Patent ID: 6100993
Filing Date: 2000-08-08
Classification: B65H

Abstract:
An apparatus for detecting the amount of paper remaining in a paper cassette of a printer including a case and a base plate hinged at one side of the case, comprising:a spring disposed between the case and the base plate to elastically bias the base plate upward at an opposite side from the hinged side;a rack gear installed on a bottom surface of the base plate extending downward a predetermined length;a pinion gear rotating interlockingly with the vertical movement of the rack gear;a variable resistor having a resistance element rotating interlockingly with the rotation of the pinion gear for providing variable resistance values through two fixed terminals according to the rotation positions of the resistance element;a voltage signal generator connected to the terminals, for generating voltage signals corresponding to the resistance value of the terminals; anda paper amount determining unit for reading the voltage signal to determine the amount of paper in the base plate, and outputting information on the amount of paper remaining.