JP2011063369A - Medium feed device and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medium feeder of taking into consideration a separation capacity when feeding a feeding object medium by a roller and an attitude of the feeding object medium in the feeding direction. <P>SOLUTION: Th medium feed device (10) includes a first roller (21) for feeding to the downstream side in the feeding direction by contacting with the uppermost feed object medium (P) in the layering direction Z among the placed feed object mediums (P), and a second roller (8) arranged at the upstream side in the feed direction more than the first roller (21), and is constituted so that the second roller (8) is arranged upward in the layering direction more than the uppermost feed object medium contacting with the first roller (21), and a predetermined interval D is secured between the second roller (8) and the uppermost feeding object medium (P) in a state of not feeding the uppermost feed object medium by the first roller in a state that the first roller contacts with the uppermost feed object medium. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a medium feeding device provided with a roller that comes in contact with the uppermost feeding medium in the stacking direction among the placed feeding media and feeds it to the downstream side in the feeding direction, and a recording apparatus equipped with the medium feeding device. .
In the present application, the recording apparatus includes types such as an ink jet printer, a wire dot printer, a laser printer, a line printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile.

  Conventionally, as shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a printer as a recording apparatus has a feeding device that feeds paper as a medium to be fed. Further, the feeding device includes a feeding roller and an edge guide. Among these, the feeding roller is provided so as to be able to contact the uppermost sheet in the stacking direction among the loaded sheets and feed it downstream in the feeding direction. Further, the edge guide is provided so as to be in contact with both side ends in the width direction of the loaded paper and to guide the paper in the feeding direction.

Here, the feeding device shown in Patent Document 1 further includes a driven roller that is in contact with the uppermost sheet on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the feeding roller and that is positively pressed downward in the stacking direction by an urging force. Therefore, the posture of the sheet with respect to the feeding direction can be stabilized.
On the other hand, the feeding device shown in Patent Document 2 is a pressing member that is in the vicinity of the edge guide and is in contact with the uppermost sheet on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the feeding roller and positively presses downward in the stacking direction by its own weight It was further equipped. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vicinity of the side edge on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the feeding roller in the paper from being curled and displaced so as to float upward in the stacking direction.

JP 2008-030927 A JP 2001-106361 A

  However, in the feeding device shown in Patent Document 1, the configuration is such that the driven roller separate from the feeding roller is in contact with the uppermost sheet and positively presses the sheet, so The frictional force between subsequent sheets increases. Therefore, when the feeding roller feeds the uppermost sheet to the downstream side in the feeding direction, there is a high possibility that so-called double feeding occurs in which the next and subsequent sheets are also fed to the downstream side in the feeding direction. That is, the paper separating ability by the feed roller is reduced.

Similarly, the feeding device shown in Patent Document 2 is configured to positively press the paper by contacting the uppermost paper by the pressing member different from the feeding roller, and thus there is a high possibility that double feeding will occur. Become. That is, the paper separating ability by the feed roller is reduced.
Further, as will be described later, it is not possible to cope with a case where the vicinity of the center of the sheet in the width direction is displaced so as to swell upward in the stacking direction due to the inclination of the sheet with respect to the feeding direction for some reason.

Here, the structure which does not provide the said follower roller and the said pressing member different from the said feed roller can be considered.
However, this configuration causes another problem. Hereinafter, another problem will be described.
FIGS. 14A to 14C are schematic views illustrating a feeding device having a configuration in which the driven roller and the pressing member different from the feeding roller are not provided.

Among these, FIG. 14A is a plan view. FIG. 14B is a view as seen from the upstream side in the feed direction. FIG. 14C is a side view.
The X axis indicates the paper width direction, the Y axis indicates the paper feed direction, and the Z axis indicates the paper stacking direction. Further, the arrow on the Y axis is from the upstream side to the downstream side in the feed direction, and the arrow on the Z axis is from the lower side to the upper side in the stacking direction.

As shown in FIG. 14A, the feeding device 110 includes a feeding roller 111, edge guides 112a and 112b, a placement portion 114 on which the paper 113 is placed, an arm portion 115 that holds the feeding roller 111, It has.
Here, the feeding device 110 has a configuration in which the driven roller and the pressing member different from the feeding roller 111 are not provided as described above. That is, the sheet 113 is pressed down in the stacking direction by only one point of the feed roller 111.

  Therefore, when the feeding roller 111 feeds the uppermost sheet 113 downstream in the feeding direction, there is a difference in the frictional force between the side edge of the sheet 113 and the edge guides 112a and 112b due to some cause such as left and right in the width direction. The posture of the sheet 113 may be inclined with respect to the feed direction Y. For example, as shown in FIG. 14A, it is assumed that the sheet 113 is tilted clockwise in the drawing.

In this case, the upstream side of the sheet 113 in the feeding direction with respect to the feeding roller 111 is pressed against the edge guide 112b on the left side in the width direction.
Then, as shown in FIGS. 14B and 14C, on the upstream side in the feed direction from the feed roller 111, the vicinity of the center of the sheet 113 in the width direction X is greatly bent so as to rise upward in the stacking direction (C1). ). That is, a part of the sheet 113 is displaced upward in the stacking direction by bending. Note that a thick one-dot chain line in FIG.

  Further, the upward displacement (C1) of a part of the sheet 113 increases as it goes upstream in the feeding direction. Furthermore, the deflection C <b> 1 is formed so that the range displaced upward becomes wider in the width direction X as it goes upstream in the feed direction. In this state, the posture of the sheet 113 is greatly inclined with respect to the feeding direction Y. Further, the rear end side of the sheet 113 is greatly bent. If the feed roller 111 is fed downstream in the feed direction in this state, the sheet 113 may be further tilted or the sheet 113 may be folded. In the worst case, a paper jam, which is a paper jam, occurs.

In the above example, the structure having the edge guides 112a and 112b has been described in order to make it easy to understand the upward displacement of a part of the sheet 113. However, even in the structure without the edge guide, the sheet An upward displacement in a part of can occur.
For example, it is assumed that the paper is formed by cutting the side edges of the paper, and the paper after cutting is placed in a bundle. In this case, even if there is no edge guide, the side edge of the uppermost sheet and the side edge of the next and subsequent sheets may stick together. In this case as well, when the posture of the sheet with respect to the feeding direction Y is inclined, there is a risk that the vicinity of the center of the sheet 113 in the width direction X rises upward in the stacking direction on the upstream side of the feeding roller 111 in the feeding direction. There is.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the problem is that the separation medium and the medium to be fed with respect to the feeding direction when feeding the uppermost medium among the mediums to be fed stacked by rollers. It is an object to provide a medium feeding device in consideration of the attitude of the recording medium and a recording apparatus including the medium feeding device.

  In order to achieve the above object, the medium feeding device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a first medium that contacts the uppermost medium to be fed in the stacking direction among the loaded mediums to be sent downstream in the feeding direction. A second roller provided upstream of the first roller in the feeding direction, and the second roller is provided above the uppermost feeding medium in contact with the first roller in the stacking direction. In the state where the first roller is in contact with the uppermost transported medium and the uppermost transported medium is not fed by the first roller, the second roller and the uppermost transported medium It is the structure which is provided with the predetermined space | interval between the to-be-delivered media.

  Here, the “predetermined interval” refers to an interval for preventing a part of the fed medium from being displaced upward in the stacking direction due to the deflection of the fed medium, and making it as small as possible. Is desirable. This is to keep the amount of displacement to a minimum. Needless to say, it is provided within a range that allows errors such as irregularities of the medium to be fed. This is because when the second roller and the uppermost medium to be fed come into contact with each other due to the unevenness, the separation ability described later becomes unstable.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the medium to be fed placed by the first roller is sent to the downstream side in the feeding direction, the placed medium to be sent may be inclined with respect to the feeding direction. . This is so-called skew. Then, as described above, bending occurs in the feeding medium on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the first roller.
For example, there may be a case where one side end of the uppermost transported medium and the side end of the subsequent transport medium on the same side as the one side end are adhered to each other. Then, when the posture of the uppermost medium to be fed is relatively inclined with respect to the posture of the medium to be fed subsequent to the first medium, the first medium in the medium to be fed is deflected upstream in the feed direction.

