JP2000103128A - Recording apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recording apparatus which is compact, prevents a recording paper from curving, thereby keeping a distance between a printing head and the recording paper appropriately and can form high-quality images. SOLUTION: This portable printer has a printing head for forming images in a noncontact manner to a printing paper PP, a platen 32 for holding the printing paper, a paper delivery roller 25, a retainer roller 26, a paper delivery sensor 52, and a paper delivery guide 80 which is arranged at the downstream side in a transfer direction for the recording paper of the paper delivery roller 25 and set movably between a paper support position where the guide supports the printing paper PP at a position on a plane nearly even with a paper hold face of the platen and a storage position where the guide does not support the printing paper PP. The paper delivery guide 80 supports the printing paper PP at the paper support position not to curve, thereby preventing the printing paper PP from floating on the platen 32 and coming into touch with the printing head.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a recording apparatus provided with sheet supporting means capable of supporting a recording sheet so that a distance between a print head and the recording sheet becomes proper when recording the recording sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer which records a print head on a recording sheet by ejecting or sucking ink at a predetermined distance from the recording sheet, the print head and the recording sheet are recorded during recording. In some cases, the recording paper became dirty due to contact. One of the causes of this contact is the curvature of the recording paper. That is, since the entire recording paper cannot be supported straight in the vicinity of the print head, for example, in an apparatus configuration that prints on the recording paper from above, the recording paper is curved in an upwardly convex state near the print head. This causes "floating", so that the recording paper comes into contact with the print head, thereby causing the recording paper to become dirty.

Conventionally, in order to prevent this contact, the discharge rollers are arranged in two rows, or a large discharge tray is mounted to maintain the flatness of the recording paper and suppress the floating of the recording paper. By preventing contact, the recording paper is prevented from being stained. With such a structure, the flatness of the recording paper can surely be maintained.

[0004]

However, when a small recording apparatus such as a portable printer is manufactured, if the discharge rollers are arranged in two rows as in the prior art, the floating of the recording paper can be effectively prevented. Since the size of the recording apparatus is increased by an amount corresponding to the increase in the number of discharge rollers, there is a problem that the recording apparatus cannot be used in such a small apparatus. Further, if a large paper ejection tray is mounted, there is a problem that the recording apparatus is also increased in size by this tray.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problem, and is a small-sized recording apparatus suitable for carrying, while preventing the recording paper from being bent, and making the distance between the print head and the recording paper proper, thereby increasing the height. It is an object to provide a recording apparatus capable of forming a high-quality image.

[0006]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus, comprising: a print head for forming an image on a recording sheet in a non-contact manner; Paper carrying means for carrying the recording paper so as to face the print head at a predetermined interval, a paper discharge roller for carrying and discharging the recording paper on which an image is formed by the print head, A sheet press provided opposite to a discharge roller and configured to urge the recording sheet discharged by the discharge roller on the substantially same plane as the sheet holding surface of the sheet holding means so as to press the discharge roller. A roller, a paper support position disposed downstream of the paper discharge roller in the recording paper transport direction, and supporting the recording paper at a position substantially on the same plane as the paper carrying surface of the paper carrying means; Characterized by comprising a sheet supporting means having a support member which is movable in a storage position which does not support the recording paper.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, the support member for the recording sheet is provided at the sheet supporting position where the recording sheet is effectively supported so that the recording sheet does not bend. In addition, the recording paper can be prevented from floating during recording, and the distance between the print head and the recording paper can be made appropriate. Therefore, a high-quality image can be formed. When not in use, the support member can be moved to the storage position. Therefore, it is possible to easily carry the portable device without generating unnecessary protrusions that may become obstacles when carrying the portable device.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to the first aspect, after the recording sheet is discharged, the supporting member of the sheet supporting means is configured to move the discharged recording sheet. It is characterized in that the rear end is displaceably provided at a storage position which is a position which does not prevent the rear end from dropping.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, the trailing end of the discharged recording paper can be dropped by displacing the storage position of the recording paper support member. Therefore, even when printing is performed continuously, the previously recorded recording paper can be continuously recorded on the recording paper without obstructing the discharge of the next recorded recording paper.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to the second aspect, when the support member of the paper supporting means is moved to the storage position, It is characterized in that it is configured not to protrude from the housing.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, if the support member for the recording paper is moved to the storage position, it can be prevented from protruding from the housing. Therefore, it is possible to prevent damage to the device itself when carrying the device, and to carry the device safely and easily without damaging external devices.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects,
The paper support means includes control means for controlling the position of the support member such that the support member is disposed at the storage position when recording is not performed and is displaced to the paper support position during recording. It is characterized by.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, there is no need to support the recording paper by the control means. The recording paper can be moved to the storage position when not recording and to the paper supporting position when recording. Therefore, it is not necessary for the user to switch each time, and the support member can be reliably moved to an appropriate position.

A recording apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a sheet discharge sensor for detecting sheet discharge is provided.

Since the recording apparatus according to this configuration is provided with a sheet discharge sensor, the presence or absence of a sheet in the apparatus can be determined. Therefore, it is possible to perform control based on the presence or absence of a sheet.

In the recording apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the sheet supporting means is provided when a sheet ejection sensor detects ejection of the recording sheet during recording. And control means for controlling the support member to be displaced to the storage position for a predetermined time.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, the discharge of the sheet is detected by the sheet discharge sensor, whereby the support member can be moved to the storage position. Accordingly, a plurality of sheets can be sequentially stacked in order without disturbing the stacking of the recording sheets at the time of sheet discharge.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects,
The paper support member is supported by a roller shaft of the paper discharge roller as a support shaft.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, the supporting member is supported on the roller shaft of the paper discharge roller, so that the recording apparatus can be made compact. .

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the paper supporting means may be configured such that the supporting member is provided at the paper supporting position or the paper supporting position. It is characterized by having an urging means for urging the storage position to be fixed to the position.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, the position can always be moved to the sheet supporting position or the storing position by the urging means. Therefore, for example, the position can be controlled by manual or automatic fixing means.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the position of the support member is displaced by using a solenoid. It is characterized by having.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, since the position of the support member can be moved by the solenoid, there is no difficulty in manually moving the support member manually by the user, and the support member can be reliably moved. In particular, if the automatic control is performed, an appropriate position can be moved, and the usability of the user is improved.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, in the paper supporting means, the supporting member is provided with a paper discharge tray. In this case, it is fixed at the storage position.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, the supporting member is fixed at the storage position by mounting the paper discharge tray.
Therefore, in a case where the recording paper is prevented from curling by mounting the paper discharge tray, unnecessary recording paper is not supported, and the recording paper is fixed at a storage position suitable for continuous printing.
It is possible to provide a recording device without useless movement.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the printing head is an ink jet head.

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, especially in a recording apparatus using an ink-jet head which easily causes stain on the recording paper due to contact with the head, the stain on the paper can be effectively prevented.

According to a twelfth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, an automatic paper feeder is configured to be detachable. .

In the recording apparatus according to this configuration, the automatic paper feeder can be made detachable. Therefore, even when the automatic paper feeder is not mounted, it is possible to reliably support the recording paper with the support member and perform recording.

