JP2022117217A - Feeding tray and image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress the damage of a roll medium due to a pair of rollers.SOLUTION: An image recording device is equipped with a feeding tray 1 that can store a roll body R winding paper in a roll-shape, and has a pair of returning rollers 18 and 19 for nipping and carrying roller paper Rp that is paper unwound from the roll body R, and a moving mechanism 9 that moves the one returning roller 19 of the pair of returning rollers 18 and 19 between a nip position and a release position where the nip pressure of the pair of returning rollers 18 and 19 is smaller than that at the nip position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to a feeding tray and an image recording apparatus capable of accommodating a roll body in which a sheet medium is wound in a roll shape.

Patent Document 1 discloses a facsimile (image recording apparatus) equipped with a paper feed cassette (feed tray) that can be detachably attached to a facsimile body and can accommodate a roll body in which long paper is wound in a roll shape. disclosed. In such a facsimile machine, roll paper (roll medium), which is paper unwound from a roll, is set on transport rollers.

JP-A-2-264556

When the user sets the roll medium on the pair of rollers or when the user unwinds the roll medium nipped by the pair of rollers, the roll medium may be bent or torn and damaged.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a feed tray and an image recording apparatus capable of suppressing damage to a roll medium caused by a pair of rollers.

The feeding tray of the present invention can accommodate a roll body in which a sheet medium is wound in a roll shape, and is for nipping and conveying the roll medium, which is the sheet medium unwound from the roll body. a pair of rollers; and a moving mechanism for moving the pair of rollers between a nip position and a release position where the nip pressure by the pair of rollers is smaller than the nip position.

The image recording apparatus of the present invention can accommodate a roll body in which a sheet medium is wound in a roll shape, and has a nipping mechanism for conveying the roll medium, which is the sheet medium unwound from the roll body. A feed tray having a pair of rollers, a feed roller for feeding the roll medium from the feed tray, and an image on the roll medium fed by the feed roller and sent out from the feed tray. and a moving mechanism for moving the pair of rollers between a nip position and a release position where the nip pressure by the pair of rollers is smaller than the nip position.

According to the feeding tray and the image recording apparatus of the present invention, by positioning the pair of rollers at the release position, it is possible to suppress damage to the roll medium caused by the pair of rollers.

1 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of a printer according to a first embodiment of the invention; FIG. 4 is a top view of the feed tray attached to the printer; FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view along line III-III of the feed tray shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining the operation of the rotation mechanism, in which (a) shows a state in which the feed tray is in the inner position, and (b) shows a state in which the feed tray is being moved from the inner position to the outer position; (c) shows the state in the middle of moving the feed tray from the outer position to the inner position. 4A is a side view of the holder shown in FIG. 3, where (a) shows a state where the return roller is at the nip position, and (b) shows a state where the return roller is at the release position; FIG. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing how the feed tray and the housing move relative to each other, in which (a) is a state in which the feed tray is in the inner position, and (b) is a state in which the feed tray is in the inner position and the outer position; In between, (b) shows the feed tray in the outward position. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a state in which a feed tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention is attached to a printer; 8A and 8B are diagrams showing the state of relative movement between the feed tray and the housing shown in FIG. 7, where (a) is a state where the feed tray is in the inner position, and (b) is when the feed tray is not in the inner position; Indicates status. 8A and 8B are diagrams showing a feeding tray according to a third embodiment of the present invention, in which (a) shows a state in which the return roller is at the nip position, and (b) shows a state in which the return roller is at the release position;

<First Embodiment>
A printer 100 (image recording apparatus of the invention) according to a first preferred embodiment of the invention will be described below with reference to FIG. Note that the up-down direction, front-back direction, and left-right direction shown in FIG.

(Overall Configuration of Printer 100)
The printer 100 includes a housing 100a, a feeding mechanism 3, a conveying mechanism 4, a cutter 5, a head 6 (corresponding to the "recording unit" of the present invention), a paper discharge tray 7, a rotating mechanism 8 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). ), a moving mechanism 9 (see FIG. 3), and a control unit 10 . The feeding mechanism 3 has a feeding tray 1 , a feeding roller 2 and a separating piece 31 .

The feed tray 1 is detachable from the lower portion of the housing 100a. The feed tray 1 is arranged below the head 6 in the housing 100a. The discharge tray 7 is arranged in front of the head 6 and above the feed tray 1 in the housing 100a. The feeding tray 1 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100a along the front-rear direction through an opening 101 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a. The discharge tray 7 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100a along the front-rear direction through an opening 102 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a.

The feed tray 1 can accommodate both the cut paper Kp and the roll body R. The roll body R is a roll of paper longer than the cut paper Kp wound around the outer peripheral surface of a cylindrical core member Rc. Paper is an example of sheet media. The cut paper Kp is a paper cut into a standard size, and in this embodiment, the cut paper Kp is an A4 size paper. The feed tray 1 is provided with a pair of return rollers 18 and 19 for nipping the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R and conveying it in the direction of rewinding it to the roll body R, as will be described later. . The rotating mechanism 8 is for rotating the return roller 18 . The moving mechanism 9 is for moving the return roller 19 . Specific configurations of the rotating mechanism 8 and the moving mechanism 9 will be described later.

The feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper Rp or the cut paper Kp unwound from the roll body R from the feed tray 1 . In the following description, the cut paper Kp and the roll paper Rp are referred to as "paper P" when not distinguished from each other.

The feeding roller 2 is pivotally supported at the tip of the arm 2b, and is rotated by being driven by a feeding motor (not shown). The arm 2b is rotatably supported by the support shaft 2c. The arm 2b is urged by an urging member (not shown) so that the feeding roller 2 approaches the bottom surface 12 of the feeding tray 1. As shown in FIG. When the feeding motor is driven under the control of the control section 10, the feeding roller 2 rotates, and the sheet P in contact with the feeding roller 2 is imparted with a conveying force in the direction from the front to the rear. As a result, the sheet P is sent out from the feed tray 1 . In addition, the arm 2b is configured to be retractable upward when the feeding tray 1 is attached to and detached from the housing 100a.

The separation piece 31 is for preventing double feeding when feeding the cut paper Kp from the feed tray 1 . The separating piece 31 is positioned downstream of the feeding tray 1 with respect to the direction in which the paper P is fed by the feeding roller 2 (the direction from the front to the rear; hereinafter simply referred to as the “feeding direction”). ing. The separation piece 31 is inclined such that the rear end is positioned higher than the front end. The sheet P sent from the feed tray 1 and brought into contact with the separation piece 31 is guided obliquely upward.

The transport mechanism 4 has an intermediate roller pair 41 , a transport roller pair 42 , a paper discharge roller pair 43 and guide members 44 . The intermediate roller pair 41 is composed of a drive roller that rotates when driven by an intermediate motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the drive roller. When an intermediate motor (not shown) is driven under the control of the control unit 10, the intermediate roller pair 41 rotates while nipping the paper P to convey the paper P. As shown in FIG. The intermediate roller pair 41 is positioned above the separating piece 31 . The intermediate roller pair 41 nips and conveys the sheet P, which is guided obliquely upward by the separating piece 31 after being fed out from the feeding tray 1 by the feeding roller 2 . The guide member 44 is positioned above the intermediate roller pair 41 . The guide member 44 guides forward the paper P conveyed upward by the intermediate roller pair 41 .

The conveying roller pair 42 is composed of a driving roller that rotates when driven by a conveying motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates together with the driving roller. The paper discharge roller pair 43 is composed of a drive roller that rotates when driven by a paper discharge motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the drive roller. When a transport motor and a paper discharge motor (not shown) are driven under the control of the control unit 10, the transport roller pair 42 and the paper discharge roller pair 43 rotate while nipping the paper P to convey the paper P. FIG. The transport roller pair 42 is positioned behind the head 6 , and the discharge roller pair 43 is positioned in front of the head 6 . The transport roller pair 42 transports the sheet P forward while nipping the sheet P guided forward by the guide member 44 . The paper discharge roller pair 43 conveys the paper P forward while nipping the paper P conveyed forward by the conveying roller pair 42 .

The cutter 5 is positioned between the separating piece 31 and the intermediate roller pair 41 . The cutter 5 is composed of, for example, a disk-shaped rotating blade and a driven blade. Moreover, the cutter 5 may consist of a rotary blade and a fixed blade. The cutter 5 is driven by a cutting motor (not shown) to rotate a rotary blade and reciprocate in the horizontal direction. The roll paper Rp unwound and transported from the roll body R is cut in the width direction of the roll paper Rp by the cutter 5 by driving the cutting motor under the control of the control unit 10 .

The head 6 includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) formed on the bottom surface and a driver IC (not shown). The head 6 records an image on the paper P that is fed by the feeding roller 2 , sent out from the feeding tray 1 , and transported by the transport mechanism 4 . When the driver IC is driven under the control of the control unit 10, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and when the paper P conveyed by the conveying mechanism 4 passes the image recording position facing the lower surface of the head 6, the ink is applied to the paper P. An image is formed against it. The head 6 may be either a line type in which ink is ejected from nozzles in a fixed position, or a serial type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while moving in the horizontal direction. The paper P on which the image is formed by the head 6 is received by the paper discharge tray 7 .

The control unit 10 is connected to a feed motor, an intermediate motor, a transport motor, a paper discharge motor, a cutting motor, and a driver IC via an internal bus (not shown). The control unit 10 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores programs and data for the CPU to perform various controls. The RAM temporarily stores data used when the CPU executes programs.

(Structure of Feed Tray 1)
Next, the configuration of the feed tray 1 will be described with further reference to FIGS. 2 to 6. FIG. 2, which is a top view of the feed tray 1 attached to the printer 100, the illustration of the cover 16, which will be described later, is omitted for the sake of explanation.

