JP3268324B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention
The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording sheet.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, a facsimile or the like drives an energy generating means of a recording head on the basis of image information to thereby form a sheet-like material such as paper or a plastic thin plate (OHP sheet). An image composed of a dot pattern is recorded on a recording medium (hereinafter, referred to as a recording sheet).

[0003] The recording apparatus can be classified into an ink jet system, a thermal system, and a laser beam system according to the recording system. The recording sheet used for recording includes plain paper, cardboard such as postcards and envelopes, and special sheets such as plastic thin plates.

When recording is continuously performed on these recording sheets, an automatic feeding device for separating and feeding one sheet at a time from a bundle of recording sheets and conveying the separated sheets one by one into a recording body is generally installed. In this case, a separate automatic feeding device is required, and there is a technical problem that the recording device must be increased in size.

Further, there has been proposed a horizontal type recording apparatus having a built-in automatic feeder for continuously feeding recording sheets. In this case, an insertion port and a discharge port of the recording sheet are provided on the upper surface. Will be.

[0006]

In the above-mentioned recording apparatus which requires an automatic feeding apparatus as described above,
Even when the recording apparatus is used, the automatic feeding apparatus must be mounted, so that a useless space is provided in the work place.

[0007] In addition, there is a technical problem that when a strong recording sheet such as a cardboard, a postcard, an envelope or the like is conveyed, it cannot be smoothly conveyed because the conveyance path is U-shaped. Furthermore, with the rapid miniaturization and low price of personal computers and the like in recent years, there is a strong demand for miniaturization and low price of recording devices such as printers as output devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a recording apparatus that is reduced in size and labor.

[0009]

According to the present invention, there is provided a recording head for recording on a recording sheet, a conveying roller for conveying the recording sheet to a position facing the recording head, and a driving gear for driving the conveying roller. , A stacking unit for stacking the recording sheets, a sheet feeding roller for feeding the recording sheets stacked on the stacking unit, and a driving force of the driving gear engaged with the driving gear. An automatic paper feeder having a driven gear for transmitting to the paper feed roller, and connecting the recording body and the automatic paper feeder to move the automatic paper feeder between a use position and an unused position. A connecting member, arranged in the recording main body, a hole for positioning the automatic paper feeder at the use position with respect to the recording main body, and disposed in the automatic paper feeder, In use A projection that abuts the hole for positioning the automatic paper feeder, wherein the projection is integrated with a rotation shaft of the driven gear. It is.

[0010]

The transport rollers in the vicinity of the recording head in the recording body are driven by a drive gear train driven by a drive source to transport the recording sheet. The drive gear of the drive gear train is removably engaged with a driven gear of a driven gear train in an automatic sheet feeder disposed adjacent to the recording body, and drives the drive source. To feed the recording sheet from the automatic paper feeder to the recording body.

The automatic paper feeder is rotatable between a use position and an unused position around a connecting member, and when the automatic paper feeder is rotated to the use position, the driven gear of the automatic paper feeder is driven. Engages with the drive gear of the recording body. Thereby, the driving force of the paper feed roller in the automatic paper feeder can be transmitted from the recording main body side, so that the power saving of the recording device and the miniaturization of the device can be realized, and the carrying of the recording device can be carried out. It can be done easily.

[0012]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment of the Present Invention> FIG. 1 is a longitudinal side view of a recording apparatus showing a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 21 is a vertical use of the recording apparatus 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view showing a state.

In FIG. 21, a recording body 2 of the recording apparatus 1 is shown.
Shows a bubble jet type ink jet recording apparatus that records an image on a recording sheet 3 by discharging ink from a discharge port of a recording head using an electric heat exchanger for forming ink droplets, for example. .

An outline of the configuration of the recording apparatus 1 will be described.

The recording apparatus 1 comprises a recording body 2 for printing and an automatic paper feeder 4 for separately feeding the recording sheet 3 one by one and feeding the recording sheet 2 to the recording body 2. In the automatic paper feeder 4, the hopper 5 has a tray 61 for storing the stacked recording sheets 3, and the tray 61 is attached to the pressure plate 50 on which the recording sheets 3 are loaded and to the half-moon-shaped feeding roller 6. A biasing pressure spring 49 is provided. The recording sheet 3 is fed to the recording body 2 by the rotation of the paper feed roller 6.

