JP2005289564A - Sheet feeder and recording device using this sheet feeder - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet feeder and a recording device capable of printing first sheet material having a first width while storing the sheet material having a second width smaller than the first width, and improving ease of operation by simplifying work for sheet material exchanges at the time of recording the sheet material with various widths. <P>SOLUTION: When a movable side guide 23 is moved corresponding to the width of the first sheet material having the first width together with a second placing portion 15, second sheet material having the second width smaller than the first width accommodated in the second placing portion 15 is displaced from a position of a feeder roller rubber 5 of a feeder roller 3 not to be fed. When the movable side guide is moved corresponding to the width of the second sheet material together with the second placing portion, the second sheet material enclosed in the second placing portion is made to face the feeder roller rubber for the feeder roller to be fed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet feeding device that separates and feeds stacked sheet materials such as sheets and films one by one, and a recording apparatus using the sheet feeding device.

  In a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copier, a printing apparatus, or a facsimile, a sheet feeding apparatus is provided that separates stacked sheet materials such as sheets and films one by one and feeds them to a recording section (printing section). Yes. Main components of the sheet feeding device include a sheet feeding roller formed of a high friction material such as rubber, a pressure plate that elastically biases the sheet material against the sheet feeding roller, and a sheet material facing the sheet feeding roller. There are separation means for separating the sheet, a width direction regulating member for regulating the movement of the sheet material in the width direction and ensuring the printing position with high accuracy.

In the sheet feeding device as described above, a sheet material of a size that is in the sheet material stacking unit is loaded, and the sheet material separation is performed by starting the sheet feeding operation in accordance with the width direction of the sheet material. We are feeding. As a specific configuration, in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-181904 (Patent Document 1), a feeding roller is rotated in a sheet material conveying direction (forward direction) via a driving source of a sheet material feeding device. A configuration is disclosed in which the operation is performed and the feeding roller is rotated once to complete the feeding operation, and then the drive source is rotated in the reverse direction to operate the return lever to return the leading end of the sheet material to a predetermined position. . Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-167502 (Patent Document 2) discloses that a sheet material stacking unit is pressed in the direction of releasing the contact of a loaded sheet material with a feed roller during the feeding operation. In conjunction with this, the return roller is operated at substantially the same time as the retard roller that is forcibly rotated in the direction opposite to the sheet material conveyance direction via the feeding roller and the torque limiter, and the return lever is operated to operate the sheet material. The structure which returns a front-end | tip to a predetermined position is disclosed.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-181904 JP-A-10-167502

  On the other hand, with the recent popularization of digital cameras, the demand for photo quality printing at home is rapidly increasing. Also, camera direct type recording apparatuses that perform printing by directly connecting an image data output device such as a digital camera and a recording apparatus without using a personal computer are becoming widespread. With such a situation, the demand for photo printing on small-sized glossy high-quality paper called L size or 2L size is increasing rapidly. Therefore, most of the conventional printing at home was text printing on A4 size plain paper, but recently, documents are recorded on A4 size plain paper, and photographs are L size or 2L size. Two types of paper have been used properly, such as printing on glossy paper of small size.

  For this reason, troubles such as the need for complicated work of replacing paper according to printing and the need to secure a storage place for paper that is not mounted on the paper feeding device have occurred. The present invention has been made in view of the technical problems as described above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a paper feeding device capable of easily recording on two types of sheet materials having different width dimensions, and the paper feeding device. It is providing the recording device which uses.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention stores a first sheet material having a first width in a sheet feeding device of a recording apparatus capable of feeding at least two types of sheet materials having different width dimensions. A stacking unit, a second stacking unit that stores a second sheet material having a second width smaller than the first width, and a fixed side disposed at a fixed position to restrict one end of the sheet material in the width direction A guide, a movable side guide movable to restrict the other end in the width direction of the sheet material, and a feed roller for feeding the sheet material, the width dimension of the second sheet material, A width direction length including a distance from the fixed side guide to an effective range of the feeding roller is selected to be smaller than a width dimension of the first sheet material, and the movable side guide is moved together with the second stacking unit. Moved according to the width of the first sheet material The second sheet material stored in the second stacking unit is not fed because the second sheet material is deviated from the position of the feeding roller, and the movable side guide is moved along with the second stacking unit to the second stacking unit. When the sheet material is moved in accordance with the width of the sheet material, the second sheet material stored in the second stacking unit faces the feeding roller so that the sheet can be fed. .

