JP2023050334A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To suppress an increase in the size in a conveyance direction of a sheet of an image recording device having a cutting unit.SOLUTION: An image recording device 10 comprises: a first conveyance path 21 and a second conveyance path 22; a PF roller pair 25; an ejection roller pair 26; an inversion roller pair 28; a recording head 37; and a cutting unit 45 which is located between the ejection roller pair 27 and the inversion roller pair 28 in the first conveyance path 21 to cut a recording sheet 16 along the left-right directions 55, 56.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus having a cutting section for cutting a sheet.

2. Description of the Related Art As an image recording apparatus having a cutting section for cutting a sheet, for example, a printing apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 is known. The printing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 includes a transport mechanism that transports a medium along a transport path toward a discharge port formed on the front surface of a housing, and a recording mechanism that performs recording on the medium transported along the transport path. and a cutting mechanism for cutting the medium recorded by the recording unit. The cutting mechanism is located downstream of the recording unit in the medium transport path and near the discharge port.

JP 2015-80873 A

In the above printing apparatus, there is a problem that the size of the apparatus increases in the medium transport direction due to the cutting mechanism. Further, when the above cutting mechanism is employed in a thin image recording apparatus, there is a problem that the size of the apparatus increases in the conveying direction.

An object of the present invention is to prevent an image recording apparatus having a cutting section from increasing in size in the sheet conveying direction.

(1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a housing, a first conveying path formed inside the housing, and positioned in the first conveying path, and conveys a sheet in the first conveying direction. and a second conveying roller pair positioned downstream in the first conveying direction from the first conveying roller pair in the first conveying path and conveying the sheet in the first conveying direction. , formed inside the housing, at a first position downstream of the second conveying roller pair in the first conveying direction and a second position upstream of the first conveying roller pair in the first conveying direction a second conveying path connected to the first conveying path; and a second conveying path located downstream of the first position in the first conveying direction in the first conveying path. a third conveying roller pair that conveys the sheet and reversely conveys the sheet in the second conveying direction; a recording head positioned between the first conveying roller pair and the second conveying roller pair on the first conveying path; a cutting unit located between the second conveying roller pair and the third conveying roller pair in the first conveying path and configured to cut the sheet along a cross direction intersecting with the first conveying direction; Prepare.

Since the cutting portion is positioned between the second conveying roller pair and the third conveying roller pair, the size of the image recording apparatus can be reduced in the first conveying direction.

(2) Preferably, the image recording apparatus is positioned at the first position on the first conveying path, and includes a first guide that guides the sheet conveyed in the second conveying direction to the second conveying path. A member is further provided, and the cutting portion is located downstream of the first guide member in the first conveying direction.

Since the distance between the third conveying roller pair and the first guide member can be increased, the sheet conveyed in the second conveying direction and guided from the first position to the second conveying path by the first guide member is not curved. become smaller. This reduces the sliding resistance of the seat. Moreover, since the distance between the cut portion and the recording head can be increased, the recording material is less likely to affect the cut portion.

(3) Preferably, a first distance along the first conveying direction between a cutting position where the cutting section cuts the sheet and a nip position of the second conveying roller pair is equal to the cutting position and the third conveying roller. greater than a second distance along said first transport orientation with a pair of nip locations.

Even if the sheet moves when the cutting unit cuts the sheet, the sheet is unlikely to come into contact with the recording head.

(4) Preferably, the second conveying path extends downward from the first position, and the cutting section includes a movable blade that moves in the intersecting direction, a fixed blade that extends in the intersecting direction, and the fixed blade is positioned below a first imaginary straight line along the first conveying direction connecting the nip position of the second conveying roller pair and the nip position of the third conveying roller pair. .

When the sheet is conveyed in the first conveying direction, the sheet is less likely to come into contact with the fixed blade.

(5) Preferably, the fixed blade further comprises a second guide member located upstream in the first conveying direction and partitioning at least part of the second conveying path, wherein the fixed blade is , a second imaginary straight line along the second conveying direction connecting the upper end of the second guide member and the nip position of the third conveying roller pair.

When the sheet is conveyed in the second conveying direction, the sheet is less likely to come into contact with the fixed blade.

(6) Preferably, the second guide member is connected to the fixed blade.

The positional accuracy between the second guide member and the fixed blade is good.

(7) Preferably, the image recording apparatus further includes a control section, and the control section rotates the third conveying roller pair forward to transport the sheet along the first conveying path in the first conveying direction. on the condition that the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction is positioned between the upper ends of the first guide member and the second guide member, the third conveying roller pair Switch from forward rotation to reverse rotation.

(8) Preferably, the control section causes the cutting section to cut the sheet nipped by the first conveying roller pair.

(9) Preferably, the image recording apparatus further includes a feed tray positioned below the recording head and supporting the sheet, and the first transport path is formed between the feed tray and the recording head. It is curved between it and the head.

