JP2014118240A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image recording device capable of appropriately attaching a tray to a device main body.SOLUTION: An image recording device includes: a housing 14; a sheet feed tray 20 insertable/detachable into/from the housing 14, and supporting a recording sheet 12; a recording unit 24 recording an image on the recording sheet 12 fed from the sheet feed tray 20; and a flap 70 rotationally moving to a first position at which the flap 70 forms a part of an inversion transport path 67 for the recording sheet 12 on which the image is recorded by the recording unit 24, a second position at which a rotationally moving tip end portion of the flap 70 is located downward of the first position, and a third position at which the rotationally moving tip end thereof is located opposite to the first position about a rotation center. The flap 70 is at the second position in a state in which the sheet feed tray 20 is detached from the housing 14. From the time when the sheet feed tray 20 inserted into the housing 14 starts abutting on the flap 70 until when the sheet feed tray 20 is attached into the housing 14, the sheet feed tray 20 continuously abuts on the flap 70 and the flap 70 rotationally moves from the second position to the first position.

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus having a tray that can be pulled out and pushed into the apparatus main body and on which a sheet can be placed, and that records an image on a sheet fed from the tray.

  There is an image recording apparatus in which a guide that constitutes a path arranged to record an image on both sides of a sheet is rotatable (Patent Document 1). In the image recording apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, the guide is supported by the sheet feeding tray in a state where the sheet feeding tray on which the sheet is placed is inserted in the image recording apparatus, and thereby the lower side of the path. Is configured. On the other hand, since the guide is not supported by the paper feed tray when the paper feed tray is removed from the image recording apparatus, the guide rotates downward due to its own weight.

JP2012-001318A

  In the image recording apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, the guide is supported by the side wall portion of the paper feed tray. Here, the side wall portion is provided such that the rear end side in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray into the image recording apparatus is higher than the front end side. Further, it is assumed that the guide is supported by the side wall portion on the rear end side. Therefore, the length of the guide is higher than the upper end of the side wall portion on the front end side of the paper feed tray inserted into the image recording apparatus when the guide is rotated downward, and the rear end of the paper feed tray. The length is such that it extends slightly below the upper end of the side wall portion.

  Therefore, the guide contacts the side wall on the rear end side when the paper feed tray is inserted to some extent in the image recording apparatus. For this reason, the user who has inserted the paper feed tray into the image recording apparatus cannot accurately grasp in what state the guide and the side wall are in contact with each other. As a result, there is a risk that the guide will be caught in a place other than the side wall of the image recording apparatus or the side wall may be caught in a place other than the guide of the paper feed tray due to a deviation in the contact position between the guide and the side wall. There is. That is, there is a possibility that insertion of the paper feed tray into the image recording apparatus is hindered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide means for properly mounting the tray on the apparatus main body.

(1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes an apparatus main body, a tray that can be inserted into and withdrawn from the apparatus main body, and a support plate that supports the sheet, and a sheet fed from the support plate. A recording unit for recording an image, and a rotatable member disposed above the support plate, wherein the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit is reversed and conveyed to the upstream side of the recording unit again. A first position that forms a part of the path; a second position where the pivot tip is positioned below the first position; and the pivot tip in the insertion direction of the tray with respect to the pivot center A path member that pivots to a third position located opposite to the first position. The tray includes a contact portion that contacts the path member. When the tray is positioned at a separation position where the leading end of the tray in the insertion direction is located upstream of the path member in the insertion direction, the path member is positioned at the second position. While the tray is being inserted from the contact position where the insertion direction tip of the tray is at the same position as the path member in the insertion direction to the mounting position where the tray is mounted on the apparatus body, the contact portion is The path member continuously contacts the path member, and the path member rotates from the second position toward the first position. When the tray is positioned at the mounting position, the contact portion contacts the path member, and the path member is positioned at the first position.

  According to this configuration, the contact portion continuously contacts the path member while the tray is inserted. For this reason, the path member is supported by the contact portion from the beginning of insertion of the tray into the apparatus main body. Therefore, the user can grasp in what state the path member is in contact with the contact portion. As a result, when the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body, the possibility of the tray being caught by the apparatus main body can be reduced.

  Further, since the contact portion continuously contacts the path member while the tray is inserted, the path member is supported by the contact portion in the tray insertion process. As a result, in the process of inserting the tray into the apparatus main body, the possibility of the tray being caught by the apparatus main body can be reduced.

(2) The tray includes a side guide that is movable in a width direction orthogonal to the insertion direction and abuts against an end of the sheet supported by the support plate in the width direction. The contact portion is provided on the side guide.

  Usually, the side guide is set up higher than the maximum stacking capacity of sheets on the tray. Therefore, according to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the path member contacts the sheet when the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body.

(3) The tray includes a side wall erected from an end of the support plate in the width direction. The contact portion is provided on the side wall in addition to the side guide. The contact portion provided on the side wall is in contact with the path member between the front end of the side guide and the front end of the tray in the insertion direction.

  According to this configuration, the path member can be supported by the side wall as the contact portion without extending the side guide as the contact portion to the vicinity of the leading end in the tray insertion direction.

(4) In the contact portion provided on the side wall, the rear end in the insertion direction is lower than the contact portion provided in the side guide, and the front end side in the insertion direction is the rear end side. A tray inclined portion that is inclined so as to be higher.

  If there is a gap between the side guide and the side wall in the insertion direction, the path member may be caught in the gap when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body. However, according to this configuration, since the tray inclined portion is provided, when the tray is pulled out from the apparatus main body, the path member is smoothly shifted from the state supported by the side guide to the state supported by the side wall. Can be made.

(5) The side guide moves within a preset range in the width direction. A notch is formed outside the moving range of the side guide at the rotation tip of the path member.

  According to this configuration, the user can easily rotate the path member by gripping the portion where the notch is formed. As a result, when a sheet is jammed in the conveyance path, the sheet can be easily taken out by rotating the path member. Moreover, since the notch is provided outside the movement range of the side guide, the side guide can reliably support the path member.

(6) The path member includes a rotation tip inclined portion inclined at the rotation tip portion with respect to the insertion direction. In the state where the path member is in the first position, the rotation tip inclined portion is higher on the rotation tip side than on the rotation base end side.

  According to this configuration, in the state where the path member is supported by the contact portion, the rotation tip inclined portion is substantially parallel to the contact portion. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the contact portion and the path member are caught when the tray is inserted into or pulled out from the apparatus main body.

(7) The apparatus main body is formed with an accommodating portion for accommodating the tray. The tray includes a side wall erected from an end portion of the support plate in a width direction orthogonal to the insertion direction. The accommodating portion includes a protruding portion that protrudes from an inner surface and contacts the side wall when the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body.

  According to this configuration, the side wall of the tray comes into contact with the protruding portion when the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body. That is, the protruding portion guides the tray to be inserted into the apparatus main body. As a result, the tray can be smoothly inserted into the apparatus main body.

(8) The image recording apparatus according to the present invention further includes a discharge unit that is located above the support plate and discharges the sheet recorded by the recording unit. The tray is movable in the width direction orthogonal to the insertion direction and is located above the support plate, a side guide that contacts the end in the width direction of the sheet supported by the support plate, and the discharge portion A discharge support portion for supporting the sheet discharged from the sheet. The contact portion includes a first contact portion provided on the side guide and a second contact portion provided on the discharge support portion. In the insertion direction, the second contact portion is It is located upstream from the first contact portion. The path member includes a first abutted portion that abuts on the first abutting portion, and a second abutted portion that abuts on the second abutting portion and is closer to the rotation center than the first abutted portion. Part.