  According to the present invention, there are provided a paper feeding device that can easily perform recording on two types of sheet materials having different width dimensions, and a recording device that uses the paper feeding device.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals denote the same or corresponding parts throughout the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a paper feeding device including a paper feeding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic external perspective view showing a state in which the first sheet material of the paper feeding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be fed, and FIG. 3 is a second perspective view of the paper feeding device of FIG. It is a typical external appearance perspective view which shows the state which can feed the sheet material of. The recording apparatus is configured to record on a sheet material as a recording material by a recording head as a recording unit based on the recording information. FIG. 1 illustrates an ink jet recording apparatus that records by discharging ink from a recording head to a sheet material. 1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a pressure plate for stacking A4 size plain paper having a first width. The pressure plate 1 is formed by feeding a sheet material having a first width such as plain paper mounted on a feeding roller 3 integrally with the feeding roller 3 by cams (not shown) integrally provided at both ends of the feeding roller 3. 5 can be elastically biased and separated. The elastic urging is performed by a pressure plate spring (compression spring) (not shown) provided between the pressure plate 1 and the paper feed base 7.

  Reference numeral 9 denotes a separation pad formed of a high friction material such as rubber or cork. The separation pad 9 is attached to the pressure plate 1 with a double-sided tape or the like. In the present embodiment, the separation pad 9 is provided on a dedicated holder. The holder moves as the second stacking unit 15 moves in the sheet material width direction with respect to the first stacking unit 13. Further, the separation pad 9 is always elastically biased toward the movable side guide 23 described later by a spring (not shown). That is, the separation pad 9 is configured to be retractable in conjunction with the movement of the second stacking unit described later.

  In the vicinity of one end of the pressure plate 1 (in the vicinity of the right end in the figure), a fixed side guide 25 disposed at a fixed position is provided to restrict one end of the sheet material in the width direction. Further, the other end of the sheet material in the width direction is regulated by a movable side guide 23 provided in a second stacking unit 15 described later. The sheet feeding device according to the present embodiment is provided with a separation roller that incorporates a torque limiter (not shown). This separation roller is constituted by, for example, a torsion coil spring and a rubber roller, and functions as a kind of retard separation type separation means in cooperation with the separation pad 9 and the paper feed roller rubber 5. Therefore, the plain paper stacked on the pressure plate 1 constituting the first stacking unit 13 in the state shown in FIG. 2 is separated and fed by rotating the feeding roller 3. That is, when the feeding roller 3 starts to rotate, the pressure plate 1 is moved to the feeding roller rubber 5 by cam means (not shown) provided at both ends of the feeding roller 3, and the plain paper on the pressure plate 1 is moved. It is pressed against the feed roller rubber 5. Further, when the feeding roller 3 rotates, the uppermost sheet material on the pressure plate 1 is separated by the feeding roller rubber 5 and fed toward the printing unit.

  At the time of separation of the sheet material at this time, the leading edge of the second and subsequent sheets may be taken out to the downstream side in the conveying direction due to the frictional force between the sheet materials as the first sheet material is fed. . However, each of the second and subsequent sheet materials taken out of the leading end portion is returned to the original position by the return claw 11 disposed in the vicinity of the leading end portion every time separation of the first sheet material is completed. . Therefore, a plurality of sheet materials do not flow one after another.