According to the present invention, an image recording apparatus having a cutting section is prevented from becoming large in the sheet conveying direction.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image recording apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the image recording apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the image recording apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 4 is a side view of the cutting section 45 of the image recording apparatus 10. FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the image recording operation. FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically showing the image recording operation. FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically showing the image recording operation. FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically showing the image recording operation. FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically showing the image recording operation.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It should be noted that the embodiment described below is merely an example in which the present invention is embodied, and it goes without saying that the embodiment can be changed as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention. In the following description, the direction in which the opening 13 faces in the printer section 11 is forward 51 , and the opposite direction is backward 52 . The front and rear are combined to be front and rear directions 51 and 52 (an example of the transport direction). Vertical directions 53 and 54 are defined as vertical directions perpendicular to the front-rear directions 51 and 52 . Let the direction orthogonal to the front-back directions 51 and 52 and the up-down directions 53 and 54 be the left-right directions 55 and 56 (an example of a crossing direction). The upward direction of the vertical directions 53 and 54 is defined as an upward direction 53 and the downward direction is defined as a downward direction 54 . When the image recording apparatus 10 is viewed backward 52 , the leftward direction of the left and right directions 55 and 56 is defined as the leftward direction 55 , and the rightward direction is defined as the rightward direction 56 .

As shown in FIG. 1, the image recording apparatus 10 is a multifunction device integrally including a printer section 11 provided at the bottom and a scanner section 12 provided at the top. The image recording apparatus 10 has a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. Note that the image recording apparatus 10 does not necessarily have the scanner unit 12, and may be implemented as a single-function printer that does not have a scan function or a copy function.

The image recording apparatus 10 is mainly used while being connected to an external information device (not shown) such as a computer. The printer unit 11 records an image on the recording paper 16 based on the print data received from the external information device and the image data of the document read by the scanner unit 12 . An operation panel 19 is provided on the front upper portion of the image recording apparatus 10 . The operation panel 19 has a display for displaying various information and an input key for accepting input of information. The image recording apparatus 10 operates based on instruction information input from the operation panel 19 or instruction information transmitted from an external information device through a printer driver, scanner driver, or the like.

The scanner section 12 is positioned above the printer section 11 . The scanner unit 12 is a so-called flatbed scanner. The scanner section 12 has a scanner main body 12a provided above the printer section 11 and a document cover 12b provided above the scanner main body 12a. A platen glass (not shown) on which a document is placed is provided on the upper surface of the scanner main body 12a. An image sensor (not shown) capable of optically reading the image of the document on the platen glass is provided inside the scanner main body 12a. The document cover 12b is provided with an ADF 12c, which is an automatic transport mechanism for picking up and transporting a plurality of documents whose images are to be read one by one.

[Printer unit 11]
The configuration of the printer unit 11 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. In FIG. 2, illustration of the paper feed cassette 14 is omitted for simplification of explanation.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer section 11 has a housing 20 . The housing 20 includes the paper feed cassette 14, the paper feed cassette 15, the recording unit 17, the cutting unit 45, and other functional components. An opening 13 is positioned below the operation panel 19 on the front surface of the housing 20 . The opening 13 is positioned substantially at the center in the left-right direction 55 and 56 on the front surface of the housing 20 . The opening 13 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the left-right directions 55 and 56 . The opening 13 extends from the upper end to the lower end on the front surface of the housing 20 .

The housing 20 has an internal space 20a extending rearward from the opening 13 . The internal space 20a communicates with a first transport path 21, which will be described later. The upper end of the internal space 20 a is defined by an upper wall portion 71 extending rearward 52 from the upper end of the opening 13 . The internal space 20 a extends to the lower end of the housing 20 . The upper wall portion 71 partitions the substrate accommodation space 65 arranged behind the operation panel 19 and the internal space 20a. The substrate accommodation space 65 accommodates a control substrate 66 (an example of a control unit) on which electronic circuits electrically connected to the operation panel 19, recording head 37, sensor 38, rotary encoder, motor drive circuit, etc. are mounted. It is

An opening/closing cover 41 is attached to the right side of the opening 13 on the front surface of the housing 20 . When the opening/closing cover 41 is opened, the cartridge mounting space is opened, and the ink cartridge 40 storing ink (an example of recording material) can be mounted to or removed from the housing 20 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ink cartridge 40 is positioned forward of the recording section 17 in the housing 20 . In this embodiment, four ink cartridges 40 each holding four types of ink of different colors can be attached to the housing 20 . Each ink cartridge 40 supplies ink to the recording head 37 of the recording section 17 through a tube 44 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , a paper feed cassette 14 (an example of a paper feed tray) and a paper feed cassette 15 are attached to the housing 20 while being inserted into the opening 13 . The paper feed cassette 14 and the paper feed cassette 15 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 20 along the front-rear directions 51 and 52 . The paper feed cassette 14 is positioned below the paper feed cassette 15 when attached to the housing 20 . As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed cassette 15 accommodates a plurality of standard-sized recording papers 16 (an example of sheets) in a stacked state. The standard size of the recording paper 16 is A3 size, A4 size, B5 size, etc. of Japanese Industrial Standards. A discharge tray 18 is positioned above the paper feed cassette 15 . The discharge tray 18 supports sheets discharged from the first conveying path 21 . Although two types of paper feed cassettes 14 and 15 are provided in this embodiment, the paper feed cassette 14 may be omitted.