As described above, the feeding tray 1 is configured to be insertable and removable in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 100a. The inner position is the position when the feeding tray 1 is at the rearmost side (downstream side in the feeding direction) in the housing 100a. When the feed tray 1 is in the inner position, the paper P is fed by the feed roller 2 and the image recording becomes possible. The position when the feed tray 1 is on the front side (upstream side in the feed direction) of the inner position and at least a portion of the feed tray 1 is outside the housing 100a is defined as the outer position.

The feed tray 1 has a box shape with an upward opening. A bottom surface 12, which is the upper surface of the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1, has a first surface 12a, a second surface 12b and a third surface 12c. The first surface 12a is a horizontal surface located at the downstream end of the bottom surface 12 in the feeding direction. The feeding roller 2 can come into contact with the first surface 12 a of the bottom surface 12 . The second surface 12b is positioned upstream in the feeding direction from the first surface 12a and is a horizontal surface positioned below the first surface 12a. The third surface 12c is an inclined surface that connects the upstream end of the first surface 12a in the feeding direction and the downstream end of the second surface 12b in the feeding direction.

The feed tray 1 mainly includes a roll body support portion 15 , a cover 16 , a partition plate 17 and a pair of return rollers 18 and 19 .

The roll body support portion 15 supports the roll body R in a posture in which the axial direction thereof coincides with the left-right direction. The roll body support portion 15 has a support table 15a and two rollers 15b and 15c. The support base 15a extends along the left-right direction. The rollers 15b and 15c both extend in the left-right direction and are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The rollers 15b and 15c are both rotatably supported on the upper end of the support base 15a around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. The rollers 15b and 15c support the roll body R from below while being in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll body R. As shown in FIG.

A gap G is formed between the lower surface of the support table 15a and the bottom surface 12 of the feed tray 1. As shown in FIG. The roll paper Rp pulled out from the roll body R passes through the gap G and is pulled out from the front side of the support table 15a to the rear side of the support table 15a.

The cover 16 covers the accommodation space of the roll body R. As shown in FIG. The cover 16 consists of a rear portion 16a covering the rear of the roll R supported by the support base 15a and an upper portion 16b covering the top of the roll R supported by the support base 15a. The rear portion 16a extends in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The upper portion 16b is connected to the upper end of the rear portion 16a and extends in a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction. The cover 16 is rotatable rearward about a rotation shaft 16c extending in the left-right direction located at the lower end of the rear portion 16a. By rotating the cover 16 positioned to cover the roll body R supported by the support base 15a to the rear side, the accommodation space for the roll body R above the support base 15a can be opened.

The partition plate 17 is arranged to face the second surface 12 b of the bottom surface 12 of the feed tray 1 . The partition plate 17 is provided on the downstream side of the roll body support portion 15 with respect to the feeding direction. The partition plate 17 is positioned at its front end and can be rotated up and down around a rotation shaft 17a extending in the left-right direction. The space between the partition plate 17 and the bottom surface 12 of the feed tray 1 serves as a feed path for the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body support portion 15 .

Further, the partition plate 17 can support the plurality of cut sheets Kp placed in a stacked state from below. The cut paper Kp supported by the partition plate 17 is placed across the upper surface of the partition plate 17 and the first surface 12 a of the bottom surface 12 . In this embodiment, the rectangular cut sheet Kp, which is A4 size paper and has short sides and long sides, is placed, that is, fed, on the partition plate 17 so that the short sides are along the feeding direction. It is placed on the feed tray 1 . When the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R is sent out from the feed tray 1 to form an image, the cut paper Kp is removed from the partition plate 17 .

When the cut paper Kp is placed on the partition plate 17, the feed roller 2 contacts the cut paper Kp to feed the cut paper Kp. When the cut paper Kp is not placed on the partition plate 17 and the roll paper Rp is placed on the first surface 12a of the bottom surface 12 of the feed tray 1, the feed roller 2 It contacts the roll paper Rp and feeds the roll paper Rp.

A pair of return rollers 18 , 19 are arranged below the rear portion 16 a of the cover 16 . A pair of return rollers 18 and 19 are arranged vertically. The pair of return rollers 18 is rotatable around a rotating shaft 18a extending in the left-right direction. The return roller 19 is rotatable around a rotating shaft 19a extending in the left-right direction. Of the pair of return rollers 18 and 19, the upper return roller 18 is a drive roller rotated by the rotating mechanism 8 described above. Of the pair of return rollers 18 , 19 , the lower return roller 19 is a driven roller that rotates together with the return roller 18 . The return roller 19 is urged upward by a spring 97 as shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3, both ends of the rotating shafts 18a and 19a of the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 are rotatably supported by side walls 13 and 14 positioned at both left and right ends of the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1, respectively. ing. One end (the left end in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the rotating shaft 18a of the return roller 18 penetrates the side wall 13 and protrudes outside the side wall 13 (the side opposite to the other side wall 14).

