JP2011073821A - Paper feeder and image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a paper feeder which holds recorded media on a feeding tray while avoiding the recorded media stored on the feeding tray from rushing into the inserting-direction downstream side when mounting the feeding tray on the device body, without increasing its size. <P>SOLUTION: When a user inserts the feeding tray 11 into the inserting-direction downstream side beyond a feeding position, the inclination changing part 77 of an inclined separating plate 49 abuts on the abutting part 79 of a lower casing 81. Along therewith, the upper end of the inclined separating plate 49 is moved to the inserting-direction upstream side against the energizing force of an energizing spring 83 while the inclined face thereof is turned around a turn axis 73 to rise. When the feeding tray 11 is inserted into the inserting-direction downstream side as it is, the inclination changing part 77 keeps slide contacted with the abutting part 79 and the inclined face of the inclined separating plate 49 gradually rises. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  A sheet feeding device having an inclined surface and capable of being inserted and withdrawn, and preventing the recording medium from being infiltrated when the sheet feeding tray is mounted on the apparatus main body, and an image including the sheet feeding device The present invention relates to a recording apparatus.

  Conventionally, an image recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer or a facsimile apparatus is known as an apparatus for recording an image on a recording medium such as paper. In these apparatuses, a plurality of sheets are stored in a stacked state in a sheet feed tray mounted on the apparatus main body.

  Such a paper feed tray is configured to be inserted into and withdrawn from the image recording apparatus. When the paper is stored, the user pulls out the paper feed tray from the state where it is mounted on the image recording apparatus, and after the paper is stored, the paper is fed by the user so as to be mounted on the image recording apparatus. The tray is inserted.

  This type of paper feed tray has the same insertion direction and paper feed direction. Therefore, on the downstream side in the insertion direction, an inclined plate having an inclined surface that is inclined so that the upper end side is located on the downstream side in the insertion direction is provided in order not to prevent paper feeding. Then, the sheet feeding tray is inserted into the apparatus main body in a state where the inclined surface and the leading end of the sheet on the downstream side in the insertion direction are in contact with or opposed to each other.

  However, since the inclined surface is inclined, if the paper feed tray stops at the moment when the paper feed tray is inserted and attached to the apparatus main body, inertial force acts on the stored paper, and the inclined member is There is a risk of getting over and getting into the downstream side in the insertion direction. In this state, the paper is not fed or separated normally, and an operation unnecessary for the user is required.

  In order to solve the above problem, for example, Patent Document 1 includes an alignment mechanism having a partition plate standing upright to align the front end of the paper, in addition to the separation wall (corresponding to the inclined member). The partition plate is swingable about a rotation shaft, and when the sheet feeding tray is pulled out from the image recording apparatus, the leading ends of the sheets are aligned in a standing state. Then, after the paper feed tray is mounted on the image recording apparatus, it is moved from the paper side to the retreat position retracted into the separation wall by a release mechanism such as a motor or solenoid before the paper feed operation is started. By having this configuration, it is possible to prevent the sagging when the paper feed tray is attached to the apparatus main body.

JP 2008-120466 A (Fig. 6 etc.)

  However, in the paper feed tray as described above, a release mechanism for moving the partition plate from the standing state on the paper side to the retracted position is required, and the control for that is complicated. In addition, since the partition plate comes into contact with the leading end of the paper when the paper feed tray is mounted with the partition plate standing, the avalanche in the insertion direction of the recording medium in the paper feed tray when the paper feed tray is inserted and installed in the apparatus main body. It is difficult to completely prevent this. The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and is accommodated in a paper feed tray while requiring no control when the paper feed tray is mounted on a main body of an image recording apparatus or the like. It is an object of the present invention to provide a paper feeding device that can hold a recording medium in a paper feeding tray without the recording medium flowing into the downstream side in the insertion direction.