[0030]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a portable printer 1 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing an external appearance in which an automatic paper feeder (ACF) F1 and a discharge tray T1 are mounted on a portable printer 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the portable printer 1 includes a printer main body 3 which is a case formed in a substantially rectangular box shape. A paper discharge port 4 which is a rectangular opening formed wide in the longitudinal direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 1) of the portable printer 1 is formed at a lower substantially central portion of the printer main body 3. The paper discharge port 4 is an opening for discharging the printed printing paper PP, and has a longitudinal width of the printing paper PP.
Is formed so as to correspond to the sheet width. Note that, in the portable printer 1 of the present embodiment, the width of the paper discharge port 4 in the longitudinal direction is a U.S. letter size or JISA 4 size paper width (approximately 210
mm). An opening / closing lid 7 for exchanging the ink cartridges 8 and 9 is provided at the upper part of the paper discharge port 4 of the printer main body 3 so that the lower part is pivotally mounted and can be opened and closed freely.

The automatic paper feeder F1 is mounted on the back (rear side in FIG. 1) of the portable printer 1 and automatically feeds a large number of cut sheets of printing paper PP to the portable printer. is there. The whole shape is a rectangular oblong plate, and is mounted on the printer in a state where it is raised about 60 degrees behind the horizontal angle. The automatic paper feeder F1 includes a plurality of printing papers PP.
Is placed on the paper placing portion F5 of the main body F2, and the printing paper P
The upper part of P is a left paper support F4L and a right paper support F4.
Supported by R. The sheet supporting portions F4L and F4R are rotatably supported by the main body F2 so that the sheet supporting portions F4L and F4R can be unfolded to support the printing paper PP or be stored in the main body F2. The left F4L is in an unfolded state, and the right sheet supporting unit F4R is in a stored state. An opening / closing lid F3 is pivotally supported on the sheet mounting portion F5 so as to be openable and closable to facilitate the replenishment of the printing paper PP.
Indicates an open state.

The paper discharge tray T1 is a tray made of a synthetic resin that is mounted along the paper discharge port 4 to stack the printed printing paper PP discharged from the paper discharge port 4 and place it thereon. It is a member. The sheet feeding tray T1 has a shape of a rectangular flat plate having a center portion cut at the front end (X direction in FIG. 1), and a rib-shaped reinforcing material T2 is provided at a lower portion for reinforcement at an end in the sheet width direction. . Also, at the end of the reinforcing material T2 on the portable printer 1 side,
A slit (not shown) provided in the printer 1 has an engaging projection T3, which is inserted and mounted.
Further, a foldable extension portion T4 formed by bending a thin metal rod into a substantially U-shape is provided at the tip end portion with its both ends pivotally supported. The leading end of the printing paper PP protruding from the main body is supported to prevent the leading end from being bent.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view schematically showing the internal structure of the portable printer 1. As shown in FIG. The arrow X in the figure indicates the transport direction of the printing paper PP, and the arrow Y in the figure indicates the direction of movement of the print heads 15 and 16 during main scanning.

As shown in FIG. 2, the printer main body 3 also serves as a substantially rectangular box-shaped main body frame 6, and a rectangular shelf-shaped cartridge frame in which ink cartridges 8, 9 are mounted is provided in an upper space 1a of the main body frame 6. 5 are provided.
A partition plate 5 is provided on the entire rear side below the cartridge frame 5.
a is provided to partition the upper space 1a and the lower space 1b, and the front side is open to the lower space 1b.

Here, the ink cartridges 8 and 9 will be described. In the cartridge frame 5 above the partition plate 5a in the upper space 1a of the portable printer 1, two substantially rectangular box-shaped ink cartridges 8, 9 are detachably stored in a horizontal state with their upper ends aligned. I have. Of the ink cartridges 8, 9, the ink cartridge large 8 arranged on the left side in FIG.
The ink package 8a filled with the ink ejected from the ink container 5 is stored (see FIG. 3).
a is composed of two ink packages, each of which is filled with magenta and black inks one color at a time. The ink cartridge 9a filled with ink ejected from the print head left 16 is stored in the ink cartridge small 9 disposed on the right side in FIG.
), And cyan and yellow inks are filled one by one.

The ink packages 8a and 9a housed in the ink cartridges 8 and 9 are formed in a substantially rectangular bag, and include a plurality of film sheets made of polyethylene resin or the like, for example, a plurality of film sheets. It is formed of a laminated structure film material in which about ten sheets are laminated. The laminated structure film material forming the ink packages 8a and 9a is:
By forming the rigidity to be large, shape resilience is imparted, and a change in shape of the ink packages 8a and 9a can be suppressed. Therefore, even if the ink is supplied from the ink packages 8a, 9a to the print heads 15, 16 and the ink in the ink packages 8a, 9a decreases, the ink packages 8a, 9a are not crushed to the atmospheric pressure or the like. The internal pressure can be maintained at an appropriate negative pressure. In addition, as described above, the ink packages 8a and 9a are disposed horizontally, so that there is no difference in elevation, and the ink supply pressure due to gravity applied to each ink nozzle port 18 is uniform.

As described above, the ink print heads 15, 1
By maintaining the ink supply pressure of the ink supplied to the nozzle 6 at a uniform and appropriate negative pressure, the nozzle openings (not shown) of the nozzles 15a and 16a (see FIG. 3) of the print heads 15 and 16 are formed.
A concave meniscus (curved surface) is formed on the ink surface of the ink jet head, and these internal pressures are kept uniform, so that the ink ejected from the nozzles 15a and 16a of the print heads 15 and 16 can be made uniform. The printing quality can be maintained satisfactorily. For example, in the print heads 15 and 16 of the present embodiment, if the ink supply pressure is within a range (operating pressure range) of about 0 mmAq (water column) or more and about -300 mmAq (water column) or less with respect to the atmospheric pressure, Fifteen
A concave meniscus can be formed on the ink liquid surface in the nozzle openings a and 16a. It should be noted that the print head 15, the print head 15, when printing is performed by the portable printer 1 of the present embodiment.
The 16 optimal operating pressure ranges (optimal operating pressure ranges) are approximately -30 mmAq (water column) or less and approximately -100 with respect to the atmospheric pressure.
It is a pressure value of mmAq (water column) or more.

Next, the print heads 15 and 16 will be described. Lower space 1 of body frame 6 of portable printer 1
b, a print head 1 is mounted on a carriage 27 that can reciprocate in the printer body 3 in the directions indicated by arrows Y and Y.
5 and 16 are mounted side by side along the main scanning direction. The print heads 15 and 16 perform printing by ejecting ink. A right nozzle 15a is disposed on the lower surface of the right print head 15, and a large number of nozzles constituted by piezo elements (piezoelectric elements) are provided. Two nozzle rows including the openings 18 are formed along the paper transport direction X. One of these nozzle rows is filled with magenta ink supplied from each ink package of the ink package 8a as described above, and the other row is filled with black ink. Also, the lower surface of the print head left 16 is provided with a similarly configured nozzle left 16a,
Filled with cyan ink. These nozzle arrays enable color printing.

According to the print heads 15, 16, when a voltage is applied to the plurality of nozzles 15a, 16a composed of piezo elements, distortion is proportional to the voltage value of the nozzles 15.
5a, 16a, the nozzles 15a, 16a contract. Due to this contraction, ink filled in a cavity (not shown) in the nozzle opening 18 of each of the nozzles 15a and 16a is discharged onto the printing paper PP to perform printing.

