JPS63123752A - Feeding device for roll type recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent slip and reduce the time required for a paper feeding operation by driving a recording medium with a driving means the speed of which can be electrically regulated and gently raising its rising speed. CONSTITUTION:A roller paper 11 which is mounted on a rotary shaft 15 and a feed roller 16 are provided in a paper feeding mechanism 10, and the roller 16 for delivering the roll paper 11 is driven by a motor. This motor is controlled by a servo control circuit and, when starting driving, the driving speed is gradually raised by stops. Also, its accelerating characteristic is regulated in accordance with the mass of the roll paper 11 making the magnitude of force applied to between the roller 16 and the roll paper 11 nearly constant and, if the magnitude of this force is smaller than that which causes slip, slip will not occur regardless of the paper type of the roll paper 11 while minimizing a rising time.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention [Field of the Invention] The present invention enables recording of arbitrary lengths by pulling out the leading edge of a recording medium such as a roll of paper and cutting it at a predetermined length from the leading edge. The present invention relates to a roll-shaped recording medium supply device that forms a sheet and supplies it to a predetermined recording section.

[Prior Art] Paper feeding devices that feed paper by cutting a roll-shaped recording medium into predetermined lengths are disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 56-7857 and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-17454. There is.

In this type of paper feeding device, the leading end of the roll paper is generally gripped by a feed roller and a pinch roller, and the roll paper is fed out by rotating the feed roller, and when a predetermined length has been fed out, the roll paper is rolled. The paper is stopped, the fed paper is cut with a cutter, and the paper is conveyed to a predetermined recording system.

Therefore, in this type of paper feeding device, the roll paper drive is turned on and off each time a paper feed operation is performed.However, since the roll paper itself has a considerable mass, it has a large inertia, and it is difficult to drive it. This requires a great deal of force.

The feed roller is generally connected via a clutch to a main motor that rotates at a constant speed, so that the feed roller immediately rotates at a predetermined speed when driving is started. However, since the roll paper has a large inertia and the speed difference between the roll paper and the feed roller is large at the start of driving, a very large force is applied between the roll paper and the feed roller. If the electric motor that drives the feed roller has sufficient torque, the feed roller will not stop even in that case, so it is possible to feed the roll paper, but the contact between the feed roller and the roll paper If the frictional force between the surfaces is not very large, slippage will occur between the two.

The degree of this slip varies depending on the frictional force and the inertia of the roll paper. Therefore, the time required from the start of driving the roll paper until the leading edge of the roll paper reaches a predetermined position varies widely. This variation was not a problem in the past because there was plenty of paper feeding time, but recent recording devices have faster recording speeds, so the time required for paper feeding by the device that supplies the recording paper is shorter. If the slip increases the time required for the paper feeding operation, a paper feeding error occurs.

Further, if constant slipping occurs, the feed roller will wear out, and the life of the feed roller will be shortened.

[J? ! OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION The present invention eliminates slippage of a feeding means such as a feed roller in a roll-shaped recording medium feeding device.
The purpose is to eliminate variations in the time required for paper feeding operations.

[Structure of the Invention] In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, the feeding means (for example, a foot roller) for feeding out the recording medium is driven by a driving means whose speed is electrically adjustable, such as a DC electric motor. At the same time, when the driving means starts driving, the speed thereof is controlled to rise gradually.

In this way, the acceleration at the start of driving will be relatively small, so even if the mass of the load is large, the force acting between the drive side and the load side will not be greater than the frictional force between them, and therefore No slippage occurs. If no slip occurs, the amount of drive on the drive side and the amount of movement on the load side match, so there is little variation in the time required to move the load a predetermined amount after starting the drive, and the speed of the drive means can be increased at once. In the case of ramp-up, if little slip occurs, the time required for the paper feed operation is shorter than when the speed of the drive means is ramped up gradually, but since considerable slip usually occurs, the time required for the paper feed operation is will take longer than if the speed was increased slowly. That is, according to the present invention,
The time required for paper feeding operations is substantially reduced.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments with reference to the drawings.

[Embodiment] FIG. 1 shows a paper feed section of one type of recording apparatus that implements the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus is equipped with three sets of paper feed mechanisms 10, 20 and 30. Paper feeding mechanism 10
The roll paper 11. mounted on the rotating shaft 15. Feed roller 16 that feeds out the roll paper 11. A pinch roller 12 facing the roller. Cutter assembly 13 for cutting the rolled paper. A pull-out roller 14 and the like are provided.

Roll paper rotation shaft 15. The rotation shaft of the feed roller 16 and the rotation shaft of the cutter assembly 13 are provided with a rotation shaft, respectively.

An electromagnetic brake BRK, which will be described later, an electric motor M1, and an electric motor M2 are coupled. The pullout roller 14 is driven by an electric motor (not shown) in synchronization with the recording operation.

Similarly, paper feed mechanisms 20 and 30 also include roll paper 21.3.
1. Feed rollers 26, 36. Pinch roller 22, 3
2. Cutter assembly 23.33. Pull-out roller 24, 3
It is equipped with 4 etc. In this example, feed rollers 16.26 and 36 are each coupled to independent electric motors, and cutter assemblies 13.23 and 33 are also coupled to independent electric motors.

A vertical conveyance mechanism including a large number of conveyance rollers 41 to 45 is provided downstream of the pullout rollers 14, 24, 34. Registration rollers 46 are provided downstream of the vertical conveyance mechanism. 47 is a photosensitive drum used for recording operation.