The recording head 52a housed in the recording body 2 reciprocates in the width direction of the apparatus while being guided by the guide shaft 51 and the lead screw 56, and ejects ink based on image information. Reference numeral 55 indicates a leaf spring, and reference numeral 5
Reference numeral 8 denotes a battery, and reference numeral 60 denotes a chassis.

The recording sheet 3 fed from the automatic paper feeder 4 passes between the conveying roller 7 and a conveying force applying member 8 for applying a conveying force, and is a cartridge integrated with an ink tank (not shown). When the image reaches the section 52, the image recording data is recorded on the recording sheet 3. The recording sheet 17 on which the image information is recorded contacts an idle roller 9 that rotates while abutting on the transport roller 7, and a discharge roller 10 that rotates while abutting on the idle roller 9 and discharges the recording sheet 3. Then, the recording sheet 3 is discharged in the direction of arrow A in FIG.

Here, the feed roller 6 for feeding the recording sheet 3 forms a gear train by a plurality of gears described later, and is provided to a transport roller 7 for transporting the recording sheet 3 in the recording body 2. A driving force is obtained through a driven gear 12 engaged with a driving gear 11 that is axially mounted. The recording body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4 are provided on shafts 27 and 28 (see FIG. 1) made of a metal material press-fitted into the connecting member 13 and at the corners of the recording body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4. The shaft holes 29 are coupled so as to be rotatable and swingable in the direction of arrow B in the figure.

In the automatic paper feeder 4, the button 14 located at the end of the opening of the insertion opening of the recording sheet 3 does not need a mechanism, but the hopper 5 on which the recording sheet 3 is stacked and the paper feed roller 6 are appropriate. This is a release button for tilting the hopper 5 so that the recording sheet 3 can be fed automatically and reliably while maintaining a proper angle.

When the automatic paper feed is performed, the light emitting element member 15 and the operation switch button 16 for displaying the operation mode and the like are provided on the recording paper main body 2 by the automatic paper feeder 4.
Are located on the same surface side as the opening surface side a. The button 14, the light emitting element member 15, and the operation switch button 16
Each height in the assembled state is positioned so as to be flush or concave with the exterior surface b, and the automatic paper feeder 4 rotates and swings as shown by the arrow B in the drawing, and the opening surface a and the recording surface are recorded. When the exterior surface b of the main body 2 abuts, the light emitting element member 15 and the operation switch button 16 are configured so as not to cause contact interference or malfunction.

On the other hand, the button 14 of the automatic paper feeder 4
Are also configured so as not to abut and interfere with each other. The recording sheet 17 on which the recording has been performed is stacked on the upper cover 18. Here, the upper cover 18 is provided with a boss (not shown) so as to be rotatable, and the automatic paper feeder 4 rotates and swings in the direction of arrow B, and the opening surface a and the recording body 2 When the outer surface b is in a contact (unused) state, the rear end member c of the automatic paper feeder 4
The upper cover 18 fixes the recording main body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4 to each other.

The concave-shaped handles 2a and 4a provided on both sides of the recording body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4
When the automatic paper feeder 4 is placed vertically as shown in the figure, the depth of the concave portion and the side surface of the concave portion are positioned so as to form substantially the same surface.

FIG. 22 shows a state in which the opening surface a of the automatic paper feeder 4 and the outer surface b of the recording main body 2 are in contact with each other, and the recording main body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4 are fixed by the claws 19 of the upper cover 18. It is a perspective view showing a state (unused state). Further, the automatic paper feeder 4 is provided with a handle portion 20 which can be extended and contracted as shown by an arrow C in the figure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the details of the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The paper feed roller 6 in the automatic paper feeder 4
It is mounted on a shaft 21 and is rotatably provided in the automatic paper feeder 4. The gear train 2 connected to the paper feed roller 6
Reference numeral 2 is connected to the driven gear 12 disposed near the discharge port 31 of the automatic paper feeder 4. The driven gear 12 has a driving gear 11 (FIG. 21) having the same rotation axis as the conveying roller 7 for conveying the recording sheet in the recording main body 2 and a driving motor M engaged with a gear 24 integrated with the driving gear 11. The paper feed roller 6 is rotated by the rotation of the drive gear to perform automatic paper feed.

