JP2006089219A - Opening width regulating device in recorded material separating device, and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a recorded material separating device capable of preventing peeling of coating or the like of an abraded part D1 on the surface of a lower recording paper (a second one) P2 and preventing generation of dents in a dented part D2 of an upper recording paper (a first one) P1. <P>SOLUTION: An opening width regulating member 302 which extends facing each other from right and left sides of an opening part parallel to the line in the main scanning direction formed by a nip point N and has a paper sheet guide face 303 to perform guide toward the nip point N is provided on the opening part 301 immediately before the nip point between a paper feed roller 21 and a retard roller 26. The paper sheet guide face has a pressure reducing surface 305 to reduce the pressure attributable to the paper feed roller. The pressure reducing surface has an inclined part 308 so as to face the direction in which the pressure attributable to the paper feed roller works. The inclined part is formed to be gradually reduced in height from the upstream side 303d in the carrying direction at a base end side 303b of the paper sheet guide face on the right and left sides of the opening part toward the downstream end 303c in the carrying direction at a tip part 303a of the paper sheet guide face. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording material separating apparatus having a function of separating and feeding recording materials one by one in a recording material feeding apparatus, and a recording apparatus including the recording material separating apparatus.

  Conventionally, a recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer has a sheet feeding apparatus such as a sheet feeding tray for supplying sheets to a recording unit. The sheet feeding apparatus rotates the sheet feeding roller and moves the hopper up and down. Responsible for feeding the recording paper on the paper tray. Further, on the downstream side of the recording paper feeding direction of the paper feeding tray, when the paper feeding roller sends out a plurality of recording papers, only the uppermost recording paper is separated and the other recording papers are returned to the paper feeding tray side. A paper separator is provided.

  FIG. 23 shows an example of a conventional paper separating apparatus. In FIG. 23A, reference numeral 1101 denotes a paper feed roller. When only one sheet of recording paper is fed below the paper feed roller 1101, it rotates following the paper feed roller 1101. When more than one sheet of recording paper is being fed, it rotates in the same direction as the paper feed roller 1101 (the opposite direction at the nip point between both rollers 1101 and 1103) and feeds the recording paper below the uppermost recording paper. A reverse roller 1103 is provided for returning to the upstream side in the paper direction.

  However, when such a sheet regulating member 1105 is provided, as shown in FIG. 23B, the leading end of the recording sheet positioned at the lowermost position among the recording sheets that have passed through the gap 1111 is positioned downward. In some cases, it bends in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reverse roller 1103 that rotates in the same direction as the paper feed roller 1101 and bends to cause jamming.

Therefore, conventionally, as shown in FIG. 20, a frontage restricting member 302 is provided at the frontage 301 immediately before the nip point N. In order to restrict the number of recording sheets P guided to the frontage 301, the frontage restricting member 302 is There is a paper separating device that includes a contact restricting portion 304 that contacts the leading end of the recording paper P, and a paper guide surface 303 that extends from the upper end of the contact restricting portion 304 toward the nip point N (for example, Patent Document 1).
In addition, there is a paper separation device that does not use a reverse roller but has a corner corresponding to the paper guide surface 303 (for example, Patent Document 2).
The possibility that the leading edge of the recording paper described above by these paper separating devices bends due to contact with the outer peripheral surface of the reverse roller has been solved.

JP 2004-83269 A JP 2004-155585 A

However, the provision of the sheet guide surface 303 causes a new problem.
FIG. 22 shows a state in which the recording sheets P1 and P2 are double fed up to the retard roller 26 (corresponding to the reverse roller but does not rotate in the same direction as the paper feed roller 21) in FIG. At this time, a paper feed roller 21 or the retard roller 26 _{F 1} a frictional resistance between the recording paper P1, P2, the recording sheet P1, P2 frictional resistance _{F 2} of each other when the driven rotation resistance of the retard roller 26 and _{F 3} , F ₁ > F ₃ > F ₂ . Therefore, the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1 is fed downstream in the conveying direction by the paper feed roller 21, and the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2 is fed by the retard roller 26 to the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1. The first sheet is separated from P1 and held in that position.

Here, the sheet guide surface 303 supports the recording sheets P1 and P2 so that the recording sheets P1 and P2 come into contact with the outer periphery 21a of the sheet feeding roller 21, but the recording sheets P1 and P2 overlap with the retard roller 26. Since the paper has been fed, the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1 is lifted toward the outer periphery 21a of the paper feeding roller 21 by the paper guiding surface 303 by the thickness of the double fed recording paper P2. Accordingly, the recording papers P1 and P2 are greatly bent at the downstream end 303c of the paper guide surface 303 in the transport direction on the paper feed roller side (tip portion 303a). That is, the pressure caused by the paper feed roller 21 is increased at the downstream end 303c of the front end portion 303a.
As a result, the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1 is fed in the state where the pressure is applied. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 19, the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1 is recorded on the lower recording sheet. A portion D1 on the paper guide surface 303 on the front surface of the paper (second sheet) P2 where the pressure acts greatly is fed while being rubbed with the back surface of the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1. Accordingly, when the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2 is peeled off and the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2 is recorded, the portion (D1) where the pressure acts greatly, in other words, Then, there is a possibility that color unevenness or a white portion may occur because the ink does not get on the rubbing portion D1 where the coating or the like is peeled off.

  On the other hand, with respect to the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1, a portion D2 rubbed with the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2 passes through the recording paper (second sheet) P2 from the back surface to the front surface. A reaction force against the pressing is received from the sheet guide surface 303. For this reason, there is a possibility that an indentation may be generated in a straight line on the back surface of the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1 and on the indentation portion D2 on the downstream side in the transport direction of the paper guide surface 303.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and the problem is that the coating or the like of the rubbing spot D1 on the surface of the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2 is peeled off, and the upper recording paper. (First sheet) It is to provide a recording material separating apparatus for preventing generation of an indentation at an indentation location D2 of P1 and a recording apparatus including the recording material separating apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the first aspect of the present invention is configured so that when a recording material is present between a feeding roller and the feeding roller provided opposite to the feeding roller, A recording material separating apparatus comprising: a retard roller that is driven to rotate with respect to the feeding roller, and has two or more recording materials between the feeding roller and not driven to rotate with respect to the feeding roller. In addition, a front end portion immediately before the nip point between the feeding roller and the retard roller extends opposite to both the left and right sides of the front end portion in parallel to a line formed by the nip point, and is covered toward the nip point. A front opening regulating member having a recording material guide surface for guiding a recording material is provided, and the recording material guide surface has a pressure reduction surface for reducing pressure caused by the feeding roller. A recording material separating apparatus.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, since the recording material guide surface includes the pressure reduction surface, it is possible to reduce the pressure caused by the feeding roller. That is, the recording material is multi-fed to the recording material guide surface, and the pressing force of the feeding roller is generated on the recording material due to the thickness of the recording material corresponding to the multi-feed. However, since the pressure reducing surface is provided, there is no possibility that a strong pressing force acts on the recording material on the pressure reducing surface.
Accordingly, when only the upper recording material (first sheet) is fed by the feeding roller among the multi-fed recording materials, the back surface of the upper recording material (first sheet) is retarded. There is no risk of scraping off the coating or the like on the surface of the lower recording material (second sheet) whose conveyance is restricted by the roller. As a result, the recording material does not have color unevenness during recording and can be recorded clearly.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the pressure reduction surface includes an inclined portion so as to face a direction in which the pressure caused by the feeding roller acts. It is a material separator.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effect as the first aspect, the pressure reducing surface includes an inclined portion, so that the outer periphery of the feeding roller at a specific portion of the pressure reducing surface. You can change the distance. That is, by increasing the distance, it is possible to reduce the pressure on the recording material caused by the feeding roller.
Further, since the pressure reducing surface is provided with an inclined portion so as to face the direction in which the pressure caused by the feeding roller acts, the pressure can be distributed and received on the surface without being concentrated at one point. .
Furthermore, the pressure reducing surface can be easily configured simply by including an inclined portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the inclined portion is formed so as to gradually become lower from the proximal end side to the distal end portion of the recording material guide surface on the left and right sides of the frontage portion. A recording material separating apparatus.

