U.S. patent application number 13/104032 was filed with the patent office on 2012-10-04 for depinching mechanism for paper jam removal in printer.
This patent application is currently assigned to Cal-Comp Electronics & Communications Company Limited. Invention is credited to Chow-Jin Chng, Foo-Yin Theng, Cher-Lek Toh.
Application Number | 20120248690 13/104032 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 44117883 |
Filed Date | 2012-10-04 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120248690 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Chng; Chow-Jin ; et
al. |
October 4, 2012 |
DEPINCHING MECHANISM FOR PAPER JAM REMOVAL IN PRINTER
Abstract
A depinching mechanism including a frame, a star wheel assembly,
a transmitting device and a sensor is provided in present
invention. Through the transmitting device rotating reversely, the
star wheel assembly is lifted to the second position when paper jam
occurs, thus depinched the media so that user can clear the paper
jam. After that the star wheel assembly is lowered to the first
position again. The star wheel assembly remains in the first
position in normal printing process. Using a one-way clutch and a
cam with an outer predetermined profile, the transmitting device
rotates forwardly without transmitting any torque during normal
printing process, and rotates inversely with transmitting a torque
to lift the star wheel assembly up and lower the star wheel
assembly down when paper jam occurs. Thus, the depinching mechanism
can be used in printers to auto fix the paper jamming problems.
Inventors: |
Chng; Chow-Jin; (SINGAPORE,
SG) ; Theng; Foo-Yin; (SINGAPORE, SG) ; Toh;
Cher-Lek; (SINGAPORE, SG) |
Assignee: |
Cal-Comp Electronics &
Communications Company Limited
New Taipei City
TW
AVAPLAS LTD.
SINGAPORE
SG
|
Family ID: |
44117883 |
Appl. No.: |
13/104032 |
Filed: |
May 10, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
271/262 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B41J 11/006
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
271/262 |
International
Class: |
B65H 7/12 20060101
B65H007/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 31, 2011 |
SG |
201102300-9 |
Claims
1. A depinching mechanism, for paper jam removal in printer,
comprising: a frame; a star wheel assembly, located upon the frame;
a transmitting device, disposed on the frame and located below the
star wheel assembly, comprising: a shaft, rotatably fixed to the
frame; a clutch, fixed and sleeving to the shaft; a rotating
element, coupled to the clutch; a cam, located between the frame
and the rotating element, wherein the shaft is coupled to the cam;
and a plunger, movably disposed on the frame and located between
the cam and the star wheel assembly with one end freely attached to
the cam and another end freely attached to the star wheel assembly;
and a sensor, disposed on the frame and located between the star
wheel assembly and the transmitting device; wherein the star wheel
assembly is lifted to a second position and lowered to a first
position when the transmitting device is in a working status, and
the star wheel assembly remains in the first position when the
transmitting device is in an idle status.
2. The depinching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
transmitting device in the working status rotates in opposite
direction relative to the transmitting device in the idle
status.
3. The depinching mechanism according to claim 1, further
comprising a driving unit to drive the transmitting device, wherein
the transmitting device is coupled to the driving unit.
4. The depinching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein a portion
of the shaft is a double-D shaft so as to couple to the cam.
5. The depinching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
clutch is a one-way slip clutch.
6. The depinching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the
rotating element is a gear.
7. The depinching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the cam
has an inner race and an outer race, and the outer race of the cam
is in a predetermined profile, and the inner race of the cam is in
a double-D feature so as to be coupled with the shaft.
8. The depinching mechanism according to claim 1, wherein the star
wheel assembly is adapted to carry printing papers.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Singapore
application serial no. 201102300-9, filed on Mar. 31, 2011. The
entirety of the above-mentioned patent application is hereby
incorporated by reference herein and made a part of this
specification.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention generally relates to printers and more
particularly to depinching mechanism for paper jam removal in
printers.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Along with the widespread of information products, various
information products are developed, and the information products
have a general trend of diversity. However, regarding image display
methods of a computer, displays and printers are mainly used as
image output devices. Wherein, the printers can be approximately
categorized into three types of point matrix printers, inkjet
printers and laser printers. Taking the laser printer as an
example, it has advantages of high printing quality, fast printing
speed, and low average cost of consumables, etc., so that the laser
printer is one of the popular printers in the market.
