JP2018065654A - Sheet feeding device and printer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sheet feeding device capable of feeding a paper sheet more completely, and a printer.SOLUTION: A sheet feeding device includes: a cassette which can be inserted into the depth side of the device and can be drawn out to the front side thereof and is loaded with a plurality of paper sheets; an inclined surface for separating the paper sheets with which the cassette is loaded one by one; and a regulation part which can be switched between a regulation position abutting against ends of the paper sheets with which the cassette is loaded, being pushed out to the front side more than the inclined surface, under a state in which the cassette is inserted into the device and a retreat position retreated to the depth side more than the inclined surface. In feeding the paper sheets from the cassette, the regulation part is at the retreat position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet supply apparatus that separates and feeds a plurality of sheet-like media (hereinafter referred to as “sheets”) that are stacked and accommodated one by one, and a printing apparatus including the sheet supply apparatus.

  The printing apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-228688 includes two upper and lower cassettes for stacking and storing sheets, and an inclined surface for separating sheets fed from an arbitrary cassette one by one. Even if a plurality of sheets are overlapped and fed, they are separated by the inclined surface and the topmost sheet is fed.

JP 2012-197183 A

  In the apparatus of Patent Document 1, the sheet left from the topmost sheet when the sheet is fed remains on the inclined surface. Further, when the user vigorously inserts the cassette into the apparatus, some of the sheets stacked on the cassette may flow on the inclined surface. Thus, if a sheet exists on the inclined surface, it will contact a sheet fed from another cassette through the same inclined surface later and cause a feeding failure.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a sheet feeding apparatus and a printing apparatus that can more reliably feed sheets.

  In order to achieve the above object, a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention can be inserted into the back side of the apparatus and pulled out toward the front side, and a cassette on which a plurality of sheets are stacked, and a stack of sheets stacked on the cassette. In the state in which the sheet is separated one by one and the cassette is inserted into the apparatus, a regulation that protrudes to the near side of the inclined surface and abuts on the end of the sheet stacked on the cassette A restricting portion that can be switched between a position and a retracted position that is retracted to the back side of the inclined surface, and when the sheet is fed from the cassette, the restricting portion is set to the retracted position. It is characterized by.

  According to the present invention, a sheet feeding device and a printing device that can feed sheets more reliably than in the past are realized.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printing apparatus provided with a sheet supply device. (A) is a schematic block diagram of cassette vicinity, (b) is a schematic block diagram of the control part vicinity. The schematic block diagram of the cassette and fixing part before fixing to an attachment position. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a control system of the printing apparatus. Explanatory drawing which shows the positional relationship of a control part and an inclined surface. Explanatory drawing which shows the structure centering on the control part provided in the cassette. The flowchart figure which shows the detailed processing content of a feeding process. Explanatory drawing in which the control part of an upper cassette is located in a control position and a retracted position. Explanatory drawing explaining the operation | movement of the control part with respect to the position of the control part in two cassettes, and the fed sheet | seat. The schematic block diagram which shows the modification of a control part. Explanatory drawing explaining the modification using the modification of a control part, and three cassettes.

  Hereinafter, an example of a sheet feeding apparatus and a printing apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram schematically showing main mechanisms of a printing apparatus including a sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention. Further, FIG. 2A shows a schematic configuration diagram in the vicinity of the cassette, FIG. 2B shows a schematic configuration diagram in the vicinity of the restricting portion in the cassette, and FIG. A schematic configuration diagram of the cassette and the mounting unit before being fixed at the mounting position is shown. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of the control system of the printing apparatus.

  The printing apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes cassettes 12a and 12b that stack and store sheets S, and a feeding roller 20 that can feed the sheets S stored in each of the cassettes 12a and 12b. . The cassette 12a is an upper cassette, and the cassette 12b is a lower cassette. In addition, it is good also as a structure which arranges 3 or more steps | paragraphs of cassettes up and down so that it may close as a later modification, In that case, arbitrary two are regarded as an upper cassette and a lower cassette by the upper and lower relationship. In addition, the inclined surface 14a of the separation inclined portion 14 that can separate the sheets S fed by the feeding roller 20 one by one, and the sheet S fed through the inclined surface 14a are printed on the print portion 28 (described later). .) Is provided. Furthermore, a printing unit 28 that performs printing on the sheet S conveyed by the conveying unit 16 and a discharge unit 18 that discharges the sheet S printed by the printing unit 28 are provided. That is, in the printing apparatus 10, the sheet supply apparatus is configured by the cassettes 12 a and 12 b, the separation inclined portion 14 (inclined surface 14 a), and the feeding roller 20. Further, the transport unit 16 and the discharge unit 18 constitute a transport mechanism.

  In this specification, “feed” refers to a sheet S accommodated in cassettes 12a and 12b being fed by a feed roller 20, and the supplied sheet S is a pair of conveyance rollers 22 (described later). )), The sheet S is transferred until it is nipped. “Conveyance” refers to a transfer process until the sheet sandwiched between the conveyance roller pairs 22 and 24 of the conveyance unit 16 is discharged to a discharge tray (not shown) of the discharge unit 18 via the print unit 28. To do.

