JP2005298144A - Feeding mechanism and liquid injection device with feeding mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely remove skew without increasing back tension of an object to be recorded in feeding. <P>SOLUTION: This feeding mechanism is provided with a feeding part for feeding the grasped object to be recorded after grasping the object to be recorded; a hopper for accumulating and holding the object, and positioned on a feeding position where the object is adjacent to the feeding part at least when the feeding part grasps the object, and moved to a retreating position separating the downstream side of the object from the feeding part after the feeding part grasps the upstream side of the object and before feeding is started; a pair of edge guides vertically arranged from both ends of the width direction of the object in the hopper to the feeding part and immobile with respect to the feeding part while the hopper is moved between the feeding position and the retreating position; and an energizing part arranged on at least one of the edge guides which energizes a side surface of the object to the direction perpendicular to the direction to which the object is fed when the hopper is in the feeding position and does not energize the side surface of the object when the hopper is in the retreating position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a feeding mechanism and a recording apparatus including the feeding mechanism. In particular, the present invention relates to a feeding mechanism that feeds a deposited recording material toward a recording area, and a recording apparatus that includes the feeding mechanism.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording apparatus including a sheet feeder that supplies a recording material is known. In such a recording apparatus, an edge guide for regulating the position of the recording material in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the recording material is provided close to the side surface of the recording material. A recording apparatus is known in which the edge guide is provided with a plurality of ribs protruding toward the recording material, thereby regulating the position of the recording material with higher accuracy (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-278500

  However, in the conventional recording apparatus, a plurality of ribs that regulate the position of the recording object are fixed to the edge guide and provided vertically. Therefore, a gap allowing variation in the position of the side surface of the deposited recording medium is interposed between the rib and the recording medium. As a result, there is a problem that skew during paper feeding cannot be completely prevented. Further, when the side surface of the recording material is biased in order to prevent skew, a load in the feeding direction (so-called back tension) increases, and there is a problem that paper feeding accuracy is deteriorated.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the first embodiment of the present invention, after gripping the recording material, a feeding unit that feeds the gripped recording material, and depositing and holding the recording material, At least when the feeding unit grips the recording material, it is in a feeding position that brings the recording material close to the feeding unit, and after the feeding unit grips the upstream side of the recording material, feeding is performed. Before starting, a hopper that moves to a retreat position that separates the downstream side of the recording material from the feeding unit, and a hopper that stands upright from both ends of the recording material in the width direction of the recording material to the feeding unit. Is disposed on at least one of the pair of edge guides that are immovable with respect to the feeding unit while the hopper is at the feeding position. The side of the recording material is urged in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording material is fed, and the hopper When in the retracted position, the feed mechanism and a side biasing city biasing portion of the recording medium is provided. As a result, the side surface of the recording material is urged until the feeding unit grips the recording material, and the urging can be released after the gripping and before starting feeding. As a result, the skew can be reliably removed without increasing the back tension during feeding. Further, it is possible to prevent deformation of the side surface of the recording material during standby and during feeding.

  In the feeding mechanism, one of the pair of edge guides is slidable in the width direction of the recording material with respect to the hopper, and the other of the pair of edge guides is fixed in the width direction with respect to the hopper. May have a passage hole through which an urging portion disposed on one of the slidable pair of edge guides passes when moving between the feeding position and the retracted position. Thereby, the feeding mechanism can cope with a plurality of paper widths.

  In the feeding mechanism, the feeding unit rotates about the shaft to feed the recording material, and is urged toward the feeding roller, and the recording material is interposed between the feeding roller and the feeding roller. A retard roller that feeds the recording material by being driven by the feeding roller in a state of sandwiching the recording medium, and a recording roller that is provided upstream of the feeding roller in the feeding direction of the recording material. And a spare roller that rotates to move between the retard roller and the retard roller, the hopper presses the upper surface of the recording material against the auxiliary roller at the feeding position, and the upper surface of the recording material at the retracted position. May be separated from the spare roller. Thereby, the feeding mechanism can start feeding the recording material in a state where the side surface of the recording material is reliably urged. Therefore, the skew of the recording material can be surely removed. Furthermore, since the feeding of the recording material is started after releasing the bias of the side surface of the recording material, the side surface of the recording material can be prevented from being deformed.

