HK1086231A1 - Printer - Google Patents

Abstract

A printer, comprising a projected part (21a) allowed to abut on the forward end (201) of a medium (2) having a meandering to be corrected in the state of being advanced into a medium transfer route (4) and a pressure roller (5) freely rotated in the direction of transferring the medium (2) toward the projected part (21a), wherein a stopper (21) and the pressure roller (5) are operated so as to be moved close to and away from the medium interlockingly with each other and, when the meandered amount of the medium after the correction of the meandering is out of an allowable range, the pressure roller (5) is further advanced into the medium transfer route, an upstream side guide (13) having an inclined part (13a) with a tip facing the outside of the medium transfer route as viewed in a downstream side direction is rotatably disposed on the upstream side of an opening part (12) provided in a part of the medium transfer route (4), and a downstream side guide (14) having an inclined part (14a) with a tip facing the outside of the medium transfer route as viewed in an upstream side direction is rotatably disposed on the downstream side of the opening part (12).

Description

Printer with a movable platen

The application is a divisional application with application number 02801922.9, application date 6/3/2002 and invented name "printer".

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a printer that takes an inserted medium into the printer and performs a printing process on the medium.

Background

There are printers ranging from passbook printers used in financial institutions and the like to printers as output devices of personal computers used in general homes. In these printers, a medium inserted by a manual operation or a medium set in a predetermined storage tape reel is taken in and transferred to a printing section. In a transport guide device for transporting such a medium, the width of the transport guide device is sufficiently larger than the thickness of the medium in the thickness direction of the medium, and the transport guide device corrects the skew of the medium and then takes the medium into the printer. These techniques have been disclosed in Japanese patent publication No. 1-247356, which was published in Japanese Hei 1, and in Japanese patent publication No. 5-309925, which was published in Japanese Hei 5. According to these techniques, printing can be performed on a medium at a desired printing position.

Further, in the printing portion, since the print head prints on the medium, it is necessary to provide an opening portion in a direction crossing the conveying guide. Therefore, immediately below the opening portion, since the position of the print surface side of the medium cannot be controlled, the medium may protrude from the opening portion unpreparedly at the time of conveyance, and conveyance jam may occur. As a countermeasure for solving these problems, there are techniques disclosed in Japanese patent application laid-open No. 6-20958 and Japanese patent application laid-open No. 5-16464, which are published in Japanese Hei 6 years. It is a technique having an auxiliary guide means (guide block) as a guide when the medium passes through the opening portion, and is related to a conveyance control method capable of preventing conveyance jam when the leading end of the medium passes through the opening portion. In the apparatus disclosed in japanese patent publication No. 63-183150, which was published in showa 63, a shutter is provided on a medium conveying path, and when the medium contacts the shutter, skew of the medium is corrected by a plurality of correcting rollers sliding in contact with the medium.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 1-247356, hei 1, discloses a technique for arranging bills by bringing a roller into contact with the bills, and making the bills slightly advance a little at a time by a frictional force between the roller and the bills to hit a protruding plate. However, since a device for transferring bills and a transmission mechanism for driving the projection plate are separately provided, there are problems such as an increase in the number of components and an increase in power consumption. Further, in the prior art disclosed in japanese patent No. 63-183150, which was published in showa 63, since the straightening rollers are provided individually, the number of parts is increased and the control is complicated in many cases.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 6-20958, hei 6, discloses a technique of detecting the lateral width of a medium, storing information on the lateral width of the medium by key input, and controlling the position of a print head provided with a guide block in an optimum positional relationship. Therefore, it is necessary to detect the lateral width of the medium, which takes a processing time, and it is troublesome to perform an operation such as key input. The technique disclosed in japanese patent application laid-open No. 5-16464, which is published in 5 years by hei, complicates the control because it requires the operation of moving the carriage to the left and right in the spatial direction.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer in which the number of components is not increased, the size of the device is increased, media can be easily set, and a conveyance jam does not occur.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, a printer according to the present invention includes a medium conveyance path for conveying a medium to be printed and a stopper disposed in a part of the medium conveyance path, and is characterized in that after correcting skew of the medium by the medium hitting the stopper, position information indicating a position of an end of the medium in the medium conveyance path is generated, and printing on the medium is controlled based on the position information.

The printer is characterized in that the stopper is movable so as to enter and exit the medium transport path.

The printer is characterized in that the end of the medium is at least the front end and the side end of the medium transported in the medium transport path.

The invention adopts a printer, which is characterized in that the printer is provided with an opening part which is arranged on a part of a medium conveying path extending and conveying a medium to be printed along a 1 st direction and extends along a 2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction; a print head carriage for mounting a print head for printing on the medium through the opening portion; and a head traveling unit for traveling the head carriage in the 2 nd direction, the 1 st guide unit being provided on an upstream side of the medium transport path as a 1 st guide unit facing the opening portion, the 1 st guide unit being rotatable and having a tip portion extending to a downstream side while being inclined to an outer surface of the medium transport path, and a 2 nd guide unit being provided on a downstream side of the medium transport path as a facing the opening portion, the 2 nd guide unit being rotatable and having a tip portion extending to an upstream side while being inclined to the outer surface of the medium transport path, when the medium passes through the opening portion from the upstream side to the downstream side, only the 1 st guide unit is rotated to enter an inner surface of the medium transport path, when the head carriage is at an end in the 2 nd direction, the 1 st guide unit is rotated to enter the inner surface of the medium transport path, when the print head carriage is at the other end in the 2 nd direction, the 2 nd guide device rotates to enter the inside of the media transport path.

The present invention adopts a printer characterized by having an opening portion provided to extend in a 2 nd direction substantially orthogonal to a 1 st direction on a part of a medium conveying path extending in the 1 st direction and conveying a medium to be printed; a print head carriage for mounting a print head for printing on the medium through the opening portion; and a print head traveling device for traveling the print head carriage in the 2 nd direction; a 1 st guide device provided on an upstream side of the medium conveying path so as to face the opening portion, the 1 st guide device being rotatable and having a leading end portion extending toward a downstream side while being inclined toward an outer face of the medium conveying path; and a 2 nd guide device disposed on a downstream side of the medium transport path as facing the opening portion, the 2 nd guide device being rotatable and having a tip portion extending toward an upstream side while being inclined toward an outer surface of the medium transport path, when the medium passes through the opening portion from the upstream side toward the downstream side, only the 1 st guide device being rotated to enter a rear surface of the medium transport path, when the head carriage is at one end in the 2 nd direction, the 1 st guide device being rotated to enter the rear surface of the medium transport path, and when the head carriage is at the other end in the 2 nd direction, the 2 nd guide device being rotated to enter the rear surface of the medium transport path.