A paper feed cassette 15 holds a plurality of recording papers 16 . The paper feed cassette 15 is formed in a container shape with a part of the rear side (the left side in FIG. 2) of the image recording apparatus 10 being opened. The recording paper 16 is held in a stacked state in the internal space of the paper feed cassette 15 . A discharge tray 18 for the paper feed cassette 15 is formed on the front side of the image recording apparatus 10 (on the right side in FIG. 2). FIG. 2 shows a state in which the paper feed cassette 15 is inserted into the housing 20. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the housing 20 is provided with a transport section 43 that transports the recording paper 16 from the paper feed cassette 15 to the discharge tray 18 along the first transport path 21 . Inside the housing 20 , the first transport path 21 makes a U-turn while curving upward 53 and forward 51 from the paper feed cassette 15 to reach the recording head 37 , and extends forward 51 from the recording head 37 toward the discharge tray 18 . It is a so-called U-turn path that extends straight to. A downstream end of the first transport path 21 communicates with the internal space 20a. The direction from the paper feed cassette 15 to the discharge tray 18 is called a first transport direction 57 . The first transport path 21 includes, from upstream in the first transport direction 57, a PF roller pair 25 (an example of a first transport roller pair), a recording head 37 and a platen 36, a discharge roller pair 27 (an example of a second transport roller pair). ), the cutting section 45, and the reversing roller pair 28 (an example of the third conveying roller pair) are positioned in this order.

Inside the housing 20, a first position 21A upstream of the cutting section 45 and downstream of the discharge roller pair 27 of the first transport path 21 in the first transport direction 57 and the first transport direction 57 of the PF roller pair 25 The second transport path 22 is connected at a second position 21B upstream of the . The second conveying path 22 transports the sheet, which has been conveyed along the first conveying path 21, has undergone image recording on the first side by the recording head 37, and has been conveyed downstream in the first conveying direction 57 by the discharge roller pair 27, to the second conveying path 22. This conveying path is for conveying the sheet upstream in the first conveying direction 57 from the recording head 37 of the first conveying path 21 in order to perform image recording on two surfaces. The second transport path 22 extends downward 54 and backward 52 from the first position 21A, passes above the paper feed cassette 15, and reaches the second position 21B positioned at the curved portion of the first transport path 21. As shown in FIG. The direction from the pair of reversing rollers 28 to the first position 21A and the second position 21B is called a second transport direction 58 .

The paper feed roller 32 is positioned above the paper feed cassette 15 . The paper feed roller 32 is provided at the tip of the arm 33 so as to be rotatable about the lateral directions 55 and 56 as axial directions. A base end of the arm 33 is rotatable around an axis 34 . By rotating the arm 33 , the paper feed roller 32 moves in the direction of contacting and separating from the paper feed cassette 15 . The arm 33 is rotated toward the paper feed cassette 15 by the weight of the paper feed roller 32 . As a result, the paper feed roller 32 comes into contact with the uppermost recording paper 16 among the plurality of recording papers 16 stacked in the paper feed cassette 15 . When the paper feed roller 32 rotates in this state, the uppermost recording paper 16 is fed from the paper feed cassette 15 to the first transport path 21 .

The PF roller pair 25 is positioned near the downstream end of the curved portion of the first transport path 21 in the first transport direction 57 . The PF roller pair 25 is rotatable with the lateral directions 55 and 56 as axial directions. The PF roller pair 25 is rotated by being driven by a motor (not shown). The recording paper 16 sent out by the paper feed roller 32 is sandwiched between the PF roller pair 25 and transported below the recording head 37 in the first transport direction 57 . Although not shown in the drawing, the amount of rotation of the PF roller pair 25 is detected by, for example, a rotary encoder. A detection signal from the rotary encoder is output to the control board 66 .

The discharge roller pair 27 is located downstream of the PF roller pair 25 and the recording head 37 in the first transport direction 57 in the first transport path 21 . The discharge roller pair 27 rotates in synchronization with the PF roller pair 25 by being driven by a motor (not shown). The recording paper 16 transported by the PF roller pair 25 is sandwiched between the discharge roller pair 27 and transported in the first transport direction 57 .