  According to this configuration, when the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body, the contact portion of the tray first comes into contact with the distal end side of the path member. Thus, the tray can lift the path member with a small force at the beginning. When the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body, the contact portion of the tray finally comes into contact with a position near the rotation center of the path member. If the path member is lifted while the contact portion of the tray is in contact with the distal end side of the path member at the end, the path member may be twisted and not rotated to an appropriate position. However, according to this configuration, the tray lifts the path member while contacting the position near the rotation center of the path member at the end. Therefore, according to this structure, a path | route member can be reliably rotated to an appropriate position.

(9) It further includes an opposing path member that faces the path member and forms a part of the transport path together with the path member. The distance between the pivot tip of the path member at the third position and the counter path member is between the pivot tip of the path member at the second position and the counter path member. Greater than the distance.

  According to this configuration, when the path member rotates to the third position, the conveyance path is greatly exposed to the outside. Thereby, according to this structure, when a sheet | seat is jammed in a conveyance path, a path | route member can be rotated to a 3rd position and the said sheet | seat can be taken out easily.

(10) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a detector provided above the path member and a sensor for detecting the detector. The detector is movable to a fourth position detected by the sensor and a fifth position which is located below the fourth position and is not detected by the sensor. The path member extends along the insertion direction, and includes a sliding portion that comes into contact with the contact portion when the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body. The sliding portion includes a first sliding portion and a second sliding portion that is continuous with the first sliding portion on the downstream side in the insertion direction from the first sliding portion and is lower than the first sliding portion. A moving part. When the tray is positioned at the mounting position, the contact portion is in contact with the second sliding portion, whereby the detector is positioned at the fourth position, and the tray is at a position different from the mounting position. The detector is positioned at the fifth position by the contact of the contact portion with the first sliding portion.

  According to this configuration, the presence or absence of detection of the detector by the sensor can be switched immediately before completion of the mounting of the tray to the apparatus main body. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneous detection such that the sensor detects the detector even though the tray is not completely attached to the apparatus main body.

(11) The tray is disposed at an upper portion of the tray, and is rotatable between a sixth position where a part above the support plate is closed and a seventh position where the part is opened. A lid is provided. The center of rotation of the lid at the sixth position is located above the center in the vertical direction.

  According to this configuration, when the tray is rotated to the seventh position, the upstream side in the tray insertion direction can be greatly opened. Thereby, a sheet | seat can be easily mounted on the support plate of a tray.

(12) The tray is disposed on the side wall standing from the end of the support plate in the width direction orthogonal to the insertion direction, and on the upper portion of the tray, and partially closes the upper portion of the support plate. A lid portion that is rotatable between a sixth position that is opened and a seventh position that opens the part, and a support portion that is disposed at a position different from the rotation center of the lid portion and supports the lid portion And comprising. The lid portion is supported by the support portion at the sixth position and the seventh position. The side wall includes a bearing through which the rotation shaft of the lid portion passes, and an elastic portion that protrudes from the edge side of the bearing toward the center of the bearing and is elastically deformable. The rotation shaft of the lid includes a protrusion that protrudes in the radial direction from the outer peripheral surface. The protrusion is provided at a position that overlaps the elastic portion in a side view when the lid portion is located at a position other than the sixth position and the seventh position.

  According to this configuration, when the pivot shaft of the lid portion is penetrated to the side wall, the pivot shaft of the lid portion can be penetrated through the bearing by pushing the elastic portion with the protrusion and causing elastic deformation. That is, according to this structure, a cover part can be easily attached to a side wall. Further, according to this configuration, when the lid portion is located at the sixth position and the seventh position, it is impossible to pass the rotation shaft of the lid portion through the bearing or to remove it from the bearing. Therefore, it can prevent that a cover part remove | deviates from a bearing accidentally, when a cover part is located in a 6th position or a 7th position.

  According to the present invention, when the tray is attached to the apparatus main body, the possibility of being caught by the apparatus main body can be reduced. That is, the tray can be properly attached to the apparatus main body.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 4 is a front view of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the housing 14 and the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the flap 70 and the paper feed tray 20 are not in contact with each other. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view of the housing 14 and the paper feed tray 20, and FIG. 6A shows a state in which the flap 70 and the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20 are in contact with each other. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the flap 70 and the side guide 22 are in contact with each other. 7A is a longitudinal sectional view of the housing 14 and the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the flap 70 and the paper discharge tray 21 are in contact with each other. FIG. 7B is a plan view of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram in which a sheet feeding tray 20, a flap 70, a detector 90, and a sensor 91 are extracted. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20, the flap 70, the detector 90, and the sensor 91. FIG. 9A is a vertical cross-sectional view of the housing 14 and the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the housing 14, and FIG. 9B is a diagram from FIG. 9A. FIG. 6 is a diagram in which a sheet feeding tray 20, a flap 70, a detector 90, and a sensor 91 are extracted. FIG. 10A is an enlarged view of XA in FIG. 7B, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of XB in FIG. 9B.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the progress from the starting point of the arrow to the ending point is expressed as “direction”, and the traffic on the line connecting the starting point and the ending point of the arrow is expressed as “direction”. Further, in the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to a state in which the multifunction machine 10 is installed so as to be usable (the state in FIG. 1), and the side in which the opening 13 is formed is the front side (front side). 8 is defined, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front side.

[Overall structure of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 (an example of the image recording apparatus of the present invention) is generally formed in a rectangular parallelepiped and includes a casing 14 (an example of the apparatus main body of the present invention). The multifunction machine 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. The multifunction machine 10 has a double-sided image recording function for recording images on both sides of the recording paper 12 (an example of the sheet of the present invention, see FIG. 2) as a printing function.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, an opening 13 is formed in the front surface of the housing 14. A paper feed tray 20 (an example of the tray of the present invention), which will be described later, supported in a state in which the recording paper 12 is stacked, is inserted into the housing 14 from the opening 13 and accommodated in a storage unit 16 described later. It can be attached to the housing 14. In FIG. 1, the paper feed tray 20 is provided in two upper and lower stages. However, in the following description, the paper feed tray 20 that comes into contact with a flap 70 (to be described later) when mounted on the housing 14, that is, the upper stage. Only the paper feed tray 20 will be described, and the description of the lower paper feed tray 20 will be omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 14 includes a paper feed tray 20 inserted from the opening 13, a paper feed unit 28, a recording unit 24, a transport roller pair 57, a discharge roller pair 58, and a re-transport roller pair. 59, a path switching unit 41, a flap 70 (an example of a path member of the present invention), a detector 90 (see FIGS. 5 to 10), a sensor 91 (see FIGS. 5 to 10), and the like. In FIG. 2, the detector 90 and the sensor 91 are omitted.

  The recording paper 12 supported on the bottom plate 75 of the paper feed tray 20 is transported through a main transport path 65 (described later) by the paper feed unit 28 and the transport roller pair 57. The recording sheet 12 being conveyed is image-recorded by the recording unit 24. The recording paper 12 on which the image has been recorded is discharged to a paper discharge tray 21 (an example of a discharge support portion of the present invention) provided in the paper feed tray 20 by a discharge roller pair 58 and a re-transport roller pair 59.

