JP2011195237A - Medium feeding device, and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a medium feeding device considering the capability of separating fed media placed on a placement part from each other when fed, and the state of the fed media on the placement part.SOLUTION: The medium feeding device (2) includes the placement part 6 on which the fed media (P) are placed, a first roller (3) for contacting the uppermost fed medium (P) out of the fed media (P) placed on the placement part 6 and feeding the fed medium (P) to the downstream side in the feeding direction, and a deflection forming means 9 provided on the upstream side in the feeding direction beyond the first roller (3) for imparting force onto the downstream side in the feeding direction to the uppermost fed medium (P) on the upstream side beyond the position of the uppermost fed medium (P) which the first roller (3) contacts, to form deflection C on the uppermost fed medium (P) between the first roller (3) and itself.

Description

The present invention relates to a placing portion on which a feeding medium is placed, and a feeding medium placed on the placing portion in contact with the top feeding medium in the stacking direction, and the feeding medium is moved downstream in the feeding direction. The present invention relates to a medium feeding device including a roller to be fed to the side, and a recording device including 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 Document 1, a sheet conveying apparatus as a medium feeding apparatus has a sheet feeding tray, a sheet feeding roller, and a side regulating plate as an edge guide. And in order to suppress the inclination with respect to the feeding direction of the sheet material when feeding the sheet material as the medium to be fed, the sheet material on the sheet feeding tray is at least provided with the side regulating plate in the feeding direction. Was configured to be curved.

  In other words, the sheet material may be inclined with respect to the feeding direction due to the side edge of the sheet material going up the inner side surface of the side regulating plate. In contrast, the sheet material in the width direction can be strengthened by curving the sheet material on the sheet feeding tray. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the side end of the sheet material from going up the inner side surface of the side regulating plate, and the side regulating plate can firmly regulate the posture of the sheet material.

JP-A-5-58463 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-25482

However, if the sheet member is left on the sheet feeding tray for a long period of time, the sheet material has a curved wrinkle. Moreover, since the space to curve is required, there exists a possibility that an apparatus may enlarge. Furthermore, the separation ability when double feeding is not changed.
Further, as shown in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228688, in the method in which a protrusion is partially provided on the paper feed tray to lift a part of the paper as the medium to be fed, the paper is greatly damaged.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and its problem is to determine the separation ability when sending the medium to be sent placed on the placement part and the state of the medium to be sent on the placement part. It is an object of the present invention to provide a medium feeding apparatus and a recording apparatus including the medium feeding apparatus.

  In order to achieve the above object, a medium feeding device according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a placing unit on which a medium to be fed is placed, and a feeding medium placed on the placing unit in the stacking direction. A first roller that comes into contact with an upper medium to be fed and feeds the medium to be fed downstream in the feeding direction, and is provided on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the first roller. A deflection forming means for forming a deflection in the uppermost transported medium between the first roller and the first roller by applying a force to the uppermost transported medium on the upstream side of the position where the uppermost transported medium is located. And.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the uppermost fed medium is bent to provide a gap between the uppermost fed medium and the next fed medium in the bent range. Can be entered. Therefore, it is possible to separate the uppermost transported medium from the subsequent transport media. That is, the separation can be performed at a stage before the uppermost medium to be fed is sent. This is so-called preliminary separation.

  It is also possible to change the degree of bending according to the size, rigidity, humidity, etc. of the medium to be fed. That is, the amount of bending can be changed according to the type and environment of the medium to be fed. Furthermore, since it is sufficient to bend when the medium to be fed is fed by the first roller, there is almost no possibility that the medium to be fed is bent. Further, since the projection used in the prior art is not required, there is no possibility that the fed medium is damaged.