  In order to achieve this object, a paper feeding device according to claim 1 includes a bottom plate on which a recording medium is placed, and a paper feeding tray that can be inserted into and removed from the device, and is placed on the paper feeding tray. A paper feed mechanism that feeds a recording medium, and is provided at a position downstream of the bottom plate in the insertion direction, abuts against the leading end of the recording medium in the insertion direction, and the upper end is inserted from the lower end. An inclined member that has an inclined surface that is inclined so as to be positioned downstream in the direction, and an inclined angle formed by the inclined surface and the bottom plate can be changed; and a paper feed that allows the paper feed tray to feed paper When the recording medium is positioned, the inclination angle is an angle at which the recording medium placed on the bottom plate can be fed by the paper feeding mechanism, and the paper feeding tray is located downstream of the paper feeding position in the insertion direction. Then, with the insertion of the paper feed tray, the inclined member rises. Is characterized by comprising a changing mechanism for operating said tilt member Te.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the first aspect, a rotating portion is provided at a lower end portion of the inclined member, and the changing mechanism is configured such that the paper feeding tray is the paper feeding device. In accordance with the insertion from the position to the downstream side in the insertion direction, the tilting member is turned upright with the turning portion as a turning center.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to the first or second aspect, the changing mechanism includes a tray contact portion provided in the paper feeding tray and a downstream side of the paper feeding position. A main body abutting portion provided on the side, and the tray abutting portion and the main body abutting portion are brought into contact with each other as the paper feeding tray is inserted downstream from the paper feeding position in the insertion direction. The inclined member is erected by contact with each other.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the tray abutting portion is provided on a back side of the inclined surface of the inclined member. The contact portion is provided so as to protrude from the apparatus main body in the direction along the insertion direction to a position where it comes into contact with the tray contact portion when the paper feed tray is downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction. It is characterized by.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the paper feeding tray is located when the paper feeding tray is located downstream of the paper feeding position in the insertion direction. A damper unit is provided in the apparatus main body so as to come into contact with the tray, and is provided with a damper means for attenuating the force in the insertion direction acting on the sheet feeding tray.

  The invention according to claim 6 is the sheet feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the damper means includes a biasing means for generating a biasing force upstream in the insertion direction, and the biasing means includes: When the paper feed tray is inserted downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction, the paper feed tray is biased to the paper feed position.

  A seventh aspect of the present invention is the paper feeding device according to the sixth aspect, wherein the device main body includes an engaging portion for holding the paper feeding tray at the paper feeding position. The paper tray has an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion when the paper feed tray is located at the paper feed position. When the paper feed tray is located at the paper feed position, And the engaged portion are engaged, the movement of the damper means to the upstream side in the insertion direction is restricted against the biasing force of the damper means, and the paper feeding position is restricted to the paper feeding position. The tray is held.

  According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, in the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, the paper feeding tray includes a tilt biasing unit that biases the tilting member in a tilting direction. It is characterized by having.

  A ninth aspect of the present invention is the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the inclined member is provided with the separation member and the tray abutting portion, and the inclined angle is set. The movable tilting member can be changed, and a fixed tilting member fixed to the bottom plate.

  An image recording apparatus according to a tenth aspect includes the paper feeding device according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, and an image recording unit that records an image on a recording medium fed from the paper feeding apparatus. It is characterized by having prepared.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the inclined member that comes into contact with the leading end of the recording medium is located on the downstream side in the insertion direction with respect to the paper feeding position, the feeding is performed so as to stand more than when it is located at the paper feeding position. A change mechanism is provided for operating the inclined member as the paper tray is inserted. Therefore, when the paper feed tray is inserted downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction, the inclined member rises with the insertion operation. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the inclined member of the recording medium placed on the paper feed tray from getting over. In addition, control for operating the inclined member is unnecessary.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the rotation portion is provided at the lower end portion of the inclined member, and the changing mechanism rotates the inclined member so that the inclined member stands. Therefore, since the inclined member rotates around the lower end, the range in contact with the leading end of the recording medium is widened, and the sagging of the recording medium can be further prevented.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the changing mechanism has a tray contact portion provided in the paper feed tray and a main body contact portion provided downstream of the paper feed position, and the tray The inclined member is erected by the contact between the contact portion and the main body contact portion. Therefore, the inclined member can be rotated with a simpler configuration.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the tray abutting portion is provided on the back side of the inclined surface of the inclined member, and the main body abutting portion is arranged such that the sheet feeding tray is inserted in the insertion direction from the sheet feeding position. It is provided so as to protrude from the apparatus main body in the direction along the insertion direction to a position where it comes into contact with the tray contact portion when it is on the downstream side. Accordingly, it is possible to operate the inclined member to stand up with the insertion operation without interfering with the paper supply operation of the recording medium in the paper supply tray.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the paper feed tray is positioned downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction, the paper feed tray is provided in the apparatus so as to contact the paper feed tray and acts on the paper feed tray. Damper means for attenuating the force in the inserting direction is provided. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the impact when the paper feed tray stops.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the damper means includes a biasing means for generating a biasing force upstream in the insertion direction, and the biasing means inserts the paper feed tray from the paper feed position. When inserted downstream in the direction, the paper feed tray is urged to the paper feed position. Therefore, it is possible to automatically return the paper feed tray inserted downstream of the paper feed position to the paper feed position.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the apparatus main body includes an engaging portion for holding the paper feed tray at the paper feed position, and the paper feed tray is configured so that the paper feed tray is the paper feed. An engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion when positioned, and the engaging portion engages with the engaged portion when the paper feed tray is located at the paper feed position. Thus, the movement of the damper means to the upstream side in the insertion direction is restricted against the biasing force of the damper means, and the paper feed tray is held at the paper feed position. Therefore, the paper feed tray is held at the paper feed position without being pushed back upstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction by the damper means.