[Paper Feeder 28]
As shown in FIG. 2, a paper feed unit 28 is provided on the upper side of the paper feed tray 20 mounted in the housing 14. The paper feed unit 28 includes a paper feed roller 25, an arm 26, and a shaft 27. The paper feed roller 25 is rotatably provided on the tip side of the arm 26. The arm 26 is rotatably provided on a shaft 27 supported by the housing 14 (see FIG. 1). The arm 26 is urged to rotate toward the paper feed tray 20 by its own weight or an elastic force of a spring or the like. The paper feed roller 25 rotates to pick up the recording paper 12 supported by the paper feed tray 20 and feed it to the main transport path 65. When the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the housing 14, an extension portion (not shown) extending from the base end side of the arm 26 to one side in the left-right direction 9 is provided in the paper feed tray 20. It contacts the side plate 77 (see FIG. 3) and rotates upward. Thus, the insertion / extraction is performed without being interrupted by the paper feeding unit 28.

[Main transport path 65]
As shown in FIG. 2, the main conveyance path 65 extends from the rear end portion of the paper feed tray 20 mounted in the housing 14. The main conveyance path 65 includes a curved portion and a straight portion. The main transport path 65 is configured by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 that face each other with a predetermined interval. The recording paper 12 placed on the paper feed tray 20 is conveyed so as to make a U-turn from the lower part to the upper part of the curved part, and then conveyed along the straight part to the recording part 24. The recording paper 12 on which image recording has been performed by the recording unit 24 is conveyed through the linear portion and discharged to the paper discharge tray 21. That is, the recording paper 12 is transported in the transport direction 15 indicated by the one-dot chain arrow in FIG.

[Roller pairs 57, 58, 59]
The main conveyance path 65 is provided with a conveyance roller pair 57 including a conveyance roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 on the upstream side in the conveyance direction 15 with respect to the recording unit 24, and a discharge roller on the downstream side in the conveyance direction 15 with respect to the recording unit 24. A pair of discharge rollers 58 including 62 and a spur 63 is provided, and a pair of re-conveying rollers 59 including a re-conveying roller 45 and a spur 46 on the downstream side of the conveying direction 15 with respect to the discharge roller pair 58 (an example of the discharge unit of the present invention) Is provided. Each roller pair 57, 58, 59 sandwiches and conveys the recording paper 12. Each roller pair 57, 58, 59 is positioned above the paper feed tray 20 mounted on the housing 14.

  Each roller 60, 62, 45 is rotated by a forward / reverse driving force applied from a motor (not shown). Each of the rollers 60, 62, 45 to which the normal driving force is applied rotates in the direction in which the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the conveyance direction 15. Accordingly, the conveyance roller pair 57 conveys the recording paper 12 toward the recording unit 24. Further, the discharge roller pair 58 conveys the recording paper 12 toward the re-conveyance roller pair 59. The re-conveying roller pair 59 discharges the recording paper 12 to the upper surface 23 of the paper discharge tray 21. Each of the rollers 60, 62, 45 to which the reverse driving force is applied rotates in a direction in which the recording paper 12 is conveyed in a direction opposite to the conveyance direction 15.

  A branch position 36 exists between the discharge roller 62 and the re-transport roller 45 in the main transport path 65. During double-sided image recording, the recording paper 12 conveyed through the main conveyance path 65 is switched back downstream of the branch position 36 and conveyed toward a reverse conveyance path 67 described later.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is provided above the main conveyance path 65. In the present embodiment, the recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper 12 by an inkjet method. Note that the method by which the recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper 12 is not limited to the ink jet method, and may be another known method such as an electrophotographic method.

[Container 16]
As shown in FIG. 5, an accommodation portion 16 is formed in the back of the opening 13. The accommodating portion 16 is a space formed inside the housing 14, and includes a bottom plate 33 of the housing, a pair of side plates 34 (an example of an inner surface of the present invention) erected from the bottom plate 33, and the bottom plate 33. It is comprised by the top plate 35 provided facing the bottom plate 33 above, and the lower side guide member 32 and the flap 70 which are mentioned later. The distance between the pair of side plates 34 is larger than the length of the sheet feeding tray 20 in the left-right direction 9. Further, the distance between the top plate 35, the lower guide member 32, the flap 70, and the bottom plate 33 is larger than the length of the sheet feed tray 20 in the vertical direction 7. Thus, the paper feed tray 20 can be accommodated in the accommodating portion 16 by being inserted from the opening 13.

  A protrusion 39 is formed on the back side of the side plate 34. In the present embodiment, the protrusions 39 protrude from the both sides of the pair of side plates 34 toward the inside of the left-right direction 9 and extend in the front-rear direction 8. The protrusion 39 abuts against the side plate 77 erected from both the left and right ends of the paper feed tray 20 when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted from the opening 13 and accommodated in the accommodating portion 16. Specifically, the lower surface of the protruding portion 39 comes into contact with the upper surface of the convex portion 78 (see FIG. 8) formed on the side plate 77.

[Paper Tray 20]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the paper feed tray 20 can be inserted and pulled out in the front-rear direction 8 from the opening 13 to the inside of the housing 14, that is, the accommodating portion 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed tray 20 is disposed below the recording unit 24 in the state of being accommodated in the storage unit 16.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the paper feed tray 20 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped box shape. The paper feed tray 20 includes a bottom plate 75 (an example of a support plate of the present invention) that supports the recording paper 12 in a stacked state, a stopper 71 erected from the rear end of the bottom plate 75, and an outer side in the left-right direction than the stopper 71. And an inclined plate 76 that is inclined and erected from the rear end of the bottom plate 75, and a side plate 77 that is erected from both ends in the left-right direction 9 (an example of the width direction of the present invention) of the bottom plate 75 (the side wall of the present invention). 1), a front plate 74 erected from the front end of the bottom plate 75, the side guide 22, and the paper discharge tray 21.

  On the rear surface of the inclined plate 76, there is a protruding portion 69 that protrudes rearward from the rear surface of the stopper 71. The front surface of the stopper 71 has a staircase shape, and contacts the front end of the recording paper 12 in the paper feeding tray 20 when positioned in front of the state in which the paper feeding tray 20 is mounted. Is prevented from jumping out of the paper feed tray 20. In a state where the paper feed tray 20 is mounted, the stopper 71 is positioned behind the separation guide surface formed on the housing 14 and does not interfere with the paper feed by the paper feed unit 28. Note that an engagement portion (not shown) is provided in the accommodating portion 16, so that when the paper feed tray 20 is located at the mounting position, even if force is applied by the paper feed roller 25 during paper feed, The engaging portion engages the paper feed tray 20 with such a force that the tray 20 does not move.

  The upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 abuts on a flap 70 which will be described later in the process in which the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the storage unit 16. That is, the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 is an example of the contact portion of the present invention. In other words, the contact portion of the present invention is provided on the side plate 77.

  The upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 is substantially horizontal in the front-rear direction 8. However, as shown in FIG. 3A, the rear end portion 80 (an example of the tray inclined portion of the present invention) of the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 is inclined. Specifically, the rear end portion 80 of the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 extends substantially along the front-rear direction 8 on the rear end side, and the rear side (the front end side in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20) is on the front end side. It is inclined so as to be higher than the front side (the rear end side in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20). Further, the front portion of the inclined position in the rear end portion 80 is lower than the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22 described later.

[Side guide 22]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, a pair of side guides 22 that are movable in the left-right direction 9 are attached to the bottom plate 75 of the paper feed tray 20. The side surfaces of the side guide 22 are in contact with the left and right ends of the recording paper 12 supported by the bottom plate 75. When one of the pair of side guides 22 is slid, the other moves in the opposite direction in conjunction with each other.

