JP2010149998A - Feeding unit and device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a feeding unit feeding recording material by separating them one by one. <P>SOLUTION: This feeding unit 20 includes: a tray 21 housing a plurality of sheet-like recording materials 9 in a piled state; a first feed roller 31 arranged to be in contact with the lowest recording material 91 of the piled recording materials 90 at a position receiving the main weight of the recording materials 90 piled in the tray, to convey the lowest recording material 91 in the feeding direction X; a second feed roller 32 arranged to be in contact with the lowest recording material 91 on an end side of the piled recording materials 90 in the feeding direction X to convey the piled recording materials 91; and a separating wall 41, on which an end of the recording material 9 in the feeding direction abuts and which leads the lowest recording material 91 downward. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a supply unit and an apparatus for supplying a recording material such as printing paper to a recording mechanism such as a printing mechanism.

  In Patent Document 1, as a paper feeding device that feeds paper one by one from a paper tray of an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, or a facsimile, a paper feeding roller that rotates in the paper feeding direction, It is described that a friction separation roller type paper feeding device having a separation roller pressed against a paper roller and making a pair and a driving force applied in a direction opposite to the feeding direction via a torque limiter is well known. Yes. This Patent Document 1 discloses a paper tray mounted on a paper feed unit, and the paper in the paper tray is called by a call roller whose uppermost paper is driven to rotate by a drive source. The sheet is fed to the nip with the separation roller, and is conveyed one by one to the registration roller pair by the vertical conveyance device, and further conveyed to the transfer position of the image forming unit in time with the leading edge of the image formed on the photosensitive drum. The

Patent Document 2 discloses a document conveying device for separating one document from a plurality of documents placed in a stacked state on a paper feed tray unit and conveying the document in a first conveying direction. The two rotation drive rollers as the first rotation drive member (the suction roller on the upstream side of the conveyance and the separation roller on the downstream side) and the large-diameter reversing roller as the second rotation drive member are the upper surface of the pressing plate body In this case, there is disclosed one that is disposed at a substantially central portion in a direction orthogonal to the document transport direction (the width direction of the document).
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-2474 (paragraph numbers 0002 and 0021, FIG. 1) JP 2008-189476 (paragraph number 0044-46, FIG. 4)

  As shown in Patent Document 1, a paper feeding device that feeds paper one by one from a paper tray in which a large amount of paper is stored employs a system that picks up the top paper one by one. Therefore, in a system for handling a large amount of paper such as a copying machine or a printer, a form in which a paper feeding device is normally arranged on the lower side with respect to the printing mechanism and a paper tray is pulled back and forth to replenish paper.

  On the other hand, it is preferable that the original is small and easy to put in and out. For this reason, in the copying machine or the multifunction machine, a document conveying device is disposed on the printing mechanism. In the document conveying device, a method of picking up the uppermost paper one by one is adopted as in the paper feeding device, but there is also a method of feeding the lowermost document as in Patent Document 2.

  In a system in which a paper tray capable of storing a large amount of paper is arranged on the printing mechanism, it is convenient to replace the paper. However, since the direction of separating the paper does not match the direction of feeding the separated paper, it has not been realized because the paper supply route is complicated.

  One embodiment of the present invention is a supply unit having a storage body for storing a plurality of sheet-shaped recording materials in a stacked state. The supply unit further contacts the lowermost recording material of the stacked recording materials at a position where the main weight of the recording materials stacked in the storage body is received, and conveys the lowermost recording material in the paper feeding direction. A first feed roller disposed on the side of the recording material and in contact with the lowest recording material at the end in the paper feeding direction of the stacked recording materials, and the lowermost recording material is fed at a speed equal to or lower than the feeding speed of the first feed roller. The second feed roller arranged to be conveyed in the paper direction and the end in the paper feeding direction of the plurality of recording materials at least the lowest layer of the stacked recording materials come into contact with each other, and the lowermost recording material is guided downward. And a separating wall body inclined in this manner.