  According to an eighth aspect of the invention, there is provided an inclination urging means for urging the inclined member in a direction in which the inclination angle increases. Therefore, the inclination angle of the inclined member can be stably maintained.

  According to a ninth aspect of the invention, the inclined member is provided with the separation member and the tray abutting portion, and the movable inclined member capable of changing the inclination angle, and the fixed fixed to the bottom plate. And an inclined member. Accordingly, the tilting member can be rotated with the insertion of the paper feed tray with a smaller force.

  According to the tenth aspect of the present invention, when the paper feed tray is mounted on the apparatus main body, the recording medium accommodated in the paper feed tray is sluggish on the downstream side in the insertion direction while preventing the apparatus from becoming large. First, since a paper feeding device that can hold the recording medium in the paper feeding tray is provided, the recording medium is reliably fed to the image recording unit, and the user is required to record the image when recording the image. There is no inconvenience such as reinserting the medium, and operability is improved.

1 is an external perspective view of an image recording apparatus that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an enlarged side sectional view of a sheet feeding mechanism and a recording unit. It is a perspective view of a paper feed tray. FIG. 4 is a partially exploded perspective view of a paper feed tray and a partially exploded perspective view of an image recording apparatus housing. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a paper feed tray and an image recording apparatus housing when the paper feed tray is inserted to a paper feed position. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating an operation until a paper feed tray is inserted into a paper feed position.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a multifunctional image recording apparatus will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The image recording apparatus 1 is a so-called multi-function apparatus, and is an ink jet printer having various functions such as a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. In the present embodiment, functions other than the printer function are arbitrary. That is, the present invention may be implemented as a single-function printer that does not have a scanner function or a copy function. In the following description, the front side of the image recording apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 is defined as a front side, and is defined as a left-right direction, a front-rear direction, and a vertical direction.

<Appearance configuration>
As shown in FIG. 1, the image recording apparatus 1 includes a substantially rectangular parallelepiped casing 3, a document reading unit 5 disposed at an upper portion of the casing 3, and an apparatus operation unit 7 disposed at an upper front portion of the casing 3. It has. An opening 9 is formed on the front surface of the casing 3. A paper feed tray 11 (corresponding to a paper feed tray of the present invention) is mounted in the opening 9 so that it can be inserted and removed in the front-rear direction in FIG. The “insertion and extraction” is not limited to the case where the paper feed tray 11 is detachable from the housing 3, but also to the housing 3 even when the most part of the paper feed tray 3 is pulled out from the housing 2. Also included are those in which the paper feed tray 11 cannot be removed (cannot be attached or detached).

  The document reading unit 5 reads an image of a document in a copy function or a facsimile function. The document reading unit 5 is rotatably supported on the rear end side of the casing 3 and can be opened and closed up and down around the rear end side.

  The document reading section 5 includes a document platen glass plate and a document cover body (not shown), and the document cover body is configured to be openable and closable so as to cover the glass plate. A document reading scanner (not shown) is disposed below the glass plate. With this configuration, the document reading scanner reads the document while the user opens the document cover upward and places the document on the glass plate.

  The apparatus operation unit 7 is disposed in front of the upper portion of the casing 3 and includes an operation panel including various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display that displays an operation procedure and a state of a process being executed. The operation buttons include a stop button and a start button, and various operations are performed when the user presses these operation buttons. Further, the setting state of the image recording apparatus 1 and various operation messages are displayed on the liquid crystal display as necessary.

<Internal configuration>
Next, details of the internal configuration of the image recording apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

(Configuration of recording unit)
The paper feed tray 11 shown in FIG. 2 is attached to the image recording apparatus 1. In this state, the recording unit 15 (corresponding to the image recording unit of the present invention) is disposed above the paper feeding device including the paper feeding tray 11 and the paper feeding mechanism 13 (corresponding to the paper feeding mechanism of the present invention). An arrow A in FIG. 2 indicates a paper feeding direction that is a direction in which the paper P as a recording medium is fed, and an insertion direction that is a direction in which the paper feeding tray 11 is inserted into the image recording apparatus 1. Show. The paper P stored in the paper feed tray 11 is fed along the direction of arrow A by the paper feed mechanism 13, passes through the paper transport path 17, and is transported toward the recording unit 15 in the transport direction indicated by arrow B. . The recording medium of the present invention is not limited to the paper P, but may be various sheets such as OHP that can record an image on the surface.

