of the guide portion 68a.
Consists of The side plate portion 68b is rotatably arranged around the axis of the shaft 32c of the front feed roller 32. The spring 78 urges the side plate portion 68b counterclockwise so that the side plate portion 68b comes into contact with the side end portion of the front upper guide 60 located above the side plate portion 68b.

The table 42 is composed of a sheet supporting portion 42c which is formed slightly downward to be connected to the guide portion 68a of the front guide 68, and side plate portions 42d which are connected to both sides thereof. The leading end portion 42e of the sheet support portion 42c is rotatably attached to the pin 42a, and can rotate only in the clockwise direction. The side plate portion 42d of the table 42 is arranged to interlock with the side plate portion 68b of the front guide 68.

At the horizontal position of the table 42 shown in FIG. 19, the side plate portion 42d of the table 42 is not in contact with the side plate portion 68b of the front guide 68. Therefore, the spring 7
By the action of 8 and the contact between the side plate portion 68b and the front upper guide 60, the guide portion 68a of the front guide 68 takes a stable posture at the lower right lower position.
The front end portion 42e of the sheet support portion 42c of the table 42 is located in the vicinity of the guide portion 68a of the front guide 68, and forms a continuous sheet conveyance path. In this state, the front guide 68 serves as a guide for the paper supplied from the table 42 or the paper discharged to the table 42. Further, the front guide 68 is the front tractor 38.
It smoothly continues to the conveyance path of the continuous form paper supplied by and functions as a guide for the continuous form paper.

In the tilted position of the table 42 shown in FIG. 20, the side plate portion 42d of the table 42 contacts the side plate portion 68b of the front guide 68, and the front guide 68 is rotated downward as the table 42 moves to the tilted position. Let The table 42 in this posture functions as a large-capacity stacker for the sheets supplied from the rear cut sheet feeder 36 provided at the rear of the printer.

That is, as shown in FIG. 21, the rear cut sheet feeder 36 is arranged at the rear of the printer 10, and the printed sheets are discharged onto the table 42. In this case, the table 42 functions as a stacker. To do. The front guide 68 is stably maintained in a downward posture and serves as a trailing end stopper of the sheets discharged onto the table 42 as a stacker. Therefore, a large amount of sheets can be stacked on the table 42 as a stacker.

Further, as shown in FIG. 22, the table 4
When the front cut sheet feeder 36 is arranged in the front part of the printer 10 at the inclined position of 2, the large-capacity stacker 46a can be attached to the rear part of the printer 10. In this case, since the table 42 is in the position of being pulled up, the side plate portion 42d of the table 42 does not contact the side plate portion 68b of the front guide 68 and the front guide 68 is maintained at the same position as in FIG. Paper can be fed from the cut sheet feeder 36 through the front guide 68 to the front hood roller 32.

In FIG. 23, in the front continuous book mode, the continuous form paper is supplied by the front tractor 38 with the nip roller 32a being lifted from the front feed roller 32.
It is shown that it is pulled by the rear feed roller 34. FIG. 24 shows that, in the rear continuous book mode, the continuous form sheet is directly supplied to the platen 18 by the rear tractor 40, skipping the rear feed roller 34, and pulled by the front feed roller 32 and the nip roller 32a. .

In the case of continuous form paper, since the front tractor 38 and the rear tractor 40 have a carrying capacity, it is not necessary to use the feed rollers 32, 34 on the front side of the platen 18 in the carrying direction, and the feed rollers 32 are used. , 34 causes problems such as slackening.
Therefore, the nip rollers 32a and 34a need to be lifted from the front feed rollers 32 and 34 (or the pressure spring force is loosened), and a lifting drive mechanism or a spring pressure adjusting mechanism is necessary. In this embodiment,
In the rear continuous book mode, since the continuous form paper is supplied directly to the platen 18 by the rear tractor 40, such a lifting drive mechanism or spring pressure adjusting mechanism is necessary for the nip roller 34a of the rear feed roller 34. Instead, the structure of the printer 10 can be simplified and the cost can be reduced.

In the structure in which the continuous form paper is directly supplied from the rear tractor 40 to the platen 18, the rear tractor 40 is arranged at a larger angle with respect to the horizontal than the front tractor 38, and the paper conveying path of this portion is arranged. Is at an angle of, for example, about 45 degrees with respect to the horizontal. As a result, an extra space is provided in the rear portion of the casing 12, so that the rear tractor 40, the rear tractor 40,
The rear stacker 46 and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 can be arranged. In addition, the rear tractor 40
The presence of the continuous form guide 70 provided from the rear to the platen 18 also enables the continuous form paper to be directly supplied from the rear tractor 40 to the platen 18. In this embodiment,
Although only the rear tractor 40 supplies the sheet directly to the platen 18, this may be done only on the front tractor 38 side, and as shown in FIG. 41, the front tractor 38 and the rear tractor 40 may be connected to each other. In both cases, the paper may be directly supplied to the platen 18. In this case, it is preferable to provide the continuous form guide 70 from the front tractor 38 toward the platen 18.