  Next, the second stacking unit 15 in which a second sheet material (small size sheet material) having a second width smaller than the width of the first sheet material is stored will be described. Reference numeral 17 denotes a storage holder in which the second sheet material is stored. The storage holder 17 also has a function as a sheet material floating restriction plate that regulates the surface position of the uppermost layer of the plurality of second sheet materials stored therein. The storage holder 17 is formed with an opening (sheet material taking-out opening) 21 for exposing a portion near the tip of the second sheet material. In this embodiment, the pressure plate 1 has a hollow structure, and the storage holder 17 is mounted inside the pressure plate 1 so as to be movable (slidable) in the sheet material width direction. A movable side guide (movable sheet width direction regulating member) 23 is integrally provided in the storage holder 17.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the second stacking portion 15 together with the movable side guide 23 is completely moved in the direction of the fixed side guide 25 that forms the width direction reference of the sheet material, the separation pad 9 is attached to the feeding roller rubber 5. While retracting from the effective range, the opening 21 of the second stacking unit 15 comes to a position facing the feeding roller rubber 5. In this state, as the pressure plate 1 is driven, the second sheet material 19 (FIG. 5) comes into contact with the feeding roller rubber 5, and the second sheet material 19 can be fed. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 27 denotes a conveyance roller for conveying the sheet material, and 29 denotes a pinch roller that is disposed opposite to the conveyance roller 27 and biases the sheet material to the conveyance roller 27. The sheet material fed between 27 and the pinch roller 29 (nip portion) is conveyed (paper fed) by driving the conveying roller.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic front view for explaining the dimensional relationship in the width direction of the sheet feeding device according to the present invention. 4, A is the width dimension of the first sheet material such as A4 plain paper, B is the maximum width of the second sheet material 19 that can be stored in the second stacking unit 15, and C is the fixed side guide. This is a distance (width direction dimension) from (the sheet width direction regulating portion) to the effective range of the feed roller 3 (the end of the effective feed range, in the illustrated example, the effective range of the feed roller rubber 5). The first sheet material is stacked on the pressure plate 1 constituting the first stacking unit 13. In the sheet feeding device according to the present invention, when the first sheet material is fed, the second sheet material having a second width smaller than the width of the first sheet material is retracted (disengaged) from the feeding roller rubber 5. Therefore, the relationship “A ≧ B + C” needs to be established.

  5 and 6 are longitudinal sectional views showing a separating and feeding unit for the second sheet material 19 accommodated in the second stacking unit 15 of the first embodiment of the sheet feeding device according to the present invention. FIG. 6 shows a state when feeding is not performed, and FIG. 6 shows a state when feeding is performed. When feeding the first sheet material excluding the second sheet material, the sheet material take-out opening 21 of the second stacking unit 15 is within the effective range of the feeding roller 3 as shown in FIG. It is in a position that does not face the feeding roller rubber 5, that is, a position that deviates from the feeding roller rubber 5. Therefore, even if the feeding is further performed in a state where the first sheet material does not exist on the pressure plate 1 as the first stacking unit 13, the second sheet material 19 is not erroneously fed. That is, the sheet feeding operation for feeding a sheet material (first sheet material) other than the second sheet material 19 is performed in the same manner as in a normal sheet feeding device.

  On the other hand, when feeding the second sheet material 19 stored in the second stacking unit 15, the movable side guide 23 is moved to the fixed side guide 25 side as shown in FIG. Move to a nearby position. Since the movable side guide 23 is integrated with the second stacking unit 15, the second stacking unit 15 also moves toward the fixed side guide 25 in conjunction with the movement of the movable side guide 23. The movement of the second stacking unit 15 in the sheet material width direction is performed by sliding (sliding) the inside of the pressure plate 1 constituting the first stacking unit 13. When the second stacking section 15 is completely moved closer to the fixed side guide 25, the sheet material take-out opening 21 of the second stacking section 15 is fed to the feeding roller rubber 5 (of the feeding roller 3) as shown in FIG. Effective position).