  In the first place, the feeding roller feeds the recording material while pressing the recording material immediately before the nip point. The pressed recording material is supported by the recording material guide surface while being bent. That is, the pressure caused by the feeding roller is transmitted to the recording material guide surface through the recording material. At this time, when the front end portion and the base end side of the recording material guide surface are compared in the direction in which the frontage restricting member extends, the pressure increases at the front end portion contacting the bent portion of the recording material.

Therefore, according to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effect as the second aspect, the inclined portion is formed so as to gradually become lower from the proximal end side to the distal end portion of the recording material guide surface. ing. That is, the inclined portion is formed so as to gradually move away from the surface formed by the upstream end of the recording material guide surface and the nip point (the surface formed by the tangent line at the nip point) as it advances from the base end side to the tip end portion. Has been. Therefore, the deflection of the recording material can be reduced at the tip portion of the recording material guide surface. That is, the pressure at the tip can be reduced.
At the same time, the bending of the recording material that has been reduced can be supported by the inclined portion. That is, the inclined portion can support the recording material on the surface, not on the corner of the tip portion. Therefore, the pressure can be distributed to the base end side of the recording material guide surface.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the inclined portion is formed so as to gradually become lower from the upstream side to the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the recording material guide surface. A recording material separating apparatus.

  In the first place, the recording material guide surface is a pre-separation function that shifts the leading edge of the multi-feed recording material, so that the distance between the recording material guide surface and the feeding roller is gradually reduced. It extends from the upper end toward the nip point. Since the recording material guide surface is closer to the outer periphery of the feeding roller as it goes from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction, the recording material guide surface becomes closer to the downstream side of the recording material guide surface. Deflection increases. That is, the pressure increases from the upstream side toward the downstream side in the transport direction. Further, in the transport direction, the downstream end, which is the end (corner) of the recording material guide surface, comes into contact with the bent recording material, so that pressure is particularly concentrated.

Therefore, according to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effect as the second aspect, the inclined portion gradually decreases from the upstream side to the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the recording material guide surface. Is formed. That is, the inclined portion is formed so as to gradually move away from the surface formed by the upstream end of the recording material guide surface and the nip point (surface formed by the tangent line at the nip point) as it proceeds from the upstream side to the downstream end. ing. Therefore, a distance from the outer periphery of the feeding roller can be provided at the downstream end where the pressure is maximum so as to reduce the deflection of the recording material. That is, the pressing at the downstream end can be reduced.
In addition, the inclined portion can be configured to be parallel to the tangential direction of the outer surface of the opposed feeding roller. Accordingly, the difference in pressing between the upstream side and the downstream end of the recording material guide surface in the transport direction can be substantially eliminated. That is, the inclined portion can disperse the pressure concentrated on the downstream end of the recording material guide surface to the upstream side.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the inclined portion guides the recording material from the upstream side in the transport direction on the base end side of the recording material guide surface on the left and right sides of the frontage portion. A recording material separating apparatus, wherein the recording material separating apparatus is formed so as to be gradually lowered to a downstream end in a conveying direction at a front end portion of a surface.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effect as the second aspect, the inclined portion is upstream in the transport direction on the base end side of the recording material guide surface, which is the place where the pressure is the smallest. From the leading edge of the recording material guide surface, which is the place where the pressure is greatest, it is gradually lowered toward the downstream end in the transport direction. That is, the inclined portion starts from a surface (surface formed by a tangent line at the nip point) formed by the upstream end of the recording material guide surface and the nip point as it proceeds from the upstream side of the base end side to the downstream end of the front end portion. It is formed to gradually move away. Therefore, a distance from the outer periphery of the feeding roller can be provided at the downstream end of the leading end so as to reduce the deflection of the recording material. That is, the pressing at the downstream end of the tip can be reduced.
At the same time, the bending of the recording material that has been reduced can be supported by the inclined portion. That is, the inclined portion can support the recording material on the surface, not on the corner of the tip portion. Accordingly, it is possible to disperse the pressure toward the base end side and the upstream side of the recording material guide surface.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fifth aspects, the inclined portion includes a guide direction correcting portion on the downstream side in the transport direction, and the guide direction correcting portion is The recording material separating apparatus is provided so as to correct the guide direction of the recording material changed by the inclined portion in the direction of the nip point.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effects as any one of the second to fifth aspects, the inclined portion includes a guide direction correcting portion on the downstream side in the transport direction. Therefore, even if the guide direction of the recording material is changed by the inclined portion, the recording material can be corrected and guided in the direction of the nip point.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to sixth aspects, a base surface of the frontage regulating member is provided with a convex curved surface that is continuous with the recording material guide surface. The recording material separating apparatus is characterized.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, since the convex curved surface is provided in addition to the same function and effect as in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the coverage by the action of the feeding roller and the retard roller is provided. Prior to the recording material separation, the leading end portion of the recording material that has been multi-fed can be shifted. That is, it is possible to perform a preliminary separation function for separating the recording material by the retard roller.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feeding unit that holds and feeds the stacked recording materials, a recording unit that records on the recording material fed from the feeding unit, and the recording unit A recording apparatus comprising a discharge section for discharging a recording material, wherein the feeding section includes the recording material separating apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects. It is.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the same operation and effect as in any one of the first to seventh aspects can be obtained in the recording apparatus.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
First, a schematic configuration of an ink jet recording apparatus as a “recording apparatus” according to the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention with the main body cover removed. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the main part of the internal structure of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a sectional side view of the main part of the internal structure of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.
The ink jet recording apparatus 100 is covered with a main body cover 1 as shown in FIG. 1, and an upper surface cover 2 that can be opened and closed upward is disposed on the upper surface of the main body cover 1. By opening the top cover 2, the user can access the inside of the ink jet recording apparatus 100, and the ink cartridge can be replaced. On the front surface of the main body cover 1, switches 5 such as a power switch are disposed, and a paper discharge stacker 3 and a tray cover 4 are disposed so as to be opened and closed forward. The paper discharge stacker 3 is used in a state of being opened forward at the time of recording execution, and is placed on the paper output stacker 3 in a state where the “recorded material” and the recording paper P as the “conveyed body” after the recording are open. It is discharged and stacked. The tray cover 4 can be accessed forward to a tray insertion slot for a user to manually insert a disc tray from the front while the tray cover 4 is opened forward. The disc tray is used when recording on the label surface of the optical recording disc, and is performed by manually inserting the disc tray with the optical recording disc attached to a predetermined insertion position of the tray insertion slot. Thus, recording on the label surface of the optical recording disk can be executed.