  In the recording unit 15, a pair of guide members 19 and 21 are fixed to a main body frame (not shown), and the guide members 19 and 21 have a plate shape extending in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 23 is slidably supported by the guide members 19 and 21. A recording head 25 is provided downward on the lower surface of the carriage 23, and a platen 27 is disposed between the guide members 19 and 21 so as to face the lower surface of the recording head 25. The registration roller pair 29 is disposed on the upstream side of the platen 27 in the conveyance direction of the paper P, and the paper discharge roller pair 31 is disposed on the downstream side of the platen 27.

  The registration roller pair 29 feeds the paper P conveyed through the paper conveyance path 17 to the lower side of the recording head 25. The recording head 25 records an image on the conveyed paper P, and the paper discharge roller pair 31 discharges the paper P on which the image is recorded onto a paper discharge tray 33 provided on the paper feed tray 11. . The platen 27 supports the paper P so that the distance between the transported paper P and the recording head 25 is constant.

(Configuration of paper feeder)
Next, the sheet feeding device including the sheet feeding tray 11 and the sheet feeding mechanism 13 will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed mechanism 13 includes a drive shaft 35, a holder portion 37, and a paper feed roller 39, and the paper feed mechanism 13 is disposed above the rear end side of the paper feed tray 11. The The drive shaft 35 is rotatably supported by a main body frame (not shown) provided inside the image recording apparatus 1. A gear (not shown) is attached to one end side of the drive shaft 35, and is connected to a drive motor (not shown) via a known connection drive mechanism such as a gear train provided in the image recording apparatus 1.

  The holder portion 37 is formed to be swingable about the drive shaft 35, and a paper feed roller 39 is formed on the other end side with respect to the drive shaft 35 of the holder portion 37. Therefore, the paper feed roller 39 can be lifted when the paper feed tray 11 is inserted into and removed from the image recording apparatus 1 or according to the accumulated height of the paper P.

  The paper feed roller 39 is formed of a pair of rollers that are positioned substantially in the center in the left-right direction, which is the width direction of the paper feed tray 11, and are arranged in the left-right direction. A drive transmission mechanism (not shown) including a gear train is provided in the holder portion 37, and connects the drive shaft 35 and the paper feed roller 39. The drive from the drive motor is transmitted to the paper feed roller 39 via the coupling drive mechanism, the drive shaft 35, and the drive transmission mechanism.

  The holder portion 37 is biased downward by a spring (not shown), and the paper feed roller 39 is pressed against the uppermost surface of the paper P stacked in the paper feed tray 11. The feed roller 39 is rotated clockwise in FIG. 2 while being pressed against the paper P by the transmission of power from the drive motor, and applies a force in the direction along the paper feed direction A to the paper P. .

(Structure of paper tray)
Next, the configuration of the paper feed tray 11 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  The sheet feeding tray 11 is provided with a bottom plate 41 (corresponding to the bottom plate of the present invention), left and right side plates 43, an extension 34, and a grip groove 45 at the upstream end in the sheet feeding direction A of the extension 34. The plate 47 and an inclined separation plate 49 (corresponding to the inclined member of the present invention) at the downstream end in the paper feeding direction A, and forms a storage portion 51 for storing a large number of sheets P in a stacked state. . In addition, a paper discharge tray 33 is provided on the storage unit 51.

  The paper feed tray 11 is configured so that a large number of sheets P cut into, for example, A4 size, letter size, legal size, etc., can be stacked and accommodated along the inclined separation plate 49 in FIG. . Further, the paper P of a larger size can be accommodated in a state where the extension portion 34 is pulled out. The maximum accumulation amount of paper P in the storage unit 51 of the paper feed tray 11 is about 150 sheets of plain paper, and the stacking height is about 15 mm.

  In the inclined separation plate 49 disposed at the downstream end in the insertion direction A of the paper feed tray 11, a separation member 55 as a separating means is provided along the inclined separation plate 49 on the surface of the substantially central portion in the left-right direction. It has been. The inclined separation plate is formed with an inclined surface 49a that is inclined so that its upper end side is located downstream of the lower end side in the insertion direction A, and the leading end of the sheet P in the storage portion 51 is inclined to the inclined surface 49a. It is accommodated in a contact or confrontation state.

  Further, the paper feed tray 11 is provided with a pair of side guides 59 for guiding and positioning the side edges parallel to the paper feed direction A of the paper P stored in the storage unit 51. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed tray 11 is provided with a rear guide 61 that abuts on the upstream rear end edge in the paper feeding direction A of the paper P stored in the storage portion 51. The rear guide 61 is configured to be movable along the paper feeding direction A.