  The pair of side guides 22 moves within a preset range in the left-right direction 9. The preset range is from a position where the recording paper 12 can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 and capable of recording an image in the multifunction machine 10 to a position where it contacts the maximum size recording paper 12. Range. By providing the side guide 22 as described above, recording papers 12 of various sizes can be placed on the bottom plate 75 with reference to the center of the bottom plate 75 in the left-right direction 9. In the present embodiment, L-size paper can be placed as the minimum size. Accordingly, the pair of side guides 22 does not move to a width smaller than the L size.

  In addition, the side guide 22 may not be a pair but only one. In this case, one of the left and right ends of the recording paper 12 placed on the bottom plate 75 is in contact with the side surface of the side guide 22, and the other of the left and right ends is in contact with the side plate 77.

  The upper surface 23 of the side guide 22 abuts on a flap 70 described later in the process in which the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the housing 14. That is, the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22 is an example of the contact portion of the present invention and an example of the first contact portion of the present invention. In other words, the contact portion of the present invention is provided on the side guide 22.

[Paper Tray 21]
As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 (A), and 8, the paper discharge tray 21 is provided above the bottom plate 75, that is, above the paper feed tray 20. The recording paper 12 discharged from 10 is supported.

  The paper discharge tray 21 which is an example of the discharge support portion of the present invention and also an example of the lid portion of the present invention has a position shown in FIG. 3A (an example of the sixth position of the present invention) and FIG. It can be rotated between the positions shown in (B) (an example of the seventh position of the present invention). The rotation of the discharge tray 21 will be described later. As shown in FIG. 3A, the paper discharge tray 21 is provided with a placement plate 51 on which the recording paper 12 discharged from the multifunction machine 10 is placed, and downward from the left and right ends of the placement plate 51. A side end plate 52 erected and a front end plate 53 erected downward from the front end of the mounting plate 51 are provided.

  The loading plate 51 of the paper discharge tray 21 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 3A in the process of inserting and removing the paper feed tray 20 from the housing 14. Further, the mounting plate 51 of the paper discharge tray 21 abuts on a flap 70 described later in the process in which the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the housing 14. That is, the mounting plate 51 is an example of the contact portion of the present invention and an example of the second contact portion of the present invention. In other words, the second contact portion of the present invention is provided on the paper discharge tray 21. Further, as will be described later, in the process in which the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the housing 14, the mounting plate 51 contacts the flap 70 after the upper surface of the side guide 22. That is, the mounting plate 51 is positioned upstream of the upper surface of the side guide 22 in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20 at the position shown in FIG.

  The paper discharge tray 21 is rotatably supported by the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20. This will be described in detail below. At the position shown in FIG. 3A, a rotation shaft 81 is provided at the rear end portion of the side end plate 52. The rotation shaft 81 protrudes outward from both ends of the side end plate 52 in the left-right direction 9. On the other hand, a bearing 82, which is an opening extending in the left-right direction 9, is formed at the center portion in the front-rear direction 8 and the upper part in the up-down direction 7 of the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20. By passing the rotation shaft 81 through the bearing 82, the paper discharge tray 21 is rotatably supported by the side plate 77.

  The loading plate 51 of the paper discharge tray 21 has substantially the same length as the bottom plate 75 in the left-right direction 9 and is substantially half the length of the bottom plate 75 in the front-rear direction 8. As a result, the paper discharge tray 21 closes substantially the front half that is a part above the bottom plate 75 at the position shown in FIG. As described above, the paper discharge tray 21 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. As a result, the recording paper 12 discharged from the multifunction machine 10 is placed on the placement plate 51 of the paper discharge tray 21.

  Further, the paper discharge tray 21 closes the substantially rear half of the bottom plate 75 at the position shown in FIG. When the recording paper 12 is put in and out of the paper discharge tray 21, the paper discharge tray 21 is pulled out from the multifunction machine 10 and then rotated to the position shown in FIG. As a result, the user of the multifunction machine 10 can place the recording paper 12 on the bottom plate 75 from almost the front half of the opened bottom plate 75. Further, the user of the multifunction machine 10 can take out the recording paper 12 placed on the bottom plate 75 from almost the front half of the opened bottom plate 75.

  In the paper discharge tray 21 at the position shown in FIG. 3A, the rotation shaft 81, that is, the rotation center portion, and the front end plate 53 are supported by the front plate 74. On the other hand, in the paper discharge tray 21 at the position shown in FIG. 3B, the rotation center portion and the front end plate 53 are supported by the rear end portion of the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20.

  Here, the rear end portion of the side plate 77 and the front plate 74 are positions different from the rotation center of the paper discharge tray 21 in the front-rear direction 8. Therefore, the rear end portion of the side plate 77 and the front plate 74 are an example of the support portion of the present invention.

  The rotation shaft 81 is provided on the placement plate 51 side of the side end plate 52 in the vertical direction 7. That is, the rotation center of the paper discharge tray 21 at the position shown in FIG. 3A is located above the center of the side end plate 52 in the vertical direction 7. Thereby, when the paper discharge tray 21 is rotated to the position shown in FIG. 3B, the rotation center of the paper discharge tray 21 is located below the center of the side end plate 52 in the vertical direction 7. Will come to do. As a result, the opening 83 when the recording paper 12 is put in and out of the bottom plate 75 of the paper feed tray 20 becomes longer in the vertical direction 7, and the recording paper 12 can be easily put in and out of the bottom plate 75.

  As shown in FIG. 3B, a notch 84 is formed from two locations on the edge of the bearing 82 outward in the radial direction. As a result, a portion of the side plate 77 between the two notches 84 forms an elastic portion 85 that protrudes from the edge 86 of the bearing 82 toward the center of the bearing 82. The elastic portion 85 can be elastically deformed so that the center side of the bearing 82 bends.

  On the outer peripheral surface of the projecting tip portion of the rotating shaft 81 projecting from the left side end plate 52, a projecting portion 87 projecting outward in the radial direction is formed. The distance between the rotation center of the rotation shaft 81 and the tip of the protrusion 87 is longer than the inner diameter of the bearing 82. For this reason, the rotation shaft 81 is inserted into and removed from the bearing 82 by elastically deforming the elastic portion 85.

  The procedure for attaching the paper discharge tray 21 to the paper feed tray 20 by inserting the rotating shaft 81 into the bearing 82 will be described in detail below. While the discharge tray 21 is inclined with respect to the left-right direction 9, the left rotation shaft 81 is brought closer to the left bearing 82 from the inside in the left-right direction 9. At this time, when the paper feed tray 20 is viewed from the left side, that is, in a side view, the protrusion 87 and the elastic portion 85 of the rotation shaft 81 are overlapped. At this time, the paper discharge tray 21 is rotated from a position other than the position shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, that is, from the position shown in FIG. 3A to the position shown in FIG. It is located in the middle. That is, the protrusion 87 is formed at the position so as to overlap the elastic portion 85 in a side view.

  In this state, the user pushes the elastic portion 85 with the protrusion 87. Thereby, the elastic part 85 is elastically deformed. As a result, the protrusion 87 is inserted into the bearing 82. Thereafter, the right rotation shaft 81 is inserted into the right bearing 82. As a result, the paper discharge tray 21 is attached to the paper feed tray 20. It should be noted that when removing the paper discharge tray 21 from the paper feed tray 20, the reverse procedure is executed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the paper discharge tray 21 is an example of the discharge support portion of the present invention and also an example of the lid portion of the present invention as described above. May be a member different from the paper discharge tray 21.

