JP2015227218A - Feed device and image forming apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide means capable of easily inserting a sheet without folding the sheet in a support part capable of detecting the sheet.SOLUTION: A feed device 70 includes: a fixed support part 185 having a support surface 188; feed rollers 75 for feeding a recording sheet supported by the support surface 188 in the feed direction 87; a recess 46 arranged in the support surface 188; a press arm 73 which turns to a first position where the other end 50 enters the recess 46 and a second position where the other end 50 retreats from the recess 46; and an optical sensor 35 for detecting the press arm 73 in one of the first position and the second position. A projection piece 90, which extends along the feed direction 87 and projects from a first inclined surface 47 of the recess 46 to the support surface 188, is arranged in the recess 46.

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.

  Conventionally, a feeding device in which an inclined support unit supports a plurality of stacked sheets and the sheet is fed diagonally downward along the inclination of the support unit. Known (Patent Document 1). There is also known a feeding device in which a detection member (sheet presence / absence detection unit) is provided to detect whether or not a sheet is placed on a support unit (intermediate plate) (Patent Document 2).

JP 2001-106346 A JP 2009-220982 A

  The detection member includes a sheet presence / absence detection lever and a photo interrupter. The sheet presence / absence detection lever includes a light shielding portion, a swing shaft, and a contact portion. When the sheet is not placed on the support portion, the rotation tip of the detection member (the contact portion of the sheet presence / absence detection lever) is at the rotation position where it enters the recess provided on the support surface, and the light shielding portion Is in a position retracted from the photo interrupter. Further, when the sheet is placed on the support portion, the rotation tip of the detection member is supported on the sheet covering the recess, so that the rotation tip of the detection member is at a rotation position above the support surface. The light shielding portion is at a position where it enters the photo interrupter. When the rotation tip of the detection member is at each of such positions, the presence or absence of the sheet on the support portion is detected by detecting the light shielding portion by the photo interrupter. In order to stably and reliably detect the light shielding portion by the photo interrupter, it is desirable that the angle difference (phase difference) of the rotation position of the rotation tip depending on whether or not the sheet is placed on the support portion is large. However, if the depth of the concave portion is increased in order to increase the angle difference, when the user places the sheet on the support portion, the leading edge of the placed sheet enters the concave portion and bends, and the leading edge of the sheet is bent. There is a possibility that the concave portion may be bent or the insertion of the sheet may be difficult. There is such a concern particularly when one sheet is inserted into the support portion.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide means that can be easily inserted in a supporting portion capable of detecting a sheet without bending the sheet. .

  (1) A feeding device according to the present invention is provided on a supporting portion having a supporting surface for supporting a sheet, a feeding portion for feeding a sheet supported on the supporting surface in a feeding direction, and the supporting surface. And the first end is separated from the support surface and upstream of the second end, which is opposite to the first end in the longitudinal direction. And an arm that is pivotable with the second end as a pivot tip side, and pivots to a first position where the second end enters the recess and a second position where the second end exits the recess. And a detection unit that detects the arm at one of the first position and the second position. The recess is provided with a projecting piece that extends along the feeding direction and protrudes from the bottom surface of the recess toward the support surface.

  In a state where the seat is not supported by the support portion, the arm is in the first position. Further, the arm is in the second position in a state where the sheet is supported by the support portion. Since the detection unit detects the positions of these arms, it can determine whether or not the sheet is supported by the support unit according to the detection signal of the detection unit.

  The front end of the sheet inserted into the support portion along the support surface is supported by the protruding end of the protruding piece in the recess. This prevents the leading edge of the sheet from entering the bottom surface of the recess.

  (2) Preferably, the arm has a groove on the second end side into which the protruding piece can enter at the first position.

  As a result, the second end side of the arm enters the bottom surface side of the recess from the projecting piece, so that the rotational phase difference of the arm between the first position and the second position increases.

  (3) Preferably, a biasing member that biases the arm toward the first position is further provided.

  The sheet supported on the support surface of the support portion is pressed against the support surface by the arm biased toward the first position. This can reduce the possibility of double sheet feeding.

  (4) Preferably, the protruding piece is disposed at the center in the left-right direction perpendicular to the feeding direction in the recess.

  Thereby, since the dimension of the left-right direction of a recessed part can be lengthened, the dimension of the left-right direction at the 2nd end side of an arm can also be lengthened. As a result, the area where the second end side of the arm abuts on the sheet is widened, and the load per unit area on the sheet abutting on the second end side of the arm can be reduced.

  (5) Preferably, the front end surface of the projecting piece is located on the same virtual plane as the support surface.

  Thereby, the front-end | tip of the sheet | seat inserted in a support part along a support surface does not approach a recessed part.