  The side guide 59 is provided on the bottom plate 41 so as to be slidable in the direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction A, that is, in the left-right direction, between the left and right side plates 43 of the paper feed tray 11. Each side guide 59 includes a slider 63 parallel to the bottom plate 41 and an abutment plate 65 erected vertically from the slider 63. Only one side guide 59 has a knob (not shown) for positioning operation. A locking member is provided.

  Each slider 63 has a rack 69 that extends toward the other side guide 59. The rack 69 is formed with rack teeth (not shown) on one side along parallel guide grooves 67 formed through the bottom plate 41. And the rotatable pinion 71 arrange | positioned in the centerline position of the left-right direction of the baseplate 41 is comprised so that it may mesh with a rack tooth. With this configuration, when the locking member with knob is operated to move the side guide, the rack teeth of the racks 69 and the pinions 71 are engaged, and the sliders 63 slide simultaneously along the upper surface of the bottom plate 41. . Therefore, the center alignment in the width direction of the paper feed tray 11 and the center line between the sliders 63, that is, the center line in the width direction of the paper P stored in the paper feed tray 11 is so-called center alignment. It becomes possible.

  The paper feed tray 11 having the above-described configuration can be inserted into and withdrawn from the apparatus housing, and as shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed tray 11 reaches a predetermined position (hereinafter referred to as a paper feed position). When inserted, the paper can be fed by the paper feed roller 39. When paper feeding is started from this state, a force in a direction along the paper feeding direction (arrow A direction) by the paper feeding roller 39 acts on the paper P. When the inclined separation plate 49 and the separating member 55 come into contact with the leading edge of the paper P, paper is fed along the feeding direction indicated by the arrow C along the inclined separation plate 49 and cooperated with the paper feed roller 39. They are separated one by one by the action. The separately fed paper P passes through the U-turn path paper transport path 17 and is transported along the transport direction B to the recording unit 15. The conveyed paper P is recorded on the upper surface by the recording unit 15 and is discharged to the paper discharge tray 33 with the recording surface facing upward.

(Configuration of inclined separator)
Next, the configuration of the inclined separation plate 49 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 11 when the paper feed tray 11 is at the paper feed position or upstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 11 when is located downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction. FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 11 in a state where the inclined separation plate 49, the extension 34, and the front plate 47 of the paper feed tray 11 are removed, and FIG. FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the inclined separation plate 49 viewed from the side where the paper P is stored, and FIG. 4C is a perspective view of the inclined separation plate 49 viewed from the back side where the paper P is stored; FIG. 4D is a part in the housing 3 of the image recording apparatus 1 and is a part located in the vicinity of the inclined separation plate 49 when the paper feed tray 11 is mounted. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an operation until the paper feed tray 11 is mounted on the image recording apparatus 1. FIG. 6A shows a state upstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction, and FIG. ) Is a state where it is once mounted at the paper feed position, FIG. 6C is a state where it is inserted to the downstream side in the insertion direction from the paper feed position, and FIG. A state where the paper is pushed back to the paper position is shown.

  Rotating shafts 73 (corresponding to the rotating portion of the present invention) are provided at both ends in the width direction of the sheet P at the lower end portion of the inclined separation plate 49, A bearing 75 for the rotation shaft 73 is provided. The inclined separation plate 49 can be rotated around the rotation shaft 73.

  An inclination changing portion 77 (corresponding to the tray contact portion of the present invention) is provided on the back side surface 49b (the back surface of the inclined surface 49a) that does not contact the paper P of the inclined separation plate 49. Two inclination changing portions 77 are provided at two symmetrical positions in the vicinity of the separation member 55 at the left and right center of the paper feed tray, and protrude from the inclination separation plate 49.

  Then, in the lower rear portion of the housing 3 of the image recording apparatus 1, a contact portion that contacts the inclination changing portion 77 of the inclination separation plate 49 and rotates the inclination separation plate 49 when the paper feed tray 11 is mounted. 79 (corresponding to the main body contact portion of the present invention) is provided. The abutting portions 79 are provided at two symmetrical positions around the left and right center so as to abut on the inclination changing portion 77, and project from the lower housing 81 of the casing 3 of the image recording apparatus 1 toward the upstream side in the insertion direction. It has a shape. The inclination changing part 77 and the contact part 79 correspond to the changing mechanism of the present invention. Since these changing mechanisms are provided on the back surface 49b side of the inclined surface 49a, they do not come into contact with the paper to be fed and do not disturb the paper feeding. Moreover, since it is said shape, the change mechanism which performs rotation operation | movement of an inclination separation board becomes a simpler structure.