[0006] However, during a paper picking process of the printer, a
phenomenon of paper skew or paper jam is occurred due to a
mechanical structure of the printer and differences of paper
properties. It is rather inconvenient and time consuming that paper
jam occurs during printing or receiving a fax. Usually paper jams
when the transferring paper is clamped by the fixing roller and the
pressure roller. To correct the problem of paper skew, a paper
feeding device of the printer may perform actions to adjust the
paper, by which the paper is repeatedly slid to adjust a position
thereof or a mechanical structure is used to mitigate the problem
of paper skew or paper jam. Generally in this condition, it is
necessary to remove the jammed paper by manually from the printer
or the fax machine. For removing the jammed paper the cover of the
printer or the fax machine has to be opened and the user has to
pull out the jammed paper carefully. Hands may also get dirty to
remove the jammed paper. The present invention is directed to solve
the encountering problem described above with a very simple
mechanism and low manufacturing cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a
depinching mechanism which can fix the case of paper jam in a
printer automatically.
[0008] The present invention provides a depinching mechanism
including a frame, a star wheel assembly, a transmitting device,
and a sensor. The depinching mechanism is adapted to be used in a
printer to automatically depinch the media and allow user to remove
the paper jam. The star wheel assembly is located upon the frame.
The transmitting device is disposed on the frame and located below
the star wheel assembly. The transmitting device includes a shaft,
a clutch, a rotating element, a cam and a plunger. The shaft is
rotatably fixed to the frame. The clutch is fixed and sleeves to
the shaft. The rotating element is coupled to the clutch. The cam
is located between the frame and the rotating element, wherein the
shaft is coupled to the cam. The plunger is movably disposed on the
frame and located between the cam and the star wheel assembly with
one end freely attached to the cam and another end freely attached
to the star wheel assembly. The sensor is disposed on the frame and
located between the star wheel assembly and the transmitting
device. In which the star wheel assembly is lifted to a second
position and lowered to a first position when the transmitting
device is in a working status, and the star wheel assembly remains
in the first position when the transmitting device is in an idle
status.
[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein
the transmitting device in the working status rotates in opposite
direction relative to the transmitting device in the idle
status.
[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein
the depinching mechanism further includes a driving unit to drive
the transmitting device, and the transmitting device is coupled to
the driving unit.
[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein
a portion of the shaft is a double-D shaft so as to couple to the
cam.
[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein
the clutch is a one-way slip clutch.
[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein
the rotating element is a gear.
[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein
the cam has an inner race and an outer race, and the outer race of
the cam is in a predetermined profile, and the inner race of the
cam is in a double-D feature so as to be coupled with the
shaft.
[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, wherein
the star wheel assembly is adapted to carry printing papers.
[0016] In view of the above, according to the embodiments of the
present invention, through the transmitting device rotating
reversely, the star wheel assembly is lifted to the second position
when paper jam occurs thus depinched the media so that user can
clear the paper jam. After that the star wheel assembly is lowered
to the first position again. The star wheel assembly remains in the
first position in normal printing process. And thus, the depinching
mechanism can auto depinch the printer when paper jam occurs.
[0017] In order to make the above features and advantages of the
present invention comprehensible, embodiments are described in
detail below with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further
understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and
constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate
embodiments of the invention and, together with the description,
serve to explain the principles of the invention.
[0019] FIG. 1 illustrates a depinching mechanism according to an
embodiment of present invention.
[0020] FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C respectively illustrate the transmitting
device of the depinching mechanism in FIG. 1 rotates in the forward
direction while the star wheel assembly is in the first position
during normal printing process, the transmitting device rotates in
a reverse direction and the star wheel assembly is lifted to the
second position during paper jamming allowing user to remove the
jammed media, and the transmitting device further rotates in a
reverse direction and the star wheel assembly is lowered to the
first position after the jam is cleared.
[0021] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a cross section view of the
transmitting device of the depinching mechanism in FIG. 1.
[0022] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an enlarged portion of the
depinching mechanism in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0023] Reference will now be made in detail to the present
preferred embodiments of the invention, examples of which are
illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the
same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the description
to refer to the same or like parts.
[0024] The figures are not drawn to scale and they are provided
merely to illustrate the present invention. Several aspects of the
invention are described below with reference to example
applications for illustration. It should be understood that
numerous specific details, relationships and methods are set forth
to provide a full understanding of the invention. The present
invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be
construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. For
example, the present invention can be embodied as a method or a
system.