A second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, further comprising an edge guide in contact with a side end of the medium to be fed on both sides in the width direction with respect to the direction of feeding of the medium to be fed in the placement unit. To do.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effects as those of the first aspect, the rigidity in the width direction is increased by bending the uppermost medium to be fed, and the side edges of the uppermost medium to be fed are increased. Can be prevented from riding on the edge guide. As a result, the position in the width direction of the uppermost medium to be fed and the posture with respect to the feeding direction can be stabilized. That is, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of so-called skew in which the posture with respect to the feeding direction is inclined.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the deflection forming unit has a second roller that contacts and drives the uppermost medium to be fed on the upstream side of the first roller. When the first roller feeds the uppermost medium to be fed, the second roller starts driving first with the first roller stopped, and then the first roller and the second roller It is a structure which drives and sends the highest-order to-be-sent medium.

According to the 3rd aspect of this invention, in addition to the effect similar to the 1st or 2nd aspect, the said bending formation means can be comprised easily.
Further, the deflection can be formed at a stage before the feeding of the uppermost medium to be sent to the downstream side starts. Accordingly, preliminary separation can be performed.
Furthermore, when the edge guide is provided, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of skew when the first roller applies a feeding force to the uppermost medium to be fed. Further, the occurrence of skew can also be suppressed by the second roller being in contact with the uppermost medium to be fed.

  For example, consider a case in which one of the edge guides on both sides is moved in the width direction and the position of the medium to be fed in the width direction can be determined based on the other. And when it is one of a plurality of sizes of the medium to be fed and the position of the first roller is deviated with respect to the center in the width direction of the medium to be fed, skew is likely to occur. The deflection forming means is particularly effective.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect, the apparatus further includes a separating unit that separates the uppermost transported medium and the subsequent transported medium downstream from the first roller in the transport direction. The distance L1 from the contact point between the uppermost transported medium in the stagnation state and the second roller to the rear end that is the upstream end of the uppermost transported medium is the state before being fed by the first roller. It is characterized in that a relationship is established that is greater than a distance L2 from the position of the leading end, which is the downstream end of the uppermost transported medium, until the leading end passes through the separating means. To do.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effects as those of the third aspect, the leading end of the uppermost medium to be fed can be surely bent when passing through the separating means. it can. Then, it is possible to suppress the skew that occurs at that time. That is, it is possible to prevent the top-level transported medium from being skewed by the load received from the separation means when the tip of the top-most transported medium passes through the separation means.
Further, the feeding force by the second roller helps the top end of the medium to be fed pass through the separating means. That is, a sufficient feeding force can be applied to the uppermost medium to be fed.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the apparatus further comprises first switching means for switching between a state in which the second roller is driven and a state in which the second roller is freely rotatable. When passing through the separating means, the second roller is switched from the driven state to the rotatable state.
According to the 5th aspect of this invention, in addition to the effect similar to a 4th aspect, the feed force by the said 2nd roller can be made into the thing, and the double feed by this 2nd roller can be prevented.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, the sixth aspect further comprises second switching means for switching between a contact state in which the second roller is in contact with the medium to be fed and a separated state in which the second roller is separated from the medium to be fed. The second roller is switched from the contact state to the separated state when the leading end of the medium to be fed passes through the separating means.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the same effects as in the fourth aspect, the feeding force by the second roller is eliminated as in the fifth aspect, and the double feeding by the second roller is performed. Can be prevented.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fourth aspect, after the leading edge of the uppermost medium to be fed passes through the separating means and the rear end of the uppermost medium to be fed passes through the second roller, It is the structure which stops the drive of a 2nd roller, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
According to the 7th aspect of this invention, in addition to the effect similar to a 4th aspect, the to-be-sent medium can be pressed and hold | maintained with a frictional force. Even if the feeding force is transmitted to the subsequent medium to be fed by the pressing force of the first roller, it is possible to more reliably prevent double feeding.