  As shown in the figure, an automatic paper feeder 20 is disposed at the rear of the ink jet recording apparatus 100, and a paper feed tray cover 6 that can be opened and closed upward is disposed above the automatic paper feeder 20. ing. The paper feed tray cover 6 is used in an open state when recording is performed, and recording before recording is performed on the paper feed tray 22 that forms a support surface of the recording paper P integrally with the opened paper feed tray cover 6. The paper P is stacked. The recording sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 22 are pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the sheet feeding roller 21 by a hopper 23 that swings toward the sheet feeding roller 21 at a predetermined timing during sheet feeding. The recording paper P pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 21 is rotated with the outer peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 41 by the drive rotation of the paper feed roller 21 that is rotatably arranged with the paper feed roller shaft 211 as a rotation axis. The sheets are automatically fed one by one toward the contact surface with the outer peripheral surface of the transport driven roller 42.

  The main body 11, the left side frame 12, the right side frame 13, the right side outer frame 13 a, and the rear frame 19 form a main skeleton of the casing of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. The left side frame 12 (via the member 191), the right side frame 13, and the right side outer frame 13 a are connected by a rear frame 19 on the front side of the ink jet recording apparatus 100. Both ends of the transport driving roller 41 are supported by the left side frame 12 and the right side frame 13 so as to be rotatable in the transport direction (sub-scanning direction Y) of the recording paper P, respectively. The left end of the conveyance drive roller 41 is rotatably supported on the left side frame 12 via the rotary bush 17, and the right end of the conveyance drive roller 41 is rotatably supported on the right side frame 13 via the rotary bush 18. Yes. The support portion formed near the center of the transport drive roller 41 is rotatably supported by the intermediate support member 15. The intermediate support member 15 can move the support position in the vicinity of the center of the conveyance drive roller 41 up and down by the rotation position of the adjustment member 16 rotatably disposed on the subframe 14. . A portion of the outer peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 41 where the recording paper P is pressed and closely adhered is formed with a high frictional resistance film except for a portion that is rotatably supported by the intermediate support member 15.

  Two transport driven rollers 42 are supported on each transport driven roller holder 43 so as to be driven to rotate in the transport direction of the recording paper P. A plurality of transport driven roller holders 43 are arranged in parallel with the transport drive roller 41. The main frame 11 is swingably supported. Each conveyance driven roller holder 43 is pressed and biased to the conveyance driving roller 41 by a spring 431, whereby each conveyance driven roller 42 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the conveyance driving roller 41 with a substantially constant pressing force. Yes. In addition, auxiliary roller holders 43S are disposed downstream of each conveyance driven roller holder 43 in the sub-scanning direction Y, and the auxiliary roller 42S is driven and rotated in the conveyance direction of the recording paper P in the auxiliary roller holder 43S. Supported as possible. The recording paper P fed from the automatic paper feeder 20 is guided toward the outer peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 41 by the paper guide front member 44, and the outer peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 41 and the transport driven roller 42 come into contact with each other. The conveyance amount corresponding to the rotation amount of the conveyance drive roller 41 is held by the surface and pressed against and closely contacts the high frictional resistance coating surface of the conveyance drive roller 41 and the conveyance drive roller 41 rotates in the sub-scanning direction Y. Is conveyed in the sub-scanning direction Y.

  The transport drive roller 41 is integrally attached so that the transport gear 54 can transmit rotation, and the drive rotation of the drive pulley 52 of the transport motor 51 (see FIG. 3) is transmitted to the transport gear 54 via the endless belt 53. Rotate. The recording paper P transported in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the transport driving roller 41 is transported while its surface posture is regulated while the back surface is in sliding contact with the platen 46 formed integrally with the post-paper guiding member 45. A known rotary encoder is provided on the left end side of the transport driving roller 41 as “rotation amount detecting means” for detecting the rotation amount of the transport driving roller 41. The rotary encoder includes a rotary scale 50 that rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the conveyance drive roller 41, and a rotary scale sensor 501 (see FIG. 2) that detects slits formed at equal intervals along the outer periphery of the rotary scale 50. have.

  The ink jet recording apparatus 100 includes a carriage 62 for causing a recording head 63 that performs recording by ejecting ink onto the recording paper P to scan the recording paper P in the main scanning direction X. The carriage 62 is pivotally supported by a carriage guide shaft 61 so as to be reciprocable in the main scanning direction X, and a rotational driving force of a carriage motor (not shown) is transmitted by a belt transmission mechanism (not shown). Reciprocates to X. The carriage guide shaft 61 is disposed with both ends supported by the left side frame 12 and the right side outer frame 13a. An ink cartridge (not shown) filled with ink of each color is detachably mounted on the carriage 62, and ink of each color is supplied from the ink cartridge to the recording head 63. The head surface of the recording head 63 reciprocates in the main scanning direction X at a position facing the platen 46, and ink is ejected from the nozzles arranged on the head surface onto the recording paper P conveyed on the platen 46. Recording is performed. The distance between the head surface of the recording head 63 and the recording surface of the recording paper P is defined by the platen 46. The ink jet recording apparatus 100 is provided with a known linear encoder for detecting the movement position of the carriage 62. The linear encoder includes a linear scale 64 disposed in parallel to the carriage guide shaft 61, a linear scale sensor (not shown) that is mounted on the carriage 62 and detects slits formed in the linear scale 64 at equal intervals. have.

  On the other hand, on the downstream side of the platen 46 in the sub-scanning direction Y, as a means for discharging the recording paper P after the recording is performed, a first discharge supported by the post-paper guiding member 45 is rotatably supported in the sub-scanning direction Y. A paper drive roller shaft 47 and a second paper discharge drive roller shaft 48 are provided. As shown in the drawing, a plurality of first paper discharge drive rollers 471 are provided at substantially equal intervals on the first paper discharge drive roller shaft 47, and a plurality of first paper discharge drive roller shafts 48 are similarly provided with a plurality of paper discharge drive roller shafts 48. Second paper discharge drive rollers 481 are provided at substantially equal intervals. The second paper discharge drive roller 481 transmits the rotational driving force of the transport motor 51 to the second paper discharge drive roller shaft 48 via the transport gear 54, the intermediate gear 55, and the paper discharge gear 56, and the discharge direction ( Rotate in the sub-scanning direction Y). The first paper discharge drive roller 471 is connected to the first paper discharge drive roller shaft 47 via a gear 57 that is rotatably attached to the second paper discharge drive roller shaft 48 and an intermediate gear (not shown). The rotational driving force of the conveying motor 51 is transmitted to the gear 58 that is attached so as to be able to transmit the rotation, and rotates in the discharge direction (sub-scanning direction Y).

  A paper discharge frame 49 (FIG. 4) that is long in the main scanning direction X is provided above the first paper discharge drive roller shaft 47 and the second paper discharge drive roller shaft 48. A plurality of first paper discharge driven rollers 472 are supported on the paper discharge frame 49 at positions corresponding to the first paper discharge drive rollers 471 so as to be driven to rotate, and correspond to the second paper discharge drive rollers 481. A plurality of second paper discharge driven rollers 482 are supported so as to be driven to rotate. The first paper discharge driven roller 472 and the second paper discharge driven roller 482 have a plurality of teeth around them and are sharply sharpened so that the tips of the teeth make point contact with the recording surface of the recording paper P. The first discharge roller 471 and the second discharge roller 481 are biased with a weak biasing force. The recording paper P after recording is held between the first paper discharge driving roller 471 and the first paper discharge driven roller 472, and is rotated by the rotation of the first paper discharge driving roller 471 in the discharge direction. The sheet is conveyed and is further sandwiched between the second discharge driving roller 481 and the second discharge driven roller 482 and opened by the rotation of the second discharge driving roller 481 in the discharge direction. Are discharged to the paper discharge stacker 3.