As shown in FIG. 1, the rear cut sheet feeder 36 includes a hopper portion 36a, a pick roller 36b,
And a sheet separating member 36c for preventing double sheet feeding. Further, the cut sheet feeder 36 has an intermediate feed roller 36d, a nip roller 36e, and a paper guide 36f. The paper guide 36f extends below the rear upper guide 62 and guides the paper between the rear upper guide 62 and the flap valve 72.

25 and 26 are views for explaining the details of the flap valve 72. The flap valve 72 is formed by bending a very thin stainless plate into a wedge shape and fixing the open end to a shaft 72a having two flat surfaces. A supporting flange 62a extends downward from the end of the rear upper guide 62 at a right angle. A bearing 72b is provided on the supporting flange 62a, and a shaft 72a of the flap valve 72 is rotatably attached to the bearing 72b.

The left and right ends of the shaft 72a are formed in a D shape having flat portions, and the inner surface of the bearing 72b has a similar D shape.
Formed into a shape. However, there is a gap between the D-shaped flat portion of the shaft 72a and the D-shaped flat portion of the bearing 72b, and the flap valve 72 can rotate within the allowable range of this gap as shown in FIG. Is. A torsion spring 72c is arranged around the shaft 72a, one end of which is held by the supporting flange 62a and the other end of which is held by the flap valve 72. The torsion spring 72c is attached in a state in which it is preloaded in the coil opening direction, and is arranged so as to generate a spring force in the coil contracting direction.

The flap valve 72 is mounted so as to face the rear feed roller 34 and is provided with a torsion spring 72.
It is urged toward the rear upper guide 62 by c. That is, the flap valve 72 is not
The rear upper guide 62 is urged from the side (solid line in FIG. 26). Therefore, as shown by the arrow X, the printer 10
The sheet P ₁ supplied from the front part of the printer 10 and conveyed to the rear part of the printer 10 passes through the rear feed roller 34 and then hangs downward due to its own weight, and is discharged below the flap valve 72. However, the thick paper P ₁ , the copy paper P ₁ including a plurality of layers, the curled paper P ₁ or the like may pass above the flap valve 72 without dripping downward. Then, the printed paper P ₁ moves toward the rear cut sheet feeder 36. However, the flap valve 72 prevents the sheet P ₁ from passing above the flap valve 72 and ensures that the sheet P ₁ is directed in a predetermined discharge direction.

Rear cut sheet feeder 3 as shown by arrow Y
The paper P ₂ supplied from 6 and conveyed to the front of the printer 10 advances toward the upper side of the flap valve 72, and the flap valve 72 resists the spring force of the torsion spring 72c by the conveyance force of the intermediate feed roller 36d. To proceed to the rear feed roller 34. Therefore, the paper P ₂
Surely advances toward the rear feed roller 34.

In the flap valve 72 according to this embodiment, the conveyance of the sheet is surely controlled with a simple structure only by the play between the D-cut shaft 72a and the bearing 72b and the spring force of the torsion spring 72c. can do. There is no need to move the flap valve 72 by an electrically operated mechanism or the like, and there is no inconvenience caused by manual operation.

The left side plate of the casing 12 in FIG. 3 is provided with drive means including a gear train driven by a motor. FIG. 27 is a diagram showing details of this driving means. The drive means is divided into a drive system that drives the platen 18 and the feed rollers 32 and 34, and a drive system that drives the tractors 38 and 40.

The drive system for the tractors 38 and 40 includes a motor Ma, a motor gear Ga, and a front tractor drive gear 3
8 g and a rear tractor drive gear 40 g are included. These gears Ga, 38g, 40g are connected by intermediate gears Gb-Gg. Gears Gb and Gd adjacent to the motor gear Ga are shift gears, and only one tractor can be driven by disconnecting one gear Gb, Gd.

Platen 18 and feed rollers 32, 3
The drive system for 4 is a motor Mb, a motor gear Gh,
The platen drive gear 18g, the front feed roller drive gear 32g, and the rear feed roller drive gear 34g are included, and these gears Gh, 32g, and 34g are intermediate gears G.
i-Gn are connected. Nip roller drive gear 32
h and 34h are respective feed roller driving gears 32
g, 34g.

As described above, since the drive system of the platen 18 and the feed rollers 32 and 34 and the drive system of the tractors 38 and 40 are provided independently of each other, the arrangement and connection of the gears can be simplified, and the motor can be used. Can be miniaturized. Also,
Although a gear transmission mechanism is used in the embodiment, a belt transmission mechanism can also be used. Further, the drive system of the platen 18 and the feed rollers 32 and 34, and the tractor 3
Since the drive systems of 8 and 40 are provided independently of each other, it is possible to make a difference between the transport speed of the feed rollers 32 and 34 and the transport speed of the tractors 38 and 40 in order to prevent the slack of the paper.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a drive system of the pick roller 36b in the cut sheet feeder 36. This drive system includes a motor Mc, a motor gear Go, and a pick roller driving gear 36g, which are connected by intermediate gears Gp to Gs. Further, the intermediate feed roller 36d in the cut sheet feeder 36 is driven by the gear 36h, but this gear 36h is not connected to the gear in the cut sheet feeder 36, and when the cut sheet feeder 36 is attached to the printer 10. Printer 1
It is designed to be connected to the gears of the carrier system within 0.

