JP2015113189A - Feed device and image recorder - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device capable of reducing adhesion of a foreign substance included in a feed roller to a sheet.SOLUTION: A feed device comprises: a feed roller 75 that feeds a recording paper S supported by planes 45 of a bypass tray 71; a feed arm 76 that can support rotatably the feed roller 75 and can be turned; a drive transmission mechanism 79 that transmits rotary driving force to the feed roller 75; and a turning member 30 that is turned between a first position that is connected to the feed roller 75 and protruded toward the plane 45 from the feed roller 75 by application of the rotary driving force and a second position that is retreated from the feed roller 75 relative to the planes 45. The feed roller 75 is rotated in a rotating direction of feeding the recording paper S by application of normal rotary driving force and rotated in the opposite direction of the above rotating direction by application of reverse rotary driving force. The turning member 30 is turned toward the second position by application of the normal rotary driving force and turned toward the first position by the reverse rotary driving force.

Description

  The present invention relates to a feeding device that feeds a sheet supported by a support portion, and an image recording apparatus including the feeding device.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a feeding device that has a support portion that supports a sheet and feeds the sheet supported by the support portion to an image recording apparatus or the like is known. Some of such feeding devices include a support portion that supports a sheet in which a plurality of sheets are stacked. In this case, the feeding roller comes into contact with the uppermost sheet among the sheets supported by the support portion, and feeds the uppermost sheet toward the destination.

  An example of such a feeding device is disclosed in Patent Document 1.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-139197

  However, many of the feeding rollers use rubber such as ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) as a material for reliably feeding the abutted sheet. For this reason, when the feeding roller and the sheet are always in contact with each other, foreign matters such as oil contained in rubber used in the feeding roller adhere to the sheet. As a result, there is a problem in that an image cannot be recorded in a region where foreign matter is attached to the sheet, or even if an image can be recorded, the image quality is deteriorated in the region.

  On the other hand, the paper feeder disclosed in Patent Document 1 attempts to solve the above problem by reducing the contact force of the feed roller to the sheet. However, the feeding roller and the sheet are always in contact with each other, and the adhering foreign matter may be reduced. However, since the above problem still occurs, further improvement is required.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide means capable of further reducing adhesion of foreign substances contained in a feeding roller to a sheet.

  (1) A feeding device according to the present invention includes a support unit that supports a sheet, a feed roller that feeds the sheet supported by the support unit, and the feed roller that is rotatable at one end. An arm that can be rotated about the other end as a rotation axis, a drive source that rotates forward and backward, a drive transmission unit that transmits the rotational driving force of the drive source to the feed roller, and the feed The rotation member connected to the feed roller or the arm and rotated by a rotation driving force applied from the drive transmission unit, and the rotation member abutting on the rotation member, the rotation of the rotation member A first regulating portion that regulates at a first position that protrudes toward the support portion from the feeding roller, and abutting on the turning member, and turning the turning member with respect to the supporting portion. And a second restricting portion for restricting at a second position retracted from the feeding roller. The feed roller rotates in a rotation direction for feeding a sheet when a normal rotation drive force is applied from the drive source, and rotates in a rotation direction when a reverse rotation drive force is applied from the drive source. It rotates in the opposite direction. When the forward rotation driving force is applied from the drive source, the rotating member rotates from the first position to the second position, and the reverse rotation driving force is applied from the drive source. And from the second position to the first position.

  According to this configuration, when the sheet supported by the support portion is fed, a normal rotation driving force is applied to the feeding roller and the rotating member. As a result, the rotating member rotates to the second position, so that the feeding roller contacts the sheet. The feeding roller feeds the sheet. On the other hand, when the sheet is not fed, a reverse rotational driving force is applied to the feeding roller and the rotating member. As a result, the rotating member rotates to the first position. During the rotation process, the arm and the feeding roller are lifted by the rotation member. As a result, the feeding roller is separated from the sheet supported by the support portion. As described above, the feeding roller can be separated from the sheet except when the sheet is fed.

  The rotating member is given a rotational driving force from a driving source for rotating the feeding roller, and is rotated so that the feeding roller is brought into contact with and separated from the sheet by normal rotation and reverse rotation of the driving source. It is possible to move. Therefore, a dedicated drive source for operating the rotating member is not necessary.

  (2) The feeding device according to the present invention is provided between the drive transmission unit and the rotation member, transmits a rotational driving force from the drive transmission unit to the rotation member, and includes the first restriction unit. Or when the rotation of the rotating member is restricted by the second restricting portion, a torque limiter is further provided for cutting off the transmission of the rotational driving force from the drive transmitting portion to the rotating member.

  According to this configuration, when the rotating member is located between the first restricting portion and the second restricting portion, the feeding roller is rotated and the rotating member is rotated while the rotating member is rotated. When it reaches the first restricting portion or the second restricting portion, a configuration that rotates the feeding roller but does not rotate the rotating member can be realized with a simple configuration.

  (3) The drive transmission unit includes a gear train supported by the arm and meshed with each other. The torque limiter is provided between the gear constituting the gear train and the rotating member.

  According to this configuration, the gear train is supported by the arm, that is, the gear train and the arm are arranged in close proximity. For this reason, the arrangement space of a gear train and the arrangement space of an arm can be made into one place. As a result, the space required for the arrangement of the drive transmission unit and the arm can be reduced.

  (4) The drive transmission unit includes a roller gear attached to the rotation shaft of the feeding roller and rotating around the rotation shaft. The roller gear includes a recess extending along the axis. The torque limiter includes a compression coil spring that is disposed in the recess and biases the roller gear toward the rotating member.

  According to this configuration, since the compression coil spring is disposed in the recess of the roller gear, it is possible to use a long compression coil spring while maintaining a small arrangement space for the compression coil spring. As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of change in the urging force with respect to the dimensional error of members such as the rotating member and the roller gear and the amount of expansion and contraction of the compression coil spring. Further, since the compression coil spring is arranged in the recess of the roller gear, the space required for the arrangement of the compression coil spring can be reduced.

  (5) The drive transmission unit includes a roller gear attached to a rotation shaft of the feeding roller and rotating around the rotation shaft. The rotation shaft of the feeding roller and the roller gear are fitted by a key and a key groove having a play in the circumferential direction. The torque limiter is provided between the roller gear and the rotating member.

  According to this configuration, since play is provided between the rotation shaft of the feed roller and the roller gear, the start of rotation of the feed roller is delayed from the start of rotation of the roller gear by the amount of play. On the other hand, the rotating member starts rotating simultaneously with the start of rotation of the roller gear. Thereby, the rotation start of the feed roller can be delayed from the rotation start of the rotation member. As a result, the rotation of the feeding roller can be started after the rotating member is rotated from the first position to the second position. In addition, the rotation of the feeding roller can be started after the rotating member is rotated from the second position to the first position. As a result, it is possible to prevent the reverse feeding of the recording paper due to the rotation of the feeding roller to which the reverse rotational driving force is applied.

  (6) A roller that rotates about the same direction as the rotation axis of the feeding roller is provided at the rotation tip of the rotation member.

  According to this configuration, when the rotating member is in the first position, the roller contacts the sheet supported by the support portion. Therefore, the frictional force generated between the rotating member and the sheet can be reduced. As a result, when the rotating member rotates with the roller in contact with the sheet, the possibility that the sheet moves along with the rotating member can be reduced. Moreover, when the sheet | seat which contact | abutted the rotation member moved for some reason, the possibility that the rotation member will rotate with the moving sheet can be reduced.

  (7) The rotating member rotates about the rotation axis of the feeding roller.

  According to this configuration, since the rotation shaft of the rotation member and the rotation shaft of the feeding roller can be made common, the structure of the feeding device can be simplified. Further, since the rotation axis of the rotation member is close to the contact position with the sheet, the length from the rotation axis of the rotation member to the rotation tip can be shortened. As a result, it is possible to reduce the torque necessary for lifting the arm and the feeding roller when the rotating member is rotated from the second position to the first position.

  (8) The rotating member protrudes to the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction from the feeding roller at the first position, and extends from the protruding position to between the feeding roller and the support portion. With ribs.

  According to this configuration, the sheet that is inserted toward the support portion to be placed on the support portion when the rotating member is in the first position is more likely to come into contact with the rib than the feeding roller. Therefore, the possibility that the sheet comes into contact with the feeding roller and the sheet is bent can be reduced. Further, since the sheet is difficult to contact the feeding roller, the sheet can be easily inserted.

  (9) The present invention can also be understood as an image recording apparatus including the feeding device and a recording unit that records an image on a sheet fed by the feeding roller.

  (10) The support portion is rotatably provided on the side wall of the device, and the rotation tip is located above the rotation base end, and the rotation tip is higher than the third position. It is a manual feed tray that rotates between a fourth position spaced from the side wall and supports a sheet at the fourth position.

  In the manual feed tray as described above, the sheet is normally supported by the support portion in an oblique state. Therefore, it is preferable that the sheet is always pressed from the side opposite to the support portion. However, if the sheet is always in contact with the feeding roller, the problem of foreign matter adhesion as described above occurs. In this configuration, the sheet is brought into contact with the feeding roller only at the time of feeding and is brought into contact with the rotating member at the time of non-feeding. Therefore, the sheet can be always pressed from the side opposite to the support portion.