2a, 2b and 2c show the structure of the cutter assembly 13 of FIG. 1. FIG. When referring to each episode, cut assembly 1
Reference numeral 3 denotes a rotary cutter, which includes a rotary blade 1 and a fixed blade 2 that are arranged to face each other. The blade 1a of the rotary blade is
It is arranged diagonally (spiral-like) with respect to the direction of the rotating shaft, and the engagement point between the rotating blade 1 and the fixed blade 2, that is, the cutting point, moves from one end of the rotating shaft to the other end depending on the rotational position of the rotating blade. Cutting is completed within one rotation of the 0-rotation blade 1 moving towards the blade.

The shaft 3 connected to the rotary blade 1 is connected to the drive shaft of an electric motor M2.

The guide vine assemblies 23 and 33 have the same configuration as the cutter assembly 13. - Figures 2d, 2e, and 2f show an example of how paper is cut by a rotary cutter. However, please note that the positional relationship between the rotating blade and the fixed blade is reversed from that in Figure 2c.

By the way, when the cutter assembly 13 performs a cutting operation on the roll paper while feeding the roll paper, the position of the roll paper moves in the feeding direction until the cutting point moves from one end of the roll paper to the other end. Therefore, the cutting line is oblique to the direction (vc) of the rotation axis of the cutter assembly, as shown in FIG. 8b. However, when the feeding operation is stopped in order to cut the roll paper, the time required for the paper feeding operation increases.

This inclination is determined by the moving speed of the cutting point of the cutter and the feeding speed of the roll paper. Therefore, in this embodiment, the inclination is controlled to be constant, and the cutter assemblies 13, 23 and 33 are fixed in a pre-inclined state in the opposite direction to the inclination by an amount corresponding to the inclination. As a result, the actual cutting line of the roll paper coincides with the direction perpendicular to the feeding direction of the roll paper, eliminating diagonal cuts.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the paper feeding mechanism 10 includes two sets of sensor units S31. between the feed roller 16 and the cutter assembly 13. S41 is arranged, two sets of sensor units Sll and S21 are arranged at positions facing the circumferential surface of the roll paper 11, and a sensor unit S51 is arranged downstream of the pull-out roller 14. Other paper feed mechanisms 20.30 are also equipped with similar sensor unit groups.

FIG. 3a shows sensor 331. It is a top view which shows the positional relationship of S41. Referring to FIG. 3a, sensor unit S
31 is arranged at the center of the roll paper conveyance path, and the sensor unit S41 includes four sensors. The sensor unit S31 is a reflective optical sensor, and is used to identify the light reflectance of the fed roll paper and detect the type of the roll paper.

The four sensors constituting the sensor unit S41 are each arranged on a paper guide 51 constituting a conveyance path for the roll paper P A P (part of 11), as shown in FIG. 3b. Furthermore, a detection arm 53 that is tiltably supported by a shaft 54 on the paper guide 51 is arranged near each sensor. Detection arm 5
The light shielding piece 53a formed at the tip of the paper guide 5
The sensor is positioned at a position where the sensor is shielded from light when there is roll paper on it and not shielded from light when there is no roll paper.

The device in this example has a width of 210 mm and a width of 297 mm.
.

It is designed on the assumption that 420 mm and 594 mm roll paper will be used, and each roll paper is transported so that its center coincides with the center line of the paper transport path.
The four sensors of the sensor unit 341 have distances from the center line of the conveyance path of 105 mm, 149 mm, and 21 mm, respectively.
It is arranged at a position slightly smaller than 0 mm and 297 mm. Therefore, the combination of states of the electrical signals output by the four sensors of the sensor unit S41 changes depending on the width of the rolled paper being fed. can be identified.

The sensor unit Stt disposed facing the circumferential surface of the roll paper 11 is actually configured as shown in FIG. 3c. One end of the detection arm 61 connected to the rotating shaft of the 60-ra 62 shown in FIG. 3c is pressed against the circumferential surface of the roll paper 11 by the force of a spring (not shown). Since the diameter of the roll paper 11 changes depending on the amount remaining, the detection arm 61 tilts depending on the amount remaining.

A roller 63 is in contact with the circumferential surface of a roller 62 connected to the detection arm 61, and a light shielding plate 64 is fixed to the rotating shaft of the roller 63. Therefore, when the detection arm 61 tilts in response to a change in the remaining amount of the roll paper 11, the roller 63 rotates via the roller 62, and the position of the light shielding plate 64 changes. A sensor unit Stt is arranged on the movement path of the light shielding plate 64. The sensor unit 811 includes five transmissive optical sensors arranged side by side in the moving direction of the light shielding plate 64.

Therefore, since the combination of states of the electrical signals output by the five sensors constituting the sensor unit 811 changes depending on the remaining amount of the roll paper 11, the sensor unit Sl
The remaining amount of roll paper 11 is set to 6 by the electric signal outputted by l.
Can be identified as one of the types.

The sensor unit S21 is a reflective optical sensor disposed with a detection surface facing the circumferential surface of the roll paper 11, and is used to detect the presence or absence of the roll paper. The circumferential surface of the rotating shaft 15 of the roll paper is colored black, and since the roll paper is white, the sensor unit S21 is activated depending on the presence or absence of the roll paper.
The level of reflected light detected by the camera changes significantly. Therefore,
The presence or absence of roll paper can be determined based on the level of the electrical signal output by the sensor unit S21.

Sensor units 851, 814, 824, and 534 detect the presence or absence of paper on the conveyance path at each position.