  More specifically, the conveyance unit 16 is in the vicinity of the inclined surface 14 a of the separation inclined unit 14 and in the vicinity of the conveyance roller pair 22 disposed on one end side of the curved path 26 and the print unit 28. And a pair of conveying rollers 24 disposed on the other end side of the curved path 26. In the transport unit 16, the sheet S fed through the inclined surface 14 a of the separation inclined unit 14 enters the curved path 26 through the transport roller pair 22, and the front and back sides of the cassettes 12 a and 12 b are stacked. Is reversed and conveyed to the conveying roller pair 24. The conveyance roller pairs 22 and 24 are respectively conveyed with conveyance rollers 22a and 24a rotated by the conveyance motors 102 and 104, and are driven and abutted to the conveyance rollers 22a and 24a, and driven rollers that are rotated by the conveyance rollers 22a and 24a. 22b, 24b. In the conveyance roller pairs 22 and 24, the conveyance roller 22a and the driven roller 22b, and the conveyance roller 24a and the driven roller 24b respectively sandwich and convey the sheet S.

  The transport unit 16 is provided with paper end sensors (PE sensors) 30 and 32 for detecting the position of the sheet S. The PE sensor 30 is downstream in the feeding direction (the arrow direction indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1), and is disposed in the vicinity of the conveying roller pair 22, and the leading edge and trailing edge of the fed sheet S. Is detected. Then, based on the detection result by the PE sensor 30, the sheet S is jammed in the feeding path, which is the path through which the sheet S to be fed passes, and the conveyance path, which is the path through which the sheet S is fed, that is, whether a jam has occurred. A determination of whether or not is made. The PE sensor 30 may be included in the sheet supply apparatus. The PE sensor 32 is disposed upstream of the conveyance roller pair 24 in the conveyance direction (the arrow direction indicated by the broken line in FIG. 1), and detects the leading edge and the trailing edge of the conveyed sheet S. Then, based on the detection result by the PE sensor 32, management of the print start position and end position for the sheet S is performed.

  The discharge unit 18 includes a discharge roller pair 34 for discharging the sheet S printed by the print unit 28 to a discharge tray (not shown), and a spur 36 for preventing the conveyed sheet S from being lifted. . The discharge roller pair 34 is disposed on the downstream side of the spur 36 in the conveying direction. The discharge roller 34 is urged by the discharge motor 106 and abutted against the discharge roller 34a, and is rotated by being driven by the discharge roller 34a. And a spur 34b. In the discharge roller pair 34, the discharge roller 34 a and the spur 34 b sandwich and convey the sheet S.

  The print unit 28 is disposed between the transport unit 16 and the discharge unit 18. The sheet S conveyed from the conveyance roller pair 24 of the conveyance unit 16 is sandwiched between the conveyance roller pair 24 on the upstream side and the discharge roller pair 34 on the downstream side to form a flat surface. The printing unit 28 performs printing on the sheet S between the conveyance roller pair 24 and the discharge roller pair 34. That is, the print unit 28 moves in a direction (perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 1) that intersects the conveyance direction (orthogonal in this embodiment) on the upper side of the platen 38 that supports the sheet S to be conveyed. And a carriage 40 that can be arranged. In addition, a print head 42 is mounted on the carriage 40, and the print head 42 is mounted so that the nozzle surface on which nozzles for ejecting ink are formed faces the platen 38.

  In the printing apparatus 10, when the carriage 40 moves, ink is ejected from the nozzles of the print head 42, and an image for one scan is printed on the sheet S. Next, the conveyance motor 104 and the discharge motor 106 drive the conveyance roller pair 24 and the discharge roller pair 34 to convey the sheet S by a predetermined amount in the conveyance direction. As a result, an area where nothing has been printed is located at a position on the sheet S facing the nozzle surface of the print head 42. Thereafter, when the carriage 40 moves, ink is ejected from the nozzles and printing is performed on the area. By repeatedly executing such a series of operations, the printing operation on the sheet S is performed in the printing apparatus 10. The sheet S printed by the printing unit 28 is discharged to the discharge tray of the discharge unit 18.

  The cassettes 12a and 12b are arranged in two vertically upper and lower stages along the feeding direction of the sheet S on which the inclined surface 14a of the separating inclined portion 14 is extended, and each of the cassettes 12a and 12b is stacked and accommodated. . The lower cassette 12b is positioned upstream of the upper cassette 12a in the sheet feeding direction. Each of the cassettes 12a and 12b is guided to the mounting position by the mounting portion 66 and fixed at the mounting position. The mounting position is a position at which the sheet S accommodated in the cassettes 12a and 12b can be appropriately fed by the feeding roller 20. Further, each of the cassettes 12a and 12b can be inserted into the back side and pulled out toward the front side with respect to the printing apparatus 10. That is, when the cassettes 12a and 12b are moved in the pressing direction D1 (that is, the direction in which the cassettes 12a and 12b are inserted into the printing apparatus 10) in the mounting portion 66, they are guided by the mounting portion 66 and fixed at the mounting position. Is done. Further, by moving in the direction opposite to the pushing direction D1 (that is, the pulling direction D2 for pulling out the cassettes 12a and 12b), it is possible to release the fixation and pull out from the mounting position. In addition, a separation inclined portion provided with an inclined surface 14 a capable of separating the sheets S fed by the feeding roller 20 one by one and guiding them to the conveying portion 16 between the cassettes 12 a and 12 b and the conveying portion 16. 14 is disposed.

  In the vicinity of each of the cassettes 12a and 12b, a feeding roller 20 for feeding the accommodated sheet S is disposed. As shown in FIG. 2A, the feed roller 20 includes a drive shaft 44 that is rotated by driving the feed motor 108 and an arm 46 that is rotatably disposed around the drive shaft 44. Yes. Further, a roller 48 rotatably disposed at the tip of the arm 46 and an idler gear 50 that transmits the rotation of the drive shaft 44 to the roller 48 are provided. The arm 46 is always biased in the direction of arrow C (see FIG. 1) by a biasing member (not shown) such as a spring. As a result, the feeding roller 20 rotates to a position corresponding to the stacking height of the sheets S accommodated in the cassettes 12a and 12b, and presses the roller 48 against the uppermost sheet S located on the uppermost side. It will abut. When the feeding motor 108 is driven, the roller 48 rotates in the direction of arrow A via the drive shaft 44 and the idler gear 50, whereby the sheet S is fed in the direction of arrow B.