Further, a case is considered in which the configuration includes an edge guide that contacts a side edge in the width direction of the placed medium to be fed and guides the medium to be fed downstream in the feeding direction. In such a case, the side end of the medium to be fed and the edge guide may come into contact with each other, and there is a possibility that bending may occur on the upstream side of the first medium in the medium to be fed.
When the bending occurs, the second roller can hold down the bent portion of the medium to be fed that is further displaced upward in the stacking direction. That is, the second roller can prevent the bent portion of the medium to be fed from further bending and being displaced upward in the stacking direction. As a result, the medium to be fed can be prevented from further tilting with respect to the feeding direction. That is, it is possible to reduce the skew on the trailing edge side of the medium to be fed.

  Here, since the means for pressing is the second roller, the frictional resistance between the second roller and the uppermost medium to be fed can be reduced as compared with a configuration that is not a roller. Therefore, even when the portion displaced upward in the stacking direction in the medium to be fed is pressed, the so-called back tension, which is the resistance when the first roller feeds downstream in the feeding direction, can be made relatively small. .

  On the other hand, the medium to be fed does not tilt with respect to the feeding direction, and there is a case in which bending does not occur on the upstream side in the feeding direction with respect to the first roller in the medium to be fed. In such a case, the second roller is in a state of being separated from the uppermost medium to be fed. That is, the second roller does not exert an action of pressing against the uppermost transport medium. Therefore, the frictional resistance between the uppermost transport medium and the next transport medium does not change. As a result, when the first roller sends the uppermost transported medium to the downstream side in the feeding direction, there is no possibility that the separation ability for separating the uppermost transported medium from the next transported medium changes. . That is, the separation ability can be stabilized.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, when the position of the second roller in the width direction of the medium to be fed is viewed from the direction of feeding of the medium to be fed, at least a part of the second roller is It is provided in the range which overlaps with at least one part of a 1st roller, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effect as the first aspect, the second roller efficiently presses the portion displaced upward in the stacking direction in the medium to be fed by one second roller. be able to.

  Here, if the second roller is provided with a bias toward one side end with respect to the first roller in the width direction of the medium to be fed, the rear end side of the medium to be fed is the other side end side. It is conceivable to incline with respect to the feed direction so as to be biased to In such a case, bending occurs from the other side end side to the central portion in the width direction, and no bending occurs on the one side end side. Therefore, there is a possibility that the portion displaced upward in the stacking direction in the fed medium cannot be pressed.

  Therefore, in this aspect, the second roller is disposed in a range in which at least a part of the second roller overlaps at least a part of the first roller in the width direction when viewed from the feeding direction. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently suppress a portion that is always displaced upward in the stacking direction when the fed medium is bent. This is particularly effective when only one second roller is disposed in the width direction of the medium to be fed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, a first moving means for moving the first roller toward and away from the placed medium to be sent and the placed medium to be sent And a second moving means for moving the second roller toward and away from the second roller. The contact and separation of the second roller by the second moving means is performed by contacting the first roller by the first moving means. It is characterized by being configured to synchronize with the separated movement.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effects as those in the first or second aspect, it is possible to cope with a change in the number of sheets to be fed. Specifically, the first roller and the second roller can be moved downward in the stacking direction as the number of fed media decreases. At this time, a predetermined distance between the second roller and the uppermost medium to be fed can be maintained. In particular, it is effective in the case of a configuration in which the first roller moves toward and away from the placed medium to be fed.
The predetermined interval does not need to be constant. When the number of transported media changes, the interval may change somewhat. It is because the same effect can be obtained also in such a case.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the first moving means includes a first roller on a free end side and swings about a base end side first swing shaft as a fulcrum. An arm member, and one end side of the second moving unit is in contact with the base portion of the medium feeding device, the other end side includes the second roller, and is positioned between the other end side and the one end side. The second swing shaft is configured to include a swinging second arm member provided between the base end and the free end of the first arm member.
According to the 4th aspect of this invention, in addition to the effect similar to a 3rd aspect, the contact / separation movement of the said 1st roller and the contact / separation movement of the said 2nd roller can be easily synchronized. .

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the medium to be fed is brought into contact with both side ends in the width direction of the loaded medium to guide the medium to be fed downstream in the feeding direction. A pair of edge guides is further provided, and the position of the first roller in the width direction is provided biased toward one edge guide side of the pair of edge guides with respect to the center between the pair of edge guides. The position of the second roller in the width direction is configured to be provided on the side where the first roller is biased with respect to the center between the pair of edge guides. It is characterized by.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same function and effect as in any one of the first to fourth aspects, the position of the first roller in the width direction is the center between the pair of edge guides. On the other hand, it is biased toward one of the pair of edge guides. In such a case, when the uppermost transported medium is fed by the first roller, the posture of the uppermost transported medium may be inclined with respect to the feed direction, and the feed medium is upstream of the first roller in the feed direction. The side tends to bend. Therefore, in the case of the configuration of this aspect, the second roller is particularly effective.

A recording apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention includes a medium feeding unit that sends a recording medium downstream in the feeding direction, a recording unit that records the recording medium sent by the medium feeding unit by a recording head, The medium feeding means comprises the medium feeding device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, and the recording medium is the medium to be fed. And
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the medium feeding means includes the medium feeding device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects. Therefore, in the recording apparatus, it is possible to obtain the same function and effect as in any one of the first to fifth aspects.

FIG. 4 is a side view illustrating an operation during pickup in the printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a side view showing an operation during bank separation in the printer according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a side view showing an operation of retard separation inside the printer according to the invention. FIG. 6 is a side view showing an operation after retard separation in the printer according to the invention. FIG. 6 is a side view showing an operation after retard separation in the printer according to the invention. The side view which shows the normal rotation operation | movement after the skew removal which concerns on this invention. The bottom view which shows the 1st arm part and 2nd arm part of the feeding part which concern on this invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view illustrating a case where there are a large number of sheets in a feeding unit according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view showing a case where the number of sheets in the feeding unit according to the present invention is small. (A)-(C) is a figure which shows the state which is pressing down the paper which the 2nd driven roller of this invention bent. FIG. 6 is a schematic side view showing a second arm part according to another embodiment 1; The schematic side view which shows the 2nd arm part which concerns on other Embodiment 2. FIG. The schematic side view which shows the 2nd arm part which concerns on other Embodiment 3. FIG. FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams illustrating the deflection of a sheet on the upstream side in the feeding direction from a pickup roller, which is an object of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an operation at the time of pickup in an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 1 as an example of a “recording apparatus” or a “liquid ejecting apparatus”.
Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus refers to an ink jet recording apparatus, a copying machine, a facsimile, or the like that performs recording on a recording material by ejecting ink from a recording head as a liquid ejecting head to a recording material such as recording paper. In addition to the recording apparatus, instead of ink, a liquid corresponding to a specific application is ejected from the liquid ejecting head corresponding to the recording head to the ejected material corresponding to the recording material, and the liquid is ejected to the ejected material. Used to include the device to be attached.

  Further, as the liquid ejecting head, in addition to the recording head described above, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, an electrode material used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display or a surface emitting display (FED). (Conductive paste) A jet head, a bio-organic matter jet head used for biochip manufacturing, a sample jet head for jetting a sample as a precision pipette, and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 includes a feeding unit 3 as a feeding device that feeds paper P, a recording unit 80, and a discharge unit (not shown). Among these, the feeding unit 3 includes a feeding unit 10 and a conveying unit 70. The feeding unit 10 includes a pickup unit 20, a preliminary separation unit 30, and a main separation unit 40. The pickup unit 20 is provided so that the paper P placed on the cassette unit 14 can be picked up and sent downstream in the feed direction.

  Specifically, a pickup roller 21 that is driven by the power of a first motor 91 that is an example of a drive source, and a first moving unit 24 that holds the pickup roller 21 and swings around a first arm shaft 23 as a fulcrum. 1 arm portion 22. And it is comprised so that the urging | biasing force to the direction in which the pick-up roller 21 approaches the paper P may be generate | occur | produced by the 1st torsion coil spring 25 (refer FIG. 7) which is an example of an urging | biasing means.

  For example, the first torsion coil spring 25 (see FIG. 7) is attached so as to be bound around the rotating shaft 23a (FIG. 7) that rotates when the power of the third motor 93 is transmitted to the pickup roller 21. Further, the first torsion coil spring 25 and the first arm portion 22 are engaged. Then, by rotating the rotation shaft 23 a, the first arm portion 22 can be swung by generating a frictional force between the rotation shaft 23 a and the first torsion coil spring 25. At this time, the first arm portion 22 can be swung by the static frictional force between the rotating shaft 23 a and the first torsion coil spring 25.