  Further, when the lower casing 81 is in contact with the paper feed tray 11, a damper means 85 that cushions a force acting on the paper feed tray 11 toward the downstream side in the insertion direction (in the damper means of the present invention). Equivalent). The damper means 85 is positioned upstream of the spring member 87 (corresponding to the biasing means of the present invention) and the spring member 87 in the insertion direction, and is biased upstream of the insertion direction by the spring member 87. 11, and a stopper portion 91 that engages with a part of the contact member 89 and prevents the contact member 89 from moving to the upstream side in the insertion direction beyond a predetermined position.

  Although not shown in FIG. 4, as shown in FIG. 5, the upper end side of the inclined surface 49a of the inclined separation plate 49 is connected to the bottom plate 41, and the inclined separation plate 49 is moved to the bottom plate 41 side. A biasing spring 83 (corresponding to the tilt biasing means of the present invention) for biasing is provided. When the paper feed tray 11 is located upstream of the paper feed position or the paper feed position, the upper end side of the inclined separation plate 49 is further tilted downstream in the insertion direction by the biasing force of the biasing spring 83. It is urged to a position that is not. In this state, the inclination angle α, which is the angle on the paper P side (accommodating portion side) among the angles formed by the inclination separation plate 49 and the bottom plate 41, is that the paper P is fed by the paper feed roller 39. At this time, the angle is set so that the inclined separation plate 49 and the leading edge of the paper P can be overcome after contacting each other. Since the angle that can be overcome varies depending on the frictional resistance or the like on the inclined surface 49a of the inclined separation plate 49, the angle is configured to be an optimum angle.

  Further, a lock member 93 (corresponding to the engaged portion of the present invention) is provided on the back side of the bottom plate 41 of the paper feed tray 11 on the side where the paper is placed. The lock member 93 has a claw shape on the downstream side in the insertion direction. The lower casing 81 of the image recording apparatus 1 is provided with an engaging member 95 (corresponding to the engaging portion of the present invention) that engages with the lock member 93. The engagement member 95 engages with the lock member 93 when the paper feed tray 11 is located at the paper feed position, and prevents the paper feed tray 11 from moving upstream in the insertion direction. Note that when the paper feed tray 11 is pulled out with the force that the claw-shaped portion of the lock member 93 gets over the engagement member 95, the engagement is released and the paper feed tray 11 is pulled out. This engaged state is configured such that the engagement is not released by the urging force applied to the paper feed tray 11 by the damper means 85.

<Operation of Inserting Paper Tray 11>
When the paper feed tray 11 having the above-described configuration is pulled out from the image recording apparatus 1, the inclination changing unit 77 is in contact with the bottom plate 41 as shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 6 (a). In addition, due to the biasing force of the biasing spring 83, the tilt separating plate 49 is in a state in which the tilt angle with the bottom plate 41 is maintained at the tilt angle α.

  When the paper feed tray 11 is inserted, the paper feed tray 11 reaches the paper feed position as shown in FIG. Along with this, the claw-shaped portion of the lock member 93 of the paper feed tray 11 gets over the engagement member 95 provided in the lower housing 81 and engages. In this state, when the paper feed tray 11 is moved to the downstream side in the insertion direction, the lock member 93 cannot get over the engaging member 95 if the force is small, and therefore the paper feed tray 11 is held at the paper feed position. Become.

  Then, when the paper feed tray 11 is inserted downstream of the paper feed position by the user in the insertion direction, as shown in FIG. 6C, the inclined separation plate 49 is formed on the back surface 49b side of the inclined surface 49a. The inclination changing portion 77 and the abutting portion 79 of the lower housing 81 abut. Accordingly, the tilt separating plate 49 is opposed to the biasing force of the biasing spring 83 so that the upper end side thereof is directed upstream in the insertion direction, that is, in the direction in which the tilt angle is reduced. Rotate around and stand up. When the paper feed tray 11 is inserted as it is downstream in the insertion direction, the inclination changing portion 77 continues to be in sliding contact with the contact portion 79, and the inclination angle of the inclination separating plate 49 gradually decreases to reach the inclination angle β.

  Further, the sheet feeding tray 11 abuts against the abutting member 89 of the damper means 85 while the inclined separation plate is rotating. As a result, the force acting on the sheet feeding tray 11 toward the downstream side in the insertion direction is buffered, and the impact when stopping is reduced. The paper feed tray 11 is further inserted downstream in the insertion direction against the urging force of the damper means 85, but the paper feed tray 11 is stopped when the spring member 87 of the damper means 85 reaches the contraction limit. To do.