A recording apparatus according to an eighth aspect of the present invention includes a medium feeding unit that feeds a recording medium in a feeding direction, and a recording unit that records the recording medium sent by the medium feeding unit by a recording head. In the recording apparatus, the medium feeding unit includes the medium feeding apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, and the recording medium is the feeding medium. .
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, the medium feeding means includes the medium feeding device according to any one of the first to seventh aspects. Therefore, in the recording apparatus, it is possible to obtain the same function and effect as in any one of the first to seventh aspects.

FIG. 2 is a side view illustrating the outline of the printer according to the invention. The side view which shows the outline of the medium feeding means based on this invention. The top view which shows the outline of the medium feeding means based on this invention. The side view which shows the state which formed the bending in the paper in the medium feeding means of this invention. The side view which shows the state which started feeding of the paper in the medium feeding means of this invention. The perspective view which looked at the state of FIG. 5 from the upper side of the feed direction upstream.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing an outline of a printer which is an example of a recording apparatus according to the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 according to the present invention includes a medium feeding unit 2, a feeding path, a recording unit 16, and a discharging unit 20.

Among these, the medium feeding means 2 is provided so that the paper P which is an example of the medium to be fed can be fed in the feeding direction Y. The feeding path is constituted by a medium guiding unit that guides the paper P sent by the medium feeding means or the like, and indicates the path through which the paper P is sent.
The recording unit 16 is configured to perform recording on the paper P sent by the medium feeding unit 2. Furthermore, the discharge unit 20 is provided so that the recorded paper P can be discharged and placed on a discharge tray (not shown).

  Specifically, the medium feeding unit 2 includes a placement unit 6, a pickup roller 3, a first arm unit 4, a separating unit 7, a first roller pair 14, a second roller pair 15, and a deflection forming unit. 9. Among these, the placement unit 6 is provided so that the paper P is placed thereon. The pickup roller 3 can be driven by the power of the motor, and is provided so as to be in contact with the paper P at the top of the stacking direction among the papers P stacked on the placement unit 6. Note that the direction indicated by the Z-axis arrow is above the stacking direction.

Furthermore, the first arm portion 4 is provided so as to be able to swing around a first swing shaft 5 on one end side that is upstream in the feed direction. And it is comprised so that the pick-up roller 3 may be rotatably hold | maintained to the other end side which is a feed direction downstream.
The motor may be provided at a location on the base unit side of the printer 1 different from the first arm unit 4 or may be provided on the first arm unit. In the former case, the power is transmitted to the pickup roller 3 through the first swing shaft 5 by power transmission means such as a gear train. On the other hand, in the latter case, power is transmitted to the pickup roller 3 by power transmission means such as a gear train without passing through the first swing shaft 5.

Further, the separating means 7 is provided on the downstream side in the feeding direction from the place where the paper P is set in the placement unit 6. Specifically, it has an inclined surface 8 that is inclined with respect to the posture of the sheet P fed by the pickup roller 3 as viewed from the side. When the paper P is double fed, the uppermost paper P and the subsequent paper P are separated from the pickup roller 3. This is a so-called bank separation mechanism.
Here, the “bank separation mechanism” refers to a mechanism that provides a surface so that the paper P enters at a predetermined angle and separates the paper P by applying a load to the front end of the paper P.

Furthermore, the first roller pair 14 and the second roller pair 15 are provided so that the paper P that has passed through the separating means 7 can be sent to the recording unit 16. Among these, the 1st roller pair 14 has the 1st drive roller 14a and the 1st driven roller 14b.
Instead of the first driven roller 14b, a so-called retard roller with a predetermined load in rotation may be used. In such a case, when the separation by the bank separation mechanism is not sufficient, the double-fed paper P can be reliably separated. That is, the paper that is in direct contact with the first drive roller 14a can be separated from the paper on the retard roller side from the paper.

The second roller pair 15 is provided on the downstream side of the first roller pair 14 in the feed path. Specifically, the second roller pair 15 has a second drive roller 15a and a second driven roller 15b. For example, it is provided so that the paper P can be sent to the recording unit 16 with high precision by a stepping motor.
Needless to say, when the leading edge of the paper P reaches the second roller pair 15, so-called skew removal is performed to correct the posture of the paper P with respect to the feeding direction Y.