  According to the present invention, since the feeding roller can be separated from the sheet except when the sheet is fed, the adhesion of foreign matters contained in the feeding roller to the sheet can be further reduced.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the multifunction machine 10 with the movable portion 186 standing. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the bypass tray 71 with the movable portion 186 lying down. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the rear side of the multifunction machine 10 with the movable portion 186 removed. FIG. 6 is a front view of the feeding device 70. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the feeding device 70. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the periphery of the feeding arm 76. FIG. 10 (A) is a perspective view of the rotating member 30 and the roller gear 49, and FIG. 10 (B) is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 10 (A). FIG. 11 is a front view of the periphery of the feeding arm 76. 12 is a view showing the periphery of the lower guide member 97 in the XII-XII cross-sectional view of FIG. 6, and FIG. 12 (A) shows a state in which the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 is in the retracted position. , (B) shows a state in which the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 is in the protruding position. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line XIII-XIII of FIG. 6, and FIG. 13A shows a state in which the rotating member 30 is in the first position and the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 is in the protruding position. ) Shows the state in which the rotating member 30 is in the first position and the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 is in the retracted position, and FIG. A state where the contact member 117 is in the retracted position is shown. FIG. 14 is a right side view schematically showing the bypass tray 71, the feeding arm 76, and the rotating member 30, and FIG. 14A shows the state where the rotating member 30 is in the first position. (B) shows the state in which the rotating member 30 is in the second position. FIG. 15 is a right side view schematically showing the bypass tray 71, the feeding roller 75, and the rotating member 30 in Modification 8. FIG. 15A shows a state where the rotating member 30 is in the first position. (B) shows a state where the rotating member 30 is in the second position.

  Hereinafter, the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the advance from the starting point of the arrow to the ending point is expressed as the direction, and the traffic on the line connecting the starting point and the ending point of the arrow is expressed as the direction. In the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to the state in which the multifunction machine 10 is installed (the state shown in FIG. 1), and the side on which the opening 13 is provided is the front side (front side). A front-rear direction 8 is defined, and a left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front side (front side).

[Overall configuration of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped, and includes a printer unit 11 that records an image on a sheet such as a recording sheet S by an inkjet recording method. The multifunction machine 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function.

  The printer unit 11 includes a housing 14 having an opening 13 formed on the front surface. Further, a feed tray 20 and a discharge tray 21 that can accommodate recording paper S of various sizes can be inserted and removed in the front-rear direction 8 from the opening 13. The bottom surface of the housing 14 abuts on the placement surface on which the multifunction machine 10 is installed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a feeding unit 15 that feeds the recording paper S from the feeding tray 20, a recording unit 24 that records an image on the recording paper S, a first transport roller pair 59, and A second conveyance roller pair 180 and the like are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a scanner unit 12 is provided above the printer unit 11. The dimensions of the casing 16 of the scanner unit 12 in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 are the same as those of the casing 14 of the printer unit 11. Accordingly, the casing 14 of the printer unit 11 and the casing 16 of the scanner unit 12 are integrated to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape of the multifunction machine 10. The scanner unit 12 is a flat bed scanner. In addition, since the structure of a flat bed scanner is well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted here. The scanner unit 12 may be provided with an automatic document feeder (ADF) that separates and conveys a plurality of documents one by one.

[Printer 11]
Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the printer unit 11 will be described. The printer unit 11 is an example of an image recording apparatus.

[Feeding tray 20]
The feed tray 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has an outer shape in which the length in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 is longer than the length in the vertical direction 7, and has a box-like shape with an open upper surface. ing. A discharge tray 21 is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the feeding tray 20. The feeding tray 20 can accommodate the recording paper S by supporting the recording paper S of various sizes, such as an A4 size according to Japanese Industrial Standards and an L plate used for photographic recording, on a support surface. The feeding tray 20 is detachably mounted in an internal space that communicates with the opening 13 of the housing 14. The feeding tray 20 can advance and retreat along the front-rear direction 8 with respect to the housing 14 through the opening 13.

[Feeding unit 15]
As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding unit 15 includes a feeding roller 25, a feeding arm 26, a drive transmission mechanism 27, and a separation pad 181. The feeding unit 15 is provided above the feeding tray 20 and below the recording unit 24. The feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the feed arm 26 so as to be rotatable. The feeding arm 26 rotates in the direction of an arrow 29 about a rotation shaft 28 provided at the base end. Thereby, the feed roller 25 can be brought into contact with and separated from the support surface of the feed tray 20. Therefore, when the recording paper S is accommodated and the feeding tray 20 is mounted in the housing 14, the feeding roller 25 can contact the recording paper S accommodated in the feeding tray 20. A separation pad 181 is provided at a position where the feed roller 25 contacts the support surface of the feed tray 20 when the feed tray 20 that does not contain the recording paper S is mounted in the housing 14. The separation pad 181 is made of a material having a friction coefficient larger than that of the support surface of the feeding tray 20 with respect to the recording paper S.

  A driving force of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the feeding roller 25 through a drive transmission mechanism 27. The drive transmission mechanism 27 transmits the rotation transmitted to the rotation shaft 28 to the shaft of the feeding roller 25 by an endless belt. The feeding roller 25 rotates while being in contact with the uppermost recording paper S among the recording papers S supported on the support surface of the feeding tray 20, so that the recording paper S is conveyed along the transport path 65. To be sent to. When the recording sheet S is fed toward the conveyance path 65, the leading end of the recording sheet S comes into contact with a separation member 197 provided on the rear side of the feeding tray 20 in the front-rear direction 8. As a result, only the uppermost recording sheet S is separated from the lower recording sheet S and conveyed. The recording sheet S below the uppermost recording sheet S is held while being accommodated in the feeding tray 20 without being dragged by the uppermost recording sheet S.

[Conveyance path 65]
As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance path 65 provided in the internal space of the housing 14 extends in a curved manner so as to make a U-turn upward from the rear side of the feed tray 20, and further on the rear side of the printer unit 11. After being bent from the front side to the front side, it extends almost straight toward the front side and reaches the discharge tray 21. The conveyance path 65 is roughly divided into a curved path 65A that makes a U-turn and a straight path 65B that is straight.

  The curved path 65A is defined by the outer guide member 18, the inner guide member 19, the guide member 31, and the like facing each other with a space through which the recording paper S can pass. The straight path 65B is defined by the recording unit 24 and the platen 42 facing each other with a space through which the recording paper S can pass, the guide member 34, the guide member 33, and the like.

  The recording sheet S fed along the transport path 65 by the feed roller 25 of the feed tray 20 is reversed in the transport direction 17 from below to above along the curved path 65A, and along the straight path 65B. The conveying direction 17 is conveyed from the rear to the front without being reversed.

  The outer guide member 18 is a member constituting an outer guide surface when the recording paper S is conveyed along the curved path 65A. The inner guide member 19 is a member constituting an inner guide surface when the recording paper S is conveyed along the curved path 65A. In addition, each guide surface may be comprised by one surface, and may be comprised as a group of the front end surface of a some rib.

  The guide member 31 is disposed above the inner guide member 19 immediately upstream (rear side) of the first conveyance roller pair 59. The outer guide member 18 and the guide member 31 are members that define a bypass path 182 to be described later.

[Rear cover 22]
As shown in FIG. 2, the rear cover 22 is a member that supports the outer guide member 18 and constitutes a part of the rear surface of the housing 14. The rear cover 22 is pivotally supported with respect to the housing 14 at both lower left and right ends. By rotating the rear cover 22 around the rotation axis along the lower left-right direction 9 so that the upper side is inclined backward, a part of the conveyance path 65 and a part of a bypass path 182 to be described later. Is opened (exposed) to the outside of the housing 14.

  Similarly to the rear cover 22, the outer guide member 18 is also pivotally supported with respect to the housing 14 at both lower left and right ends. In a state where the rear cover 22 is pivoted so as to fall backward, the outer guide member 18 can also pivot around the pivot axis along the lower left-right direction 9 so that the upper side falls backward. It is. By rotating the outer guide member 18 so as to fall backward, at least a part of the curved path 65A is opened (exposed). As shown in FIG. 2, when the rear cover 22 is closed so as to be in an upright state, the outer guide member 18 is supported by the rear cover 22 from the rear and maintained in the upright state, and faces the inner guide member 19. To define a part of the curved path 65A.

[First conveyance roller pair 59 and second conveyance roller pair 180]
As shown in FIG. 2, a first transport roller pair 59 is provided on the upstream side of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction 17 of the recording paper S along the transport path 65. The first transport roller pair 59 includes a first transport roller 60 and a pinch roller 61. Similarly, a second conveyance roller pair 180 is provided on the downstream side of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 17. The second transport roller pair 180 includes a second transport roller 62 and a spur roller 63. The first transport roller 60 and the second transport roller 62 are rotated by the rotation of a motor (not shown). The first conveyance roller pair 59 and the second conveyance roller pair 180 are rotated by the first conveyance roller 60 and the second conveyance roller 62 in a state where the recording paper S is sandwiched between the respective rollers constituting the first conveyance roller pair 59 and the second conveyance roller pair 180. The recording paper S is transported in the transport direction 17 along the transport path 65.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is provided between the first conveyance roller pair 59 and the second conveyance roller pair 180. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40 and a recording head 39. The carriage 40 is supported by guide rails 43 and 44 provided on the rear side and the front side of the platen 42 so as to reciprocate in the left-right direction 9. The guide rail 44 is provided with a known belt mechanism. The carriage 40 is connected to an endless belt of a belt mechanism, and reciprocates in the left-right direction 9 along the guide rails 43 and 44 by the rotation of the endless belt. When the carriage 40 and the recording head 39 are opposed to the platen 42 with a space therebetween, the carriage 40, the recording head 39, and the platen 42 define a part of the straight path 65B.

  The recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 40. A plurality of nozzles 38 are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 39. Ink is supplied to the recording head 39 from an ink cartridge (not shown). The recording head 39 selectively ejects ink from a plurality of nozzles 38 as fine ink droplets. When the carriage 40 moves in the left-right direction 9, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles 38 to the recording paper S supported by the platen 42. The ejected ink droplets adhere to the recording paper S on the platen 42, whereby an image is recorded on the recording paper S.