Here, the rotation mechanism 8 that rotates the return roller 18 will be described. The rotation mechanism 8 rotates the return roller 18 in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray 1 from the inner position to the outer position. The rotating mechanism 8 includes a rack 81, a roller gear 82, an idle gear 83, a sun gear 84 and planetary gears 85, as shown in FIGS. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rack 81 is arranged in a mechanism housing space 103 provided in a portion of the housing 100a covering the left side of the space in which the feed tray 1 is mounted. The mechanism housing space 103 is open on the side (right side in FIGS. 2 and 3) facing the feeding tray 1 located at the inner position. The rack 81 extends along the feeding direction, and the surface on which a large number of teeth are provided faces upward.

The roller gear 82 is fixed to the rotating shaft 18a of the return roller 18 so as not to rotate relative to it. The roller gear 82 is attached to a portion of the rotating shaft 18 a that protrudes outward from the side wall 13 . The idle gear 83 is supported on the side wall 13 of the feed tray 1 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction, and is positioned outside the side wall 13 . The idle gear 83 is attached to a position downstream of the roller gear 82 in the feeding direction and meshing with the roller gear 82 .

The sun gear 84 is rotatably supported on the side wall 13 of the feed tray 1 around a rotation axis extending in the horizontal direction, and is positioned outside the side wall 13 . The sun gear 84 is attached downstream of the idle gear 83 in the feeding direction. Planetary gear 85 meshes with sun gear 84 . When the sun gear 84 rotates, the planetary gear 85 rotates around the rotation axis of the sun gear 84 while rotating around its own rotation axis along the left-right direction. The rotation range of the planetary gear 85 around the rotation axis of the sun gear 84 is within a range in which the rotation axis of the planetary gear 85 is located above the rotation axis of the sun gear 84 .

2 and 3, the rack 81, the roller gear 82, the idle gear 83, the sun gear 84 and the planetary gears 85 are located in the mechanism housing space 103 of the housing 100a when the feed tray 1 is in the inner position. To position. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4A, the sun gear 84 meshes with the downstream end of the rack 81 in the feeding direction.

Here, the operation of the rotation mechanism 8 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c). When the feeding tray 1 is in the inward position, the planetary gear 85 is located downstream of the idle gear 83 in the feeding direction and does not mesh with the idle gear 83, as shown in FIG. 4(a). positioned. When the sheet feeding tray 1 located at the inner position is pulled out from the housing 100a, the sun gear 84 meshing with the rack 81 rotates clockwise. As a result, the planetary gear 85 rotates counterclockwise around its own rotation axis. At the same time, the planetary gear 85 rotates clockwise around the rotation axis of the sun gear 84 (moves upstream in the feeding direction). As a result, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the planetary gear 85 moves to a position where it meshes with the idle gear 83 located upstream of the planetary gear 85 in the feeding direction.

By subsequently pulling out the feed tray 1 from the housing 100a, the idle gear 83 meshed with the planetary gear 85 rotates clockwise, and the roller gear 82 meshed with the idle gear 83 rotates counterclockwise. As a result, the rotary shaft 18a of the return roller 18 to which the roller gear 82 is fixed rotates counterclockwise. In other words, the driving force is transmitted to the return roller 18 . As the return roller 18 of the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 rotates counterclockwise, the return roller 19 as a driven roller rotates clockwise. As a result, the roll paper Rp nipped between the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 is transported in the direction of rewinding onto the roll body R (the direction opposite to the feeding direction).

When the feed tray 1 pulled out from the housing 100a is inserted into the housing 100a, the sun gear 84 meshes with the upstream end of the rack 81 in the feeding direction. By further inserting the feed tray 1 into the housing 100a, the sun gear 84 meshing with the rack 81 rotates counterclockwise as shown in FIG. 4(c). As a result, the planetary gear 85 rotates clockwise around its own rotation axis. At the same time, the planetary gear 85 rotates counterclockwise around the rotation axis of the sun gear 84 (moves downstream in the feeding direction). Then, the planetary gear 85 moves to a position where it does not mesh with the idle gear 83 located upstream of the planetary gear 85 in the feeding direction. At this time, the driving force is not transmitted to the return roller 18 .

Next, the moving mechanism 9 for moving the return roller 19 will be described. The moving mechanism 9 moves the return roller 19 between the nip position and the release position in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray 1 between the inner position and the outer position. In this embodiment, the release position is a position where the return roller 18 and the return roller 19 are separated, but the release position may be a position where the nip pressure by the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 is smaller than the nip position. Just do it. As shown in FIG. 3, the moving mechanism 9 has a holder 91 that supports the return roller 19, and a projection 104 on which a first cam surface 104a and a second cam surface 104b are formed.