  In the ink jet recording apparatus 100 having such a configuration, first, the blank recording paper P before recording is automatically fed by the automatic paper feeder 20. Subsequently, the automatically fed blank recording paper P before recording has a predetermined transport amount in the sub-scanning direction Y while being in sliding contact with the platen 46 facing the head surface of the recording head 63 by the rotation of the transport driving roller 41. The operation of transporting and the operation of ejecting ink from the recording head 63 that reciprocates in the main scanning direction X on the platen 46 are alternately and repeatedly executed to perform recording on the recording surface. Then, the recording paper P after execution of the recording is discharged to the paper discharge stacker 3 in an opened state by the rotation of the first paper discharge drive roller 471 and the second paper discharge drive roller 472 in the discharge direction. A series of these recording execution operations are performed by a recording control device (not shown), an automatic paper feeding motor (not shown) as a driving force source of the automatic paper feeding device 20, a conveying motor 51, and a carriage driving motor ( (Not shown) is controlled and executed.

Next, a schematic configuration of the automatic paper feeder 20 as the “automatic feeder” according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a main part of the automatic paper feeder 20. FIG. 6 is a main part front view of the automatic paper feeder 20. FIG. 7 is a side view of the main part of the automatic paper feeder 20.
On the paper feed tray 22 as the “recording material stacking means” on which the recording paper P before recording is stacked, the recording paper P is stacked on the paper feeding tray 22 with the leading end of the recording paper P abutting against it. A support surface 221 for supporting the recording paper P is formed. The paper feed tray 22 is provided with a hopper 23 that swings toward the paper feed roller 21 at a predetermined timing when paper is fed so that the shaft 233 can swing. The hopper 23 is urged by an urging means (not shown) in a direction in which the recording paper P stacked on the hopper 23 is pressed from the lowermost side to the outer peripheral surface of the paper feeding roller 21 to the uppermost recording paper P1. ing. An anti-slip member 231 for the recording paper P is disposed at a portion where the outer peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 21 of the hopper 23 abuts. The hopper 23 is cam-engaged with a hopper cam 213 formed integrally in the vicinity of both ends of the paper feed roller shaft 211, and the swing position is defined by the hopper cam 231 so as to swing according to the rotation position of the paper feed roller shaft 211. It has come to be.

  The hopper 23 includes a reference end guide 24 that defines one end side in the main scanning direction X of the recording paper P stacked on the paper feed tray 22 as a reference end as a “recording material reference end” in the main scanning direction X. An edge guide member 25 that guides the other end side of the recording paper P stacked in the paper feed tray 22 in the main scanning direction X is disposed. The edge guide member 25 is hooked on the upper end of the hopper 23 by the arm portion 252 and is engaged with a long hole 232 formed in the hopper 23 in the main scanning direction X, so that the size of the recording paper P is reached. Accordingly, it is arranged so as to be slidable in the direction indicated by symbol S. The reference end guide 24 is formed with a lift prevention guide 241 for preventing the recording paper P fed from the paper feed tray 22 from floating as shown in the figure. Similarly, a lift prevention guide 251 for preventing the fed recording paper P from floating is also formed on the edge guide member 25 as shown in the figure.

  The feeding roller 21 is supported at both ends so as to be rotatable in the feeding direction of the recording paper P, and is rotated by the rotation driving force of the automatic feeding motor 27 (see FIG. 6) being transmitted. Are disposed concentrically and integrally with the paper feed roller shaft 211, and are disposed at a position biased toward the reference end side of the recording paper P in the axial direction of the paper feed roller shaft 211. The paper feed roller 21 has an outer peripheral surface 21a as a “first outer peripheral surface” where the distance from the shaft center of the paper feed roller shaft 211 is constant, and a distance from the shaft center of the paper feed roller shaft 211 is “first”. It has a substantially D-shaped cross-sectional shape having a flat outer peripheral surface 21b as a “second outer peripheral surface” set shorter than “the outer peripheral surface of FIG. 7” (FIG. 7). High friction members such as rubber materials are uniformly disposed on the outer peripheral surface 21 a and the outer peripheral surface 21 b of the paper feed roller 21. Further, the one end side of the recording paper P in the main scanning direction X is positioned by the reference end guide 24 in contact with the vicinity of the other end side of the recording paper P to be fed and fed to the paper feeding roller shaft 211. The first paper feeding auxiliary roller 214, the second paper feeding auxiliary roller 215, and the third paper feeding auxiliary roller 216 are formed concentrically and integrally as “feeding auxiliary rollers” for regulating the feeding posture of the recording paper P. Has been.

  The first paper supply auxiliary roller 214, the second paper supply auxiliary roller 215, and the third paper supply auxiliary roller 216 are thin plate-shaped rotating bodies having substantially the same D-shaped cross-sectional shape as the paper supply roller 21. No high friction member is disposed on the outer peripheral surface. It is formed in the same phase as the paper feed roller 21, and the outer diameter is set smaller than the paper feed roller 21 by about 1 to 2 mm. The first paper feed auxiliary roller 214, the second paper feed auxiliary roller 215, and the third paper feed auxiliary roller 216 are recorded on the recording paper by the rotation of the paper feed roller 21 disposed in the vicinity of one end side in the main scanning direction X. When P is fed, the outer peripheral surfaces abut on the recording surface (upper surface) on the other end side in the main scanning direction X and rotate. Accordingly, the recording paper P is prevented from being lifted on the other end side in the main scanning direction X, and the feeding posture of the fed recording paper P is defined substantially in parallel while the transport driving roller 41 and the transport driven roller 42 are in contact with each other. The leading edge of the recording paper P is guided toward the contact surface. The recording paper P is fed in a state where the recording paper P is evenly in surface contact with the feeding guide surface 222 formed on the feeding tray 22 and the feeding guide surface 444 formed on the feeding guide member 44. The skew of the recording paper P at the time of paper is prevented.

  The first paper feed auxiliary roller 214 is formed at a position corresponding to the vicinity of the other end side in the main scanning direction X of the recording paper P when the A3 size recording paper P is stacked on the paper feeding tray 22. The second auxiliary paper feed roller 215 is formed at a position corresponding to the vicinity of the other end side in the main scanning direction X of the recording paper P when the A4 size recording paper P is stacked on the paper supply tray 22. The third paper feed auxiliary roller 216 is formed at a position corresponding to the recording paper P having a size smaller than the A4 size recording paper P. Further, the paper feed roller shaft 211 is formed with a fourth paper feed auxiliary roller 212 in the vicinity of the end on the reference end side from the paper feed roller 21, and the recording paper P near the one end side in the main scanning direction X is formed. Lifting is prevented, and a great effect is exhibited particularly on a small recording paper P such as a business card size.