The reverse roller pair 28 is located downstream in the first transport direction 57 from the discharge roller pair 27 and the first position 21A in the first transport path 21 . The reversing roller pair 28 rotates forward or backward when driven by a motor (not shown). The reversing roller pair 28 that rotates forward conveys the sheet sandwiched between the discharge roller pair 27 and conveyed in the first conveying direction 57 to the discharge tray 18 . The reversing roller pair 28 that reverses conveys the recording paper 16 in the direction from the reversing roller pair 28 toward the first position 21A, that is, in the second conveying direction 58 .

An intermediate roller pair 24 is positioned on the second transport path 22 . The intermediate roller pair 24 is rotatable with the lateral directions 55 and 56 as axial directions. The intermediate roller pair 24 rotates by being driven by a motor (not shown). The recording paper 16 conveyed in the second conveying direction 58 along the second conveying path 22 from the first position 21A is sandwiched between the intermediate roller pair 24 and conveyed toward the second position 21B.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the sensor 38 is positioned upstream of the PF roller pair 25 in the first transport direction 57 on the first transport path 21 . The sensor 38 detects the leading edge and the trailing edge of the recording paper 16 conveyed along the curved portion of the first conveying path 21 . The sensor 38 detects, for example, a rotating body that rotates by coming into contact with the recording paper 16 by means of an optical sensor. A detection signal output by the sensor 38 is output to the control board 66 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the recording unit 17 is positioned between the PF roller pair 25 and the discharge roller pair 27 on the first transport path 21 . The recording unit 17 has a carriage 35 positioned above the first transport path 21 , a platen 36 positioned below the first transport path 21 , and a recording head 37 mounted on the carriage 35 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the recording head 37 is supplied with cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) color inks from an ink cartridge 40 through a tube 44. It is a so-called ink-jet system that ejects the ink in the form of fine ink droplets. Ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 37 while the carriage 35 is reciprocated in the left and right directions 55 and 56 , thereby recording an image on the recording paper 16 conveyed over the platen 36 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 35 is separated in the front-rear direction 51, 52 and supported by guide frames 61, 62 extending in the left-right direction 55, 56, respectively. The carriage 35 is mounted so as to be able to reciprocate in left and right directions 55 and 56 so as to straddle the guide frames 61 and 62 . The guide frame 61 arranged at the rear is a flat plate whose length in the left-right direction 55 and 56 is longer than the reciprocating range of the carriage 35 , and the upper surface of the guide frame 61 slides the rear end of the carriage 35 . movably supported. As shown in FIG. 4, the front end portion 35a of the carriage 35 has portions overlapping the guide frame 62 in the vertical direction 53, 54, thereby preventing the carriage 35 from coming off the guide frame 62 in the upward direction 53. ing.

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide frame 62 positioned in the front is a flat plate having lengths in the left and right directions 55 and 56 that are substantially the same as the length of the guide frame 61, and supports the front end of the carriage 35. The edge 63 is bent upward 53 at a substantially right angle. The carriage 35 is slidably supported on the upper surface of the guide frame 62, and has the edge 63 sandwiched by rollers (not shown). Therefore, the carriage 35 is slidably supported on the guide frames 61 and 62 and can reciprocate in the left and right directions 55 and 56 with the edge 63 of the guide frame 62 as a reference.

A belt drive mechanism 46 is arranged on the upper surface of the guide frame 62 . The belt drive mechanism 46 is an endless ring-shaped belt provided with teeth inside between a first pulley 47 and a second pulley 48 provided near both ends of the first conveying path 21 in the left-right direction 55 and 56, respectively. 49 is stretched. The first pulley 47 and the second pulley 48 are arranged at both ends of the area in which the carriage 35 reciprocates. A driving force is input to the shaft of the first pulley 47 from a CR motor (not shown), which is a driving source, to rotate the first pulley 47 . Rotation of the first pulley 47 causes the belt 49 to rotate, and the second pulley 48 is driven at that time. In addition, the belt 49 may be an endless annular belt, or a belt having ends fixed to the carriage 35 at both ends thereof.

Carriage 35 is secured to belt 49 . Although the connection between the carriage 35 and the belt 49 is not shown in detail in each drawing, the belt 49 is slightly pulled upward while being connected to the carriage 35 . As a result, tension is generated in the belt 49 to elastically return downward, and the carriage 35 is elastically biased toward the guide frames 61 and 62 by this tension. When the belt 49 rotates as described above, the carriage 35 reciprocates on the guide frames 61 and 62 with the edge 63 as a reference. The recording head 37 is mounted on such a carriage 35 so that the recording head 37 can reciprocate in the horizontal directions 55 and 56 of the first transport path 21 as the main scanning direction.