[Route switching unit 41 and reverse conveyance path 67]
As shown in FIG. 2, the path switching unit 41 is provided between the discharge roller pair 58 and the re-transport roller pair 59 in the main transport path 65. The path switching unit 41 includes auxiliary rollers 47 and 48, a switching unit main body 49, and a shaft 50. The switching unit main body 49 extends from the shaft 50 in the conveying direction 15 and is pivotally supported by the shaft 50 so as to be rotatable. Spur-shaped auxiliary rollers 47 and 48 are rotatably supported by the switching unit main body 49.

  The switching portion main body 49 has a discharge posture (posture indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2) positioned above the inner guide member 19 and a reverse posture in which the extended end portion 49A enters below the upper surface of the inner guide member 19. (The posture shown by the solid line in FIG. 2). The switching unit main body 49 is in a reverse posture due to its own weight in a normal state, but rotates to a discharge posture when it is lifted by the recording paper 12 being conveyed along the main conveyance path 65. When the rear end 15 of the recording paper 12 in the transport direction 15 passes through the auxiliary roller 47, the switching unit main body 49 rotates from the discharge posture to the reverse posture by its own weight. Thereby, the rear end of the recording paper 12 is directed to the reverse conveyance path 67 (an example of the conveyance path of the present invention). In this state, when the reconveying roller 45 continues to rotate normally, the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the conveying direction 15 and is discharged onto the upper surface 23 of the paper discharge tray 21. On the other hand, when the rotation direction of the re-conveyance roller 45 is switched from normal rotation to reverse rotation, the recording paper 12 is conveyed in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction 15 and guided to the reverse conveyance path 67.

  The path switching unit 41 is not limited to that shown in the present embodiment as long as it can guide the recording paper 12 to the reverse conveyance path 67. For example, the path switching unit 41 may be provided on the inner guide member 19 between the discharge roller pair 58 and the re-transport roller pair 59. In this case, the path switching unit 41 is urged toward the outer guide member 18 by a spring or the like in a normal state, and is pressed against the recording paper 12 conveyed in the conveyance direction 15 from the recording unit 24 side through the main conveyance path 65. Is rotated downward.

  The reverse conveyance path 67 is a path branched from the main conveyance path 65 at the branch position 36 and extending so as to merge with the main conveyance path 65 at the merge position 37 upstream of the conveyance roller pair 57 in the conveyance direction 15. The reverse conveyance path 67 is a conveyance path through which the recording paper 12 having an image recorded on the first surface is conveyed by the recording unit 24. The recording paper 12 guided to the reverse conveyance path 67 by the re-conveyance roller pair 59 reaches the recording unit 24 again through the merge position 37. At this time, the recording paper 12 is in a state where the second surface, which is the back surface of the first surface, faces the recording unit 24. That is, the reverse conveyance path 67 is a conveyance path that reverses the recording paper 12 on which the image is recorded by the recording unit 24 and conveys the recording sheet 12 to the upstream side of the recording unit 24 again.

  At least a part of the reverse conveyance path 67 is formed by the flap 70, the lower guide member 32, and the upper guide member 31 (an example of the opposed path member of the present invention). The flap 70 and the lower guide member 32 form the lower side of the reverse conveyance path 67. The upper guide member 31 faces the flap 70 and the lower guide member 32 and forms the upper side of the reverse conveyance path 67.

[Flap 70]
As shown in FIG. 2, the flap 70 is disposed above the bottom plate 75 in a state where the paper feed tray 20 is mounted on the housing 14, that is, in a state where the flap 70 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 16. In the present embodiment, the flap 70 is supported by the shaft 29 of the re-conveying roller 45 and rotates around the shaft 29. Note that if the flap 70 extends substantially rearward from the shaft 29 in a state in which the paper feed tray 20 is housed in the housing portion 16, the shaft 29 of the flap 70 is moved to the re-transport roller 45. The shaft 29 may not be coaxial. As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 8, the flap 70 is generally thicker in the left-right direction 9 and the length in the protruding direction from the shaft 29 than the left-right direction 9 and the length in the direction perpendicular to the protruding direction. It is a flat plate-shaped member.

  The flap 70 rotates about the shaft 29 to a first position shown in FIG. 9A, a second position shown by a solid line in FIG. 5, and a third position shown by a broken line in FIG. . That is, the flap 70 rotates in a direction 88 indicated by an arrow in FIG.

  In the first position, the flap 70 is supported by the paper discharge tray 21 as will be described later, so that the flap 70 protrudes obliquely from the shaft 29 on the rear side and the lower side. In the first position, the flap 70 forms a part of the lower side of the reverse conveyance path 67. That is, the flap 70 guides the recording paper 12 whose rear end is directed to the reverse conveyance path 67 toward the merging position 37 by the switching portion main body 49 in the reverse posture.

  In the second position, when the support by the paper discharge tray 21 is released, the flap 70 protrudes downward from the shaft 29 due to its own weight, and the rotating tip is in the same position as the shaft 29 in the front-rear direction 8. It becomes. That is, in the second position, the flap 70 has a rotating tip portion positioned below the first position.

  In the third position, the flap 70 is rotated further forward than the second position. That is, the third position is a position in which the turning tip is opposite to the first position with respect to the shaft 29 that is the turning center in the front-rear direction 8 along the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20. The rotation of the flap 70 between the second position and the third position is performed by the user in a state where the paper feed tray 20 is removed from the housing 14.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the flap 70 is in the second position, when viewed from the front side, the opening 13 is almost closed by the flap 70, so the user takes out the recording paper 12 from the inside of the multifunction device 10. Hateful. However, when the flap 70 is rotated from the second position to the third position, the distance between the rotation leading end portion of the flap 70 at the third position and the upper guide member 31 is the same as that of the flap 70 at the second position. The distance is larger than the distance between the rotating tip and the upper guide member 31. As a result, the opening 13 that is generally closed at the second position is opened at the third position. Therefore, when the flap 70 is in the third position, the user can easily take out the recording paper 12 from the inside of the multifunction machine 10.

  A notch 89 is formed at the central portion in the left-right direction 9 of the rotating tip of the flap 70. Here, the central portion is inside the moving range of the side guide 22 in the left-right direction 9, that is, outside the moving range of the side guide 22. The notch 89 is not limited to the central portion in the left-right direction 9 as long as it is outside the movement range of the side guide 22. For example, the notch 89 may be outside the movement range of the side guide 22 in the left-right direction 9. The user can easily rotate the flap 70 between the second position and the third position by gripping the notch 89.

  As shown in FIG. 10, an inclined surface 68 (an example of the rotating tip inclined portion of the present invention) is formed at the rotating tip of the flap 70. When the flap 70 is located at the first position, the inclined surface 68 is inclined with respect to the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20 so that the rotation front end side is higher than the rotation base end side. The inclined surface 68 is formed extending in the left-right direction 9.

  A first abutted portion 43 and a second abutted portion 44 are formed on the back side of the surface of the flap 70 that abuts on the recording sheet 12 conveyed through the reverse conveying path 67. That is, the first contacted portion 43 and the second contacted portion 44 are provided on the front surface of the flap 70 in the second position, and the lower surface of the flap 70 in the first position. Is formed.

  As will be described later, the first contacted portion 43 contacts the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 and the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22 when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the housing 14.

  As will be described later, the second contacted portion 44 contacts the mounting plate 51 of the paper discharge tray 21 when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into and removed from the housing 14. Therefore, the second contacted portion 44 is formed at a position closer to the shaft 29, that is, the rotation center than the first contacted portion 43.