  Further, the inclined surface 14a of the separating inclined portion 14 is formed to be inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the stacking surface of the sheets S accommodated in the cassettes 12a and 12b. As a result, even when a plurality of sheets S are fed, the front end of the sheet S comes into contact with the inclined surface 14a of the separating inclined portion 14, so that a load (reaction force) opposite to the feeding direction is applied to the sheet S. , Including frictional force). Therefore, the overlapped sheets S are separated by the inclined surface 14 a, and only the sheet S positioned at the uppermost side is fed to the conveying roller pair 22. The inclined surface 14 a extends from the mounting portion 66 of the lower cassette 12 b to the vicinity of the transport portion 16. The mounting portion 66 of the lower cassette 12b is located below the bottom plate 12b-1 of the cassette 12b. That is, the inclined surface 14a of the separation inclined portion 14 is shared by the sheet separation of the cassette 12a and the cassette 12b (that is, separation of sheets fed from the cassettes 12a and 12b).

  Further, the separation inclined portion 14 is composed of one main inclined portion 14-1 and two sub inclined portions 14-2 and 14-3. These are provided with sub-inclined portions 14-2 and 14-3 at predetermined intervals on both sides of the main inclined portion 14-1 along the width direction D3 (the direction intersecting the pushing direction D1 and the drawing direction D2). Has been. An inclined surface S11 is formed on the upstream side in the pressing direction D1 of the main inclined portion 14-1, and inclined surfaces Sl2 and Sl3 are formed on the upstream side in the pressing direction D1 of the sub-inclined portions 14-2 and 14-3, respectively. Is formed. The inclination angles of the inclined surfaces S11, S12, and S13 are formed to be obtuse with respect to the stacking surface of the sheets S so that a predetermined separation resistance can be given to the sheets S fed from the cassettes 12a and 12b. Has been. In addition, the inclined surfaces S11, S12, and S13 are formed on the same plane as each other, and constitute an inclined surface 14a. The main inclined portion 14-1 and the sub inclined portions 14-2 and 14-3 may have the same length in the width direction D3 of the cassette 12a, or the main inclined portion 14-1 may be elongated. Alternatively, the sub inclined portions 14-2 and 14-3 may be lengthened. Moreover, you may make it the main inclination part 14-1 and the sub inclination parts 14-2 and 14-3 become all different length. In addition, about the isolation | separation inclination part 14, although it was comprised from three members, the main inclination part 14-1, sub-inclination part 14-2, and 14-3, one, two, or four or more members You may make it comprise.

  Next, the configuration of the cassettes 12a and 12b will be described in detail. The cassette 12a and the cassette 12b have the same configuration. Accordingly, in the following description, only the configuration of the cassette 12a will be described. As shown in FIG. 2A, the cassette 12a is provided with a pair of guides 43 that can move in conjunction with each other along the width direction D3 of the cassette 12a. With this pair of guides 43, both ends in the width direction D3 can be aligned with the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a, and movement in the width direction D3 can be restricted. Furthermore, the center in the width direction of the cassette 12a and the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a can be matched by the pair of guides 43.

  A guide 45 is disposed upstream of the cassette 12a in the pushing direction D1, and the guide 45 is arranged to be movable in the pushing direction D1 and the drawing direction D2. With this guide 45, the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a can be aligned at the upstream end in the pressing direction D1 according to the length of the pressing direction D1, and is restricted from moving upstream in the pressing direction D1. Can do. Further, on the downstream side in the pressing direction D1 of the cassette 12a, a restricting portion 52 provided with a contact portion 52-2 (described later) standing substantially perpendicular to the bottom plate 12a-1 of the cassette 12a is disposed. Has been. The restricting portion 52 can align the downstream side end Se of the pressing direction D1 (the inclined surface 14a side) with respect to the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a by the contact portion 52-2, and is downstream of the pressing direction D1. The movement to the side can be restricted. Accordingly, before the cassette 12a is inserted into the mounting position, the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a can be prevented from unintentionally moving to the downstream side in the pressing direction D1 and dropping off.

  The restricting portion 52 is arranged to be movable in the pushing direction D1 and the drawing direction D2 on the downstream side of the pushing direction D1 of the cassette 12a. Specifically, the restricting portion 52 includes a base member 52-1, which is movably disposed on the bottom plate 12a-1 of the cassette 12a, and a downstream side (inclined surface 14a side) in the pressing direction D1 of the base member 52-1. ) And an abutting portion 52-2 erected substantially perpendicularly to the bottom plate 12a-1. The contact portion 52-2 includes a contact surface 52-2a facing the end portion Se of the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a. The contact surface 52-2a is as shown in FIG. The sheet S is formed substantially perpendicular (substantially perpendicular) to the stacking surface of the sheets S. Further, the contact surface 52-2a contacts the end portion Se of the sheet S to align the sheet S.