FIG. 29 shows that the gear 36h for driving the intermediate feed roller 36d in the cut sheet feeder 36 is connected to the gear of the transport system in the printer 10. In the printer 10, there are the front feed roller driving gear 32g and the rear feed roller driving gear 34g described with reference to FIG.
Gears Gt and Gx are connected from g and 34g. In the cut sheet feeder 36, in addition to the gear 36h that drives the intermediate feed roller 36d, a gear G
u, Gv, Gw are provided, so that the gear 36h is connected to the gear Gt or Gx via the gears Gu, Gv, Gw.

FIG. 30 is a diagram showing a schematic view in which the front cut sheet feeder 36 and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 are attached to the printer 10. The front cut sheet feeder 36 and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 have the same structure, and the gear 36h of the intermediate feed roller 36d in the cut sheet feeder 36 and the gears Gu, G ahead thereof are provided.
v and Gw (omitted in FIG. 30) are provided on both sides of the frame of the cut sheet feeder 36, and the gears 36h on both sides are connected by a shaft 36s. On the other hand, the gears Gt and Gx in the printer 10 are provided only on one side of the casing 12. The front cut sheet feeder 36 and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 are opposite in the left-right direction. However, according to the configuration of FIG. 30, when the front and rear cut sheet feeders 36 are attached to the printer 10, the gear 36h in the front and rear cut sheet feeders 36 (via the gears Gu, Gv, Gw) can be easily and surely. ) Printer 1
It will be connected to the gear Gt or Gx in 0.

31 to 34 show the front feed roller 3
And a shift gear G for driving the front and rear tractor drive gears 38g, 40g.
It is a figure which shows the shift mechanism of b and Gd. This mechanism is shown in Figure 3.
The cam plate 80 shown in FIG. The cam plate 80 is rotatably attached around a fulcrum shaft 80a, and has a fan gear 80b in a part thereof. A dedicated motor Md is provided, and the motor Md is connected to the sector gear 80b via the motor gear Gaa and the gear Gab. Therefore,
The cam plate 80 can be rotated by the motor Md.

The cam plate 80 has an elevating part 80c for the nip roller 32a and a shift part 80d. Lifting unit 80
c includes a pin 80e, and the pin 80e engages with the elongated hole 82a of the cam gear 82. The cam gear 82 has a cam surface 82b, and this cam surface 82b engages with the shaft 32b of the nip roller 32a of the front feed roller 32 or a portion related thereto. Therefore, by rotating the cam plate 80, the nip roller 32 is passed through the cam gear 82.
a can be moved up and down with respect to the front feed roller 32. FIG. 32 shows a state where the nip roller 32a is lifted. The nip roller 32a is biased toward the front feed roller 32 by a spring (not shown).

The shift portion 80d is provided with cam surfaces 80f and 80g for the shift gears Gb and Gd that drive the front and rear tractor driving gears 38g and 40g. When the cam plate 80 is at the position shown in FIG. 31, the cam surface 80f pushes up the shift gear Gb to separate the shift gear Gb from the motor gear Ga, as shown in FIG. Therefore, in this case, the rotation of the motor gear Ma is transmitted only to the rear tractor 40. On the other hand, when the cam plate 80 is at the position shown in FIG. 32, the cam surface 80g pushes up the shift gear Gd to disconnect the shift gear Gd from the motor gear Ga. Therefore, in this case, the rotation of the motor gear Ga is transmitted only to the front tractor 38. The shift gears Gb and Gd are provided on the cam plate 8 by a spring (not shown).
It is biased towards 0.

Further, a switch 84 is provided, and the cam plate 80 has a switch engaging portion 80h. The switch 84 generates an off signal when the cam plate 80 is in the position shown in FIG. 31, and an on signal when the cam plate 80 is in the position shown in FIG. Thereby, the usage state of the cam plate 80, that is, the nip roller 32a
Can be detected, and whether it is in the front continuous book mode or the rear continuous book mode.

Thus, the nip roller 32a is moved up and down,
In addition, the front continuous book mode or the rear continuous book mode can be switched by the motor Md. As a result, switching of various operations can be automated, and such switching can be performed simply by pressing the paper selection button 44a of the operation panel 44.

35 to 40, one carriage sensor 56 and two detection pieces 58 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 are shown.
By L and 58R, in any paper transport direction,
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating that the position of the carriage 22 is detected and both the left and right ends of the carriage 22 are positioned.

As shown in FIG. 35, the carriage sensor 56 is a light transmissive-shield type sensor having a U-shaped cross section. Generate a detection signal. In FIG. 36, the two detection pieces 58L and 58R have the same size (W).
3 is a diagram showing an example in which carriage sensors 56 are positioned at both ends in a movable area A. FIG. The carriage sensor 56 detects at the center point thereof. In FIG. 36, the movable area A is areas I, II,
The carriage sensor 56 is divided into areas I, II,
Think about which one of III. In the areas I and III, the carriage sensor 56 (the center point thereof) has detection pieces 58L and 5L.
This area is covered by one of the 8Rs.