Other printers relevant to the present invention are characterized by having a media transport path that transports media to be printed, a medium conveying device for conveying the medium along the 1 st direction on the medium conveying path, a plurality of medium detecting sensors arranged at a predetermined interval in the 2 nd direction substantially orthogonal to the 1 st direction, a skew correction device for correcting skew of the medium, and a print head running device for running a print head carriage carrying a print head for printing on the medium in the 2 nd direction, when at least one of the plurality of media detecting sensors detects the media, after the skew correction device is operated, the media conveying device and the at least one media detection sensor measure the skew amount of the media, and the print head traveling device operates when the skew amount is within an allowable range.

The printer is characterized in that the printer further comprises an opening part arranged on a part of the medium conveying path and extending along the 2 nd direction, an auxiliary guide device arranged on the printing head bracket and covering a part of the opening part, and a sensor arranged on the printing head bracket and detecting the side end part of the medium, when the printing head walking device works, the printing head bracket walks towards the medium conveying path and along the opening part through the opening part, and the sensor detects the side end part of the medium.

The printer is characterized in that the skew correcting device includes a stopper which comes into contact with a tip end of the medium and enters a part of the medium conveying path, and a roller which rotates so as to enter the part of the medium conveying path and convey the medium toward the stopper, and the stopper and the roller are interlocked with each other to be able to enter the medium conveying path and exit the medium conveying path.

The printer is characterized in that the head carriage has another sensor for reading information recorded on the medium.

The printer is characterized in that the stopper has a plurality of protruding portions aligned in the 2 nd direction and disposed opposite to the roller.

The printer is characterized in that the roller controls the entering amount when entering the medium conveying path.

The printer is characterized in that after the skew correcting device is operated, when the skew amount of the medium is out of an allowable range, the advancing amount of the roller is increased, and the skew correcting device is operated again.

Another printer according to the present invention is characterized by comprising a head carriage which is provided with an opening portion extending in a 2 nd direction substantially orthogonal to the 1 st direction on a part of a medium transport path extending in the 1 st direction and transporting a medium to be printed, a head for mounting a head for printing on the medium through the opening portion, and a head traveling device which travels the head carriage in the 2 nd direction, wherein the 1 st guide device is provided on an upstream side of the medium transport path so as to face the opening portion, the 1 st guide device is rotatable and has a tip portion extending to a downstream side while being inclined toward an outer surface of the medium transport path, and the 2 nd guide device is provided on a downstream side of the medium transport path so as to face the opening portion, and the 2 nd guide device is rotatable and has a tip portion extending to an upstream side while being inclined toward an outer surface of the medium transport path .

The printer is characterized in that only the 1 st guide device is rotated to enter the medium transport path when the medium passes through the opening portion from the upstream direction to the downstream direction.

The printer is characterized in that the 1 st guide unit is inclined toward the back surface of the medium transport path when the head carriage is positioned at one end in the 2 nd direction in the medium transport path, and the 2 nd guide unit is rotated so as to enter the back surface of the medium transport path when the head carriage is positioned at the other end in the 2 nd direction in the medium transport path.

The printer is characterized in that when the medium is conveyed, the stop position of the print head running device is selected from the engaging position of the front end or the rear end of the medium.

The printer is characterized in that when the print head carriage is not positioned at either end of the media transport path in the 2 nd direction, both the 1 st guide device and the 2 nd guide device rotate so as to enter the media transport path.

Other printer related to the present invention is characterized by having a conveying roller for conveying a medium, an opening portion provided on a part of the medium conveying path, facing the opening portion, a 1 st guide rotatably disposed on an upstream side of the medium conveying path and having a leading end portion extending obliquely facing a downstream side to face an outside of the medium conveying path, and having a portion facing the opening, a 2 nd guide rotatably provided on a downstream side of the medium conveying path and having a tip end portion extending to the upstream side while being inclined to face an outer surface of the medium conveying path, as a member to be engaged with at least one of the 1 st guide and the 2 nd guide, the member being driven from a rotating shaft of the conveying roller, the guide device is rotated by a rotational force by a frictional force, and the at least one of the 1 st guide device and the 2 nd guide device is rotated by a predetermined amount.

The printer is characterized in that one of the 1 st guide device and the 2 nd guide device is rotated according to a direction in which the medium is conveyed in the medium conveying path.

Another printer according to the present invention includes a head carriage on which a head is mounted for printing on a medium, a table provided to face the head and supporting the medium between the heads, and a head traveling device which travels the head carriage in a 2 nd direction substantially orthogonal to a 1 st direction in which the medium is conveyed, wherein the table extends in a direction substantially parallel to the 2 nd direction, and is capable of selectively moving in a direction approaching the head and a direction separating the head from the head traveling device in conjunction with the head traveling device.

The printer is characterized in that when the print head prints on the medium, the table is brought close to the print head, and the medium is held between the head carriage and the table.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is an external view of a printer according to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view showing a main part structure in the vicinity of a printing part of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the operation of the main part of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the entire configuration of the printer of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the entire configuration of the printer of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of the transmission system.

Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the control of the main part of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a front view showing a configuration of the printing system.

Fig. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of the printing system.

Fig. 10 is an operation diagram of the operation program of the transport system.

Fig. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a transmission system according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 12 is a program operation diagram showing a print processing operation in embodiment 1.

Fig. 13 is an explanatory diagram of details of a printing portion in the printer of the present invention.

Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a transmission system according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 15 is a program operation diagram showing the operation of the printing system according to embodiment 3.

Fig. 16 is a plan view of the passbook according to embodiment 3.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Embodiment 1

Fig. 1 is an external view of a printer according to the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side view showing a main part in the vicinity of a printing part of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the operation of the main part of the present invention, showing the relationship between the angular position of rotation of the camshaft 27 and the positions of the brake 21 and the pressure roller 5. Fig. 2 corresponds to fig. 3 at 0 degrees.

In fig. 2, the medium 2 is a bill and ticket class printed by the printer 1. Transfer roller 3_-1And 3_-2In cooperation with the device described later, the medium 2 can be held while being pressed against the medium 2. Will convey the roller 3_-1Arranged above the medium conveying path 4, and a conveying roller 3_-1And 3_-2Protrudes from an opening portion 12 (fig. 5) provided on the upper guide 4a to the medium conveying path 4. Respectively opposite to the conveying rollers 3_-1And 3_-2A pressure roller 5 is arranged on the ground_-1And 5_-2. The pressure roller 5_-1And 5_-2A pressure roller 5 arranged below the medium conveying path 4_-1And 5_-2The outer peripheral portion protrudes from the cavity portion provided on the lower guide 4b to the medium transporting path 4.