  The restricting portion 52 has notches C1, C2, and C3 formed from the contact portion 52-2 to the base member 52-1. The notches C1, C2, and C3 are fixed to the mounting position of the mounting portion 66, and when the restricting portion 52 moves, the main inclined portion 14-1 and the sub inclined portions 14-2 and 14-3 are It is formed so as not to obstruct the movement. That is, the length L1 in the width direction D3 of the notch C1 is formed longer than the length W1 in the width direction D3 of the main inclined portion 14-1. The length L2 in the width direction D3 of the notch C2 is formed longer than the length W2 in the width direction D3 of the sub-inclined portion 14-2, and the length L3 of the notch C3 in the width direction D3 is the sub-inclined portion 14. -3, and longer than the length W3 in the width direction D3. Therefore, the number of notches formed in the restricting portion 52 is 1, 2, or 4 or more in accordance with the total number of main inclined portions and sub inclined portions.

  The base member 52-1 is a pair formed on the lower side on the downstream side in the pressing direction D 1 of the side wall 12 a-2 of the cassette 12 a on the back surface 12 a-1 a (surface facing the mounting portion 66) side of the bottom plate 12 a-1. The guide groove 54 is slidably disposed. The pair of guide grooves 54 extend along the pushing direction D1 (the drawing direction D2). The base member 52-1 is connected to a pair of urging members 56 (for example, coil springs) whose one end is fixed to the bottom plate 12 a-1. The urging force of the pair of urging members 56 is always urged in the pull-out direction D2. Further, on the back surface 12a-1a, a rotating member 58 that is rotatable about the support shaft 58-2 is disposed on the upstream side in the pressing direction D1 of the base member 52-1, and the rotating member An abutting portion 58-1 that abuts the base member 52-1 is formed on one end side of the 58. The rotating member 58 is always urged in the direction of arrow D by the urging force of an urging member (not shown), and can be rotated in the direction of arrow E against the urging force by a cam 68 (described later). Configured. The rotating member 58 is always urged in the direction of the arrow D. However, on the back surface 12a-1a, the rotating member 58 comes into contact with the protruding portion 51 disposed on the upstream side in the pressing direction D1 of the rotating member 58, and is predetermined. It does not rotate in the direction of arrow D from the position of.

  A plurality of ribs 53 are formed on the back side of the contact surface 52-2a in the contact part 52-2 and on the back surface 52-2b facing the inclined surface 14a. The rib 53 extends in the height direction, is formed so as to gradually become longer in the pressing direction D1 from the lower side to the upper side, and the end surface 53a is inclined with respect to the stacking surface of the sheets S. Note that the inclination angle of the end face 53a substantially coincides with the inclination angle of the inclined face 14a of the separating inclined portion 14. Further, when the cassette 12a is fixed at the mounting position and the abutment surface 52-2a is in a position where the rib 53 is in contact with the downstream end portion 12a-1b in the pressing direction D1 of the bottom plate 12a-1, FIG. As described above, a space having a gap G is formed between the inclined surface 14a of the separation inclined portion 14 and the like. The predetermined interval G is, for example, an interval that does not prevent the sheet S from being fed. Further, when the contact surface 52-2a contacts the end portion 12a-1b, the end portion Se of the accommodated sheet S is aligned and the movement of the sheet S in the downstream direction D1 is restricted. . Therefore, in the following description, the position of the restricting portion 52 that exerts such an effect, that is, the position of the restricting portion 52 that protrudes to the near side of the inclined surface 14a and contacts the end portion Se of the sheet S stacked on the cassette 12a is “restricted”. Referred to as “position”.

  Further, the cassette 12a is provided with a configuration capable of fixing the restricting portion 52. That is, on the back surface 12a-1a of the bottom plate 12a-1, two locking portions 62 are disposed along the width direction D3, and the locking portions 62 extend substantially parallel to the width direction D3. The support shaft 60 is configured to be rotatable. Moreover, the latching | locking part 62 (fixing means) is always urged | biased by the arrow F direction. Furthermore, the latching | locking part 62 is formed so that engagement with the convex part 64 formed in the base member 52-1 when the control part 52 exists in a control position. Thus, the engaging part 62 engages with the convex part 64, whereby the restricting part 52 is fixed to the cassette 12a, and the restricting part 52 cannot move in the pushing direction D1. The mounting portion 66 includes a cam 68 that can come into contact with the other end side of the rotating member 58 when the cassette 12 a is fixed at the mounting position, and a relationship between the locking portion 62 and the convex portion 64. A release rib 70 capable of releasing the joint relationship is provided.

  Due to such a configuration, when the cassette 12a to which the restricting portion 52 is fixed is fixed at the mounting position of the mounting portion 66, the release rib 70 comes into contact with the locking portion 62 and locks as shown in FIG. The part 62 is rotated in the direction of arrow G, and the engagement relationship between the locking part 62 and the convex part 64 is released. Thereby, the fixing of the restricting portion 52 in the cassette 12a is released, and the restricting portion 52 can be moved in the push-in direction D1. At this time, the cam 68 abuts on the other end side of the rotating member 58. Thereafter, the cam 68 is rotated by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction by the cam drive motor 110, whereby the rotating member 58 is rotated in the direction of the arrow E as shown in FIG. 1, the base member 52-1 is pushed out in the pushing direction D1 against the urging force of the urging member 56. Thereby, the control part 52 moves to the pressing direction D1, and the contact surface 52-2a in the contact part 52-2 separates from the edge part 12a-1b of the baseplate 12a-1. As shown in FIG. 5B, the contact surface 52-2a is located on the downstream side in the pressing direction D1 with respect to the inclined surface 14a (inclined surfaces Sl1, Sl2, Sl3) of the separating inclined portion 14, as shown in FIG. Let it be a predetermined length to be positioned. When the contact surface 52-2a is separated from the end portion 12a-1b by a predetermined length, the feeding of the sheet S accommodated in the cassette is not hindered by the restricting portion 52, that is, the feeding of the sheet S is allowed. Will come to be. Therefore, in the following description, such a function and effect are obtained. That is, the position of the restricting portion 52 where the contact surface 52-2a is located behind the inclined surface 14a and the restricting portion 52 is retracted is referred to as “retracted position”. ".