[Bypass path 182]
As shown in FIG. 2, an opening 184 is provided above the rear cover 22 on the rear surface of the housing 14. A bypass path 182 extending from the opening 184 to the first transport roller pair 59 is formed inside the housing 14. The bypass path 182 is a path that extends obliquely downward from the rear in the front-rear direction 8 to the front in the housing 14. The bypass path 182 is defined by the guide member 31, the outer guide member 18, the rear cover 22, and the like. The guide member 31 is a member that constitutes an upper guide surface when the recording paper S is conveyed along the bypass path 182. The outer guide member 18 and the rear cover 22 are members that constitute a lower guide surface when the recording sheet S is conveyed along the bypass path 182. Both the curved path 65 </ b> A and the straight path 65 </ b> B of the transport path 65 are disposed below the bypass path 182. By rotating the outer guide member 18 and the rear cover 22 so that the upper side is inclined backward, a part of the bypass path 182 is opened (exposed) to the outside of the housing 14 together with a part of the transport path 65. The

  A recording sheet S accommodated in a bypass tray 71 described later is guided obliquely downward along a bypass path 182. The recording sheet S is guided along the straight path 65 B of the transport path 65 and is transported by the first transport roller pair 59. The recording sheet S is further subjected to image recording by the recording unit 24 and discharged to the discharge tray 21. As described above, the recording sheet S accommodated in the bypass tray 71 is conveyed along a substantially linear path (a path where the front surface and the back surface of the recording sheet S are not reversed in the vertical direction 7).

[Feeding device 70]
The printer unit 11 includes a feeding device 70. The feeding device 70 includes a bypass tray 71 and a feeding unit 72. As shown in FIG. 3, the feeding unit 72 includes a feeding roller 75 (an example of the feeding roller of the present invention), a feeding arm 76 (an example of the arm of the present invention), and a feeding motor 78 ( An example of a drive source of the present invention, a drive transmission mechanism 79 (an example of a drive transmission unit of the present invention), and a rotating member 30 are provided.

[Bypass tray 71]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the bypass tray 71 is provided on the rear surface side of the multifunction machine 10. The bypass tray 71 accommodates the recording paper S independently of the feeding tray 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, on the rear surface side of the housing 16 of the scanner unit 12, a fixing unit 185 (an example of the side wall of the present invention) extending downward so as to cover the opening 184 (see FIG. 2). Is provided. The fixing portion 185 constitutes a part of the bypass tray 71 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction 17. As shown in FIG. 4, a movable part 186 is provided above the fixed part 185 so as to be rotatable in the directions of arrows 80 and 82 with respect to the fixed part 185. A bypass tray 71 is constituted by the fixed portion 185 and the movable portion 186.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a slit-shaped opening 187 extending along the left-right direction 9 is formed on the upper surface of the fixed portion 185. In the bypass tray 71, a passage extending from the opening 187 to the bypass path 182 (see FIG. 2) is formed. As shown in FIG. 4, the fixing portion 185 is provided with a support member 189 having a support surface 188. The support surface 188 extends obliquely downward to the bypass path 182 (see FIG. 2). The lower end of the support member 189 forms part of a guide surface that guides the recording paper S conveyed along the bypass path 182.

  On the upper end side of the support member 189 and above the support surface 188, as shown in FIG. 4, a reinforcing member 183 for rotatably supporting the rotation shaft 66 (see FIG. 7) of the feeding arm 76 is provided. It has been. The rotating shaft 66 constitutes a part of the drive transmission mechanism 79, and rotates when a rotational driving force is transmitted from a feeding motor 78 (see FIG. 3). The drive transmission mechanism 79 will be described in detail later.

  A feeding arm 76 is rotatably supported on the rotation shaft 66. That is, the feeding arm 76 is rotatable around the rotation shaft 66. A feed roller 75 is rotatably supported on the rotation tip side of the feed arm 76. The feeding arm 76 extends downward from the rotating shaft 66 toward the support surface 188 of the support member 189. The feeding arm 76 is disposed in the center of the fixing portion 185 in the left-right direction 9. The configuration of the feeding arm 76 will be described in detail later.

  The feeding roller 75 is connected to the rotating shaft 66 by a plurality of gears 48C, 48D, 48E, 49 (see FIG. 7). The rotation of the rotation shaft 66 is transmitted to the feeding roller 75 by the plurality of gears 48C, 48D, 48E, 49, and the feeding roller 75 rotates. The feeding roller 75 rotates while being in contact with the uppermost recording sheet S among the recording sheets S supported by the support surface 188 of the bypass tray 71, so that the uppermost recording sheet S is rotated. The paper is fed in the feeding direction 87 (see FIGS. 3 and 7) along the bypass path 182 (see FIG. 2). The recording sheet S below the uppermost recording sheet S is held by the bypass tray 71 without being dragged by the uppermost recording sheet S by being pulled by a separating member 132 of a lower guide member 97 described later. Is done. As described above, the feeding unit 72 including the feeding roller 75, the rotation shaft 66, the feeding arm 76, and the like is disposed in the space outside the housing 14 and above the support surface 188. . The configuration of the feeding roller 75 will be described in detail later.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the movable portion 186 is provided on the upper side of the fixed portion 185 so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixed portion 185. The movable portion 186 is rotatable between a standing state standing along the vertical direction 7 as shown in FIG. 1 and a lying state inclined with respect to the vertical direction 7 as shown in FIG. . The position of the movable part 186 in the standing state corresponds to the third position. The position of the movable part 186 in the lying state corresponds to the fourth position.

  The standing state is a state for reducing the space for the movable portion 186 on the rear surface side of the housing 14 and is a state in which the bypass tray 71 is not used. The rear surface of the movable portion 186 in the standing state is substantially parallel to the rear surface of the housing 14. As for the movable part 186 in the standing state, the rotation front end is located above the rotation base end. The lying down state is a state in which the inclined support surfaces 188 and 193 are made substantially one plane by inclining the movable portion 186 obliquely upward toward the outside of the housing 14, and the use of the bypass tray 71. It is possible. The movable part 186 in the lying state has a rotating front end that is farther from the rear surface of the housing 14 than the rotating base end. The user can select whether the movable part 186 is in the standing state or the lying state by arbitrarily operating the user.

  As shown in FIG. 4, side walls 190 and 191 are provided on both sides of the movable portion 186 in the left-right direction 9. The side walls 190 and 191 cover part of both sides of the fixing portion 185 in the left-right direction 9. The drive transmission mechanism 79 provided on the right side of the fixed portion 185 in the left-right direction 9 is covered with the side wall 190 of the movable portion 186.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a support member 192 is provided across the side walls 190 and 191 of the movable portion 186. In the lying state, the support surface 193 provided on the upper surface of the support member 192 is substantially flush with the support surface 188. That is, in the bypass tray 71 in which the movable portion 186 is in a lying state, the flat surface 45 formed by the support surface 188 of the support member 189 and the support surface 193 of the support member 192 supports the recording paper S. That is, the support members 189 and 192 are examples of the support portion of the present invention and the manual feed tray of the present invention. Further, when the movable portion 186 is in the standing state, the support surface 193 is orthogonal to the placement surface of the multifunction machine 10, that is, is in a state along the vertical direction 7 and the horizontal direction 9. In the present embodiment, the placement surface on which the multifunction machine 10 is placed is a surface that extends along the left-right direction 9 and the front-rear direction 8. Here, “substantially one plane (same plane)” is a plane on which the recording sheet S supported is not bent or curved even if there is a slight difference between the two planes. That is, it refers to a plane that supports the recording paper S so that stable separation performance is exhibited by the separation member 132 described later.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the support member 192 is provided with a pair of side guides 194. The pair of side guides 194 are spaced apart in the left-right direction 9 and protrude upward from the support surface 193. The side guide 194 has a guide surface 195 that extends along the feeding direction 87 of the bypass tray 71. When the recording paper S on the support surface 193 is conveyed, the edge of the recording paper S along the feeding direction 87 is guided by the guide surface 195.

  The side guide 194 has a support surface 196 along the support surface 193 of the support member 192. That is, the side guide 194 has a substantially L shape in which the guide surface 195 and the support surface 196 are orthogonal to each other. Although the support surface 196 is slightly stepped from the support surface 193, the support surface 196 is substantially the same plane, and supports the recording sheet S together with the support surfaces 188 and 193. The distance at which the pair of side guides 194 are separated along the left-right direction 9 is variable. Thereby, the edge of the recording paper S of various sizes supported by the support surfaces 193 and 196 can be guided by the guide surface 195 of the side guide 194.

[Feeding roller 75 and feeding arm 76]
As shown in FIG. 7, the feeding roller 75 is disposed to face the support surface 188 of the fixed portion 185.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 extends in the left-right direction 9. Two feeding rollers 75 are provided at an interval in the left-right direction 9. That is, the feeding device 70 includes a pair of feeding rollers 75. The pair of feed rollers 75 are arranged at an interval from each other in the axial direction of the rotation shaft 83 that is a common rotation shaft, that is, in the left-right direction 9.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the feeding arm 76 has a pair of side plates 111 extending from one end to the upstream side in the feeding direction 87 (see FIGS. 3 and 7) and extending away from the plane 45. And a connection plate 112 that connects the pair of side plates 111.

  The right feeding roller 75 of the pair of feeding rollers 75 is rotatably supported at one end of the right side plate 111. The left feeding roller 75 of the pair of feeding rollers 75 is rotatably supported at one end of the left side plate 111.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the upstream end of the pair of side plates 111 in the feeding direction 87, that is, the other end of the feeding arm 76 rotates around the rotation shaft 66 provided in the second drive transmission unit 36. It is supported movably. As a result, the feeding arm 76 can rotate around the rotation shaft 66. In other words, the feeding arm 76 can rotate about the other end as a rotation axis. As a result, the feeding roller 75 can be brought into contact with and separated from the flat surface 45 or the recording paper S supported by the flat surface 45.