  Further, the deflection forming means 9 is provided on the upstream side in the feed direction from the pickup roller 3, as will be described in detail later. Then, by applying a force downstream of the feeding direction to the uppermost sheet P, a bend C (see FIGS. 4 to 6) can be formed in the sheet P between the pickup roller 3 and the sheet P. It is configured as follows. As a result, the uppermost sheet P and the subsequent sheets P can be separated at the stage before the start of feeding. This is so-called preliminary separation.

  The recording unit 16 includes a carriage 17, a recording head 18, and a medium support unit 19. Among these, the carriage 17 is configured to move in the width direction X by the power of a moving means (not shown) while being guided by a guide shaft (not shown) extending in the width direction X of the paper P. Yes. The recording head 18 is provided in the carriage 17 so that ink can be ejected onto the paper P. This is so-called ink jet recording.

Furthermore, the medium support portion 19 is provided at a position facing the recording head 18 and is configured to support the paper P and to set the distance between the paper P and the recording head 18 at a predetermined interval. ing.
In the present embodiment, the ink jet recording unit 16 that ejects ink is used, but other configurations may be used. For example, a so-called laser printer configuration may be used in which toner is attached to the paper P and recording is performed on the paper P by applying heat and pressure.

The discharge unit 20 includes a third roller pair 21 and a discharge tray (not shown). The third roller pair 21 is provided on the downstream side of the recording unit 16 in the feeding path, and is provided so that the recorded paper P can be sent to the discharge tray.
The placement unit 6 of the medium feeding unit 2 may have a so-called cassette type configuration that can be attached to and detached from the printer main body, or may be formed integrally with the printer main body.
Next, the medium feeding means 2 that is a main part of the present invention will be described in more detail.

FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing the medium feeding means according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing the medium feeding means according to the present invention.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the deflection forming means 9 is provided on the upstream side in the feed direction from the pickup roller 3 as described above. Specifically, the deflection forming unit 9 includes an upstream roller 10, a second arm portion 11, and a second swing shaft 22.

  Among these, the upstream roller 10 is provided on the upstream side of the pickup roller 3. And it is comprised so that it can drive with the motive power of the motor which is not shown in figure. The position of the upstream roller 10 in the width direction X is the same as the position of the pickup roller 3 in the width direction X when the width of the roller is the same due to the relationship between the upstream roller 10 and the pickup roller 3.

On the other hand, when the widths of the rollers are different, it is only necessary that the other narrow roller is provided in the range of the width direction X in which one relatively wide roller is provided. This is because, as will be described later, between the pickup roller 3 and the upstream roller 10, a bending C having an arc-like direction with the width direction X as an axis is formed.
Similarly to the first arm portion 4, the second arm portion 11 rotatably holds the upstream roller 10 on the downstream side which is one end side, and the second swing shaft 22 on the upstream side which is the other end side. It is provided so that it can swing to the center.
The position of the second swing shaft 22 may be either upstream or downstream from the upstream roller 10. The reason why the upstream side is used in this embodiment is that the pressing force applied by the upstream roller 10 to the uppermost sheet P is more greatly applied than when the upstream side is used. Thereby, the bending C (refer FIGS. 4-6) can be formed more reliably.

Further, the medium feeding means 2 is further provided with a first switching means 23 and a second switching means 24. Among these, the 1st switching means 23 is comprised so that the upstream roller 10 can be switched and the state which can rotate freely. For example, the driving state and the rotatable state can be switched by switching the meshing state of the gear wheel train that transmits power.
On the other hand, the second switching unit 24 is configured to be able to switch between a contact state in which the upstream roller 10 is in contact with the paper P and a separated state in which the upstream roller 10 is separated from the paper P. For example, the contact state and the separated state can be switched by swinging the second arm portion 11 with the power of a motor (not shown).

