JP2012051658A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a side guide that feeds recording object media having various sizes without displacement in the width direction during feed, and accurately conveys the recording object media by reducing back tension to the recording object media during recording.SOLUTION: The side guide includes first guide means 18 to be moved in/out in the contact/separation direction to/from a side end of a recording object medium, and a second guide means 17a formed integrally with the side guide. When the recording object medium is larger than a predetermined horizontal width, a recording object medium side end is guided by the first guide means 18 and the first guide means 18 separate from the recording object medium side end in the recording operation. The recording object medium side end is guided by the second guide means 17a when the recording object medium is not larger than the predetermined horizontal width. The second guide means 17a is configured to guide the recording object medium to a position downstream from the first guide means 18.

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus including a feeding unit that feeds a recording medium and a recording unit that records an image (printing, printing, printing, etc.) on the recording medium.

  An ink jet recording apparatus is an example of a recording apparatus that includes a feeding unit that feeds a recording medium and a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium. As a configuration of a feeding unit and a recording unit of an ink jet recording apparatus, a configuration in which a feeding unit is arranged at the upper rear portion of the apparatus main body and a recording unit is arranged in front of the feeding unit is common. The recording medium set in the feeding unit is fed to the recording unit by the feeding unit, and the recording operation is performed on the recording medium while the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying unit in the recording unit. Later, the recording medium is discharged from the front of the apparatus main body to the outside of the apparatus. Further, the feeding unit regulates the end of the recording medium in the direction transverse to the feeding direction (hereinafter, abbreviated as the side end of the recording medium) on the mounting table on which the recording medium is set. A side guide member is disposed. Both side guide members are moved in accordance with the size of the recording medium set by the user of the apparatus and are brought into contact with the side edges of the recording medium, thereby restricting the position of the recording medium in the width direction. ing.

  The side guide member guides the side edge of the recording medium, so that the feeding operation of the recording medium from the feeding unit to the recording unit can be performed with high accuracy while preventing lateral displacement and the like. It has become a structure.

  In an apparatus for recording on a recording medium of a wide size such as L size to A3 size, in the case of a recording medium having a short length in the longitudinal direction such as L size, the side guide member Until the recording member guided at the end is fed to the recording unit, the recording member may pass through the restricting portion by the side guide member, and the lateral displacement may occur. This cannot be prevented, and this contributes to the deterioration of image quality. In the case of a recording medium having a long length in the feeding direction such as A3 size, the frictional resistance between the side guide member and the side edge of the recording medium acts as a back tension during the recording operation. This affects the transport accuracy in the transport direction of the recording medium during the recording operation, which also contributes to the degradation of image quality.

  For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-131422 (Patent Document 1) discloses a problem of back tension due to frictional resistance between the side guide member and the side end portion of the recording medium. This apparatus is provided with a side guide member on a pressure plate on which a recording medium is placed, swinging in the vertical direction and contacting / separating the feeding means, and along the guide portion when the pressure plate swings in the vertical direction. The side guide member is moved by the lateral movement, and the side guide member is separated from the side end portion of the recording medium.

  Further, for the problem that the recording medium having a short length in the longitudinal direction, such as the L size, is not supplied to the restriction portion by the side guide member while being fed to the recording portion, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-2006. -96490 (patent document 2) has been disclosed. In this apparatus, when the side guide member is moved to an area of a certain width or less, the auxiliary guide protrudes downstream of the side guide along the guide groove provided in the pressure plate to regulate the paper side end.

JP2007-131422A JP 2006-96490 A

  However, in the conventional example shown in Patent Document 1, since the pressure plate itself is moved in the lateral direction, there is a possibility that the loading of the recording medium placed on the pressure plate is disturbed with the movement of the pressure plate.