  (6) Preferably, the feeding unit includes a feeding roller, a feeding arm that rotatably supports the feeding roller at one end, and a pivot that can rotate about the other end. , With.

  As a result, the feeding arm rotates according to the thickness of the bundle of sheets supported on the support surface, and the feeding roller contacts the uppermost sheet.

  (7) Preferably, in the arm at the first position, a guide surface that is a portion that does not enter the recess and faces the support surface is positioned upstream of the feeding roller in the feeding direction. In the arm at the second position, the second end of the arm is located on the downstream side in the feeding direction with respect to the feeding roller.

  In a state where the sheet is not supported by the support part and the arm is in the first position, when the sheet is inserted into the support part along the support surface, the leading edge of the sheet comes into contact with the guide surface of the arm, and the feeding roller And the support surface.

  In addition, since the sheet supported by the support portion is pressed to the support surface side downstream of the feeding roller by the second end of the arm at the second position, the sheet is supported on the support surface side only by the feeding roller. The possibility of sheet double feeding is lower than when the sheet is held down.

  (8) Preferably, a pair of the arms are provided, and are arranged with the feeding roller interposed therebetween in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction and along the support surface.

  Since the sheet is pressed to the support surface side by the arm on both sides of the feeding roller, the possibility that the sheet skews is low.

  (9) Preferably, the centers of the pivot axes of the arm and the feeding arm are the same.

  Since it is not necessary to separately provide the pivot axes of the arm and the feeding arm, the configuration of the apparatus is simplified.

  (10) The present invention may be understood as an image recording apparatus including the above-described feeding device and a recording unit that records an image on a sheet fed by the feeding roller.

  According to the present invention, the sheet can be easily inserted in the support portion capable of detecting the sheet without being bent.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the multifunction machine 10 with the movable support 186 standing. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the bypass tray 71 with the movable support portion 186 lying down. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view of the rear side of the multifunction machine 10 with the movable support 186 removed. FIG. 5 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the multifunction machine 10 in which the holding arm 73 is in the first position. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the fixed support portion 185 and the movable support portion 186. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a rectangular frame portion indicated by a broken line in FIG. 5, and is a cross-sectional view showing a VII-VII cross section in FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a rectangular frame portion indicated by a broken line in FIG. 5, and is a cross-sectional view showing a VIII-VIII cross section in FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the IX-IX cross section of FIG. 7 when the pressing arm 73 is in the first position. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the XX cross section of FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing the XI-XI cross section of FIG. 7 when the recording paper 100 is present on the recess 46. 12 is an enlarged view of a rectangular frame portion indicated by a broken line in FIG. 5 in the modification, and is a cross-sectional view showing a VII-VII cross section in FIG. 6.

  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 shape, and includes a printer unit 11 that records an image on a sheet such as a recording sheet 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. In addition, a feeding tray 20 and a discharge tray 21 that can accommodate recording sheets of various sizes can be inserted and removed from the opening 13 in the front-rear direction 8. 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 a recording sheet from a feeding tray 20, a recording unit 24 that records an image on the recording sheet, a first transport roller pair 59, and a second pair. A 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 a recording sheet by supporting recording sheets of various sizes such as an A4 size according to Japanese Industrial Standards and an L plate used for photographic recording on a supporting 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 is stored and the feeding tray 20 is mounted in the housing 14, the feeding roller 25 can contact the recording paper stored in the feeding tray 20. A separation pad 181 is provided at a position where the feeding roller 25 abuts on the support surface of the feeding tray 20 when the feeding tray 20 that does not contain recording paper is mounted in the housing 14. The separation pad 181 is formed 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.

  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 drive shaft different from the rotation shaft 28 to the shaft of the feeding roller 25 by the endless belt. When the feeding roller 25 rotates while being in contact with the uppermost recording sheet among the recording sheets supported on the support surface of the feeding tray 20, the recording sheet is fed to the conveyance path 65. Is done. When the recording sheet is fed to the transport path 65, the leading end of the recording sheet comes into contact with the 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 paper is separated from the lower recording paper and conveyed. Then, the lower recording paper than the uppermost recording paper is held while being accommodated in the feeding tray 20 without being dragged by the uppermost recording paper.

[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 65 </ b> A is defined by the outer guide member 18, the inner guide member 19, and the guide member 31 that face each other with a space through which the recording paper can pass. The straight path 65 </ b> B is defined by the recording unit 24 and the platen 42 that face each other with a space through which the recording paper can pass, and the guide member 34 and the guide member 33.

  The recording paper fed along the conveyance path 65 by the feeding roller 25 of the feeding tray 20 is reversed in the conveyance direction from below to above along the curved path 65A, and is conveyed along the straight path 65B. Is conveyed from the rear to the front without being inverted.