As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the holder 91 is rotatable around a rotating shaft 91a extending in the left-right direction. As the holder 91 rotates, the return roller 19 supported by the holder 91 moves between the nip position and the release position. In the following description, the direction of each part of the moving mechanism 9 is referred to when the holder 91 is at the nip position (the state shown in FIG. 5A) with the return roller 19, unless otherwise specified. It shall be done based on the direction of

The rotating shaft 91a of the holder 91 is provided at the upstream end of the holder 91 in the feeding direction. When the holder 91 is not in contact with a first cam surface 104a, which will be described later, the holder 91 rotates due to its own weight so that the downstream portion of the rotation shaft 91a in the feeding direction moves downward.

The holder 91 is provided in an opening 11a formed in the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1 and extending in the left-right direction, as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b). When the return roller 19 is at the nip position, the upper end of the return roller 19 supported by the holder 91 protrudes above the opening 11a. That is, the upper end portion of the return roller 19 is positioned above the bottom surface 12 that is the top surface of the bottom wall 11 .

The holder 91 supports both ends of the rotating shaft 19 a of the return roller 19 . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 , both ends of the rotating shaft 19 a of the return roller 19 are inserted into openings 91 b formed in the holder 91 . The opening 91b has a vertically elongated shape. Therefore, the rotating shaft 19a can move vertically within the opening 91b. Two springs 97 are arranged in the holder 91 to bias both ends of the rotating shaft 19a of the return roller 19 upward. As shown in FIG. 5A, when the return roller 19 is at the nip position, the rotary shaft 19a resists the biasing force of the spring 97 and is positioned at the lower end of the opening 91b. As shown in FIG. 5B, when the return roller 19 is at the release position, the rotating shaft 19a is positioned at the upper end of the opening 91b.

As shown in FIGS. 5(a) and 5(b), the outer surface of the holder 91 has a lower surface 92a and an inclined surface 92b. The lower surface 92a is a horizontal plane facing downward. The inclined surface 92b is connected to the downstream end of the lower surface 92a in the feeding direction, and is inclined upward toward the downstream side in the feeding direction.

As shown in FIG. 3, the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1 is provided with a groove 11b which opens downward and is formed along the entire length of the bottom wall 11 along the feeding direction. there is The groove 11b intersects with the opening 11a extending in the left-right direction.

A protrusion 104 extending in the feeding direction is provided on a portion of the housing 100a that supports the bottom wall 11 of the feeding tray 1. As shown in FIG. The projection 104 fits into the groove 11b provided in the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the protrusion 104 has a first cam surface 104a and a second cam surface 104b. The first cam surface 104a is a horizontal surface facing upward. The second cam surface 104b is connected to the upstream end of the first cam surface 104a in the feeding direction, and is inclined downward toward the upstream side in the feeding direction. The first and second cam surfaces 104a and 104b and the feed tray 1 move relative to each other by the movement of the feed tray 1 between the inner position and the outer position.

As shown in FIG. 6A, when the feed tray 1 is in the inward position, the projection 104 formed on the housing 100a is positioned above the opening 11a of the feed tray 1 in which the holder 91 is provided. It is located on the upstream side of the direction. At this time, the holder 91 is in a state of being rotated downward, and its lower end portion is positioned within the groove 11b. More specifically, the lower surface 92a and the inclined surface 92b of the holder 91 are positioned within the groove 11b. At this time, the return roller 19 supported by the holder 91 is at the release position.

When the feeding tray 1 in the inner position is pulled out from the housing 100a, the protrusion 104 fitted in the groove 11b enters the opening 11a of the feeding tray 1 at the intersection of the groove 11b and the opening 11a. When the protrusion 104 enters the opening 11a, the lower surface 92a of the holder 91 is pushed by the downstream end of the first cam surface 104a of the protrusion 104 in the feeding direction. As a result, the holder 91 rotates upward. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6B, the lower surface 92a of the holder 91 and the first cam surface 104a come into surface contact, and the holder 91 is supported by the first cam surface 104a. At this time, the return roller 19 supported by the holder 91 is at the nip position.

As described above, the rotation mechanism 8 rotates the return roller 18 in the direction in which the roll paper Rp is rewound in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray 1 from the inner position to the outer position. Therefore, when the feed tray 1 moves from the inner position to the outer position, the return roller 18 rotates in the direction in which the roll paper Rp is rewound by the rotation mechanism 8, and the return roller 19 is nipped by the movement mechanism 9. position. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6A, even if the leading edge of the roll paper Rp cut by the cutter 5 protrudes from the feed tray 1, the feed tray 1 at the inner position can be pulled out. Then, as shown in FIG. 6B, the roll paper Rp is nipped by the pair of return rollers 19 and conveyed in the rewinding direction (direction opposite to the feeding direction).

