JP3432097B2 - Sheet material feeding device, image recording device, and image reading device - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sheet material feeding device equipped in an image recording device such as a facsimile, a copying machine, a printer, a scanner, an image reading device, and the like, and more particularly to a sheet such as a recording material and a copying material. Material feeding device for automatically feeding a sheet-shaped recording medium, a reading medium such as a sheet-like document to a recording portion such as a printing portion and a copying portion, a reading portion, and the like, and an image recording provided with the sheet material feeding device. The present invention relates to a device and an image reading device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as for feeding a sheet material as a printing medium such as paper or plastic in an image recording apparatus, the sheet is manually inserted one by one, and as disclosed in JP-A-5-330686. Material is automatically and continuously fed by a material feeder.

The general structure of such a sheet material feeding device is, as shown in FIG. 8, a cassette 200 as a stacking section.
With respect to a large number of cut sheet materials 201 stacked on the pressure plate 205 of the
In addition to arranging them one by one, one separation claw 203 for pressing both corners of the leading end of the sheet material 201 in the sheet feeding direction is arranged at both ends of the cassette 200 in the width direction. Then, the pressing mechanism 204 presses the sheet material 201 against the feeding roller 202 to apply a feeding force to the sheet material 201. The feeding roller 202 and the separating claw 2
03 and the pressurizing mechanism 204 cooperate to separate and supply the sheet materials 201 one by one.

The sheet material 201 is fed by the feeding roller 202.
Of the cassette 200 after being fed for a predetermined length,
The pressure of the pressure plate 205 of No. 4 is released, and a predetermined gap is formed between the sheet material 201 and the feeding roller 202 in the vertical direction. On the other hand, the sheet material 201 fed by a predetermined length is further transported to the downstream side by the transport roller 206 arranged on the downstream side.

[0005]

In recent years, a strip-shaped long sheet material 110, which is folded into multiple layers at predetermined lengths, has been found in print media as shown in FIG.
When such a long sheet material 110 is stacked on the conventional sheet material feeding device and the feeding operation is performed, as shown in FIG.
After a predetermined amount of paper has been fed, the pressure plate 205 is released from pressure, and the vertical distance between the feeding roller 202 and the stacked long sheet material 110 is small while the paper is being conveyed by the conveying roller 206. , Long sheet material 11 caused by conveyance
There is a problem that the loop portion E of 0 is bent and damaged.

To solve this problem, the feeding roller 20
2 should be widened between the stacked long sheet materials 110. However, if this is done, the main body of the image recording apparatus becomes large and the stacking amount of the long sheet materials 110 becomes small. Occurs.

It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to accommodate a special sheet material such as a long sheet material by changing the set position of the sheet material in the conveying direction, and a sheet material feeding device and image recording. An object is to provide an apparatus and an image reading apparatus.

[0008]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

[Claim 1] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides:
A sheet material feeding device comprising: a stacking section for stacking sheet materials; and a feeding means for abutting against the sheet materials stacked on the stacking section and feeding the sheet material out. It is characterized in that a set position changing means for changing the position in the carrying direction is provided.

According to the present invention, the size, shape, and
Depending on the material, it is possible to set the set position in the conveying direction of the sheet material to an optimum position without providing a dedicated stacking section.

[Claim 2] The set position of the long sheet material folded in multiple layers in the transport direction by the set position varying means is such that the leading end of the folding portion in the transport direction is located upstream of the feeding means in the transport direction. It is characterized in that it is set to.

In the folding portion of the long sheet material, a sheet material portion of a predetermined length is folded in a zigzag shape in the feeding direction, and the sheet material portion of each layer of the folding portion is a sheet of the lower layer from the leading end side in the feeding direction. At the same time as it is sent to slide between the material parts, the rear end of the sheet material part of the lower layer is pulled up and turned upside down, and it is fed in a loop shape by reversing the front and back. Then, when the sheet material portion is fed by the length of the sheet material portion, the leading end of the lower sheet material portion is further slid. Thereafter, in the same manner, the sheet material portions of the respective layers are alternately fed up in a loop-like manner from the rear end side.