  At a position facing the outer peripheral surface 21 a and the outer peripheral surface 21 b of the paper feed roller 21, the recording paper P 1 that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 21 a of the paper feed roller 21 is fed by the rotation of the paper feed roller 21 in the paper feed direction. When this is done, the retard as a “recording material separating means” that separates the other recording paper P that is about to enter the feeding path by being dragged by the fed recording paper P1 from the fed recording paper P1. A roller 26 and a retard roller holder 261 are disposed. The retard roller 26 is a rotating body having a high friction member such as a rubber material disposed on the outer peripheral surface thereof. The retard roller 26 is pivotally supported by the retard roller holder 261 so as to be rotatable with a substantially constant driven rotational resistance in the paper feeding direction. Arranged. The retard roller holder 261 is pivotally supported by the paper feed tray 22 so as to be swingable about a shaft 262 as a swing shaft, and the other end of a spring 263 whose one end is locked to a part of the paper feed tray 22 is connected. The outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 26 is urged and disposed so as to press the outer peripheral surface 21a of the paper feed roller 21 with a predetermined pressing force.

  In the retard roller holder 261, a swing position where the outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 26 slightly protrudes from the feeding guide surface 222 is set as a displacement limit position in the pressing direction. Therefore, when the outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 26 is opposed to the outer peripheral surface 21a of the paper feed roller 21 (during paper feeding operation), the outer peripheral surface 21a abuts on the outer peripheral surface 21a with an appropriate pressing force. In a state of facing the outer peripheral surface 21b (after the leading edge of the fed recording paper P is held between the transport driving roller 41 and the transport driven roller 42), the recording paper P is separated from the outer peripheral surface 21b. Thus, the back tension by the retard roller 26 is prevented from acting on the recording paper P that is nipped by the transport driving roller 41 and the transport driven roller 42 and transported in the sub-scanning direction Y.

  The outer peripheral surface 21 a of the paper feed roller 21 is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 26 with an appropriate pressing force, and a plurality of recording papers P overlap between the outer peripheral surface 21 a of the paper feed roller 21 and the retard roller 26. The driven roller resistance of the retard roller 26 is smaller than the frictional resistance between the outer peripheral surface 21 a of the paper feed roller 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 26 and the recording paper P and overlapped. Is set to be larger than the frictional resistance between the recording papers P. As a result, only the recording paper P <b> 1 that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 21 a of the paper feed roller 21 is fed by the rotation of the paper feed roller 21. The other recording paper P in a state of being superimposed on the lower side of the recording paper P1 to be fed is separated from the recording paper P1 to be fed by the driven rotation resistance of the retard roller 26, and the outer circumference of the paper feeding roller 21 Since the entry beyond the contact surface between the surface 21a and the outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 26 is prevented, the recording paper P is prevented from being fed in a state where it overlaps.

  The other recording paper P separated from the recording paper P1 to be fed by the driven rotational resistance of the retard roller 26 may stay in the vicinity of the retard roller 26. For this reason, the automatic paper feeder 20 pushes the separated recording paper P leading edge back to a predetermined position on the paper feeding tray 22 (a state where the leading edges of the stacked recording paper P abut against the support surface 221). A paper return lever 28 (FIG. 7) is provided. The paper return lever 28 is pivotally supported with a shaft 281 as a swing shaft so as to swing so that the paper return surface 282 moves forward and backward with respect to the feeding guide surface 222 according to the rotational position of the paper feed roller 21. It is arranged. The recording paper P whose leading edge has entered the vicinity of the retard roller 26 is pushed back toward the paper feeding tray 22 by the paper returning surface 282 of the paper return lever 28 whose leading edge advances to the feeding guide surface 222, whereby the paper feeding tray 22 22 is pushed back to a predetermined position.

Next, an outline of the operation of the automatic paper feeder 20 will be described with reference to FIGS.
8 to 11 are side views of the main part of the automatic paper feeder 20, and FIG. 8 shows a state immediately after the paper feeding operation is started from the state shown in FIG. 7 (paper feeding standby state). FIG. 9 shows the state during the paper feeding operation, FIG. 10 shows the state immediately before the end of the paper feeding operation, and FIG. 11 shows the state after the end of the paper feeding operation.
When the paper feed roller 21 starts to rotate in the rotation direction indicated by the symbol A, the hopper 23 swings in the swing direction indicated by the symbol B. Accordingly, the uppermost recording sheet P1 of the recording sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 22 is pressed against and comes into contact with the outer peripheral surface 21a of the sheet feeding roller 21. Further, the paper return lever 28 swings in the swing direction indicated by the reference symbol C, and the paper return surface 282 that has advanced from the feed guide surface 222 to the feed path side closes the feed path. Retreat from the transmission path (FIG. 8).

  When the paper feed roller 21 further rotates in the rotation direction indicated by reference symbol A, the recording paper P1 to be fed that is in contact with the outer peripheral surface 21a of the paper feed roller 21 is fed in the paper feed direction. As described above, the other recording paper P in a state of being overlapped with the lower side of the recording paper P1 to be fed is separated from the recording paper P1 to be fed by the driven rotation resistance of the retard roller 26 and is fed. Entry beyond the contact surface between the outer peripheral surface 21a of the paper roller 21 and the outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 26 is prevented (FIG. 9).

  When the paper feeding roller 21 further rotates in the rotation direction indicated by reference symbol A, the recording paper P1 to be fed is directed toward the feeding guide surface 444 of the guide member 44 with the leading end of the recording paper P1 being in surface contact with the feeding guiding surface 222. The paper is fed while being guided. During this time, the hopper 23 swings in the swing direction indicated by the symbol D when the paper feed roller 21 rotates to a predetermined rotation position. At this time, most of the recording paper P returns to a predetermined position of the paper feed tray 22, but a part of the recording paper P separated from the recording paper P1 to be fed by the driven rotation resistance of the retard roller 26 is The tip may remain in the vicinity of the retard roller 26 (FIG. 10).

When the paper feed roller 21 further rotates in the rotation direction indicated by reference symbol A, the paper return lever 28 swings in the swing direction indicated by reference symbol E, and the paper return surface 282 advances into the feeding guide surface 222. The recording paper P whose leading end remains in the vicinity of the retard roller 26 is pushed back toward a predetermined position of the paper feed tray 22 by the paper return surface 282 of the paper return lever 28. On the other hand, the recording paper P1 to be fed arrives between the transport driving roller 41 and the transport driven roller 42 while the leading end of the recording paper P1 is guided while being in surface contact with the feeding guide surface 444 of the guide member 44. The state is brought into contact with the outer peripheral surface of the conveyance drive roller 41 that rotates in the rotation direction indicated by F and is pulled and held (so-called nipped state). The paper feed roller 21 rotates to the rotational position where the outer peripheral surface 21b faces the outer peripheral surface of the retard roller 26, and the nipping state of the recording paper P1 to be fed by the paper feed roller 21 and the retard roller 26 is released. This completes a series of paper feeding operations. Recording execution control for the fed recording paper P1 is started, and the recording paper P1 is transported in the sub-scanning direction Y by the rotation of the transport driving roller 41 in the rotational direction indicated by reference numeral F (FIG. 11).
In this way, the plurality of recording sheets P stacked on the sheet feeding tray 22 are automatically fed one by one toward the contact surface between the outer peripheral surface of the transport driving roller 41 and the outer peripheral surface of the transport driven roller 42. Is done.

Next, the configuration of the frontage regulating device in the paper separating device will be further described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view of a main part around the frontage regulating device in the paper separating device.
Reference numeral 306 denotes a paper separating device as a recording material separating device, which includes a paper feeding roller 21 as a feeding roller and a retard roller 26. Reference numeral 307 denotes a frontage restricting device, which is formed in the frontage 301. The frontage restricting device 307 of the present embodiment includes a sheet guide surface 303 as a recording material guide surface that extends oppositely from both the left and right sides of the base 310 and guides a recording sheet as a recording material toward the nip point N. A frontage regulating member 302 is provided.