  The outer guide member 18 is a member that constitutes an outer guide surface when the recording sheet is conveyed along the curved path 65A. The inner guide member 19 is a member that forms an inner guide surface when the recording sheet 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 a bypass path 182 to be described later is moved outward of the housing 14. Open (exposed).

  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 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 transport path 65 in the transport direction (frontward in the front-rear direction 8) with respect to the recording unit 24. The first transport roller pair 59 includes a first transport roller 60 and a pinch roller 61. In the conveyance path 65, a second conveyance roller pair 180 is provided on the downstream side of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction. 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 recorded by rotating the first conveyance roller 60 and the second conveyance roller 62 in a state where the recording paper is sandwiched between the respective rollers constituting the first conveyance roller pair 59 and the second conveyance roller pair 180. Transport the paper.

[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 (not shown) 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 as fine ink droplets. When the carriage 40 moves in the left-right direction 9, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles onto the recording paper supported on the platen 42. The ejected ink droplets adhere to the recording paper on the platen 42, whereby an image is recorded on the recording paper.

[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, and the rear cover 22. The guide member 31 is a member that constitutes the upper guide surface when the recording sheet 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 paper 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 accommodated in a bypass tray 71 described later is guided obliquely downward along a bypass path 182. The recording sheet is guided along the straight path 65 </ b> B of the conveyance path 65 and conveyed by the first conveyance roller pair 59. The recording sheet is further subjected to image recording by the recording unit 24 and discharged to the discharge tray 21. As described above, the recording sheet 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 are not reversed in the vertical direction 7).

[Feeding device 70]
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the printer unit 11 includes a feeding device 70. The feeding device 70 includes a bypass tray 71, a feeding roller 75, a feeding arm 76, a feeding motor (not shown), a drive transmission mechanism 79, a pressing arm 73, and a separating member 72. ing.

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

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a fixed support portion 185 that extends downward is provided on the rear surface side of the housing 16 of the scanner portion 12 so as to cover the opening 184 (see FIG. 2). The fixed support portion 185 constitutes a part of the downstream side of the bypass tray 71 in the conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a movable support portion 186 is provided on the upper side of the fixed support portion 185 so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixed support portion 185. A bypass tray 71 is configured by the fixed support portion 185 and the movable support portion 186.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a slit-shaped opening 187 extending along the left-right direction 9 is formed on the upper surface of the fixed support 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. 3, the fixed support 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 a part of a guide surface that guides the recording paper conveyed along the bypass path 182.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a separation member 72 is provided below the support member 189 in the fixed support portion 185. The separating member 72 is positioned at a height substantially equal to the opening 184 in the up-down direction 7. The upper surface of the separation member 72 is a surface with which the leading end of the recording paper supported by the bypass tray 71 comes into contact. As shown in FIG. 2, the separation member 72 has a plurality of teeth that protrude upward from the upper surface and are aligned along the front-rear direction 8. The tips of the plurality of recording sheets supported by the bypass tray 71 are rolled by the teeth of the separation member 72. In FIG. 3, the separating member 72 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a reinforcing member 183 that rotatably supports the rotation shaft 66 of the feeding arm 76 is provided on the upper end side of the support member 189 and above the support surface 188. When the driving force is transmitted to the rotating shaft 66 of the feeding arm 76 supported by the reinforcing member 183 from a feeding motor (not shown) via the drive transmission mechanism 79, the feeding roller 75 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a drive transmission mechanism 79 including a plurality of pinion gears is provided on the right side of the fixed support portion 185 in the left-right direction 9. A driving force is transmitted to the drive transmission mechanism 79 from a feeding motor (not shown) provided in the housing 14 of the printer unit 11. The rotation shaft 66 extends along the left-right direction 9, and one end thereof meshes with a pinion gear constituting the drive transmission mechanism 79. The other end of the rotation shaft 66 extends to the center in the left-right direction 9 of the fixed support portion 185.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a feed arm 76 is rotatably supported on the rotation shaft 66. That is, the proximal end side of the feeding arm 76 is rotatable around the rotation shaft 66. A feeding roller 75 is rotatably supported at the rotation tip of the feeding 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 at the center of the fixed support portion 185 in the left-right direction 9.