  The cam drive motor 110 is configured such that the cam 68 in the mounting portion 66 where the cassette 12a is mounted and the cam 68 in the mounting portion 66 where the cassette 12b is mounted can be driven separately. Therefore, the cam drive motor 110 may be configured to drive two cams by two drive motors, or can selectively drive one cam by one drive motor as a configuration capable of converting the drive transmission path. It is good also as a structure. The cam drive motor 110 is controlled by a controller 72 described later. That is, in the printing apparatus 10, a mechanism capable of switching the position of the restriction portion 52 between the restriction position and the retracted position is configured by the rotation member 58, the cam 68, the cam drive motor 110, the controller 72, and the like. That is, the mechanism is capable of moving the restricting portion 52 from the restricting position to the retracted position and from the retracted position to the restricting position with respect to the stacking position of the sheets S in the cassette 12a.

  Further, when the restricting portion 52 is in the retracted position, when the cam 68 rotates by a predetermined amount in a predetermined direction, the rotating member 58 rotates in the arrow D direction, and the base member 52-1 moves the biasing member 56. It moves in the drawing direction D2 by the urging force. Thereby, the control part 52 will move in the drawing-out direction D2, and will be located in a control position. When the restricting portion 52 is in the restricting position, when the cassette 12a moves in the pull-out direction D2 and is pulled out from the mounting position, the release rib 70 is separated from the locking portion 62, and the locking portion 62 is in the direction of arrow F. And is engaged with the convex portion 64, and the restricting portion 52 is fixed to the cassette 12a. As described above, the restricting portion 52 is fixed to the cassette 12a by the locking portion 62, so that the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a moves downstream in the pressing direction D1 before and after the cassette 12a is fixed at the mounting position. Can be regulated.

  Note that the overall operation of the printing apparatus 10 is controlled by the controller 72. Here, as shown in FIG. 4, in the printing apparatus 10, control processing of the operation of the printing apparatus 10, data processing, and the like are executed by a microprocessor unit (MPU) 74. The MPU 74 is connected to a ROM 76 storing a predetermined program for executing the entire operation and various processes, and a RAM 78 as a working area in which various registers necessary for executing the program by the MPU 74 are set. In the printing apparatus 10, the controller 72 is configured by the MPU 74, the ROM 76, and the RAM 78.

  The MPU 74 is connected to a host computer 82 via an interface (I / F) 80. The host computer 82 is provided with a printer driver 84 for transmitting various information such as print data when a user instructs execution of a print operation. The MPU 74 exchanges various information such as print data with the host computer 82 via the I / F 80.

  Further, a head driver 86, a carriage motor driver 88, conveyance motor drivers 90 and 92, a discharge motor driver 94, a feed motor driver 96 and a cam drive motor driver 98 are connected to the MPU 74. The head driver 86 is connected to the print head 42 and controls ink ejection and the like in the print head 42. The carriage motor driver 88 is connected to the carriage motor 100 and controls the moving direction and moving speed of the carriage 40. The conveyance motor driver 90 is connected to the conveyance motor 102 and controls the rotation of the conveyance roller 22a to control the conveyance direction and conveyance speed of the sheet S. The transport motor driver 92 is connected to the transport motor 104 and controls the rotation of the transport roller 24a to control the transport direction and transport speed of the sheet S. The discharge motor driver 94 is connected to the discharge motor 106 and controls the rotation of the discharge roller 34a to control the conveyance direction and conveyance speed of the sheet S. The feeding motor driver 96 is connected to the feeding motor 108 and controls the rotation of the roller 48 in the feeding roller 20 to control the feeding timing and feeding speed of the sheet S. The cam drive motor driver 98 is connected to the cam drive motor 110 and controls the rotation of the cam 68 to control the movement of the restricting portion 52.

  With the above configuration, when a printing operation is started in the printing apparatus 10 based on a user instruction, information related to printing is generated based on various information such as print data output from the host computer 82 together with the instruction. The Thereafter, the feeding process of the sheets S accommodated in the cassettes 12a and 12b as print targets is started based on the information related to printing. The cassettes 12a and 12b are fixed to the mounting positions of the mounting portions 66 by the user as shown in FIG. At this time, in the cassettes 12a and 12b, the restricting portion 52 is positioned at the restricting position, and the movement of the accommodated sheet S is restricted by the pair of guides 43, the guide 45, and the contact portion 52-2 of the restricting portion 52. Has been.

  Here, FIG. 7 shows a flowchart showing the detailed contents of the feeding process. In this feeding process, first, it is determined whether or not the sheet S to be fed is stored in the cassette 12a (step S702). That is, in step S702, it is determined whether the sheet S to be fed is stored in the cassette 12a or the cassette 12b based on the information regarding printing. If the sheet S to be fed is accommodated in the cassette 12b, it is determined that the sheet S to be fed is not accommodated in the cassette 12a. If it is determined in step S702 that the sheet S to be fed is stored in the cassette 12a, the restricting portion 52 of the cassette 12a is moved to the retracted position (step S704). That is, in step S704, the cam drive motor 110 is driven to rotate the cam 68 in the mounting portion 66 on which the cassette 12a is mounted, and the restricting portion 52 in the cassette 12a is moved in the push-in direction D1. As shown in (b), it moves to the retracted position. As a result, as shown in FIG. 8B, the contact surface 52-2a is located downstream of the inclined surface 14a (inclined surfaces S11, S12, S13) in the pressing direction D1, and the sheet S to be fed is fed. Can come into contact with the inclined surface 14a without coming into contact with the contact surface 52-2a. Thereafter, the sheet S stored in the cassette 12a is fed by the feeding roller 20 (step S706), and the process proceeds to step S712 to be described later. In step S706, time counting is started at the timing when the feeding roller 20 is driven.