Here, before describing the frontage regulating device 307 in the paper separating device 306 of the present invention, first, the frontage regulating device 807 in the conventional paper separating device 806 will be described with reference to FIGS.
20A is a side view of the frontage regulating member 302 in the conventional paper separating device 806 and the frontage regulating device 807, and FIG. 20B is an enlarged view of the periphery of the frontage regulating member in FIG. The frontage restricting member 302 includes a contact restricting portion 304 and a paper guide surface 303. Of these, the paper guide surface 303 extends so as to guide the recording paper from the upper end of the contact restricting portion 304 toward the nip point N, and has a front end portion 303a and a base end side 303b (FIG. 21A). reference). Here, a surface formed by the upper end of the contact restriction portion 304 and the nip point N is defined as a reference surface N ′.

  FIG. 21A is a plan view of the vicinity of the frontage regulating member shown in FIG. As described above, the reference numeral 303a indicates a distal end portion, and the reference numeral 303b indicates a proximal end side. Reference numeral 303c indicates a downstream end of the sheet guide surface 303 in the transport direction, and reference numeral 303d indicates an upstream side in the transport direction. FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view of the x-x ′, y-y ′, and z-z ′ shown in FIG. Here, the reference plane N ′ indicated by a broken line corresponds to the reference plane N ′ shown in FIG.

FIG. 22A shows a state in which the recording papers P1 and P2 are fed to the paper separating device 806 and separated by the retard roller 26 in FIG. Among these, the code | symbol P1 shows an upper recording paper (1st sheet), and one code | symbol P2 shows a lower recording paper (2nd sheet). FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line WW ′ shown in FIG.
22A and 22B, it can be seen that the recording sheets P1 and P2 are greatly bent at the downstream end 303c and the leading end 303a of the sheet guide surface 303.

  In the first place, the role of the sheet guide surface 303 is to reliably guide the recording sheet to the nip point N without bending the leading end of the recording sheet. Further, in the prior art, a so-called pre-separation function is performed in which the recording paper that has been double fed on the paper guide surface 303 immediately before the nip point N is separated and then fed to the nip point N. Conventionally, the leading edge of the recording paper that has been multi-fed is brought into sliding contact with the paper guiding surface to shift the leading edge (preliminary separation). It gradually decreased toward the downstream side. Accordingly, the sheet guide surface 303 is formed on the same surface as the reference surface N ′ as shown in FIG.

However, it is only necessary to preliminarily separate the recording paper that has been multi-fed by the paper guide surface 303 and feed it. However, since this is a preliminary function, it is difficult to always perform preliminary separation on the paper guide surface 303. is there.
Accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 22A and 22B, the recording papers P1 and P2 are double-fed to the nip point N, and the recording papers P1 and P2 are large at the downstream end 303c and the leading end 303a of the paper guiding surface 303. There is a risk of bending. That is, there is a possibility that the pressure increases at the downstream end 303c of the leading end portion 303a in the transport direction.
With this configuration, when the recording paper is double-fed to the paper guide surface 303, as described above in “Problems to be solved by the invention”, the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1 and the lower recording paper P1 There is a risk that the surface of the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2 may be peeled off due to rubbing with the recording paper (second sheet) P2.

FIG. 19 is a plan view showing the state of FIG. 22 described above, and shows positions such as rubbing of the recording paper. A symbol D1 shown in FIG. 19 is a portion where the pressure is large, that is, a rubbing portion.
Since only the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1 is fed in the state where the pressure is applied, the friction is large at the rubbing portion D1 on the surface of the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2. Become. Therefore, the coating or the like may be peeled off at the rubbing portion D1 on the surface of the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2. That is, when the recording paper (second sheet) P2 is recorded, the ink does not get on the rubbing portion D1 where the coating or the like is peeled off, and there is a possibility that color unevenness or a white portion occurs. Since the position of the rubbing portion D1 is in the vicinity of the downstream end 303c in the conveyance direction of the recording paper (second sheet) P2, it becomes a big problem particularly when borderless printing is executed.

On the other hand, with respect to the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1, at the position of the rubbing spot D1, the sheet guide surface 303 opposes the pressing from the back surface to the front surface through the recording paper (second sheet) P2. It is fed while receiving power. Therefore, on the back surface of the recording paper (first sheet) P1, there is a possibility that a linear indentation may occur at an indentation location D2 downstream of the rubbing location D1 in the transport direction.
In addition, when the recording paper is thick, there is a possibility that unevenness is generated at the place where the pressure is applied.

Therefore, the frontage regulating device 307 in the paper separating device 306 of the present invention is made in view of such a problem, and will be described below with reference to FIGS.
13A is a side sectional view showing the vicinity of the frontage regulating member, and FIG. 13B is an enlarged side view showing the paper guide surface 303. FIG. 14A is a plan view showing the frontage regulating member 302 according to the present invention, and FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view excluding the retard roller 26 in FIG. FIG. 15A is a side sectional view showing a state in which the recording paper is guided in FIG. 13, and FIG. 15B is a sectional view taken along line WW ′ of FIG.

The frontage regulating device 307 of the present invention has a sheet feeding roller 21 as a feeding roller and a sheet of recording paper as a recording material provided between the sheet feeding roller 21 and the sheet feeding roller 21. And a retard roller 26 that rotates following the paper feed roller 21 and does not follow the paper feed roller 21 when two or more recording papers are present between the paper feed roller 21 and the recording roller 21. In the sheet separation device 306 as a recording material separation device, a front opening 301 is formed in a front opening 301 in front of the nip point between the paper feed roller 21 and the retard roller 26 in parallel to a line in the main scanning direction formed by the nip point N. A frontage restricting member 302 having a sheet guide surface 303 as a recording material guide surface that extends oppositely from the left and right sides of 301 and guides toward the nip point N is provided.
The sheet guide surface 303 of the present embodiment includes a pressure reduction surface 305 that reduces the pressure caused by the sheet feed roller 21.
In addition, the pressure reduction surface 305 of the present embodiment includes an inclined portion 308 so as to face the direction in which the pressure caused by the paper feed roller 21 acts.
Furthermore, the inclined portion 308 of the present embodiment has a downstream side in the transport direction at the leading end portion 303a of the paper guide surface 303 from an upstream side 303d in the transport direction on the base end side 303b of the paper guide surface 303 on both the left and right sides of the front opening 301. It is formed so as to be gradually lowered to the end 303c.

  FIG. 13A shows a frontage regulating device 307 according to the present invention. Among these, reference numeral 302 indicates a frontage regulating member according to the present invention. FIG. 5B is an enlarged view of the periphery of the frontage restricting member shown in FIG. The sheet guide surface 303 of the frontage regulating member 302 has a front end portion 303a and a base end side 303b, and the front end portion 303a gradually decreases toward the downstream end 303c in the transport direction with respect to the reference surface N ′. Is formed. In addition, the downstream end 303c of the sheet guide surface 303 is formed so as to gradually become lower from the base end side 303b toward the front end portion 303a. In other words, the inclined portion 308 of the pressure reduction surface 305 gradually increases with respect to the reference surface N ′ from the upstream side 303d in the transport direction on the base end side 303b to the downstream end 303c in the transport direction on the leading end portion 303a of the paper guide surface 303. (See FIG. 14B). Other reference numerals are the same as those in FIG.