  In the feeding mechanism, when the feeding roller rotates a predetermined angle from when the hopper comes to the feeding position to when the feeding unit starts feeding the recording material, the hopper moves to the retracted position. Also good. As a result, it is not necessary to provide a separate sensor for detecting the position of the recording object, so that an increase in product cost can be suppressed.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto the recording material by reciprocating with respect to the recording material, and the gripped recording material after the recording material is held in the liquid A feeding unit that feeds the recording head toward a position facing the ejection head, and a feeding position that deposits and holds the recording material and brings the recording material close to the feeding unit, and the recording material is separated from the feeding unit. The hopper that moves between the retraction position and the hopper is held at the feeding position at least when the feeding unit grips the upstream side of the recording material, and the feeding unit grips the upstream side of the recording material. A hopper driving unit that moves the hopper to the retracted position after the feeding is started after the feeding is started, and the hopper is provided upright from both ends of the recording material in the width direction toward the feeding unit. A pair of stationary with respect to the feeding unit while moving between the position and the retracted position When the hopper is at the feeding position, the side surface of the recording material is urged in a direction perpendicular to the direction in which the recording material is fed, and the hopper is in the retracted position. In this case, a liquid ejecting apparatus including an urging unit that does not urge the side surface of the recording object is provided. Thereby, there exists an effect similar to a 1st form.

  The above summary of the invention does not enumerate all the necessary features of the present invention, and sub-combinations of these feature groups can also be the invention.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described through embodiments of the invention. However, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims, and all combinations of features described in the embodiments are included. It is not necessarily essential for the solution of the invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus 10 which is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 of FIG. 1 along the direction in which the recording material 20 is conveyed. FIG. 1 shows a state where the cover covering the ink jet recording apparatus 10 is removed.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 feeds a placement unit 600 on which the recording material 20 is placed, and the recording material 20 placed on the placement unit 600 upward. A feeding unit 100, a recording unit 200 that is disposed above the feeding unit 100 and performs recording on the recording material 20, and a platen 300 that is disposed to face the recording unit 200 and supports the recording material 20. And the platen 300 and the feeding unit 100, and the conveyance unit 400 that conveys the recording material 20 from the feeding unit 100 to the platen 300, and the platen 300, and is arranged above the platen 300 to perform recording. A paper discharge unit 500 for discharging the recording material 20.

  The placement unit 600 is an example of a hopper according to the present invention, and is provided in parallel to the substantially flat sheet feed tray 610, a reference guide 620 that stands upright in a direction parallel to the conveyance direction of the recording material 20, and the reference guide 620. And the urging portion 640 provided at the downstream end portion 632 of the edge guide 630. The paper feed tray 610 deposits and places the recording material 20 on the upper surface. The reference guide 620 is an example of a fixed edge guide of the pair of edge guides according to the present invention, and is simply indicated by a dotted line in the drawing. The reference guide 620 serves as a reference in a direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction of the recording material 20 placed on the paper feed tray 610. The edge guide 630 is provided such that the distance from the reference guide 620 is variable while maintaining parallel to the reference guide 620. The distance from the reference guide 620 to the edge guide 630 is adjusted according to the width of the recording material 20. The urging unit 640 removes the skew of the recording material 20 by urging the side surface of the recording material 20 against the reference guide 620 before the feeding unit 100 feeds the recording material 20.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the paper feed tray 610 is located between a retreat position where the recording material 20 is held substantially horizontally and a feeding position where the front end of the recording material 20 faces upward as shown in FIG. Rotate. The feeding unit 100 includes a spare roller 140 positioned above the downstream end of the sheet feeding tray 610 when the sheet feeding tray 610 is at the feeding position. The feeding unit 100 is further attached to the feeding roller 120 that rotates in synchronization with the preliminary roller 140 on the downstream side, that is, above the preliminary roller 140 in the conveyance direction of the recording material 20, and the feeding roller 120. The separation roller 130 is energized and rotates around the recording material 20 between the feeding roller 120 and the recording roller 20. The separation roller 130 is an example of a retard roller of the present invention.

  The recording unit 200 disposed obliquely above the feeding unit 100 is disposed below the carriage 210 that houses the ink cartridge 30 that holds ink, and below the carriage 210, and has a plurality of ejection openings facing the platen 300. The recording head 230 is arranged. In the recording head 230, the surface 232 on which the plurality of ejection openings are arranged is inclined up and down with respect to the horizontal plane, and the downstream side is higher than the upstream side in the direction in which the recording material 20 is conveyed. The recording unit 200 further includes a carriage guide shaft 220 that extends across the width direction of the recording material 20. The carriage guide shaft 220 is inserted into a part of the carriage 210 and guides reciprocation of the carriage 210 on the recording material 20.