  The feeding roller 75 is connected to the rotating shaft 66 by a gear train (not shown). The gear train is rotatably supported by the feeding arm 76 and is arranged in series from the proximal end side to the distal end side. The rotation of the rotation shaft 66 is transmitted to the feeding roller 75 by the gear train, and the feeding roller 75 rotates. The feeding roller 75 rotates while being in contact with the uppermost recording sheet among the recording sheets supported by the support surface 188, so that the uppermost recording sheet is fed along the bypass path 182. It is fed to the sending direction 87. The recording sheet below the uppermost recording sheet is rolled by the separating member 72 and held on the bypass tray 71 without being dragged by the uppermost recording sheet. As a result, only the uppermost recording sheet is separated from the other recording sheets, and is fed along the bypass path 182 in the feeding direction 87. As described above, the feeding unit including the feeding roller 75, the rotation shaft 66, and the feeding arm 76 is disposed in the space outside the housing 14 and above the support surface 188.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the movable support portion 186 is provided on the upper side of the fixed support portion 185 so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixed support portion 185. The movable support 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. is there.

  The standing state is a state for reducing the space for the movable support 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 support portion 186 in the standing state is substantially parallel to the rear surface of the housing 14. As for the movable support part 186 in the standing state, the rotation tip is located almost immediately above the rotation base end. In the standing state, the support surface 188 and the support surface 193 are arranged to intersect each other.

  The lying down state is a state in which the inclined support surfaces 188 and 193 are substantially formed as one plane by inclining the movable support portion 186 obliquely upward toward the outside of the housing 14. It is in a usable state. The movable support portion 186 in the lying state is inclined such that the rotation tip is located above the rotation base end, and the rotation tip is further away from the rear surface of the housing 14 than the rotation base end. . Whether the movable support portion 186 is in the standing state or the lying state can be selected by a user's arbitrary operation.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, side walls 190 and 191 are provided on both sides of the movable support portion 186 in the left-right direction 9. The side walls 190 and 191 cover portions of both sides of the fixed support portion 185 in the left-right direction 9 respectively. The drive transmission mechanism 79 provided on the right side of the fixed support portion 185 in the left-right direction 9 is covered with the side wall 190 of the movable support portion 186.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a support member 192 is provided across the side walls 190 and 191 of the movable support 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, the 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. In the standing state, the support surface 193 is in a state orthogonal to the placement surface of the multifunction machine 10, that is, 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 supported recording paper does not bend or curve even if there is a slight difference between the two planes. That is, it refers to a flat surface that supports the recording sheet so that stable separation performance is exhibited by the separation member 72 described above.

  As shown in FIG. 3, 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 conveyance direction of the bypass tray 71. When the recording paper on the support surface 193 is transported, the edge of the recording paper along the transport direction 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 an 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 different from the support surface 193, the support surface 196 is substantially the same plane and supports the recording sheet 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 of various sizes supported on the support surfaces 193 and 196 can be guided by the guide surface 195 of the side guide 194.

  As shown in FIG. 6, two concave portions 46 are provided on the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 (the support surface 188 of the support member 189). The other end 50 of a pressing arm 73 described later is inserted into the recess 46. The two concave portions 46 are provided at the same position in the feeding direction 87. The two recesses 46 are provided on the right and left sides of the pair of feed rollers 75 in the left-right direction 9. That is, the two concave portions 46 are provided so as to sandwich the pair of feeding rollers 75.

  As shown in FIG. 8, each recess 46 includes a first inclined surface 47 and a second inclined surface 48. The first inclined surface 47 constitutes the upstream side 87 of each recess 46 in the feeding direction. The first inclined surface 47 is inclined so as to be separated from the support surface 188 toward the downstream side in the feeding direction 87. The inclination angle of the first inclined surface 47 is substantially the same as the inclination angle when the pressing arm 73 described later is in the first position.

  The second inclined surface 48 constitutes the downstream side 87 in the feeding direction of each recess 46. The second inclined surface 48 is continuous with the downstream end of the first inclined surface 47 in the feeding direction 87, and is inclined so as to approach the support surface 188 toward the downstream side in the feeding direction 87.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, each recess 46 extends along the feeding direction 87 (along the front-rear direction 8), and the first inclined surface 47 ( Projection pieces 90 projecting from one example of the bottom surface toward the support surface 188 are provided. Each protrusion 90 has a thin plate shape with a narrow width along the left-right direction 9, and is arranged at the center of the left-right direction 9 in each recess 46.

  Of the upper end surfaces 91 and 92 (an example of the front end surface) of the projecting piece 90, the upper end surface 91 located on the upstream side in the feeding direction 87 is located on the first inclined surface 47 side with respect to the support surface 188. That is, it does not protrude above the support surface 188. The upper end surface 91 is parallel to the support surface 188. The upper end surface 92 located downstream of the feeding direction 87 is continuous with the upper end surface 91 and is inclined so as to descend toward the second inclined surface 48. That is, the upper end surface 92 is further away from the support surface 188 than the upper end surface 91.

[Feeding roller 75 and feeding arm 76]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the feeding roller 75 is disposed in front of the bypass tray 71. The feed roller 75 can contact the support surface 188 of the support member 189. A 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, but the number of feeding rollers 75 is not limited to two.