  In this supply unit, the main weight of the recording material stacked thereon is received by the first feed roller. Therefore, even if a large amount of recording materials are stacked, the lowest recording material can be conveyed by the first feed roller. Further, since the second feed roller is positioned on the end side in the sheet feeding direction of the stacked recording materials, the lowest recording material conveyed by the first feed roller can be output from the sheet feeding unit to the end. The second feed roller supports the end side of the stacked recording materials. The stacked recording material is curved so as to protrude downward due to its own weight between the first feed roller and the second feed roller, but is conveyed by the first feed roller and the second feed roller. By doing so, the lowermost recording material can be conveyed separately from the recording material on it. Further, the lowermost recording material can be efficiently separated by the separation wall, and the recording materials can be supplied to the lower side one by one with high reliability.

  The position where the end of the lowermost recording material in the sheet feeding direction hits the separation wall body, that is, the distance between the separation position of the separation wall body and the first feed roller is the length of the stacked recording materials in the sheet feeding direction. That is, it is desirable that it is in the range of ¼ to ¾ times the recording material feed length. More preferably, the distance between the separation position and the first feed roller is in the range of 1/3 to 2/3 times the paper feed length of the recording material. By disposing the first feed roller in the above range, the main load of the recording material stacked by the first feed roller can be received. The first feed roller is in the vicinity of the center of gravity of the stacked recording materials, that is, the interval between the separation position and the first feed roller is within an appropriate range around 1/2 of the recording material feed length. It is desirable to be.

  If the position of the first feed roller is rearward from the vicinity of the center of gravity and too far from the separation position, the distance from the first and second feed rollers may be too large, or the recording material may be too curved to support the recording material. Or it cannot feed smoothly. On the other hand, if the position of the first feed roller is too forward and too close to the separation position, the distance from the first and second feed rollers is too short to support the main load of the recording material with the feed roller, and smooth May not be able to feed. It is useful that the stacked recording materials are supported at least between the first feed roller and the second feed roller by the first feed roller and the second feed roller.

  In addition, it is desirable to provide a pressing member for pressing the end side in the sheet feeding direction of the uppermost recording material of the stacked recording materials. By applying pressure from above to the end of the stacked recording material and pressing it against the second feed roller, the driving force of the second feed roller can be secured when the number of stacked recording materials decreases.

  After supplying driving force to the first feed roller and driving to transport the bottom recording material in the paper feeding direction, the end of the bottom recording material in the non-feeding direction passes through the first feed roller. It is desirable to have a drive unit that stops the drive force to the first feed roller before or immediately after. It is possible to prevent the next paper from being fed and partially overlapped with the previous paper (multiple feeding). Before or immediately after the end of the bottom recording material in the direction opposite to the feed direction passes through the first feed roller, the load of the paper sensor and the first feed roller installed at appropriate places momentarily increases. Or when the movement of the recording material in contact with the first feed roller stops instantaneously.

  Another aspect of the present invention is an apparatus having the above-described supply unit, a printing mechanism disposed below the supply unit, and a supply path for guiding the recording material from the supply unit to the printing mechanism, for example, It is a printer.

  One of the different aspects of the present invention is a supply device (multi-tray) having a plurality of the above-mentioned supply units. The plurality of supply units can be stacked one above the other. It is desirable to provide a recording material guide for stacking a plurality of supply units so that the respective separation wall bodies are arranged vertically and to guide the recording material output from each separation wall body downward.

  Furthermore, one of the different aspects of the present invention is the above-described supply device (multi-tray), a printing mechanism disposed below the supply device, and a supply path for guiding the recording material from the supply device to the printing mechanism. It is an apparatus having. The apparatus provided with the multi-tray is suitable for an apparatus for printing on recording papers, envelopes, medicine bags and the like having different sizes.

  FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of one printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. The printer 1 includes a housing 2, a multi-tray 10 mounted on the housing 2, a single tray 3 inserted under the housing 2, and a printing mechanism 5 housed in the housing 2. . The printing mechanism 5 is, for example, an inkjet method, and may be another method such as a laser printer or a thermal printer. The printer 1 includes a supply path 6 for guiding the recording material output downward from the multi-tray 10 mounted on the housing 2 to the printing mechanism 5. The multi-tray 10 is a supply device that can store several sizes of medicine bags 9 as recording materials, and a medicine bag 9 of a desired size is supplied from the multi-tray 10 to the printing mechanism 5 via the supply path 6. In the printer 1, prescriptions and / or precautions are printed on the medicine bag 9 supplied from the multi-tray 10 and output to the discharge tray 4 in front of the housing 2. By switching the supply path 6, the printer 1 can supply the printing paper 8 in the single tray 3 inserted below the housing 2 to the printing mechanism 5 for printing. The multi-tray 10 is not limited to the medicine bag 9 and can store sheet-like recording materials such as printing paper 8 of various sizes. Hereinafter, these sheet-like print objects are referred to as recording materials 9.

  FIG. 2 shows the appearance of the multi-tray 10. The multi-tray 10 is detachable from the housing 2, and is used for guiding three supply units 20 stacked one above the other and the recording material 9 output from each supply unit 20 to a supply path 6 connected to the printing mechanism 5. And a guide (recording material guide) 11. In the vicinity of the lower end of the output path 12 formed in the guide 11, a sensor (paper sensor) 15 for detecting that the front end of the recording material 9 passes is disposed.

  FIG. 3 shows one appearance of the supply unit 20. FIG. 4 is a developed view showing a state where the cover 29, the pressing member 50, and the drive mechanism 60 are removed from the storage body 21 of the supply unit 20. FIG. 5 is a developed view showing a state where the first feed roller 31, the second feed roller 32, and the separation wall body 40 are removed from the storage body 21. FIG. Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows a schematic configuration of the supply unit 20 in a sectional view.

  The storage body (tray) 21 includes a bottom wall 22 and both side walls 23a and 23b, is long in the paper feeding direction X, and has a plurality of sheets, for example, A4 size rectangular recording materials 9 stacked therein It can be stored in. Hereinafter, the recording material 90 represents a bundle of recording materials 9 in a stacked state, the recording material 91 represents the lowermost recording material 9, and the recording material 99 represents the uppermost recording material 9.

  A separation wall body 40 is attached to the end of the tray 21 in the paper feeding direction X. A substantially lower half of the horizontally long separation wall body 40 is inclined toward the front (the positive direction of the paper feeding direction X, the right side in the drawing) and opened toward the lower side which is the supply direction of the recording material 9. Is formed. Depending on conditions such as the rigidity of the recording material 9, it is desirable that the separation wall 41 be inclined about 15 to 25 degrees with respect to the direction perpendicular to the bottom wall (bottom surface) 22 of the tray 21. Typically, it is desirable that the separation wall 41 be inclined about 20 degrees with respect to a direction perpendicular to the bottom wall (bottom surface) 22. The ends 9a in the sheet feeding direction X of the plurality of recording materials 9 in the lowermost layer 92 stored in the tray 21 hit the separation wall 41, and the lowermost recording material 91 is separated. The bottom wall 22 and the separation wall 41 of the tray 21 are separated from each other. Is output to an output path 12 formed in the guide 11 from an output port (supply port) 49 between them.

  A first feed roller 31 and a second feed roller 32 are disposed on the bottom wall 22 of the tray 21. The first feed roller 31 is disposed at a position to receive the main weight of the stacked recording materials 90 at the approximate center in the paper feeding direction X of the tray 21. The first feed roller 31 contacts the lowermost recording material 91 of the stacked recording materials 90 and conveys the lowermost recording material 91 in the paper feeding direction X. The first feed roller 31 includes a shaft 31s and a plurality of rubber roller portions 31g driven by the shaft 31s.