As shown in FIG. 6(c), the projection 104 formed on the housing 100a is fed to a position downstream in the feeding direction from the opening 11a of the feeding tray 1 in which the holder 91 is provided. When the tray 1 is pulled out from the housing 100a, the holder 91 is no longer supported by the first cam surface 104a. Therefore, the holder 91 is rotated downward. At this time, the return roller 19 supported by the holder 91 moves downward in a direction away from the return roller 18 to reach the release position. In the present embodiment, the position of the feed tray 1 when the protrusion 104 is located downstream of the opening 11a of the feed tray 1 in the feeding direction is the outer position.

When the feed tray 1 located at the outer position is inserted into the housing 100a, the inclined surface 92b of the holder 91 is pushed by the second cam surface 104b of the projection 104. As shown in FIG. As a result, the holder 91 rotates upward. Thereafter, the lower surface 92a of the holder 91 and the first cam surface 104a come into surface contact, and the holder 91 is supported by the first cam surface 104a.

(Effect of the first embodiment)
As described above, the printer 100 of the first embodiment can accommodate the roll body R in which the paper is wound into a roll shape, and nips the roll paper Rp, which is the paper unwound from the roll body R. A feeding tray 1 having a pair of return rollers 18 and 19 for conveying and one return roller 19 of the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 are placed at a nip position and a nip pressure by the pair of return rollers 18 and 19. is provided with a moving mechanism 9 for moving between a release position, which is smaller than the nip position. Therefore, by setting the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 to the release position, damage to the roll paper Rp by the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 can be suppressed.

Further, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 are configured to be rotatable so as to convey the roll paper Rp in the direction of rewinding the roll body R. As shown in FIG. Therefore, by setting the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 to the release position, it is possible to prevent the roll paper Rp from being damaged by the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 when the roll paper Rp is sent out.

Further, the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment includes a rotating mechanism 8 that rotates the return roller 18 of the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 . The feed tray 1 is movable between an inner position within the housing 100a and an outer position outside the housing 100a, and the rotation mechanism 8 moves from the inner position of the feed tray 1 to the outer position. In conjunction with the movement of , the return roller 18 is rotated. After the image is recorded on the roll paper Rp, the leading edge of the roll paper Rp cut by the cutter 5 is projected from the feed tray 1 . In this state, when the feed tray 1 is removed from the housing 100a and the feed tray 1 is remounted in the housing 100a, the leading edge of the roll paper Rp contacts the components in the housing 100a, and the roll paper Rp may bend. In the printer 100 of the present embodiment, when the feed tray 1 is removed from the housing 100a, the return roller 18 is rotated by moving the feed tray 1 from the inner position to the outer position, thereby returning the roll paper Rp. It can be rewound into a roll body R.

In addition, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, the moving mechanism 9 moves the return roller 19 between the nip position and the release position in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray 1 between the inner position and the outer position. move between Therefore, since the return roller 19 moves in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray 1 between the inner position and the outer position, there is no need to move the return roller 19 separately from the attachment/detachment operation of the feed tray 1. Easy to operate, no action required.

Furthermore, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, the moving mechanism 9 brings the return roller 19 to the release position when the feed tray 1 is positioned at the inner position. Therefore, when the roll paper Rp is conveyed in the direction in which the roll body R is unwound with the feed tray 1 positioned at the inner position, the return roller 19 is at the release position. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the transport load of the roll paper Rp due to the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 . As a result, it is possible to suppress an increase in motor torque required for transporting the roll paper Rp, a decrease in printing speed, and deterioration in image quality.

In addition, in the printer 100 of the above-described embodiment, the moving mechanism 9 sets the return roller 19 to the release position when the feeding tray 1 is positioned at the outer position. Therefore, when the roll body R is accommodated in the feed tray 1 and the roll paper Rp is set on the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 with the feed tray 1 positioned at the outer position, the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 can be Since the return rollers 18 and 19 are at the released position, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the roll paper Rp from hitting the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 and bending.

<Second embodiment>
Next, a printer 300 according to a second embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG. The printer 300 of the second embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the configuration of the moving mechanism 209 . Components having the same configuration as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

The moving mechanism 209 is for moving the upper return roller 18 of the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 . A moving mechanism 209 moves the return roller 18 between the nip position and the release position. The moving mechanism 209 has a protrusion 304 provided on the housing 300a.

Two projections 304 are provided on a portion of the housing 300a that supports the bottom wall 211 of the feed tray 201. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, the two protrusions 304 are provided at positions separated from each other in the left-right direction, and both extend along the feeding direction. The protrusion 304 has an upper surface 304a and an inclined surface 304b, as shown in FIGS. 8(a) and 8(b). The upper surface 304a is a horizontal surface facing upward. The inclined surface 304b is connected to the upstream end of the upper surface 304a in the feeding direction, and is inclined downward toward the upstream side in the feeding direction.