  Further, in the conventional example shown in Patent Document 2, in the case of a paper size of a certain width or less, the auxiliary guide protrudes downstream of the side guide along the guide groove provided in the pressure plate and guides the paper side end. Therefore, when the paper size is less than a certain width, the auxiliary guide guides the side edge of the recording medium when feeding. Since the side guide member guides the side edge of the recording medium during recording, this frictional resistance acts as a back tension, which may affect the conveyance accuracy in the recording medium conveyance direction during recording operations. was there.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a recording apparatus capable of recording recording media of various sizes, which reliably guides the lateral end of the recording medium during feeding to prevent lateral displacement and provides back tension during recording operations. An object of the present invention is to achieve a good transport accuracy by reducing the recording medium and to achieve a stable recording medium stacking property in which the side end portions of the recording medium are not uneven and the end portions are not easily bent.

  One aspect of the present invention includes a pressure plate on which a recording medium is placed, a feeding unit that feeds the recording medium on the pressure plate, and a horizontal direction that is parallel to the pressure plate and intersects the feeding direction of the recording medium. A side guide that can be moved in accordance with the width of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the direction, a recording medium conveying means that is arranged downstream of the feeding means, and a recording medium that is arranged downstream of the recording medium conveying means. And a recording unit that performs recording on a recording medium.

Further, in this recording apparatus, the side guide is movable in the lateral direction so as to be opposed to the side end portion of the recording medium on the pressure plate, and the recording medium from the first guide means. A second guide means configured to be able to guide a lateral end portion of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the lateral direction across the downstream side in the feeding direction;
The first guide means is movable between a position of the second guide means that protrudes a certain amount from the surface facing the lateral end of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the lateral direction and a position that does not protrude from the surface. It is comprised by these.

  According to the present invention, in the case of a recording medium having a size larger than a predetermined width, the lateral side of the recording medium can be moved by the first guide means that can move in the contact / separation direction with respect to the lateral end of the recording medium. By guiding the end portion, before the recording operation, the side end portion of the recording medium is surely guided to feed the recording medium without positional deviation, and during recording, the first guide means serves as the recording medium. Back tension can be eliminated by separating from the center. In the case of a recording medium having a predetermined width or less, the side end of the recording medium is guided by the second guide means so that the side end of the recording medium is reliably guided before the recording operation. As a result, the paper is fed without any positional deviation, and the back tension can be eliminated since the rear end of the recording medium is detached from the guide portion of the second guide means during recording.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a paper feed tray used in the present invention. The schematic perspective view of the connection mechanism of the left-right side guide unit used for this invention. The front view which looked at the left side guide unit shown in FIG. 2 from the side edge part side of a recording medium. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the left side guide unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the direction facing the recording surface upper surface of the recording medium. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the left side guide unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the recording medium feeding direction. The schematic cross section after operating the 1st guide member of the left side guide unit shown in FIG. Sectional drawing around the feeding unit in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view around a feeding unit illustrating a state before recording in the case of a sheet having a size larger than a postcard width in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view around a feeding unit illustrating a recording state in the case of a sheet having a size larger than a postcard width in the present embodiment. The figure which showed the movement process of the side guide unit when setting the paper below a postcard width in this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a paper leading end Pa having a postcard width or less is fed to a pair of conveying rollers in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a paper front end Pa having a postcard width or less is conveyed to a printing start point in the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment applied to an ink jet recording apparatus will be described as an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the basic configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described first according to the recording medium conveyance path, and then the characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. The recording apparatus includes a recording unit 2 that performs recording on a recording medium, and a feeding unit 1 that feeds the recording medium to the recording unit 2. The feeding unit 1 includes a paper feed tray 3 and a paper feed roller pair 4. The recording unit 2 includes a conveyance roller pair 5, a platen 6, a carriage unit 7, a paper discharge roller pair 8, and a paper discharge tray 9. The conveying roller pair 5 is a recording medium conveying unit that conveys a recording medium such as a film or paper supplied from the paper feeding roller pair 4 while being sandwiched between the rollers. The platen 6 supports the recording medium being conveyed and recorded flatly. The carriage unit 7 is mounted with an ink jet head for ejecting ink droplets to form an image on a recording medium, and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction.