The tube 44 is a synthetic resin tube, and has flexibility such that it bends as the carriage 35 reciprocates. Four tubes 44 are provided corresponding to the four ink cartridges 40 . One end of each tube 44 is connected to a case (not shown) that houses the ink cartridge 40 . The other end of each tube 44 is connected to the recording head 37 on the carriage 35 . Each tube 44 extends leftward 55 from the carriage 35 between the carriage 35 and the ink cartridge 40 in the front-rear direction 51, 52, then curves to make a U-turn to the right and extends leftward 56 to reach a fixed position. It is fixed to the housing 20 at 96 . A tube 44 is appropriately arranged from the fixed position 96 to the case of the ink cartridge 40 . Each tube 44 follows the carriage 35 while changing its U-turned curved shape as the carriage 35 moves along the left and right directions 55 and 56 .

As shown in FIG. 2, a flap 73 (first guide) is located downstream of the discharge roller pair 27 in the first conveying path 21 in the first conveying direction 57 and immediately upstream in the first conveying direction 57 from the first position 21A. An example of a member) is located. The flap 73 extends forward 51 and upward 53 from the axis of the lower roller of the ejection roller pair 27 . The extended end of the flap 73 is near the first position 21A. The length of the flap 73 in the left-right direction 55, 56 may extend over the entire image recording area A1, or a plurality of flaps 73 shorter than the image recording area A1 may be arranged in the left-right direction 55, 56 at intervals. You can The flap 73 is rotatable around the axis of the lower roller of the discharge roller pair 27 . The flap 73 is biased by a spring (not shown) and is held in a posture extending forward 51 and upward 53 from the shaft of the lower roller of the discharge roller pair 27 (the posture shown in FIG. 2). When the recording paper 16 conveyed in the first conveying direction 57 from the discharge roller pair 27 contacts the upper surface of the flap 73, the flap 73 rotates clockwise in FIG. 2 against the bias of the spring. As a result, the recording paper 16 conveyed in the first conveying direction 57 passes over the flap 73 and reaches the pair of reversing rollers 28 . On the other hand, when the recording paper 16 transported in the second transport direction 58 from the reversing roller pair 28 contacts the flap 73, the recording paper 16 is guided by the lower surface of the flap 73 from the first position 21A to the second transport path 22. enter in.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cutting section 45 is located downstream of the flap 73 in the first transport direction 57 and upstream of the reversing roller pair 28 in the first transport path 21 . The cutting portion 45 is positioned to the left of the image recording area A1 when stopped. The image recording area A1 is the maximum width for recording an image on the recording paper 16 by ejecting ink from the recording head 37 that reciprocates together with the carriage 35 . If the maximum size recordable by the printer unit 11 is A4 size, the image recording area A1 is slightly wider than the width of A4 size.

The cutting section 45 cuts the recording paper 16 conveyed by the discharge roller pair 27 and the reversing roller pair 28 along the left and right directions 55 and 56 . The cutting section 45 cuts the recording paper 16 by moving rightward 56 from the stop position (the position of the cutting section 45 indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 3) to the left of the image recording area A1. For example, one sheet of A4 size recording paper 16 is cut into two sheets of A5 size recording paper 16 by cutting by the cutting portion 45 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the cutting section 45 includes guide rails 81 extending along the left and right directions 55 and 56, a cutter carriage 82 that moves guided by the guide rails 81, and a cutter 83 that is mounted on the cutter carriage 82. (an example of a movable blade) and a fixed blade 95 . In FIG. 4, the endless belt 90, which will be described later, is shown in cross section for easy understanding of the structure of the cutting portion 45. As shown in FIG. Further, in FIG. 2, the cutting portion 45 is simply shown with the detailed configuration omitted.

The guide rail 81 has a flat shape extending along the left-right directions 55 and 56 . Both ends of the guide rail 81 in the left-right direction 55 and 56 are fixed to side frames (not shown) that support the rotating shafts of the reversing roller pair 28 . The length of the guide rail 81 in the left-right direction 55 , 56 is longer than the length of the first transport path 21 in the left-right direction 55 , 56 . The left and right ends of the guide rail 81 extend outward beyond the image recording area A1.

The guide rail 81 includes a substrate 81a extending in the left and right directions 55 and 56, a first standing plate 81b extending upward from the rear end of the substrate 81a, and a first extending plate 81c extending rearward 52 from the upper end of the first standing plate 81b. , a second standing plate 81d extending upward from the front end of the substrate 81a, and a second extending plate 81e extending forward 51 from the upper end of the second standing plate 81d. The substrate 81a, the first standing plate 81b, the first extending plate 81c, the second standing plate 81d, and the second extending plate 81e are formed by bending one rectangular steel plate.

The cutter carriage 82 has a cutter holding portion 82 a that holds the cutter 83 and a connecting portion 82 b that is connected to the guide rail 81 . The cutter holding portion 82 a is positioned behind the guide rail 81 . Note that the cutter holding portion 82 a may be positioned in front of the guide rail 81 . The cutter holding portion 82 a extends below the guide rail 81 . The cutter 83 is supported by the cutter holding portion 82a while protruding downward from the lower end of the cutter holding portion 82a. The cutter 83 has a disk shape and is rotatably supported by the cutter holding portion 82a with the longitudinal directions 51 and 52 as axial directions.