Sensor unit 312, 822° 332 of paper feeding mechanism 20
．． 842 and S52, and sensor units SL3, 523 . S33. S43 and 5531, one sensor unit Sit, S of the paper mechanism 10, respectively.
21. S31. It has the same configuration and the same functions as the S41°851.

4a and 4b show electrical circuits of the paper feeding device of the apparatus shown in FIG.
00, 300 and 400 are connected. Paper feed units 200, 300 and 400 control paper feed mechanisms 10, 20 and 30, respectively, of FIG.

The paper feed control unit 100 includes a microprocessor 11.
0. Clock signal generator 115. read-only memory
(ROM)120. Read/write memory (RAM) 125.
Serial communication controller 130, address decoder 1
35. Timer 140° Interrupt Controller 145. Input/output controller (Ilo) 150, 155. A multiplexer 160, etc. are provided.

This paper feed control unit 100 is connected to a control unit (not shown) of the recording apparatus via a serial communication controller 130, and the control unit instructs the paper feed control unit 100 to start paper feeding, Data including a paper feed mechanism selection instruction and a cut length of the roll paper are transmitted.

The clock signal generator 115 is the microprocessor 11
O, serial communication controller 130. A predetermined clock signal is output to the timer 140 and the like.

Specifically, the timer 140 is connected to the clock signal generator 11
It counts the clock pulses of 2,5M1(z) outputted by 5 and generates an interrupt request signal to the 1 interrupt controller 145 at a cycle of 1 m5ec.

The input/output controllers 150 and 155 each include three sets of input/output ports PA each having eight ports;
Equipped with PB and PC. Each port can be used for either input or output. In this example, all ports of the input/output controller 150 are used as output ports, and all ports of the input/output controller 155 are used as input ports.

One to six ports of the input/output controller 150 are connected to the terminal Do of each paper feed unit 200, 300, 400.
-D5, the other two ports are connected to the selection signal line SEL of the multiplexer 160, and the other three ports are each connected to the selection signal line SEL of the multiplexer 160.

Connected to the terminal FMON of each paper feed unit, and the other 3
The book ports are each connected to the terminal RBON of each paper feed unit, and the other three ports are each connected to the terminal CMON of each paper feed unit.

Four ports of each port of the input/output controller 155 are connected to the terminal WA-WD of the paper feed unit 200, and the other four ports are connected to the terminal WA-WD of the paper feed unit 300.
The other four ports are connected to the end of the paper feed unit 400, child WA-WD, and the other three ports are each connected to the terminal PED of each paper feed unit, and the other two ports are connected to the terminal PED of each paper feed unit. This port is the signal line PAPO of multiplexer 160.
and the other five ports are connected to multiplexer 1.
60 signal line VOL, one other port is connected to the signal line PSENO of the multiplexer 160, and one other port is connected to the signal line CHMO of the multiplexer 160.

Three sets of input terminals of multiplexer 160 are terminals PAP of paper feed units 200, 300, and 400, respectively.

FSEN, CHM and VO1-VO5 are connected. One of the three sets of input terminals is selected depending on the state of the signal line SEL, and the signal input thereto is cursed to the output terminal. For example, if you select the first set of input terminals,
Output terminals PAP, FSEN, CH of paper feed unit 200
The same signals as those on M and VOI-VO5 are applied to signal lines PAPO, FSENO, CHMO and VO5, respectively.
L4:.

appear.

4C and 4D show the structure of the paper feed unit 200. Referring to FIGS. 4C and 4D, the paper feed unit 200 includes a D/A (digital/analog) conversion circuit 210. Servo control circuit 220, motor driver 23
0. An analog comparison circuit 240 and the like are provided.

The D/A conversion circuit 210 includes an inverter Z1 and a large number of resistors, and converts digital signals applied to the input terminals DO to D5 into analog signals. The analog signal output by the D/A conversion circuit 210 is applied to the servo control circuit 220 as a speed command signal. Since the digital signal applied to the D/A conversion circuit 210 is 6 bits, 64 types of speed command signals can be generated in this example.

The servo control circuit 220 includes an integrated circuit Z2 and a transistor for power amplification. Integrated circuit Z2 is a hybrid integrated circuit that contains most of the control elements necessary to control the servo motor.

The configuration is shown in FIG. 4e. That is, integrated circuit z2
The waveform shaping circuit 71. Buffer 72° level conversion circuit 73. F/V (frequency/voltage) conversion circuit 74. Amplification circuit 75. Difference detection amplifier circuit 76° analog comparator 77,
It includes an oscillation circuit 78 and the like.

An electric motor M1 is connected to an output terminal of the servo control circuit 220. The drive shaft of this electric motor M1 is coupled to the rotation shaft of the feed roller 16. This electric motor M1 is a DC servo motor, and a rotary encoder disk is coupled to its drive shaft. The rotation of the disk is detected by a transmission type optical sensor ENC. The second sensor ENC is composed of one light emitting diode and a phototransistor, and outputs one pulse signal every time the disk rotates by a predetermined amount.

The signal output by the sensor ENC is fed back to the servo control circuit 220 as a rotation signal for the motor M1. This signal is applied to the F/V conversion circuit 74 through the waveform shaping circuit 71 of the integrated circuit Z2. F/V conversion circuit 7
A voltage corresponding to the rotation speed of the motor M1, that is, a speed feedback voltage appears at the output terminal of the motor M1. The difference detection amplification circuit 76 outputs to the comparator 77 a voltage corresponding to the difference between the voltage corresponding to the speed command signal outputted by the D/A conversion circuit 210 and the feedback voltage. The comparator 77 compares the sawtooth wave voltage outputted by the oscillation circuit 78 with the difference detection amplifier circuit 76.
A binary signal is output depending on the magnitude of the output voltage. This binary signal is power amplified by two transistors connected to the integrated circuit Z2, and controls on/off of energization of the electric motor M1.