According to the present invention, since there is a front-rear distance along the feeding direction between the leading end of the folded and stacked long sheet material in the feeding direction and the feeding means, a space is opened. With a larger size, the fold line on the leading end side in the feeding direction can be expanded to form the lower layer sheet material. As a result, the long sheet material folded at the predetermined position is fed without damage such as bending.

[Claim 3] In the above sheet material feeding apparatus, the feeding means is a feeding roller, and the leading end position of the folding portion of the long sheet material in the feeding direction is lowered from the center of the feeding roller to the stacking portion. It is characterized in that it is located upstream of the line position in the transport direction.

As described above, when the feeding roller is used as the feeding means, the normal position lowered from the center of the feeding roller toward the stacking portion is the contact position of the feeding roller at the time of feeding the sheet material. Becomes

[Claim 4] The feeding means is in contact with the sheet material stacked in the stacking portion at the initial stage of feeding to give a conveying force to the sheet material, and the leading end of the sheet material is fed by a predetermined amount. After being conveyed, it is separated from the stacking section and conveyed by the conveying means on the downstream side.

In particular, in the case of a long sheet material, if the front end of the folding portion in the conveying direction is located on the downstream side of the feeding means in the conveying direction, the loop portion is formed in order to smoothly open and feed the fold line. In order to make the size as large as possible, it is necessary to make the vertical interval between the loading section and the feeding means large. Therefore, the load capacity is limited, or the size of the apparatus is increased in order to secure the load capacity. In the case of the present invention, a space for allowing the loop to escape in the transport direction is opened between the leading end of the folding portion in the transport direction and the feeding means. Therefore, even if the vertical interval between the stacking portion and the feeding means is not increased, the folds can be smoothly formed. It is possible to continuously supply the long sheet material by opening.

[Claim 5] A large number of cut sheet materials and long sheet materials separated one by one can be selectively stacked in the stacking portion, and the set position of the cut sheet material is It is characterized in that the tip is set on the downstream side of the contact position of the feeding means.

One stacking unit can be applied to feed cut sheet materials and long sheet materials.

[Claim 6] The set position changing means is constituted by a set member provided on the stacking portion so as to be openable and closable.

When using a long sheet material and a cut sheet material, open the set member when loading the long sheet material, and close the set member when loading the cut sheet material. Avoid interference with cut sheet material.

[Claim 7] The long sheet material is prevented from slipping down to the downstream side in the conveying direction when the long sheet material is fed to the portion supporting the long sheet material when the setting member is opened. It is characterized in that it is non-slip.

When a long sheet material is fed, it is fed while forming a loop as described above. However, if the sheet material portion slides on the downstream side in the feeding direction, the loop becomes small and smooth. Will not be transported to. By providing the non-slip in this manner, the fold is widened in a state where the loop is large.

[Claim 8] It is characterized in that the end portion located on the side of the feeding means when the setting member is opened has a protrusion which is convex on the side which supports the long sheet when opened.

[Claim 9] It is characterized in that the surface for supporting the sheet material when the setting member is opened is made of a friction material.

[Claim 10] An image recording apparatus comprising an image recording section and a sheet material feeding section for feeding a sheet material to the image recording section, wherein the sheet material feeding apparatus serves as the sheet material feeding section. Is used.

When used for feeding the recording medium of the image recording apparatus, the types of recording medium that can be used with a simple structure can be expanded.

[Claim 11] An image reading apparatus comprising an image reading unit and a sheet material supply unit for supplying a sheet material as a reading medium to the image reading unit, wherein the sheet material supply unit is the above-mentioned. A sheet material feeding device is used.

Further, when applied to the feeding of a reading medium such as an original of the image reading apparatus, the types of reading medium which can be read with a simple structure can be expanded.