Therefore, the printing paper PP and the print head 15,
The 16 nozzles 15a and 16a perform printing in a non-contact state with a predetermined interval. Therefore, if the printing paper PP goes out of the predetermined position for some reason and rises and comes into contact with the nozzles 15a and 16a of the heads 15 and 16, normal printing cannot be performed, and the printing paper PP becomes inkless. It will be polluted by. This will be described later.

Next, the portable printer 1 will be described with reference to a sectional view. FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing the portable printer 1 as viewed from the right direction along the line IV-IV in FIG.
The CR motor (carriage motor) 30 is omitted for convenience. The arrow X in the drawing of FIG. 3 indicates the transport direction of the printing paper PP. On the other hand, FIG.
5 is a schematic diagram viewed from the front (the front side in FIG. 2) along the line VV in FIG. 3. With reference to these drawings, the configuration of the portable printer 1 will be further described.

First, referring to FIG. 3, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 3, the ink extraction needles 10 are stabbed into the ink packages 8a, 9a stored in the ink cartridges 8, 9 for each color. Is embedded. At the rear edge of the upper space 1a of the portable printer 1 (right side in FIG. 3),
The ink supply tubes 12 are connected to the paper holding portions (opposite end portions (right side in FIG. 4)) of the ink extraction needles 10 inserted into the four ink packages for the respective colors of the ink packages 8a and 9a. ing. Each of the supply tubes 12 is a flexible, substantially hollow cylindrical circular tube formed of a synthetic resin such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, or the like. 16 to supply ink. In the present embodiment, each supply tube 1
Reference numeral 2 denotes a TYGON (registered trademark) tube manufactured by NORTON, and each supply tube 12
Has a tube thickness of about 0.8 mm and a tube inner diameter of about 0.4 mm.
8 mm, and the outer diameter of each supply tube 12 (the sum of the length twice the tube thickness and the inner diameter of the tube) is approximately 2.4 mm.
TYGON tube. The minimum value (minimum radius of curvature) of the radius of curvature R of the curved portion in a state where each supply tube 12 is bent is approximately 20 mm.

As shown in FIG. 3, an unused printing paper PP is provided on the lower rear side of the printer body 3 (lower right side in FIG. 3).
The insertion opening 22 for inserting the hole is formed. This insertion slot 2
A transport roller 23 driven by an LF motor (line feed motor) 31 composed of a pulse motor for transporting the print paper PP is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction (the direction of the arrow X) of the print paper PP inserted from 2. A press roller 24 for pressing the printing paper PP to the conveying roller 23 is provided, and the two cooperate to press and convey the printing paper PP while cooperating. The feed roller 23 is provided with a transport roller gear 40 that supplies driving force to the automatic sheet feeding device F1 coaxially, and supplies driving force to the automatic sheet feeding device F1.

On the downstream side of the conveying roller 23 and the pressing roller 24, the printing paper PP conveyed from the conveying roller 23
Discharge roller 25 driven by an LF motor 31 for discharging paper outside the printer main body 3, and the discharge roller 25
Roller (spur) 2 for pressing the printing paper PP
6 are provided. The paper discharging roller 25 and the pressing roller 26 cooperate to discharge the printing paper PP from the paper discharging port 4. A shaft support 82 of the paper discharge guide 80 is mounted around the shaft of the paper discharge roller 25 to support the paper discharge guide 80.

Between the transport roller 23 and the paper discharge roller 25, there is provided a platen 32 for horizontally carrying the printing paper PP for performing printing. The platen 32 is made of a plate-like member having a flat upper surface. The printing paper P
P is carried and its position is determined.
The position of the printing paper PP held in close contact with the printing head 15 is set to be the most appropriate distance for printing by the print heads 15 and 16. Therefore, if the printing is not performed in close contact with the printing paper, the quality of the printing result will be degraded. If the printing paper PP rises and comes into contact with the print heads 15 and 16, the printing paper PP will not be printed.
In this case, undesired ink adheres and is soiled. For this reason, the contact surface between the platen 32 and the transport roller 23 and the press roller 24, and the contact surface between the paper discharge roller 25 and the press roller (spur) 26 are located on substantially the same plane. Further, a paper presser 513 is provided in a part of the paper feed sensor 51 (see FIG. 8) to prevent the print paper PP from floating.

The print heads 15 and 16 described above are arranged above the printing paper PP placed on the platen 32. The print heads 15 and 16 move along a guide bar 29 laid across the main body frame 6 of the printer main body 3 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 3, that is, in directions indicated by arrows Y and Y in FIG. It is detachably mounted on a reciprocally movable carriage 27. The plurality of nozzles 15a and 16a described above for discharging ink to the printing paper PP sandwiched by the transport rollers 23 and the like are formed on the side of the printing paper PP of the printing heads 15 and 16.

Next, the carriage 27 on which the print heads 15 and 16 are mounted will be described with reference to FIGS. Carriage 27 disposed in main body lower space 1b
Is provided such that a guide bar 29 extending in the main scanning direction is penetrated to the back side (the right side in FIG. 4), and is movably provided in the main scanning direction (the Y direction and the anti-Y direction in FIG. 2) while being guided by the guide bar. Can be Then, the CR arranged at the right end of FIG.
A timing belt 36 is wrapped around a driving pulley 38 and a driven pulley 39 arranged at the left end in FIG. 2 while being supported by the rotation shaft of the motor 30, and the carriage 27 is fixed to one position of the timing belt 36. When a voltage is applied to the CR motor 30 by the control unit 34, the CR motor 30 rotates to rotate the driving pulley 38, rotate the timing belt 36, and guide the carriage 27 to the guard bar 29 while moving the carriage 27 in the main scanning direction. Move to

In order to recognize the position of the carriage 27, a timing fence 33 is provided on the rear side (the right side in FIG. 3) of the carriage 27. Timing fence is 3
Reference numeral 3 denotes a linear encoder, which is a glass plate having a fine slit, and a photosensor comprising a combination of a light emitter comprising two sets of LEDs and a phototransistor comprising a phototransistor slightly shifted in phase; Light from a light projector (not shown) provided on the opposite side of the timing fence 33 that has passed through the timing fence 33 is detected by a light receiver (not shown) by a set of photosensors (not shown). Two sets of the photosensors are arranged so as to have a phase difference of 1/2 of the slit so that the traveling direction can be recognized. One set of photosensors is used for origin detection. The CPU provided in the control unit 34 accumulates and analyzes the data based on the pulse data obtained from the photo sensor, and performs incremental control for recognizing the position of the carriage 27. In addition to the above-mentioned transmission type timing fence 33, a fine stripe pattern is printed or baked on a plate made of aluminum or the like as the timing fence 33, and light is emitted from the timing fence 33 by a laser projector. A reflection type timing fence 33 for detecting the reflected light by the light receiver and similarly recognizing the position may be used. Further, a timing fence having an absolute type scale may be used.

The CR motor 30 is a DC motor and has a PW
Speed control can be performed by M control or current value control. The current position is recognized based on the position information from the timing fence 33, and the speed and acceleration of the carriage 27 are further obtained. I do.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram in which the front main body frame is omitted when the portable printer 1 is viewed from the front along the line VV in FIG.
3 illustrates the direction of movement. As shown in FIG. 4, a driving force for reciprocating the carriage 27 in the left-right direction (arrow Y and counter-arrow Y directions) of FIG. 4 is provided on the upper part of the main body frame 6 provided on the right side of the printer main body 3. A supply CR motor 30 is provided.
3 (see FIG. 3) and an LF motor 31 that rotates the paper discharge roller 25, and an LF motor gear 37 that reduces and transmits the driving force of the LF motor 31 to the transport roller 23 and the paper discharge roller 25.
Are arranged.

