JP2000143021A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To facilitate replacement of a separating pad and separation of the separating pad in the case of dumping a device by removably fitting the separating pad disposed in an opposed position to a feed roller of a feed tray, to the feed tray. SOLUTION: A plurality of separating pads 5 are fitted to a feed tray 3, and each separating pad 5 is composed of a base 9 and a separating face 8. The base 9 has an extension part 9a at one side face, and a slit-like recess 9b at the opposite-side side face. The feed tray 3 has a fitting hole 3a shaped in conformity to the separating pad 5, and the separating pad 5 is pressed into the fitting hole 3a to be fitted to the feed tray 3. An inclined face 3b is formed at the feed tray 3, in a position corresponding to the recess 9b, and formed to expose the recess 9b. A plate member such as a screwdriver is inserted in the recess 9b and wrenched to easily separate the separating pad 5 from the feed tray 3. The separating pad 5 can therefore be easily classified in the case of dumping a device, and in the case of the separating face 8 being worn, only the separating pad 5 can be removed and replaced.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus having an automatic feeding mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An image recording apparatus according to the present invention, particularly an image recording apparatus having an automatic feeding mechanism, is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H06-199448 or the like. A feed roller and a separation pad are used to separate and feed each sheet. The feed roller and the separation pad are arranged at positions facing each other across the stacked sheets, and the feed roller and the separation pad are made of a material having high frictional resistance.

Accordingly, when the feeding roller is urged and rotated with respect to the stacked sheets, the frictional resistance between the sheet and the feeding roller exceeds the frictional resistance between the sheets. Only one sheet can be fed.

[0004] The separation pad is formed of cork or artificial leather or the like, and the feeding tray to which it is attached is often made of resin and made of a different material. The separation pad is fixedly attached to the feed tray with a bond, a double-sided tape, or the like, so that detachment during use of the apparatus impairs the function of the apparatus.

[0005]

On the other hand, in recent years, ecological issues and recycling issues have been considered socially, and effective utilization and reusability of resources are required. For this reason, even in an apparatus such as an image recording apparatus, it is desirable to be able to separate or replace only a defective portion or each member made of a different material.

Here, the separation pad is an important member in the automatic feeding mechanism, but is a member occupying only a part of the feeding tray. Therefore, when the apparatus is discarded, it is preferable to separate the apparatus from the feed tray. However, since the apparatus is fixedly mounted, it cannot be easily separated, and has a problem in recycling.

Further, the frictional resistance of the separation pad is reduced due to abrasion and the like, and the function of the separation pad is reduced by use. However, since it is fixedly attached as described above, when replacing the separation pad, it is necessary to replace the entire feeding tray or all the automatic feeding mechanisms, which causes ecological problems. I was

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus in which the separation pad is easily and easily separated, so that the separation pad can be easily replaced and the separation pad can be easily separated when the apparatus is discarded. And

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an image recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises a sheet feeding tray on which sheets are stacked, and a sheet feeding roller disposed on the apparatus main body side of the sheet feeding tray. And a separation pad disposed at a position of the feed tray facing the feed roller, wherein the separation pad is detachably attached to the feed tray.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS First Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing the overall configuration of the image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a feeding unit, FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a feeding tray, FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a separation pad, and FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating attachment of a separation pad to the feeding tray. 6 is a view for explaining separation of a separation pad, and FIG. 7 is a view for explaining another configuration.

The image recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 can be roughly classified into an external appearance. An apparatus main body 2 having recording means (not shown), a feeding tray 3 for supplying a sheet as a recording medium to the apparatus main body 2, And a discharge tray 4 for stacking the sheets. The image recording apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment employs an ink jet recording apparatus, and records a color image by discharging ink onto a sheet supplied from a feeding tray 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, a separation pad 5 described later is attached to the feed tray 3 and is in contact with the stacked sheets S. The apparatus main body 2 of the feeding tray 3
A feed roller 7 is provided on the side, that is, at the lower end, and the feed roller 7 and the separation pad 5 are arranged at positions facing each other. Here, the feeding tray 3 is urged by the feeding roller 7 by the urging means 6, and the stacked sheets S are held between the separation pad 5 and the feeding roller 7.