  After the second stacking unit 15 is moved to the position shown in FIG. 3, when the rotational driving of the feeding roller 3 is started in the state shown in FIG. 5, the pressure plate 1 rises from the position shown in FIG. 5 to the position shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 6, the second sheet material 19 loaded and accommodated in the second stacking portion 15 is pressed against the feeding roller rubber 5 through the sheet material take-out opening 21 with a spring biasing force. Therefore, when the feeding roller 3 is driven to rotate, the uppermost second sheet material 19 is fed in the direction of the arrow in the figure. At this time, even if the second and subsequent sheet materials from the uppermost layer in the second stacking unit 15 are double-fed (taken out) by the frictional force between the sheet materials, in the case of the first sheet material described above Similarly, only the second sheet material of the uppermost layer is separated by the separating means 31 and fed toward the printing operation unit of the recording apparatus. As described above, the separation means 31 is configured to function as a retard separation system including a separation roller with a built-in torque limiter constituted by a coil spring or the like and a goro roller. When the leading edge of the separately fed second sheet material 19 reaches between the conveyance roller 27 (FIG. 1) and the pinch roller 29 (FIG. 1) (nip portion), as in the case of the first sheet material. The rotation of the conveying roller 27 is started, and the conveyance of the second sheet material 19 is started by the cooperation of the pinch roller 29.

  Next, the pressure plate 1 is separated from the feeding roller rubber 5 by a cam (not shown) provided on the feeding roller 3 before the rear end of the fed second sheet material 19 passes through the feeding roller rubber 5. Moved (down) in the direction. At the same time, other than the single sheet material that is separated and fed, the second and subsequent sheet materials that are double-fed by the frictional force between the sheet materials are the same as in the case of the first sheet material, The sheet is returned to the accommodation position (initial position) in the second stacking unit 15 by the return claw 11 provided in the vicinity of the leading end of the sheet material. Then, again, as shown in FIG. 5, the feeding roller rubber 5 and the sheet material 19 are separated from each other. Accordingly, the second and subsequent sheets are not erroneously fed. Note that the size (width dimension) of the sheet material 19 accommodated in the second stacking unit 15 is not necessarily limited to one type. For example, the sheet width direction regulation that can be further moved into the second stacking unit 15 is used. By providing the member, it is possible to correspond to a sheet material having an arbitrary width within a predetermined range. Moreover, although the above Example demonstrated the case where two types of sheet materials, a 1st sheet material and a 2nd sheet material, were selectively supplied, this invention is at least 2 types (with different width dimensions) ( Accordingly, the present invention can be similarly applied to a sheet feeding device that feeds three or more types of sheet materials.

  That is, in the first embodiment described above, in the sheet feeding device capable of feeding at least two types of sheet materials having different width dimensions, the first stack for storing the first sheet material having the first width. Part 13, a second stacking part 15 for storing a second sheet material having a second width smaller than the first width, and a fixed position arranged to restrict one end in the width direction of the sheet material The second sheet material 19 includes a side guide 25, a movable side guide 23 that can be moved to restrict the other end of the sheet material in the width direction, and a feeding roller 3 that feeds the sheet material. And the distance C from the fixed side guide 25 to the effective range of the feeding roller is selected to be smaller than the width dimension A of the first sheet material, and together with the second stacking unit 15 The movable side guide 23 is the width of the first sheet material. When the two sheets are moved together, the second sheet material 19 stored in the second stacking unit 15 is not fed because it is out of the position of the feeding roller (feeding roller rubber) 5, and the second stacking unit 15 At the same time, when the movable side guide 23 is moved in accordance with the width of the second sheet material, the second sheet material 19 stored in the second stacking unit 15 faces the feeding roller (feeding roller rubber) 5. It is configured to be ready for feeding.