  The feeding arm 76 and the rotation shaft 66 are connected by a torsion spring (not shown). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the feeding arm 76 is biased by the torsion spring in the direction of the arrow 67, that is, toward the flat surface 45 side of the bypass tray 71. The configuration for urging the feeding arm 76 in the direction of the arrow 67 is not limited to the configuration including the torsion spring. For example, a coil spring having one end connected to the feeding arm 76 and the other end connected to the frame of the printer unit 11 may be disposed on the front side of the feeding arm 76. Even in this configuration, the feeding arm 76 is biased in the direction of the arrow 67 by the coil spring.

[Lower guide member 97]
As shown in FIG. 7, the lower guide member 97 is provided on the downstream side in the feeding direction 87 with respect to the support member 189 of the bypass tray 71. The upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97 is inclined with respect to the support surface 188 (plane 45). The upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97 is positioned at a height substantially equal to the opening 184 (see FIG. 2) in the vertical direction 7.

  When feeding of the recording sheet S in the feeding direction 87 is started by the feeding roller 75, the lower guide member 97 guides the leading end of the recording sheet S in contact along the upper surface 69. A separation member 132 (see FIGS. 7 and 8) having a plurality of teeth protruding upward from the upper surface 69 and arranged along the front-rear direction 8 at the center portion of the upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97 in the left-right direction 9. Is provided. With these teeth, the leading ends of a plurality of recording sheets S supported by the bypass tray 71 are scratched. Even when the leading ends of the plurality of recording sheets S are guided along the upper surface 69 by the feeding roller 75, the separating member 132 contacts the feeding roller 75 among the plurality of recording sheets S. The uppermost recording sheet S is separated from the other recording sheets S. As a result, the feeding roller 75 feeds only the uppermost recording sheet S toward the bypass path 182.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a pair of recesses 86 extending along the front-rear direction 8 are provided on the upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97. The concave portions 86 are respectively provided on the right side and the left side of the separation member 132 in the left-right direction 9. In other words, the separation member 132 is disposed substantially at the center in the left-right direction 9 of the pair of recesses 86. A moving member 64 described later is disposed in the recess 86. As shown in FIG. 12, the recess 86 is defined by the bottom surface 84, the first side surface 122, and the second side surface 123.

[Drive transmission mechanism 79]
The printer unit 11 is provided with a feeding motor 78 (see FIG. 3) that rotates forward and backward. Further, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, a drive transmission mechanism 79 in which a plurality of gears are engaged is provided in the printer unit 11. However, in FIG. 3, the configuration after the rotation shaft 50 in the third drive transmission unit 37 is omitted. In FIG. 8, the configuration after the gear 47 </ b> A in the first drive transmission unit 35 is omitted. The rotational driving force generated by the forward and reverse rotations of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted to the feeding roller 75 and the moving member 64 via the drive transmission mechanism 79.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the drive transmission mechanism 79 includes a first drive transmission unit 35, a second drive transmission unit 36, a third drive transmission unit 37, and an intermediate gear 46.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the first drive transmission portion 35 is disposed on the right side in the left-right direction 9 with respect to the bypass tray 71 (see FIG. 5) and the lower guide member 97. As shown in FIG. 3, the first drive transmission unit 35 includes five gears 47A, 47B, 47C, 47D, and 47E. The four gears 47A, 47B, 47C, and 47D constitute a gear train that meshes with each other. A gear 47 </ b> A disposed at one end of the gear train meshes with a drive gear 53 attached to the rotating shaft 52 of the feeding motor 78.

  The gears 47D and 47E are disposed at the other end of the gear train. The gears 47D and 47E are arranged side by side in the thrust direction and rotate integrally around the same rotation axis. The gear 47D meshes with the gear 47C. The gear 47E meshes with the intermediate gear 46. As described above, the first drive transmission unit 35 transmits the rotational driving force from the feeding motor 78 to the intermediate gear 46.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the second drive transmission unit 36 includes five gears 48 </ b> A to 48 </ b> E, a roller gear 49, and a rotation shaft 66. The gears 48A and 48B mesh with each other. The rotation shaft 66 extends along the left-right direction 9 from the right side of the bypass tray 71 and the lower guide member 97 to the substantially central portion of the bypass tray 71 and the lower guide member 97 in the left-right direction 9. Yes. The gear 48A meshes with the intermediate gear 46. The gear 48 </ b> B is connected to the right end portion of the rotation shaft 66, can rotate integrally with the rotation shaft 66, and can rotate independently of the rotation shaft 66. The connection between the gear 48B and the rotation shaft 66 will be described later.

  The gears 48C to 48E constitute a gear train meshed with each other. The gear 48 </ b> C disposed at one end of the gear train is attached to the left end portion of the rotation shaft 66 and rotates integrally with the rotation shaft 66. A gear 48E disposed at the other end of the gear train meshes with the roller gear 49. The gears 48D and 48E are rotatably supported by the feeding arm 76. That is, the second drive transmission unit 36 includes a gear train supported by the feeding arm 76 and meshed with each other. The roller gear 49 is attached to the rotating shaft 83 of the feeding roller 75 between the pair of feeding rollers 75, and can rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 83 around the rotating shaft 83.

  As described above, the second drive transmission unit 36 transmits the rotational driving force from the intermediate gear 46 to the feeding roller 75. The feed roller 75, to which the forward rotational driving force is transmitted from the feed motor 78 via the second drive transmission unit 36, feeds the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 in the feed direction 87. Rotate to feed.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the roller gear 49 includes a recess 54 that extends along the left-right direction 9 that is the axial direction of the roller gear 49. The recess 54 is defined by the inner surface 55 and the bottom surface 110 of the roller gear 49. A compression coil spring 114 to be described later is disposed in the recess 54. An opening 56 is formed on the surface of the roller gear 49 that faces the bottom surface 110. Further, an opening 57 having a smaller diameter than the opening 56 is formed on the bottom surface 110 of the roller gear 49. The rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 passes through the roller gear 49 through the openings 56 and 57.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a key 73 protruding in the radial direction of the rotation shaft 66 is provided at the right end portion of the rotation shaft 66. Further, a through hole through which the rotation shaft 66 can be inserted is provided at the center of the gear 48B. A substantially fan-shaped key groove 74 that can be fitted to the key 73 is provided at a position corresponding to the key 73 in the through hole. In the circumferential direction of the gear 48B, the arc length of the key groove 74 is designed to be longer than the circumferential length of the key 73. Accordingly, if the key groove 74 is not in contact with the key 73 when the gear 48B is rotated, the gear 48B rotates idly with respect to the rotation shaft 66. Therefore, the rotation shaft 66 is not rotated until the key groove 74 is in contact with the key 73. Does not rotate. In other words, if the key 73 is not in contact with the key groove 74 when the rotation shaft 66 is rotated, the rotation shaft 66 is idle with respect to the gear 48B. Does not rotate. On the other hand, if the key groove 74 is in contact with the key 73 and the key groove 74 is pressing the key 73 when the gear 48B rotates, the rotation shaft 66 rotates integrally with the gear 48B. In other words, if the key 73 is in contact with the key groove 74 when the rotation shaft 66 is rotated and the key 73 presses the key groove 74, the gear 48B rotates integrally with the rotation shaft 66. As described above, the second drive transmission portion 36 has a so-called play in the circumferential direction of the gear 48 </ b> B in the key 73 and the key groove 74.

  Contrary to the above, a key groove 74 may be provided on the rotation shaft 66, and a key 73 may be provided on the gear 48B. Further, the key 73 and the key groove 74 may be provided at a location other than the rotation shaft 66 and the gear 48B in the drive transmission mechanism 79. For example, the key 73 may be provided on the shaft 85 of the gear 48D, the key groove 74 may be provided on the gear 48D, the key 73 may be provided on the shaft 41 of the gear 47C, and the key groove 74 may be provided on the gear 47C. It may be. In these cases, the key groove 74 may be provided on each shaft, and the key 73 may be provided on each gear.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the third drive transmission unit 37 includes two gears 77 </ b> A and 77 </ b> B, a protrusion 51, and a rotation shaft 50 of the protrusion 51. The rotation shaft 50 extends along the left-right direction 9 from the right side of the bypass tray 71 and the lower guide member 97 to the substantially central portion of the bypass tray 71 and the lower guide member 97 in the left-right direction 9. Yes.

  The gears 77A and 77B constitute a gear train meshed with each other. A gear 77A disposed at one end of the gear train meshes with the intermediate gear 46. A gear 77B arranged at the other end of the gear train is connected to the right end portion of the rotating shaft 50 via a torque limiter 127 described later. Thereby, the gear 77B can rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 50 and can rotate independently of the rotating shaft 50. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 12, the protrusion 51 protrudes toward the moving member 64. As will be described later, the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 moves by being pushed by the protrusion 51. As described above, the third drive transmission unit 37 transmits the rotational driving force from the intermediate gear 46 to the moving member 64.

  The number of gears of the drive transmission mechanism 79 is not limited to the number shown in FIGS. Further, at least a part of the drive transmission mechanism 79 may be configured by other than a gear. For example, an endless belt may be stretched between two shafts, and the rotation of one shaft may be transmitted to the other shaft.

[Rotating member 30]
As shown in FIG. 7, the rotating member 30 rotates the feeding arm 76 in the directions of arrows 67 and 68 by rotating in the directions of arrows 105 and 106, and as a result, the feeding roller 75 is moved. This is a member for making contact with and separating from the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording paper S supported by the flat surface 45. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the rotating member 30 is provided at one end of the feeding arm 76. As shown in FIG. 10, the rotating member 30 includes a rotating body 91, a roller 92, and a clamping member 93.

  The rotating body 91 includes a pair of side plates 94, a connection plate 95 that connects a part of the pair of side plates 94, and a protruding portion 96 that protrudes from the connection plate 95. The material of the rotating body 91 is a resin such as POM (polyacetal or polyoxymethylene).