A paper discharge roller 25 is disposed downstream of the platen 32 in the paper transport direction. Hereinafter, the discharge roller 2
5 will be described. The paper discharge roller 25 is a roller having a cylindrical shaft portion 25b made of stainless steel whose surface is covered with a rubber layer 25a made of a rubber material having a large friction coefficient. As shown in FIG. And is provided in the vicinity of the discharge port 4.
The rubber layer 25a has a
It is partially cut out at three places, and the shaft part 25b of stainless steel is exposed at this part. In other words, as shown in FIG. 4, it is composed of four cylindrical portions. The paper discharge roller 25 is changed in speed and transmitted via the LF motor gear 37 by the driving force of the LF motor 31 shown in FIG. 4, and the paper discharge roller 25 is rotated. The paper discharge roller 25 comes into contact with a gear type press roller (spur) 26 disposed facing upward, and the press roller 26 rotates with the paper discharge roller 25. The pressing roller 26 is for preventing the floating of the paper, and is also responsible for reliably transmitting and driving the printing paper PP by reliably transmitting the driving force of the paper discharging roller 25 to the printing paper PP. is there.

FIG. 6 shows the discharge guide 8 at the storage position U.
0, paper discharge roller 25, paper discharge sensor 51, LF motor 3
FIG. 1 is a diagram of the LF motor gear 37 viewed from the front side of the printer. The central part is partially omitted. First, the paper discharge roller 25 has one end connected to the LF motor 31 via the LF motor gear 37 as described above.
1 is driven by the driving force. The printing paper PP is transported by the rotated paper discharging roller 25. As will be described in detail later, the tip of the paper discharge sensor 51 is disposed at two places where the rubber layer 25a of the paper discharge roller 25 is cut out and the shaft portion 25b is exposed. The leading end of the paper ejection sensor 52 is displaced in the paper transport direction by the paper PP. Then, this paper ejection sensor 52
Is located on the back side of the paper discharge roller 25 in the drawing, and therefore, the extension 52 provided below the paper discharge sensor 52 is provided.
The light-shielding portion 526 provided at the lower end of 5 swings toward the front in the figure, and the passage of the printing paper is detected by a paper ejection photosensor (not shown) (see FIG. 14).

The discharge guide 80 has substantially the maximum width of the printing paper PP, that is, the same length as the rubber layer 25a of the discharge roller. The paper discharge guide body 81 is bent approximately 60 ° at 1/3 of the width from the front end portion 81b in parallel with the long side of the thin rectangular stainless steel thin plate to form a cross-shaped “H” shape. In the storage position, it is arranged at a position where the tip is vertical. Therefore, the remaining 2/3 portion of the bent front end portion is arranged as the paper support portion 81a at an angle of about 30 ° in front of the horizontal plane.

The shaft support 82 is provided at both ends of the main body 81 and supports the paper discharge guide 80 in a swingable manner. Shaft support 8
Reference numeral 2 denotes a cylindrical shape which is partially open,
So that the rubber layer 25a is wound around the shaft portion 25b at both ends of the shaft portion 25b at about 270 °.
5b. In the vicinity of both ends of the main body 81, a part of the paper support portion 81a on the back side of the main body 81 is continuous, and at this storage position, approximately 60 degrees below the vertical.
° A stopper 84, which is a protrusion protruding rearward, is provided. The stopper 84 is used to support the paper discharge guide 80 at a paper support position described later, and its usage will be described later.

Next, FIG. 7 shows a case where the paper ejection guide 80 shown in FIG. 6 is displaced to the paper supporting position. The paper support position is about 60 ° around the shaft 25b of the paper discharge roller around which the shaft support 82 is mounted so that the leading end thereof faces upward and the upper surface of the paper support 81a faces the back side.
This is the rotated position. In this paper support position, the stopper 84 is hooked on the main body frame 8, and the leading end 81 b of the paper support 81 a is higher than the upper end of the paper discharge roller 25.

Next, the structure and operation of the paper ejection guide 80 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. First, FIG. 8 illustrates a lower portion of the portable printer 1 in a state where printing is performed when the paper ejection guide 80 is at the storage position D in FIG.
It is sectional drawing which looked at the side in the I line. Note that some structures are omitted for convenience of explanation. In FIG. 8, the portable printer 1 has the paper ejection guide 80 at the storage position. In this state, the distal end portion 81b of the paper ejection guide 80 faces vertically downward and does not protrude outside. ing. In this state, normal printing is not performed.
This shows the state when P is printed. Here, the position of the printing paper PP is indicated by a two-dot chain line. In this state, the printing paper is inserted from the insertion opening 22 and guided by a part of the main body frame 6 inclined slightly downward from the horizontal plane, and is conveyed by a transport roller 23 driven by an LF motor (not shown). The sheet is conveyed by being sandwiched between the holding rollers 24.
Then, the printing paper PP is pressed by the paper pressing unit 513 at the leading end of the paper feed sensor 51 having a paper pressing function, and is guided to the platen 32. The platen 32 is formed in a horizontal flat plate shape. Therefore, as described above, since the paper feed sensor 51 urges the leading end of the printing paper PP that has entered slightly downward, the printing paper PP is bent horizontally, and is placed on the platen 32. In this state, the printing paper PP comes into close contact with the platen 32 due to the elasticity of the printing paper PP itself. Then, the printing paper PP, which is brought into close contact with the platen 32 on the platen 32, is reciprocated by the carriage 27 in the main scanning direction.
When the nozzles 5 and 16 pass a predetermined position, ink is ejected from a nozzle port 18 (not shown) to form an image on the printing paper PP. At this time, since the printing paper PP maintains an appropriate predetermined distance from the print heads 15 and 16, a predetermined image is formed.

Then, printing proceeds further, and printing paper P
P is sandwiched between the paper discharge roller 25 and the press roller 26, and the print paper PP is transported in conjunction with the paper feed roller 23. In this case, the position between the sheet discharging roller 25 and the pressing roller 26 is substantially on the same horizontal plane as the sheet carrying surface of the platen 32. In addition, the printing paper PP by the paper discharging roller 25
Is not always after the printing by the print heads 15 and 16, and the first is determined by the margin width of the print data. Then, when the paper is continuously conveyed, the leading end of the printing paper PP is discharged out of the apparatus horizontally as it is due to the rigidity of the printing paper PP itself. However, if the length of the printing paper PP protruding outside the apparatus from the portion supported by being sandwiched between the paper ejection roller 25 and the pressing roller 26 becomes longer, the weight of the printing paper PP itself is reduced. The rigidity of the PP itself cannot support it, and the leading end of the printing paper PP flexes and hangs down. In this case, the printing paper PP is supported by the transport roller 23 and the pressing roller 24, the paper pressing section 513 of the paper feed sensor 51, and the discharging roller 25 and the pressing roller 26. The paper pressing unit 513 of the paper feed sensor 51 cannot hold the paper with an excessively strong force because the paper feed sensor 51 itself is swingably supported. Therefore, the printing paper PP is transported by the transport rollers 23.
And the paper discharge roller 25.
Then, as described above, the leading end of the discharged printing paper PP hangs down, thereby causing bending stress on the printing paper PP. The bending stress causes the printing paper PP to be carried on the platen 32 with the paper discharge roller 25 as a fulcrum. A force for moving the printing paper PP upward is generated in the portion of the printing paper PP. That is,
When the length of the discharged printing paper PP exceeds a certain length, the printing paper PP carried on the platen 32 floats and deviates from a proper printing position. The ink that does not print properly on the printing paper PP adheres to the surface on which the nozzles 15a and 16a are formed, and the recording result is destroyed.