  In the first embodiment described above, the first stacking unit 13 and the second stacking unit 15 are urged toward the feeding roller rubber 5 of the feeding roller 3 in order to efficiently implement the present invention. The configuration provided in the pressure plate 1, the configuration in which the movable side guide 23 can be interlocked with the second stacking unit 15, and the second stacking unit 15 is slidably movable in the sheet material width direction with respect to the first stacking unit 13. Configuration is adopted.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing a gap separation mechanism as a separation mechanism for the second sheet material of the sheet feeding device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In the first embodiment described above, a configuration in which the first sheet material separation mechanism of the first stacking unit 13 is shared as the separation mechanism of the second sheet material 19 is used, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this. For example, a gap separation mechanism as shown in FIG. 7 can be used as a dedicated separation mechanism. In the second embodiment of FIG. 7, a gap 33 for separating only one of the uppermost layers of the stored second sheet material 19 at both ends of the sheet material take-out opening 21 of the second stacking unit 15. Is formed. The width dimension of the gap 33 is selected to be larger than the thickness of one second sheet material 19 to be stored and smaller than the thickness of two sheets. That is, this embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a gap (gap separation mechanism) 33 that functions as a dedicated separation mechanism is provided in the second sheet material. Have the same configuration.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing a third embodiment of the paper feeder according to the present invention. When printing on a large amount of second sheet material (small size paper) at a time, it is not always necessary to store in the second stacking unit 15. For example, as shown in FIG. By providing a retractable paper width restricting member (paper width restricting plate) 35 at one end portion, the second sheet material is placed between the paper width restricting member 35 on the pressure plate 1 and the fixed side guide 25 as usual. It can also be installed and printed. Furthermore, if the second stacking unit 15 is slid in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 8 from the state shown in FIG. 8, printing can be performed even on a sheet material that is too small to be stored in the second stacking unit 15. . When recording on a first sheet material such as A4-size plain paper, the paper can be separated and fed in the same manner as described above by tilting the paper width regulating member 35 to a horizontal posture. That is, in the third embodiment, a retractable paper width regulating member capable of regulating the width direction position of a sheet material having a width smaller than the maximum width sheet material that can be stored in the storage unit in the second stacking unit 15. The structure which provides is adopted. The present embodiment is different from the above-described embodiments in the above points, but has the same configuration in other points, and corresponding portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective view showing a fourth embodiment of the paper feeder according to the present invention. In each of the above-described embodiments, the second sheet material 19 accommodated in the second stacking unit 15 is configured to be exposed to the outside air or external light from the sheet material take-out opening 21. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the cover member 39 that is rotatable about the rotation fulcrum provided in the second stacking unit 15 is provided, and the second sheet material 19 is not directly exposed to the external light and the outside air. As described above, the cover member 39 is configured so that the sheet material take-out opening 21 can be closed. In the present embodiment, a protrusion 41 that can contact the fixed side guide 25 is provided at one end of the cover member 39. Then, when the second stacking portion 15 is moved toward the fixed side guide 25, the projecting portion 41 comes into contact (interference) with the fixed side guide 25, and the cover member 39 rotates clockwise in FIG. As shown, the sheet material take-out opening 21 is opened. When the sheet material take-out opening 21 is opened, the second sheet material in the second stacking unit 15 can be fed.

  Generally, small-sized glossy paper used in inkjet printers, etc. has poor light resistance and ozone resistance and is likely to turn yellow when left untreated. However, as shown in FIG. By providing the cover member 39 that prevents it, such inconvenience can be more effectively reduced. The fourth embodiment of FIG. 9 is different from the above-described embodiments in that a cover member 39 that can be opened and closed is provided in the sheet material take-out opening 21 of the second stacking unit 15, but in other respects substantially. It has the same configuration. Accordingly, corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  According to the embodiment described above, the width direction length is obtained by adding the width dimension of the second sheet material having the second width smaller than the first width and the distance from the fixed side guide to the effective range of the feeding roller. When the width is selected to be smaller than the width dimension of the first sheet material having the first width and the movable side guide is moved along with the width of the first sheet material together with the second stacking section, the second stacking section When the second sheet material stored in is moved away from the position of the feed roller and is not fed, and the movable side guide is moved in accordance with the width of the second sheet material together with the second stacking unit, Since the second sheet material stored in the second stacking unit is configured to be able to be fed by facing the feeding roller, the second sheet material is always stored and stored to store the second sheet. Can reduce dirt and discoloration of the material, 2 can be printed on the first sheet material in a stored state, and the work associated with sheet material replacement when recording on a sheet material of a different width can be simplified. Operability can be improved. In other words, it is possible to print on A4 size or letter size paper (first sheet material) while keeping small size glossy paper (second sheet material) such as L size or 2L size. When printing on a small-sized sheet, it can be performed by removing the first sheet material such as A4 size and sliding the movable side guide, and the effects as described above can be obtained.