  If it is determined in step S702 that the sheet S to be fed is not stored in the cassette 12a, the restricting portion 52 of the cassette 12b is moved to the retracted position (step S708). That is, in step S708, the cam drive motor 110 is driven to rotate the cam 68 in the mounting portion 66 where the cassette 12b is mounted, and the regulating portion 52 in the cassette 12b is moved in the push-in direction D1. As shown in (b), it moves to the retracted position. As a result, the contact surface 52-2a is positioned downstream of the inclined surface 14a (inclined surfaces S11, S12, and S13) in the pressing direction D1, and the fed sheet S contacts the contact surface 52-2a. It can come into contact with the inclined surface 14a without contact. Thereafter, the sheet S stored in the cassette 12b is fed by the feeding roller 20 (step S710), and the process proceeds to step S712 to be described later. In step S710, time counting is started at the timing when the feeding roller 20 is driven.

  Here, when the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12b is fed, the regulating portion 52 in the cassette 12a located on the downstream side in the feeding direction with respect to the cassette 12b is regulated as shown in FIG. In position. For this reason, the rib 53 provided in the restriction portion 52 guides the sheet S fed on the inclined surface 14a, and the restriction portion 52 does not disturb the feeding of the sheet S from the cassette 12b. On the other hand, in the cassettes 12a and 12b, the sheet S fed by the feeding roller 20 is moved to the inclined surface 14a by moving the regulating portion 52 to the retracted position before feeding the sheet S by the feeding roller 20. Can be separated one by one by touching. However, as shown in FIG. 9B, when a plurality of sheets S are fed in a superimposed manner, the feeding roller feeds only the sheet S positioned on the uppermost side by the inclined surface 14a. About S, it remains in the inclination surface 14a vicinity.

  In step S <b> 712, it is determined whether or not the front end is detected by the PE sensor 30. That is, in step S712, it is determined whether or not the tip portion has been detected by the PE sensor 30 before the time when the count is started in step S706 or S710 reaches a predetermined time. In this determination process, if it is determined that the leading end has been detected by the PE sensor 30 within a predetermined time, it is determined that the leading end has been detected by the PE sensor 30. If the PE sensor 30 determines that the leading end has not been detected within a predetermined time, the PE sensor 30 determines that the leading end has not been detected. The predetermined time is, for example, a time during which it can be determined that the sheet is not properly fed by the feeding roller 20.

  If it is determined in step S712 that the PE sensor 30 has not detected the leading end, it is determined that a jam has occurred in the feeding path, and the judgment result is notified (step S714). finish. Note that in step S714, a notification is sent to the user to recognize the determination result. Further, the time when the counting is started at the timing when the feeding roller 20 is driven is reset. If it is determined in step S712 that the front end is detected by the PE sensor 30, it is determined whether the rear end is detected by the PE sensor 30 (step S716). That is, in step S716, it is determined whether or not the rear end portion has been detected by the PE sensor 30 before the time when the counting is started in step S706 or S710 reaches a predetermined time. When it is determined that the rear end portion has been detected by the PE sensor 30 within a predetermined time, it is determined that the rear end portion has been detected by the PE sensor 30. If the PE sensor 30 determines that the rear end has not been detected within a predetermined time, the PE sensor 30 determines that the rear end has not been detected. Note that the predetermined time in step S716 is different from the time used in the determination in step S712, for example, a time during which it can be determined that the sheet S is not properly conveyed by the conveyance roller pair 22.

  If it is determined in step S716 that the rear end portion has not been detected by the PE sensor 30, it is determined that a jam has occurred in the transport path, and the determination result is notified (step S718), and the feeding process is terminated. To do. In step S718, a notification for making the user recognize the determination result is given. Further, the time when the counting is started at the timing when the feeding roller 20 is driven is reset. If it is determined in step S716 that the rear end portion is detected by the PE sensor 30, the restricting portion 52 moved to the retracted position in step S704 or step S708 is moved to the restricting position (step S720). That is, in step S720, for example, when the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a has been fed, the cam drive motor 110 is driven to rotate the cam 68 in the mounting portion 66 where the cassette 12a is mounted. To do. As a result, the restricting portion 52 in the cassette 12a moves in the pull-out direction D2, and moves to the restricting position as shown in FIG. Further, the time when the counting is started at the timing when the feeding roller 20 is driven is reset.

  By this step S720, the sheet S that has been transferred and overlapped with the fed sheet S and remains in the vicinity of the inclined surface 14a is regulated by the regulating unit 52 as shown in FIGS. Along with the movement to the position, the contact surface 52-2a is pressed in the drawing direction D2. When the restricting portion 52 moves to the restricting position, the downstream end (inclined surface 14a side) end of the sheet S or the like that has been transferred to the vicinity of the inclined surface 14a is the end of the stacked sheets S. Aligned to Se. Thus, in the feeding process, the sheet S is always fed from the same position in the pressing direction D1, and a stable feeding operation is possible. In step S720, the restricting portion 52 that has moved to the retracted position when the sheet S is fed is returned to the restricting position. For this reason, even if the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12b is fed after the sheet S accommodated in the cassette 12a is fed, the feeding of the sheet S is not hindered.