The connecting portion 82 b extends forward 51 from the cutter holding portion 82 a and is connected to the guide rail 81 . The connecting portion 82b includes a first contact portion 84 that contacts the upper surface of the first extension plate 81c, a second contact portion 85 that can contact the lower surface of the second extension plate 81e, and a first standing plate 81b. The third contact portion 86 contacts the surface facing the rearward 52, the fourth contact portion 87 contacts the surface facing the forward 51 of the first standing plate 81b, and the upper surface of the second extending plate 81e. It has a fifth contact portion 88 and a sixth contact portion 89 capable of contacting the lower surface of the first extending plate 81c.

The guide rail 81 supports the cutter carriage 82 downward 54 by contacting the first contact portion 84 and the fifth contact portion 88 . Thereby, the cutter carriage 82 is positioned in the vertical directions 53 and 54 . The guide rail 81 positions the cutter carriage 82 with respect to the front-rear directions 51 and 52 by contacting the third contact portion 86 and the fourth contact portion 87 respectively. When the cutter carriage 82 moves upward 53 with respect to the guide rail 81 , at least one of the second contact portion 85 and the sixth contact portion 89 contacts the guide rail 81 . This prevents the cutter carriage 82 from deviating upward 53 from the guide rail 81 .

The cutter holding portion 82a has an inclined surface 82c on the upper portion of the outer surface. The inclined surface 82 c faces backward 52 and upward 53 . The inclined surface 82c overlaps the front end portion 35a of the carriage 35 in the vertical directions 53 and 54 and the front and rear directions 51 and 52 when viewed from the left and right directions 55 and 56. As shown in FIG. As a result, the image recording apparatus 10 is downsized in the vertical direction 53, 54 and the front-rear direction 51, 52. FIG. Since the cutter holding portion 82a is provided with the inclined surface 82c, the front portion of the cutter holding portion 82a, that is, the portion near the connecting portion 82b is thickened in the vertical direction 53, 54 and the front-rear direction 51, 52 to give strength. At the same time, the gap between the cutter carriage 82 and the carriage 35 can be reduced.

The cutter carriage 82 is driven by the driving mechanism 101 . The drive mechanism 101 has a drive pulley 102 and a driven pulley 103 arranged on the upper surface of the substrate 81 a and an endless belt 90 stretched over the drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 . The drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 are arranged at both ends in the left and right directions 55 and 56 on the upper surface of the substrate 81a. The drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 rotate about axes along the vertical directions 53 and 54 . A driving force of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the driving pulley 102 . The endless belt 90 is connected to the cutter carriage 82 in front of the fourth contact portion 87 of the connecting portion 82 b of the cutter carriage 82 . When the drive pulley 102 rotates, the endless belt 90 rotates and the driven pulley 103 follows. The circular motion of the endless belt 90 causes the cutter carriage 82 to reciprocate along the guide rails 81 in the left and right directions 55 and 56 .

A fixed blade 95 is positioned below the cutter holding portion 82 a of the cutter carriage 82 . The fixed blade 95 is supported by a side frame (not shown) and extends in the left and right directions 55 and 56 across the image recording area A1. A cutting edge 95A of the fixed blade 95 is in contact with the cutter 83 from behind. The recording paper 16 is cut by being sandwiched between the cutter 83 and the blade edge 95A of the fixed blade 95 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , a guide member 74 (an example of a second guide member) is positioned upstream of the fixed blade 95 of the cutting section 45 in the first conveying direction 57 . The guide member 74 is connected to the fixed blade 95 . The guide member 74 extends in the left-right direction 55, 56 across the image recording area A1. The upper surface of the guide member 74 is a lower guide surface of the second transport path 22 near the first position 21A. The upper surface of the guide member 74 extends downward 54 and backward 52 along the second conveying direction 58 . The upper end 74</b>A of the guide member 74 is the upstream end of the upper surface of the guide member 74 in the second conveying direction 58 (the downstream end in the first conveying direction 57 ).

[Layout of Each Component in Printer Section 11]
As shown in FIG. 5, a cutting position P1 where the cutting unit 45 cuts the recording paper 16, that is, a position where the cutter 83 and the fixed blade 95 abut against each other, and a nip position P2 of the discharge roller pair 27 are arranged in a first conveying direction. A first distance D1 along 57 is longer than a second distance D2 along first transport direction 57 between cutting position P1 and nip position P3 of reversing roller pair 28 (D1>D2).

The fixed blade 95 of the cutting section 45 is positioned below the first imaginary straight line L1 along the first conveying direction 57 connecting the nip position P2 of the discharge roller pair 27 and the nip position P3 of the reversing roller pair 28 . In addition, the fixed blade 95 is positioned below the second imaginary straight line L2 along the second conveying direction 58 connecting the upper end 74A of the guide member 74 and the nip position P3 of the pair of reversing rollers 28 .