The platen 300 that is disposed obliquely downward facing the recording head 230 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane substantially parallel to the surface 232 of the recording head 230, and the recording head 230 reciprocates in the width direction of the recording object 20. Stretched in the direction of movement.
The conveyance unit 400 disposed between the feeding unit 100 and the platen 300 is configured to convey the recording material 20 between the conveyance drive roller 410 that rotates by being driven by a motor (not shown) and the conveyance drive roller 410. It has a transport driven roller 420 that is sandwiched around. Similarly, a paper discharge unit 500 disposed above the platen 300 is configured to transfer a recording material 20 between the paper discharge drive roller 510 that is driven by a motor (not shown) and rotates, and the paper discharge drive roller 510. It has a transport driven roller 420 that is sandwiched around.

  In the loading unit 600, the paper feed tray 610 is driven by a paper feed tray driving unit (not shown) that is linked to the feeding unit 100. The paper feed tray drive unit is a cam member that rotates in conjunction with the spare roller 140, for example. The paper feed tray 610 is held at the retracted position shown in FIG. 1 and supports the recording material 20 substantially horizontally before the ink jet recording apparatus 10 performs recording. When the ink jet recording apparatus 10 performs recording, the paper feed tray 610 is rotated to the feeding position shown in FIG. 2, and the downstream end of the uppermost recording material 20 stacked is set as a spare roller. 140 abuts. When the preliminary roller 140 rotates in this state, the preliminary roller 140 moves the recording material 20 positioned on the uppermost surface between the feeding roller 120 and the separation roller 130 by a frictional force. The feeding roller 120 and the separation roller 130 start feeding toward the conveyance unit 400 after gripping the recording material 20 supplied by the preliminary roller 140. The conveyance driving roller 410 and the conveyance driven roller 420 hold the recording material 20 fed by the feeding roller 120 and the separation roller 130 and convey the recording material 20 above the platen 300.

  Thereafter, while the carriage 210 reciprocates along the carriage guide shaft 220, the recording head 230 that reciprocates with the carriage 210 ejects the ink of the ink cartridge 30 toward the recording material 20 conveyed onto the platen 300. Thus, recording is performed on the recording material 20. Further, the transport driving roller 410 and the transport driven roller 420 transport the recording material 20 by a predetermined amount, and recording is performed while the recording head 230 reciprocates on the transported recording material 20. By repeating this operation, the recording head 230 performs recording on the entire surface of the recording material 20. The recording material 20 on which the recording has been performed is held by the paper discharge driving roller 510 and the paper discharge driven roller 520 disposed further above the platen 300, and is discharged above the ink jet recording apparatus 10.

  Here, the ink jet recording apparatus 10 is an example of a liquid ejecting apparatus that performs recording by ejecting liquid onto the recording material 20. The recording head 230 of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 is an example of a liquid ejecting head of the liquid ejecting apparatus. The ejection port provided in the recording head 230 is an example of an ejection port of the liquid ejection head.

  However, the present invention is not limited to these. Another example of the liquid ejecting apparatus is a color filter manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a color filter for a liquid crystal display. In this case, the color material ejecting head of the color filter manufacturing apparatus is an example of the liquid ejecting head. Still another example of the liquid ejecting apparatus is an electrode forming apparatus that forms electrodes such as an organic EL display and an FED (surface emitting display). In this case, the electrode material (conductive paste) ejecting head of the electrode forming apparatus is an example of the liquid ejecting head. Still another example of the liquid ejecting apparatus is a biochip manufacturing apparatus that manufactures a biochip. In this case, the bio-organic substance ejecting head of the biochip manufacturing apparatus and the sample ejecting head as a precision pipette are examples of the liquid ejecting head. The liquid ejecting apparatus of the present invention includes other liquid ejecting apparatuses having industrial use. The recording object 20 is an object on which recording is performed by ejecting a liquid. For example, a recording paper, a circuit board on which a circuit pattern such as a display electrode is formed, a CD-ROM on which a label is recorded, The preparation on which the DNA circuit is recorded is included.

  3, 4, and 5 show configurations of the edge guide 630 and the urging unit 640. 3 is a view of the edge guide 630 as viewed from the upstream side of the recording material 20, FIG. 4 is a view of the back side of FIG. 3 from the upstream side, and FIG. 5 is a view of the edge guide 630 as viewed from the downstream side in the transport direction. The reference guide 620 and the edge guide 630 are provided upright from the both ends in the width direction of the recording material 20 in the paper feed tray 610 toward the feeding unit 100. The urging unit 640 is provided so as to urge the side surface of the recording medium 20 in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction of the recording medium 20 when the paper feed tray 610 is in the feeding position. The lower portion of the urging portion 640 is fixed to the edge guide 630 as shown in FIG. The urging portion 640 is formed by bending a sheet metal for a leaf spring, for example. The urging unit 640 is inclined so as to protrude toward the reference guide 620 as it approaches the feeding unit 100, that is, from the lower part toward the upper part. The edge guide 630 does not move with respect to the feeding unit 100 while the sheet feeding tray 610 moves between the retracted position and the feeding position. The urging unit 640 does not urge the side surface of the recording material 20 when the paper feed tray 610 is in the retracted position.