FIG. 37 is a flowchart of the positioning control of the carriage 22 in this case. In step S1, it is detected whether the carriage sensor 56 is shielded. If the result of step S1 is no, the process proceeds to step S7. If the result of step S1 is YES, the process proceeds to step S2. Here, even if the carriage sensor 56 is shielded, any of the detection pieces 58L, 5L
I do not know if it is shielded by 8R.

In step S2, the carriage sensor 56 (that is, the carriage 22) is moved leftward by W. In step S3, it is determined whether the carriage sensor 56 is in the shield area. Here, the carriage sensor 56 first determines the area I (for example, the position of the solid line in FIG. 36).
If so, the carriage sensor 56 cannot be actually moved leftward by W because it is constrained by the left side frame or the like, and continues to generate the shielded signal.
In this case, the motor 30 goes out of step. If the result of step S3 is YES, the process proceeds to step S4.

If the carriage sensor 56 is initially located in the area III, the carriage sensor 56 moves to the left by W and enters the area II, and no shield signal is generated. Therefore,
The result of step S3 is NO, and the process proceeds to step S7. In step S4, the carriage sensor 56 is moved rightward by W, and in step S5, it is determined whether or not the carriage sensor 56 is in the shielding area. If the carriage sensor 56 in the area I is moved rightward by W,
Should enter Area II. If the result of step S5 is NO, the process proceeds to step S6, and the carriage sensor 56 is stopped at an appropriate position in the area II. If the result of step S5 is YES, it is determined that an abnormality has occurred in the motor 30, the process proceeds to step S10, and an alarm signal is generated.

In step S7, the carriage sensor 56 is located somewhere in the area II. Therefore, a signal for moving the carriage sensor 56 to the left by B is generated, and in step S8, it is determined whether the carriage sensor 56 is in the shielding area. The distance B is a distance corresponding to the size of the movable area A of the carriage sensor 56, and the carriage sensor 56 is continuously moved to the left by a minute amount while step S is performed in each operation cycle of the computer.
Make a judgment of 8. Therefore, regardless of where the carriage sensor 56 is, when the carriage sensor 56 enters the area I from the area II, the result of step S8 becomes YES, and at this time, the carriage sensor 56 is in the reference position on the left side. become. Therefore, in step S9,
The carriage sensor 56 (that is, the carriage 22) is positioned based on the designation of the left end margin position setting. On the other hand, if the result of step S8 is NO, the carriage sensor 56 does not enter the area I from the area II forever, so that it is determined that the motor 30 is abnormal, and the process proceeds to step S10 to generate an alarm signal.

This description is for the case where the sheet is conveyed from the front part to the rear part of the printer 10. When the sheet is conveyed from the rear side to the front side of the printer 10, the printing is performed so that it can be read in the conveying direction. Will be done. Therefore, in this case, the left end margin position setting is based on the right end portion of the paper as viewed from the front side. In this case, the positions of the carriage sensor 56 (carriage 22) can be similarly positioned by reversing the relationship between the left and right operations in FIG. 37. Thus, according to this embodiment, the single carriage sensor 56 can detect and position the carriage 22 in accordance with the conveyance in the front-rear direction.

In FIG. 38, the two detection pieces 58L and 58R have different sizes (W _L and W _R ) and are positioned slightly inward of both ends of the carriage sensor 56 in the movable area A. FIG. In the embodiment, the detection piece 58R on the right side is the detection piece 58L on the left side.
Narrower than. In FIG. 38, the movable area A is divided into areas I, II, III, IV and V, and it is considered which of the areas I, II, III, IV and V the carriage sensor 56 is located in. Of the region covering the left detection piece 58L starting from the left movable limit point, the left detection piece 58L
Is divided into two at a dividing position corresponding to the width W _R of the detection piece 58R from the right end to the area I on the left side and the area II on the right side. Area III is an area between the left detection piece 58L and right detection piece 58R, area IV is an area covered by the right detection piece 58R, and area V is the right detection piece 58R.
It is the area on the right side of.

39 and 40 are flow charts for controlling the positioning of the carriage 22 in this case. FIG.
40 shows the case where the paper is conveyed from the front part to the rear part of the printer 10, and FIG. 40 shows the case where the paper is conveyed from the rear part of the printer 10 to the front part.

In FIG. 39, in step S11, it is detected whether or not the carriage sensor 56 is shielded. If the result of step S11 is NO, the process proceeds to step S15. In this case, the carriage sensor 56 is in area III or V. If the result of step S11 is YES, the process proceeds to step S12 and the carriage sensor 5
6 (that is, the carriage 22) is moved to the right by the distance B, and in step 13, it is determined whether or not the shielding area is larger than the width W _R of the right detection piece 58R. The distance B in this case is also a distance corresponding to the size of the movable area A of the carriage sensor 56.

If the result of step S13 is YES,
When it is determined that the carriage sensor 56 is in the area I, the process proceeds to step S18. In step S18, it is determined whether or not the shielding area is larger than the width W _L of the left detection piece 58L, and if YES, it is determined that the carriage sensor 56 cannot get out of the area I and an alarm (A) is generated. . If the result of step S18 is NO, the process proceeds to step 19, and after confirming that the carriage sensor 56 is in the transmissive state (after confirming that the area II has been entered), the process is temporarily stopped, and then in step S20. , The carriage sensor 56 is moved to the left by the distance B. then,
In steps S25 and S26, the carriage sensor 56
The (carriage 22) is positioned. Step S20,
The meanings of S25 and S26 are steps S7 and S8 of FIG.
The meaning is the same as S9, and the positioning is performed based on the position in the left margin setting.