Transfer roller 3_-1And 3_-2Is designed and manufactured strictly, and is rotatably supported in the frame 23 (fig. 6) by the shaft 3 a. Transfer roller 3_-1And 3_-2A motor for conveyance (hereinafter, referred to as LF motor, LF: printing tape feed) 7 is connected through a toothed belt 6 or the like. This LF motor 7 is a stepping motor, and if the medium transfer amount per unit step is 1/180 inches, for example, the nipping at the transfer roller 3 is obtained by multiplying the medium transfer amount by the rotation amount (number of rotation steps) of the LF motor 7_-1And 3_-2The amount of transmission of medium 2. Furthermore, at least the pressure roller 5_-1And 5_-2Is formed of a high friction material and exerts a suitable friction force with the medium 2.

The table 8 is arranged facing a print head 9 for printing on the medium 2. The table 8 controls the inner position of the medium 2 with respect to the print head 9. The printhead 9 is mounted on a printhead carrier 10. The guide members 11a and 11b and the like form a head traveling device 11 that travels the head carriage 10 in the printing direction together with an SP motor 15, a motor gear 15a, and a feed gear 15b, which will be described later. The guide member (hereinafter, referred to as a feed screw) 11a has a spiral groove and supports the coupled head carriage 10. The head carriage 10 is caused to travel by rotating the feed screw 11 a. The guide member 11b slidably penetrates the head carriage 10 in the head carriage 10, and therefore holds the head carriage 10 in such a manner that the tip of the print head 9 is held in a posture in the normal direction of the printing surface of the table 8.

Auxiliary guides 11c are provided on the head carriage 10 and are located on both side portions of the printhead 9 (details will be described later). The auxiliary guide 11c aligns the print heads 9 in a direction transverse to the medium conveying path 4. The auxiliary guide 11c prevents an ink ribbon, not shown, from unpreparedly coming into contact with the medium 2, thereby preventing ink from contaminating the medium 2. An upstream guide device 13 is provided on the upstream side in the traveling direction of the medium 2 conveyed through the medium conveyance path 4, and a downstream guide device 14 is provided on the downstream side. The upstream-side guide 13 and the downstream-side guide 14 have inclined portions 13a and 14a, respectively, and therefore, the medium 2 can be smoothly guided in the medium conveying path 4. Further, we will describe the upstream side guide device 13 and the downstream side guide device 14 in detail later.

Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the entire configuration of the printer of the present invention. In fig. 4, a stepping motor (hereinafter, referred to as an SP motor) 15 rotates the above-described feed screw 11a via a motor gear 15a and a feed gear 15b fixed to this motor shaft. The SP motor 15 is a stepping motor, for example, with a media transport amount of 1/180 inches per unit step. The print head carriage 10 is moved by the SP motor 15, and if the print head 9 is driven, characters can be printed with a specified type. Further, the SP motor 15, the motor gear 15a, and the feed gear 15b are also included in the above-described head carriage 11.

There is also a method of using a DC motor as the SP motor, fixing a slit disk having a plurality of slits in the vicinity of the outer peripheral portion to a shaft of the DC motor, and monitoring and controlling the slits of the slit disk by a slit detection sensor. In this case, the output change of the gap detection sensor generated every time the gap passes is a/D converted to generate a control signal, and the rotational direction and rotational position of the motor are controlled. For example, the position of the head carriage 10 can be controlled from the ON/OFF number of this control signal.

The medium detection sensors SE1, SE2, and SE3 are arranged in a row at a predetermined interval in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the medium 2. Each medium detection sensor is composed of a light emitting diode and a light receiving transistor disposed to face the light emitting diode, and is disposed so that light from the light emitting diode traverses the medium transport path 4. When the medium 2 travels along the medium transport path 4 and this light is blocked, the output of the light receiving transistor changes. The output of the light receiving transistor is a/D converted to obtain an ON/OFF signal. Further, if the light of the plurality of medium detection sensors is blocked (ON) by the passage of the medium 2, the width of the medium 2 is larger than the distance between the sensors.

Fig. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration of a media delivery system. In fig. 6, a long hollow 16a extending in the up-down direction is formed in the shaft holder 16, and the long hollow 16a functions as a bearing for rotatably supporting the fixed pressure roller 5_-1And both ends of the shaft 5 a. A spring 17 is arranged between the shaft seat 16 and the shaft 5a and is arranged on the pressure roller 5_-1A force is applied to make it move toward the upper side of the long cavity 16 a. The cam roller 18 is rotatably shaft-supported in the shaft seat 16. The plate cam 19 engaged with the cam roller 18 is provided on a cam shaft 27 rotated by power of a plate cam drive motor 20 described later. When the plate cam 19 rotates, the pressure roller 5 is pressed at the timing shown in fig. 3_-1Is pressed on the conveying roller 3_-1And (iv) above. The pressing force is generated by the spring 17, and is set so that a gap is generated between the upper end surface of the long cavity 16a and the shaft 5 a. Further, the shaft 5a and the shaft seat 16 are guided only in the up-down direction by bearings and guide members not shown in the drawings.

The protruding portion 21a of the stopper 21 is configured to enter the medium transporting path 4 from a cavity provided in the lower guide 4b as shown in the drawing. In the present embodiment, on the downstream side of the media transport path 4,respectively facing 4 pressure rollers 5_-14 projecting portions 21a are provided. Each of the projecting portions 21a has a contact surface with each of the pressure rollers 5_-1Are approximately equal in length and width. The stopper arm 22 is pivotally supported by a support shaft 22a fixed to the frame 23. Further, a cam roller 24 is rotatably supported at substantially the center of the brake arm 22, and a brake cam 25 is provided corresponding to this cam roller 24.

The brake arm 22 engages with a shaft seat 21b provided on the brake 21 near its front end. A spring 26 is arranged between the front end of the brake arm 22 and the brake 21, which spring 26 exerts a force on the brake arm 22 towards the axle seat 21 b. Further, a conveying roller 3 is provided on the downstream side of the medium conveying path 4 via a table 8_-2And a pressure roller 5_-2The plate cam 19 is not driven up and down, but is always pressed against each other by a device not shown in the drawings.

For the pressure roller 5 explained with reference to fig. 2 and 6_-1The mechanism for driving the LF motor 7 up and down, driving the brake 21 linked with the motor up and down, and controlling the rotation of the LF motor forms a skew correction device.