FIG. 9 shows a state in which recording is performed on the printing paper PP using the portable printer 1 when the paper ejection guide 80 is displaced to the paper supporting position. The paper discharge guide 80 can be displaced from the storage position to the paper support position by raising a finger on the finger hook 83 shown in FIG. When displaced to the paper support position, the stopper 84 is supported by the support portion of the main body frame 6 to maintain the paper support position. In the state shown in FIG. 9, the case of FIG.
Only the state after the tip of P has been discharged out of the apparatus is different, and the state will be described from this state. That is, the printing paper PP is
When the paper is discharged by the paper discharge roller 25, the leading end of the printing paper PP abuts on the paper support 80a of the paper discharge guide 80 displaced to the paper support position, and slides further upward along the surface of the paper support 81. While moving, the leading end of the printing paper PP is guided upward and bent.

Then, an upward force is applied to the leading end of the printing paper PP, and this force is a downward force that presses the printing paper PP on the platen 32 against the platen 32 due to the rigidity of the printing paper PP with the pressing roller 26 as a fulcrum. Becomes Therefore, the printing paper PP on the portion on the platen 32
Can be pressed and fixed in an appropriate position.

Further, the printing paper PP is discharged from the discharge rollers 25.
As a result, the leading end of the printing paper PP is bent downward by the weight of the printing paper PP itself. In this case, since the weight of the printing paper PP is downward, the bending portion on the tip side of the paper supporting portion 81a of the paper ejection guide 80 is used as a fulcrum, and the portion of the printing paper PP between the bending portion and the pressing roller 26 is used. It works as an upward force. On the other hand, for the printing paper PP upstream of the feed roller 26 in the paper transport direction, the platen 32 is supported by the pressing roller 26 as a fulcrum due to the rigidity of the printing paper PP itself.
This is a downward force that presses the upper portion of the printing paper PP against the platen 32. This is because the press roller 26 presses down the force of the printing paper PP that tends to be convex upward in the drawing due to the bending stress generated by the drooping at the leading end of the printing paper PP. This is because the inflection point is near the portion sandwiched between the roller 25 and the pressing roller 26, and the upstream side is bent upward and the downstream side is bent downward. Therefore, even in this state, the printing paper PP on the platen 32 is transferred to the print heads 15 and 1.
No. 6 nozzles 15a and 16a can be fixed by pressing them to an appropriate position without contacting the surface on which the nozzles 15a and 16a are formed and maintaining a predetermined distance from the surface.

As described above, this paper ejection guide 80
According to the above, even when the leading end of the printing paper PP flexes and hangs down, the force is converted into a force that presses against the platen 32 without causing the printing paper PP on the platen 32 to float. Therefore, high-quality recording can be performed while maintaining an appropriate distance from the print heads 15 and 16 without using a plurality of transport rollers and a discharge tray.

Next, a state when the printing of the printing paper PP is completed will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG.
When the printing is completed and the printing paper PP is completely discharged by the paper discharging roller 25, and the paper discharge guide 80 is at the paper supporting position U, the rear end of the printing paper PP is moved to the paper discharging guide 8
There is a case where it is in a state of being placed on 0. In addition, it may be caught between the discharge port 4 and the periphery. In such a case, the driving force of the paper discharge roller 25 cannot be received, and the position of the printing paper PP cannot be changed any more. In this state, when printing is performed on the next printing paper PP2, the printing paper that has been printed is neatly sunk under the first printing paper PP, or the printing paper PP is pushed from behind and moved. There was a case where the light was not piled up and was scattered cluttered.

In such a case, by setting the paper ejection guide 80 to the storage position D, printed sheets can be stacked neatly and smoothly. In order to displace the paper support position U from the paper support position U to the storage position D, the paper support portion 81a is strongly pushed downward, so that the position of the shaft support portion 82 is shifted and the stopper 8 is moved.
4 is disengaged and the tip is dropped downward to be accommodated and displaced to the storage position. When the paper ejection guide 80 is set to the storage position D in this way, the paper support portion 81a is approximately 30 ° upward from the horizontal at the leading end side, but is shifted to the storage position to have an angle of approximately 30 ° downward. . As a result, the rear end of the printed printing paper PP is not pinched by the discharge port 4 or caught by the discharge guide 80,
Since the rear end of the printing paper PP easily falls down, the lower ends of the printing papers PP2, PP3,... After printing fall down one after another and are sequentially superimposed and accumulated. Therefore, the printing paper PP is not scattered.

As described above, the portable printer 1 of the present embodiment can obtain a high-quality printing result by displacing the position of the paper ejection guide 80 to the storage position and the paper support position. In addition, it is possible to provide a portable printer that can smoothly process printing paper when performing continuous printing of the printing paper PP and that does not protrude a projection that hinders carrying when carrying.

In the portable printer 1 of this embodiment, the position of the paper ejection guide is manually changed. However, the position can be automatically switched using a solenoid. Hereinafter, a modified example in which the position of the paper ejection guide 80 can be automatically changed will be described.

In the discharge guide 80 of this modified example, a return spring 86 which is always urged to fix the position is provided.
And a solenoid 85 for displacing the position when desired. Further, the paper ejection sensor 52 for detecting the position of the printing paper PP will be described.

First, FIG. 12 is a view showing the paper ejection guide 80, the paper ejection roller 25 and the pressing roller 26, the return spring 86, and the solenoid 85 at the storage position. First, the stopper 84 provided in the paper ejection guide 80 of the embodiment has been eliminated. This is because, in this modified example, since the sheet is held at the sheet supporting position by the solenoid 85, there is no need to hook and support the main body frame 6 with the stopper 84.

First, the solenoid 85 has a coil wound and housed in a curved cylindrical shape. The solenoid 85 is used as an electromagnet by an electric current from a solenoid drive circuit controlled by a control circuit (not shown). Suction by magnetic force. The mover 87 is attached to an arm extending from the paper discharge guide 80, and is attracted to an internal hole provided in the solenoid by the magnetic force of the solenoid 85.

Of course, the solenoid 85 is not limited to the one in which a part of the paper ejection guide is directly sucked and the position thereof is rotationally displaced as in the present embodiment, but a normal cylindrical one is used. Of course, it is also possible to make a rotational motion by a link or the like.

The return spring 86 is connected to the paper support 8.
One end is fixed to the back surface of 1a, and the other end is fixed to a part of the body frame 6 (not shown). Then, the paper ejection guide 80 is always urged to be at the storage position. Therefore, normally, the paper ejection guide 80 is located at the storage position.