  The second feed roller 32 is disposed so as to be in contact with the lowermost recording material 91 on the end side 90 s in the sheet feeding direction X of the stacked recording materials 90. The second feed roller 32 conveys the lowermost recording material 91 in the paper feed direction X at a speed equal to or lower than the paper feed speed V1 of the first feed roller 31, that is, at the same speed or slightly lower speed. The second feed roller 32 also includes a shaft 32s and a plurality of rubber roller portions 32g driven by the shaft 32s.

  The first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 are driven by a drive mechanism 60 mounted on the side wall 23b. The drive mechanism 60 is covered with a cover 69 in the state of the multi-tray 10. The drive mechanism 60 includes a motor 61, and a train wheel 63 that connects the motor 61 to the shaft 31 s of the first feed roller 31 and the shaft 32 s of the second feed roller 32. The train wheel 63 transmits the power of the motor 61 so that the transport speed (paper feed speed) V2 of the second feed roller 32 is the same as or slightly lower than the transport speed (paper feed speed) V1 of the first feed roller 31. And a switching mechanism 65 that can cut the transmission power from the motor 61 to the first feed roller 31 at an appropriate timing. The switching mechanism 65 can use a known configuration such as a planetary gear.

  The drive mechanism 60 further includes a speed sensor 66 for detecting the rotational speed of the first feed roller 31. In the drive mechanism 60, the rotational speed of the first feed roller 31 is instantaneously reduced by the speed sensor 66 by mechanical or electrical control, or the leading end 9 a of the recording material 9 is output to the output path by the paper sensor 15. When the predetermined position 12 is reached, the supply of power to the first feed roller 31 is stopped. Therefore, after the first feed roller 31 transports the lowermost recording material 91 in the paper feeding direction X, the end 9 b of the lowermost recording material 91 in the counter-feeding direction passes through the first feed roller 31. Or the rotation stops immediately after. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the next recording material 9 from being conveyed by the first feed roller 31 while the lowermost recording material 91 is being conveyed by the second feed roller 32.

  The first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 are fixed to the bottom wall 22 of the tray 21 by bearings 35, respectively. The bearing 35 is inclined in the direction in which the recording material 9 is inserted into the tray 21, that is, in the rear (X minus direction) of the tray 21. For this reason, the bearing 35 is a paper that smoothly stacks the recording material 9 or the bundle 90 on the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 when the recording material 9 or the bundle 90 is placed in the tray 21. It has a function as a guide.

  The pressing member 50 employed in the supply unit 10 is a weight type member that is placed on the uppermost recording material 99 of the stacked recording materials (bundles of recording materials) 90. The pressing member 50 includes a hook-like portion 51 extending rearward and a portion 52 that becomes a flat weight, and the weight portion 52 is the end side (front side) of the bundle 90 of recording materials in the sheet feeding direction X, That is, the recording material bundle 90 is pressed from above by riding on the area above the first feed roller 31 with the second feed roller 32 as the center. A trapezoidal opening 24 that protrudes downward and slopes rearward is provided on the end side in the sheet feeding direction X of both side walls 23a and 23b of the tray 21, and protruding portions 55 on both sides of the pressing member 50 are opened. 24. For this reason, when holding the hook-shaped portion 51 of the pressing member 50 and pulling it backward, the pressing member 50 moves upward along the opening 24 and the space between the pressing member 50 and the bottom wall 22 of the tray 21 opens. The recording material bundle 90 can be inserted from the rear, and the recording material 9 can be supplied to the tray 21. Thereafter, when the pressing member 50 is opened, the portion 52 that becomes the weight of the pressing member 50 moves forward along the opening 24, and the front portion of the bundle 90 of recording materials can be pressed from above by the portion 52 that becomes the weight. .