When the feeding roller 7 is rotated in the direction of arrow A when feeding the sheet, a conveying force is applied to the stacked uppermost sheet S. Here, since the frictional resistance between the sheet S and the feeding roller 7 exceeds the frictional resistance between the sheets, only the uppermost sheet S in contact with the feeding roller 7 can be fed.

As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of separation pads 5 are attached to the feeding tray 3 and have a separation surface 8 whose surface is formed of a material having a large frictional resistance. Thus, the movement of the stacked sheets is restricted, and the remaining sheet bundle that is not fed remains on the feed tray 3.

As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), the separation pad 5 is formed as a unit by integrally attaching a base 9 made of resin or the like and a separation surface 8. As shown in FIG. 4 (a), the base 9 has an extension 9a extending on one side and a bottom surface, and a slit-like depression 9b on the side opposite to the extension 9a.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the feeding tray 3 has a fitting hole 3a shaped along the separation pad 5, and as shown in FIG. By press-fitting, the separation pad 5 can be fitted to the feeding tray 3. At this time, the depth, that is, the position of the separation pad 5 is defined by the extension 9a, and the separation surface 8 is arranged so as to protrude from the upper surface of the feeding tray 3.

The position corresponding to the depression 9b of the feeding tray 3 is retreated to form an inclined surface 3b. When viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG. 3 or FIG. 5, the depression 9b as shown in FIG. Is configured to be exposed. Therefore, depression 9b
The separation pad 5 can be easily separated from the feeding tray 3 by inserting a plate-like material such as a screwdriver 10 into the feeding tray 3 and prying it.

Although the fitting hole 3a is shown as penetrating the feed tray 3 in the above embodiment, the fitting hole 3a may have a configuration in which the bottom surface of the feed tray 3 is sealed as shown in FIG.

Since the separation pad 5 is configured to be easily detachable, it is possible to easily separate the apparatus when discarding it, and to configure the apparatus in consideration of the environment. Further, even when the separation surface 8 of the separation pad 5 is worn due to use and the friction coefficient is reduced, only the separation pad 5 can be removed and replaced, so that the feeding tray 3 can be used for a long time. Therefore, there is an effect that the feed tray 3 as a resource can be effectively used.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a separation pad according to the present embodiment,
FIG. 9 is a view for explaining the attachment of the separation pad to the feeding tray. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the first embodiment, and the description is omitted.

The base 12 of the separation pad 11 according to this embodiment
As shown in FIG. 8 (a), one side surface is formed on an inclined surface 12a extending the bottom surface, and a slit-shaped recess 12b is provided on the side surface opposite to the inclined surface 12a.

As shown in FIG. 9, the feeding tray 3 is provided with a fitting hole 3c having a shape along the separating pad 11.
As shown in FIG. 9A, the separation pad 11 can be fitted into the feeding tray 3 by press-fitting the separation pad 11 into the fitting hole 3c. At this time, since the bottom surface of the fitting hole 3c is sealed, the depth, that is, the position of the separation pad 11 is defined by the inclined surface 12a, so that the separation surface 8 protrudes from the upper surface of the feeding tray 3. Placed in

[Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 10 illustrates a separation pad according to the present embodiment,
FIG. 11 is a view for explaining the attachment of the separation pad to the feed tray, and FIG. 12 is a view for explaining the separation of the separation pad. And the description is omitted.

The base 14 of the separation pad 13 according to this embodiment
Is a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and as shown in FIG. 10 (a), locking projections 14a are provided on two opposing side surfaces. This locking projection 14
On the back side of a, a cavity 14b is provided as shown in FIG.
The thickness in the vicinity of the locking projection 14a is reduced so as to have elasticity. A slit-like depression 14c is formed near one of the locking projections 14a.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 11, the feeding tray 3 is provided with a fitting hole 3d shaped along the separation pad 13. At a position corresponding to the depression 14c of the separation pad 13, an inclined surface 3e formed by retreating the surface of the feed tray 3 is formed.

An engaging recess 3f is provided at a position corresponding to the locking projection 14a on the inner wall of the fitting hole 3d. Therefore, when the separation pad 13 is press-fitted into the fitting hole 3d, the elasticity of the cavity 14b allows the locking projection 14a to be bent inward and inserted, and the locking projection 14a and the engaging recess 3f engage with each other,
It is possible to prevent the separation pad 13 from being inadvertently separated from the feeding tray 3. The bottom surface of the fitting hole 3d is sealed, and is configured to support the pressure applied to the separation surface 8 during feeding.