  Furthermore, in the medium feeding means 2, a first edge guide 12 and a second edge guide 13 are provided on the placement portion. Among these, the first edge guide 12 is provided so as to be able to contact the one side end of the paper P in the width direction X and guide the paper P in the feeding direction Y. The second edge guide 13 is slidable in the width direction X according to the size of the paper, and can contact the other side edge of the paper P to guide the paper P in the feed direction Y. It is provided so that it can. That is, the first edge guide 12 and the second edge guide 13 are provided so that the position of the paper P in the width direction X can be determined.

Next, the operation of the deflection forming means 9 when starting feeding will be described in more detail.
FIG. 4 is a side view showing a state in which the paper is bent in the medium feeding means of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 4, from the state shown in FIG. 3, first, the upstream roller 10 is driven by a predetermined amount in the clockwise direction in the drawing.

  Here, the “predetermined amount” refers to the upstream roller in which the upstream roller 10 sends the paper P at a distance shorter than the distance from the position where the upstream roller 10 contacts the paper P to the trailing edge of the paper P. The driving amount is 10 and satisfies the relationship of “distance L1> distance L2” described later. “Distance L1” is a distance from a position where the upstream roller 10 contacts the uppermost sheet P to the rear end of the uppermost sheet P in a bent state. The “distance L2” is a distance from the leading end position of the paper P in a state before the feeding start by the pickup roller 3 to the leading end passing through the separating unit 7.

  The distance from the location where the upstream roller 10 contacts the paper P to the trailing edge of the paper P can be calculated from the paper size setting. Further, the size of the paper P may be recognized from the position of an edge guide (not shown) on the rear end side and calculated based on this. Further, a sensor for detecting the position of the rear end of the paper P placed on the placement unit 6 may be provided, and the calculation may be performed based on the sensor.

Accordingly, a feeding force can be applied to the uppermost sheet P from the upstream roller 10. At this time, the pickup roller 3 is in a stopped state.
Here, the friction coefficient between the upstream roller 10 and the paper P is configured to be higher than the friction coefficient between the paper P and the paper P. The friction coefficient between the pickup roller 3 and the paper P is the same.

Therefore, the deflection C can be formed on the uppermost sheet P between the pickup roller 3 and the upstream roller 10. At this time, due to the above-described relationship of the friction coefficient, no deflection is formed in the subsequent paper P.
As a result, a gap can be positively generated between the uppermost sheet P and the subsequent sheet P, and the uppermost sheet P is moved to the subsequent sheet before the start of feeding. It is possible to make it easy to separate from the paper P. That is, when the uppermost sheet P is closely attached to the subsequent sheet P, at least a part of the uppermost sheet P can be separated from the subsequent sheet P. This is so-called preliminary separation.

Here, the distance from the position where the upstream roller 10 contacts the uppermost sheet P to the rear end of the uppermost sheet P in the bent state is defined as L1. Further, the distance from the front end position of the paper P in the state before the feeding start by the pickup roller 3 to the front end of the paper passing through the separating means 7 is L2. And as will be described in detail later,
Distance L1> Distance L2
The relationship is established.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing a state in which the sheet feeding is started in the medium feeding means of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the state of FIG. 5 as viewed from the upstream side in the feeding direction.
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the pickup roller 3 and the upstream roller 10 are driven in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5 from the state shown in FIG. Therefore, the uppermost sheet P can be sent downstream in the feeding direction. That is, feeding is started.

  At this time, as described above, the distance L1 from the position where the upstream roller 10 is in contact with the uppermost sheet P to the rear end of the uppermost sheet P in the bent state is the distance before the feeding by the pickup roller 3 is started. This is a relationship that is greater than the distance L2 from the leading edge position of the sheet P in the state to the leading edge passing through the separating means 7. Then, the leading edge of the paper P collides with the inclined surface 8 of the separating means 7 and goes up the inclined surface 8. At this time, if the next paper P is sent together with the top paper P, the leading edge of the next paper P collides with the inclined surface 8 and stops and is separated from the top paper P. In other words, only the uppermost sheet P can pass through the inclined surface 8.