  FIG. 7 shows a state in which the recording material 9 is separated and supplied to the lower side one by one in the supply unit 20. In the supply unit 20, the main weight of the recording material 90 stacked thereon is received by the first feed roller 31. Therefore, even if the stacked recording material 90 is a large amount, at least the lowest recording material 91 can be conveyed by the first feed roller 31. For example, if the recording material 9 is a recording sheet, several tens to 100 recording sheets or more can be stored in the tray 21 and supplied one by one.

  Further, the second feed roller 32 supports the end side (front side) 9a in the sheet feeding direction X of the stacked recording materials 90, and conveys the lowermost recording material 91. Therefore, the lowermost recording material 91 conveyed by the first feed roller 31 can be output from the supply unit (paper feed unit) 20 to the end (up to the rear end).

  The distance L2 between the second feed roller 32 and the position where the bottom end of the recording material 91 hits the separation wall 41 of the separation wall body 40, that is, the separation position 45 of the separation wall body 40 is 5 mm. About 35 mm is preferable, about 10-30 mm is more preferable, about 15-25 mm is still more preferable, and in this example, it is about 20 mm. Further, the angle θ of the separation wall 41 (the angle with respect to the vertical line of the bottom surface 22 of the tray 21) θ is preferably about 15 to 25 degrees, and is set to 20 degrees in this example. The optimum value of the angle θ of the separation wall 41 and the distance L2 from the separation wall 41 to the second feed roller 32 is the rigidity or flexibility of the recording material 9, for example, the stiffness of the paper if the recording material 9 is paper. May vary depending on strength. However, the above combination is useful for general recording paper or envelopes.

  In the supply unit 20, the stacked recording material bundle 90 supported and supported by the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 is between the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32. It curves so as to protrude downward due to its own weight (by gravity). However, by conveying the recording material 90 stacked on top by the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32, only the lowermost recording material 91 can be conveyed. That is, with the second feed roller 32 alone, the lowermost recording material 91 cannot be pulled out by the frictional force between the recording materials. Further, when the second feed roller 32 is pulled alone, tension is applied to the lowermost recording material 91 so that the recording material in the lowermost layer 92 and the lowermost recording material 91 are in close contact with each other. Increasingly, it becomes increasingly difficult to transport the lowest recording material 91.

  On the other hand, by driving the first feed roller 31 to which the load of the recording material bundle 90 is applied, it is possible to prevent tension from being applied to the lowermost recording material 91, and the lowermost recording material 91 is moved downward. The paper can be fed in the paper feeding direction X in a convex state. Further, when the second feed roller 32 is in a state where the lowermost recording material 91 cannot be conveyed, the lowermost recording material 91 is further bent downward (curved) and separated from the upper recording material 9. As a result, the frictional force with the recording material 9 on the recording material 9 is reduced, and the second feed roller 32 can easily convey the lowermost recording material 91. For this reason, the conveying force of the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 is efficiently transmitted to the lowermost recording material 9 by the contact between the rollers 31 and 32 and the recording material 9. It becomes difficult to be transmitted to the upper recording material 9. Therefore, the conveying force applied to the recording material 9 above the conveying force applied to the lowermost recording material 91 can be reduced, and the lowermost recording material 91 can be efficiently separated by the separation wall 41. For this reason, in the supply unit 20, the recording material 9 can be supplied to the lower side one by one with high reliability.

  In order to mainly receive the load of the recording material 90 by the first feed roller 31, the interval (distance) L <b> 1 between the separation position 45 of the separation wall 41 and the first feed roller 31 is the stacked recording material 90. The length in the paper feeding direction (paper feeding length) L0 is preferably in the range of 1/4 to 3/4 times. This distance L1 is more preferably in the range of 1/3 to 2/3 times the recording material feed length L0. The reason why the main load of the recording material 90 stacked by the first feed roller 31 can be most efficiently received is that the first feed roller 31 is disposed at or near the center of gravity of the stacked recording material 90. That is. That is, it is more desirable that the distance L1 between the separation position 45 and the first feed roller 31 is 1/2 of the recording material feed length L0 or in the vicinity thereof. However, it is preferable that the same supply unit 20 can be used for several types of recording materials 9, and it is desirable that a certain size of the recording material 9 can be set in the supply unit 20 both vertically and horizontally.