  When the paper feed tray 11 is inserted at a position downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction, the moment the bottom plate 41 of the paper feed tray 11 abuts against the abutting portion 89 of the damper means 85, the direction toward the downstream side of the insertion direction is reached. The force is buffered. However, since the paper P accommodated in the accommodating portion 51 of the paper feed tray 11 is subjected to the same force as that applied to the paper feed tray 11 due to inertia, the paper feed tray 11 is inserted with a strong force. The more it is done, the greater the impact on the paper feed tray 11 and the paper P when the paper feed tray 11 is stopped, and it is easier to get over the upper end of the inclined separation plate 49.

  However, from the moment when the paper feed tray 11 is inserted downstream of the paper feed position, the inclination changing portion 77 and the contact portion 79 come into contact with each other, so that the inclination angle α of the inclination separation plate 49 decreases. The inclined separation plate 49 rotates. Therefore, when the tilt separation plate 49 rotates and contacts the leading end side of the paper P, the force toward the upstream in the insertion direction and the force toward the downstream in the insertion direction acting on the paper P are offset. The Rukoto. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the sheet P from getting over the inclined separation plate 49. Further, since the rotation operation of the inclined separation plate 49 is performed with the insertion of the paper feed tray 11, control for the rotation operation is unnecessary.

  Then, after the user releases the paper feed tray 11 after being pushed down to the inclination angle β that becomes the contraction limit of the spring member 87 of the damper means 85, the paper feed tray 11 is inserted by the biasing force of the damper means 85. It is automatically returned upstream in the direction. Along with this, the inclination changing portion 77 is separated from the contact portion 79, and the inclination separation plate 49 is rotated so as to be inclined to the original inclination angle α by the urging force of the urging spring 83. Since the biasing spring 83 biases the tilt separating plate 49 in a tilting direction, the tilt separating plate 49 can easily maintain the original tilt angle α.

  When the paper feed tray 11 returns to the paper feed position, the lock member 93 and the engaging member 95 are engaged, and paper can be fed as shown in FIG. Since the force returned to the upstream side in the insertion direction by the damper means 85 when returning to this position is smaller than the force for releasing the engagement between the lock member 93 and the engagement member 95, the paper is fed at the paper feed position. The paper tray 11 is held. In this embodiment, the inclination angle β is set to satisfy 90 ° <β <100 °.

  Note that the sheet feeding tray 11 is not inserted until the contraction limit of the spring member 87 of the damper means 85 if the user pushing force is relatively small. That is, the sheet is fed at a position where the force acting on the sheet feeding tray 11 toward the downstream side in the insertion direction and the biasing force biased toward the upstream side in the insertion direction, which increases as the spring member 87 contracts, are balanced. The tray 11 is stopped and then returned to the paper feed position.

  Also in this case, since the sheet feeding tray 11 is positioned downstream of the sheet feeding position with respect to the insertion direction, the upper end side is rotated toward the upstream side in the insertion direction so that the inclined separation plate 49 stands up. The paper P stored in the tray 11 is prevented from getting over the inclined separation plate 49. Further, if the force is smaller than the urging force of the spring member 87 of the damper means 85, the force acting on the paper feed tray 11 and the stored paper P when the paper feed tray 11 is stopped is smaller, so that the inclination separation is performed. The possibility of getting over the plate 49 is also relatively small. Therefore, even if the rotation amount of the inclined separation plate 49 is small, the sheet P can be prevented from getting over.

[Other variations]
The present invention is not limited to the above configuration. That is, the operation of returning the paper feed tray 11 to the paper feed position by the damper means may be performed by the user or may be a separate mechanism irrespective of the damper means, and the insertion direction acting on the paper feed tray 11 It is not necessary to have damper means for buffering the force in the direction toward A. The locking member and the engaging member may be any mechanism that holds the paper feed tray at the paper feed position.

  The inclination changing portion 77 and the abutting portion 79 may be configured so that the inclination angle of the inclination separation plate 49 can be changed in accordance with the insertion operation of the paper feed tray 11, and the position and shape thereof are not limited to the above. Absent. An operation other than the rotation operation may be performed as long as the inclined separation plate 49 can stand. In addition, the rotation axis of the inclined separation plate 49 may not be the lower end portion, and the rotation axis may be provided in the paper feed tray 11 and the bearing may be provided in the inclined separation plate 49.