  The second contacted portion 44 is a lower end of a rib extending along the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20. The second contacted portion 44 includes a first sliding portion 72 and a second sliding portion 73 farther from the shaft 29 than the first sliding portion 72. That is, in the flap 70 while moving from the second position to the first position, the second sliding portion 73 is formed downstream of the first sliding portion 72 in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20. Yes. In a state where the flap 70 is located at the first position, the second sliding portion 73 is located below the first sliding portion 72. The first sliding part 72 and the second sliding part 73 are connected by an inclined part that is inclined upward and forward of the second sliding part 73. From the above, the second contacted portion 44 is an example of the sliding portion of the present invention. The position of the second sliding portion 73 in the front-rear direction 8 is the mounting plate 51 of the paper discharge tray 21 (specifically, formed on the mounting plate 51 when the paper feed tray 20 is completely attached to the housing 14). It is a position which contacts the convex part 55) made. The protrusion 55 is longer in the left-right direction 9 than the first sliding portion 72.

[Detector 90 and sensor 91]
As shown in FIG. 10, a detector 90 is provided on the upper side of the rotating tip of the flap 70. The detector 90 is rotatable about an axis 92 on the outer guide member 18 (see FIG. 2) between the discharge roller pair 58 (see FIG. 2) and the re-conveying roller pair 59 (see FIG. 2). It is pivotally supported. In the present embodiment, the path switching unit 41 is also pivotally supported by the outer guide member 18, but the path switching unit 41 and the detector 90 are arranged at different positions in the left-right direction 9. .

  A convex portion 93 is formed on the upper side of the detector 90. The convex portion 93 is formed at a position where it can enter between a light emitting portion 96 and a light receiving portion 97 of the sensor 91 described later by the rotation of the detector 90.

  In the front-rear direction 8, a sensor 91 is provided at a position facing the rotation tip of the detector 90. The sensor 91 includes a light emitting unit 96 that emits light, and a light receiving unit 97 that receives the light emitted by the light emitting unit 96. The light emitting unit 96 and the light receiving unit 97 are provided at positions facing each other in the left-right direction 9. Further, the light emitting part 96 and the light receiving part 97 are arranged such that the convex part 93 of the detector 90 can be moved back and forth between them. In the present embodiment, the light emitting unit 96 is disposed on the left side of the convex portion 93 and the light receiving unit 97 is disposed on the right side of the convex portion 93, but the arrangement of both may be reversed.

  When the convex portion 93 enters between the light emitting portion 96 and the light receiving portion 97, the optical path from the light emitting portion 96 to the light receiving portion 97 is blocked by the convex portion 93. Thereby, the sensor 91 detects the detector 90. On the other hand, when the convex portion 93 is retracted from between the light emitting portion 96 and the light receiving portion 97, the optical path from the light emitting portion 96 to the light receiving portion 97 is not blocked by the convex portion 93. Thereby, the sensor 91 does not detect the detector 90.

  The detector 90 rotates between a fourth position shown in FIG. 10 (B) and a fifth position shown in FIG. 10 (A). The rotating tip of the detector 90 at the fifth position is located below the rotating tip of the detector 90 at the fourth position. When the detector 90 is located at the fourth position, the convex portion 93 blocks the optical path between the light emitting portion 96 and the light receiving portion 97 of the sensor 91. That is, the detector 90 is detected by the sensor 91. When the detector 90 is located at the fifth position, the convex portion 93 does not block the optical path between the light emitting portion 96 and the light receiving portion 97 of the sensor 91. That is, the detector 90 is not detected by the sensor 91.

  In the present embodiment, the detector 90 is moved between the fourth position and the fifth position by rotating. However, the detector 90 is not rotated but is slid in the vertical direction 7, for example. It may move between the fourth position and the fifth position.

[Insert paper feed tray 20]
Hereinafter, the operation of the flap 70 when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into the housing 14 and accommodated in the accommodating portion 16 will be described.

  In a state where the paper feed tray 20 is removed from the casing 14, the flap 70 is not supported by the paper feed tray 20, and thus is located at the second position. As shown in FIG. 5, the flap 70 maintains the second position until the flap 70 comes into contact with the paper feed tray 20 even when the insertion of the paper feed tray 20 into the housing 14 is started through the opening 13. That is, when the paper feed tray 20 is located at a separation position (a position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 5) separated from the flap 70, the flap 70 is located at the second position. In other words, in other words, the separation position is the upstream in the insertion direction of the protrusion 69 located on the rear surface of the inclined plate 76, which is the front end in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20, and the flap 70 in the second position. That is, it is the position of the paper feed tray 20 when it is the front side.

  When the position of the protrusion 69, which is the leading end of the paper feed tray 20 to be inserted into the housing 14, is the same position as the front side of the flap 70 at the second position, the paper feed tray 20 and the flap 70 come into contact with each other. The position of the paper feed tray 20 at this time is the contact position of the present invention.

  When the paper feed tray 20 is further inserted in the insertion direction from the contact position, the flap 70 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 98 by being lifted by the protrusion 69 which is the leading end of the paper feed tray 20 in the insertion direction. . When the paper feed tray 20 is further inserted, as shown in FIG. 6A, the first contacted portion 43 (the lower end portion of the inclined surface 68) of the flap 70 is placed on the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20. It contacts the upper surface 79 (specifically, the rear end portion 80 of the upper surface 79). That is, the flap 70 is supported by the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the flap 70 has an extension length from the shaft 29 at both end portions 56 in the left-right direction 9 that is longer than an extension length from the shaft 29 other than both end portions 56 in the left-right direction 9. It is structured short. The first abutted portion 43 of the flap 70 abuts on the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20 at a portion where the extension length is short.

  When the sheet feeding tray 20 is further inserted in the insertion direction from the state of FIG. 6A, the first contacted portion 43 of the flap 70 is guided along the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77.

  Further, when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted in the insertion direction and the front side portion of the first contacted portion 43 of the flap 70 comes into contact with the rear end portion of the side guide 22, the first applied portion of the flap 70 is reached. The contact portion 43 is separated from the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20. That is, the first contacted portion 43 instantaneously contacts the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 and the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22 at the same time, and when the sheet feeding tray 20 is further inserted, The first contacted portion 43, which is the lowest end in the position, contacts the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22. That is, the flap 70 is supported by the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22. Since the flap 70 is maintained in a state where it is supported by any part of the paper feed tray 20, the transition from the state of contact with the side plate 77 to the state of contact with the side guide 22 is not interrupted. Done continuously. As described above, the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20 contacts the flap 70 between the front end of the side guide 22 and the front end of the paper feed tray 20 in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20.

  When the paper feed tray 20 that is in contact with the rear end portion of the side guide 22 is further inserted in the insertion direction, the first contacted portion 43 of the flap 70 is moved to the side guide 22 as shown in FIG. It is guided along the upper surface 23. Note that, in the state shown in FIG. 6B, the convex portion 78 of the paper feed tray 20 abuts on the lower surface of the protruding portion 39 formed in the accommodating portion 16. Thereafter, the leading end of the paper feed tray 20 in the insertion direction is guided by the protrusion 39.