FIG. 13 shows a state in which a voltage is applied to the solenoid 85 from the state of FIG. In this state, the solenoid 85 sucks the movable member 87, and the paper discharge guide 80 rotates about the shaft support 82 and is displaced to the paper support position. The return spring 86 is extended by the magnetic force of the solenoid. That is, it is appropriate that the elastic coefficient of the return spring does not hinder the operation of the solenoid.

Here, the paper discharge sensor 52 as one of the sensors for automatically controlling the paper discharge guide 80 will be described in detail. Since the paper ejection sensor 52 is also used for controlling the leading edge of the printing paper PP, the paper ejection guide 80
It is not for exclusive use of control. Needless to say, such a sensor may be a dedicated sensor, or may be another method, for example, a method in which the position of the printing paper PP is detected by a photo sensor. FIG. 4 is a view of the type printer 1 as viewed from the front. Two projections of the paper ejection sensor 52 can be seen at the shaft 25 b of the paper ejection roller 25.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged schematic view of the sheet discharge sensor 52. The paper ejection sensor 52 is swingably supported by a support portion 523 on a part of the main body frame 6.
When the printing paper PP comes into contact with the contact portion 522, the support portion 523 is formed.
, And the extension 524 displaces the position of the light-shielding portion 525 at the distal end thereof. for that reason,
When the printing paper PP enters, the light shielding unit 525 separates from the paper ejection photosensor 55 and the sensor unit 551 detects this, and transmits this signal to the control unit (not shown) via the wirings 552 and 522. By this signal, the control unit causes the printing paper PP
Can be detected.

The control method and operation of the modified example configured as described above will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. At a stage before power-on (step 1 (steps are abbreviated as S in the following description and figures): NO),
Since no voltage is applied to the solenoid, the paper ejection guide is maintained at the storage position by the return spring 86. Here, when the power is turned on (Step 1: YE
S), it is determined whether the discharge tray T1 is mounted. This is because, when the discharge tray T1 is mounted, the discharged print paper does not hang at the leading end of the PP, so that it is not necessary to displace the discharge guide 80 to the paper support position.

Next, if the discharge tray T1 is not mounted and printing is not performed (S5: NO),
Naturally, the discharge guide 80 is not turned on. On the other hand, when the paper discharge tray T1 is not mounted and printing is started, a voltage is applied to the solenoid 85 from the solenoid drive circuit, the solenoid 85 is operated, and the movable member 87 is sucked to discharge the paper discharge guide 80. Is displaced to the paper support position (S7).
During printing, that is, as long as no paper ejection is detected (S
9: NO) This state is maintained. Thereafter, if the paper discharge is detected (S9: YES), the paper discharge guide 80 is lowered to the storage position in order to help the printing paper PP drop (S11).
Since the printing is completed by the above-described paper discharge sensor 52, the printing paper PP is dropped within a few seconds after the paper discharge is detected. Therefore, the printing paper PP waits for the time required for the drop (S13: NO). ), When a predetermined time, for example, 3 seconds has elapsed (S13: YES), if there is a next print (S5: YE)
S), the paper ejection guide 80 is raised to the paper support position, and the steps from S7 to S13 and S5 are repeated. If there is no more printing paper to be printed (S5: NO), the paper ejection guide 80 remains in the storage position and enters a standby state (S15: N).
O, S3: NO, S5: NO). Then, when the power is turned off, the processing ends with the paper ejection guide 80 kept in the storage position.

In order to control the position of the paper discharge guide 80, the combination of the solenoid 85 and the return spring 86 may be such that the position is controlled by two solenoids or a cam drive. A semi-automatic type using only a return spring is also conceivable.

Next, referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the method of using the portable printer 1 when performing manual printing without mounting the automatic paper feeder (ACF) F1, The control method and its operation will be specifically described. First, as a preparation, open the opening / closing lid 7 (see FIG. 1),
The cartridges 8 and 9 filled with ink are mounted on the cartridge frame 5. When the power is turned on after the ink cartridges 8 and 9 are installed, before the printing is started, the nozzle port 1 is turned on.
In order to perform good printing, a purge operation is performed prior to printing in order to suck and discharge the dried or bubble-containing ink or the ink to which dust or the like has adhered. At the initial position of the carriage 27 when the power is turned on, since the nozzles 15a and 16a of the print heads 15 and 16 are sealed by the caps 62 and 63, as shown in FIG.
Due to 1, the driving force is transmitted to the pump driving gear 61 via the LF motor gear 37, and the purging operation is performed.

Thereafter, the operation of the carriage 27 is confirmed, and the carriage 27 is stopped at the initial position at the start of printing. Thus, the preparation of the portable printer 1 itself is completed, and the portable printer 1 enters a standby state.

When the portable printer 1 is ready for printing, the print data is transferred from the personal computer (PC) to the PC. In this case, if the printing paper PP has not been prepared, the display on the PC side and an LED (not shown) for warning of running out of paper of the printer prompt the insertion of the printing paper PP. In this case, the user prints the printing paper PP from the insertion opening 22 of the printing paper PP on the rear side (the right side in FIG. 2) of the portable printer 1 in the X direction with the left end portion displayed outside the insertion opening 22. The printing paper PP is inserted by hand from the upper side (printing start side) of the printing paper PP with the printing surface facing up in accordance with the mark (not shown) indicating the position.

The printing paper PP is transported by being sandwiched between the transport roller 23 and the pressing roller 24, and the carriage 27 on which the print heads 15 and 16 are mounted scans at a predetermined position to discharge ink to a predetermined position of the printing paper PP. To form an image.
The conveyance of the printing paper PP and the scanning of the carriage 27 are repeated in this manner.
The printing paper PP is discharged out of the apparatus by the press roller 3 and the pressing roller 24, and the paper discharging roller 25 and the pressing roller 26. At this time, when the paper discharge sensor 52 provided near the paper discharge roller 25 detects the passage of the rear end of the print paper PP, the paper discharge guide 80 moves down to the storage position, and the rear end of the print paper PP is moved to the storage position. Make sure it falls. Approximately three seconds after the dropping is completed, the paper ejection guide 80 is returned to the paper supporting position for the next printing.
Rises and performs the next printing. When printing is completed in this way, the paper ejection guide 80 is stored in the storage position as it is, and the print heads 15 and 16 move to positions above the caps 62 and 63 after flushing, and the cap 62 that has risen up. , 63, the nozzle surface 15a of the print head,
16a is closed to prevent drying. Then, the power is turned off. This completes the printing operation.

Hereinafter, the automatic paper feeder F1 is the portable printer 1
The operation in the case where the camera is mounted on the camera will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 5 is a side view sectional view showing the flow of the printing paper PP of the automatic paper feeder F1, and FIG.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a drive system of the automatic sheet feeding device F1. First, the cover F3 is opened by opening the opening / closing lid F3, and the right side end of the predetermined number of printing papers PP in front view is pressed with the pressure plate F2.
1 and is inserted into the sheet mounting portion F5. At this time, the leading end of the printing paper PP is set in contact with the upper end of the separation pad F32.