Then, after the pickup roller 21 comes into contact with the paper P, the pickup roller 21 generates a force that urges the paper P downward in the stacking direction by a dynamic frictional force between the rotating shaft 23a and the first torsion coil spring 25. it can.
In such a case, the third motor 93 can be driven in the reverse direction to move away from the paper P on which the pickup roller 21 is placed. This is a so-called pickup release operation.

The first torsion coil spring 25 may be configured to generate a force by which the pickup roller 21 urges the paper P downward in the stacking direction via the first arm portion. Specifically, the biasing force is obtained by engaging the arm portion on one end side of the first torsion coil spring 25 with the base portion 2 and engaging the arm portion on the other end side with the first arm portion 22. Can be generated.
In this case, the power of the third motor 93 is transmitted, and the first arm portion 22 is swung by pick-up retracting means (not shown) so that the pick-up roller 21 can move away from the paper P on which it is placed. Provide.

Further, the power of the first motor 91 is configured to be transmitted to a shaft that rotates integrally with the pickup roller 21 via a rotating shaft 23a and a gear wheel train 27 that constitute the first arm shaft 23 (see FIG. 7).
Furthermore, a sub-roller 21a (see FIG. 7) that rotates integrally with the pickup roller 21 is provided coaxially with the pickup roller 21. This is provided to stably feed a relatively small or large sheet in the width direction to the downstream side in the feed direction.

  Further, a plurality of first driven rollers 26, 26,... Are provided in the width direction X on the downstream side in the feed direction from the pickup roller 21 on the free end side in the first arm portion 22 (see FIG. 7). The first driven rollers 26, 26,... Are provided so as to reduce the difference in the posture of the paper P on the left and right in the width direction when the paper P enters a pre-separation unit 30 described later. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the path difference between the leading ends of the paper P on the left and right sides in the width direction. As a result, the inclination of the paper P with respect to the feeding direction Y of the paper P can be reduced.

  In addition, the feeding unit 10 includes an upper displacement reduction means 5 that reduces the amount by which the paper P is displaced upward in the stacking direction upstream of the pickup roller 21 in the feeding direction. The upper displacement reduction means 5 has a second arm portion 7 and a second driven roller 8 as will be described in detail later. A second driven roller 8 is rotatably held on the first end side (7a) which is one end side of the second arm portion 7 (see FIGS. 8 and 9). On the other hand, the second end portion 7 b, which is the other end side of the second arm portion 7, is provided so as to always contact the base body portion 2. In addition, the second arm shaft 9 that is the pivot point of the second arm portion 7 is engaged with the first arm portion 22.

  Furthermore, a predetermined interval D is provided between the uppermost sheet P placed and the second driven roller 8. This is because when the pickup roller 21 feeds the uppermost sheet P1 to the downstream side in the feeding direction, it does not adversely affect the frictional resistance between the uppermost sheet P1 and the subsequent sheet P2. . Further, as described above, the sheet placed as described above may be inclined with respect to the feeding direction Y.

  At this time, the sheet P is pressed against at least one of the first edge guide 17 and the second edge guide 18 that come into contact with and guide both side edges of the sheet P. As a result, the upstream side in the feed direction of the paper P may be bent from the pickup roller 21. At this time, the amount of displacement of the paper P in the stacking direction can be reduced by making contact with the bent portion of the paper P and pressing it, compared to a configuration in which the paper P is not pressed.

Further, the preliminary separation unit 30 includes a bank separation unit 31 that performs so-called bank separation. The operation will be described later.
Furthermore, the main separation unit 40 is provided on the downstream side in the feed direction of the preliminary separation unit 30. The separation unit 40 includes a so-called retard roller 41 that is rotated by a predetermined load. The retard roller 41 is provided so as to make a pair with the intermediate drive roller 50 driven by the power of the first motor 91. The retard roller 41 is provided to be movable toward and away from the intermediate drive roller 50 by the swing mechanism 43. Specifically, the swing mechanism 43 is configured to hold the retard roller 41 by a retard holder (not shown) and swing around a swing shaft (not shown).

  One end of the urging spring (not shown) is engaged with the base portion 2, and the other end is engaged with the free end side of the retard holder (not shown). Therefore, the retard roller 41 can be urged toward the intermediate drive roller 50. The swing mechanism 43 is a cam portion 45 that is driven by the power of the second motor 92 as means for moving the retard roller 41 away from the intermediate drive roller 50 against the biasing force of a biasing spring (not shown). have. The cam portion 45 is engaged with a convex portion (not shown) of a retard holder (not shown) to form a groove cam mechanism, and the retard roller 41 is moved with respect to the intermediate drive roller 50 via the retard holder (not shown). It is provided so that it can be moved apart.

Further, a first assist roller 48 that is driven to rotate is provided between the bank separation unit 31 and the retard roller 41. The first assist roller 48 is provided so that the leading edge of the paper P that has passed through the bank separation unit 31 can be smoothly guided to the nip point N between the retard roller 41 and the intermediate drive roller 50.
Furthermore, on the downstream side in the feed direction from the nip point N between the retard roller 41 and the intermediate drive roller 50, paper front end regulating ribs 60, 60 described later are provided.

Further, on the downstream side in the feed direction, a second assist roller 51 that is rotatably held by the base portion 2 and circumscribes the intermediate drive roller 50 is provided. The second assist roller 51 is configured to form a feed roller pair 96 together with the intermediate drive roller 50. Further, a third assist roller 52 is rotatably provided on the downstream side in the feed direction.
Here, the feeding path of the paper P is formed in a U-shaped side view from the pickup unit 20 to the conveyance unit 70. Specifically, a U-shaped outer sheet guide unit 11 that guides the sheet P from the outside of the U-shape, an inner sheet guide unit 12 that guides the sheet P from the inside, a bank separation unit 31, and an entrainment prevention unit 13 that will be described later. A U-shaped feed path is configured by.

Accordingly, the first assist roller 48 to the third assist roller 52 can reduce the frictional resistance generated between the paper P and the U-shaped outer paper guide portion 11 of the base portion 2. Accordingly, it is possible to smoothly feed the paper P to the transport unit 70 on the downstream side in the feeding direction.
A plurality of intermediate drive rollers 50 and second assist rollers 51 constituting the feed roller pair 96 are provided in the width direction X. This is because a sufficient feeding force is applied to the paper in the side-view U-shaped path, and the paper P is reliably sent downstream in the feeding direction.

  The transport unit 70 includes a transport roller pair 71 that transports the paper P. The transport roller pair 71 includes a transport drive roller 72 that is driven by the power of the fourth motor 94 and a transport driven roller 73 that is driven to rotate. Among these, the conveyance driven roller 73 is rotatably held by a driven roller holder 74.

  Further, the driven roller holder 74 presses the transport driven roller 73 against the transport driving roller 72 by an urging means (not shown).

  Furthermore, in the feeding direction Y, a detector 75 that detects the presence or absence of the paper P is provided in the vicinity of the upstream side of the transport roller pair 71. Specifically, the detector 75 includes a swingable paper detection lever 77 and a sensor unit 76. Then, one end of the paper detection lever 77 is swung by coming into contact with the paper P, and the other end of the paper detection lever 77 is separated from a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit (not shown) of the sensor unit 76 to be turned on. It is comprised so that it may become.

Further, the transport unit 70 is provided so that the paper P can be transported to the recording unit 80 provided on the downstream side in the feed direction.
The recording unit 80 further includes a recording head 82 that performs recording by ejecting ink onto the paper P, and a medium support unit 81 that faces the recording head 82 and supports the paper P from below.
Thereafter, the recorded paper P is discharged to a discharge tray (not shown) on the front surface of the printer 1 by a discharge roller of a discharge unit (not shown).

Next, a more detailed paper feeding operation will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, when picking up the uppermost sheet P <b> 1 with respect to the pickup roller 21 placed on the cassette unit 14, the control unit 90 swings the first arm unit 22 to move the pickup roller 21 to the uppermost position. In contact with the paper P1. Then, by driving the third motor 93, the pickup roller 21 is rotated clockwise in the figure.

  At this time, the pickup roller 21 is urged in a direction approaching the paper P by an urging means (not shown). Accordingly, a frictional force is generated between the pickup roller 21 and the uppermost sheet P1, and a feeding force that is a force fed downstream in the feeding direction can be generated. Then, the uppermost sheet P1 starts to move downstream in the feeding direction by the feeding force. That is, it is picked up and sent downstream.