  When the paper feed tray 20 is further inserted in the insertion direction from the state of FIG. 6B, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 10A, the second contacted portion 44 of the flap 70 is moved to the paper discharge tray. 21 abuts against the rear end portion. That is, the second contacted portion 44 is at the same position as the rear end portion of the paper discharge tray 21 in a state where the first contacted portion 43 is in contact with the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22. When the paper feed tray 20 is further inserted, the flap 70 is lifted to the paper discharge tray 21 and rotates in the direction of the arrow 98 (see FIG. 5). As a result, the first contacted portion 43 is separated from the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22. That is, in the flap 70, the first abutted portion 43 abuts on the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22 and the second abutted portion 44 abuts on the paper discharge tray 21 at the same time. Thereafter, when the sheet feeding tray 20 is further inserted, the second abutted portion 44 of the flap 70 (specifically, the first sliding portion 72 of the second abutted portion 44) is moved to the discharge tray 21 thereafter. It abuts on the mounting plate 51 (specifically, a convex portion 55 formed on the mounting plate 51). That is, the flap 70 is supported by the mounting plate 51 of the paper discharge tray 21. Since the flap 70 is maintained in a state where it is supported by any part of the paper feed tray 20, the transition from the state of contact with the side guide 22 to the state of contact with the mounting plate 51 is interrupted. It is done continuously without.

  When the paper feed tray 20 is further inserted in the insertion direction from the state of FIG. 7, the convex portion 55 of the mounting plate 51 is guided along the first sliding portion 72 of the flap 70. At this time, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 10A, the convex portion 93 of the detector 90 is retracted from between the light emitting portion 96 and the light receiving portion 97 of the sensor 91. 90 is not detected. That is, the detector 90 is located at the fifth position.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 9, the convex portion 55 of the mounting plate 51 guided along the first sliding portion 72 is brought into contact with the first sliding portion 72 from the second sliding portion. 73 is brought into contact with 73. Specifically, the convex portion 55 of the mounting plate 51 instantaneously abuts the first sliding portion 72 and the upper surface of the convex portion 55, and at the same time the inclined portion and the front surface of the convex portion 55 contact each other. When the paper tray 20 is inserted, thereafter, the front surface and the upper surface of the convex portion 55 come into contact with the inclined portion between the first sliding portion 72 and the second sliding portion 73. The inclined portion is guided by continuing to contact the convex portion 55, and the upper surface of the convex portion 55 contacts the second sliding portion 73 positioned below the first sliding portion 72.

  The position of the paper feed tray 20 when the convex portion 55 comes into contact with the second sliding portion 73 is the position where the paper feed tray 20 is inserted to the innermost position where it can be inserted into the housing 14, in other words, the housing 14 The mounted position. That is, when the contact target of the convex portion 55 is switched from the first sliding portion 72 to the second sliding portion 73, the paper feed tray 20 is attached to the housing 14. At this position, the paper feed unit 28 normally feeds paper in the paper feed tray 20. Note that if paper feeding is performed with the paper feed tray 20 positioned in front of the loaded state, the stopper 71 comes into contact with the recording paper 12 to be fed or the paper feed roller 25 rotates in association with rotation. Paper feeding is not performed normally, for example, the paper tray 20 moves.

  Further, the convex portion 55 is separated from the first sliding portion 72 and is brought into contact with the second sliding portion 73, whereby the flap 70 is lifted by the convex portion 55 and the arrow 99 (see FIG. 10A). ). As a result, the flap 70 is positioned at the first position. Further, the detector 90 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 100 (see FIG. 10A) by being pushed by the flap 70. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10B, the convex portion 93 of the detector 90 is inserted between the light emitting portion 96 and the light receiving portion 97 of the sensor 91, and the sensor 91 detects the detector 90. . That is, the detector 90 rotates from the fifth position to the fourth position.

  That is, according to the present embodiment, the moment when the object with which the convex portion 55 of the mounting plate 51 abuts is switched from the first sliding portion 72 to the second sliding portion 73, that is, to the housing 14 of the paper feed tray 20. At the moment when the mounting is completed, the state of the sensor 91 can be instantaneously switched from a state where the sensor 90 is not detected to a state where the sensor 90 is detected. As a result, the possibility of erroneous detection of the detector 90 by the sensor 91 can be reduced.

  As described above, the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77, the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22, and the mounting plate 51 of the paper discharge tray 21 are sequentially and continuously while the paper feed tray 20 is inserted from the contact position to the mounting position. Abut against the flap 70. During this time, the flap 70 rotates from the second position toward the first position. When the paper feed tray 20 is located at the mounting position, the placing plate 51 contacts the flap 70, and the flap 70 is located at the first position.

  Further, when the paper feed tray 20 is located at the mounting position, the detector 90 is located at the fourth position due to the placement plate 51 coming into contact with the second sliding portion 73, and the paper feed tray 20 is located at a position different from the mounting position. When the mounting plate 51 is in contact with the first sliding portion 72, the detector 90 is positioned at the fifth position.

  The operation of the flap 70 when the paper feed tray 20 is removed from the housing is in the reverse order of the operation described above. However, since the flap 70 is on the upstream side in the direction of removal from the rotation base end side, the first contacted portion 43 on the rotation tip side is in contact with the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22. When moving from the contacted state to the state of contacting the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77, the flap 70 is easily caught. If the flap 70 is caught, the paper feed tray 20 cannot be removed. However, in the present embodiment, the rear end 80 of the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 has a rear side (a leading end side in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20) more than a front side (a rear end side in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20). It is inclined so as to be higher, and the front side of the rear end 80 is lower than the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22. Therefore, the flap 70 is not caught when the first contacted portion 43 on the rotation tip side moves from the state of contact with the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22 to the state of contact with the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, while the paper feed tray 20 is inserted, the paper feed tray 20 is continuous with the flap 70 in the order of the upper surface 79 of the side surface 77, the upper surface 23 of the side guide 22, and the placement plate 51. Abut. Therefore, the flap 70 is supported by the paper feed tray 20 from the beginning of insertion of the paper feed tray 20 into the housing 14. Therefore, the user can grasp in what state the flap 70 is in contact with the paper feed tray 20. As a result, when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into the housing 14, the possibility that the paper feed tray 20 is caught by the housing 14 can be reduced.

  In addition, since the paper feed tray 20 continuously contacts the flap 70 while the paper feed tray 20 is inserted, the flap 70 is supported by the paper feed tray 20 in the process of inserting the paper feed tray 20. The As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the paper feed tray 20 being caught by the housing 14 in the process of inserting the paper feed tray 20 into the housing 14. That is, the paper feed tray 20 can be properly attached to the housing 14.

  In general, the side guide 22 is erected higher than the maximum load amount of the recording paper 12 in the paper feed tray 20. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the flap 70 contacts the recording paper 12 when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into the housing 14.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the flap 70 is supported by the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20 without extending the side guide 22 that contacts the flap 70 to the vicinity of the leading end of the paper feed tray 20 in the insertion direction. Can do.