If the result of step S13 is NO, the carriage sensor 56 moves from the area II or IV to the area III or V.
When it is determined that the carriage sensor 56 has entered, the process proceeds to step S14, and the carriage sensor 56 is stopped at an appropriate position. Then, the process proceeds to step S15. As described above, even when the result of step S11 is NO, the carriage sensor 5
6 is in the region III or V, and step S15
Proceed to.

In step S15, the carriage sensor 56 is moved to the left by the distance B. In step S16, when the carriage sensor 56 does not generate the shielding signal forever, an alarm is generated, and when the shielding signal appears, the process proceeds to step S17 and the shielding region is larger than the width W _R of the right detection piece 58R. Determine if This determination is to determine whether the carriage sensor 56 has entered the area I from the area III through the area II or the carriage sensor 56 has entered the area III through the area V through the area IV.

The determination in step S17 is YES in the former case, and NO in the latter case. If the result of step S17 is YES, the carriage sensor 56 indicates the area I.
Since it has entered deep into, it stops at step S21, moves to the right by distance C at step S22, and causes the carriage sensor 56 to move out to the region III, and then at step S23.
Then, the carriage sensor 56 is moved to the left by the distance B again in step S24. in this case,
Positioning is performed by a combination of steps S24, S25, and S26.

If the result of step S17 is NO,
The movement to the left is continued due to the continuation of the operation of step S15, and steps S15, S25, S2 are performed in the same manner as described above.
Positioning is performed by a combination of 6.

In FIG. 40, the same steps as those in FIG. 39 are designated by the same reference numerals, and the same judgment is made as to which area the carriage sensor 56 is in first. Further, in FIG. 40, step S in FIG.
15, S19, S20, S23 are deleted, and step S
27, S28, and S29 are added. The deletion and addition of this step are to bring the carriage sensor 56 to the right end side (the left end side when viewed from the transport direction) when the carriage sensor 56 is finally positioned.

As described above, according to this embodiment, the single carriage sensor 56 can detect the position and position of the carriage 22 according to the conveyance in the front-rear direction. Although the width W _R of the right detection piece 58R can be made quite small, the carriage sensor 56 (carriage 2
Since the detection cannot be performed during acceleration / deceleration of 2), the width W _R of the detection piece 58R on the right side is necessary for the carriage sensor 56 (carriage 22) to achieve acceleration / deceleration and shift to the constant speed state. It is desirable to make the distance larger than this distance.

The present invention is summarized with reference to FIGS. 42 to 44. FIG. 43 is a diagram showing the printer 10 when fully equipped as shown in FIG. That is, the printer 10 includes the front table 42 and the front cut sheet feeder 3
6, a front tractor 38, a rear tractor 40, and a rear cut sheet feeder 36. However, in use,
One of the front cut sheet feeder 36 and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 is selectively set, and one of the front tractor 38 and the rear tractor 40 is selectively set.

When the front table 42, the front cut sheet feeder 36, and the front tractor 38 are used, the paper is fed from the front side of the casing 12 in the direction of the arrow X to the platen 1
0 is supplied. This case is called forward feed. When the rear tractor 40 and the rear cut sheet feeder 36 are used, the sheet is supplied to the platen 10 from the rear side of the casing 12 in the direction of arrow Y. This case is called post-feed.

As shown in FIG. 44, the orientation of the characters to be printed is set so that the operator O on the paper supply side of the printer 100 can read the characters.
That is, in the case of the forward feed, the operator O in the front side of the printer 100 can read the printed characters, and in the case of the backward feed, the operator O in the rear side of the printer 100 is printed. You can read the letters. Therefore, a single sheet leading edge detection sensor 52 arranged on the line L passing through the center of the printing portion 16a of the print head 16
Thus, it is possible to detect the leading edge of the sheet conveyed in both the front and rear directions, position the sheet at the position of the set upper end margin, and start printing. This is determined by the paper feed direction, regardless of the paper type.

FIG. 42 is a flow chart for explaining the operation of the printer 10 of FIG. This is controlled by a computer (not shown), and is carried out by the various mechanisms described above. The computer receives a command that indicates which paper supply means will be used. In the case of the embodiment, the signal from the paper selection button 44a shown in FIG. 4 is received. As described above, by continuously pressing the paper selection button 44a, it is possible to select the operation mode of the front continuous book, the rear continuous book, and the single-cut form.

When the previous continuous book mode is selected by the paper selection button 44a (step S30), it is recognized as the previous continuous book feed in step S31, and the front feed roller 32 is opened (the nip roller 32a is moved from the front feed roller 32 in step S32). Raise). Then, in step S33, the front feed roller 32 and the rear feed roller 34 are rotated in the first rotation direction to convey the paper, and the upper end of the paper is positioned. Then, in step S34, the print head 16 performs printing. Printing in this case is performed in the direction viewed from the arrow X in FIG.