  According to such a configuration, the sheet feeding tray 610 is held at the feeding position until the feeding unit 100 grips the recording material 20, and the sheet feeding is performed immediately after the feeding unit 100 grips the recording material 20. By lowering the tray 610 to the retracted position, the skew can be surely removed without increasing the back tension of the recording material 20 being fed. Furthermore, since the side surface of the recording material 20 is not urged during standby and during feeding, deformation of the side surface of the recording material 20 can be prevented.

  FIG. 6 shows an outline of the positional relationship among the edge guide 630, the reference guide 620, and the spare roller 140. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a state where the feeding unit 100 is feeding the recording material 20. The position of the edge guide 630 with respect to the reference guide 620 can be adjusted according to the width of the recording material 20. The edge guide 630 is slidable in the width direction of the recording material 20 with respect to the paper feed tray 610.

  The lower surface guide 650 shown in FIG. 5 is provided horizontally and perpendicular to the edge guide 630, and supports the lower surface of the recording material 20 when the paper feed tray 610 is in the retracted position. The lower surface guide 650 guides the sliding of the edge guide 630 with respect to the paper feed tray 610 while maintaining the angle between the paper feed tray 610 and the edge guide 630 at a right angle. Further, the paper feed tray 610 has a passage hole 612 through which the downstream end 632 and the urging portion 640 of the edge guide 630 pass when moving between the feeding position and the retracted position. Thus, the sheet feed tray 610 that rotates in the vertical direction and the edge guide 630 that slides in the horizontal direction do not interfere with each other. Therefore, the placement unit 600 can correspond to the widths of a plurality of types of recording objects 20.

  Since the mounting portion 600 corresponds to the widths of a plurality of types of recording objects 20, the preliminary roller 140 is provided closer to the reference guide 620 so as to correspond to the minimum width of the recording objects 20. Therefore, when a recording material 20 having a width other than the minimum width, for example, an A4 size recording material 20 is used, the preliminary roller 140 is displaced from the center of the recording material 20 in the width direction as shown in FIG. Abuts the position. Therefore, when the preliminary roller 140 contacts the recording material 20 and moves the recording material 20 in the direction of arrow A, a force that generates skew in the direction of arrow B acts on the recording material 20. On the other hand, when the paper feed tray 610 is raised to the feeding position shown in FIG. 2, the urging unit 640 urges the side surface of the recording material 20 in the direction of the reference guide 620, that is, in the direction of arrow C. . Accordingly, the recording material 20 is regulated without a gap between the reference guide 620 and the urging portion 640, so that no skew occurs.

  Next, after the feeding roller 120 and the separation roller 130 sandwich the recording material 20, the paper feed tray 610 is lowered to the retracted position. When the paper feed tray 610 is lowered to the retracted position, the upper surface of the recording material 20 is separated from the spare roller 140 and the side surface of the recording material 20 is separated from the urging portion 640, and the urging force of the side surface of the recording material 20 is increased. Canceled. The feed roller 120 continues to rotate and feeds the recording material 20 toward the transport unit 400 and the recording unit 200. Here, when the feeding unit 100 transports the recording material 20 toward the transporting unit 400, the urging unit 640 does not bias the side surface of the recording material 20, so that the back tension applied to the recording material 20 is not increased. Does not increase. Further, since the urging unit 640 does not urge the side surface on the upstream side of the recording material 20 that is being gripped and conveyed by the feeding unit 100 and the conveying unit 400, the side surface of the recording material 20 that is being fed. Can be prevented from being deformed due to breakage or the like.

  The paper feed tray 610 has a predetermined angle between the paper feed tray 610 and the feed roller 120 and the separation roller 130 starting to feed the recording material 20 after the paper feed tray 610 reaches the feed position. When it rotates, it moves to the retracted position. That is, the rotation angle of the feed roller 120 serves as a trigger when the paper feed tray 610 is moved to the retracted position. As a result, it is not necessary to separately provide a sensor for detecting the position of the recording material 20, so that the cost of the ink jet recording apparatus 10 can be suppressed. Here, the timing at which the feeding roller 120 and the separation roller 130 sandwich the recording material 20 after the paper feeding tray 610 reaches the feeding position is the number of the recording materials 20 placed on the paper feeding tray 610. Varies. Therefore, the rotation angle of the feed roller 120 that serves as a trigger for moving the paper feed tray 610 to the retracted position is set to a size that allows the above timing variation. As a result, the recording material 20 is securely held between the feeding roller 120 and the separation roller 130 and fed.