When the automatic paper feeder 4 is rotated as will be described later, a driven gear 12 as a drive unit X on the recording body 2 is used as a driven gear 12 as a driven part Y on the automatic paper feeder 4 side. 11 is engaged or disengaged.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A strong postcard or OHP sheet 26 is provided by a recording sheet guide member 25 which can be stored and rotatably provided at the rear of the inside.
And the like are conveyed and discharged by a manual path along manual paths such as arrows D, E, and F.

3 and 4, the portions of the automatic paper feeder 4 indicated by solid lines are side views when the recording apparatus is in use, respectively, and the broken lines are those after the rotation of the automatic paper feeder 4. It is a figure which shows the vertical installation use state. When the recording apparatus 1 is used, the automatic paper feeder 4 is arranged at the position indicated by the broken line, and when not used, at the position indicated by the solid line.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are detailed cross-sectional views of a connecting portion between the recording main body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4. FIG.

The end of the connecting member 13 has a circular or partially circular shape and has a shape that prevents interference with the opposing walls 2b and 4b during rotation. It is located at the corner of the automatic paper feeder 4 and is attached to the automatic paper feeder 4 by a rotatable shaft 27. On the other hand, the other end is slidably mounted on a shaft 29 having a shaft diameter D smaller than a hole diameter d of a shaft hole (a long hole) 28 provided in the recording body 2.

Here, the recording body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4 are connected by two connecting members 13, but the number of connecting members 13 is arbitrary.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the recording apparatus 1 in an unused state. The long hole of the paper feed port 30 of the recording body 2 has a long diameter L1 and a short diameter L2, while the long hole of the paper discharge port 31 of the automatic paper feeder 4 has a long diameter J1 and a short diameter J2. The long diameter L1> J so that the recording sheet 3 having a weak waist or the recording sheet 3 having a bent end can be guided without fail.
1, and L2> J2.

Holes 32 and 33 having concave shapes near both ends of the paper feed port 30 of the recording body 2 are connected to the driven gear 12 in the automatic paper feeder 4 and the drive gear 11 in the recording body 2. These holes are used for horizontal positioning.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a positioning portion on the drive side of the recording main body 2. The positioning is performed by the abutting surface 32a of the hole 32 provided on the base 37 of the recording body 2 which slidably fixes the transport roller shaft 36 and the abutting surface 34a of the projection 34 in the automatic paper feeder 4.
Here, the protrusion 34 has an integral shape with the rotation shaft 38 of the driven gear 12.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view of the positioning portion on the side opposite to the driving side. As shown in the figure, positioning is performed by the abutting surface 33a of the concave portion provided on the base 37 and the abutting surface 35a of the projection 35 in the automatic paper feeder 4.
Here, since the automatic paper feeder 4 is abutted by the rotational movement, the side surfaces of the abutting portions of the concave portions 32 and 33 and the convex portions 34 and 35 have a tapered shape so as not to interfere with each other.

<Second Embodiment of the Present Invention> FIGS. 10 and 11 show a detailed view and a sectional view of a connecting portion in an unused state. A pair of projections 39a for holding the shaft 28 is provided on the inner surface side of the elongated hole 39 provided in the recording main body 2, and the recording main body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4 in an unused state are fixed. Also, when similar projections are provided during use,
The recording body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4 can be fixed auxiliary.

<Embodiment 3 of the Present Invention> FIGS. 12 and 13 show that an elongated hole 40 having a diameter f larger than the diameter e of the shaft 27 is provided in a direction perpendicular to the corners of the automatic recording paper feeder 4. 3A and 3B show a detailed view and a cross-sectional view in which the degree of freedom during positioning operation is increased.

<Embodiment 4 of the Present Invention> In FIGS.
Has a tapered portion 41a and a straight portion 41b having the same diameter as the shaft diameter D of the shaft 28, and performs auxiliary fixing of the recording main body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4 according to use or non-use.