[0025] The present invention provides a depinching mechanism with a
simple mechanism and low manufacturing cost in order to solve the
encountering problem of paper jam in printers, in which the
depinching mechanism can auto fix the printer when paper jam
occurs. The depinching mechanism uses a transmitting device to
solve the paper jamming problem. FIG. 1 illustrates a depinching
mechanism according to an embodiment of present invention.
Referring to FIG. 1, the depinching mechanism includes a frame 110,
a star wheel assembly 120, a transmitting device 130 and a sensor
140. In the embodiment, the star wheel assembly 120 is located upon
the frame 110. The star wheel assembly 120 is to carry printing
papers in the printer. The transmitting device 130 is disposed on
the frame 110 and located below the star wheel assembly 120. The
sensor 140 is disposed on the frame 110 and located between the
star wheel assembly 120 and the transmitting device 130.
[0026] FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C respectively illustrate the transmitting
device of the depinching mechanism in FIG. 1 rotates in the forward
direction while the star wheel assembly is in the first position
during normal printing process, the transmitting device rotates in
a reverse direction and the star wheel assembly is lifted to the
second position during paper jamming allowing user to remove the
jammed media, and the transmitting device further rotates in a
reverse direction and the star wheel assembly is lowered to the
first position after the jam is cleared. Please refer to FIGS. 2A,
2B and 2C. In FIG. 2A, the transmitting device 130 is in an idle
status and rotates in a forward direction without transmitting any
torque during the normal printing process. And at the meanwhile,
the star wheel assembly 120 is in a first position P1. In FIG. 2B,
when paper jam occurs, the transmitting device 130 is in a working
status and rotates in a reverse direction with transmitting a
torque to lift the star wheel assembly 120 to a second position P2.
And at the meanwhile, the star wheel assembly 120 is lifted to move
from the first position P1 to the second position P2. In FIG. 2C,
the transmitting device 130 further rotates in the reverse
direction with a transmitting torque to lower the star wheel
assembly 120 to the first position P1. And at the meanwhile, the
star wheel assembly 120 is lowered to move from the second position
P2 to the first position P1. And the transmitting device 130 is
again in the idle status and rotates in the forward direction
without transmitting any torque after the paper jamming problem is
fixed. In other words, the rotating directions of the transmitting
device 130 in the idle status and the working status are opposite.
The star wheel assembly 120 is not allowed to be lifted up to the
second position P2 during normal printing process and the
transmitting device 130 is able to rotate backwards when paper jam
occurs.
[0027] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates a cross section view of the
transmitting device of the depinching mechanism in FIG. 1. Please
refer to FIG. 2A to 2C and FIG. 3. The transmitting device 130
includes a shaft 131, a clutch 132, a rotating element 133, a cam
134 and a plunger 135. The shaft 131 is rotatably fixed to the
frame 110. The shaft 131 acts as an intermediate transmission shaft
to couple the cam 134 and the rotating element 133 during the
rotating element 133 rotates in the reverse direction when paper
jams occurs. In the embodiment, the shaft 131 is in a double-D
feature at a portion where the shaft 131 is coupled to the cam 134
in order to enhance the stability of transmitting function. In
other embodiments, the shaft can have any suitable feature to
couple to the cam and it is not limited in present invention.
[0028] The clutch 132 is fixed and sleeves to the shaft 131. The
clutch 132 is coupled to the rotating element 133. The clutch 132
is adapted to let the rotating element 133 transfer a rotational
movement to the shaft 131 only in one direction. In the embodiment,
since a one-way slip clutch is used, the rotation of the outer race
of the clutch 132 is transmitted to the inner race in one direction
only. It means that the shaft 131 rotates when the rotating element
133 rotates in the reverse direction only.
[0029] In the embodiment, the rotating element 133 is a spur gear
and the inner race of the spur gear is pressfitted with the outer
race of the clutch 132. In other embodiments any rotating device
can be used to couple with the clutch 132. The present invention is
not limited thereto.
[0030] The cam 134 is located between the frame 110 and the
rotating element 133. The shaft 131 is coupled to the cam 134. The
cam 134 has a predetermined profile on the outer race. In the
embodiment, in order to ensure the stability and enhance the
transmitting torque by the rotating element 133, the inner race of
the cam 134 is in the feature of "double-D" in this embodiment. And
the double-D feature of the inner race of the cam 134 is fit to the
portion of the shaft 131 with the double-D feature. In other
embodiments, the feature of the inner race of the cam 134 can be in
any suitable feature, and the present invention is not limited
thereto.