Note that the friction coefficient μ1 between the pickup roller 21 and the uppermost sheet P1, the friction coefficient μ2 between the sheet P and the sheet P, and the pad portion 15 provided at a position facing the pickup roller 21 on the base unit side. When the friction coefficient μ3 between the paper and the paper P is set, the relationship of friction coefficient μ1> friction coefficient μ3> friction coefficient μ2 is established. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the so-called double feed risk in which several sheets of paper P are fed in an overlapping manner.
Further, when picked up, the retard roller 41 is close to the intermediate drive roller 50.
Furthermore, as described above, the second driven roller 8 is separated from the uppermost sheet P. Therefore, there is no possibility that the second driven roller 8 generates the double feed.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing the operation at the time of bank separation inside the printer according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 2, the paper P picked up by the pickup roller 21 is sent downstream in the feed direction. Then, the fed paper P enters the bank separation unit 31 as the preliminary separation unit 30.

Here, the feeding force is also applied to the succeeding and subsequent sheets P2 by the friction coefficient μ2 between the uppermost sheet P1 and the succeeding and subsequent sheets P2 with respect to the pickup roller 21 and the urging force that urges the pickup roller 21. May occur.
In such a case, not only the uppermost sheet P1 but also the subsequent sheet P2 is fed to the downstream side in the feeding direction by the pickup roller 21.

  Therefore, in order to separate the second and subsequent sheets P2 that have been multi-fed from the uppermost sheet P1, the sheet P is caused to enter the bank separation unit 31 provided at an angle at which the posture of the leading end of the sheet P is displaced. Then, by applying the leading edge of the paper P to the bank separation unit 31, a trigger for stopping the subsequent paper P <b> 2 is created. Furthermore, a gap can be provided between the uppermost sheet P1 and the subsequent sheet P2. Therefore, the next and subsequent sheets P2 that are double-fed can be separated from the uppermost sheet P1.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing the operation of retard separation inside the printer according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 3, the paper P separated by the bank separation unit 31 is further fed downstream in the feeding direction by the pickup roller 21. Then, the paper P is sent to a nip point N where the retard roller 41 which is the main separation unit 40 and the intermediate drive roller 50 are circumscribed.
In the present embodiment, since the preliminary separation unit 30 is merely a preliminary separation unit, it is assumed that several sheets P may be double-fed to the main separation unit 40. Hereinafter, description will be made on the assumption that several sheets of paper P are double-fed.

When the multi-feed paper P is sent to the nip point N, only the uppermost paper P 1 is in direct contact with the intermediate drive roller 50 with respect to the intermediate drive roller 50. Further, the leading edge of the paper P2 after the next is in contact with the retard roller 41 with a predetermined load for rotation.
Here, the friction coefficient μ4 between the intermediate drive roller 50 and the uppermost sheet P1, the friction coefficient μ2 between the sheet P and the sheet P, and the friction coefficient μ5 between the retard roller 41 and the sheet P are set. , Friction coefficient μ4> friction coefficient μ2, and friction coefficient μ5> friction coefficient μ2.

Accordingly, the feeding force acting on the uppermost sheet P1 can be made larger than the feeding force acting on the subsequent sheet P2.
Here, the load of the retard roller 41 is configured to be larger than the feeding force acting on the succeeding and subsequent sheets P2.
Accordingly, by rotating the intermediate drive roller 50 in the clockwise direction in the drawing, only the uppermost sheet P1 can be sent downstream in the feed direction.

  More specifically, the leading edge of the succeeding sheet P2 is held at the nip point N by the load of the retard roller 41, and slip occurs between the uppermost sheet P1 and the next sheet P2. Can do. Accordingly, the uppermost sheet P1 can be separated from the subsequent sheet P2 and sent downstream in the feed direction. The leading end of the uppermost sheet P1 passes through the second assist roller 51 and reaches the third assist roller 52 while being guided by the U-shaped outer sheet guide unit 11 and the inner sheet guide unit 12.

FIG. 4 is a side view showing the operation after the retard separation in the printer according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 4, when the uppermost sheet P1 is further fed to the downstream side in the feeding direction with respect to the intermediate driving roller 50, the leading end of the uppermost sheet P1 is detected by the detector 75. Specifically, the leading end of the uppermost sheet P1 comes into contact with one end of the sheet detection lever 77, and the sheet detection lever 77 is swung. At this time, the other end of the paper detection lever 77 is disengaged from between the light emitting unit and the light receiving unit of the sensor unit 76, so that the detector 75 is turned on.

Using this as a trigger, the control unit 90 moves the retard roller 41 away from the intermediate drive roller 50. Specifically, the cam portion 45 is rotated by the second motor 92 and the retard holder (not shown) is retracted from the intermediate drive roller 50 against the biasing force of the biasing spring (not shown). Swing in the direction.
Further, the control unit 90 drives the third motor 93 to swing the first arm unit 22 around the first arm shaft 23 in the direction in which the pickup roller 21 retracts from the paper P placed on the cassette unit 14. Let
The timing for starting the separation movement of the retard roller 41 may be when the intermediate drive roller 50 and the pickup roller 21 reach a predetermined rotation amount.

When the retard roller 41 moves away, the uppermost sheet P1 is fed by the intermediate drive roller 50 and the second assist roller 51.
Further, when the pickup roller 21 moves away, the feeding force does not directly act on the subsequent paper P2 from the intermediate drive roller 50 and the pickup roller 21. Therefore, the next and subsequent sheets P2 whose leading ends are held by the retard roller 41 try to return to the cassette unit 14 by their own weight.

However, the trailing edge of the preceding sheet P1, which is the uppermost sheet fed by the intermediate drive roller 50, and the leading edge of the succeeding sheet P2, which is the succeeding and subsequent sheets whose leading edge is held by the retard roller 41, Touch. Accordingly, the feeding force acts indirectly on the succeeding paper P2.
Therefore, convex paper leading edge regulating ribs 60 and 60 are provided on the downstream side in the feed direction from the nip point N between the intermediate drive roller 50 and the retard roller 41 in the U-shaped outer paper guide portion 11. Further, the paper leading edge regulating ribs 60 and 60 are provided in the vicinity of both sides of the retard roller 41 in the width direction X of the paper P.

Since the feed path is bent in a U-shape, when the retard roller 41 moves away, the leading edge of the succeeding paper P2, which is the next and subsequent paper, is displaced toward the U-shaped outer paper guide.
Therefore, after the retard roller 41 moves away, the paper leading edge regulating ribs 60 and 60 come into contact with the leading edge of the succeeding paper P2, which is the next or subsequent paper, and restrict displacement to the downstream side in the feeding direction. it can.

  That is, it is possible to reliably prevent the subsequent paper P2 from being sent downstream in the feed direction. As a result, it is possible to prevent so-called accompanying paper feeding in which the succeeding paper P2 is sent along with the preceding paper P1. The accompanying paper feed is likely to occur when feeding a particularly large size paper P in which the area where the subsequent paper P2 and the preceding paper P1 come into contact with each other is increased. Specifically, it tends to occur in A3 size or larger. In other words, if the size is A4 size or less, the contact area is small, so that there is less possibility of accompanying paper feeding.

At this time, the amount of bending of the succeeding paper P2 can be reduced by moving the pickup roller 21 away. That is, the posture of the succeeding paper P2 can be made as straight as possible. Therefore, the leading edge of the succeeding paper P2 can be positively abutted against the paper leading edge regulating ribs 60, 60.
Further, the trailing edge of the preceding paper P1 acts to push the leading edge of the succeeding paper P2 toward the U-shaped outer paper guide portion that is outside the U-shaped path. Therefore, the leading edge of the succeeding paper P2 can be positively brought into contact with the paper leading edge regulating ribs 60, 60.

As a result, the accompanying paper feeding can be reliably prevented. That is, it is possible to prevent the accompanying paper feeding without providing a so-called return lever provided in the prior art.
Further, the retard roller 41 can be moved away at a timing earlier than that of the prior art. As a result, the so-called back tension due to the load of the retard roller 41 can be reduced at an early timing. For example, when the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P1 reaches the second assist roller 51, the separation roller 41 may start to move away.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing the operation after the retard separation in the printer according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the preceding sheet P1, which is the uppermost sheet with respect to the intermediate drive roller 50 from the state of FIG. 4, is sent downstream in the feed direction, the trailing edge of the preceding sheet P1 is moved to the intermediate drive. Pass between the roller 50 and the retard roller 41.