As shown in FIG. 7, the feeding tray 201 is provided with two grooves 211b into which the two protrusions 304 are fitted respectively when the feeding tray 201 is inside the housing 300a. Each groove 211b extends from the position where the return roller 18 is arranged in the feeding direction to the downstream end of the feeding tray 201 in the feeding direction. Both of the two grooves 211b are open downward. One of the two grooves 211 b is formed across the bottom wall 211 and the side wall 213 of the feed tray 201 , and the other is formed across the bottom wall 211 and the side wall 214 of the feed tray 201 . ing.

As shown in FIG. 7, both ends of the rotating shaft 18a of the return roller 18 are fitted into openings 213a and 214a formed in side walls 213 and 214, respectively. Both of the openings 213a and 214a have a vertically elongated shape. Therefore, the rotating shaft 18a can move up and down within the openings 213a and 214a. The rotating shaft 18a is biased downward by a spring 297. As shown in FIG. Openings 213a and 214a cross groove 211b.

When the feed tray 1 is in the inward position, the protrusions 304 formed on the housing 300a are positioned at the intersections of the openings 213a and 214a and the grooves 211b. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, the projection 304 enters the openings 213a and 214a into which the rotating shaft 18a of the return roller 18 is fitted, and the rotating shaft 18a is pushed upward by the upper surface 304a of the projection 304. be. The return roller 18 is pushed upward away from the return roller 19 and is in the release position.

When the feeding tray 1 moves from the inner position, the projection 304 moves downstream of the openings 213a and 214a in the feeding direction, as shown in FIG. 8B. At this time, the rotation shaft 18 a of the return roller 18 is no longer pushed upward by the protrusion 304 and is moved downward by the biasing force of the spring 297 . The return roller 18 is at the nip position. In the present embodiment, the position of the feed tray 1 when the projection 304 is located downstream of the openings 213a and 214a of the feed tray 201 in the feeding direction is the outer position. When the feed tray 1 located at the outer position is returned to the inner position, the inclined surface 304b of the projection 304 pushes the rotating shaft 18a of the return roller 18 up to the upper surface 304a.

(Effect of Second Embodiment)
As described above, in the printer 300 of the second embodiment, similarly to the printer 100 of the first embodiment, by setting the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 to the release position, the roll paper is Damage to Rp can be suppressed.

<Third embodiment>
Next, a feed tray 401 according to a third embodiment of the invention will be described with reference to FIG. The feed tray 401 of the third embodiment differs from that of the first embodiment in the configuration of the moving mechanism 409 . Components having the same configuration as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

The moving mechanism 409 is for moving the upper return roller 18 of the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 . A moving mechanism 409 moves the return roller 18 between the nip position and the release position. The moving mechanism 409 is composed of a cover 416 that covers the accommodation space of the roll body R in the feeding tray 401 .

Return roller 18 is supported at the lower end of rear portion 416 a of cover 416 . The cover 416 is rotatable rearward around a rotation shaft 416c that extends in the left-right direction and is positioned above the position where the return roller 18 is supported in the rear portion 416a. The cover 216 can move between a covering position covering the storage space for the roll body R and an opening position for opening the storage space for the roll body R by rotating around the rotating shaft 416c.

As shown in FIG. 8(a), when the cover 416 is in the cover position, the return roller 18 is in the nip position. As shown in FIG. 8B, when the cover 416 moves from the cover position to the open position, the return roller 18 moves away from the return roller 19 to reach the release position.

(Effect of the third embodiment)
As described above, the feed tray 401 according to the third embodiment is configured such that the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 is set to the release position, similarly to the printer 100 according to the first embodiment. Damage to the roll paper Rp can be suppressed.

Further, in the feeding tray 401 of the third embodiment, the moving mechanism 409 moves the cover 416 that is movable between the covering position that covers the accommodation space in which the roll body R is accommodated and the open position that opens the accommodation space. , the return roller 18 is moved in conjunction with . The moving mechanism 409 sets the return roller 18 to the nip position when the cover 416 is at the cover position, and sets the return roller 18 to the release position when the cover 416 is at the open position. Therefore, with the cover 416 in the open position, the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 are required when the roll body R is housed in the feed tray 1 and the roll paper Rp is set on the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 . 19 is at the release position, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the roll paper Rp from hitting the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 and bending. Further, since the return roller 18 moves in conjunction with the movement of the cover 416, there is no need to perform an operation for moving the return roller 18 separately from the opening and closing operation of the cover 416, resulting in good operability.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, it should be considered that the specific configuration is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the scope of the claims rather than the description of the above-described embodiments, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the scope of the claims.

In the first to third embodiments described above, the pair of return rollers 18, 19 moved by the moving mechanism 9 (209, 409) are rotatable so as to convey the roll paper Rp in the direction of rewinding it onto the roll body R. Although described as being a configured roller, it is not so limited. That is, a pair of rollers configured to be rotatable so as to convey the roll paper Rp in the direction of unwinding and sending it out from the roll body R may be moved by the moving mechanism. In the case where the pair of rollers are rollers for feeding, for example, when the user rotates the roll body R to rewind the roll paper Rp nipped by the pair of rollers, the roll paper Rp may be pulled and torn. There is fear. By moving the pair of rollers to the release position by the moving mechanism, damage to the roll paper Rp by the pair of rollers can be suppressed.