When predetermined image information is input to the portable printer 1 and printing is started, the LF motor 31 is rotated by a command from the control unit 34 of the portable printer 1.
The LF motor 31 first rotates in the direction opposite to the sheet conveyance direction. The rotation of the LF motor 31 causes the transport roller gear 40 to rotate in the reverse direction via the LF motor gear 37, and the power transmission gear 41 is clockwise clockwise in FIG. Then outside gear D 4
4a and the inner 44b are rotated left, and the pendulum gear E45
Rotates to the position 45a and meshes with the gear F46. The pendulum gear G47 is rotationally moved to the position 47b and comes to a position where the engagement with the sheet feeding gear 48 is released. Therefore, the driving force is transmitted from the pendulum gear E45a to the sheet feeding gear 48 via the gear F46 so as to always rotate clockwise in the drawing of FIG. 4, that is, rotate the sheet feeding roller F31 in the sheet conveying direction. .

The paper feed roller F31 has a modified D shape having a contact surface F311 that can contact the print paper PP and non-contact surfaces F312 and F313 that are flat surfaces that do not come into contact with the print paper PP. Roller F31 is a paper feed cam
(Not shown) and the pressure plate driven portion (not shown) are fitted to each other, and the pressure plate F21 is pressed by the pressure plate driven portion to be located below, and the non-contact surface F313 and the pressure plate F21 face each other. It is in. Printing paper PP is laminated on the pressure plate F21. Further, the separation pad F32 is connected to the sheet feeding roller F31.
And the separation pad F32 is in contact with the collar F33. With the rotation of the paper feed roller F31, the paper feed roller F31 has a rotation phase in which it can come into contact with the printing paper PP. That is, the contact surface F312 of the paper feed roller F31 contacts the printing paper PP, and the color F33 does not contact the paper surface. A large number of uppermost printing papers PP in contact with the contact surface are conveyed by the contact surface F312 of the paper feed roller F31, but the conveyance of the second and subsequent sheets is prevented by friction of the separation pad F32. Then, it remains on the sheet placement unit F5 as it is. One transported printing paper P
P is carried into the portable printer 1 from the paper discharge port F9 of the automatic paper feeder 1 via the paper insertion port 22 of the portable printer 1. When the leading edge of the transported printing paper PP reaches the transport roller 23 of the portable printer 1, the transport roller 23 is rotated in a direction opposite to the transport direction, and the leading edge of the printing paper PP is transported between the transport roller 23 and the pressing roller 24. However, the printing paper PP is bent and the leading end of the printing paper PP is uniformly pressed against the concave portion between the conveying roller 23 and the pressing roller, so that the skew of the printing paper PP is corrected.
In this case, the printing paper PP is being conveyed by the contact surface 312 of the paper feed roller F31.

When the skew correction is completed, the LF motor 31 is reversed by the paper feed sensor 51 to change the rotation direction from the reverse direction to the forward direction. When rotating in the forward direction, the pendulum gear G4
7, the driving force is transmitted to the feed gear 48, and the pendulum gear G
The sheet feeding gear 48 meshed with the sheet feeding roller F3 rotates the printing sheet PP in the transport direction in the same manner as in the case of the reverse rotation.
1 continuously transports the printing paper PP. In this case, the conveyance is started by the conveyance roller 23, but the printing paper PP is bent during the skew correction. Printing paper PP
Is transported between the transport roller 23 and the pressing roller 24 of the portable printer 1 rotating in the forward direction and transported, but this bending is maintained. When the sheet feeding gear 48 rotates and the meshing portion comes to the intermittent portion 481, the meshing of the pendulum gear G47 with the sheet feeding gear 48 is released, and even if the pendulum gear G47 rotates, the sheet feeding gear 48 rotates. Do not stop. When the rotation of the paper feed gear 48 stops, the non-contact surfaces F313 and F314 of the paper feed roller F31 face the pressure plate F21 and the separation pad F32, respectively, and the paper feed roller F31 separates from contact with the printing paper PP. Release this. The printing paper PP is continuously transported by the transport roller 23 and the pressing roller 24 of the portable printer 1 which has already been transported.

The control of the paper ejection guide 80 is performed in the same manner as when the automatic paper feeder F1 is not mounted on the portable printer 1 according to the present embodiment when the automatic paper feeder F1 is mounted. Things.

As described above, the portable printer 1 according to the present embodiment and the portable printer 1 using the solenoid 85 according to this modification have the above-described configuration, and thus, although being a small-sized recording apparatus, the recording is performed. A recording apparatus capable of forming a high-quality image by preventing the paper from being curved, setting a proper interval between the print head and the recording paper, and the like.

Particularly, in the present embodiment, the transport rollers 23
Can be used as a registration roller, small ink jet heads 15 and 16 can be used as recording means, and the automatic paper feeder F1 and the paper discharge tray T1 can be detachably attached. A portable printer.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to one embodiment, it goes without saying that the present invention can be implemented with various modifications without departing from the scope of the claims.

As is apparent from the above description, claim 1
According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, the print head for forming an image in non-contact with the recording paper and the print head are disposed so as to face the print paper at predetermined intervals. A sheet carrying means for carrying, a paper discharge roller for conveying and discharging the recording paper on which an image is formed by the print head, and a paper discharge means provided opposite to the discharge roller, on a plane substantially the same as the paper carrying surface of the paper carrying means. A paper pressing roller for urging the recording paper discharged by the paper discharging roller to press the paper discharging roller, and a paper carrying surface of the paper carrying means disposed downstream of the paper discharging roller in the recording paper conveyance direction. Paper support means having a support member movably provided between a paper support position for supporting the recording paper at a position substantially on the same plane as the recording paper and a storage position for not supporting the recording paper. Therefore, the recording sheet supporting member is provided at a sheet supporting position which is a position for effectively supporting the recording sheet so that the recording sheet does not bend, and prevents the recording sheet from floating during recording even though it is a small recording apparatus. There is an effect that the distance between the print head and the recording paper can be made appropriate. Therefore, there is an effect that a high-quality image can be formed.

In addition, there is an effect that the support member can be moved to the storage position except during use. Therefore, there is an effect that the portable device can be easily carried without generating unnecessary protrusions which become obstacles when carrying the device.

In the recording apparatus according to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the recording apparatus according to the first aspect, after the recording sheet is discharged, the support member of the sheet supporting means may move the rear end of the discharged recording sheet. Since the storage position is displaceably provided at the storage position which does not hinder the falling of the recording paper, the support member for the recording paper is displaced at the storage position so that the recording paper can be moved after the discharged recording paper. There is an effect that the end can be dropped. Therefore, even when printing is performed continuously, there is an effect that the previously recorded recording sheet can be continuously recorded on the recording sheet without obstructing discharge of the next recorded recording sheet. .

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the second aspect of the present invention, when the supporting member of the paper supporting means is moved to the storage position, the housing of the main body of the recording apparatus is provided. Since the recording paper supporting member is configured not to protrude from the housing portion, it is possible to prevent the recording paper from protruding from the housing by moving the supporting member of the recording paper to the storage position. Therefore, there is an effect that the device itself can be prevented from being damaged when being carried, and can be carried safely and easily without damaging external devices.

According to the recording apparatus of the fourth aspect, in addition to the effects of the recording apparatus of any one of the first to third aspects,
The paper support means is provided with control means for controlling the position of the support member such that the support member is disposed at the storage position when not recording and is displaced to the paper support position during recording. By this control means, there is an effect that the recording sheet can be moved to the storage position at the time of non-recording when it is not necessary to support the recording sheet and to the sheet supporting position at the time of recording. Therefore, there is an effect that the user does not need to switch each time, and the support member can be moved to an appropriate position.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the recording apparatus according to the first to fourth aspects, the recording apparatus further comprises a sheet ejection sensor for detecting sheet ejection. Since the sheet discharge sensor is provided, there is an effect that the presence or absence of a sheet in the apparatus can be determined. Therefore, there is an effect that control can be performed depending on the presence or absence of paper.