  In FIG. 1, the direction indicated by the symbol A is the sheet conveyance direction, the feeding unit 1 is disposed at the upper rear part of the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus, and the recording unit 2 is disposed at the lower front part of the main body of the feeding unit 1. . The paper stacked on the paper feed tray 3 is conveyed one by one to the conveyance roller pair 5 by the paper supply roller pair 4 and printed on the platen 6 by an ink jet head (not shown) mounted on the carriage unit 7. The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 9 by the paper discharge roller pair 8. Since specific operations of paper feeding, conveyance, and printing are the same as in the conventional example, they are omitted here.

  FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the paper feed tray 3. The paper feed tray 3 includes a pressure plate 11 on which paper is placed, and left and right side guide units 12 and 13 that are attached on the pressure plate and guide left and right side edges of the paper.

  The left and right side guide units 12 and 13 are attached so as to be movable in the lateral direction of the paper (that is, the direction parallel to the pressure plate and intersecting the recording medium feeding direction), and the paper to be placed The configuration allows the user to operate according to the width.

  Here, FIG. 3 shows an overall perspective view of the left and right side guide units 12 and 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right side guide units 12 and 13 are configured integrally with the left and right side guide racks 14 and 15, respectively, and the left and right side guide racks 14 and 15 mesh with the pinion gear 16. . The pinion gear 16 is rotatably attached to the back surface of the pressure plate 11 shown in FIG. For this reason, in this apparatus, when the left and right side guide units 12 and 13 are operated, the other side guide unit is also moved in conjunction. For example, when one of the left and right side guide units 12 and 13 is operated so as to be close to the other, the other is close to one in conjunction with this.

  FIG. 4 is a front view of the left side guide unit 12 as viewed from the side end of the recording medium. The left side guide unit 12 includes a second guide member 17 having a case structure, a first guide member 18 serving as first guide means, and a guide shift member 19. The second guide member 17 is provided with a second guide surface 17a as second guide means, and an auxiliary roller 20 having a rotation center shaft pivotally supported by the guide shift member is provided below the guide shift member 19. Is provided. The second guide surface 17a has a guide surface that can guide the first guide member 18 to the downstream side in the paper transport direction. Although not shown, the right side guide 13 has the same configuration.

  The guide shift member 19 is attached so as to be movable in the vertical direction (orthogonal direction) with respect to the sheet placement surface of the pressure plate 11 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the first guide member 18 is urged by a coil spring 23 so as to rotate and move in the direction indicated by the symbol B in FIG. The position can be displaced to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line.

  Next, the moving means of the 1st guide member 18 is demonstrated using FIG. 6, FIG. In FIG. 6, since the first guide member 18 and the guide shift member 19 are in contact with each other at the position of D, the first guide member 18 rotates in the direction of B (the direction from the front to the back of the page). Is regulated. As a result, the first guide member 18 protrudes from the second guide surface 17a and comes into contact with the side edge of the paper P. Here, when the guide shift member 19 is urged in the direction indicated by symbol E in FIG. 6, the contact portion between the first guide member 18 and the guide shift member 19 is separated so that the first guide member 18 is denoted by the symbol. Rotates and moves in the direction of B and separates from the side edge of the paper P. At this time, the first guide member 18 moves to a position that does not protrude from the second guide surface 17a (a position indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 5).

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the feeding unit in the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, a guide shift lever 21 and a guide shift stay 22 are configured on the pressure plate 11 on the opposite side of the sheet P placement surface. Since the paper P generally used in the printer tends to have a larger width as the length in the paper feeding direction is longer, the length can be determined almost accurately by defining the width direction.