  As shown in FIG. 9, the right side plate 94 is disposed between the right side plate 111 of the feeding arm 76 and the roller gear 49. The left side plate 94 is disposed between the left side plate 111 of the feeding arm 76 and the roller gear 49. Here, feeding rollers 75 are arranged on the right side of the right side plate 111 and on the left side of the left side plate 111, respectively. That is, the left side plate 94 in the left-right direction is disposed between the roller gear 94 and the left feeding roller 75, and the right side plate 94 in the left-right direction 9 is disposed between the roller gear 94 and the right feeding roller 75. Has been placed. Further, the left side plate 111 in the left-right direction 9 is disposed between the left side plate 94 and the left feeding roller 75, and the right side plate 111 in the left-right direction 9 is composed of the right side plate 94 and the right feeding roller. 75.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, an opening 100 is provided at the center of each of the pair of side plates 94. A rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 is inserted through each opening 100. With this configuration, the rotating body 91 including the pair of side plates 94, the connection plate 95, and the protruding portion 96 can be rotated about the rotation shaft 83 of the feeding roller 75.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the protruding portion 96 protrudes from the connection plate 95 in a direction away from the outer peripheral surface of the roller gear 49. In other words, the protruding portion 96 protrudes from the connection plate 95 toward the radially outer side of the roller gear 49.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the roller 92 is provided at the protruding portion 96, that is, the rotating tip of the rotating member 30. The roller 92 is rotatably supported by the protrusion 96 with the rotation shaft 92A (see FIG. 10B) as the center of rotation. The rotation shaft 92 </ b> A extends in the same direction (left-right direction 9) as the rotation shaft 83 of the feeding roller 75. In a state where the roller 92 is supported by the protruding portion 96, a part of the peripheral surface of the roller 92 protrudes outward in the radial direction of the roller gear 49 from the protruding portion 96.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the roller 92 is disposed at an intermediate position equidistant from each of the pair of feed rollers 75 in the left-right direction 9. In other words, the distance L1 between the roller 92 and the right feeding roller 75 in the left-right direction 9 is equal to the distance L2 between the roller 92 and the left feeding roller 75 in the left-right direction 9.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the clamping member 93 includes a pair of side plates 101 and a connection plate 102 that connects the pair of side plates 101 to each other. The material of the clamping member 93 is a metal such as SECC (electrogalvanized steel sheet).

  As shown in FIG. 9, the right side plate 101 is disposed between the right side plate 94 of the rotating body 91 and the right side plate 111 of the feeding arm 76. Although not visible because it is in a hidden position in FIG. 9, the left side plate 101 is disposed between the left side plate 94 of the rotating body 91 and the left side plate 111 of the feeding arm 76. That is, the pair of side plates 101 of the clamping member 93 is disposed outside the pair of side plates 94 of the rotating body 91 in the left-right direction 9. That is, the holding member 93 holds the pair of side plates 94 of the rotating body 91.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, an opening 103A is provided at the center of the left side plate 101, and an opening 103B is provided at the center of the right side plate 101. The rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 is inserted through the openings 103A and 103B, respectively. Here, the opening 103A of the left side plate 101 has a circular shape, but the radius of a part of the opening 103B of the right side plate 101 is larger than the radius other than the part. That is, the opening 103B has a shape in which a part of each of two circular openings having radii of different lengths is combined with the same center. Then, the rib 104 provided on the right side plate 94 of the rotating body 91 is fitted into the opening portion having a large radius in the opening 103B (see FIG. 10A). With this configuration, the pair of side plates 101 can rotate integrally with the rotating body 91 around the rotation shaft 83 of the feeding roller 75. Therefore, the rotating body 91 and the clamping member 93 rotate integrally around the rotation shaft 83 of the feeding roller 75. That is, the rotation member 30 rotates about the rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75.

  A rotating body 91 of the rotating member 30 is connected to a roller gear 49 via a torque limiter 32 described later. Here, as described above, the rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 passes through the roller gear 49, and the roller gear 49 and the feed roller 75 can rotate integrally around the rotation shaft 83 as a center of rotation. . That is, the rotating member 30 is connected to the feeding roller 75 via the torque limiter 32 and the roller gear 49. The rotating member 30 is given a rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 from the roller gear 49 of the second drive transmission unit 36 via the torque limiter 32. Thereby, the rotation member 30 rotates in the directions of arrows 105 and 106 (see FIG. 7).

  As shown in FIG. 10B, projections 109 projecting radially outward of the feeding roller 75 are provided on the peripheral surfaces of the pair of side plates 94 of the rotating body 91. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 14, a pair of side plates 111 of the feeding arm 76 is provided with a first restricting portion 107 and a second restricting portion 108. The first restricting portion 107 and the second restricting portion 108 restrict the rotation of the rotating body 91 by contacting the protrusion 109. In the present embodiment, the first restricting portion 107 and the second restricting portion 108 are ribs that protrude from one of the pair of side plates 111 toward the other. In addition, the 1st control part 107 and the 2nd control part 108 will not be restricted to a rib, if the rotation of the rotary body 91 can be controlled by contact | abutting to the rotary body 91. FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 14A, the protrusion 109 is brought into contact with the first restricting portion 107 from the upstream side in the direction of the arrow 106. In a state where the protrusion 109 and the first restricting portion 107 are in contact with each other, the protruding portion 96 and the roller 92 of the rotating member 30 protrude from the feeding roller 75 toward the flat surface 45 side of the bypass tray 71. The position of the rotating member 30 in the state shown in FIG. 14A is hereinafter referred to as a first position. That is, the 1st control part 107 controls rotation of the rotation member 30 in a 1st position.

  As described above, the feeding arm 76 is urged toward the flat surface 45 side of the bypass tray 71 by the torsion spring. Therefore, when the rotating member 30 is in the first position, the roller 92 is in contact with the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording paper S supported by the flat surface 45. On the other hand, the feeding roller 75 is separated from the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording paper S supported by the flat surface 45 by being lifted by the rotating member 30.

  As shown in FIG. 14B, the protrusion 109 is brought into contact with the second restricting portion 108 from the upstream side in the direction of the arrow 105. In a state where the projection 109 and the second restricting portion 108 are in contact with each other, the protruding portion 96 and the roller 92 of the rotating member 30 are retracted from the feeding roller 75 with respect to the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. The position of the rotating member 30 in the state shown in FIG. 14B is hereinafter referred to as a second position. That is, the second restricting unit 108 restricts the rotation of the rotating member 30 at the second position.

  When the rotating member 30 is in the second position, the roller 92 is separated from the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. On the other hand, since the feeding arm 75 is urged toward the flat surface 45 side of the bypass tray 71 by the torsion spring, the feeding roller 75 has the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording paper supported by the flat surface 45. S is in contact.

  As described above, the rotation member 30 is rotatable only in a range between the first position and the second position by being restricted by the first restriction portion 107 and the second restriction portion 108.

[Torque limiter 32]
The torque limiter 32 transmits a rotational driving force from the second drive transmission unit 36 to the rotational member 30. Further, the torque limiter 32 has a rotational driving force applied from the second drive transmission unit 36 to the rotating member 30 when the rotation of the rotating member 30 is restricted by the first restricting portion 107 or the second restricting portion 108. The transmission is cut off.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, the torque limiter 32 includes a friction member 113 and a compression coil spring 114.

  The friction member 113 is a cylindrical member having a small thickness. The shape of the friction member 113 is arbitrary. The friction member 113 is disposed between the roller gear 49 and the right side plate 94 of the rotating body 91. That is, the torque limiter 32 including the friction member 113 is provided between the second drive transmission unit 36 including the roller gear 49 and the rotating member 30. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, one surface of the friction member 113 is in contact with the bottom surface 110 of the roller gear 49. The back surface of one surface of the friction member 113 is in contact with the right side plate 94. The friction member 113 is made of a material having a higher friction coefficient than the roller gear 49 and the side plate 94, for example, a felt cloth. As described above, the friction member 113 transmits the rotational driving force from the roller gear 49 to the side plate 94, that is, from the second drive transmission unit 36 to the rotating member 30.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, an opening 115 is provided at the center of the friction member 113. A rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 is inserted through the opening 115.

  The friction member 113 may be disposed between the roller gear 49 and the left side plate 94. Two friction members 113 are provided, one friction member 113 is disposed between the roller gear 49 and the right side plate 94, and the other friction member 113 is disposed between the roller gear 49 and the left side plate 94. It may be arranged.

  The compression coil spring 114 is disposed in the recess 54 of the roller gear 49. One end of the compression coil spring 114 is in contact with the bottom surface 110 of the roller gear 49 (the inner surface in the recess 54). The other end of the compression coil spring 114 is in contact with the left side plate 94 of the rotating body 91. The rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 is inserted through the central portion of the compression coil spring 114.

  The arrangement of the roller gear 49 may be reversed left and right. In this case, the bottom surface 110 is located on the left side of the roller gear 49. Therefore, one end of the compression coil spring 114 abuts on the right side plate 94 of the rotating body 91 and the other end of the compression coil spring 114 abuts on the bottom surface 110 (the inner surface in the recess 54). As described above, the compression coil spring 114 is disposed between the one side plate 94 and the roller gear 49.

  The compression coil spring 114 disposed in the recess 54 of the roller gear 49 applies a force to the right and left in the left-right direction 9 in an attempt to return to the natural length. The bottom surface 110 of the roller gear 49 is pressed against the friction member 113 by the force applied to the right. That is, the compression coil spring 114 biases the roller gear 49 toward the friction member 113.

  In the state shown in FIGS. 13 (A) and 14 (A), forward rotation driving force is applied from the feeding motor 78 via the first drive transmission unit 35 and the second drive transmission unit 36. Thus, when the feeding roller 75 rotates in the direction of the arrow 125 (see FIG. 7), the rotational driving force is transmitted to the rotating member 30 via the torque limiter 32. Thereby, the rotating member 30 is moved from the first position (the position of the rotating member 30 in the state shown in FIGS. 13A and 14A) to the second position (FIG. 13C and FIG. It rotates in the direction of the arrow 105 toward the position of the rotating member 30 in the state shown in FIG. That is, the rotating member 30 rotates integrally with the rotating feeding roller 75.