When the rotational speed of the electric motor M1 is smaller than the target speed (speed corresponding to the speed command signal), the output level of the difference detection amplifier circuit 76 increases, and the duty of the binary signal appearing at the output of the comparator 77 increases. Since the energization level of electric motor M1 increases, electric motor M1 is accelerated. Conversely, when the rotation speed of the electric motor M1 is larger than the target speed, the output level of the difference detection amplifier circuit 76 becomes small, and the duty of the binary signal appearing at the output of the comparator 77 becomes small, so that the electric motor Since the energization level of M1 is reduced, electric motor M1 is decelerated 6. In any case, electric motor M1 is controlled by the servo control circuit 220 so that its speed matches the target speed. The drive of the electric motor M1 is turned on/off by a signal applied to the 14th pin of the integrated circuit Z2, that is, the terminal FMON.
Control off. Note that the semi-fixed resistor VR3 connected to the No. 1 pin of the integrated circuit Z2 is used to adjust the relationship between the speed command signal and the motor speed.

The output terminal of the motor driver 230 is connected to the electric motor M2.
is connected. This motor M2 is a DC servo motor, but is not equipped with a rotary encoder.

Motor driver 230 is equipped with a servo control circuit, although it is not as complex as integrated circuit Z2. That is, the current flowing through the electric motor M2 is detected by the resistor R1, and a corresponding signal is fed back to the base terminal of the transistor Q2, thereby adjusting the current flowing through the electric motor M2 and stabilizing the rotation of the motor M2. It has a circuit.

Electric motor M2 is controlled on/off by a signal applied to terminal CMON. In other words, when the state of the terminal CMON becomes low level L, the transistor Q1 turns off,
Transistor Q2 turns on, transistor Q3 turns on, and transistor Q4 turns on, so transistor Q4
．． A current flows from one end (+24V) of the power supply line to the other end (GND: 7-V) via the electric motor M2 and the resistor R1, thereby energizing the electric motor M2.

The energization level of electric motor M2 varies depending on the level of current flowing through the base terminal of transistor Q2. In this example, a current flows to the base terminal of Ql depending on the output voltages of the variable resistors VRI and VR2 and the terminal voltage of the resistor R1.

The variable resistor VRI has one end connected to ground via a resistor, and the other end connected to a fixed voltage V generated by a three-terminal regulator.
x (+5V) is applied. In addition, variable resistor VR
2 has one end grounded through a resistor and the other end connected to the integrated circuit z
It is connected to pin 11 of 2. Integrated circuit Z2 11
A voltage corresponding to the rotational speed of the electric motor M1 appears on the number pin.

Therefore, the current flowing to the base terminal of transistor Q2 can be arbitrarily adjusted by variable resistors VRI and VR2. Further, this current changes depending on the rotational speed of electric motor M1.

As mentioned above, in this example, the roll paper is cut while being fed, so the cutting line is inclined with respect to the axis of the cutter. Since the cutter assembly 13 is tilted in the opposite direction to the inclination, if the inclination of the cutter assembly matches the inclination of the cutting line and the cutter axis, the cutting line of the roll paper is It becomes a right angle and there is no diagonal cut.

However, the diameter of the feed roller 16 varies due to dimensional variations during machining, so even when the electric motor Ml is driven at the same speed, the actual speed at which the roll paper is conveyed by the feed roller 16 varies depending on each device. Causes variation. When the cutting speed of the cutter is constant, if the conveyance speed of the roll paper changes, the inclination of the rotation axis of the cutter assembly and the cutting line changes. Furthermore, due to variations in dimensions during one machining process, the inclination of the cutter assembly also varies between individual machines.

However, in this embodiment, the variable resistor VR3 provides
Since the relationship between the level of the speed command signal and the rotational speed of the electric motor M1 can be adjusted, variations in the diameter of the feed roller 16 can be compensated for.

In addition, the electric motor M is controlled by the variable resistors VRI and VR2.
Since the speed of 2 can be adjusted, the cutting speed of the roll paper can be adjusted. In other words, the feed speed vf of the roll paper and the cutting speed V
Since both of e can be adjusted, the angle of inclination of the cutting line with respect to the axis of the cutter assembly can be adjusted as desired. Therefore, it is possible to correct variations in size and position from device to device, and to make the inclination of the axis of the cutter assembly and the cutting line coincide with the inclination of the cutter assembly itself.

Further, the paper feeding speed may be changed due to a speed change request from the recording apparatus side or a specification change of the paper feeding apparatus itself. When the paper feeding speed, that is, the rotational speed of the feed roller 16 changes, the inclination between the axis of the cutter assembly and the actual cutting line changes when the cutting speed of the roll paper is constant. The inclination of the cutter assembly cannot be easily changed. However, in this embodiment, a current corresponding to the rotational speed of the electric motor M1 flows through the base terminal of the transistor Q2, and the driving speed of the electric motor M2 changes depending on the current.