  The feeding arm 76 extends from one end portion to the upstream side in the feeding direction 87 and away from the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. The feed roller 75 is rotatably supported at one end of the feed arm 76. The rotating shaft 66 is inserted into a hole provided in the upstream end of the feeding arm 76 in the feeding direction 87, that is, the other end of the feeding arm 76. As a result, the feeding arm 76 rotates around the rotation shaft 66. As a result, the feeding roller 75 can contact and separate, that is, contact and separate from the support surface 188 of the support member 189 or the recording paper supported by the support surface 188. Note that the rotation shaft 66 is rotatably supported by the reinforcing member 183 as described above.

  In the present embodiment, the feeding arm 76 can be rotated by applying a driving force from the contact / separation mechanism. Here, the structure of the contact / separation mechanism may be any known structure as long as the feeding arm 76 can be rotated around the rotation shaft 66. When feeding the recording paper supported by the bypass tray 71, the contact / separation mechanism causes the feeding arm 76 to move in the direction of the arrow 67 so that the feeding roller 75 contacts the recording paper supported by the surface 45. Turn to. On the other hand, when the recording paper supported by the bypass tray 71 is not fed, the contact / separation mechanism causes the feeding arm 76 to move the feeding roller 75 away from the support surface 188 of the support member 189 as indicated by an arrow 68. Rotate in the direction. 7 and 8, the feeding roller 75 is separated from the support surface 188 by a contact / separation mechanism.

[Presser arm 73]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the holding arm 73 (an example of an arm) is directed from the one end 49 toward the downstream side in the feeding direction 87 and approaches the support surface 188 of the support member 189, as with the feed arm 76. It extends to. That is, one end 49 of the pressing arm 73 is further upstream from the other end 50 in the feeding direction 87 and away from the surface 45. The rotating shaft 66 is inserted through a hole 51 provided on the upstream end side in the feeding direction 87 of the pressing arm 73, that is, on the one end 49 side. As a result, the pressing arm 73 rotates around the rotation shaft 66 in the same manner as the feeding arm 76. That is, the pressing arm 73 can be rotated with the one end 49 side as a rotation axis and the other end 50 side as a distal end side. As a result, the front end side of the pressing arm 73 can be brought into contact with and separated from the support surface 188 or the recording paper supported by the support surface 188, that is, contact and separation.

  As described above, the rotation shaft 66 is inserted through both the feeding arm 76 and the pressing arm 73. Therefore, the rotation axes of the feeding arm 76 and the pressing arm 73 are the same. Further, the feeding arm 76 and the pressing arm 73 can be rotated independently of each other.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the other end 50 of the holding arm 73 is curved so as to protrude toward the downstream side in the feeding direction 87 when viewed from the left side or the right side (perpendicular to the paper surface).

  The pressing arms 73 are provided in the same number as the concave portions 46 provided on the support surface 188 of the support member 189. That is, in the present embodiment, one pressing arm 73 is provided on each of the right and left sides of the feeding roller 75. Each of the two pressing arms 73 corresponds to each of the two recesses 46.

  The width on the other end 50 side of the pressing arm 73 in the left-right direction 9 is narrower than the width of the corresponding recess 46. Thereby, the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 can enter the recess 46. As shown in FIG. 9, a groove 93 into which the protruding piece 90 provided in the recess 46 can enter is provided on the other end 50 side of the pressing arm 73. The groove 93 is recessed upward and extends along the feeding direction 87 at the center in the left-right direction 9 of the lower surface 50 </ b> A on the other end 50 side of the pressing arm 73. The depth of the groove 93 is deeper than the height at which the protruding piece 90 protrudes from the first inclined surface 47. Therefore, the lower surface 50 </ b> A on the other end 50 side of the pressing arm 73 is in contact with the first inclined surface 47 of the recess 46 in a state where the protruding piece 90 has entered the groove 93. The position of the pressing arm 73 at this time corresponds to the first position.

  On the other hand, the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 can be retracted from the recess 46 by the pressing arm 73 rotating in the direction of the arrow 68 from the first position. When the user inserts the recording sheet into the bypass tray 71 along the feeding direction 87, the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 is retracted from the recess 46 and abuts against the recording sheet. The position of the pressing arm 73 at this time corresponds to the second position.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the pressing arm 73 is in the first position, a surface 53 (guide surface) that is a portion of the pressing arm 73 on the upstream side in the feeding direction 87 that does not enter the recess 46. ) Is located upstream of the feeding roller 75 in the feeding direction 87. When the pressing arm 73 is in the second position, the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 is positioned downstream of the feeding roller 75 in the feeding direction 87.