When the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the inclined surface 8 of the separating unit 7, the first switching unit 23 is configured to switch from the state where the upstream roller 10 is driven to the state where it is driven to rotate. .
Here, when the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the inclined surface 8 of the separating unit 7, the posture of the uppermost sheet P may be inclined with respect to the feeding direction Y due to the load received from the inclined surface 8. In particular, when the position of the pickup roller 3 in the width direction X is biased with respect to the center in the width direction of the paper P, it tends to be inclined.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the upstream roller 10 is configured to apply a feeding force to the uppermost sheet P until the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the inclined surface 8 of the separating unit 7. ing. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the skew that occurs when the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the separating means 7.
In addition, a necessary and sufficient feeding force can be applied so that the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P rises on the inclined surface 8 of the separating means 7.

  Furthermore, since the bending C having an arc-like direction around the width direction X is formed, the stiffness of the paper P only in the width direction X can be increased. Therefore, the positioning effect by the first edge guide 12 and the second edge guide 13 can be maximized. Specifically, the side edge of the paper P can be prevented from being bent so as to be displaced upward or downward with respect to the center portion in the width direction. Then, it is firmly guided by the first edge guide 12 and the second edge guide 13. That is, there is no possibility that one side edge of the paper P bends so as to ride on one of the first edge guide 12 and the second edge guide 13 and the whole paper posture is inclined with respect to the feeding direction Y. As a result, the skew can be more effectively suppressed.

  When the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the inclined surface 8 of the separating means 7, the upstream roller 10 is switched to a state of being driven to rotate as described above. Therefore, when the trailing edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the upstream roller 10, the upstream roller 10 does not apply a feeding force to the next sheet P. As a result, there is no possibility that the next paper P is sent to the downstream side in the feeding direction together with the rear end side of the uppermost paper P overlapping. That is, double feeding can be prevented.

  In addition, although it was set as the structure switched from the state which the upstream roller 10 drives to the state which rotates by the 1st switching means 23, it is not restricted to this. For example, a structure may be employed in which only the power for rotating the upstream roller 10 in the clockwise direction in the drawing is transmitted by the latch mechanism and the power for rotating in the counterclockwise direction is not transmitted. This is a so-called one-way clutch. In such a case, the driven roller 10 can be driven and rotated only by stopping the clockwise driving of the upstream roller 10 in the drawing.

Further, instead of switching by the first switching unit 23, switching by the second switching unit 24 may be executed. It is because the same effect can be obtained also in such a case. Specifically, the second arm portion 11 is swung to switch from the contact state in which the upstream roller 10 is in contact with the paper P to the separated state in which the upstream roller 10 is separated from the paper P.
Furthermore, instead of switching by the first switching unit 23 and the second switching unit 24, when the trailing edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the upstream roller 10, the rotation of the upstream roller 10 may be stopped. Good. In such a case, the next sheet P can be firmly pressed. As a result, it is possible to more reliably prevent the next sheet P from being sent to the downstream side in the feeding direction together with the rear end side of the uppermost sheet P.

  Thereafter, when the leading edge of the paper P reaches the first roller pair 14, the pickup roller 3 is switched to a state of being driven to rotate similarly to the upstream roller 10. Alternatively, the first arm unit 4 may be swung to switch the state where the pickup roller 3 is in contact with the paper P to the state where the pickup roller 3 is separated from the paper P. In either case, the sheet P is further sent to the downstream side by the first roller pair 14.

As described above, when feeding the uppermost sheet P, the uppermost sheet P can be preliminarily separated from the next sheet P by bending the uppermost sheet P. As a result, the possibility of double feeding can be reduced.
In addition, the sheet P to be fed is bent only when feeding is started. That is, it is not a configuration in which all of the paper P placed on the placement unit 6 is always bent. Accordingly, since no extra load is applied to the paper P except when the paper P is fed, no warping or distortion is imposed on the paper P.