  Here, an entrainment prevention unit 13 is provided inside the U-shaped path. Specifically, it is provided so as to cover the intermediate drive roller 50 on the upstream side in the feed direction from the nip point N between the intermediate drive roller 50 and the retard roller 41 in the feed direction Y. Therefore, the entanglement prevention unit 13 can prevent the subsequent paper P2 from coming into contact with the intermediate drive roller 50.

As a result, there is no possibility that the intermediate driving roller 50 directly applies the feeding force to the subsequent paper P2.
The leading edge of the preceding paper P1 is nipped by the transport roller pair 71. Thereafter, skew removal is performed.
Here, “deskew” means removing the inclination of the conveyance roller pair 71 of the paper P1 with respect to the nip line. Further, the “nip line” refers to a line formed by a circumscribed portion of the transport roller pair 71. In the present embodiment, the direction of the nip line is the X-axis direction. The skew removing operation is an operation for removing the inclination of at least the leading edge of the paper P with respect to the nip line by following the nip line of the posture of the leading edge of the paper P.

The skew removing operation may be a so-called “breaking-out discharge method” or “butting method”.
Here, in the “biting and discharging method”, the transport roller pair 71 once clamps the leading edge of the paper P, reverses the transport roller pair 71, and reversely feeds the leading edge side of the paper P upstream in the feeding direction. A system in which the posture of the leading edge is made to follow the nip line by bending the paper P between the feeding roller pair 96 and the conveying roller pair 71 and pressing the leading edge of the paper P against the nip line of the conveying roller pair 71. Say. That is, a method of causing the leading end of the sheet P to bite once on the conveying roller pair 71 and then discharging the leading end side of the sheet P to the upstream side in the feeding direction to bend the sheet P so that the posture of the leading edge follows the nip line. Say.

  On the other hand, the “abutment method” is a nip line of the transport roller pair 71 in a state where the leading end of the paper P is stopped or reversely driven by the feed roller pair 96 to the downstream side in the feed direction. This is a method in which the posture of the tip is made to follow the nip line by pressing against the nip line. That is, it refers to a method in which the leading edge of the paper P is brought into contact with the conveying roller pair 71 so that the posture of the leading edge follows the nip line. Note that the sheet P may be bent between the feeding roller pair 96 and the conveying roller pair 71 so that the attitude of the leading edge follows the nip line, or the leading edge attitude is allowed to follow the nip line without bending. Also good.

After that, cueing at the time of skew removal is performed. Specifically, the control unit 90 drives the first motor 91 in the normal direction to rotate the intermediate driving roller 50 in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Further, the fourth motor 94 is driven in the normal direction to rotate the transport driving roller 72 in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Therefore, the leading end of the sheet P1 that is not inclined with respect to the nip line can be nipped by the conveying roller pair 71. Then, the leading edge of the preceding paper P1 is sent to the recording start position, and the first motor 91 and the fourth motor 94 are stopped. This is a so-called cueing operation.
Here, the recording start position refers to a position facing a nozzle row (not shown) of the recording head 82.

At this time, the difference between the one end side and the other end side in the width direction X of the paper P between the feed roller pair 96 and the transport roller pair 71 in the feed direction Y has not yet disappeared.
Here, due to the difference between the deflection amount on the one end side and the deflection amount on the other end side, a difference may occur between the conveyance amount on the one end side and the conveyance amount on the other end side in the conveyance roller pair 71. There is.
Therefore, in order to eliminate the difference between the deflection amount on the one end side and the deflection amount on the other end side, the following operation is executed.

FIG. 6 is a side view showing a normal rotation operation after skew removal according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 90 first moves the second assist roller 51 in the direction away from the intermediate drive roller 50 by the switching unit 4.
Here, the switching unit 4 is configured to be able to switch between a first state in which the second assist roller 51 approaches the intermediate drive roller 50 and a second state in which the second assist roller 51 is separated. For example, it is possible to switch between the approaching first state and the separated second state by providing a cam as in the above-described swing mechanism 43.

  It should be noted that, of course, the intermediate drive roller 50 may be configured to move in a direction away from the second assist roller 51. This is also because in this case, the same effects as those described below can be obtained. In the present embodiment, the reason why the second assist roller 51 is configured to move is that the intermediate driving roller 50 is driven. That is, it is easier to move the second assist roller 51, which is the driven rotating side, than to move the intermediate driving roller 50, which is the driving side.

Next, the first motor 91 is driven in the normal direction to rotate the intermediate drive roller 50 in the clockwise direction in the drawing. During this time, the fourth motor 94 remains stopped.
At this time, the second assist roller 51 is separated from the intermediate drive roller 50. Therefore, the intermediate drive roller 50 can apply an appropriate feed force to the downstream side in the feed direction with respect to the paper P1 while sliding between the paper P1 and the outer periphery of the intermediate drive roller 50.

  Here, the “appropriate feeding force” is the degree to which the sheet P1 can be bent so as to be pressed outside the U-shaped feeding path between the feeding roller pair 96 and the conveying roller pair 71 in the feeding direction Y. Refers to the feed force. When the sheet P1 cannot be deflected further outward, a slip always occurs between the sheet P1 and the outer periphery of the intermediate drive roller 50, and so-called sheet jam occurs in which the sheet P1 is jammed in the feed path. There is no fear.

  As a result, it is possible to increase the amount of deflection of the paper P1 that has occurred between the feed roller pair 96 and the transport roller pair 71 in the feed direction Y. Here, between the feed roller pair 96 and the transport roller pair 71 in the feed path, a section R curved at least partially in side view is formed. Then, the sheet P1 can be pressed against the outside of the U-shaped feed path, that is, the curved outside of the section, so that the sheet P1 cannot be bent any more. In other words, the sheet P1 can be made to follow the shape of the U-shaped outer sheet guide portion 11 to have a predetermined deflection amount.

Further, it is possible to eliminate the difference between the bending amount on the one end side of the paper P1 and the bending amount on the other end side. As a result, there is no possibility of a difference between the transport amount on the one end side and the transport amount on the other end side of the transport roller pair 71 at the time of subsequent recording.
Further, when the intermediate drive roller 50 is driven to rotate forward, the pickup roller 21 is in a state of moving away from the paper P as described above (see FIG. 5). Therefore, there is no possibility of preventing the difference between the deflection amount on the one end side of the paper P1 and the deflection amount on the other end side from being eliminated.

Furthermore, if the intermediate drive roller 50 is driven in reverse, the amount of bending of the paper P1 that has occurred between the feed roller pair 96 and the transport roller pair 71 in the feed direction Y can be reduced.
Then, similarly to the case where the intermediate drive roller 50 is driven to rotate forward, the difference between the deflection amount on the one end side of the paper P1 and the deflection amount on the other end side can be eliminated.

Here, the reason why the intermediate drive roller 50 is configured to rotate forward in this embodiment is that the sheet P1 moves away from the intermediate drive roller 50 when the intermediate drive roller 50 is driven forward. .
Assuming that the intermediate drive roller is driven in reverse, the sheet P1 behaves like being wound around the intermediate drive roller.
Therefore, in the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the rotational load of the intermediate drive roller 50 as compared with the case where the intermediate drive roller is reversely driven.

  Thereafter, the first motor 91 and the fourth motor 94 are driven to rotate forward, and the intermediate drive roller 50 and the transport drive roller 72 are rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing. At this time, the outer peripheral speed V1 of the intermediate driving roller 50 is desirably the same as the outer peripheral speed V2 of the transport driving roller 72. This is because there is no need to bend the paper P1. The preceding paper P1 is recorded by the recording unit 80 while being transported downstream in the feed direction by the transport roller pair 71. Then, the paper is discharged to a discharge tray (not shown) in front of the printer 1 by a discharge unit (not shown).

  Further, when the paper P1 is cued, the intermediate driving roller 50 may be rotated in the clockwise direction in the drawing without stopping the forward driving of the transport driving roller 72. That is, after the skew is removed, the conveyance drive roller 72 is driven to rotate forward, and immediately after the leading edge of the paper P1 is nipped by the conveyance roller pair 71, the second assist roller 51 is moved away from the intermediate drive roller 50. Then, the intermediate drive roller 50 may be driven to rotate forward while slipping between the paper P1.