  Next, it is determined whether or not there is a sheet S to be fed (step S722). That is, in step S722, it is determined whether there is a sheet S to be fed based on the information regarding printing. If it is determined in step S722 that there is a sheet S to be fed, the process returns to step S702, and the subsequent processing is executed. If it is determined in step S722 that there is no sheet S to be fed, the feeding process is terminated.

  As described above, the printing apparatus 10 can move in the pressing direction D1 and the drawing direction D2 downstream of the pressing direction D1 located in the vicinity of the inclined surface 14a of the separating inclined portion 14 in the cassettes 12a and 12b. A restriction unit 52 is provided. When the sheet S is not fed, the restricting portion 52 abuts the end portion Se on the downstream side (inclined surface 14a) of the sheet S in the pressing direction D1, aligns the end portion Se, and downstream of the pressing direction D1 of the sheet S. It is located at a restricting position that restricts movement to the. Further, when feeding the sheet S, the restricting portion 52 moves to a position (retracted position) that does not obstruct (allow) the feeding of the sheet S stored in the cassette including the restricting portion 52. Yes. Thus, in the printing apparatus 10, when the feeding of the sheet S is finished, the downstream end of the sheet S that has been carried on the inclined surface 14a and the sheet S that has been transported to the vicinity of the inclined surface 14a at the time of feeding is located on the downstream side. , The end portions Se of the sheets S stacked on the cassettes 12a and 12b are aligned. As a result, there is no problem that the next sheet S cannot be fed by the sheet S riding on the inclined surface 14a or the sheet S transferred to the vicinity of the inclined surface 14a. Furthermore, the sheet S can always be fed from the same position in the pressing direction D1, and a stable feeding operation can be performed.

  Further, the printing apparatus 10 is configured to move only the regulating unit 52 without moving the cassettes 12a and 12b for feeding the sheet S. For this reason, it is not necessary to secure a large installation area as compared with the conventional technique in which the entire cassette that accommodates the sheet S is moved. Further, when the member to be moved is moved by the moving mechanism, the printing apparatus 10 has a smaller member and a smaller driving force for moving the member than the conventional technique. Thereby, even if the printing apparatus 10 is increased in size, the moving mechanism can be configured with an inexpensive and relatively simple configuration.

  Furthermore, when the restricting portion 52 is at the restricting position where the end portions Se of the sheets S are aligned, a space is formed between the contact portion 52-2 and the inclined surface 14a in the restricting portion 52. As a result, even if the sheet S is fed from the cassette 12b located upstream in the feeding direction, the regulation unit 52 is in the regulation position in the cassette 12a located downstream in the feeding direction, so that feeding is disturbed. It will not be done. Accordingly, when feeding sheets stored in a predetermined cassette, it is not necessary to move other cassettes, and the user's work is reduced. The abutment portion 52-2 is formed with a rib 53 having an inclination angle at which the end surface 53a substantially coincides with the inclined surface 14a. Thus, when the restricting portion 52 is located at the restricting position, the sheet S fed on the inclined surface can be guided by the rib 53, and the sheet S can be fed smoothly.

  The embodiment described above may be modified as shown in the following (1) to (5).

  (1) The restricting unit 52 may have any configuration as long as the following condition is satisfied. That is, Condition 1: The end portions Se of the sheets S accommodated in the cassette are aligned, and the movement of the sheets S in the pressing direction D1 can be restricted. Condition 2: When the sheet is in a position satisfying Condition 1, it does not interfere with the transfer of the sheet S fed from another cassette. Condition 3: A position that satisfies Condition 1 and a position that does not interfere with the transfer of the sheet S fed from the cassette in which the restricting portion is disposed can be selectively changed.

  Hereinafter, a specific modification of the restricting portion 52 will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description, it is assumed that a restricting portion 152 that is a modification of the restricting portion 52 is disposed in the cassette 12a. The restricting portion 152 shown in FIG. 10 is fixedly disposed on the support shaft 112 extending along the width direction D3 in the vicinity of the downstream end portion in the pressing direction D1 of the cassette 12a. Note that both ends of the support shaft 112 are rotatably supported by the side wall 12a-2 of the cassette 12a. Further, the restricting portion 152 is always urged in the direction of the arrow H. And this control part 152 can selectively change a control position and a retracted position with the cam 114 arrange | positioned by the side surface 14-2a of the sub inclination part 14-2. The cam 114 is controlled by the cam drive motor 110 and is rotated only in the arrow J direction.

  That is, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), the cam 114 rotates and comes into contact as shown in FIG. 10 (b) from the position where the cam 114 does not contact the contact portion 152-1 provided in the restricting portion 152. When contacting the part 152-1, the restricting part 152 rotates in the direction of the arrow K and moves from the restricting position to the retracted position. Thereby, the sheet S stored in the cassette 12a can be fed. Further, when the cam 114 further rotates and moves away from the contact portion 152-1, the restricting portion 152 rotates in the arrow H direction and moves from the retracted position to the restricting position.

  The cam 114 may be provided on at least one of both end faces in the width direction of the separation inclined portion 14. That is, the cam 114 may be provided on the side surface 14-3a of the auxiliary inclined portion 14-3, or may be provided on the side surfaces 14-2a and 14-3a. Further, a mechanism for rotating the restricting portion 152 may be provided on the cassette 12a side. The rotation mechanism is not limited to a configuration using a cam, and may be configured using a gear, a belt, or the like.