  As is apparent from the above description, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reliably remove the skew without increasing the back tension at the time of feeding the recording material. Further, it is possible to prevent deformation of the side surface of the recording material during standby and during feeding.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

1 is a perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus 10. FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus 10 along a direction in which a recording material 20 is conveyed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing configurations of an edge guide 630 and an urging portion 640. It is the perspective view which looked at the edge guide 630 and the urging | biasing part 640 of FIG. 3 from the back side. It is the figure which looked at the edge guide 630 and the urging | biasing part 640 from the upstream. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a positional relationship among an edge guide 630, a reference guide 620, and a spare roller 140. FIG. FIG. 3 is a side view showing a state where a feeding unit 100 is feeding a recording material 20.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Inkjet recording apparatus, 20 to-be-recorded object, 30 Ink cartridge, 100 Feed part, 110 Paper feed tray, 120 Feed roller, 130 Separation roller, 140 Preliminary roller 140, 200 Recording part, 210 Carriage, 220 Carriage guide shaft , 230 recording head, 300 platen, 400 transport unit, 410 transport drive roller, 420 transport driven roller, 500 paper discharge unit, 510 paper discharge drive roller, 520 paper discharge driven roller, 600 loading unit, 610 paper feed tray, 612 Passing holes 612, 620 Reference guide, 630 Edge guide, 632 Downstream end, 640 Energizing portion, 650 Lower surface guide

Claims (5)

A feeding unit that feeds the gripped recording material after gripping the recording material;
The recording material is deposited and held, and at least at the time when the feeding unit grips the recording material, the recording material is in a feeding position that brings the recording material close to the feeding unit, and the feeding unit is A hopper that moves to a retreat position that separates the downstream side of the recording material from the feeding unit after gripping the upstream side of the recording material and before starting feeding;
The hopper is provided upright from both ends of the recording material in the width direction toward the feeding unit, and the hopper moves to the feeding unit while moving between the feeding position and the retracted position. A pair of edge guides that are stationary relative to,
When the hopper is disposed at at least one of the edge guides and the hopper is at the feeding position, the side surface of the recording material is urged in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the recording material is fed, and the hopper And a biasing portion that does not bias the side surface of the recording material when the recording medium is in the retracted position. The one of the pair of edge guides is slidable in the width direction of the recording material with respect to the hopper, and the other of the pair of edge guides is fixed in the width direction with respect to the hopper.
The hopper has a passage hole through which the urging portion arranged on the slidable one of the pair of edge guides passes when the hopper moves between the feeding position and the retracted position. Feeding mechanism. The feeding unit is
A feeding roller that rotates about an axis to feed the recording material;
A retard roller that feeds the recording material by being urged toward the feeding roller and being driven by the feeding roller in a state where the recording material is sandwiched between the feeding roller;
A preliminary roller provided upstream of the feeding roller in the feeding direction of the recording material and rotating to move the recording material between the feeding roller and the retard roller; And
2. The feeding according to claim 1, wherein the hopper presses the upper surface of the recording material against the preliminary roller at the feeding position, and separates the upper surface of the recording material from the preliminary roller at the retracted position. Paper mechanism.   The hopper moves to the retracted position when the feeding roller rotates by a predetermined angle after the hopper comes to the feeding position and before the feeding unit starts feeding the recording material. The feeding mechanism according to claim 3. A liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid onto the recording material by reciprocating with respect to the recording material;
A feeding unit that feeds the gripped recording material toward a position facing the liquid ejecting head after gripping the recording material;
A hopper that moves between a feeding position that deposits and holds the recording material and moves the recording material close to the feeding portion and a retreat position that moves the recording material away from the feeding portion;
At least when the feeding unit grips the upstream side of the recording material, the hopper is maintained at the feeding position, and after the feeding unit grips the upstream side of the recording material, A hopper drive unit that moves the hopper to the retracted position before starting
The hopper is provided upright from both ends of the recording material in the width direction toward the feeding unit. While the hopper moves between the feeding position and the retracted position, the feeding unit A pair of edge guides that are stationary relative to,
When the hopper is disposed at at least one of the edge guides and the hopper is at the feeding position, the side surface of the recording material is urged in a direction orthogonal to a direction in which the recording material is fed, and the hopper A liquid ejecting apparatus comprising: an urging portion that does not urge the side surface of the recording object when the recording material is in the retracted position.

Images