When separating the separation pad 13 from the feeding tray 3, a plate-like material such as a screwdriver 10 is inserted into the recess 14c as shown in FIG. .

In this embodiment, the depression 14c for removing the separation pad 13 is provided on the same surface as the locking projection 14a, and is configured so that a force is directly transmitted to the locking projection 14a. However, the recess 14c is provided on a different surface from the locking projection 14a, that is, the locking projection 14 is provided on both sides of the recess 14c.
a so that there is a recess 14c in the center of the separation pad 13.
May be provided so that the separating force acts evenly on the left and right locking projections 14a.

[Fourth Embodiment] Next, a fourth embodiment of the image recording apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a separation pad according to the embodiment,
FIG. 14 is a view for explaining the attachment of the separation pad to the feed tray. The same reference numerals are given to the same parts as those in the third embodiment, and the description will be omitted.

As shown in FIGS. 13 (a) and 13 (b), the base 14 of the separation pad 15 according to the present embodiment is provided with a locking projection 14a and a cavity 14b, but is provided with a dent 14c for separation. Not.

Although the feeding tray 3 is not provided with 3e corresponding to the depression 14c, a hole 3g is provided on the bottom surface of the fitting hole 3d. Therefore, as in the third embodiment, the separation pad 15 can be engaged with the fitting hole 3d, and when the separation pad 15 is separated from the feeding tray 3, the separation pad 15 is inserted through the hole 3g.
By applying a force in the direction indicated by the arrow C, the engagement between the locking projection 14a and the engagement recess 3f can be released.

[0032]

As described above, since the separation pad is easily detachable, the device can be easily separated when the device is discarded, and the configuration can be made in consideration of the environment. Further, even when the separation pad is worn due to use and the coefficient of friction is reduced, only the separation pad can be removed and replaced, so that the feeding tray can be used for a long time. Therefore, there is an effect that the feed tray as a resource can be effectively used.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view illustrating an overall configuration of an image recording apparatus according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a side sectional view illustrating a feeding unit.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a feeding tray.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a separation pad.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating attachment of a separation pad to a feeding tray.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating separation of a separation pad.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating another configuration.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a separation pad according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating attachment of a separation pad to a feeding tray.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a separation pad according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating attachment of a separation pad to a feeding tray.

FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating separation of a separation pad.

FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a separation pad according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating attachment of a separation pad to a feeding tray.

[Explanation of symbols]

 S: Sheet 1: Image recording device 2: Device body 3: Feed tray 3a: Fitting hole 3b: Inclined surface 3c: Fitting hole 3d: Fitting hole 3e: Inclined surface 3f: Engagement concave portion 3g: Hole 4 ... Discharge tray 5 ... Separation pad 7 ... Feeding roller 8 ... Separation surface 9 ... Base 9a ... Extension 9b ... Depression 10 ... Driver 11 ... Separation pad 12 ... Base 12a ... Inclined surface 12b ... Depression 13 ... Separation pad 14 ... Base 14a ... locking projections 14b ... cavities 14c ... depressions 15 ... separation pads

Claims (5)

[Claims] A feed tray on which sheets are stacked, a feed roller disposed on the apparatus main body side of the feed tray, and a separation pad disposed at a position of the feed tray opposed to the feed roller. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the separation pad is detachably attached to the feed tray. 2. The separation pad is detachably fitted by extending a bottom surface on at least one side surface and providing a fitting hole along the separation pad in the feeding tray. The image recording device according to claim 1. 3. The separation pad is integrally formed by being inserted into the feeding tray. The separation pad has a locking projection on a side surface of the separation pad, and the locking projection of the feeding tray. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engagement concave portion is provided at a position corresponding to the image recording medium, and the engagement concave portions are detachably engaged with each other. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a depression is provided on a side surface of said separation pad, and a position of said feed tray corresponding to said depression is retracted to expose said depression. 4. The image recording device according to any one of items 3. 5. The feed tray according to claim 1, wherein a hole is formed at a position corresponding to the separation pad on the feed tray so as to penetrate a back surface of the feed tray. Image recording device.