At this time, the outer peripheral speed V <b> 1 of the intermediate driving roller 50 is faster than the outer peripheral speed V <b> 2 of the transport driving roller 72. This is because when the transport roller pair 71 transports the paper P1, the difference between the left and right deflection amounts in the width direction on the rear end side of the paper P1 is substantially eliminated.
In such a case, the timing from when the feeding of the paper P1 is started to when the recording is started can be made earlier as compared with the case where the forward driving of the intermediate driving roller 50 is stopped. As a result, the throughput can be shortened.
The speed V1 of the intermediate drive roller 50 is preferably about 25 to 30% higher than the speed V2 of the transport drive roller 72. This is because the paper P1 can be bent appropriately.

  Further, after the preceding paper P1 is conveyed to the recording unit 80, the paper P can be continuously fed. Specifically, the control unit 90 moves the retard roller 41 and the second assist roller 51 closer to the intermediate drive roller 50 after the trailing end of the paper P1 is detected by the detector 75. More specifically, the cam portion 45 is rotated by the second motor 92, and the retard holder (not shown) approaches the intermediate drive roller 50 by the urging force of the urging spring (not shown). Rock.

Similarly, the separation mechanism (not shown) is operated to move the second assist roller 51 in a direction approaching the intermediate drive roller 50.
Further, the control unit 90 drives the third motor 93 to move the first arm unit 22 around the first arm shaft 23 in a direction in which the pickup roller 21 approaches the paper P placed on the cassette unit 14. Rock.

  At this time, the succeeding paper P2 held by the paper leading edge regulating ribs 60, 60 is displaced toward the intermediate drive roller by the approaching movement of the retard roller 41. Then, nipping is performed by the intermediate drive roller 50 and the retard roller 41. Therefore, the leading edge of the succeeding paper P2 is released from the restricted state by the paper leading edge regulating ribs 60, 60. In this state, as described above, the intermediate drive roller 50 and the pickup roller 21 are rotated clockwise in the drawing.

At this time, if there is one subsequent sheet P2 held by the sheet leading edge regulating ribs 60, 60, the one sheet P2 is fed downstream in the feeding direction.
If there are a plurality of subsequent sheets P2, P3,... Held by the sheet leading edge regulating ribs 60, 60, the relationship of friction coefficient μ4> friction coefficient μ2 and friction coefficient μ5> friction coefficient μ2 holds as described above. .

  Therefore, the feed force acting on the uppermost sheet P2 with respect to the intermediate drive roller 50 can be made larger than the feed force acting on the subsequent sheet P3. That is, the retard roller 41 separates the next and subsequent sheets P3, and only the uppermost sheet P2 can be sent downstream in the feed direction. At this time, the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P2 is displaced toward the intermediate driving roller side by the approaching movement of the retard roller 41 as described above, so there is no possibility of being regulated by the sheet leading edge regulating ribs 60 and 60.

  In the present embodiment, the feed path is U-shaped as viewed from the side, but is not limited thereto. It may be a straight line as viewed from the side, or may have a section R that is partially curved as viewed from the side. Similarly, in this case as well, after the skew is removed, the intermediate drive roller 50 in the state where the second assist roller 51 is separated can be driven to rotate in the forward direction so that the difference between the bending amounts in the width direction can be eliminated. A configuration having at least a section R that is curved in side view is desirable. This is because it can be determined to which side the sheet P bends in the thickness direction Z ′ of the sheet P.

Next, the upward displacement amount reducing means 5 according to the present invention will be described in more detail.
FIG. 7 is a bottom view showing the first arm portion and the second arm portion of the feeding portion according to the present invention. FIG. 8 is a schematic side view showing a case where there are a large number of sheets in the feeding unit according to the present invention, that is, when the maximum number of sheets that can be placed is placed. Further, FIG. 9 is a schematic side view showing a case where the paper of the feeding unit according to the present invention is a small number of sheets.
In FIGS. 8 and 9, the first driven roller and the gear train are not shown in order to facilitate understanding of the invention of the second driven roller.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the upward displacement reduction means 5 has a second driven roller 8 and a second moving means 6. Among these, the second driven roller 8 is provided on the upstream side of the pickup roller 21 in the feed direction Y. Furthermore, it is provided above the uppermost sheet P in contact with the pickup roller 21 in the stacking direction. That is, a predetermined distance D is provided between the second driven roller 8 and the uppermost sheet P.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the position of the second driven roller 8 in the width direction X is provided in a range overlapping the pickup roller 21 when viewed from the feed direction Y. This is because when only one second driven roller 8 is provided, the bent portion on the upstream side in the feed direction from the pickup roller 21 in the paper P, which is the subject of the present invention, is efficiently suppressed. Therefore, if a plurality of second driven rollers 8 are provided in the width direction X, the position of the second driven roller 8 in the width direction X is not limited to the range overlapping the pickup roller 21 when viewed from the feed direction Y.

  Further, the second moving means 6 is provided so that the second driven roller 8 can be moved in the stacking direction Z of the paper P. Specifically, the 2nd moving means 6 has the 2nd arm part 7 as an example. The 2nd arm part 7 is holding the 2nd driven roller 8 rotatably at the 1st end part side (7a) which is one end side. The second arm shaft 9 is attached to the first arm portion 22 so as to be swingable about a fulcrum. Further, the second arm portion 7 is urged in a direction in which the second driven roller 8 approaches the uppermost sheet P by a second torsion coil spring 16 provided on the second arm shaft 9.

  Specifically, the first spring arm portion 16 a of the second torsion coil spring 16 is engaged with a first spring engagement portion 22 a provided on the first arm portion 22. On the other hand, the second spring arm portion 16 b of the second torsion coil spring 16 is engaged with a second spring engaging portion 7 e provided on the second arm portion 7. The second arm portion 7 is urged counterclockwise in FIGS. 8 and 9. The second end portion 7b, which is the other end of the second arm portion 7, is provided so as to be always in contact with the base portion 2 by this urging force.

A predetermined distance D between the uppermost sheet P and the second driven roller 8 is maintained by the contact between the second end 7 b and the base 2.
The second arm portion 7 may not be attached to the first arm portion 22. This is because it is only necessary to maintain a predetermined distance D between the uppermost sheet P and the second driven roller 8.

  Then, when the pickup roller 21 repeatedly moves toward and away from the sheet P from the state shown in FIG. 8 and sends a number of sheets P to the downstream side in the feed direction, the remaining sheets P placed as shown in FIG. The number of sheets decreases. That is, the position of the pickup roller 21 in the stacking direction Z of the paper P when picking up the paper P gradually changes downward. That is, the inclination of the first arm portion 22 gradually changes counterclockwise. Accordingly, the contact portion between the second end 7b of the second arm portion 7 and the base portion 2 gradually changes to the left in FIG. That is, the inclination of the second arm portion 7 also gradually changes counterclockwise.

  Here, the lever ratio of the first end side (7a) and the second end side (7b) with respect to the second arm shaft 9 in the second arm portion 7 and the second end portion 7b in the base portion 2 are The shape of the contact portion is configured such that the displacement of the position of the second driven roller 8 in the stacking direction Z is synchronized with the displacement of the position of the pickup roller 21 in the stacking direction Z. That is, the distance D between the uppermost sheet P and the second driven roller 8 is always provided. The distance D is not necessarily constant. This is because the uppermost sheet P and the second driven roller 8 need only be in contact with each other only when the sheet P is bent on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the pickup roller 21.

  Note that a first protrusion 7 c is provided on the first end side (7 a) of the second arm portion 7. The first protrusion 7c extends from the second arm portion 7 toward the first arm portion when the number of sheets P is small. Accordingly, in FIG. 9, when the succeeding paper P2 separated by the separating means (30, 40, 60) is lowered by its own weight, and the rear end of the paper P2 is displaced upstream in the feed direction, the rear end of the paper P2 Can be prevented from entering between the second arm portion 7 and the first arm portion 22. That is, it is possible to prevent the rear end of the sheet P2 from being sandwiched between the second arm portion 7 and the first arm portion 22.

  Further, a second projecting portion 7 d is provided on the second end portion side (7 b) of the second arm portion 7. As shown in FIG. 8, the second protrusion 7 d is provided so as to contact the first arm portion 22 when the maximum number of sheets P that can be placed is placed. And it is provided so that the attitude | position of the 2nd arm part 7 with respect to the 1st arm part 22 may be controlled so that it cannot rotate any more clockwise from the attitude | position shown in FIG. That is, in the stacking direction Z, the position of the second driven roller 8 is provided so as not to be displaced further upward. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the position of the paper P in the stacking direction Z from being higher than the second driven roller 8 shown in FIG.