In the recording apparatus according to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the recording apparatus according to the fifth aspect, the paper supporting means is
When the paper discharge sensor detects the discharge of the recording paper during recording, control means is provided for controlling the support member to be displaced to the storage position for a predetermined time, so that the paper discharge sensor discharges the paper. There is an effect that the paper can be detected and the support member can be moved to the storage position by this. Therefore, there is an effect that a plurality of sheets can be smoothly conveyed without disturbing the recording sheets when the sheets are discharged.

According to the recording apparatus of claim 7, in addition to the effects of the recording apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 6,
Since the paper support member is supported by the roller shaft of the paper discharge roller as a support shaft, the support member is supported by the roller shaft of the paper discharge roller to achieve a compact configuration. There is an effect that can be. Therefore, there is an effect that the size of the recording device is reduced and the recording device is easily carried.

According to the recording apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the sheet supporting means may be arranged such that the supporting member is located at the sheet supporting position or the storage position. The present invention is characterized in that it has an urging means for urging it so as to be fixed to the paper, so that the urging means has an effect that the position can always be moved to the paper support position or the storage position. Therefore, for example, there is an effect that the position can be controlled by manual or automatic fixing means.

According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effect of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, the position of the support member is displaced by using a solenoid. Therefore, there is an effect that the position of the support member can be moved by the solenoid.
Therefore, there is no effect that the user manually moves the support member directly, and there is an effect that the support member can be reliably moved. Further, in particular, if the automatic control is performed, it is possible to move an appropriate position, thereby improving the user's convenience.

According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the effects of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, the paper supporting means is provided when the supporting member is provided with a paper discharge tray. Is characterized in that the supporting member is fixed to the storage position. Therefore, there is an effect that the support member is fixed to the storage position by mounting the paper discharge tray. Therefore, when the ejection tray is attached to prevent the recording paper from being bent, the unnecessary recording paper is not supported, and the recording paper is fixed at a storage position suitable for continuous printing, which is wasteful. This has the effect of making it possible to achieve a recording device without any significant movement.

In the recording apparatus according to the eleventh aspect, in addition to the effects of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects, the printing head is an ink jet head. Even in a recording apparatus using an ink-jet head which easily causes stain on the recording paper due to contact with the head, there is an effect that the stain on the paper can be effectively prevented.

A recording apparatus according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in addition to the effects of the recording apparatus according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, an automatic paper feeder is configured to be detachable. Therefore, there is an effect that the automatic sheet feeding device can be made detachable. Therefore, even when the automatic sheet feeding device is not mounted, the recording sheet can be reliably supported by the support member and recording can be performed.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance in which an automatic paper feeder (ACF) F1 is mounted on a portable printer 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway perspective view schematically showing the internal structure of the portable printer 1. FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view schematically showing the portable printer 1 as viewed from the right side along the line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the portable printer 1 shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a line viewed from the front (the front side in FIG. 2).

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the portable printer 1 in which an automatic paper feeder F1 and a discharge tray T1 are mounted, as viewed from the side.

FIG. 6 shows a paper ejection guide 80 and a paper ejection roller 2 having a storage position.
FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a sheet discharge sensor 51, an LF motor 31, and an LF motor gear 37.

FIG. 7 is a diagram in which the paper ejection guide 80 of FIG. 6 is displaced to a paper supporting position.

FIG. 8 illustrates the lower portion of the portable printer 1 in a state where printing is performed when the paper ejection guide 80 is at the storage position, as indicated by VII in FIG.
FIG. 6 is a side view lower sectional view taken along line I-VIII.

FIG. 9 is a view illustrating a state in which the lower portion of the portable printer 1 is in a state of printing when the paper ejection guide 80 is at a paper supporting position in FIG.
FIG. 11 is a side cross-sectional view taken along line III-VIII.

FIG. 10 illustrates the lower portion of the portable printer 1 in a state where printing is completed when the paper ejection guide 80 is at the storage position.
FIG. 6 is a side sectional view taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a drive system of the automatic sheet feeder F1.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a discharge guide 80, a solenoid 85, a return spring 86, and the like at a storage position according to a modification of the present embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a discharge guide 80, a solenoid 85, a return spring 86, and the like at a paper support position according to a modified example of the present embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating details of a paper ejection sensor 52;

FIG. 15 is a flowchart illustrating control of a discharge guide 80 according to a modified example of the present embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Portable printer (recording apparatus) 15, 16 Print head 23 Conveyance roller (registration roller) 24 Pressing roller (conveying means) 25 Discharge roller 26 Pressing roller 27 Carriage 32 Platen (paper carrying surface) 34 Control unit (Control means) 51 feed sensor 80 discharge guide (support member) 85 solenoid (86 return spring (biasing means) F1 automatic paper feeder T1 discharge tray PP printing paper (recording paper)

Claims (12)

[Claims] A print head that forms an image in a non-contact manner with respect to a recording sheet; and a print head that is arranged to face the print head and carries the recording sheet so as to face the print head at a predetermined interval. A sheet carrying means, a sheet discharging roller for conveying and discharging a recording sheet on which an image is formed by the print head, and provided on a plane substantially the same as a sheet supporting surface of the sheet supporting means, provided opposite to the discharging roller. A paper pressing roller for urging the recording paper discharged by the paper discharge roller to press the paper discharge roller, and disposed downstream of the paper discharge roller in the recording paper transport direction;
A sheet support having a support member movably provided between a sheet support position for supporting the recording sheet at a position substantially on the same plane as the sheet holding surface of the sheet holding means and a storage position for not supporting the recording sheet; And a recording device. 2. The sheet supporting device according to claim 1, wherein, after the recording sheet is discharged, the supporting member is displaceable to a storage position where the trailing end of the discharged recording sheet does not prevent the trailing end of the recording sheet from falling. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording apparatus is provided. 3. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the support member of the paper support unit does not protrude from the housing of the recording apparatus main body when moved to the storage position. Recording device. 4. The paper support means, wherein the support member comprises:
4. The control device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls the position of the support member so that the support member is displaced to the paper support position during recording when the recording is not performed. The recording device according to any one of the above. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge sensor for detecting discharge of a sheet. 6. The paper support means includes a control means for controlling the displacement of the support member to the storage position for a predetermined time when the paper discharge sensor detects the discharge of the recording paper during recording. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet supporting member is supported by a roller shaft of the discharge roller as a supporting shaft. . 8. The sheet supporting means according to claim 1, wherein said sheet supporting means includes an urging means for urging said supporting member to be fixed at said sheet supporting position or said storage position. 8. The recording device according to any one of 7. 9. The sheet supporting means according to claim 1, wherein said sheet supporting means is configured to displace the position of said supporting member using a solenoid.
The recording device according to any one of the above. 10. The paper-sheet supporting means according to claim 1, wherein said support member is fixed to said storage position when a paper output tray is mounted. Recording device. 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the print head is an inkjet head. 12. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an automatic paper feeder is configured to be detachable.