  In the supply unit 20 of this example, the interval L1 between the separation position 45 and the first feed roller 31 is set to 100 mm. If this distance is L1, L1 / L0 when the A4 plate (210 mm × 297 mm) is set vertically is 0.34, and L1 / L0 when it is set horizontally is 0.48. L1 / L0 when the A5 size (148 mm × 210 mm) is set vertically is 0.48, and L1 / L0 when it is set horizontally is 0.67. Accordingly, the recording material 9 of A4 size, B5 size (182 mm × 257 mm) and A5 size can be set vertically or horizontally.

  If the ratio L1 / L0 is larger than the above range, the position of the first feed roller 31 is moved backward from the vicinity of the center of gravity and is too far from the separation position 45. When the ratio L1 / L0 exceeds the above range, the distance L12 between the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 becomes too long. Accordingly, there is a possibility that the recording material 92 in the lowermost layer becomes too curved and the recording material bundle 90 cannot be supported by the rollers 31 and 32. For example, if the lowermost recording material 92 is curved and comes into contact with the bottom wall 22 of the tray 21, there is a possibility that friction with the bottom wall 22 occurs and the conveyance becomes impossible. Further, since the lowermost recording material 92 in contact with the bottom wall 22 is not separated in the vertical direction, the recording materials 9 cannot be separated one by one, and there is a possibility that the recording materials 9 are double fed.

  If the ratio L1 / L0 is smaller than the above range, the position of the first feed roller 31 is forward and too close to the separation position 45. If the ratio L1 / L0 is smaller than the above range, the distance L12 between the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 is too short, and the first feed roller 31 is in the front, so a bundle of recording materials. 90 main loads cannot be supported by the first feed roller 31, and the transport force of the first feed roller 31 may be insufficient.

  As described above, the supply unit 20 of the present example is bent downward between the two feed rollers 31 and 32 by supporting the stacked recording materials 90 with the two feed rollers 31 and 32 arranged in the front and rear. Even the recording material to be transferred can separate and transport the lowermost recording material 91. Further, by pressing the upper side of the bundle of recording materials 90 with the flat plate-like weight 52, when the remaining amount of the recording material 9 is small, the recording material 9 is pressed from above with the weight 52, so that the feed roller 31 and The conveyance force by 32 can be secured.

  It is preferable to make the conveyance speed V2 of the second feed roller 32 slower than the conveyance speed V1 of the first feed roller 31. Due to this speed difference, the plurality of lowermost recording materials 92 can be forcibly bent downwardly between the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 95. For this reason, it is easier to separate the lowermost recording material 92 vertically. It is desirable that the speed difference be such that the recording material 95 between the first feed roller 31 and the second feed roller 32 is not curved so as to contact the bottom wall 22 of the tray 21.

  As described above, the supply unit 20 can mount a large amount of recording material on the feed roller, and can separate and supply the recording material one by one. In addition, a plurality of supply units 20 having the same size or different sizes are stacked one above the other, the direction of the separation wall 41 is aligned, and the direction of the output port 49 is aligned. A multi-tray (feeding device) 10 in which the recording material 9 can be stored in advance can be provided. The supply unit 20 or the multi-tray 10 can be set on the housing 2 of the printer 1, and a new type printer 1 in which the multi-tray 10 is installed on the printing mechanism 5 can be provided.

  Since the printer 1 having the multi-tray 10 on the upper side can easily access the multi-tray 10, different types of recording materials 9 can be set on the multi-tray 10, or different types of recording materials 9 can be replaced with the multi-tray. Is easy. Therefore, this printer 1 is suitable for a printer that needs to print by replacing recording materials 9 of various sizes, for example, a printer that prints on a medicine bag, an envelope, or the like. Further, since it is possible to adopt a design in which the printing mechanism is down and the paper feeding tray is up, the recording paper can be replenished at a high position, and the labor of the worker can be reduced. Therefore, it is also suitable for a business printing apparatus that needs to handle a large amount of recording paper.