Furthermore, since the bending C having an arc-like direction about the width direction X is formed, the stiffness of the paper P in the feeding direction Y does not change. Therefore, there is no possibility of affecting the separation by the inclined surface 8 of the separating means 7 or the retard roller.
Further, since the bending C having an arc-like direction about the width direction X is formed, the stiffness of the paper P only in the width direction X becomes strong. Therefore, the positioning effect by the first edge guide 12 and the second edge guide 13 can be maximized. As a result, the skew can be more effectively suppressed.

  When the next succeeding sheet P is fed next, if the pickup roller 3 and the upstream roller 10 are separated from the sheet P, the sheet is moved by swinging the first arm and the second arm. Switch to contact with P. Moreover, when the pickup roller 3 and the upstream roller 10 are in a state of being driven to rotate, the state is switched to a drivable state. Then, as described above, the feeding of the next sheet P is started after the succeeding next sheet P is bent.

  Further, although the upstream roller 10 and the pickup roller 3 cooperate to form the deflection C on the uppermost sheet P as the deflection forming means 9, the configuration is not limited to this. As a technical idea, any configuration may be used as long as it can apply a force to feed the sheet P to the downstream side in the feeding direction on the upstream side of the stopped pickup roller 3. For example, a configuration in which the tip of the lever is brought into contact with the paper P and a force for feeding the lever toward the downstream side in the feeding direction may be applied.

  The medium feeding means 2 as the medium feeding device of the present embodiment includes a placement unit 6 on which a sheet P, which is an example of a medium to be fed, and a stacking direction of the sheets P placed on the placement unit 6. A pickup roller 3 as a first roller that contacts the uppermost sheet P and feeds the sheet P downstream in the feeding direction, and is provided on the upstream side of the pickup roller 3 in the feeding direction. A deflection that forms a deflection C in the uppermost sheet P with the pickup roller 3 by applying a feeding force, which is a force downstream in the feeding direction, to the uppermost sheet P on the upstream side of the position where the sheet is to be formed. And forming means 9.

Further, in the present embodiment, the first edge guide 12 and the second edge guide 13 that are edge guides that come into contact with the side edges of the paper P are further provided on both sides in the width direction with respect to the feeding direction Y of the paper P in the placement unit 6. It is characterized by.
Furthermore, in this embodiment, the deflection forming means 9 has an upstream roller 10 as a second roller that contacts and drives the uppermost sheet P on the upstream side of the pickup roller 3, and the pickup roller 3 is When feeding the uppermost sheet P, the upstream roller 10 starts to drive first with the pickup roller 3 stopped, and then the pickup roller 3 and the upstream roller 10 are driven to feed the uppermost sheet P. It is the structure.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a separation means 7 is further provided on the downstream side in the feed direction from the pickup roller 3 to separate the uppermost sheet P from the next and subsequent sheets P, and the uppermost sheet P in a bent state The distance L1 from the contact point with the upstream roller 10 to the rear end that is the upstream end of the uppermost sheet P is the position of the leading end that is the downstream end of the uppermost sheet P before being fed by the pickup roller 3 It is characterized by the fact that a relationship is established that is greater than the distance L2 that is fed by the pickup roller 3 and passes through the separating means 7 from the tip.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus further includes a first switching unit 23 that switches between a state in which the upstream roller 10 is driven and a state in which the upstream roller 10 is rotatable, and when the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the separating unit 7, The upstream roller 10 is switched from the driven state to the rotatable state.
Further, in the present embodiment, the image forming apparatus further includes a second switching unit 24 that switches between a contact state in which the upstream roller 10 is in contact with the paper P and a separated state in which the upstream roller 10 is separated from the paper P. It is the structure which switches the upstream roller 10 from the said contact state to the said separation | spacing state when passing.