Specifically, the driving speed of electric motor M2 is controlled to be proportional to the driving speed of electric motor M1. If the two are in a proportional relationship, no matter how the driving speed of the electric motor M1 changes, the inclination between the axis of the cutter assembly and the actual cutting line of the roll paper will not change. That is, electric motor M
Even if the setting of the speed command signal No. 1 is changed, the inclination of the cutting line of the roll paper and the cutter assembly will not deviate from the inclination of the cutter assembly itself, so the roll paper will not be cut diagonally. The same applies when the rotational speed of the electric motor M1 changes due to a change in load or the like.

The ratio between the change in the driving speed of the electric motor Ml and the change in the driving speed of the electric motor M2 can be changed by adjusting the variable resistor VR2. Variable resistor VR2 is set during adjustment so that the driving speed of electric motor M2 is proportional to the driving speed of electric motor Ml.

In this embodiment, there are two variable resistors VRI and VR2 to adjust the speed of the cutter drive motor M2, but the offset voltage is included in the speed signal voltage appearing at pin 11 of the integrated circuit Z2. If not, the variable resistor VRI may be omitted.

When the terminal CMON becomes high level H, the transistor Q1
turns on, transistor Q2 turns off, and transistor Q
3 is turned off, transistor Q4 is turned off, and electric motor M
The energization of 2 is stopped. Also, at this moment, the transistor Q5 is turned on and the transistor Q6 is turned on, so that the electric power generated between the terminals of the electric motor M2 is absorbed by the transistor Q6. In other words, transistor Q5. Since Q6 operates as a brake circuit, sudden braking is applied when driving of electric motor M2 is stopped.

However, as will be explained next, the timings of the on/off control of the motor M2 and the on/off control of the brake circuit are different.

When the terminal CMON is at a high level H, the motor M2 is stopped and the brake circuit (Q5, Q6) is in the on state. When the terminal CMON is brought to a low level L, the charge stored in the capacitor c2 is immediately discharged through the diode in the signal processing circuit 231, so that the brake circuit is immediately turned off. However, since the charge stored in the capacitor C1 is discharged through a series circuit of a diode and a resistor in the signal processing circuit 231, it takes time for the charge to be discharged.

Therefore, when the terminal CMON is set to a low level L, the transistor Q1 is turned off and the electric motor M2 is turned on when a predetermined time has elapsed after the brake circuit was turned off.

Furthermore, when the terminal CMON is set to a high level H, the charge stored in the capacitor C1 is immediately discharged through the diode in the signal processing circuit 231, so the motor M2 is immediately turned off, but the charge stored in the capacitor C2 is is discharged through a series circuit of a diode and a resistor in the signal processing circuit 231, so it takes time to discharge. Therefore, when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after motor M2 stopped, transistors Q5 and Q6 are turned on, and the brake circuit of motor M2 is activated.

The electromagnetic brake BRK is coupled to the rotation shaft 15 of the roll paper, and applies braking to the rotation of the roll paper 11.

Although not shown, there is a terminal between the electromagnetic brake BRK terminal and the control terminal RBON.

Equipped with driver circuit.

Referring to FIG. 4d, the sensor unit Sll is.

Each sensor is composed of five transmissive optical sensors consisting of a light emitting diode and a phototransistor, and the output terminal of each sensor is connected to the terminal ■○t-vos. Further, the sensor unit S41 is composed of four transmission type optical sensors each consisting of a light emitting diode and a phototransistor, and the output terminal of each sensor is connected to the terminal WA-WD.
It is connected to the. The sensor units S51 and S61 are each a pair of transmission type optical sensors, and each output terminal is connected to the terminal F3EN and CHM, respectively. The sensor unit S61 is connected to the rotary blade l of the cutter assembly 13.
This is a sensor for detecting the home position of.

Furthermore, both the sensor units 821 and S31 are reflective optical sensors. The sensor unit 821 is composed of a light bulb and a cadmium sulfide (CdS) cell, and the sensor unit S31 is composed of one light emitting diode and a phototransistor. Sensor unit S21. S3
The output terminal of 1 is.

Each is connected to an input terminal of an analog comparator circuit 240.

Inside the analog comparison circuit 240, the sensor unit S
A voltage corresponding to the resistance value of the cadmium sulfide cell 21 is generated, and the voltage is compared with a predetermined voltage by an operational amplifier OP2. A binary signal corresponding to the comparison result appears at the terminal PED. The state of this signal corresponds to the presence or absence of roll paper. Further, the current of the phototransistor of the sensor unit S31 is converted into a voltage, and the voltage is compared with a preset voltage by the operational amplifier OP3. A binary signal corresponding to the comparison result appears at one of the two terminals PAP via a transistor. Moreover, the binary signal outputted by the operational amplifier OP3 is
A signal inverted by 1 appears at the other terminal PAP via a transistor. In other words, the two terminals PAP are.

When one is at a high level, the other is at a low level, and when - is at a low level, the other is at a high level.

The levels of these terminals change depending on the type of roll paper detected by the sensor unit S31. Specifically, the level of the terminal PAP is set in a binary manner depending on whether the type of roll paper is plain paper or tracing paper.

5a, 5b and 5c illustrate the operation of microprocessor 110 shown in FIG. 4a.

Fig. 5a shows the main processing, Fig. 5b shows the reception interrupt processing, and Fig. 5c shows the timer interrupt processing. Receive interrupt processing is
This is executed when data is sent to the serial communication controller 130 from an external device and the communication controller 130 issues an interrupt request to the microprocessor 110. Timer interrupt processing is executed when timer 140 issues an interrupt request to microprocessor 110. In this example, the timer 140 periodically generates an interrupt request at a cycle of 1 m5ec.