In addition, in the above-described first to third embodiments, the case where the rotation mechanism 8 rotates the return roller 18 positioned above the pair of return rollers 18 and 19 has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. . The rotating mechanism 8 may rotate the return roller 19 positioned below.

Furthermore, in the first to third embodiments described above, the rotation mechanism 8 rotates the return roller 18 in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray 1 from the inner position to the outer position. , the mechanism for driving the return roller 18 is not limited to this. For example, the return roller 18 may be rotated by a motor.

The present invention can be applied to general image recording apparatuses provided with a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll body. That is, for example, the present invention can be applied not only to inkjet printers having a head that ejects ink from nozzles, but also to laser printers in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoreceptor with a laser, and a laser printer that exposes a photoreceptor with an LED. It can also be applied to an electrophotographic printer having an LED-type recording unit that forms an electrostatic latent image. Further, the sheet-like medium is not limited to paper, and may be cloth or the like as long as it is in the form of a sheet.

Reference Signs List 1, 201, 401 feeding tray 2 feeding roller 6 head (recording unit)
8 rotating mechanism 9, 209, 409 moving mechanism 18, 19 return roller (roller)
100, 300 Printer (image recording device)
104a first cam surface (cam surface))
304 Protrusion 416 Cover

Claims (16)

a pair of rollers capable of accommodating a roll body in which a sheet medium is wound in a roll shape, and for nipping and conveying the roll medium, which is the sheet medium unwound from the roll body;
A feeding tray comprising a moving mechanism for moving the pair of rollers between a nip position and a release position where the nip pressure by the pair of rollers is smaller than the nip position. . 2. The feed tray according to claim 1, wherein the pair of rollers are configured to be rotatable so as to transport the roll medium in a direction of rewinding the roll body. A feed tray that can accommodate a roll body in which a sheet-like medium is wound into a roll, and has a pair of rollers for nipping and conveying the roll medium that is the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll. When,
a feed roller for feeding the roll medium from the feed tray;
a recording unit that records an image on the roll medium fed by the feeding roller and fed from the feeding tray;
An image recording apparatus, comprising: a moving mechanism for moving the pair of rollers between a nip position and a release position where the nip pressure by the pair of rollers is smaller than the nip position. . 4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the pair of rollers are rotatable so as to convey the roll medium in a direction of rewinding the roll body.
a housing;
a rotating mechanism that rotates one of the pair of rollers,
the feed tray is movable between an inner position within the housing and an outer position outside the housing;
5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rotating mechanism rotates the one roller in conjunction with the movement of the feeding tray from the inner position to the outer position. The moving mechanism moves the pair of rollers between the nip position and the release position in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray between the inner position and the outer position. 6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 5. 7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the moving mechanism sets the pair of rollers to the releasing position when the feeding tray is positioned at the inner position. 8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the moving mechanism sets the pair of rollers to the releasing position when the feeding tray is positioned at the outer position. 9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the moving mechanism sets the pair of rollers to the nip position while the feeding tray moves from the inner position to the outer position. The pair of rollers are arranged vertically,
The moving mechanism moves a lower roller of the pair of rollers in conjunction with the movement of the feeding tray between the inner position and the outer position. The image recording apparatus according to claim 9. The moving mechanism is
a cam surface provided on the housing;
a holder that is provided on the feed tray and supports the lower roller;
The holder can abut against the cam surface, and the cam surface and the feed tray move relative to each other by moving the feed tray between the inner position and the outer position. 11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the image recording apparatus operates by 8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the moving mechanism sets the pair of rollers to the nip position when the feeding tray is not positioned at the inner position. The pair of rollers are arranged vertically,
The moving mechanism moves an upper roller of the pair of rollers in conjunction with the movement of the feeding tray between the inner position and the outer position. 13. The image recording apparatus according to claim 12. The moving mechanism is provided in the housing, and is configured to move the upper roller away from the lower roller of the pair of rollers when the feeding tray is positioned at the inner position. 14. An image recording apparatus according to claim 13, further comprising a projection for pressing against. The feeding tray further has a cover movable between a covering position covering an accommodation space in which the roll body is accommodated and an opening position opening the accommodation space,
The moving mechanism moves the pair of rollers in conjunction with the movement of the cover between the covering position and the open position, and moves the pair of rollers to the nip when the cover is at the covering position. 6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the pair of rollers is set to the release position when the cover is at the open position. The pair of rollers are arranged vertically,
An upper roller positioned above the pair of rollers is supported by the cover,
The cover is positioned above a position supporting the upper roller, and rotates about a rotation shaft parallel to the axial direction of the roller to switch between the covering position and the opening position. 16. The image recording apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the image recording apparatus moves between positions.

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