Then, the effect of the 2nd driven roller 8 as the upward displacement amount reduction means 5 is demonstrated.
FIGS. 10A to 10C are schematic views showing a state where the second driven roller of the present invention is pressing a slightly bent sheet. Among these, FIG. 10A is a plan view. FIG. 10B is a view as seen from the upstream side in the feed direction. FIG. 10C is a side view.

  As shown in FIGS. 10A to 10C, when the pickup roller 21 contacts the uppermost sheet P and the uppermost sheet P is sent downstream in the feeding direction, the posture of the sheet P is caused by some cause. There is a case where it is inclined with respect to the feed direction Y. At this time, the upstream side of the paper P in the feeding direction from the pickup roller 21 is pressed against at least one of the first edge guide 17 and the second edge guide 18.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10A, it is assumed that the paper P is inclined in the clockwise direction in the figure. In such a case, at least a position on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the pickup roller 21 in the paper P tries to bend so as to be displaced upward in the stacking direction. That is, as shown in FIG. 10B, the sheet P tries to bend so as to be displaced upward in the stacking direction at least in the range overlapping with the position of the pickup roller 21 in the width direction X when viewed from the feed direction Y. Note that a thick one-dot chain line in FIG.

  Therefore, when the paper P is displaced by a predetermined amount upward in the stacking direction, the second driven roller 8 is configured to come into contact with the portion of the uppermost paper P that has been displaced upward. At this time, as described above, the second driven roller 8 is urged downward in the stacking direction. Therefore, it is possible to counter and hold down the force that the paper P tends to displace upward in the stacking direction. That is, the amount of displacement of the paper P in the stacking direction upward can be reduced as compared with the configuration without pressing (see FIG. 14). As a result, the inclination of the posture of the paper P with respect to the feeding direction Y can be reduced as compared with the configuration in which the sheet is not pressed (see FIG. 14). Further, by reducing the inclination and deflection C of the paper P, it is possible to prevent the paper P from being wrinkled and paper jamming.

  As shown in FIG. 10C, the deflection C of the paper P is formed so that the displacement amount of the paper P in the stacking direction, that is, the deflection amount increases as it goes upstream in the feeding direction. Furthermore, the range in which the deflection C of the paper P in the width direction X is formed is widened. Therefore, it is desirable that the position of the second driven roller 8 in the feed direction Y is as upstream as possible from the pickup roller 21. This is because it is possible to more reliably oppose and hold against the deflection C of the paper P, and to more reliably reduce the amount of displacement upward in the stacking direction.

Further, as described above, when the posture of the paper P is not inclined with respect to the feed direction Y, the second driven roller 8 does not contact the uppermost paper P. Therefore, there is no possibility of double feeding due to the provision of the second driven roller 8. That is, unlike the prior art, there is no possibility that the friction resistance between the uppermost sheet P1 and the subsequent sheet P2 increases and double feed occurs.
Furthermore, it goes without saying that the first torsion coil spring 25 that generates a force for urging the pickup roller 21 is provided in consideration of the urging force of the second torsion coil spring 16 that urges the second driven roller 8. .

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the structure which has the 2nd driven roller 8 as the upward displacement amount reduction means 5, it is not restricted to a driven roller. A roller that drives similarly to the pickup roller 21 may be used. Moreover, it is not restricted to a roller. It is only necessary to be able to reduce the contact and further upward displacement when the paper P is displaced by a predetermined amount so as to float upward in the stacking direction. Therefore, an arm member such as the second arm portion 7 that can swing with a predetermined distance D from the uppermost sheet P1 in an unbent state may be used. The reason why the roller (second driven roller 8) is used in the present embodiment is to minimize the frictional force when the paper P1 is bent and contacted.

  In the present embodiment, the position of the pickup roller 21 in the width direction X is not centered but is biased to the one side. This is because one of the first edge guide 17 and the second edge guide 18 is fixed and the other moves in the width direction X. Of course, the position of the pickup roller 21 in the width direction X may be the center. In other words, even when the sizes of the papers P are different, a so-called one-sided configuration in which the paper P is aligned on one end side in the width direction X is used, but the configuration is not limited to this.

Even when the sizes of the sheets P are different, a so-called center-aligned configuration in which the sheets P are aligned at the center in the width direction X may be used. In the above-described embodiment, the reason for describing the one-side aligned configuration is that the posture of the uppermost sheet tends to be inclined with respect to the feeding direction Y particularly in the one-side aligned configuration.
Further, as described above, the configuration is not limited to the configuration having an edge guide. The reason for this is that when the side edge of the paper is formed by cutting and placed in a bundle of paper, the side edge of the topmost paper and the side edge of the subsequent paper may stick together. is there. When the uppermost sheet is fed downstream in the feeding direction, the posture of the uppermost sheet may be inclined relative to the postures of the subsequent sheets. In such a case as well, there is a possibility that the uppermost sheet may bend more upstream in the feed direction than the pickup roller 21.

In the above embodiment, the pickup roller 21 is configured to approach the paper P on which the pickup roller 21 is placed. However, the surface (the placement portion) on which the paper P is placed in the cassette unit 14 is located with respect to the pickup roller 21. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that approaches the
This is also because the second driven roller 8 as the upward displacement reduction means 5 can exhibit the same function and effect in such a case.

  The feeding unit 10 as the medium feeding device of the present embodiment is a first feeding unit that is in contact with the uppermost sheet P in the stacking direction Z among the sheets P that are an example of the loaded medium to be fed to the downstream side in the feeding direction. A pickup roller 21 as one roller and a second driven roller 8 as a second roller provided upstream in the feed direction from the pickup roller 21, and the second driven roller 8 is the most in contact with the pickup roller 21. The second driven roller is provided above the upper sheet P in the stacking direction, and the pickup roller 21 is in contact with the uppermost sheet P and the uppermost sheet P is not fed by the pickup roller 21. 8 and the uppermost sheet P, a predetermined distance D is provided.

Further, in the present embodiment, the position of the second driven roller 8 in the width direction X of the paper P is such that at least a part of the second driven roller 8 is at least a part of the pickup roller 21 when viewed from the feeding direction Y of the paper P. It is provided in the range which overlaps with.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first moving means 24 that moves the pickup roller 21 toward and away from the placed paper P, and the second driven roller 8 that moves away from and placed relative to the placed paper P. The second moving means 6 to be moved, and the contact / separation movement of the second driven roller 8 by the second movement means 6 is synchronized with the contact / separation movement of the pickup roller 21 by the first movement means 24. It is characterized by that.

  In the present embodiment, the first moving means 24 includes a pickup roller 21 on the free end side, and a first arm member that swings around a first arm shaft 23 that is a first swing shaft on the base end side. The second moving means 6 has a second end portion (7b) which is one end side in contact with the base portion 2 of the feeding portion 10 and a first end which is the other end side. A second arm shaft 9 having a second driven roller 8 on the end side (7a) and serving as a second swinging shaft located between the first end side (7a) and the second end side (7b). Is configured to have a second arm portion 7 as a second arm member that is provided between the base end and the free end of the first arm portion 22 and swings.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the first edge guide 17 and the second edge, which are a pair of edge guides that contact the both side ends in the width direction X of the loaded paper P and guide the paper P downstream in the feed direction. A guide 18 is further provided, and the position of the pick-up roller 21 in the width direction X is the position of the first edge guide 17 and the second edge guide 18 with respect to the center between the first edge guide 17 and the second edge guide 18. The second driven roller 8 in the width direction X is offset from one edge guide side, and the pickup roller 21 is located at the center between the first edge guide 17 and the second edge guide 18. It is the structure provided in the side provided biased, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
A printer 1 as an example of a recording apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a feeding unit 10 serving as a medium feeding unit that feeds a sheet P that is an example of a recording medium to the downstream side in the feeding direction, and a sheet fed by the feeding unit 10. And a recording unit 80 that records P with respect to the recording head 82.
[Other embodiment 1]

FIG. 11 is a schematic side view showing a second arm part according to another embodiment 1. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 11, the second arm portion 97 of the other embodiment 1 is provided in the feed direction Y opposite to the second arm portion 7 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the above-described embodiment. Yes.
Since other members are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are used, and description thereof is omitted.