Reference is first made to FIG. 5a. When the power is turned on, initialization is performed. That is, the contents of the memory 125 are cleared and the various control units 130, 140, 145° 150, 155, 1
60 is set to a predetermined state, and the state of the output port is set to the initial state. As a result, the serial communication controller 130 is set to a state where it can communicate with the outside,
Timer 140 is set to generate a signal every 1 m5ec, and interrupt controller 145 is set to control interrupts of microprocessor 110 in response to interrupt requests from serial communication controller 130 and timer 140.

Next, the state of the flag Ffed is checked. This flag Ffed is a flag indicating whether or not paper feeding is in progress, and is set to 111 II by information sent from an external control device (hereinafter referred to as main control device) connected to the serial signal line of the serial communication controller 130. sensor S51 (or S5
2,553) is reset to '0'' when it detects roll paper.

When there is no paper feeding instruction from the main controller, F fed is
0" and waits until it is set to "1". When F fed becomes 84111, the signal line SEL
Outputs the contents of register UML to , and sets terminal FMON to 11.
Set to 071 (low level L: the same applies hereafter). The contents of the register UML are set by information sent from the main control device, and include the upper, middle, and lower paper feed system numbers, 20.30
) to select. As a result, each signal line PAPO, FSENO, CIMO and VOL has
terminals PAP, FSEN, CHM and vot-vos, respectively, of the paper feed unit selected by the main controller.
When the FMON signal appears and the terminal FMON is turned on, driving of the electric motor M1 that drives the feed roller 1G (or 26°36) is started. However, in the initial state, the state of the speed command signal is zero speed.

Here, the reception interrupt processing will be explained with reference to FIG. 5b. In this process, the contents of the flag F_fed are first saved in the flag FO, and then data reception processing is performed. In this data reception process, the serial communication controller 130
It takes in the received data stored in the receive register in the device and identifies that information.

Depending on the identification result, the contents of the flag F fed and various registers (including the UML and cutting length registers) are set. It also transmits various information on the paper feeding device side to the main control device.

Immediately after a paper feed instruction occurs, the flag FO is set to 11.
Q #, flag F fed is II l #. In this case, the contents of register UML are checked. If the contents of the UML are 0, 1 and 2, the signal lines SZ1 . Load the contents of Sz2 and SZ3. That is, information corresponding to the width of the roll paper loaded in the selected paper feeder tit is loaded into the register (A).

In this embodiment, in order to eliminate slip between the roll paper and the feed rollers (16, 26, 36) that drive it, the drive speed is gradually increased in steps when starting to drive the feed rollers. That's what I do. In addition, the force required to change the speed at which the roll paper is pulled is proportional to the mass of the roll paper, so if the magnitude of the acceleration is adjusted according to the mass of the roll paper, the time required to start up the drive speed can be reduced. It can be shortened as long as no slip occurs.

The mass of roll paper varies depending on its width, roll diameter, and paper quality. Therefore, in this embodiment, a parameter Kw indicating the relationship between the width of the roll paper, the roll diameter (remaining amount), the paper quality (type), and the mass of the roll paper is used.

Kv and Kp are each stored in the ROM12 as a table.
In step SB9 of FIG. 5b, the table of parameters Kw is referred to using the roll width data loaded into the register (A), and Kv corresponding to the contents of (A) is stored in the register (A). Load into. The contents of register (A) are stored in register Rv.

Subsequently, the contents of the signal line VOL are loaded into the register (A), the table of parameters Kv is referred to, and ν corresponding to the contents of (A) is loaded into the register (A). (
The contents of A) are stored in register Rv.

Furthermore, the contents of the signal line PAPO are loaded into the register (A), the table of parameters Kp is referred to, and Kp corresponding to the contents of (A) is loaded into the register (A). (
The contents of A) are stored in register Rp.

Next, the contents of registers Rw, Rv and Rp are multiplied and the result is loaded into register (A). Then, referring to a table in which the relationship between the mass and the acceleration parameter M P t N P is stored in advance, the parameter M P v N P corresponding to the content of (A) is determined. Parameters Mp and Np
The contents of are stored in registers Rm and Rn, respectively.

Speed command information Dv corresponding to the drive speed of the feed roller
Figure 7 shows the changes in . Referring to FIG. 7, the speed command information Dv is updated by integrating the contents of the register Rn at a time period corresponding to the contents of the register Rm. That is, the acceleration characteristics of the feed roller are determined according to the contents of the registers Rm and Rn, and the rise time from the start of driving until reaching the steady speed also changes accordingly.

In this example, when the roll width is 594 mm, the roll diameter is level 5 (maximum), and the paper type is tracing paper, the rise time is set to be 500 m5ec, and the roll width is 420 mm.

If the roll diameter is level 21 and the paper type is plain paper.

The rise time is set to 117 m5ec.

This rise time is proportional to the calculation result of Rw x Rv x Rp.

By adjusting the acceleration characteristics in accordance with the mass of the roll paper in this manner, the magnitude of the force applied between the feed roller and the roll paper can be made approximately constant. If the force is smaller than the amount at which slip occurs, the width of the roll paper,
No slipping occurs even if the remaining amount and paper type change. By setting this force to be slightly smaller than the magnitude at which slippage occurs, the time required for rising can be minimized within a range where slippage does not occur, thereby shortening the time required for paper feeding.

Next, timer interrupt processing will be explained with reference to FIG. 5c. In this process, first the counter CNI that counts one hour is
Increment (+1) the contents of M. Next flag F
Check the status of the fed.