[Image recording]
The image recording operation by the printer unit 11 will be described below. An operation in which images are recorded on both sides of the recording paper 16 of A4 size and cut into A5 size will be described below as an example. The image recording operation is realized by controlling the driving of each motor and the recording head 37 by a control circuit mounted on the control board 66 .

As shown in FIG. 6, when the paper feed roller 32 rotates, the uppermost sheet of A4 recording paper 16 is fed from the paper feed cassette 15 to the first transport path 21 . The recording paper 16 fed from the paper feed cassette 15 to the first transport path 21 is transported in the first transport direction 57 below the recording head 37 by the PF roller pair 25 . The recording paper 16 conveyed below the recording head 37 is supported from below by the platen 36 . While the transportation of the recording paper 16 is stopped, ink is ejected from the recording head 37 toward the recording paper 16 while the carriage 35 moves in the left and right directions 55 and 56 . As a result, an image for one pass is recorded on the first surface of the recording paper 16 . The image recording on the first surface of the recording paper 16 is completed by repeating the conveying and stopping of the recording paper 16 and performing image recording for a predetermined number of passes. Here, image recording for two sheets of A5 recording paper is performed on the A4 recording paper 16 . During image recording, the recording paper 16 that has passed through the platen 36 is conveyed in the first conveying direction 57 toward the discharge tray 18 by the discharge roller pair 27 and the reversing roller pair 28 .

Based on the detection signal from the sensor 38 and the amount of rotation of the PF roller pair 25 (detection signal from the rotary encoder), the control board 66 controls the trailing edge of the recording paper 16 transported in the first transport direction 57 ( (downstream end of ). The control board 66 rotates the reversing roller pair 28 forward when transporting the recording paper 16 in the first transport direction 57 .

As shown in FIG. 7, the control board 66 rotates on the condition that the trailing edge of the recording paper 16 is positioned between the flap 73 and the guide member 74, in other words, near the first position 21A. The rotation of the roller pair 28 is switched from normal rotation to reverse rotation.

As shown in FIG. 8 , when the reversing roller pair 28 is reversed, the recording paper 16 is transported in the second transport direction 58 and guided by the flap 73 to enter the second transport path 22 . In the second transport path 22, the recording paper 16 is transported in the second transport direction 58 by the intermediate roller and reversing roller pair 28 to reach the second position 21B.

The recording paper 16 entering the first conveying path 21 from the second position 21B is conveyed in the first conveying direction 57 below the recording head 37 by the PF roller pair 25 in the same manner as the image recording on the first surface, and is recorded. Image recording is performed on the second side of the paper 16 (the side opposite to the first side). On the second side of the recording paper 16, similarly to the first side, image recording is performed on the A4 recording paper 16 for two sheets of A5 recording paper. During image recording on the second surface, the recording paper 16 that has passed through the platen 36 is conveyed in the first conveying direction 57 toward the discharge tray 18 by the discharge roller pair 27 and the reversing roller pair 28 . Note that the control board 66 switches the rotation of the reversing roller pair 28 from reverse rotation to normal rotation on condition that the trailing edge of the recording paper transported in the second transport direction 58 has passed through the reversing roller pair 28 .

As shown in FIG. 9, when the center of the recording paper 16 in the first transport direction 57 is transported below the cutting section 45, the control board 66 rotates the driving pulley 102 so that the cutter carriage 82 is moved along the guide rails. 81 to the right 56 from the rest position (see FIG. 3). As a result, the A4 recording paper 16 is sandwiched between the cutter 83 and the fixed blade 95 and cut along the left and right directions 55 and 56 to form two A5 recording papers. The two sheets of A5 recording paper are ejected from the first conveying path 21 to the ejection tray 18 by the reversing roller pair 28 that rotates normally.

[Action and effect of the embodiment]
According to the image recording apparatus 10, since the cutting portion 45 is positioned between the discharge roller pair 27 and the reversing roller pair 28, the size of the image recording apparatus 10 can be reduced in the front-rear direction 51,52.

In addition, since the cutting portion 45 is located downstream of the flap 73 in the first conveying direction 57, the distance between the reversing roller pair 28 and the flap 73 along the second conveying direction 58 can be increased. As a result, the curvature of the recording paper 16 that is conveyed in the second conveying direction 58 and guided by the flap 73 from the first position 21A to the second conveying path 22 is reduced. Therefore, the sliding resistance between the recording paper 16 and the flap 73 is reduced. In addition, since the distance between the cutting portion 45 and the recording head 37 can be increased, the ink mist does not easily affect the cutting portion 45 .

Also, since the first distance D1 is longer than the second distance D2, the recording paper 16 is sandwiched between the cutter 83 and the fixed blade 95, so that the recording paper 16 is slightly pressed downward, and the discharge roller pair 27 serves as a fulcrum. Even if the upstream side of the recording paper 16 in the first conveying direction 57 moves upward, the recording paper 16 is unlikely to come into contact with the recording head 37 .