Fig. 7 is a control block diagram showing control of the main part of the present invention. In fig. 7, the drive circuit 28 is a drive circuit that drives the print head 9 and the motors 7, 15, and 20 described above. The amplifier circuit 29 is an amplifier circuit that amplifies output signals of the above-described sensors, and the control section 30 receives respective signals output from the amplifier and, based on the respective signals received, issues a drive instruction from the control section 30 to the drive circuit 28 and the like. A value is assigned to the head address at the time when the head 201 of the medium 2 being conveyed passes through the medium detection sensor SE1, and the value of the head address is counted in synchronization with the rotational step of the LF motor 7. The amplified output of the media detection sensor is converted into a digital signal by the a/D conversion circuit 31.

The counter circuit 32 is a circuit for measuring the number of rotational steps of the LF motor 7, the SP motor 15, and the like. Controlled by the control section 30. For example, in the head carriage 11, the counter circuit 32 counts the number of rotation steps of the SP motor 15, and manages a head carriage position address indicating the position of the head carriage 10. The storage section 33 is configured by an HDD, a RAM, and the like that store various operation control programs, and temporarily stores operation information and the like. In this storage portion 33, at least distance information from the leading end 201 and the side end portion 202 to the center of the first character printed in the printing line is stored. This distance information is a value of an integral multiple of the resolution of the SP motor 15.

We add figures 8 and 9 to illustrate the details of figure 6. Fig. 8 is a front view showing a configuration of a printing system, and fig. 9 is a plan view showing the configuration of the printing system. In fig. 8, for convenience of explanation, the table 8, the medium 2, the print head 9, and the like are shown with a larger gap therebetween, and the ink ribbon and the like are omitted. In fig. 6, the plate cam 19 and the brake cam 25 are fixed to the cam shaft 27. The slit disc 34 and the gear 27a are fixed near the end of the camshaft 27. When the slit disk 34 rotates, the main sensor HPS detects the passage of the slit, and outputs an electric signal. These cams have the timing relationship shown in fig. 3.

In fig. 6, a motor gear 20a fixed to the rotation shaft of the plate cam drive motor 20 is engaged with a gear 27a, and the rotation of the plate cam drive motor 20 is controlled to cause the pressure roller 5 to rotate_-1And the stopper 21 moves up and down (the arrow E direction and the arrow F direction). And a pressure roller 5_-1Can be moved in the direction of arrows E and F and is rotationally driven when conveying the medium 2. As shown in fig. 6, a universal joint 36 is interposed between the shaft 5a and the rotating shaft of the gear 35 rotatably supported by the frame 23. The rotational force of the gear 35 is transmitted to the shaft 5a through the universal joint 36. Even when the plate cam 19 is rotated and the shaft 5a is raised, a rotational force can be smoothly transferred by this universal joint 36. The gear 35 is meshed with the feeding gear 37 and the gear 35 is rotated by the above-described toothed belt 6 via a pulley 38.

Next, we explain the configuration of the printing system with reference to fig. 8. The rollers 8a and 8b are rotatably supported above the medium conveying path 4 in the vicinity of the left and right end portions of the medium conveying path 4. On the other hand, an inclined portion 10a is continuously formed to a horizontal lower face 10b on the lower end portion of the head carriage 10. When the head carriage 10 advances in a direction crossing the medium conveying path 4 and the inclined portion 10a engages with the roller 8a (and likewise the pair 8 b), the roller 8a is pressed downward, so that the table 8 is pressed downward against the repulsive force of the spring 39.

When the head carriage 10 further moves to the left end stop position in fig. 6, the roller 8a engages with the lower surface 10b, and the table 8 is stationary at the lowermost position. In the stop position of the head carriage 10, the auxiliary guide 11c is disposed so as to be located outside the area occupied by the banner of the medium 2. Therefore, the medium 2 does not contact the auxiliary guide 11c, and since the table 8 has been lowered, the LF motor 7 is driven and the conveyance of the medium 2 is performed.

As shown in fig. 8, the auxiliary guide 11c is provided with a sensor SEL for detecting the right end of the medium and a sensor SER for detecting the left end of the medium. These sensors SEL and SER are so-called reflection type photocouplers, and light emitted from the light emitting element is formed so that the light receiving element receives reflected light reflected from a medium or the like. By a/D converting the output of this light receiving element, the side end 202 of the medium can be detected from, for example, a black-and-white region.

The position of the side end 202 of the inserted medium 2 is detected by the sensor SEL, and the amount of movement of the print head 9 from this detected position to a predetermined position on the medium is specified, so that printing is performed at a predetermined position on the medium. Further, since it is well known from Japanese patent laid-open No. 4-355172 and the like published in Hecheng 4 years, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, we explain the configuration of the printing system with reference to fig. 9. The upstream guide 13 is pivotally supported at both ends in its longitudinal direction (i.e., in a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the medium) by a support shaft 13b provided on the frame 23. A coil spring 40 is fitted into this support shaft 13b, and a hook portion not shown in the drawing is provided so as to always horizontally hold the upstream guide 13. Further, the front end portion of the upstream-side guide 13 forms an inclined portion 13a in an outwardly meandering shape. By this inclined portion 13a, the medium passing through the opening portion 12 can be conveyed safely.

When the auxiliary guide 11c moves in association with the movement of the head carriage 10, the inclined portions 13a and 14a of the upstream side guide 13 and the downstream side guide 14 are pressed downward (in the direction toward the table). Therefore, the printing work is performed while a part of the auxiliary guide 11c is brought into sliding contact with at least the front ends of the inclined portions 13a and 14 a. Since the front table 8 is also raised by the movement of the head carriage 10, the printing operation is performed while the medium 2 is sandwiched between the table 8 and the auxiliary guide 11 c.

The downstream guide 14 also has the same configuration as the upstream guide 13, and is always held in the horizontal direction by the coil spring 41 fitted into the support shaft 14 b. Near one end in the longitudinal direction of the upstream side guide 13 and the downstream side guide 14, there are provided escape portions 13c and 14c that reduce the height of the above-described inclined portions 13a and 14 a. As shown in fig. 9, the escape portion 13c is provided on the upstream side guide 13 on the left side in the medium entrance direction, and the escape portion 14c is provided on the downstream side guide 14 on the right side in the medium entrance direction.

As shown in fig. 9, since the auxiliary guide 11c is located on the escape portion 14c of the downstream side guide 14 when the head carriage 10 is at the standby position on the right end side with respect to the medium entrance direction, the downstream side guide 14 is not depressed, and on the contrary, since the escape portion 13c of the upstream side guide 13 is located on the left end side as shown in the drawing, the upstream side guide 13 is depressed to the table 8 side.