Is that 111? ? That is, if the paper feeding operation is in progress, the contents of the counter CNIM are compared with the contents of the register Rm.

If CNIM is greater than or equal to Rm, the value of speed command information Dv is checked.

Here, if Dv has not reached the steady speed value Dwax, the contents of the counter CNIM are cleared to 0, the contents of the register Rn are added to the speed command information Dv, and Dv is updated. Then, the updated speed command information Dv is output to the signal line Do-D5.

In other words, since the timer interrupt processing is repeatedly executed once every 1m5ec, the flag F fed is
When it becomes 1 gH, the speed command information is Rm of 1m5ec.
The increment value (the contents of Rn) is added at twice the period, and the update is performed in steps as shown in FIG. 7 until the update result becomes D l1ax. When flag F fed becomes #l OH,
Dv is cleared to 0.

Returning to the main process shown in FIG. 5a, the explanation will be continued with reference to the time chart shown in FIG. flag F fed is II
1 When #l is reached, the signal (FMON) instructing the drive of the feed roller turns on ("o'"), and the level of the speed command information output to the signal line Do-D5 gradually rises in steps. . That is, when the 6-speed command information for accelerating the drive speed reaches D wax, its updating is completed, the acceleration drive mode ends, and the steady drive mode is entered.

The sensor unit (S
51. When S52, 553) detects roll paper, the signal line FSENO becomes '1' (high level H: the same applies hereafter). In that case, the microprocessor sets the flag F f
Reset ed to tzOl#, clear counter CNIM to 0, and set feed roller drive signal (FMON) to 1'' (off).

Also, when the flag Ffed becomes ta OIy, the 5th c
As shown in the figure, the speed command information is set to 0 in the timer interrupt.

When the flag Ffed becomes 0'', the main process performs the following processing. First, the contents of the counter CNIM are compared with time T1. The counter CNIM receives the signal PSE.
Since it is cleared when NO becomes at 111, that is, when the sensor 551 (or S52, 553) detects the leading edge of the roll paper, the time from that time is counted. The time T1 compared here is based on the length of recording paper set in advance, and the tangential axis of the cutter assembly 13 and the sensor unit S5.
This is the time obtained by subtracting the time corresponding to the distance from the first detection position.

Therefore, if the cutter is driven when CNIM reaches T1, the roll paper can be cut to a set length. Note that the recording paper length set here is specified by the main controller.

As with conventional roll paper feeding devices, there are three modes for specifying this. That is, in the first mode, the size of the RFK document is detected and the roll paper is cut to that length (synchronous cut mode), and in the second mode, the length of the size selected by the operator from among several standard sizes is selected. In the third mode, the length is cut according to the numerical value entered using the numeric keypad or the like.

When the content of the counter CNIM becomes TI, the cutter drive signal (CMON) is set to "O" (on). As a result, driving of the electric motor M2 is started.

The flag Fhm is 0'' immediately after starting driving of the cutter motor. In this case, the process advances to step SA9 and the state of the signal line CHMO is checked.

Then, when CHMO becomes 0", flag Fhm is set to 1"
Set to . When the flag Fhm becomes '11 ##, the process proceeds to step 5AIO, and the state of the signal line CHMO is checked. When CHMO becomes "1", the cutter drive signal (CMON) is set to "1" (off) and the flag Fhm is reset to "0".

In other words, the cutter drive signal (CMON) is turned on, and then the output signal (CHMO) of the home position sensor of the cutter assembly changes from '1'' to '0', and again to 11''.
When this occurs, it is set to off level #1177.

Further, when the counter CNIM reaches T2, the roll brake on signal (RBON) is set to 'O'' (ON).This activates the electromagnetic brake BRK and applies braking to the rotation of the roll paper.

The time T2 is 8 after starting the drive of the cutter motor M2.
It is set to match the time when 0m5ec has passed (
That is, T2=T1+80m5ec).

Then, when the counter CNIM reaches T3, the 0 time T3 at which the roll brake on signal (RBON) is set to "1" (off) coincides with the time when 200 m5ec has passed after the brake on signal was set to u111. like(
T 3 = T 2 + 200 m5ec) is set.

Then, when the sensor S51 detects the trailing edge of the paper.

That is, when the signal line FSENO becomes 0'', the ready flag F rdy is set to 1111g. Information on this ready flag Fry is transmitted to the main controller.

Note that, as mentioned above, in this embodiment, the sensor unit S
51 detects the leading edge of the roll paper, it stops the electric motor Ml for driving the feed roller. Therefore, when cutting is performed at a relatively long distance from the leading edge of the roll paper, the roll paper is driven by the pull-out roller 14. However, it is cut off. Since the drive system of the pull-out roller 14 is independent from the drive system of the feed roller 16, the inclination of the cutting axis of the cutter assembly and the actual cutting axis of the roll paper in this case depends on the drive speed of the pull-out roller 14 and the cutter. It is determined by the cutting speed of the assembly.

However, even when the drive of the feed roller is stopped, if the roll paper is moving before cutting the roll paper, the electric motor M1 will also rotate at that speed, so the drive speed of the roll paper is It is detected by the rotary encoder ENC and converted into a speed feedback signal by the F/V conversion circuit 74. The speed of the electric motor M2 that drives the cutter assembly is then automatically adjusted based on this speed feedback signal. In other words, even when the drive of the feed roller is stopped, the electric motor M2 for driving the cutter is configured so that the inclination between the cutting axis of the cutter assembly and the actual cutting axis of the roll paper is set in the cutter assembly itself. automatically controlled to match the tilt.