  A method of minimizing the floor area of the printer is a method of placing the paper feeding device under or on the printer. When placing on top, the paper must be fed from the bottom paper. This method is difficult to handle a large capacity due to the weight of the paper. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a large-capacity paper feeding device that feeds the lower paper. Note that when the trailing edge of the lowermost sheet passes through the first feed roller, the rotation of the first feed roller must be stopped. For this reason, as a detection method when the rear end of the paper passes through the first feed roller, the position of the front end of the paper is detected by a paper sensor such as a photodetector, and the paper near the first feed roller is detected. Although the movement is detected by the speed and load of the roller, the detection method is not limited to these. For example, it is possible to provide an optical sensor behind the first feed roller and detect whether the paper is moving by reflected light.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a printer equipped with a multi-tray. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of a multi-tray. The perspective view which shows the external appearance of one supply unit which comprises a multitray. The expanded view which shows the state which removed the cover, the pressing member, and the drive mechanism from the storage body (tray) of the supply unit. FIG. 4 is a development view showing a state in which a first feed roller, a second feed roller, and a separation wall are removed from a tray. Sectional drawing which shows schematic structure of a supply unit. Sectional drawing which shows a mode that a recording material is supplied.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Printer, 5 Printing mechanism 10 Supply apparatus (multi-tray)
20 Supply unit 31 First feed roller, 32 Second feed roller

Claims (9)

A storage body for storing a plurality of sheet-like recording materials in a stacked state; and
At a position where the main weight of the recording material stacked in the storage body is received, the recording material is arranged so as to be in contact with the lowest recording material of the stacked recording materials and to convey the lowermost recording material in the paper feeding direction. A first feed roller;
The stacked recording materials are in contact with the lowermost recording material on the end side in the paper feeding direction, and the lowermost recording material is conveyed in the paper feeding direction at a speed equal to or lower than the feeding speed of the first feed roller. A second feed roller arranged as follows:
A supply unit including a separation wall body that is inclined so that at least a plurality of recording materials in the lowermost layer of the stacked recording materials are in contact with an end in the paper feeding direction and guide the lowermost recording material downward;   2. The gap between the first feed roller and the position where the lowermost recording material hits the end of the lowermost recording material in the paper feeding direction according to claim 1. Supply unit in the range of 1/4 to 3/4 times the length.   3. The gap between the first feed roller and the position where the lowermost recording material hits the end of the lowermost recording material in the paper feeding direction according to claim 1 or 2. Supply unit in the range of 1/3 to 2/3 times the length in the direction.   4. The supply unit according to claim 1, wherein the first feed roller is disposed so as to be in contact with the vicinity of the center of gravity of the stacked recording materials.   5. The supply unit according to claim 1, further comprising a pressing member that pressurizes an end side in the paper feeding direction of the uppermost recording material of the stacked recording materials.   6. The driving device according to claim 1, wherein a driving force is supplied to the first feed roller to drive the lowermost recording material in the paper feeding direction. A supply unit having a drive unit that stops the drive force to the first feed roller immediately before or immediately after the end in the non-feed direction passes through the first feed roller. A supply unit according to any of claims 1 to 6,
A printing mechanism disposed below the supply unit;
An apparatus having a supply path for guiding a recording material from the supply unit to the printing mechanism. A supply device comprising a plurality of supply units according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The plurality of supply units are stacked one above the other so that the separation wall bodies of each of the plurality of supply units are arranged vertically.
Furthermore, a supply device having a recording material guide for guiding the recording material output from each of the separation wall bodies downward. A supply device according to claim 8;
A printing mechanism disposed below the supply device;
An apparatus having a supply path for guiding a recording material from the supply apparatus to the printing mechanism.

Images