  Further, if there is a gap between the side guide 22 and the side plate 77 in the insertion direction, the flap 70 may be caught in the gap when the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the housing 14. However, according to this embodiment, since the rear end portion 80 of the upper surface 79 of the side plate 77 is inclined, the flap 70 is supported by the side guide 22 when the paper feed tray 20 is pulled out from the housing 14. It is possible to make a smooth transition from the state to the state supported by the side plate 77.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the user can easily rotate the flap 70 by gripping the portion where the notch 89 is formed. As a result, when the recording paper 12 is jammed in the reverse conveying path 67, the recording paper 12 can be easily taken out by rotating the flap 70. Further, since the notch 89 is provided outside the movement range of the side guide 22, the side guide 22 can reliably support the flap 70.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, in the state where the flap 70 is supported by the paper feed tray 20, the inclined surface 68 formed at the rotating tip of the flap 70 is the upper surface 79 of the side surface 77 and the upper surface of the side guide 22. 23 and the mounting plate 51. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the paper feed tray 20 and the flap 70 being caught when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into or pulled out from the housing 14.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the side plate 77 of the paper feed tray 20 contacts the protruding portion 39 when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into the housing 14. That is, the protrusion 39 guides the paper feed tray 20 inserted into the housing 14. As a result, the paper feed tray 20 can be smoothly inserted into the housing 14.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into the housing 14, the paper feed tray 20 first comes into contact with the front end side of the flap 70. As a result, the paper feed tray 20 can lift the flap 70 with a small force at the beginning. Further, when the paper feed tray 20 is inserted into the housing 14, the paper feed tray 20 finally comes into contact with a position near the rotation center of the flap 70. If the paper feed tray 20 lifts the flap 70 while abutting against the front end side of the flap 70 at the end, the flap 70 may be twisted and not rotated to an appropriate position. However, according to the present embodiment, the paper feed tray 20 lifts the flap 70 while contacting the position near the rotation center of the flap 70 at the end. Therefore, according to this embodiment, the flap 70 can be reliably rotated to an appropriate position.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the flap 70 is rotated to the third position, the reverse conveyance path 67 is largely exposed to the outside. Thereby, according to this embodiment, when the recording paper 12 is jammed in the reverse conveyance path 67, the flap 70 can be rotated to the third position, and the recording paper 12 can be easily taken out.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, whether or not the sensor 90 is detected by the sensor 91 can be switched immediately before the mounting of the paper feed tray 20 to the housing 14 is completed. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the possibility of erroneous detection such that the sensor 91 detects the detector 90 even though the paper feed tray 20 is not completely attached to the housing 14.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the paper feed tray 20 is rotated to the seventh position, the upstream side in the insertion direction of the paper feed tray 20 can be greatly opened. Thereby, the recording paper 12 can be easily placed on the bottom plate 75 of the paper feed tray 20.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the rotation shaft 81 of the paper discharge tray 21 is passed through the side plate 77, the rotation shaft of the paper discharge tray 21 is elastically deformed by pressing the elastic portion 85 with the protrusion 87. 81 can be passed through the bearing 82. That is, according to the present embodiment, the discharge tray 21 can be easily attached to the side plate 77. Further, according to this configuration, when the paper discharge tray 21 is located at the sixth position and the seventh position, the rotation shaft 81 of the paper discharge tray 21 cannot be passed through the bearing 82 or removed from the bearing 82. It is. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the paper discharge tray 21 from being accidentally detached from the bearing 82 when the paper discharge tray 21 is located at the sixth position or the seventh position.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction machine 12 ... Recording paper 14 ... Housing 20 ... Paper feed tray 23 ... Upper surface 24 ... Recording part 51 ... Mounting plate 67 ... Reverse conveyance path 70 ... flap 75 ... bottom plate 79 ... upper surface

Claims (12)

The device body;
A tray that can be inserted into and withdrawn from the apparatus main body and has a support plate for supporting the sheet;
A recording unit for recording an image on a sheet fed from the support plate;
A rotatable member disposed above the support plate, wherein the sheet on which the image is recorded by the recording unit is reversed and forms a part of a conveyance path that conveys the sheet to the upstream side of the recording unit again. 1 position, a second position where the rotation tip is positioned below the first position, and the rotation tip is opposite to the first position with respect to the rotation center in the insertion direction of the tray. A third position that is located, and a path member that pivots to,
The tray includes a contact portion that contacts the path member,
When the tray is positioned at a separation position where the leading end of the tray in the insertion direction is located upstream of the path member in the insertion direction, the path member is positioned at the second position,
While the tray is being inserted from the contact position where the insertion direction tip of the tray is at the same position as the path member in the insertion direction to the mounting position where the tray is mounted on the apparatus body, the contact portion is Abutting continuously with the path member, the path member rotating from the second position toward the first position;
When the tray is positioned at the mounting position, the contact portion is in contact with the path member, and the path member is positioned at the first position. The tray includes a side guide that is movable in a width direction orthogonal to the insertion direction and abuts against an end in the width direction of a sheet supported by the support plate,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact portion is provided in the side guide. The tray includes a side wall erected from the end in the width direction of the support plate,
The abutting portion is provided on the side wall in addition to the side guide,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the contact portion provided on the side wall is in contact with the path member between a front end of the side guide and a front end of the tray in the insertion direction.   The abutting portion provided on the side wall has a rear end in the insertion direction lower than the abutting portion provided in the side guide, and a distal end side in the insertion direction is higher than a rear end side. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a tray inclined portion that is inclined so as to become. The side guide moves within a preset range in the width direction,
5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a notch is formed outside the moving range of the side guide at the rotation tip of the path member. The path member includes a rotation tip inclined portion inclined with respect to the insertion direction at the rotation tip portion,
6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation tip inclined portion has a rotation tip side higher than a rotation base end side when the path member is in the first position. The apparatus main body is formed with an accommodating portion for accommodating the tray,
The tray includes a side wall erected from the end of the support plate in the width direction orthogonal to the insertion direction,
7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the housing portion includes a protruding portion that protrudes from an inner surface and contacts the side wall when the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body. A discharge unit that is located above the support plate and discharges the sheet recorded by the recording unit;
The tray is movable in the width direction orthogonal to the insertion direction and is located above the support plate, a side guide that contacts the end in the width direction of the sheet supported by the support plate, and the discharge portion A discharge support part for supporting the sheet discharged from
The contact portion includes a first contact portion provided on the side guide and a second contact portion provided on the discharge support portion. In the insertion direction, the second contact portion is Located upstream from the first abutment,
The path member includes a first abutted portion that abuts on the first abutting portion, and a second abutted portion that abuts on the second abutting portion and is closer to the rotation center than the first abutted portion. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an image recording unit. It further faces the path member, further comprising an opposing path member that forms part of the transport path together with the path member,
The distance between the pivot tip of the path member at the third position and the counter path member is between the pivot tip of the path member at the second position and the counter path member. The image recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the image recording apparatus is larger than the distance. A detector provided above the path member;
A sensor for detecting the detector;
The detector is movable to a fourth position detected by the sensor and a fifth position which is located below the fourth position and is not detected by the sensor.
The path member extends along the insertion direction, and includes a sliding portion that comes into contact with the contact portion when the tray is inserted into the apparatus main body.
The sliding portion includes a first sliding portion and a second sliding portion that is continuous with the first sliding portion on the downstream side in the insertion direction from the first sliding portion and is lower than the first sliding portion. With moving parts,
When the tray is positioned at the mounting position, the contact portion is in contact with the second sliding portion, whereby the detector is positioned at the fourth position, and the tray is at a position different from the mounting position. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the detector is positioned at the fifth position by the contact of the contact portion with the first sliding portion. The tray is disposed at an upper portion of the tray, and has a lid portion that is rotatable between a sixth position that closes a part of the upper portion of the support plate and a seventh position that opens the part. Prepared,
The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotation center of the lid portion at the sixth position is located above the center in the vertical direction. The tray is
A side wall erected from the end of the support plate in the width direction orthogonal to the insertion direction;
A lid that is disposed at the top of the tray and is rotatable between a sixth position that closes a portion above the support plate and a seventh position that opens the portion;
A support portion that is disposed at a position different from the rotation center of the lid portion and supports the lid portion;
The lid portion is supported by the support portion at the sixth position and the seventh position,
The side wall
A bearing through which the pivot shaft of the lid portion passes,
An elastic part that protrudes from the edge side of the bearing toward the center of the bearing and is elastically deformable,
The rotation axis of the lid portion includes a protrusion protruding radially from the outer peripheral surface,
The said protrusion is provided in the position which overlaps with the said elastic part in a side view when the said cover part is located in the position other than the said 6th position and the said 7th position. Image recording device.

Images