  FIG. 14A is a plan view around the frontage regulating member shown in FIG. The reference numerals are the same as those in FIG. FIG. 14B is a cross-sectional view excluding the retard roller 26 in each of x-x ′, y-y ′, and z-z ′ shown in FIG. From this figure, it can be seen that the inclined portion 308 of the pressure reducing surface 305 is inclined so that the tip end portion 303a gradually falls from the upstream side 303d in the transport direction toward the downstream end 303c.

FIG. 15A shows a state in which the recording sheets P1 and P2 are double-fed to the sheet separating device 306 and separated by the retard roller 26 at the leading end 303a of FIG. Among these, the code | symbol P1 shows an upper recording paper (1st sheet), and one code | symbol P2 shows a lower recording paper (2nd sheet). Since the inclined portion 308 is gradually lowered from the upstream side 303d in the transport direction to the downstream end 303c with respect to the reference surface N ′ at the leading end portion 303a, the deflection of the recording paper can be reduced. That is, it is possible to reduce the pressure caused by the paper feed roller 21 at the downstream end 303c.
In addition, the inclined portion 308 can be configured in parallel with the tangential direction of the outer surface of the opposed paper feed roller 21. Therefore, the difference in pressing between the upstream side 303d and the downstream end 303c in the transport direction of the sheet guide surface 303 can be substantially eliminated. That is, the inclined portion 308 can disperse the pressure concentrated on the downstream end 303c of the paper guide surface 303 to the upstream side 303d.

FIG. 15B is a cross-sectional view taken along WW ′ shown in FIG. The inclined portion 308 is formed so as to be gradually lowered from the base end side 303b of the paper guide surface 303 to the front end portion 303a, so that the deflection of the recording paper can be reduced at the front end portion 303a of the paper guide surface 303. it can. That is, it is possible to reduce the pressing at the distal end portion 303a.
At the same time, the reduced deflection of the recording paper can be supported by the inclined portion 308. That is, the inclined portion 308 can support the recording paper on the surface, not on the corner of the leading end portion 303a. Accordingly, the pressure can be distributed to the base end side 303b of the paper guide surface 303.

15A and 15B are compared with FIGS. 22A and 22B, which are the conventional frontage restricting portions, in the downstream end 303c and the leading end portion 303a of the paper guide surface 303, and the recording papers P1 and P2. It can be seen that the bending of is small. In other words, the inclined portion 308 of the pressure reducing surface 305 can reduce the pressure at the downstream end 303c and the leading end portion 303a of the sheet guide surface 303, in other words, the rubbing portion D1 in FIG. Therefore, when only the recording paper P1 is fed by the paper feed roller 21, it is possible to reduce the friction at the rubbing portion D1. As a result, there is no risk that the surface coating or the like will be peeled off by friction at the rubbing portion D1 of the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2, and good recording is possible particularly during borderless printing.
Further, since the reaction force is reduced simultaneously with the reduction of the pressure at the rubbing portion D1, there is no possibility that a linear indentation is generated in the indentation portion D2 on the back side of the upper recording paper (first sheet) P1.

In addition, since the base end side 303b is on the reference plane N ′, it is possible to reduce and disperse the pressure while providing a preliminary separation function. In addition, since the double-fed recording paper is not only separated by the paper separation device 306 but also preliminarily separated, the pressure can be reduced, so that the recording paper coating or the like is not likely to be peeled off.
In the present embodiment, the distance between the tip end 303a of the downstream end 303c of the inclined portion 308 farthest from the reference plane N ′ and the reference plane N ′ is about 0.5 mm.

<Other embodiment 1>
FIG. 16A is a cross-sectional view of the inclined portion 308 of the paper guide surface 303 in the frontage regulating device 307 according to the other embodiment 1. Although only a cross-sectional view is shown, the cross-sectional positions xx ′, yy ′, and zz ′ are the same as those in FIG. 14 of the present embodiment described above. As is apparent from FIG. 16A, the inclined portion 308 gradually decreases from the upstream side 303d in the conveyance direction of the sheet guide surface 303 as the recording material guide surface to the downstream end 303c with respect to the reference surface N ′. It is formed as follows. Therefore, a distance from the outer periphery 21a of the paper feed roller 21 can be provided at the downstream end 303c where the pressure is maximized so as to reduce the bending of the recording paper (the same state as FIG. 15A described above). Therefore, the pressing at the downstream end 303c can be reduced.

In addition, the inclined portion 308 can be configured in parallel with the tangential direction of the outer surface of the opposed paper feed roller 21. Therefore, the difference in pressing between the upstream side 303d and the downstream end 303c in the transport direction of the sheet guide surface 303 can be substantially eliminated. That is, the inclined portion 308 can disperse the pressure concentrated on the downstream end 303c of the paper guide surface 303 to the upstream side 303d.
As a result, it is possible to reduce the pressing at the rubbing portion D1 of FIG. 19, and there is no possibility that the surface coating or the like is peeled off by friction at the rubbing portion D1 of the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2.

<Other embodiment 2>
FIG. 16B is a cross-sectional view of the inclined portion 308 of the paper guide surface 303 in the frontage restricting device 307 according to the second embodiment. Although only a cross-sectional view is shown, the cross-sectional positions xx ′, yy ′, and zz ′ are the same as those in FIG. 14 of the present embodiment described above. As is apparent from FIG. 16B, the inclined portion 308 gradually decreases from the base end side 303b of the sheet guide surface 303 as the recording material guide surface on the left and right sides of the front opening 301 to the front end portion 303a. Is formed. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the deflection of the recording paper at the leading end 303a of the paper guide surface 303 (the same state as FIG. 15B described above). That is, it is possible to reduce the pressing at the distal end portion 303a.

At the same time, the reduced deflection of the recording paper can be supported by the inclined portion 308. That is, the inclined portion 308 can support the recording paper on the surface, not on the corner of the leading end portion 303a. Accordingly, the pressure can be distributed to the base end side 303b of the paper guide surface 303.
As a result, it is possible to reduce the pressing at the rubbing portion D1 of FIG. 19, and there is no possibility that the surface coating or the like is peeled off by friction at the rubbing portion D1 of the lower recording paper (second sheet) P2.
In addition, since the base end side 303b is on the reference plane N ′, it is possible to reduce and disperse the pressure while providing a preliminary separation function.

<Other embodiment 3>
By providing the inclined portion 308 on the paper guide surface 303 of the frontage regulating device 307 described above, the direction in which the recording paper is guided may change.
Therefore, the inclined portion 308 in the frontage restricting device 307 according to the third embodiment includes a guide direction correcting portion 309 on the downstream side in the transport direction, and the guide direction correcting portion 309 is changed by the inclined portion 308. As shown in FIG. 17, the guide direction of the recording paper is corrected in the direction of the nip point N.

  FIG. 17A is a plan view of a frontage regulating device 307 according to another embodiment 3, and FIG. 17B is a side view of FIG. FIG. 17A shows a configuration in which a guide direction correcting unit 309 is added to FIG. 14A described above. FIG. 17B is a configuration in which a guide direction correcting unit 309 is added to FIG. In other words, the guide direction correcting portion 309 is provided at the downstream end 303c of the leading end portion 303a where the recording paper guide direction is changing. For this reason, even when the guide direction of the recording sheet is changed by the inclined portion 308, it can be guided by being corrected in the direction of the nip point N.