  When the protrusion 109 of the rotating member 30 comes into contact with the second restricting portion 108, that is, when the rotating member 30 reaches the second position (see FIGS. 13C and 14B), the rotating member 30. Is stopped. Thereby, only the feed roller 75 among the feed roller 75 and the rotating member 30 continues to rotate in the direction of the arrow 125 against the frictional force by the friction member 113. That is, transmission of the rotational driving force to the rotational member 30 is cut by the torque limiter 32.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 13C and 14B, a reverse rotational driving force is applied from the feeding motor 78 through the first drive transmission unit 35 and the second drive transmission unit 36. Thus, when the feeding roller 75 rotates in the direction of the arrow 126 (see FIG. 7), the rotational driving force is transmitted to the rotating member 30 via the friction member 113 of the torque limiter 32. Thereby, the rotation member 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow 106 from the second position toward the first position. That is, the rotating member 30 rotates integrally with the rotating feeding roller 75.

  When the protrusion 109 of the rotating member 30 comes into contact with the first restricting portion 107, that is, when the rotating member 30 reaches the first position (see FIGS. 13A and 14A), the rotating member 30. Is stopped. As a result, only the feed roller 75 of the feed roller 75 and the rotation member 30 continues to rotate in the direction of the arrow 126 against the frictional force of the friction member 113. That is, transmission of the rotational driving force to the rotational member 30 is cut by the torque limiter 32.

[Moving member 64]
As shown in FIG. 8, the moving member 64 is disposed in a recess 86 provided on the upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97. That is, the moving member 64 is provided on the lower guide member 97.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the moving member 64 includes a slide member 116 and a contact member 117. The slide member 116 is supported on the bottom surface 84 of the recess 86. The contact member 117 is supported by the slide member 116 and can contact the leading end of the recording sheet S supported by the bypass tray 71.

  The slide member 116 is movable in the front-rear direction 8 along the bottom surface 84 of the recess 86. A first recess 118 and a second recess 119 are provided on the surface 120 of the slide member 116, that is, the surface 120 opposite to the surface of the slide member 116 that contacts the bottom surface 84 of the recess 86. The protrusion 51 of the third drive transmission unit 37 is inserted into the first recess 118. A protrusion 58 of a contact member 117 described later can be inserted into the second recess 119.

  The contact member 117 is in contact with the surface 120 of the slide member 116. The contact member 117 includes a protrusion 58 protruding toward the slide member 116 side. The abutting member 117 is projected from the upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97 in conjunction with the movement of the slide member 116 (the position of the abutting member 117 in the state shown in FIG. 12B). , And can be moved from the upper surface 69 to the retracted position (the position of the contact member 117 in the state shown in FIG. 12A).

  This will be described in detail below. As shown in FIG. 12A, in the state where the slide member 116 is in contact with the first side surface 122 of the recess 86 of the lower guide member 97, the protrusion 58 of the contact member 117 is the first of the slide member 116. 2 is inserted into the recess 119. In this state, the contact member 117 is retracted from the upper surface 69 into the recess 86 and is in the retracted position.

  In this state, when the gear 77B of the third drive transmission portion 37 rotates in the direction of the arrow 124, the slide member 116 is pushed by the protrusion 51 rotated integrally with the rotating gear 77B, and the second side surface of the recess 86 Move towards 123. Thereby, the protrusion 58 inserted into the second recess 119 escapes from the second recess 119 and is supported by the surface 120 as shown in FIG. That is, the surface 120 of the slide member 116 constitutes a cam surface. As a result, the surface 121 of the contact member 117 protrudes from the upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97. That is, the contact member 117 is in the protruding position.

  Note that the slide member 116 can move until it abuts against the second side surface 123. In other words, the second side surface 123 abuts against the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 and restricts the movement of the slide member 116, thereby restricting the movement of the abutting member 117 of the moving member 64 at the protruding position.

  As shown in FIG. 12B, when the slide member 116 is in contact with the second side surface 123 and the contact member 117 is in the protruding position, when the gear 77B rotates in the direction opposite to the arrow 124, the slide member 116 is pushed by the protrusion 51 and moves toward the first side surface 122 of the recess 86. Thereby, the protrusion 58 moves while contacting the surface 120, and is inserted into the second recess 119 as shown in FIG. As a result, the surface 121 of the contact member 117 is retracted from the upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97 into the recess 86. That is, the contact member 117 is in the retracted position.

  The slide member 116 is movable until it contacts the first side surface 122. That is, the first side surface 122 abuts against the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 and restricts the movement of the slide member 116, thereby restricting the movement of the abutting member 117 of the moving member 64 at the retracted position.

  A torque limiter 127 (see FIGS. 6 and 8) is provided between the gear 77B of the third drive transmission unit 37 and the rotation shaft 50. The torque limiter 127 switches the presence or absence of transmission of the rotational driving force in the third drive transmission unit 37.

  The torque limiter 127 includes a flange portion 128 (see FIG. 8), a friction member (not shown), and a compression coil spring 129 (see FIG. 6). The flange portion 128 protrudes from the peripheral surface of the rotation shaft 50. The friction member (not shown) is disposed between the flange portion 128 and the gear 77B. The compression coil spring 129 is disposed on the opposite side of the friction member with respect to the gear 77B, and biases the gear 77B toward the friction member. The gear 77B is pressed against the flange portion 128 via the friction member by being biased by the compression coil spring 129. Note that the configuration of the torque limiter 127 is not limited to the configuration described above, and any configuration of the torque limiter can be employed.

  In the operation of the moving member 64 described above, when the slide member 116 is in a movable state, the torque limiter 127 transmits the rotational driving force from the gear 77B to the flange portion 128 via the friction member. That is, the gear 77 </ b> B and the rotation shaft 50 provided with the flange portion 128 rotate together via the torque limiter 127.

  On the other hand, in the operation of the moving member 64 described above, when the slide member 116 that moves toward the first side surface 122 abuts on the first side surface 122, or the slide member 116 that moves toward the second side surface 123 When contacting the two side surfaces 123, the torque limiter 127 cuts off the transmission of the rotational driving force from the gear 77B to the rotating shaft 50. That is, since the rotation of the rotation shaft 50 is restricted by the contact of the slide member 116 with the first side surface 122 or the second side surface 123, the rotation of the rotation shaft 50 stops and the gear 77 </ b> B moves relative to the rotation shaft 50. Idle. That is, the gear 77B rotates independently of the rotation shaft 50. From the above, when the movement of the moving member 64 is restricted by the first side surface 122 or the second side surface 123, the torque limiter 127 cuts off the transmission of the rotational driving force in the third drive transmission unit 37.

  The position where the torque limiter 127 is provided is not limited to between the gear 77B and the rotation shaft 50. For example, the torque limiter 127 may be provided between the gear 77B and the rotation shaft of the gear 77B.

  When the abutting member 117 is in the protruding position, the recording paper S fed in the feeding direction 87 can abut on the surface 121 (see FIG. 12) of the abutting member 117. As shown in FIG. 12, the surface 121 is a side surface viewed from the right or left by forming grooves extending in the left-right direction 9 (perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2) at regular intervals. It has a saw blade shape. As a result, the leading end of the recording sheet S that is in contact with the surface 121, that is, the downstream end of the recording sheet S in the feeding direction 87 is fitted into the groove. As a result, the movement of the recording paper S is stopped by the surface 121. Note that the surface 121 does not have to have a saw blade shape as long as the recording sheet S that is in contact can be stopped. For example, the surface 121 may be configured to stop the movement of the recording sheet S that has come into contact by attaching a cork or the like having a high friction coefficient.

[Operation of feeding device 70]
Hereinafter, the operation of the feeding device 70 when the feeding motor 78 rotates forward and backward will be described. Note that the initial state is the state shown in FIG. However, in FIG. 13A to FIG. 13C, the recording sheet S is not shown in order to facilitate understanding of the operation of each component of the sheet feeding device 70. In the following description, it is assumed that a plurality of recording sheets S are supported on the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71.

  First, the operation of the feeding device 70 when the feeding motor 78 rotates forward in the initial state shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 13A, the rotating member 30 is in the first position. At this time, as described above, the roller 92 is in contact with the recording paper S supported by the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. On the other hand, the feeding roller 75 is a separated position separated from the recording paper S by being lifted by the rotating member 30. 13A, the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 is in the protruding position, and the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 is in contact with the second side surface 123 (FIG. 12B). reference).

  In this state, when the feeding motor 78 rotates forward, the forward rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is supplied via the first drive transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, and the second drive transmission unit 36. It is transmitted to the feed roller 75. Further, the forward rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is also transmitted to the rotating member 30 via the first drive transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, the second drive transmission unit 36, and the torque limiter 32. . Further, the forward rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is also transmitted to the moving member 64 via the first drive transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, and the third drive transmission unit 37.

  When the forward rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted, the feeding roller 75 rotates in the direction of the arrow 125 (the direction in which the recording paper S is fed in the feeding direction 87, see FIG. 7). The rotating member 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow 105 (the direction from the first position toward the second position).

  When the rotation member 30 is rotated from the first position toward the second position, the roller 92 is separated from the recording paper S. As a result, the feeding arm 76 is biased by the torsion spring and rotates in the direction of the arrow 67. As a result, the feeding roller 75 lifted by the rotating member 30 is supported by the bypass tray 71 from the separated position (position of the feeding roller 75 in the state shown in FIG. 13A). It moves toward the contact position (the position of the feed roller 75 in the state shown in FIG. 13C) that contacts the paper S. As described above, when the forward rotation driving force is applied from the feeding motor 78, the rotating member 30 moves the feeding roller 75 from the separated position to the contact position.