Note that in the above embodiment, the electric motor Ml.

Manual adjustment of the drive speed of M2 is done by analog adjustment means (VRI, VR2, VR3).1 For example, when using a stepping motor and controlling it with a microcomputer, etc. Digital processing allows you to control the motor drive speed by miI! 0 For example, if the configuration is such that values input using a numeric keypad are stored in memory, and the period of pulses applied to the stepping motor is adjusted using the stored values as parameters, the speed can be adjusted. can. Also, A
If you use a /D converter, you can convert the analog signal obtained from the output of the variable resistor into a digital signal, and use the resulting value as a parameter to set the pulse period, so you can also adjust the speed using the variable resistor. It is possible.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the start-up (acceleration) operation at the start of driving of the electric motor M1 is realized by updating the value of the speed information Dv in steps at predetermined intervals by digital processing. A similar operation can be achieved with a control circuit. That is.

For example, if the output terminal of the integrating circuit is connected to pin 19 of the integrated circuit z2 of the embodiment, and a predetermined DC voltage is applied to the input terminal of the integrating circuit during driving, z2
Since the voltage (speed command voltage) applied to pin 19 of the electric motor gradually increases from the start of driving, the speed of the electric motor gradually rises with a rise time corresponding to the time constant of the integrating circuit. In this case, digital control means such as a microcomputer is not required. The rise time in this case can be changed by adjusting the time constant of the integrating circuit or the voltage applied to the integrating circuit.

[Effects] As described above, according to the present invention, when driving a roll-shaped recording medium, the speed is gradually increased at the start of driving, so the force applied between the recording medium and the feed roller is small, and slippage does not occur. is prevented. Therefore, variations in the time required for the paper feeding operation are small, and the time can be substantially shortened.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing the vicinity of a paper feeding mechanism of one type of copying machine embodying the present invention. 2a is a left side view of the cutter assembly 13 of FIG. 1. FIG. FIG. 2b is a left side view of FIG. 2a, and FIG. 2c is a sectional view taken along line IIc-IIc of FIG. 2a. 2d, 2e, and 2f are front views showing the cutting operation of a general rotary cutter. FIG. 3a is a plan view showing the positional relationship between the roll paper 11 and each sensor unit. FIG. 3b is an enlarged front view showing the configuration near the sensor unit 841. FIG. 3c is a front view showing the configuration near the sensor unit 511. FIGS. 4a and 4b are block diagrams showing the electric circuit of the paper feeding device. FIGS. 4c and 4d are electrical circuit diagrams showing the structure of the paper feeding unit 200. FIG. FIG. 4e is a block diagram showing the internal configuration of 22 in FIG. 4c. FIGS. 5a, 5b, and 5c are flowcharts illustrating the general operation of microprocessor 110 of FIG. 4a. FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing an example of each signal in FIG. 4a. FIG. 7 is a timing chart showing changes in speed command information Dv during acceleration. FIG. 8a is a vector diagram showing the relationship between the movement of the roll paper and the movement of the cutting point. FIG. 8b is a plan view showing the cutting position of the roll paper. 1: Rotating blade 2: Fixed blade 3: Shaft 10, 20, 30: Paper feeding mechanism 1
1.21, 31: Roll paper (recording medium) 12.22,
32: Pinch roller 13.23, 33: Cutter assembly (cutting means) 14.2
4, 34 Nibble out roller 15.25, 35: Rotating shaft 16.26.36: Feed roller (feeding means)
41 to 45: Conveyance roller 46: Registration roller 47:
Photosensitive drum 51.52: Paper guide 53.61: Detection arm 64: Light shielding plate 100: Paper feed control unit (drive control means) 110: Microprocessor 115: Clock signal generator 120: ROM 125: RAM1
30 real communication controller 140: timer 200, 300, 400: paper feed unit 210: D/
A conversion circuit 220: Servo control circuit 230: Motor driver 240: Analog comparison circuit BRK: Electromagnetic brake ENC: Optical sensor Ml: Electric motor (driving means) M2: Electric motor 311-513. S21~S23,531~S33,5
41-543, 551, 561: Sensor unit VRI, VR2, VR3: Variable resistor 2b Prisoner Army 28 East 2d Ward Voice 2C Fig East 4e Fig East 50 Fig Bundle 88 Fig East 8b Fig

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A roll-shaped recording medium; a feeding device that grips a part of the recording medium and feeds out the leading end of the recording medium onto a predetermined conveyance path; a driving device that drives the feeding device; A cutting means for cutting a recording medium to be loaded along an axis substantially perpendicular to the feeding direction thereof; and a drive control means for controlling the driving speed of the driving means and gradually increasing the driving speed at the time of starting the driving. A feeding device for roll-shaped recording media. (2) The drive control means includes a speed signal generation means for sequentially updating the speed level according to a predetermined acceleration pattern, and a speed control means for controlling the drive means to a speed according to the speed level generated by the means. A supply device for a roll-shaped body according to claim (1). (3) The speed control means includes a conversion means for converting the digital signal output by the speed signal generation means into an analog signal, a speed detection means for outputting an electric signal according to the driving speed of the driving means, and an output of the conversion means. The roll-shaped recording medium according to claim (2), further comprising: urging means for urging the driving means in accordance with an analog signal obtained from the speed detection means and an electric signal output from the speed detection means. Feeding device.