<Embodiment 5 of the Present Invention> FIG. 16 is a rear view of the recording apparatus 1 in an unused state, in which grooves 42 and 43 are substantially co-linear with the positioning holes 32 and 33 on the recording main body 2. It is provided. On the other hand, guide ribs 44 and 45 are provided on the same straight line as the positioning projections 34 and 35 of the automatic paper feeder 4, and the coupling between the drive unit and the driven unit can be easily realized by the guides of the grooves 42 and 43. it can.

FIG. 17 is a sectional view of a guide member and a guide groove at the time of positioning guided on the opposite side to the driving side. Furthermore, the fixing of the recording apparatus 1 in the vertical direction is performed by fixing projections 46 provided on the paper discharge port 31 side of the automatic paper feeder 4 in FIGS. The engagement is performed by the claw portion 47 which is engaged. Here, a magnet may be used as the fixing means.

<Embodiment 6 of the Present Invention> FIGS. 18 and 19 show details of the back surface and side surface of the connecting portion. As shown in FIG. 20, the end of the connecting member 48 is formed with a saw-tooth portion 48a. On the other hand, around the shaft hole of the recording body 2 and the automatic paper feeder 4, the saw-tooth portion 48a of the connecting member 48 is formed. Projection 2 having a saw-tooth shape so as to engage
c, 4c are provided. When the automatic sheet feeding device 4 rotates, the automatic sheet feeding device 4 is configured not to fall down by its own weight because the sawtooth portion 48a of the connecting portion 48 and the projections 2b and 4b are engaged. FIG. 19 shows the shape of the connecting member 48 on the saw tooth surface side.

[0043]

According to the present invention, the recording body and the automatic paper feeder are connected by the connecting portion, so that space can be saved according to the use of the recording apparatus. In addition, by incorporating the drive source of the automatic feeding device from the recording body, it is possible to reduce the size and labor of the device. Further, the printing state can be selected according to the strength of the waist of the recording sheet.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional side view of the recording apparatus showing a manual sheet feeding state.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the driving side of the printing apparatus in an unused state.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the non-driving side of the printing apparatus in an unused state.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing details of the connecting portion.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a state in which a connecting member in FIG. 5 is removed.

FIG. 7 is a rear view of the recording apparatus in an unused state.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional side view of a positioning portion on the same drive side.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional side view of a positioning portion on the opposite side of the drive.

FIG. 10 is a side view showing details of a connecting portion according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the connecting portion with the connecting member removed.

FIG. 12 is a side view showing details of a connecting portion according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the connecting portion with the connecting member removed.

FIG. 14 is a side view showing details of a connecting portion according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the connecting portion showing a state where the connecting member is removed.

FIG. 16 is a rear view of a recording apparatus according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional side view showing a guide groove and a guide rib on the opposite side to the driving side.

FIG. 18 is a front view of a connecting portion according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a side view of the connecting portion.

FIG. 20 is a side view of the connecting member.

FIG. 21 is a schematic perspective view when the recording apparatus of the present invention is used.

FIG. 22 is a schematic perspective view of the same unused state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 X drive unit Y driven unit M drive source 2 recording body 3 recording sheet 4 automatic paper feeder 5 hopper 6 paper feed roller 7 transport roller 11 drive gear 11, 24 drive gear train 12 driven gear 13 connecting member 22 driven gear train 25 recording Sheet guide member 33 Recess (abutting surface) 35 Convex (projection) 52a Recording head 61 Tray (stacking means)

Continuation of front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 1/00-3/68

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] A recording head for recording on a recording sheet;
A transport roller that transports the recording sheet to a position facing the recording head, a drive gear that drives the transport roller,
A recording body, a stacking unit for stacking the recording sheets, a sheet feeding roller for feeding the recording sheets stacked on the stacking unit, and a driving force of the driving gear engaged with the driving gear. An automatic paper feeder comprising: a driven gear transmitting to a paper feed roller; and an apparatus for coupling the recording body and the automatic paper feeder to move the automatic paper feeder between a use position and an unused position. A connecting member, a hole arranged on the recording main body, for positioning the automatic paper feeder in the use position with respect to the recording main body, and a hole arranged on the automatic paper feeder, with respect to the recording main body. A projection that abuts the hole for positioning the automatic paper feeder in the use state, wherein the projection is integrated with a rotation shaft of the driven gear. Recording device.