  In the state shown in FIG. 13A, the feeding roller 75 is separated from the recording paper S. In other words, the feeding roller 75 is not in contact with the recording paper S. Therefore, even if the feeding roller 75 rotates in the direction of the arrow 125 (see FIG. 7) in the state shown in FIG. 13A, the feeding roller 75 does not feed the recording sheet S in the feeding direction 87. . The feeding roller 75 starts feeding the recording sheet S in the feeding direction 87 because the roller 92 is separated from the recording sheet S by the rotation of the rotating member 30 toward the second position. This is when the feeding roller 75 rotating in the direction of the arrow 125 reaches the contact position.

  Further, when the forward rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted, the rotation shaft 50 of the third drive transmission portion 37 is opposite to the arrow 124 as shown in FIG. Rotate in the direction. Accordingly, the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 is moved from the second side surface 123 toward the first side surface 122 by being pushed by the protrusion 51. As a result, the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 moves from the protruding position toward the retracted position.

  Here, as described above, the second drive transmission portion 36 has the configuration of the key 73 and the key groove 74, so that the gear 48B has a play in the circumferential direction. This causes a delay in the transmission of the rotational driving force from the gear 48B to the rotating shaft 66. As a result, after the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 starts, the rotation start timing of the feeding roller 75 and the rotation start timing of the rotation member 30 are later than the movement start timing of the moving member 64. Further, the time from when the rotating member 30 starts to rotate until the feeding roller 75 contacts the recording paper S, and the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 starts moving from the protruding position to the retracted position. And the time from reaching the retracted position is different.

  The lengths of the key 73 and the key groove 74 in the circumferential direction of the gear 48 are determined so as to satisfy the following conditions based on the above timing difference and time difference.

  The condition is that the contact member 117 is moved from the protruding position to the retracted position before the feeding roller 75 is moved from the separated position to the contact position. That is, in the state where the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 is in the protruding position and the feeding roller 75 is in the separated position (see FIG. 13A), the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 is started and the first rotation is started. When the driving force is transmitted to the rotation member 30 through the drive transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, and the second drive transmission unit 36, the rotation member 30 moves the feeding roller 75 from the separation position to the contact position. . The time required for this is T1. On the other hand, the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 is started and the driving force is transmitted to the moving member 64 through the first drive transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, and the third drive transmission unit 37. The contact member 117 moves from the protruding position to the retracted position. The time required for this is T2. At this time, T1 is set longer than T2 (T1> T2).

  As described above, the timing at which the feeding roller 75 contacts the recording sheet S is later than the timing at which the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 reaches the retracted position. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 13A, when the feeding motor 78 starts normal rotation, the moving member 64 that starts moving from the protruding position first reaches the retracted position (FIG. 13B). reference). At this time, the feeding roller 75 is not yet in contact with the recording paper S. That is, the feeding roller 75 has not yet reached the contact position. Next, the feeding roller 75 contacts the recording paper S (see FIG. 13C). That is, the feeding roller 75 that starts moving from the separated position by the rotation of the rotating member 30 reaches the contact position.

  The recording sheet S with which the feeding roller 75 comes into contact is fed in the feeding direction 87 by the rotation of the feeding roller 75 in the direction of the arrow 125 (see FIG. 7). Note that the rotating member 30 reaches the second position at the same time when the feed roller 75 reaches the contact position or after the feed roller 75 reaches the contact position. Further, at the same time when the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 reaches the retracted position or after the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 reaches the retracted position, the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 contacts the first side surface 122. (See FIG. 12A).

  Next, the operation of the feeding device 70 when the feeding motor 78 reversely rotates in the state shown in FIG. In the state shown in FIG. 13C, the rotating member 30 is in the second position. At this time, as described above, the roller 92 is separated from the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. On the other hand, the feeding roller 75 is in contact with the recording sheet S supported on the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. That is, the feeding roller 75 is in the contact position. In the state shown in FIG. 13C, the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 is in the retracted position, and the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 is in contact with the first side surface 122 (FIG. 12A). reference).

  In this state, when the feeding motor 78 reverses, the reverse rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is fed through the first drive transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, and the second drive transmission unit 36. 75. The reverse rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is also transmitted to the rotating member 30 via the first drive transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, the second drive transmission unit 36, and the torque limiter 32. Further, the reverse rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is also transmitted to the moving member 64 via the first drive transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, and the third drive transmission unit 37.

  By transmitting the reverse rotation driving force of the feeding motor 78, the feeding roller 75 is directed in the direction of the arrow 126 (the direction in which the recording paper S is fed in the direction opposite to the feeding direction 87, see FIG. 7). The rotating member 30 rotates in the direction of the arrow 106 (the direction from the second position toward the first position).

  When the rotating member 30 rotates from the second position toward the first position, the roller 92 first contacts the recording paper S. When the rotating member 30 further rotates from the second position toward the first position, the roller 92 lifts the feeding roller 75, so that the feeding arm 76 is directed in the direction of the arrow 68 against the biasing force of the torsion spring. Rotate. As a result, the feeding roller 75 moves from the contact position to the separation position. As described above, the rotating member 30 moves the feeding roller 75 from the contact position to the separated position when a reverse rotational driving force is applied from the feeding motor 78.

  Further, when the reverse rotational driving force of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted, the rotation shaft 50 of the third drive transmission unit 37 rotates in the direction of the arrow 124 as shown in FIG. To do. Accordingly, the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 is moved from the first side surface 122 toward the second side surface 123 by being pushed by the protrusion 51. As a result, the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 moves from the retracted position toward the protruding position.

  Here, as described above, the second drive transmission portion 36 has the configuration of the key 73 and the key groove 74, so that the gear 48B has a play in the circumferential direction. As a result, the transmission of the rotational driving force from the gear 48B to the rotating shaft 66 is delayed as in the case where the feeding motor 78 is rotated forward. As a result, after the reverse rotation of the feed motor 78 is started, the rotation start timing of the feed roller 75 and the rotation start timing of the rotation member 30 are later than the movement start timing of the moving member 64. Further, the time from when the rotating member 30 starts to rotate until the feeding roller 75 is separated from the recording sheet S, and the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 starts moving from the retracted position to the protruding position. The time from reaching the protruding position is different.

  Therefore, the timing at which the feeding roller 75 is separated from the recording paper S is later than the timing at which the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 reaches the protruding position. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 13C, when the feeding motor 78 starts reverse rotation, the moving member 64 that starts moving from the retracted position first reaches the protruding position, and then comes into contact. The feeding roller 75 that has started moving from the position reaches the separated position.

  Note that the rotating member 30 reaches the first position at the same time when the feeding roller 75 reaches the separated position or after the feeding roller 75 reaches the separated position. At the same time when the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 reaches the protruding position or after the contact member 117 of the moving member 64 reaches the protruding position, the slide member 116 of the moving member 64 contacts the second side surface 123. (See FIG. 12B).

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, when the recording sheet S supported on the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 is fed in the feeding direction 87, the feeding roller 75 and the rotating member 30 are fed from the feeding motor 78 to the normal direction. A rotational driving force for rolling is applied. Accordingly, the rotation member 30 rotates from the first position to the second position, so that the feeding roller 75 contacts the recording paper S. The feeding roller 75 feeds the recording sheet S in the feeding direction 87. On the other hand, when the recording sheet S is not fed in the feeding direction 87, a reverse rotation driving force is applied to the feeding roller 75 and the rotating member 30 from the feeding motor 78. Thereby, the rotation member 30 rotates from the second position to the first position. During the rotation process, the feeding arm 76 and the feeding roller 75 are lifted by the rotating member 30. As a result, the feeding roller 75 is separated from the recording sheet S supported on the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. As described above, when the feeding roller 75 does not feed the recording paper S, the feeding roller 75 can be separated from the recording paper S. Thereby, it is possible to further reduce the foreign matter contained in the feeding roller 75 from adhering to the recording paper S.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the rotating member 30 is given a rotational driving force from the feeding motor 78 for rotating the feeding roller 75, and the forward rotation and the reverse rotation of the feeding motor 78 are performed. Thus, the feeding roller 75 can be rotated so as to be in contact with and away from the recording paper S. Therefore, a dedicated drive source for operating the rotating member 30 is not necessary.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the rotation member 30 is positioned between the first restriction portion 107 and the second restriction portion 108, the feeding roller 75 is rotated and the rotation member 30 is rotated. On the other hand, when the rotating member 30 to be rotated reaches the first restricting portion 107 or the second restricting portion 108, a configuration in which the feeding roller 75 is rotated but the rotating member 30 is not rotated is realized with a simple structure. Can do.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the gear train constituting the drive transmission mechanism 79 is supported by the feeding arm 76, that is, the gear train and the feeding arm 76 are arranged in close proximity. For this reason, the arrangement space of the gear train and the arrangement space of the feeding arm 76 can be made into one place. As a result, the space required for the arrangement of the drive transmission mechanism 79 and the feeding arm 76 can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, since the compression coil spring 114 is disposed in the recess 54 of the roller gear 49, the long compression coil spring 114 can be used while keeping the space for the compression coil spring 114 small. . As a result, it is possible to reduce the amount of change in the biasing force with respect to the dimensional error of members such as the rotating member 30 and the roller gear 49 and the amount of expansion and contraction of the compression coil spring 114. Further, since the compression coil spring 114 is disposed in the recess 54 of the roller gear 49, the space required for the compression coil spring 114 can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the rotating member 30 is in the first position, the roller 92 contacts the recording sheet S supported on the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. Therefore, the friction generated between the rotating member 30 and the recording paper S can be reduced. As a result, when the rotating member 30 rotates with the roller 92 in contact with the recording paper S, the possibility that the recording paper S moves along with the rotating member 30 can be reduced. In addition, when the recording paper S in contact with the rotating member 30 moves for some reason, the possibility that the rotating member 30 rotates with the moving recording paper S can be reduced.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, the rotation shaft of the rotation member 30 and the rotation shaft of the feeding roller 75 can be made common, so that the structure of the feeding device 70 can be simplified. Further, since the rotation axis of the rotation member 30 is close to the contact position with the recording paper S, the length from the rotation axis of the rotation member 30 to the rotation tip can be shortened. As a result, the torque required to lift the feeding arm 76 and the feeding roller 75 when the pivoting member 30 is pivoted from the second position to the first position can be reduced.