<Other embodiment 4>
By providing the inclined portion 308 on the paper guide surface 303 of the frontage regulating device 307 described above, the recording paper preliminary separation function may be slightly lowered.
In view of this, the base 310 of the frontage regulating member 302 in the frontage regulating device 307 according to the fourth embodiment has a convex curved surface 311 connected to the paper guide surface 303 that is a recording material guide surface in order to increase the effect of the preliminary separation function. (FIG. 18).

FIG. 18 (A) is a plan view of the frontage regulating device 307 according to another embodiment 4, and FIG. 18 (B) is a cross-sectional view taken along xx ′, yy ′, It is each sectional drawing in zz ', The same figure (C) is a side view of (A). Since the convex curved surface 311 is provided as shown in FIGS. (B) and (C), the recording paper P1 that has been multi-fed before the recording paper separation by the action of the paper feed roller 21 and the retard roller 26, The tip of P2 can be shifted. In other words, regardless of the inclination direction of the inclined portion 308, the pre-separation function of recording paper separation by the retard roller 26 can be achieved.
Further, since the convex curved surface 311 is provided at the base 310 of the frontage regulating member 302, the influence of the pressing of the paper feed roller 21 is small. Therefore, the convex curved surface 311 does not interfere with the effect of the pressure reducing surface 305 of the paper guide surface 303.
Furthermore, since it is provided continuously with the paper guide surface 303, there is no possibility that the recording paper will be greatly bent. Therefore, there is no possibility that the pressure is concentrated on one point.

  The inclined portion 308 is configured so that the upstream end or the base end of the sheet guide surface 303 is gradually lowered from the downstream end 303c or the leading end portion 303a. However, the inclined portion 308 does not need to be formed from the end. It may begin to be lower than the center side of the sheet guide surface 303. If the inclined portion 308 is configured so that at least the downstream end 303c and / or the tip end portion 303a is lower than the reference plane N ′, the same effect can be obtained.

1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet recording apparatus. It is the schematic perspective view which removed the main body cover of the ink jet recording device. It is a principal part perspective view of the internal structure of an inkjet recording device. It is principal part side sectional drawing of the internal structure of an inkjet type recording device. It is a principal part perspective view of the automatic paper feeder concerning this invention. It is a principal part front view of the automatic paper feeder concerning this invention. It is a principal part side view of the automatic paper feeder which concerns on this invention. It is a principal part side view of the automatic paper feeder which showed the state immediately after the start of paper feed operation. FIG. 6 is a side view of a main part of the automatic paper feeder showing a paper feeding operation. FIG. 6 is a side view of a main part of the automatic paper feeder showing a state immediately before the end of the paper feeding operation. FIG. 6 is a side view of the main part of the automatic paper feeder showing a state after the paper feeding operation is completed. It is a perspective view of the periphery of the frontage regulating device according to the present invention. (A) is a sectional side view showing the periphery of the frontage regulating member, and (B) is an enlarged side view showing a paper guide surface. (A) is a top view which shows the frontage restricting member which concerns on this invention, (B) is sectional drawing in the figure (A). (A) is a sectional side view showing a state in which the recording paper is guided in FIG. 13, and (B) is a sectional view taken along the line W-W ′ in FIG. (A) is another embodiment 1, and (B) is another embodiment 2. It is the (A) top view which showed other Embodiment 3, and (B) side sectional drawing. It is the (A) top view which showed other Embodiment 4, (B) sectional view, and (C) side sectional view. It is a top view which shows the rubbing etc. of the recording paper in the conventional frontage regulating device. (A) is a side sectional view showing the vicinity of a conventional frontage regulating member, and (B) is an enlarged side view showing the paper guide surface. (A) is a top view which shows the conventional frontage regulating member, (B) is sectional drawing in the same figure (A). 20A is a side sectional view showing a state in which the recording paper is guided in FIG. 20, and FIG. 20B is a sectional view taken along line W-W ′ in FIG. It is a sectional side view of the periphery of a paper feed roller showing the prior art.

Explanation of symbols

1 Body cover, 2 Top cover, 3 Output stacker, 4 Tray cover,
5 switches, 6 paper tray cover, 11 main frame, 20 automatic paper feeder,
21 paper feed roller, 22 paper feed tray, 23 hopper, 24 reference end guide,
25 edge guide member, 26 retard roller, 27 automatic paper feeding motor,
28 paper return lever, 31 first pressing support member, 32 second pressing support member,
41 transport drive roller, 42 transport driven roller, 43 transport driven roller holder,
44 Paper guidance member, 45 Paper guidance member, 46 Platen,
47 first discharge drive roller shaft, 48 second discharge drive roller shaft, 51 transport motor,
61 carriage guide shaft, 62 carriage, 63 recording head,
100 inkjet recording apparatus, 211 paper feed roller shaft,
214 first paper supply auxiliary roller, 215 second paper supply auxiliary roller,
216 Third paper feeding auxiliary roller, 222 feeding guide surface, 261 retard roller holder 301 front end portion, 302 front end regulating member, 303 paper guide surface, 303a front end portion,
303b Base end side, 303c Downstream end, 303d Upstream side, 304 Contact restriction part,
305 Pressure reduction surface, 306 Paper separation device, 307 Frontage regulating device, 308 Inclined part,
309 Guide direction correction unit, 310 base, 311 convex curved surface, 806 paper separating device,
807 Frontage regulating device, D1 rubbing spot, D2 indentation spot, N nip point, N ′ reference plane

Claims (8)

A feeding roller;
When one recording material exists between the feeding roller and the feeding roller, the recording roller rotates following the feeding roller, and two or more sheets are provided between the feeding roller and the feeding roller. A recording material separating device comprising a retard roller that does not rotate following the feeding roller when a recording material is present;
In the front portion immediately before the nip point between the feeding roller and the retard roller,
A frontage restricting member is provided that extends in parallel with the line formed by the nip point from both the left and right sides of the frontage part and includes a recording material guide surface that guides the recording material toward the nip point,
The recording material separating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the recording material guide surface includes a pressure reduction surface that reduces pressure caused by the feeding roller.   The recording material separating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pressure reducing surface includes an inclined portion so as to face a direction in which the pressure caused by the feeding roller acts.   3. The recording material separation according to claim 2, wherein the inclined portion is formed so as to be gradually lowered from a proximal end side to a distal end portion of a recording material guide surface on both left and right sides of the frontage portion. apparatus.   3. The recording material separating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the inclined portion is formed so as to be gradually lowered from the upstream side to the downstream end in the conveyance direction of the recording material guide surface.   3. The downstream end of the recording material guide surface at the leading end of the recording material guide surface from the upstream side of the recording material guide surface at the base end side of the recording material guide surface on the left and right sides of the frontage portion. A recording material separating apparatus, wherein the recording material separating apparatus is formed so as to gradually become lower. In any one of Claims 2-5, the said inclination part is equipped with the guide direction correction part in the downstream of the conveyance direction,
The recording material separating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide direction correcting unit is provided so as to correct the guide direction of the recording material changed by the inclined portion in a direction of a nip point.   The recording material separating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a convex curved surface is provided at a base portion of the frontage regulating member and is continuous with the recording material guide surface. A feeding section that holds and feeds the stacked recording materials; and
A recording unit for recording on a recording material fed from the feeding unit;
A recording apparatus comprising a discharge unit for discharging a recording material from the recording unit,
The feeding unit is
A recording apparatus comprising the recording material separating apparatus according to claim 1.

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