The processing from inserting the medium 2 into the printer 1 to correcting skew of the medium 2 will be described with reference to a program operation diagram shown in fig. 10. In fig. 10, S1 to S23 represent working steps. The stop position of the head carriage 10 at which the head carriage 10 can safely convey the medium 2 is referred to as a "standby position" by moving the head carriage 10.

The control section 30 determines the pressure roller 5 by confirming the ON/OFF state of the main sensor HPS_-1Whether in the home position HP. When the pressure roller 5_-1When the pressure roller is not stopped at the home position HP, the plate cam driving motor 20 is rotated to detect the pressure roller 5_-1The operation at the home position HP is not stopped. If the pressure roller 5 can be confirmed_-1In the home position HP, a state is entered in which processing is possible. Pressure detection roller 5_-1The job of whether or not it is in the main position can be performed immediately after the discharge of the medium 2 in the preceding print job is finished.

When the media 2 is inserted from the direction of arrow a shown in fig. 5 and at least 1 of the media detection sensors SE1 to SE3 detects an ON signal, the printer 1 starts operating (S1). In addition, when the pressure roller 5_-1In the home position, as can also be seen from the positional relationship shown in fig. 3, since the projecting portion 21a of the stopper 21 projects to the medium conveying path 4 as shown in fig. 2, the medium 2 cannot be inserted in advance because of this projecting portion 21 a. The control portion 30 instructs the LF motor 7 to rotate only a predetermined amount (S2). This rotation amount is experimentally found and set in advance, and corresponds to about 5 to 10 times the distance from the medium detecting sensor SE1 to the protruding portion 21 a.

Make the LF motor 7 rotate only a predetermined amount positively at the transfer roller 3_-1And a pressure roller 5_-1While the pressure is not applied and the medium detecting sensors SE1 to SE3 are idling, the state is detected (S3). In the present embodiment, it can be confirmed that at least 1 of the medium detection sensors SE2 and SE3 arranged ON the left and right of SE1 is in an ON (ON) state, in addition to the medium detection sensor SE1 arranged at the center of the medium conveyance path 4. If the plurality of media detection sensors are in the ON state, the LF motor 7 is stopped after rotating only a certain amount (S4).

When the instant stool is positively rotated by a predetermined amount, a pluralityIf the media detection sensor is not ON (ON), it is considered that a timeout has occurred (S5), and the forward rotation driving of the LF motor 7 is terminated (S6). Next, at step S4, the control section 30 rotates the plate cam driving motor 20, rotating the cam shaft 27 in the arrow C direction (S7). The amount of rotation at this time corresponds to the distance from the home position HP shown in FIG. 3, through position A, where the pressure roller 5 passes_-1Is pressed on the conveying roller 3_-1Further, by the turning work to the position B, the projecting portion 21a is retreated from the lower side guide 4B to the lower side.

Next, the LF motor 7 is rotated in reverse, and the medium 2 starts to be conveyed in the discharge (BLF) direction (S8). In this transfer, the media detection sensor SE1 and the media detection sensor SE2 or SE3 that are ON at step S3 change to OFF (S9). First, if whichever media detection sensor (for example, we explain with SE 1) is OFF, the control section 30 sets "0 (zero)" by resetting the count circuit 32 (S10). Next, the number of steps of the LF motor 7 starts to be counted (S11).

If another media detection sensor (e.g., we explain with SE 2) is OFF (S12), the count is ended (S13). At this time, there is also a case where the medium detection sensor SE3 changes from ON to OFF due to the banner of the medium 2, but the reverse rotation of the LF motor 7 is ended regardless of this (S14). It goes without saying that since the LF motor 7 is a stepping motor, several steps of rotation are performed as the operation of starting. The control section 30 confirms the count value for the process of moving to the next one. The amount of skew of the medium 2 can be calculated from this count value. For example, if the count value is "3", a shift (tilt) of 3 × 1/180 (inches) to 0.423mm is generated in the distance between the media detection sensors SE1 and SE 2.

When printing is performed while maintaining this "offset", the print line tilts as a result of printing. The allowable count value is also determined by specifying the allowable amount of skew in advance. For example, if the allowable value "less than 5" is set, when the count value "3" is counted, the next step is moved because it is within the allowable range. When the count value is "5", the operation goes to the skew correction operation because the count value is out of the allowable range (S15).

If it is determined at step S15 that the medium is within the "allowable range", the LF motor 7 is rotated forward, and the medium 2 starts to be conveyed to the table 8 in the direction of insertion (LF) of the medium (S16). Since the medium sensing sensor SE1 is ON (turned ON) without a gap from the transfer (S17), the control part 30 sets the front address of the medium to 0 (zero) (S18). When the medium 2 is conveyed to the table 8, as shown in fig. 8, it is confirmed whether the head carriage 10 is moved to the exit position on the right side or is in this position from the value of the head carriage position address (S19). The distance from the leading end 201 of the medium 2 to the first print line is converted (calculated) into the number of steps, and is transmitted to a position where this calculated value coincides with the center of the print head 9 (S20). We will explain later the print job.

When it is determined at step S15 that "outside the allowable range", the motor 20 is driven by the panel cam, and the cam shaft 27 is rotated to the main position (S21). The rotational direction in this case may be either one of the forward and reverse directions. That is, since it is preferable to return from the position B to the home position HP in fig. 3, it is also possible to return by passing through the direction of the position a and the position C. If the pressure roller 5 reaches the home position HP, the number of times of re-implementation is set. Here, "1" is set because it is the first re-implementation (S22). The control part 30 instructs the board cam driving motor 20 to rotate to the position X (S23). As shown in FIG. 3, the pressure roller 5 is increased at a position X (for example, the rotational angle of the camshaft 27 is about 40 degrees)_-1The amount of protrusion to the media transport path 4. The concept of this state is shown in fig. 11.

In step S23, the pressure roller 5 is maintained_-1The process returns to step S2 in a state of protruding from the lower guide 4b, and the process proceeds to step S15 again. When the determination at step S15 is again "outside the allowable range" from the 2 nd time, the number of times of re-execution "2" is set. Also, the control section 30 indicates that the board cam driving motor 20 is rotated from the main position to the position Y at step S23 of the 3 rd time. As can also be taken from the cam curve of fig. 3It is seen that the amount of protrusion of the pressure roller 5 to the media transport path 4 is further increased at the position Y (e.g., at an angle of about 60 degrees). When the re-execution operation is repeated in this way and the number of times of re-execution is set to "3", it is judged that "skew correction is impossible", the control section 30 issues a re-execution request, and the process is ended.