  In the bypass tray 71 as in the present embodiment, the recording paper S is supported on the surface 45 in an oblique state. Therefore, it is preferable that the recording sheet S is always pressed from the side opposite to the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. However, if the recording paper S is always in contact with the feeding roller 75, the problem of foreign matter adhesion as described above occurs. In the present embodiment, the recording sheet S is brought into contact with the feeding roller 75 only during feeding, and is brought into contact with the rotating member 30 when not feeding. Therefore, the recording paper S can always be pressed from the side opposite to the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71.

[Modification 1]
In the above-described embodiment, the key 73 is provided on the rotation shaft 66 and the key groove 74 is provided on the gear 48B, whereby a circumferential play of the gear 48B is formed between the rotation shaft 66 and the gear 48B. However, such play may be formed between the feeding roller 75 and the roller gear 49.

  Hereinafter, an example of a configuration in which play is formed between the feeding roller 75 and the roller gear 49 will be described in detail. In the above-described embodiment, the roller gear 49 is attached to the rotation shaft 83 of the feeding roller 75 and can be rotated integrally with the rotation shaft 83. However, in this example, the roller gear 49 is not rotated in the above-described embodiment. The rotary shaft 83 is connected by a key and a key groove provided on the moving shaft 66 and the gear 48B. In other words, the rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 is provided with a key having the same configuration as that provided on the rotation shaft 66, and a key fitted to the key at a position corresponding to the key in the roller gear 49. A groove, that is, a key groove having the same configuration as that provided in the gear 48B is provided.

  Accordingly, when the roller gear 49 is rotated, the roller gear 49 rotates idly with respect to the rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 in a state where the key 73 does not contact the key groove 74 and does not press the key groove 74. The rotating shaft 83 does not rotate. On the other hand, the rotation shaft 83 of the feeding roller 75 rotates integrally with the roller gear 49 while the key 73 is in contact with the key groove 74 and pushing the key groove 74 when the gear 48B rotates. As described above, the rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 and the roller gear 49 are fitted with each other by a key and a key groove having play in the circumferential direction.

  According to the first modification, since play is provided between the rotation shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 and the roller gear 49, the rotation of the feed roller 75 starts from the start of rotation of the roller gear 49 by the amount of the play. Be late. On the other hand, the rotating member 30 starts rotating simultaneously with the start of rotation of the roller gear 49. Thereby, the rotation start of the feed roller 75 can be delayed from the rotation start of the rotation member 30. As a result, the rotation of the feeding roller 75 can be started after the rotating member 30 is rotated from the first position to the second position. Further, the rotation of the feeding roller 75 can be started after the rotating member 30 is rotated from the second position to the first position. As a result, it is possible to prevent reverse feeding of the recording paper S due to the rotation of the feeding roller 75 to which the reverse rotational driving force is applied.

[Modification 2]
In the above-described embodiment, two feeding rollers 75 are provided, but the number of feeding rollers 75 may be other than two. For example, only one feeding roller 75 may be provided.

[Modification 3]
In the above-described embodiment, the roller gear 49 is disposed between the pair of feeding rollers 75, but may be disposed other than between the pair of feeding rollers 75. For example, the roller gear 49 may be disposed on the right side of the feeding roller 75.

[Modification 4]
In the above-described embodiment, the rotating member 30 includes the roller 92, but the rotating member 30 may not include the roller 92. In this case, when the rotating member 30 is in the first position, the projecting portion 96 contacts the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording paper S supported by the flat surface 45.

[Modification 5]
In the above-described embodiment, the rotation member 30 is rotated by the rotation driving force applied from the roller gear 49. However, even if the rotation member 30 is rotated by a rotation driving force applied from a gear other than the roller gear 49 in the drive transmission mechanism 79. Good. For example, the rotation member 30 may be rotated by applying a rotational driving force from the gear 48E. In this case, one surface of the friction member 113 is in contact with the gear 48E, and the back surface of the one surface of the friction member 113 is in contact with the right side plate 94. As described above, the torque limiter 32 may be provided between any of the gears constituting the gear train in the drive transmission mechanism 79 and the rotating member 30.

[Modification 6]
In the above-described embodiment, the feeding device 70 is a device that feeds the recording paper S supported on the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71, but the feeding device 70 is a tray other than the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. An apparatus for feeding the recording paper S supported by the printer may be used. For example, the feeding device 70 may be a device for feeding the recording paper S supported by the feeding tray 20.

  In this case, the feeding device 70 includes the feeding tray 20, the feeding roller 25, the feeding arm 26, and the separation instead of the bypass tray 71, the feeding roller 75, the feeding arm 76, and the lower guide member 97. A member 132 is provided. The rotating member 30 is provided at the distal end portion of the feeding arm 26. Further, the first restricting portion 107 and the second restricting portion 108 are provided on the feeding arm 26. Further, the moving member 64 is disposed in recesses (not shown) provided on the right and left sides of the separating member 197.

[Modification 7]
In the above-described embodiment, the feeding device 70 is provided in the printer unit 11, but an apparatus including the feeding device 70 is not limited to the printer unit 11. For example, the feeding device 70 may be provided in the scanner unit 12. In this case, the feeding device 70 feeds a sheet whose image is read by the scanner unit 12 into the scanner unit 12.

[Modification 8]
As shown in FIG. 15, the rotating member 30 may include a rib 133 protruding from the pair of side plates 94. As shown in FIG. 15B, when the rotating member 30 is in the first position, the rib 133 protrudes to the upstream side in the feeding direction 87 from the feeding roller 75. When the rotating member 30 is in the first position, the rib 133 is located between the feed roller 75 and the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 from the position 134 farthest from the flat surface 45 of the rib 133, that is, the feed roller. 75 and the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 extend toward a position 135 where they abut. Thus, in the state shown in FIG. 15B, the leading end of the recording sheet S inserted from the upstream side in the feeding direction 87 (the right side of the paper surface in FIG. 15B) toward the position 135 is fed. It contacts the rib 133 without contacting the roller 75. Then, the leading end of the recording paper S is guided along the rib 133 and guided to the position 135.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15A, when the rotating member 30 is in the second position, the rib 133 protrudes further downstream in the feeding direction 87 than the feeding roller 75.

  According to the modification 8, the recording sheet S inserted toward the bypass tray 71 to be placed on the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 when the rotating member 30 is in the first position is more than the feeding roller 75. The possibility of contacting the rib 133 is high. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the recording sheet S bends due to contact with the feeding roller 75. Further, since the recording paper S is difficult to contact the feeding roller 75, the recording paper S can be easily inserted.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction machine 12 ... Recording paper 30 ... Turning member 32 ... Torque limiter 70 ... Feeding device 71 ... Bypass tray 75 ... Feeding roller 76 ... Feeding Feeding arm 79 ... drive transmission mechanism 107 ... first regulating part 108 ... second regulating part

Claims (10)

A support for supporting the sheet;
A feeding roller for feeding the sheet supported by the support part;
An arm that rotatably supports the feeding roller at one end and is rotatable about the other end as a rotation axis;
A forward and reverse drive source;
A drive transmission unit that transmits the rotational driving force of the drive source to the feeding roller;
A rotating member that is connected to the feeding roller or the arm and that is rotated by a rotational driving force applied from the drive transmission unit;
A first restricting portion that is in contact with the turning member and restricts the turning of the turning member at a first position protruding to the support portion side from the feeding roller;
A second restricting portion that abuts on the turning member and restricts the turning of the turning member at a second position retracted from the feeding roller with respect to the support portion;
The feed roller rotates in a rotation direction for feeding a sheet when a normal rotation drive force is applied from the drive source, and rotates in a rotation direction when a reverse rotation drive force is applied from the drive source. Rotate in the opposite direction,
When the forward rotation driving force is applied from the drive source, the rotating member rotates from the first position to the second position, and the reverse rotation driving force is applied from the drive source. And a feeding device that rotates from the second position toward the first position.   Provided between the drive transmission unit and the rotation member to transmit a rotational driving force from the drive transmission unit to the rotation member, and by the first restriction unit or the second restriction unit, The feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a torque limiter that cuts off transmission of a rotational driving force from the drive transmission unit to the rotating member when the rotation is restricted. The drive transmission unit includes a gear train supported by the arm and meshed with each other,
The feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the torque limiter is provided between a gear constituting the gear train and the rotating member. The drive transmission unit includes a roller gear attached to a rotation shaft of the feeding roller and rotating around the rotation shaft,
The roller gear includes a recess extending along the axis thereof,
The feeding device according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the torque limiter includes a compression coil spring that is disposed in the concave portion and biases the roller gear toward the rotating member. The drive transmission unit includes a roller gear attached to a rotation shaft of the feeding roller and rotating around the rotation shaft,
The rotating shaft of the feeding roller and the roller gear are fitted by a key and a key groove having a play in the circumferential direction,
The feeding device according to claim 2, wherein the torque limiter is provided between the roller gear and the rotating member.   The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a roller that rotates about the same direction as a rotation axis of the feeding roller is provided at a rotation tip of the rotation member.   The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the rotating member rotates about a rotation axis of the feeding roller.   The rotating member includes a rib that protrudes to the upstream side in the sheet feeding direction from the feeding roller at the first position and extends from the protruding position toward the feeding roller and the support portion. The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. A feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
An image recording apparatus comprising: a recording unit that records an image on a sheet fed by the feeding roller. The support portion is rotatably provided on the side wall of the device, and a third position where the rotation tip is located above the rotation base end, and the rotation tip is separated from the side wall than the third position. The image recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the image recording apparatus is a manual feed tray that rotates between the fourth positions and supports a sheet at the fourth position.

Images