Similarly, when the rear continuous book mode is selected by the paper selection button 44a (step S35), the rear continuous book feed is recognized in step S36, and the front feed roller 32 is closed (nip roller 3) in step S37.
2a is pressed against the front feed roller 32). Then, in step S33, the front feed roller 32 and the rear feed roller 34 are rotated in a second rotation direction opposite to the first rotation direction to convey the paper, and the upper end of the paper is positioned, and then in step S34. Print head 16
Printing is performed by. Printing in this case is performed in the direction viewed from the arrow Y in FIG.

When the single-cut mode is selected by the paper selection button 44a (step S38), it is determined in step S39 whether or not the front cut sheet feeder 36 is set. For example, front cut sheet feeder 3
It is determined whether the connector No. 6 is connected to the corresponding connector in the printer 10. If the front cut sheet feeder 36 is set, it is recognized as the front feed by the front cut sheet feeder 36 in step S40,
In step S37, the front feed roller 32 is closed (the nip roller 32a is pressed against the front feed roller 32), and in step S33, the front feed roller 32 and the rear feed roller 34 are rotated in the first rotation direction to convey the sheet, After the upper end of the sheet is positioned, the print head 16 prints in step S34. Printing in this case is performed in the direction viewed from the arrow X in FIG.

If the single-cut mode is selected by the paper selection button 44a and the determination in step S39 is NO, it is determined in step S41 whether the rear cut sheet feeder 36 is set. Also in this case, it is determined whether the connector of the rear cut sheet feeder 36 is connected to the corresponding connector in the printer 10. If the rear cut sheet feeder 36 is set, the rear cut sheet feeder 3 is set in step S42.
6, the front feed roller 32 is closed (the nip roller 32a is pressed against the front feed roller 32), and then the step S3 is performed.
In 3, the front feed roller 32 and the rear feed roller 34 are rotated in the second rotation direction to convey the paper, and the upper end of the paper is positioned. Then, in step S34, the print head 16 performs printing. The printing in this case is shown in Figure 4.
4 is carried out in the direction viewed from the arrow Y.

If the single-cut mode is selected by the paper selection button 44a and the determination in step S41 is NO, it is recognized in step S42 that the previous single-cut feed (manual insertion from the previous table 42) is selected. Therefore, in step S37, the front feed roller 32 is closed (the nip roller 32a is pressed against the front feed roller 32),
Then, in step S33, the front feed roller 3
2 and the rear feed roller 34 are rotated in the first rotation direction to convey the paper, and the upper end of the paper is positioned, and then the print head 16 performs printing in step S34. Printing in this case is performed in the direction viewed from the arrow X in FIG.

[0131]

As described above, according to the present invention,
It is possible to obtain a printer that can convey paper in both directions, has a simple structure, can be easily operated, and can selectively mount a cut sheet feeder, a tractor, and the like.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the printer of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer of FIG. 2 with a cover and the like removed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an operation panel of the printer of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a modification of the printer shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing another modification of the printer shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing another modification of the printer of FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another modification of the printer shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another modification of the printer of FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another modification of the printer shown in FIGS. 1 to 3;

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a means for attaching a platen and a cut sheet feeder.

FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of the arrangement of a sheet leading edge detection sensor.

FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an indicator line provided on a paper guide supported by a carriage.

FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a relationship between an indicator line and printing.

FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an opening for inserting a stacker and a cut sheet feeder, which are provided in a rear portion of a casing.

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing support of a stacker.

FIG. 17 is a diagram showing a guide hole for attaching a table, which is provided in the front portion of the casing.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the table of FIG. 17 in an inclined position.

FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a front guide configured to interlock with a table.

20 is a diagram showing the front guide of FIG. 19 in a vertical position.

FIG. 21 is a view showing that the table functions as a large-capacity stacker with the front guide of FIG. 19 in a vertical position.

FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the cut sheet feeder arranged under the table with the front guide in FIG. 19 in an inclined position.

FIG. 23 is a diagram showing a relationship between a front feed roller and a front tractor.

FIG. 24 is a diagram showing a relationship between a rear feed roller and a rear tractor.

FIG. 25 is a view showing a flap valve attached to a rear upper guide.

FIG. 26 is a diagram showing a relationship between a flap valve and a rear feed roller.

27 is a diagram showing a gear train provided on one side of the casing of FIG. 3. FIG.

FIG. 28 is a diagram showing a gear train provided in a cut sheet feeder.

FIG. 29 is a diagram showing a gear train for attaching the cut sheet feeder to the front and rear of the casing.

FIG. 30 is a view showing the gear of the cut sheet feeder connected to the gear of the casing.

FIG. 31 is a view showing a mechanism for moving the nip roller with respect to the front feed roller and a mechanism for switching the drive gears of the front and rear tractors.

32 is a diagram showing a switching state of FIG. 31. FIG.

FIG. 33 is a diagram showing the cam plate of FIG. 31.

34 is a side view showing a drive gear of the cam plate and the front and rear tractor of FIG. 31. FIG.

FIG. 35 is a diagram showing the carriage sensor and the detection piece of FIG. 1.

FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of arrangement of the detection pieces of FIG. 35.

FIG. 37 is a flowchart showing an example of carriage control based on the arrangement of the detection pieces of FIG. 36.

FIG. 38 is a diagram showing another example of arrangement of the detection pieces in FIG. 35.

39 is a flowchart showing an example of carriage control based on the arrangement of the detection pieces of FIG. 38. FIG.

FIG. 40 is a flowchart showing a continuation of FIG. 39.

41 is a diagram showing a modification of the arrangement of the tractors of FIG. 24.

FIG. 42 is a flowchart showing the basic operation of the printer when fully equipped.

FIG. 43 is a schematic diagram illustrating sheet feeding of a printer when fully equipped.

FIG. 44 is a diagram illustrating that the printing direction is determined according to the paper feeding direction.

[Explanation of symbols]

 10 ... Printer 12 ... Casing 16 ... Print head 18 ... Platen 22 ... Carriage 32 ... Front feed roller 34 ... Rear feed roller 36 ... Cut sheet feeder 38 ... Front tractor 40 ... Rear tractor 42 ... Table 46 ... Stacker 48 ... Paper guide 52 ... Paper leading edge detection sensor 54 ... Indicator line 56 ... Carriage sensor 58L, 58R ... Detection piece 68 ... Front guide 70 ... Continuous sheet guide 72 ... Flap valve 80 ... Cam plate Ma, Mb, Mc ... Motor Ga-Gzz ... Gear

 ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yoshiaki Hishinuma 1405 Daimaru, Inagi-shi, Tokyo Within Fujitsu Aisotec Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor ▲ Katsumi Takada 1405 Daimaru, Inagi-shi, Tokyo In-house (72) Inventor Shinji Sato 1405 Daimaru, Inagi-shi, Tokyo Inside Fujitsu Aisotec Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Noriaki Sato 1405 Daimaru, Inagi-shi, Tokyo Inside Fujitsu A Isotec