  Here, the case where a paper having a size larger than the postcard width is set will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 8, the guide shift lever 21 is separated from the guide shift member 19 and the auxiliary roller 20. Therefore, before the recording operation, the first guide member 18 protrudes from the second guide surface 17a. That is, the first guide member 18 is defined in a state where the first guide member 18 protrudes from the second guide surface 17a by a certain amount, and the first guide member 18 contacts and guides the side edge of the sheet. Since the feeding operation is performed in this state, the left and right side edges of the sheet can be reliably guided until the end of feeding, and the sheet can be prevented from being displaced in the lateral width direction during the feeding process. . Further, during printing (during recording operation), the guide shift lever 21 is rotated by a driving force (not shown) in the direction indicated by D in FIGS. The guide shift member 19 is displaced in contact with the lower surface. Thereby, as mentioned above, the 1st guide member 18 moves to the position which does not protrude rather than the 2nd guide surface 17a. Accordingly, the first guide member 18 is in a state of being separated from the side edge of the sheet. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the back tension on the paper during printing, and it is possible to realize good conveyance accuracy. The right side guide 13 also has the same function as the left side guide 12.

  Next, the operation of the side guide units 12 and 13 when a sheet having a postcard width or less is set will be described with reference to FIG. Although only the left side guide unit 12 is shown in FIG. 11, the right side guide unit 13 performs the same operation. The user moves the side guide units 12 and 13 in the direction indicated by symbol E in FIG. In this process, the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary roller 20 provided at the lower portion of the guide shift member 19 contacts the slope portion 22 a of the guide shift stay 22. When the side guide units 12 and 13 are further moved in the same direction in this state, the guide shift member 19 is moved upward by the slope portion 22a. Accordingly, as described above, the first guide member 18 moves to a position where it does not protrude from the second guide surface 17a. In the region where the side guide units 12 and 13 are equal to or smaller than the postcard width, the first guide member 18 is in a position that does not protrude from the second guide surface 17a, so that the side edge of the sheet is guided by the second guide surface 17a. It is configured.

  FIG. 12 shows a state in which the leading edge Pa of the paper having the postcard width or less has reached the conveying roller pair 5, and FIG. 13 shows a state in which the leading edge Pa of the paper having the postcard width or less has reached the printing start point. As shown in FIG. 12, for a paper that is relatively short in the feeding direction, such as a postcard, the leading edge Pa of the fed paper reaches the conveying roller pair 5 and the registration operation (that is, the paper at the nip portion of the roller pair). The rear end Pz of the paper P comes out of the guide portion of the first guide member 18 before the front end is abutted to correct the paper position. For this reason, the first guide member 18 cannot guide the side edge of the sheet having a width less than the postcard width at the time of registering, and there is a possibility that a positional deviation in the width direction may occur. In the present invention, since the second guide surface 17a is configured as a guide for the side edge of the sheet to a position downstream of the first guide member 18, the sheet is relatively short in the feeding direction, such as a postcard. Even in this case, the side edge of the sheet can be reliably guided until the registration is completed, so that it is possible to prevent the sheet from being displaced in the width direction during the registration. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the paper P guided by the second guide surface 17a is separated from the second guide surface 17a by the trailing edge Pz of the paper when the front end Pa of the paper reaches the printing start point. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the back tension on the paper and to realize good conveyance accuracy.

  In the above-described embodiment, the guide means at the side edge of the paper is changed when the paper size is smaller than the postcard and larger than the postcard, but the setting of the paper size for changing the guide means is arbitrary.

  The above configuration eliminates back tension when transporting paper of a predetermined width or more, and also reliably guides the side edge of the paper to the vicinity of the print start point for paper of a predetermined width or less. It is possible to provide a device that can eliminate the problem. In other words, in the present embodiment, the first guide means 18 that can be moved in and out in the contact / separation direction and the second guide means 17a configured integrally with the side guide are provided at the side end of the recording medium. When the recording medium is larger than a predetermined lateral width, the first guide means 18 guides the side edge of the recording medium to perform a feeding operation, and during the recording operation, the first guide means 18 moves to the side of the recording medium. Separate from the end. When the width is equal to or smaller than the predetermined lateral width, the second guide means 17a guides the side edge of the recording medium. Further, the second guide means 17a is configured to guide the rear end of the recording medium to a position downstream of the first guide means 18, and even in the case of a recording medium that is short in the longitudinal direction, the feeding is performed. Sometimes it is possible to reliably guide the recording medium. During recording, the recording medium is transported downstream from the second guide means 17a, so that the rear end of the recording medium is not guided and no back tension is applied.