  Further, the inclined separating plate 49 does not have to be configured to be rotatable in its entire width direction, and a part of the inclined separating plate 49 abuts against the leading edge of the paper P to prevent the inclined separating plate 49 from getting over. Also good. In other words, it is fixed to the bottom plate 41 of the paper feed tray, and its inclination angle is set to a feedable angle, and is fixed to an inclination separation plate (corresponding to the fixed inclination member of the present invention) and a rotation shaft. The tilt separation plate may be configured by a movable tilt separation plate (corresponding to the movable tilt member of the present invention) that rotates so that the tilt angle changes in accordance with the insertion operation of the paper feed tray 11. When the paper feed tray is inserted downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction, as shown in the first embodiment, only the movable inclined separation plate is rotated so as to stand up. Then, the leading edge of the sheet P to be overcome and the inclined surface of the movable inclined separation plate come into contact with each other, so that the sheet P can be prevented from getting over. Thus, by setting it as the structure which a part of inclination separating plate rotates, the range which performs rotation operation becomes narrow and it becomes possible to rotate more easily.

  In addition, the inclined separation plate 49 is urged by the urging spring 83 so that the upper end of the inclined separation plate 49 is positioned downstream of the lower end in the insertion direction. The inclined separation plate 49 may be provided not on the paper feed tray 11 but on the image recording apparatus side, and the separation member is not provided on the inclined separation plate, and other separation means may be provided. .

  In this embodiment, the paper feeding device provided in the image recording apparatus has been described. However, the paper feeding device and the image recording unit may be provided separately.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image recording device 11 Paper feed tray 13 Paper feed mechanism 15 Recording part 41 Bottom plate 49 Inclined separation plate 49a Inclined surface 55 Separating member 77 Inclination changing part 79 Abutting part 81 Lower housing 83 Biasing spring 85 Damper means 87 Spring member 89 Contact member 93 Lock member 95 Engagement member

Claims (10)

A paper feed tray that includes a bottom plate on which a recording medium is placed and that can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus;
A paper feed device that feeds a recording medium placed on the paper feed tray,
An inclined surface provided at a position on the downstream side of the bottom plate in the insertion direction and in contact with the leading end of the recording medium in the insertion direction, with an upper end inclined such that the upper end is positioned downstream of the lower end in the insertion direction; An inclined member formed so that an inclination angle formed by the bottom plate can be changed;
When the paper feed tray is positioned at a paper feed position where paper can be fed, the inclination angle becomes an angle at which the recording medium placed on the bottom plate can be fed by the paper feed mechanism, And a change mechanism that operates the inclined member as the paper feed tray is inserted so that the inclined angle is changed and the inclined member rises when the paper supply tray is positioned downstream in the insertion direction. A paper feeder characterized by.   A rotating portion is provided at a lower end portion of the inclined member, and the changing mechanism moves the rotating portion to the center of rotation as the sheet feeding tray is inserted downstream from the sheet feeding position in the inserting direction. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the inclined member is rotated to stand up. The change mechanism includes a tray contact portion provided in the paper feed tray and a main body contact portion provided downstream of the paper feed position.
As the paper feed tray is inserted downstream from the paper feed position in the insertion direction, the inclined member is erected by bringing the tray contact portion and the main body contact portion into contact with each other. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1 or 2. The tray contact portion is provided on the back side of the inclined surface of the inclined member,
The main body abutting portion protrudes in a direction along the insertion direction from the apparatus main body to a position where the paper feeding tray abuts on the tray abutting portion when the paper feeding tray is downstream in the insertion direction from the paper feeding position. The paper feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the paper feeding device is provided.   Damper means for attenuating the force in the insertion direction acting on the paper feed tray provided in the apparatus so as to contact the paper feed tray when the paper feed tray is located downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising:   The damper means includes an urging means for generating an urging force upstream in the insertion direction, and the urging means, when the paper feed tray is inserted downstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction, The sheet feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the sheet feeding tray is urged to the sheet feeding position. The apparatus main body has an engaging portion for holding the paper feed tray at the paper feed position,
The paper feed tray has an engaged portion that engages with the engaging portion when the paper feed tray is located at the paper feed position;
When the paper feed tray is positioned at the paper feed position, the engaging portion and the engaged portion are engaged with each other, thereby resisting the biasing force of the damper means and upstream of the paper feed position in the insertion direction. The sheet feeding device according to claim 6, wherein movement toward the side is restricted, and the sheet feeding tray is held at the sheet feeding position.   The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding tray includes an inclination urging unit that urges the inclined member in a direction in which the inclination angle is inclined.   The inclined member includes a movable inclined member that is provided with the separation member and the tray contact portion and can change the inclination angle, and a fixed inclined member that is fixed to the bottom plate. The paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. A paper feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An image recording unit for recording an image on a recording medium fed from the paper feeding device;
An image recording apparatus comprising:

Images