1 is an external perspective view showing an embodiment of a paper feeding device including a paper feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic external perspective view illustrating a state in which the first sheet material of the sheet feeding device according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be fed. FIG. 3 is a schematic external perspective view showing a state in which a second sheet material of the paper feeding device of FIG. 2 can be fed. It is a typical front view for demonstrating the dimensional relationship of the width direction of the paper feeder by this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state when not feeding of the separation feeding part of the 2nd sheet | seat material accommodated in the 2nd stacking part of 1st Embodiment of the paper feeder by this invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the state at the time of feeding of the separation feeding part of the 2nd sheet | seat material of FIG. It is a typical perspective view which shows the clearance gap separation mechanism as a 2nd sheet | seat material separation mechanism of the paper feeder which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows 3rd Embodiment of the paper feeder by this invention. It is a typical perspective view which shows 4th Embodiment of the paper feeder by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pressure plate 3 Feeding roller 5 Feeding roller rubber 7 Feeding base 9 Separation pad 11 Return claw 13 1st loading part 15 2nd loading part 17 Storage holder 19 2nd sheet material 21 Sheet material taking-out opening part 23 Movable side guide 25 Fixed side guide 27 Conveying roller 29 Pinch roller 31 Retard separation type separation means 33 Gap 35 Retractable paper width regulating member 37 Rotating fulcrum 39 Cover member 41 Protruding portion A Width dimension of first sheet material B Second Maximum width of sheet material (maximum width of sheet material that can be accommodated in the second stacking section)
C Dimension in the width direction from the fixed side guide to the end of the effective range of the feed roller

Claims (7)

In a paper feeding device capable of feeding at least two types of sheet materials having different width dimensions,
A first stacking unit that stores a first sheet material having a first width, a second stacking unit that stores a second sheet material having a second width smaller than the first width, and a width of the sheet material A fixed side guide arranged at a fixed position to restrict one end of the direction, a movable side guide movable to restrict the other end of the sheet material in the width direction, and a feeding for feeding the sheet material A roller, and
A width direction length obtained by adding the width dimension of the second sheet material and the distance from the fixed side guide to the effective range of the feeding roller is selected to be smaller than the width dimension of the first sheet material,
When the movable side guide is moved together with the second stacking unit according to the width of the first sheet material, the second sheet material stored in the second stacking unit is moved from the position of the feeding roller. It will be in a state where it is not fed by coming off,
When the movable side guide is moved in accordance with the width of the second sheet material together with the second stacking portion, the second sheet material stored in the second stacking portion faces the feeding roller. A sheet feeding device characterized by being able to feed.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first stacking unit and the second stacking unit are provided on a pressure plate that is biased toward the feeding roller.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the movable side guide can be interlocked with the second stacking unit.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the second stacking unit is slidable in the sheet material width direction with respect to the first stacking unit.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein a cover member that can be opened and closed is provided at a sheet material take-out opening of the second stacking unit.   The second stacking unit is provided with a retractable paper width regulating member capable of regulating a position in the width direction of a sheet material having a width narrower than a maximum width sheet material that can be stored in the second stacking unit. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.   A recording apparatus comprising the sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein recording is performed on a sheet material fed from the sheet feeding device by a recording unit.

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