  The pressing arm 73 and the rotation shaft 66 are connected by a torsion spring (an example of an urging member) 52. As a result, the pressing arm 73 is biased toward the first position by the torsion spring 52. The configuration for biasing the pressing arm 73 is not limited to the configuration using the torsion spring 52. For example, a coil spring having one end connected to the pressing arm 73 and the other end connected to the frame of the printer unit 11 may be disposed in front of the pressing arm 73.

[Seat sensor 54]
As shown in FIG. 10, a sheet sensor 54 is provided on the left side of the bypass tray 71. The sheet sensor 54 includes an extending portion 55 extending leftward from the left pressing arm 73, a detector 56 projecting from the left end portion of the extending portion 55 in the same direction as the pressing arm 73, a light emitting element 57, and the light emission. And an optical sensor (detection unit) 35 having a light receiving element 58 that receives light emitted from the element 57.

  When the left pressing arm 73 rotates, the detector 56 rotates around the extending portion 55 integrally with the left pressing arm 73.

  When the pressing arm 73 is in the first position, that is, when the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 has entered the recess 46, the protruding tip of the detector 56 has the light emitting element 57 and the light receiving element 58 of the optical sensor 35. Between the light emitting element 57 and the light receiving element 58. As a result, light passing through the optical path is blocked. At this time, a low-level signal is output from the optical sensor 35 to a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the multifunction machine 10. On the other hand, when the pressing arm 73 is in the second position, that is, when the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 is retracted from the recess 46, the protruding tip of the detector 56 moves from the light path, that is, from the light emitting element 57 to the light receiving element 58. Evacuate from the optical path to reach. Thereby, light passes through the optical path. At this time, a high level signal is output from the optical sensor 35 to the control unit. As described above, the sheet sensor 54 can cause the control unit to detect the position of the pressing arm 73 (whether it is in the first position or the second position) by detecting the presence or absence of the detector 56 in the optical path. it can. The fact that the position of the pressing arm 73 is detected by the control unit means that the control unit detects whether or not there is a recording sheet on the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. In the case of the above-described example, if a low level signal is output from the optical sensor 35 to the control unit of the multifunction machine 10, there is no recording sheet on the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. In addition, if a high level signal is output from the optical sensor 35 to the control unit of the multifunction machine 10, there is a recording sheet on the surface 45 of the bypass tray 71.

  The protruding direction of the detector 56 may be a direction different from that of the pressing arm 73. Then, contrary to the above, the protruding tip of the detector 56 may enter the optical path when the pressing arm 73 is in the second position, and retract from the optical path when the pressing arm 73 is in the first position. .

  Further, the sheet sensor 54 may be provided on the right side of the right pressing arm 73. At this time, the extending portion 55 extends rightward from the right pressing arm 73.

[Loading of recording paper into the bypass tray 71]
When the bypass tray 71 is used, the movable support portion 186 is brought into a lying state. In a state where no recording paper is loaded in the bypass tray 71 in this state, the other end 50 side of the pressing arm 73 enters the concave portion 46 of the support member 189, and the protruding piece 90 enters the groove 93 of the pressing arm 73. . In this state, the lower surface 50A on the other end 50 side of the pressing arm 73 contacts the first inclined surface 47 of the recess 46 (first position).

  When the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 enters the recess 46, the protruding tip of the detector 56 blocks the optical path between the light emitting element 57 and the light receiving element 58 of the optical sensor 35. Then, a low level signal is output from the optical sensor 35. Based on the signal (low level) output from the optical sensor 35, the control unit of the multifunction machine 1 determines that there is no recording paper in the bypass tray 71.

  A recording sheet is inserted into the bypass tray 71 along the feeding direction 87. Needless to say, the user inserts a recording sheet into the bypass tray 71. Hereinafter, an operation in which one recording sheet 100 is loaded in the bypass tray 71 will be described as an example. The recording paper 100 inserted from the movable support portion 186 toward the fixed support portion 185 advances in the feeding direction 87 along the support surface 196 of the movable support portion 186 and then moves along the support surface 188 of the fixed support portion 185. Then proceed to the feed direction 87. When the recording paper is not fed from the bypass tray 71, the contact / separation mechanism described above rotates the feeding arm 76 so that the feeding roller 75 is separated from the support surface 188 of the support member 189. The feeding roller 75 is separated from the support surface 188. Therefore, the recording paper 100 can easily enter the space between the feeding roller 75 and the support surface 188. Further, the recording paper 100 advances downstream of the feeding direction 87 from the feeding roller 75.

  Further, when the pressing arm 73 is in the first position, the surface 53 of the pressing arm 73 is located upstream of the feeding roller 75 in the feeding direction 87, so that the leading edge of the recording paper 100 is fed by the surface 53 by the feeding roller 75. And the support surface 188.