The 1st end part side (7a) of the 2nd arm part 97 of other Embodiment 1 is comprised so that it may become a feed direction upstream from the 2nd end part side (7b). That is, as the number of sheets P placed is gradually decreased, the posture of the second arm portion 97 when the uppermost sheet P is fed to the downstream side in the feeding direction is gradually increased in the clockwise direction in the drawing. Displace.
With this configuration, the position of the second driven roller 8 in the feed direction Y can be arranged on the upstream side as compared with the above-described embodiment (see FIGS. 8 and 9). Therefore, it is possible to more reliably oppose and hold against the deflection C of the paper P, and it is possible to more reliably reduce the amount of displacement upward in the stacking direction.
[Other embodiment 2]

FIG. 12 is a schematic side view showing a second arm portion according to another embodiment 2.
As shown in FIG. 12, the second arm portion 98 of the other embodiment 2 has a second end side (7b) as compared with the second arm portion 7 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the above-described embodiment. Is different in that it has a third protrusion 98a. And the 3rd protrusion 98a is comprised so that the groove part 100 extended in the feed direction Y in the base | substrate part 2 may be engaged. That is, the third protrusion 98 a and the groove 100 constitute the groove cam structure 99.
Since other members are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are used, and description thereof is omitted.

Accordingly, in the second embodiment, the displacement of the second arm portion 98 is synchronized with the displacement of the first arm portion 22 as in the second arm portion 7 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the above-described embodiment. . That is, the displacement of the position of the second driven roller 8 in the stacking direction Z is synchronized with the displacement of the position of the pickup roller 21 in the stacking direction Z.
Here, the difference from the embodiment described above is that the biasing force of the second torsion coil spring 16 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the embodiment described above is not required.

Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the urging force of the second torsion coil spring 16 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the above-described embodiment. That is, in the setting of the first coil spring 25 that generates a force for biasing the pickup roller 21, it is not necessary to consider the biasing force of the second torsion coil spring 16 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the above-described embodiment. .
As a result, when the uppermost sheet P is fed downstream in the feeding direction, the separation accuracy for separating the uppermost sheet P1 from the next and subsequent sheets P2 can be further improved.
In the second embodiment, the direction of the second arm portion 98 is set so that the first end side (7a) is upstream in the feed direction from the second end side (7b) as in the other embodiment 1. Of course, you may comprise. This is because, in such a case, the same effects as those of the other embodiment 1 can be obtained.
[Other embodiment 3]

FIG. 13 is a schematic side view showing a second arm portion according to another embodiment 3.
As shown in FIG. 13, the second arm shaft 102 of the second arm portion 101 of the other embodiment 3 is different from the second arm portion 7 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the above-described embodiment. The difference is that the base portion 2 is provided instead of the arm portion 22. Further, the second arm portion 101 of the other embodiment 3 is configured to have the same length as the first arm portion 22.

The first arm part 22 and the second arm part 101 are connected by a link arm part 103.
Since other members are the same as those in the above-described embodiment, the same reference numerals are used, and description thereof is omitted.
Moreover, the connection location of the 1st arm part 22 and the link arm part 103 and the connection location of the 2nd arm part 101 and the link arm part 103 are connected rotatably.

Therefore, in the other embodiment 3, the displacement of the second arm portion 101 is synchronized with the displacement of the first arm portion 22 in the same manner as the second arm portion 7 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the embodiment described above. . That is, the displacement of the position of the second driven roller 8 in the stacking direction Z is synchronized with the displacement of the position of the pickup roller 21 in the stacking direction Z.
Here, the difference from the embodiment described above is that the biasing force of the second torsion coil spring 16 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the embodiment described above is not required. Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the urging force of the second torsion coil spring 16 (see FIGS. 8 and 9) of the above-described embodiment.

The radius r2 of the second driven roller 8 is provided to be smaller than the radius r1 of the pickup roller 21. Therefore, a constant distance D can always be maintained between the second driven roller 8 and the uppermost sheet P by the difference between the radius r2 of the second driven roller 8 and the radius r1 of the pickup roller 21.
The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and these are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

1 printer, 2 base section, 3 feeding section, 4 switching means,
5 upper displacement amount reducing means, 6 second moving means, 7 second arm part, 7a first end part,
7b second end, 7c first protrusion, 7d second protrusion, 7e second spring engaging part,
8 Second driven roller, 9 Second arm shaft, 10 feeding section,
11 U-shaped outer paper guide, 12 inner paper guide, 13 entanglement prevention,
14 cassette part, 15 pad part, 16 2nd torsion coil spring,
16a 1st spring arm part, 16b 2nd spring arm part, 17 1st edge guide,
18 Second edge guide, 20 pickup section, 21 pickup roller,
21a sub roller, 22 1st arm part, 22a 1st spring engagement part,
23 first arm shaft, 23a rotating shaft, 24 first moving means,
25 first torsion coil spring, 26 first driven roller, 27 gear train,
30 preliminary separation units, 31 bank separation units, 40 separation units, 41 retard rollers,
43 swing mechanism, 45 cam portion, 48 first assist roller,
50 intermediate drive roller, 51 second assist roller,
52 third assist roller, 60 paper leading edge regulating rib, 70 transport section,
71 transport roller pair, 72 transport drive roller, 73 transport driven roller,
74 Followed roller holder, 75 detector, 76 sensor unit,
77 Paper detection lever, 80 recording unit, 81 medium support unit, 82 recording head,
90 control unit, 91 first motor, 92 second motor, 93 third motor,
94 4th motor, 96 pair of feed rollers,
97 Second arm part (of other embodiment 1), 98 Second arm part (of other embodiment 2),
98a 3rd protrusion, 99 groove cam structure, 100 groove part,
101 (second embodiment 3) second arm portion, 102 second arm shaft,
103 Link arm part, 110 (in the figure explaining the subject of the present application)
111 Feed roller, 112a Edge guide, 112b Edge guide,
113 paper, 114 placement section, 115 arm section, C flexure,
C1 Deflection (when there is no upper displacement reduction means), D interval, N nip point,
P paper, P1 preceding paper, P2 following paper, R curved section,
r1 Pickup roller radius, r2 Second driven roller radius, X width direction,
Y feed direction, Z (paper) stacking direction, Z '(paper) thickness direction

Claims (6)

A first roller that contacts the uppermost fed medium in the stacking direction among the loaded fed media and sends it to the downstream side in the feeding direction;
A second roller provided upstream in the feed direction from the first roller,
The second roller is provided above the uppermost fed medium in contact with the first roller in the stacking direction, and the first roller is in contact with the uppermost fed medium, A medium feeding device having a configuration in which a predetermined interval is provided between the second roller and the uppermost medium to be fed in a state where the upper medium to be fed is not fed by the first roller.   2. The medium feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the position of the second roller in the width direction of the medium to be fed is viewed from the direction of feeding of the medium to be fed, and at least a part of the second roller is the position of the first roller. A medium feeding device, wherein the medium feeding device is provided within a range overlapping at least a part thereof. 3. The medium feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the first moving unit moves the first roller toward and away from the placed medium to be fed; and
A second moving means for moving the second roller toward and away from the medium to be fed;
The medium feeding device having a configuration in which the contact / separation movement of the second roller by the second movement unit is synchronized with the contact / separation movement of the first roller by the first movement unit. 4. The medium feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the first moving means includes a first arm member that includes the first roller on a free end side and swings about a base end side first swing shaft. And
The second moving means has one end side in contact with the base portion of the medium feeding device, the other end side having the second roller, and a second swinging shaft located between the other end side and the one end side. Is a medium feeding device having a second arm member which is provided between the base end and the free end of the first arm member and swings. 5. The medium feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of edges contacts the both side ends in the width direction of the medium to be placed and guides the medium to be fed downstream in the feeding direction. A guide,
The position of the first roller in the width direction is provided biased toward one edge guide side of the pair of edge guides with respect to the center between the pair of edge guides,
The position of the said 2nd roller in the width direction is a medium feeding apparatus which is the structure provided in the side by which the said 1st roller is offset and provided with respect to the center between a pair of said edge guides. Medium feeding means for feeding a recording medium downstream in the feeding direction;
A recording unit for recording with a recording head on a recording medium sent by the medium feeding means,
The medium feeding unit includes the medium feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, and the recording medium is the recording medium.

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