  (2) As shown in FIG. 11B, the printing apparatus 10 may have three cassettes so that printing can be performed on the sheets S accommodated in the three cassettes. Further, a plurality of four or more cassettes may be arranged so that printing can be performed on the sheets S accommodated in these cassettes. In addition, when a large number of cassettes are provided and the sheet S cannot be fed to the conveying unit 16 by the feeding roller 20 alone, the sheet S on the inclined surface 14 a is fed between the feeding roller 20 and the conveying roller pair 22. A feeding roller for feeding may be provided. Furthermore, the printing apparatus 10 may include one cassette so that printing can be performed on the sheets stored in the cassette. Furthermore, the restricting portion 52 may not be fixed to the cassettes 12a and 12b without providing the locking portion 62. In this case, the restricting portion 52 does not have a function of restricting the movement of the sheet S in the downstream direction D1 (inclined surface 14a), and the end portion Se of the sheet S in the pressing direction D1 (inclined surface 14a). It has only the function to arrange. Further, the cassettes 12a and 12b may be fixedly arranged in the printing apparatus 10. In this case, for example, a portion that can be opened and closed is provided in the cassettes 12a and 12b, and the sheet S is placed inside the cassette 12a and 12b. Will be housed.

  (3) The contact surface 52-2a of the restricting portion 52 may be inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the stacking surface of the sheets S as shown in FIG. Further, the ribs 53 may not be provided on the back surface 52-2b of the contact portion 52-2. In this case, the regulating portion 52 has a space between the back surface 52-2b and the inclined surface 14a in which the sheet S fed from the cassette located on the upstream side in the feeding direction can be fed on the inclined surface 14a. Try to provide it. Further, the rib 53 may have any shape as long as the sheet S fed on the inclined surface 14a does not interfere with the feeding of the sheet S even if it contacts. Furthermore, if the restricting portion 52 is configured to selectively change the restricting position and the retracted position, the restricting portion 52 is disposed on a member other than the cassettes 12a and 12b (for example, the separation inclined portion 14 and the housing). You may do it. Further, the restriction unit 52 may be configured such that the user can change the restriction position and the retracted position.

  (4) The feeding process is not limited to a mode in which the regulation unit is returned to the regulation position every time one sheet is fed. For example, after the predetermined number of sheets S have been fed from the cassette in which the sheets S to be fed are stored, the moved regulation unit 52 may be moved to the regulation position. When the restricting portion 52 is moved to the restricting position after n sheets S have been fed, if it is determined in step S716 that the rear end portion is detected by the PE sensor 30, the rear end is detected by the PE sensor 30. It is determined whether or not the number of times the part has been detected has reached n times. In this determination process, when n times have been reached, the process proceeds to step S720. When n times has not been reached, the process returns to step S712. As another form, when performing continuous printing using a sheet of a cassette, the restricting portion is positioned at the retracted position until feeding of the continuous number of sheets included in one job is completed. You may make it return to a control position. In any form, when the sheet is fed from the cassette, the restricting portion is set to the retracted position. When the sheet feeding is completed, the restricting portion is switched from the retracted position to the restricting position.

  (5) The printing apparatus to which the present invention is applicable is not limited to the so-called serial scan type printing apparatus as in the above-described embodiment. For example, the present invention can also be applied to a so-called full line type printing apparatus that uses a print head capable of ejecting ink across the width direction of a conveyed sheet. Further, the printing method is not limited to the ink jet method and may be another printing method. For example, the present invention can be applied to various printing apparatuses such as a laser printing apparatus and a dot impact apparatus. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to a printing apparatus, and can be widely applied to a conveyance apparatus that can convey a sheet and a sheet supply apparatus that feeds a sheet to a conveyance mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Printing apparatus 12a, 12b, 12c Cassette 14a Inclined surface 20 Feeding roller 52 Control part 52-2a Contact surface 53 Rib 62 Locking part 70 Release rib

Claims (8)

A cassette in which a plurality of sheets can be stacked, and can be inserted into the back side of the apparatus and pulled out toward the front side;
An inclined surface for separating the sheets stacked on the cassette one by one;
In a state where the cassette is inserted into the apparatus, a restricting position where the cassette protrudes to the near side of the inclined surface and abuts against an end of a sheet stacked on the cassette, and a retreat retracted to the far side of the inclined surface. A regulation part that can be switched to a position;
Have
The sheet supply apparatus, wherein when the sheet is fed from the cassette, the restricting portion is in the retracted position.   The sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein after the sheet feeding is completed, the restriction unit is switched from the retracted position to the restriction position.   The restricting portion is provided in the cassette, and has a mechanism for moving the restricting portion with respect to a sheet stacking position in the cassette, and the restricting portion is moved to either the restricting position or the retracted position by the mechanism. The sheet feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding device is switched to A fixing means for fixing the restricting portion at the restricting position;
4. The fixing device according to claim 1, wherein the restricting portion is fixed when the cassette is pulled out from the apparatus, and the fixing means is released when the cassette is inserted into the apparatus. The sheet supply apparatus according to item.   5. The cassette according to claim 1, wherein the cassette includes a lower cassette and an upper cassette, and the inclined surface is provided so as to be shared for sheet separation of the lower cassette and the upper cassette. The sheet supply apparatus according to 1. In a state where both the lower cassette and the upper cassette are inserted into the apparatus,
When feeding the sheet from the lower cassette through the inclined surface, the restricting portion of the lower cassette is the retracted position, and the restricting portion of the upper cassette is the restricting position,
The sheet supply apparatus according to claim 5, wherein when the sheet is fed from the upper cassette through the inclined surface, the restricting portion of the upper cassette is set to the retracted position.   7. The restricting portion of the upper cassette has a shape in which a side facing the inclined surface serves as a guide for a sheet fed from the lower cassette through the inclined surface. The sheet supply apparatus according to 1.   A printing apparatus comprising the sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein printing is performed on sheets fed one by one.