  As shown in FIG. 11, when the leading end of the recording paper 100 traveling in the feeding direction 87 along the support surface 188 reaches the recess 46, the recording paper 100 is below the lower surface 50 </ b> A of the pressing arm 73 at the first position. Dive into. Due to the waist of the recording paper 100, the recording paper 100 sinks below the lower surface 50A of the pressing arm 73 so as to block the recess 46, and pushes the pressing arm 73 upward from the first position toward the second position. On the other hand, in the pressing arm 73, the other end 50 is urged toward the recess 46 by the urging force of the torsion spring 52 as described above. For this reason, the pressing arm 73 tries to drive the recording paper 100 into the recess 46. However, since the recording paper 100 is supported by the upper end surface 91 of the protruding piece 90 and the support surface 188 of the support member 189 provided in the recess 46, the recording paper 100 is more first than the upper end surface 91 of the protruding piece 90. It does not enter the inclined surface 47 side. As a result, even when one recording sheet 100 having relatively low rigidity (weak waist) is loaded on the bypass tray 71, the pressing arm 73 is moved to the second position and maintained at the second position. The Further, when the leading edge of the recording paper 100 passes through the concave portion 46, the leading edge of the recording paper 100 does not enter the concave portion 46 by being supported by the upper end surface 91 of the protrusion 90. The leading edge of the recording paper 100 is brought into contact with the downstream edge of the direction 87 and is prevented from being bent or damaged.

  When the pressing arm 73 is in the second position, that is, when the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 is retracted from the recess 46, the protruding tip of the detector 56 is between the light emitting element 57 and the light receiving element 58 of the optical sensor 35. Evacuate from the light path. As a result, light passes through the optical path between the light emitting element 57 and the light receiving element 58 of the optical sensor 35. At this time, a high level signal is output from the optical sensor 35 to the control unit. Based on a signal (high level) output from the optical sensor 35, the control unit of the multifunction machine 1 determines that there is a recording sheet on the bypass tray 71.

[Operational effects of this embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, the leading edge of the recording paper 100 inserted along the support surface 188 of the bypass tray 71 is supported by the upper end surface 91 of the protruding piece 90 in the concave portion 46, so the leading edge of the recording paper 100 is concave. 46 is prevented from entering the first inclined surface 47. Thereby, since the recording paper 100 is not bent, the user can easily insert the recording paper 100 into the bypass tray 71.

  Further, since the groove 93 is provided in the lower surface 50A of the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73, the concave portion 46 is maintained until the lower surface 50A of the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 contacts the first inclined surface 47 below the projecting piece 90. Enter. As a result, the rotational phase difference of the pressing arm 73 between the first position and the second position is increased, and therefore the range in which the detector 56 that rotates in conjunction with the pressing arm 73 rotates with respect to the optical sensor 35 is also included. As a result, the detection of the detector 56 by the optical sensor 35 is stabilized.

  Further, since the pressing arm 73 is biased to the first position side by the torsion spring 52, the recording paper (bundle) supported by the support surface 188 of the bypass tray 71 is biased to the first position side. The pressing arm 73 is pressed against the support surface 188 between the feeding roller 25 and the separating member 72. In other words, the pressing arm 73 presses the recording paper against the support surface 188 between the feeding roller 25 and the separating member 72. Thereby, separation of a plurality of recording sheets between the feeding roller 25 and the separating member 72 (separation in the stacking direction) is suppressed, and as a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the recording sheets are double-fed.

  Moreover, since the recording paper 100 is supported by the protrusions 90 as described above, the dimension along the left-right direction 9 of the recess 46 can be enlarged. That is, if the recording paper 100 has the same rigidity, it is about twice as large as the dimension along the left-right direction 9 of the concave portion 46 so that the recording paper 100 does not enter the concave portion 46 in the configuration without the protruding piece 90. The recording paper 100 does not enter the recess 46 because the recording paper 100 is supported by the protruding piece 90 in terms of dimensions. The dimension along the left-right direction 9 of the lower surface 50A of the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 can be increased in accordance with the size of the recess 46, so that the contact area between the lower surface 50A and the recording paper (the recording paper at the uppermost position of the bundle). Even if the urging force by the torsion spring 52 is increased, the load per unit area applied to the recording paper (bundle) on the lower surface 50A is reduced. Therefore, deformation of the recording paper (a bundle) is reduced. Therefore, the recording arm (a bundle) can be reliably pressed against the support surface 188 by the pressing arm 73.

  Further, the bypass tray 71 is provided with a feed roller 75 that is rotatably supported by the feed arm 76, so that the feeding is performed according to the thickness of the bundle of recording papers supported by the support surface 188 of the bypass tray 71. The arm 76 rotates and the feeding roller 75 comes into contact with the uppermost recording sheet in the stack of recording sheets.