  In the above embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the ink jet recording method, and the recording medium in any recording method such as a thermal transfer method or a wire dot method is used. It is applicable to the feeding guide mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Feeding part 2 Recording part 3 Paper feed tray 4 Feeding roller pair 5 Conveying roller pair 7 Carriage unit 11 Pressure plate 12 Left side guide unit 13 Right side guide unit 17 Second guide member 18 First guide member 19 Guide shift Element

Claims (5)

A pressure plate on which the recording medium is placed, a feeding means for feeding the recording medium on the pressure plate, and the pressure plate on the pressure plate in a lateral direction parallel to the pressure plate and intersecting the feeding direction of the recording medium. A side guide that can be moved in accordance with the width of the recording medium, a recording medium conveying means disposed downstream of the feeding means, and a recording means disposed downstream of the recording medium conveying means And
The side guide includes a first guide means that can move to face a lateral end of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the lateral direction, and a recording medium feeding direction from the first guide means. A second guide means configured to be capable of guiding a side end portion of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the lateral direction over the downstream side;
The first guide means includes a position that protrudes a certain amount from a surface of the second guide means that faces the side edge of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the lateral direction, and a position that does not protrude from the surface. And a recording apparatus, wherein the recording apparatus is movable. When the side guide is aligned with the recording medium on the pressure plate whose width in the lateral direction is larger than a predetermined width, the first guide means is more constant than the surface of the second guide means before the recording operation. A lateral end of the recording medium in the lateral direction is guided in a state of projecting by an amount, and the recording medium in the lateral direction is moved to a position not projecting from the surface of the second guide means during a recording operation. Apart from the side edge of the
When the side guide is aligned with the recording medium on the pressure plate whose width in the lateral direction is equal to or less than a predetermined width, the first guide means does not protrude from the surface of the second guide means. The recording apparatus is characterized in that the second guide means guides a lateral end portion of the recording medium in the lateral direction. A shift member is provided in the side guide, and includes a mechanism for moving the first guide means to a position that does not protrude from the surface of the second guide means by the movement of the shift member,
When the side guide is aligned with the recording medium on the pressure plate whose width in the lateral direction is larger than a predetermined width, the first guide means is more constant than the surface of the second guide means before the recording operation. The lateral end portion of the recording medium in the lateral direction is guided in a state of projecting by an amount, and during the recording operation, the shift member moves to a position that does not project beyond the surface of the second guide means. Spaced apart from the side edge of the recording medium in the lateral direction,
When the side guide is aligned with the recording medium on the pressure plate whose width in the lateral direction is equal to or less than a predetermined width, the first guide means moves the surface of the second guide means by moving the shift member. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second guide unit guides a side end portion of the recording medium in the lateral direction in a state where the recording medium is not further protruded.   When performing registration of the recording medium, the first guide means is configured such that a rear end portion in the feeding direction of the recording medium on the pressure plate is guided by a guide portion of the first guide means. Guides the lateral end of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the lateral direction, and the first guide means protrudes from the surface of the second guide means by a certain amount before the recording operation. The lateral end portion of the recording medium in the lateral direction is guided, and during the recording operation, it moves to a position that does not protrude from the surface of the second guide means, and from the lateral end portion of the recording medium in the lateral direction. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the recording apparatus is separated.   When the registration of the recording medium is performed, the second guide means is located when the rear end portion in the feeding direction of the recording medium on the pressure plate is out of the guide portion of the first guide means. The lateral end portion of the recording medium in the lateral direction is guided, and the second guide means guides the lateral end portion of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the lateral direction before recording operation. 5. The structure according to claim 2, wherein a lateral end portion of the recording medium on the pressure plate in the lateral direction is configured to be disengaged from a guide portion of the second guide means. The recording device according to item.

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