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. In the printer capable of supplying the platen to the platen also from the first feed roller and the platen, the first tractor for arranging the first tractor to directly supply the continuous form paper to the platen is provided. A printer provided with mounting means 1. 2. The printer according to claim 1, further comprising a form guide provided from a position near the mounting position of the first mounting means toward the platen. 3. A second mounting means provided on the casing for disposing the first cut sheet feeder on the side of the first mounting means of the platen, and a table on the side opposite to the first mounting means of the platen. Mounting means provided on the casing for arranging the second tractor, and fourth mounting means provided on the casing for arranging the second tractor on the side opposite to the first mounting means of the platen, A second tractor, a second tractor, a first tractor, and a fifth mounting means provided on the casing for arranging the second cut sheet feeder on the side opposite to the first mounting means of the platen. The cut sheet feeder and the second cut sheet feeder can be selectively attached to the casing, and these tractors and cut sheet feeders can be selected. Has been at least one and printer according to claim 1, characterized in that to be able to supply the sheet from the table. 4. When the first cut sheet feeder is selected, the table acts as a stacker, and when the second cut sheet feeder is selected, the first cut sheet feeder is selected.
4. The printer according to claim 3, wherein a stacker can be attached instead of the cut sheet feeder of 1., and the stacker can be arranged between the first tractor and the first cut sheet feeder. . 5. The table is movably attached to the casing, and the second cut sheet feeder is arranged below the table in a position where the table is lifted. The printer described in. 6. The positional relationship between the first tractor and the first feed roller is different from the positional relationship between the second tractor and the second feed roller. Printer. 7. The printer according to claim 3, wherein a stacker can be arranged between the first tractor and the first cut sheet feeder. 8. The first and second feed rollers include respective nip rollers, the nip rollers of the first feed roller being disposed in a substantially fixed position with respect to the first feed roller, The printer according to claim 3, wherein the nip roller of the second feed roller is movably arranged with respect to the second feed roller. 9. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. In a printer that can also supply paper to the platen from the front, a paper guide attached to the carriage at a position almost at the same height as the lower end of the print head, and a paper guide that is provided side by side in the paper conveyance direction on the paper guide. A printer, comprising: two indicator lines indicating a print reference position in a feed direction and a paper post-feed direction. 10. The printer according to claim 9, wherein the paper guide is made of a transparent plate. 11. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. A printer capable of supplying the sheet to the platen from the printer, further comprising a sheet leading edge detecting means provided on a line which passes through the printing section of the print head and is perpendicular to the sheet conveying direction. 12. A paper guide attached to the carriage at a position substantially at the same height as the lower end of the print head, and the paper leading edge detecting means is provided in the paper guide. The printer described in. 13. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. In a printer that can also supply paper to the platen from a sheet, a paper guide that defines a paper conveyance path, a paper that is supplied toward one of the first and second feed rollers, and a reverse direction from the one feed roller. A flap valve for guiding a sheet conveyed to a sheet, the flap valve being attached to a shaft rotatably supported by a bearing toward the one feed roller, and the sheet guide by an elastic member. A printer characterized by being biased toward. 14. A cut sheet feeder is provided on a side of a casing where the one feed roller is provided, and the paper guide forms an upper portion of a paper conveying path extending from the cut sheet feeder to the one feed roller. The sheet fed from the cut sheet feeder is fed to the one feed roller through the gap between the sheet guide and the flap valve, and the sheet conveyed in the opposite direction by the one feed roller is Conveyed beneath the flap valve, the flap valve is configured to prevent paper conveyed in the reverse direction from passing between the paper guide and the flap valve, and the bearing is 14. The printer according to claim 13, wherein the printer is arranged on a flange provided on the paper guide. 15. The shaft is formed as a D-cut shaft having a flat surface, the bearing has a D-shaped internal shape corresponding to the shape of the shaft, and the flap valve has a flat surface portion between the shaft and the bearing. 15. The printer according to claim 14, wherein the printer is movable within a play range. 16. The printer according to claim 13, wherein the flap valve is formed by bending a thin plate material into a wedge shape, and an open end of the flap valve is fixed to the shaft. 17. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. And a table provided on the side of the second feed roller of the casing, and a paper guide arranged between the second feed roller and the table, The table can be used as a table for paper supply and a stacker for discharged paper, and the paper guide is movable to the second feed roller when the table is used as a table for paper supply. Being formed as a stopper that guides the paper that goes toward it and receives the trailing edge of the discharged paper when used as a stacker Printer which is characterized. 18. The printer according to claim 17, wherein the table is movably formed so as to interlock with the paper guide. 19. The paper guide is rotatably provided about an axis of the second feed roller, and is biased by an elastic body to a position for guiding the paper toward the second feed roller. The printer of claim 17, wherein the printer is a printer. 20. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. In a printer capable of supplying paper to the platen from the first side, first driving means for driving the platen and the first and second feed rollers, and a first form feeding sheet capable of supplying continuous form paper to the platen from one side A second tractor capable of driving a first tractor and a second tractor capable of supplying continuous form sheets to the platen from the other side, the first drive means and the second tractor.
A printer characterized in that it is provided independently of the drive means of the printer. 21. The first drive means comprises a first gear train connected to a first motor and the second drive means is a first gear train.
21. The printer according to claim 20, further comprising a second gear train connected to a second motor different from the second motor. 22. A pick roller, an intermediate feed roller, a third gear train connected to a third motor for driving the pick roller, and a feed roller drive gear for driving the intermediate feed roller. 21. A cut sheet feeder including: and the feed roller drive gear is connected to the gear of the first gear train when the cut sheet feeder is mounted in the printer. Printer. 23. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. In a printer capable of supplying a platen to the platen, a cut sheet feeder and a drive unit including a gear arranged on one side of the printer for driving the platen and the first and second feed rollers, The cut sheet feeder includes a pick roller driven by the cut sheet feeder driving means, an intermediate feed roller not driven by the cut sheet feeder driving means, and the intermediate feed roller. A drive gear for driving the roller, the drive gear being on the left and right sides of the cut sheet feeder. Characterized in that the gears are connected to the gears of the driving means of the printer when the cut sheet feeder is attached to the printer from either the front side or the back side. Printer to do. 24. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. In the printer capable of supplying the sheet to the platen also from the above, a mounting means for arranging the tractor so as to supply the continuous form paper to the second feed roller is provided, and the first and second feed rollers are respectively provided. A nip roller of at least the second
A nip roller of the feed roller is movably arranged with respect to the second feed roller when the tractor is used, and further comprises a switching means for switching the position of the nip roller with respect to the second feed roller, The printer, wherein the switching means includes a motor and a transmission member. 25. A further mounting means for arranging a further tractor so as to feed the continuous form paper to the platen directly between the first feed roller and the platen, and the switching means. 25. The printer according to claim 24, characterized in that the drive of the first tractor and the drive of the further tractor can be selectively switched. 26. The printer according to claim 24, wherein the motor of the switching means is provided separately from the first and second feed rollers, the driving means of the platen and the driving means of the tractor. . 27. A casing, a movable carriage, a print head attached to the carriage, a platen facing the print head, and a first feed roller arranged on one side of the platen. A second feed roller disposed on the other side of the platen,
The first and second feed rollers are rotatable in a first rotation direction and a second rotation direction opposite thereto, and can feed a sheet from one side of the casing to the platen and at the other side of the casing. In a printer that can also supply the platen to the platen, two detection units provided at a fixed position for detecting the position of the carriage,
A single detection unit attached to the carriage and generating a detection signal when approaching the positions of the two detection units, the detection unit being configured to detect a sheet in any conveyance direction. A printer characterized in that the position of the carriage in the moving direction is detected, and thus the carriage can be positioned at the print start position. 28. Which of the two detection units has the same width as a detection piece, and which detection unit is moved by a large movement in one direction when the detection unit is on any one of the detection units. 28. The method according to claim 27, wherein
Printer according to. 29. The two detection parts have different widths as detection pieces, and when the detection means is on any one of the detection parts, the two detection parts move largely in one direction and the shielded area has the two detection parts. 28. The printer according to claim 27, wherein the detection unit is determined by checking whether the width is larger than the shorter width of the two. 30. The printer according to claim 27, wherein the printing is performed so that it can be read when viewed from the selected conveyance direction.