  When the recording paper 100 is inserted along the support surface 188 of the bypass tray 71, the leading end of the recording paper 100 first comes into contact with the surface 53 of the pressing arm 73 at the first position, and the feeding roller 75 and the support surface To 188.

  In addition, the recording paper (bundle) supported on the support surface 188 of the bypass tray 71 by the lower surface 50 </ b> A of the pressing arm 73 at the second position is on the support surface 188 side downstream of the feed roller 75 in the feed direction 87. Since the sheet is pressed, the possibility of double feeding of the recording sheets is lower than that in the state where the recording sheets (bundle) are pressed to the support surface 188 side only by the feeding roller 75.

  Further, since the pair of pressing arms 73 are arranged with the feeding roller 75 sandwiched in the left-right direction 9, the recording paper 100 is pressed to the support surface 188 side by the pressing arms 73 on both sides of the feeding roller 75. Thereby, the possibility that the recording paper 100 is skewed is low.

  Further, since the rotation shaft 66 of the pressing arm 73 and the feeding arm 76 is the same, the configuration of the multifunction machine 10 is simplified.

[Modification]
In the embodiment described above, the upper end surface 91 of the projecting piece 90 does not protrude upward from the support surface 188, but the upper end surface 91 may protrude to the support surface 188. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 12, the upper end surface 91 of the projecting piece 90 is positioned on the same virtual plane 6 (a plane along the left-right direction 9 and the feeding direction 87) as the support surface 188. Also good. By being supported by the upper end surface 91 of the projecting piece 90, the leading end of the recording paper 100 inserted along the support surface 188 of the bypass tray 71 does not enter the recess 46. Also in this case, as shown in FIG. 9, the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 may include a groove 93, and the protruding piece 90 may be configured to enter the groove 93.

  In the above-described embodiment, one protrusion 90 is provided in each recess 46, but two or more protrusions 90 may be provided in each recess 46. Corresponding to such a plurality of projecting pieces 90, a plurality of grooves 93 in the other end 50 of the pressing arm 73 are also provided. Further, the protruding piece 90 is not necessarily arranged at the center in the left-right direction 9 of the recess 46.

  In the above-described embodiment, the feeding device 70 is a device that feeds the recording paper supported by the bypass tray 71, but the feeding device 70 is a recording paper supported by the feeding tray 20. It may be a device for feeding.

  In the above-described embodiment, the feeding device 70 is provided in the printer unit 11. However, the device 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.

10 Multifunction machine (image recording device)
24 recording unit 35 optical sensor (detection unit)
46 Concave portion 47 First inclined surface (bottom surface)
49 One end (first end)
50 Other end (second end)
52 Torsion spring (biasing member)
53 (Guide)
66 Rotating shaft 70 Feeding device 73 Pressing arm 75 Feeding roller (feeding unit)
76 Feeding arm (feeding part)
90 Projection piece 91 Upper end surface (tip surface)
93 Groove 185 Fixed support part (support part)

Claims (10)

A support portion having a support surface for supporting the sheet;
A feeding unit that feeds the sheet supported by the support surface in a feeding direction;
A recess provided in the support surface;
The first end is farther from the support surface than the second end on the opposite side of the first end in the longitudinal direction, and is separated from the support surface. An arm that is rotatable about an end as a rotation tip side, and that rotates to a first position where the second end enters the recess and a second position where the second end exits the recess;
A detection unit that detects the arm at one of the first position and the second position;
In the recess, the feeding device is provided with a projecting piece extending along the feeding direction and projecting from the bottom surface of the recess toward the support surface.   The feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the arm has a groove on the second end side into which the protruding piece can enter at the first position.   The feeding device according to claim 1, further comprising a biasing member that biases the arm toward the first position.   The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the protruding piece is disposed at a center in a left-right direction orthogonal to the feeding direction in the concave portion.   The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a tip end surface of the projecting piece is located on the same virtual plane as the support surface.   The feeding unit includes a feeding roller, and a feeding arm that rotatably supports the feeding roller at one end, and is rotatable about the other end. The feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. In the arm at the first position, a guide surface that is a portion that does not enter the recess and faces the support surface is located upstream of the feeding roller in the feeding direction,
The feeding device according to claim 6, wherein in the arm at the second position, the second end of the arm is located downstream of the feeding roller in the feeding direction.   The feeding device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a pair of the arms are provided, and are arranged with the feeding roller interposed therebetween in a direction orthogonal to the feeding direction and along the support surface.   The feeding device according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein a center of a rotation axis of the arm and the feeding arm is the same. A feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
An image recording apparatus comprising: a recording unit that records an image on a sheet fed by the feeding roller.

Images