As described above, by the pressure roller 5_-1And the inner side of the medium 2 and the pressure roller 5_-1The medium 2 is brought into contact with the projection 21a by the number of rotations, and further operation is continued even after the medium reaches the projection 21a, thereby correcting skew of the medium. Thus, the pressure roller 5_-1The material and width of the medium 2, the surface roughness, and further the weight (continuous amount) and size of the medium 2 have an influence on the correction capability. When such a situation is set and the re-operation is performed, the pressure roller 5 is changed_-1The amount of rise of (c).

Further, if the inserted medium 2 can be specified in advance from input of a designated print content type or the like, the pressure roller 5 most suitable for the medium 2 can be implemented from the 1 st job_-1The amount of rise of (c). Further, in the present embodiment, 3 media detection sensors are provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and it is preferable to arrange a minimum of 2 media detection sensors in order to measure the skew amount. It goes without saying that the number of media detection sensors may be increased or decreased in correspondence with the minimum size to the maximum size of the processed media 2. Furthermore, if the size of the media is known, 1 media detection sensor can also be provided. That is, it can be considered that if the number of steps of the LF motor 7 from ON (ON) to OFF (OFF) of the media detection sensor is equivalent to the distance between the media detection sensor and the stopper when the BLF is operated in step S8 shown in fig. 10, "no diagonal movement" is obtained, and if the number is equal to or less than a predetermined value, "there is a possibility of diagonal movement".

The print processing operation in embodiment 1 will be described with reference to a program operation diagram shown in fig. 12.

Before the print job, it is confirmed from the value of the carriage head position address that the head carriage 10 is in the standby position (position P) shown on the right side of fig. 8 (S31). The print head running means 11 starts operating if the medium 2 is transported to the line position where printing is first performed. First, when the SP motor 15 is rotated in the positive direction, the feed screw 11a is rotated, and the head carriage 10 starts moving in the arrow D direction shown in fig. 8 (S32). When the movement is started, the roller 8b first coming into contact with the lower surface 10b of the head carriage 10 passes through the inclined portion 10a, and is released from engagement with the head carriage 10. By removing the upward pressure of the tie and spring 39, the table 8 is pressed upward in the direction of arrow E (fig. 8).

At substantially the same time, the downstream side guide device 14 is pressed downward by the auxiliary guide device 11 c. This state is as shown in fig. 13, both the downstream side guide 14 and the upstream side guide 13 are depressed, and the table 8 is also raised.

The head carriage 10 further moves, and the end of the auxiliary guide 11c reaches the side end 202 of the medium 2, and further, rests on the side end 202. Since the end of the auxiliary guide 11c is formed as a slope, the medium 2 is pressed downward. That is, the medium 2 is sandwiched between the raised table 8 and the auxiliary guide 11 c. When the head carriage 10 further moves and the sensor SEL reaches the position of the side end portion 202, the output of the sensor SEL changes (ON) (S33). This output change is a/D converted and stored in the storage section 33 as the position address of the right side end of the medium (S34).

There are cases where an ON signal cannot be detected from the sensor SEL even if the head carriage 10 is moved by a predetermined amount. For example, when the SP motor 15 is disengaged, when the surface color of the medium 2 and the surface color of the table have a sufficiently similar color (for example, black), there is a case where the conveyance amount of the medium 2 is insufficient, or the like. In these cases, a timeout occurs (S35). This timeout may be determined by monitoring the time, but in general, the number of driving steps given to the SP motor 15 is determined in advance from the maximum possible number of steps of the head carriage 10. Further, since an important factor such as the jamming of the medium 2 is also taken into consideration, the timeout can be determined from whether or not the medium detection sensor SE2 is ON (ON).

If a timeout occurs, the positive rotation of the SP motor 15 is ended, and the movement of the head carriage 10 is stopped (S36). At this time, by judging that the processing by the control section 30 is impossible, an error message is reported to the worker. Further, the medium 2 is set to be sandwiched between the auxiliary guide 11c and the table 8, and the control is performed such that the head carriage 10 is moved in the right direction by reversing the rotation of the SP motor 15. In this operation, since an error occurs in the value of the head carriage position address of the head carriage 10, the head carriage 11 needs to be initialized, but the description thereof will be omitted here.

In step S34, if the position of the right end face of the medium can be specified, the print job is started by receiving character type information from a host apparatus or the like not shown in the drawing by calculating the position at which the print head 9 is driven (S37) (S38). Further, we omit a detailed description of the printing work by the print head 9. In this print job, printing is performed in the state shown in fig. 13 as described above.

When the printing of the first line (n ═ 1) is ended, the control section 30 transmits a line 1 printing end signal to a host apparatus not shown in the drawing. The host apparatus confirms the presence or absence of the next line of print data. If there is print data for the next line, the print data is sent to the printer 1. The control section 30 judges whether or not the next line printing is received (S39), and when there is no next line printing data, proceeds to the next step S42. When there is print data of the next line, the auxiliary guide 11c is retracted to a standby position (position P or Q) not in contact with the medium 2 in order to switch the medium 2 to the print position of the next line, specifically, to a position where the head carriage 10 is not engaged with the medium 2 (S40). Whether to move to one of the positions P or Q is judged according to the current position of the print head bracket 10, and the moving amount is reduced.

When the banner of the medium 2 is not known, it is preferable that the head carriage 10 is retracted to either the left or right standby position. The printer may not necessarily exit to the standby position (position P or Q) if it has a control function capable of measuring the media banner by the sensor SEL or SER. When the medium 2 is to be redirected (conveyed), the medium 2 is preferably not held by the auxiliary guide 11c and the table 8.

If the head carriage 10 moves to the standby position, the LF motor 7 is rotated by the number of rotations corresponding to the predetermined line feed amount (S41). If the line change job is finished, printing of the next line is performed. In such a printing operation, printing may be performed by controlling the head carriage 10 to move in the direction opposite to the previous printing direction. The work from step S38 to step S41 is carried out until there is no print data. If the output of the print data is finished, the medium 2 is discharged. If the head carriage 10 stops at the printing final line, the ON/OFF state of the media detection sensor SE1 is confirmed (S42).

The fact that the media detection sensor SE1 is in the OFF state is that the rear end 203 of the media 2 has passed the media detection sensor SE 1. Although it is confirmed that the rear end 203 of the medium 2 has passed the position of the medium detecting sensor SE1, the ON/OFF state of the medium detecting sensor SE1 may not be detected. For example, a rear end address indicating the rear end position of the medium 2 is given in advance at the timing when the medium detection sensor SE1 is OFF. The value of this back end address is increased by 1 or decreased by 1 each time a re-routing is performed, and if the determined value is reached it can be determined that the back end 203 of the medium 2 has passed the position of the medium detection sensor SE 1.