Further, since the fixed blade 95 is positioned below the first imaginary straight line L1, the recording paper 16 is less likely to come into contact with the fixed blade 95 when the recording paper 16 is conveyed in the first conveying direction 57 .

Further, since the fixed blade 95 is positioned below the second imaginary straight line, the recording paper 16 is less likely to come into contact with the fixed blade 95 when the recording paper 16 is conveyed in the second conveying direction 58 .

Further, since the guide member 74 is connected to the fixed blade 95, the positional accuracy between the upper end 74A of the guide member 74 and the fixed blade 95 is good.

[Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, the first transport path 21 has a curved portion that makes a U-turn, but the first transport path 21 may be a so-called straight path that does not have a curved portion that makes a U-turn. Also, the second transport path 22 may extend upward instead of downward from the first position 21A.

In the above-described embodiment, the recording head 37 ejects ink to record an image. good.

In the above-described embodiment, the cutting unit 45 cuts the recording paper 16 with the cutter 83 and the fixed blade 95. If possible, it is not particularly limited. For example, the cutting unit 45 may have two disk-shaped rotary blades such as the cutter 83 mounted on the cutter carriage 82 instead of the fixed blade 95 .

In the above-described embodiment, the recording paper 16 conveyed in the second conveying direction 58 is guided to the second conveying path 22 by the rotatable flap 73. The recording paper 16 may be guided to the second transport path 22 by a film or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, the cutting unit 45 cuts the regular rectangular recording paper 16, but instead of the recording paper 16, image recording is performed on a sheet pulled out from a rolled body. may be performed and cut by the cutting unit 45 .

10: Image recording device 15: Paper feed cassette (feed tray)
20...Case 21...First conveying path 22...Second conveying path 25...PF roller pair (first conveying roller pair)
27 Eject roller pair (second transport roller pair)
28: reversing roller pair (third conveying roller pair)
37... Recording head 45... Cutting unit 66... Control board (control unit)
73 Flap (first guide member)
74... Guide member (second guide member)
83 Cutter (moving blade)
95: fixed blade

Claims (9)

a housing;
a first transport path formed inside the housing;
a first conveying roller pair positioned on the first conveying path for conveying the sheet in the first conveying direction;
a second conveying roller pair positioned downstream in the first conveying direction from the first conveying roller pair in the first conveying path and configured to convey the sheet in the first conveying direction;
formed inside the housing, at a first position downstream in the first conveying direction from the second conveying roller pair and at a second position upstream in the first conveying direction from the first conveying roller pair. a second transport path connected to the first transport path;
It is located downstream of the first position in the first transport direction in the first transport path, transports the sheet in the first transport direction by forward rotation, and transports the sheet in the second transport direction by reverse rotation. a third conveying roller pair;
a recording head positioned between the first transport roller pair and the second transport roller pair on the first transport path;
a cutting unit located between the second conveying roller pair and the third conveying roller pair in the first conveying path and configured to cut the sheet along a cross direction crossing the first conveying direction; image recording device. further comprising a first guide member located at the first position on the first conveying path and guiding the sheet conveyed in the second conveying direction to the second conveying path;
2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the cutting section is located downstream of the first guide member in the first conveying direction. A first distance along the first conveying direction between the cutting position where the cutting unit cuts the sheet and the nipping position of the second conveying roller pair is the distance between the cutting position and the nipping position of the third conveying roller pair. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the distance is longer than the second distance along the first conveying direction. The second transport path extends downward from the first position,
The cutting section has a movable blade that moves in the cross direction and a fixed blade that extends along the cross direction,
4. The fixed blade according to claim 3, wherein the fixed blade is positioned below a first imaginary straight line along the first conveying direction connecting the nip position of the second conveying roller pair and the nip position of the third conveying roller pair. Image recording device. further comprising a second guide member positioned upstream in the first transport direction from the fixed blade and defining at least a portion of the second transport path;
5. The image recording method according to claim 4, wherein the fixed blade is positioned below a second imaginary straight line along the second conveying direction connecting the upper end of the second guide member and the nip position of the third conveying roller pair. Device. 6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said second guide member is connected to said fixed blade. further comprising a control unit,
The control unit is
forwardly rotating the third conveying roller pair to convey the sheet along the first conveying path in the first conveying direction;
On the condition that the upstream end of the sheet in the first conveying direction is positioned between the upper ends of the first guide member and the second guide member, the third conveying roller pair is rotated from normal rotation to reverse rotation. 7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image recording apparatus switches to . 8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the control section causes the cutting section to cut the sheet nipped by the first conveying roller pair. a feed tray positioned below the recording head and supporting the sheet,
9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first transport path is curved between the feed tray and the recording head.

Images