In the present embodiment, the driving of the upstream roller 10 is stopped after the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P passes through the separating unit 7 and the rear end of the uppermost sheet P passes through the upstream roller 10. It is characterized by being.
A printer 1 as a recording apparatus of the present embodiment includes a medium feeding unit 2 that feeds a sheet P as an example of a recording medium in a feeding direction Y, and a recording head 18 that feeds the sheet P sent by the medium feeding unit 2. And a recording unit 16 for recording.

  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 medium feeding means, 3 pickup roller, 4 first arm part,
5 first swing shaft, 6 placing portion, 7 separating means, 8 inclined surface, 9 deflection forming means,
10 upstream roller, 11 second arm part, 12 first edge guide,
13 Second edge guide, 14 First roller pair, 14a First drive roller,
14b 1st driven roller (retard roller), 15 2nd roller pair,
15a 2nd driving roller, 15b 2nd driven roller, 16 recording part,
17 Carriage, 18 Recording head, 19 Medium support part, 20 Ejection part,
21 third roller pair, 22 second swing shaft, 23 first switching means,
24 Second switching means, C deflection,
L1 Distance from the point where the upstream roller contacts the paper to the trailing edge of the paper in the bent state,
L2 Distance from the leading edge position of the paper before the start of feeding to the passage through the separating means,
P paper, X width direction, Y feed direction, Z stacking direction (vertical direction)

Claims (8)

A placement unit on which a medium to be fed is placed;
A first roller that comes into contact with an uppermost medium to be fed in the stacking direction among the mediums to be fed placed on the placement unit, and feeds the medium to be fed downstream in the feeding direction;
Provided on the upstream side in the feed direction from the first roller, and exerts a force on the downstream side in the feed direction with respect to the uppermost feed medium upstream from the position where the first roller contacts the uppermost feed medium. And a bend forming means for forming a bend in the uppermost medium to be fed with the first roller.   The medium feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising an edge guide that contacts a side end of the medium to be fed on both sides in the width direction with respect to the feeding direction of the medium to be fed in the placement unit. The medium feeding device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the deflection forming means includes a second roller that contacts and drives the uppermost medium to be fed on the upstream side of the first roller.
When the first roller feeds the uppermost medium to be fed, the second roller starts driving with the first roller stopped, and then the first roller and the second roller are driven. A medium feeding device configured to feed the highest level medium to be fed. The medium feeding device according to claim 3, further comprising a separating unit that separates the uppermost medium to be fed from the first roller and the next and subsequent mediums on the downstream side in the feeding direction from the first roller.
The distance L1 from the contact point between the uppermost fed medium in the bent state and the second roller to the rear end that is the upstream end of the uppermost fed medium is a state before being sent by the first roller. The medium feeding device having a configuration in which a relationship is established that is greater than a distance L2 from the position of the leading end, which is the downstream end of the uppermost transported medium, until the leading end passes through the separating means. . 5. The medium feeding device according to claim 4, further comprising first switching means for switching between a state in which the second roller is driven and a state in which the second roller is freely rotatable.
A medium feeding device configured to switch the second roller from the driven state to the rotatable state when the leading end of the uppermost medium to be fed passes through the separating means. 5. The medium feeding device according to claim 4, further comprising second switching means for switching between a contact state in which the second roller is in contact with the medium to be fed and a separated state in which the second roller is separated from the medium to be fed,
A medium feeding device configured to switch the second roller from the contact state to the separated state when a leading end of the uppermost medium to be fed passes through the separation unit.   5. The medium feeding device according to claim 4, wherein the leading end of the uppermost medium to be fed passes through the separation unit and the rear end of the uppermost medium to be fed passes through the second roller, and then the second roller A medium feeding device configured to stop driving. Medium feeding means for feeding the recording medium 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 claim 1, and the recording medium is the recording medium.

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