Next, we will explain the operation of discharging the medium 2 when the medium detecting sensor SE1 is OFF. Since the position of the rear end 203 of the medium 2 is advanced until the table 8 comes close to the table, this is the discharge operation when the engagement with the upstream-side guide device 13 is not ensured.

Even if the position of the head carriage 10 at the time of ending the printing may be anywhere, the head carriage 10 may be moved to the left standby position (position Q) (S43). By this operation, the table is pressed downward by the roller 8a, and the upstream side guide 13 is returned to a state in which the inclined portion 13a protrudes upward because the head carriage 10 is opposed to the escape portion 13 c.

Next, we explain the medium discharge operation when the medium detection sensor SE1 is ON. Since the rear end 203 of the medium 2 is not located in a position close to the table 8, this is a discharge work that does not need to be particularly considered for the medium 2 passing through the opening portion 12. In this case, the head carriage 10 is moved to the standby position (position P or Q) where it is retracted from the medium 2 (S44) by explaining the previous line-changing operation. In this state, when a reverse rotation command is given to the LF motor 7, the transfer roller 3 is caused to rotate_-1And a pressure roller 5_-1The rotation starts to transfer the medium 2 to the insertion port.

When the LF motor 7 is rotating in the reverse direction, the head address value of the medium is updated in accordance with the number of rotation steps of the LF motor 7, and the ejection operation is performed until the head address value K reaches the predetermined position (S46). Here, the address value K indicates that the leading end 201 is between the protruding portion 21a and the media detection sensor SE1, and the media detection sensor SE1 is brought to the ON position. If the front address value becomes K, the reverse rotation of the LF motor 7 is ended (S47). Then, the plate cam driving motor 2 is rotated to rotate the pressure roller 5_-1Returning to the master position (S48). The control section 30 monitors OFF of the media detection sensor SE 1. When the worker takes OFF the medium 2 subjected to the printing process, since the media sensor SE1 is changed from ON to OFF, the printing is ended here (S49).

When the size of the medium 2 in the direction of travel is large, if the plate cam drive motor 20 is rotated back to the position C (fig. 3), the projection 21a does not project into the medium conveyance path 4, and therefore, the medium 2 can be controlled so as not to fall outside the printer 1 by controlling the discharge amount of the medium 2 after the end of printing. Therefore, even if the medium is large in size, it does not fall out of the printer. Further, the medium can be taken out quickly because the pressure roller and the stopper are withdrawn. By setting the tension of the spring 26, the medium 2 can be pressed by the protruding portion 21a and the upstream side guide 4a, and the medium can be prevented from falling down in the same manner. This is effective for the case of using continuous printing paper, in which the medium is sandwiched and the user is waited to take out the medium.

Embodiment 2

Fig. 14 shows a configuration of a conveyance system in the vicinity of a printing portion. The differences from embodiment 1 are the shapes of the upstream side guide device and the downstream side guide device and the members (levers) provided for moving them up and down.

The friction coupling 41 fitted to the shaft 3a has a function of generating a frictional load between the shaft and the pressing lever 42 also fitted to the shaft 3 a. For example, when the conveying roller 3-1 is rotated in the arrow H direction, a rotational force in the arrow I direction is also generated on the pressing lever 42 due to the friction coupling 41. Further, the range of the rotational angle of this pressing lever 42 is limited by a limiting member not shown in the drawings. Therefore, the pressing lever 42 rotated to the regulating member is not rotated more than this, and sliding occurs between the shaft 3a and the same.

The pressing lever 43 is constructed when the transfer roller 3 is rotated_-2When rotated in the arrow M direction, the friction coupling 41 receives a rotational force in the arrow L direction on the pressing lever 43. Therefore, the range of the rotation angle of this pressing lever 43 is limited by a limiting member not shown in the drawings. Therefore, the pressing lever 42 rotated to the regulating member is not rotated more than this, and a slide occurs with the shaft 3 a.

The upstream guide 44 has a shape similar to that of the upstream guide 13 described in embodiment 1, and is different from the upstream guide by about 2 points. The 1 st point is that the upstream guide 44 is pivotally supported around a pivot shaft 44a, but a force toward the medium transport path 4 side is always applied to the inclined portion 44b by a spring not shown in the figure. The 2 nd point is that a engaging portion 44c with the rod 42a fixed to the pressing lever 42 is provided on the opposite side to the inclined portion 44 b. When the lever 42a is disengaged from this engaging portion 44c, the upstream-side guide 44 is rotated in the arrow J direction by a spring not shown in the previous drawings, and becomes the state shown in fig. 14.

The downstream guide 46 also has a shape similar to that of the downstream guide 14 described in embodiment 1, and the difference therebetween is substantially the same as that of the upstream guide 44. The downstream guide 46 is pivotally supported around a support shaft 46a, but a force toward the medium transport path 4 side is always applied to the inclined portion 46b by a spring not shown in the figure. Further, a rod 46c is fixedly provided on the opposite side to the inclined portion 46b, engaging with the pressing lever 43. This engaging portion 43a presses the rod 46c downward, and presses the inclined portion 46b upward (in the direction of arrow R) against a spring not shown in the previous drawings, to bring it into the state shown in fig. 14.

In the above configuration, when the medium 2 is conveyed in the arrow a direction, since the conveying rollers 3-1 and 3-2 rotate in the arrow H, M directions, the inclined portion 44b of the upstream side guide 44 descends to the medium conveying path 4 side, and the inclined portion 46b of the downstream side guide 46 moves upward, the medium 2 safely passes through the table 8 portion. When the medium 2 is conveyed in the direction of arrow B, the roller 3 is conveyed_-1And 3_-2When the sheet is rotated in the direction opposite to the arrow H, M, the inclined portion 44b of the upstream guide 44 moves upward, and the inclined portion 46b of the downstream guide 46 moves downward toward the medium conveyance path 4, so that the medium 2 passes through the table 8 safely.