[0031] In addition, the cam 134 has a predetermined profile on the
outer race to push the plunger 135. The plunger 135 is movably
disposed on the frame 110 and located between the cam 134 and the
star wheel assembly 120 with one end freely attached to the cam 134
and the other end freely attached to the star wheel assembly 120.
The star wheel assembly 120 is lifted or lowered correspondingly
via the predetermined profile of the cam 134.
[0032] In the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2B, when paper jam
occurs and the plunger 135 is pushed by the cam 134 to lift the
star wheel assembly 120 up to the second position P2 as the cam 134
rotates from 0.about.180 degree. As shown in FIG. 2C, as the cam
134 keeps rotating from 180.about.360 degree, the plunger 135 is
lowered together with the star wheel assembly 120 to the first
position P1. As shown in FIG. 2A, the cam 134 is not transmitted
any torque or load and thus the star wheel assembly 120 keeps
staying in the first position P1 during the normal printing
process. The outer predetermined profile of the cam 134 can be
designed according to the desired distance which the star wheel
assembly 120 has to be lifted up.
[0033] In this way, as shown in FIG. 2B, when paper jam occurs, the
rotating element 133 rotates in the reverse direction and transmits
a torque to the shaft 131 via the clutch 132, and the shaft 131
drives the cam 134, and the cam 134 pushes the plunger 135, and the
plunger 135 lifts the star wheel assembly 120 to the second
position P2. And then as shown in FIG. 2C, the rotating element 133
keeps rotating in the reverse direction and transmits a torque to
the shaft 131 via the clutch 132, and the shaft 131 further drives
the cam 134, and the plunger 135 and the star wheel assembly 120
are lowered to the first position P1 because of the reducing outer
diameter of the outer profile of the cam 134. As shown in FIG. 2A,
in normal printing status, the rotating element 133 rotates in the
forward direction without transmitting any torque to the shaft 131
and is in the idle status, and thus the star wheel assembly 120
keeps staying in the first position P1.
[0034] In the embodiment, the depinching mechanism further includes
a driving unit 150 to drive the transmitting device 130. The
transmitting device 130 is coupled to the driving unit 150. The
driving unit 150 is driven by a motor. There is usually a driving
unit to drive the paper feeding roller in printers. The
transmitting device 130 can be driven by the same driving unit 150
in this embodiment. In other embodiments, the transmitting device
130 can be driven by any other driving unit and the present
invention is not limited thereto.
[0035] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates an enlarged portion of the
depinching mechanism in FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 4, the sensor 140
is disposed on the frame 110 and located between the star wheel
assembly 120 and the transmitting device 130. In the embodiment,
the sensor 140 is required to detect the status or the position of
the star wheel assembly 120. For example if the star wheel assembly
120 has to be lifted up, the sensor 140 will tell whether the star
wheel assembly 120 is in its lowered position (the first position
P1) or not, if yes then the motor will rotate X number of encoder
counts to lift the star wheel assembly 120 up, if not the motor
will rotate till the sensor 140 is triggered and then subsequently
rotate X number of encoder counts to lift the star wheel assembly
120 up. In other words, the function of the sensor 140 is to zero
the position of the star wheel assembly 120 when paper jam occurs
and the transmitting device 130 starts to rotate in the reverse
direction. Such configuration has the advantage of ensuring the
position of the star wheel assembly 120.
[0036] In summary, according to the embodiments of the present
invention, through the transmitting device rotating reversely, the
star wheel assembly is lifted from the first position to the second
position, and lowered from the second position to the first
position when paper jam occurs, and the star wheel assembly remains
in the first position in normal printing process. Using a one-way
clutch and a cam with an outer predetermined profile, the
transmitting device rotates forwardly without transmitting any
torque during normal printing process, and rotates inversely with
transmitting a torque to lift the star wheel assembly up and lower
the star wheel assembly down when paper jam occurs. And thus, the
depinching mechanism of present invention can be used in printers
to auto fix the paper jam problems.
[0037] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the
present invention without departing from the scope or spirit of the
invention. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the
present invention cover modifications and variations of this
invention provided they fall within the scope, of the following
claims and their equivalents.
* * * * *