Embodiment 3

We now describe the operation of the sensor SER (or SEL) carried on the printhead carriage 10 to optically read information recorded on the medium. Fig. 15 is an operation chart of the operation program when the bar code (vertical bar) 2b shown in fig. 16 is read and the page of the medium to be print-processed is identified by analyzing the read result. Fig. 16 is a plan view showing a bankbook 2a used in the financial institution, and a barcode 2b showing a page of the bankbook 2a is printed in advance at a position apart from a predetermined size T of an upper end of the bankbook 2 a. Further, from the insertion of the passbook into the printer to the transfer to the printing position, the same operation as shown in FIG. 10 is performed,

when the SP motor 15 performs the positive rotation, the head carriage 10 starts moving in the direction of the arrow D from the standby position (position P) on the right side of fig. 8 (S51). When the head carriage 10 moves only by the distance N in fig. 8, the sensor SEL is ON. That is, the right end face of the passbook 2a is detected (S52). Receiving the detection signal of the sensor SEL at this time, the control section 30 stores the amount of movement counted up to now by the counting circuit 32. If the value of the head carriage position address at the standby position (position P) ON the right side is made 0 (zero), this movement amount is an address value corresponding to the number of rotation steps (movement amount) to the SP motor 15 at which the sensor SEL is ON (S53).

The control section 30 adds the number of steps up to the position G of the reading gate for reading the barcode 2b to the value of the head carriage position address at the time when the sensor SEL is ON (S54). The number of addition steps at this time is the number of steps previously determined from the print position of the barcode 2 b. If the SP motor 15 is rotated until the position corresponding to the value of the head carriage position address added up at step S54, the control section 30 opens the read gate that monitors the output of the sensor SEL (S55).

The sensor SEL scans the barcode 2b, and outputs analog data corresponding to the barcode 2 b. This analog data indicates the width of the black lines of the barcode 2b and the width of the blank region as their interval, and is converted into digital data by the a/D conversion circuit 31 (S56). The rotation of the SP motor 15 is continued until the value of the head carriage position address reaches a predetermined value (S57), and if the operation until the predetermined position is ended, the read-out door is closed (S58).

As described above, since the page information attached to the bankbook 2a can be read by the sensor SEL mounted on the head carriage 10, even when the worker or user opens the wrong page insertion, it is possible to determine whether or not the opened page is appropriate before the printing process. Thus, the worker and the user can also be free from worrying about whether the correct page of the passbook is opened. Further, since a special page reading mechanism does not need to be provided in the printer, it is possible to achieve an effect of being small and light.

In the above description, the pressure roller 5_-1Also protrudes to the media transport path 4 when in the home position HP. When there is a frictional load and inconvenience occurs at the time of insertion, for example, in the case of a printer handling booklet-like media such as passbooks, it is also possible to set the position of retreating from the lower guide 4b as the pressure roller 5_-1Of the main position of (c).

In the present invention, when at least 1 of a plurality of media sensors arranged in a transport direction and a straight direction detects a medium, skew correction is performed, and then the amount of skew of the medium is measured by a media transport device and a media detection sensor. Since printing is performed only when this amount of skew is within the allowable range, skew printing or the like does not occur. Further, the operation of the projection and the operation of the pressure roller for entering the medium conveying path and the operation for exiting the medium conveying path are interlocked by 1 motor, so that the control is easy and the number of parts can be reduced. Further, when the skew correction device is operated again when the skew amount of the medium is out of the allowable range, the amount of protrusion of the pressure roller can be increased, and therefore the skew correction can be reliably performed.

In the present invention, a head carriage on which a head is mounted for printing on a medium is provided in an opening portion provided in a part of a medium transport path of the medium to be printed. An upstream guide having an inclined portion with a tip end facing the outside of the medium transport path is rotatably provided to the opening portion on the upstream side of the medium transport path. In addition, a downstream guide device having an inclined portion with a tip end facing the outside of the medium conveying path is rotatably disposed on the downstream side of the medium conveying path in the opening portion. Further, since the operation of pressing down the upstream-side guide device and the downstream-side guide device toward the back of the medium transport path is controlled by the stop position (the retreat position) of the head carriage, a special drive source is not required, and the apparatus can be made smaller and lighter.

In the present invention, an upstream guide device having an inclined portion whose tip is directed outward of a medium conveyance path is disposed upstream of the medium conveyance path so as to be rotatable downstream of the medium conveyance path having a conveyance roller which rotates while sandwiching a transfer medium and an opening portion provided in a part of the medium conveyance path. The downstream guide device having an inclined portion with a tip end facing the outside of the medium transport path is disposed on the downstream side of the opening portion so as to be rotatable toward the upstream side. Further, the lever member may press the upstream-side guide or the downstream-side guide downward by only a predetermined amount by a frictional force between the rotation shaft of the conveying roller and the lever member. Since the pressing of the upstream side guide device or the downstream side guide device can be automatically switched according to the medium conveying direction, the number of components can be reduced.

In the present invention, a print head carriage for carrying a print head for printing on a medium, a table for supporting the medium, and a print head traveling device for traveling the print head carriage in a width direction of the medium are provided, and the table is moved up and down in conjunction with the operation of the print head traveling device. Accordingly, since a special driving source is not required, there is an effect that the device can be reduced in size and weight. Although the present invention has been described with respect to a printer, the present invention can also be applied to a device that transmits media, such as a facsimile, an optical recognition device, and an image reader.

Claims (3)

1. A printer is characterized by comprising

An opening portion provided to extend in a 2 nd direction orthogonal to the 1 st direction on a part of a medium conveying path that extends and conveys a medium to be printed in the 1 st direction;

a print head carriage for mounting a print head for printing on the medium through the opening portion; and

a print head running device for running the print head carriage along the 2 nd direction,

as the 1 st guide means disposed on the upstream side of the medium conveying path facing the opening portion, the 1 st guide means may be rotated and has a leading end portion inclined to the outside of the medium conveying path while extending to the downstream side, and

as a 2 nd guide means provided on a downstream side of the medium transporting path so as to face the opening portion, the 2 nd guide means may be rotated and has a leading end portion extending to an upstream side while being inclined to an outer surface of the medium transporting path, and when the medium passes through the opening portion from the upstream side to the downstream side, only the 1 st guide means may be rotated to enter an inner surface of the medium transporting path,

the 1 st guide device rotates to enter the inside of the medium transport path when the head carriage is at one end in the 2 nd direction, and the 2 nd guide device rotates to enter the inside of the medium transport path when the head carriage is at the other end in the 2 nd direction.

2. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer is further characterized in that

When the medium is conveyed, the standby position of the print head running device is selected corresponding to the stop position of the front end or the rear end of the medium.

3. The printer as claimed in claim 1, wherein the printer is further characterized in that

When the print head carriage is not located at either end of the 2 nd direction in the medium conveying path, both the 1 st guide device and the 2 nd guide device rotate to enter the inside of the medium conveying path.