[0029]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The present invention will be described below with reference to illustrated embodiments.

[First Embodiment] FIGS. 1 to 3 show an image recording apparatus equipped with a sheet material feeding device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

The structure of the image recording apparatus will be described below separately for the sheet feeding system, the recording system and the conveying system, and the operation thereof will be described. The sheet material feeding device of the present invention is applied to a sheet feeding system.

<Sheet Feeding System> In FIG. 1, the feeding rollers 101 and 102 as feeding means are fixed on a feeding roller shaft 106, and are drivingly connected to driving means such as a motor (not shown). By the driving force transmitted, the sheet material is configured to rotate in the sheet feeding direction and the clockwise direction in the drawing.

Reference numeral 105 denotes a pressure plate as a loading portion, and the pressure plate 105 is attached rotatably around a rotary shaft 112. A spring 111 serving as a pressurizing means urges the feeding rollers 101 and 102 in a direction in which they come into contact with the feeding rollers 101 and 102, and the position is regulated by a drive cam (not shown).

A paper edge guide 103 is attached to the pressure plate 105. The paper edge guide 103 is attached to the pressure plate 105 so as to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface, and regulates one end surface of the sheet material 110 set on the pressure plate 105.

A set plate 107 as a set position changing means for changing the set position of the sheet material in the conveying direction is attached to the pressure plate 105 so as to be openable and closable. The configurations of the set plate 107 and the pressure plate 105 will be described later.

Reference numeral 109 is a frame for holding components such as the pressure plate 105 and the paper edge guide 103.
The frame 109 also serves as a guide for the sheet material 110 fed by the feeding rollers 101 and 102.

A <recording system> 121 is a carriage, and a head cartridge 120 for ejecting ink for image formation is fixed to the carriage 121. 12
2, 123 are guide shafts, and the guide shafts 122, 1
Both ends of 23 are fixed to the chassis 125. The carriage 121 has guide shafts 122, 123.
And is reciprocated by a motor, a gear, a belt and the like (not shown) in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface to form a desired image on the recording sheet material.

<Sheet material conveying system> 130 is a conveying roller, and a pinch roller 131 is pressed against the conveying roller 130 by a pressing member 135. The transport roller 130 is driven to rotate by a drive mechanism (not shown) in the transport direction, which is the counterclockwise direction I in FIG. 2 in this embodiment. A platen 124 that supports the back surface of the long sheet material 110 sent from the transport roller 130 is disposed on the downstream side of the transport roller 130 in the sheet material transport direction.

Further, 140 is a paper end lever, and this paper end lever 140 is attached so as to be rotatable around a shaft 142, and one end side of the long end sheet material 11 when passing the sheet material.
It contacts 0 and rotates clockwise in the figure, and the other end side turns on and off the photocoupler 134.

The paper discharge roller 133 and the spur 134 are rotatably attached to shafts 136 and 137 fixed to the chassis 125. Then, the discharge roller 133
Is connected to the transport roller 130 via a gear 132,
The driving force is transmitted from the side of the transport roller 130 to rotate.

<Structure of Set Plate and Pressure Plate> FIG. 4 shows the shape of the set plate 107.

As shown in the figure, the setting plate 107 has a shaft portion 107a, a projection portion 107b for preventing paper drop, and a flat surface portion 107c.
5 is rotatably attached.

FIG. 5 shows the configuration of the set plate 107 and the pressure plate 105 when a strip-shaped long sheet material folded into a predetermined length is set as a print medium.

The pressure plate 105 is shown in a sectional view.

Of the plane portion 107c of the set plate 107,
The end without the protrusion 107b abuts on the abutting portion 105a formed inside the pressure plate 105, and the set plate 1
The plane portion 107c of 07 forms a surface perpendicular to the conveying direction of the long sheet material 110.

On the other hand, when setting a normal cut sheet material, the setting plate 107 is rotated in the closing direction (clockwise direction G in the figure), and the projection 107b is brought into contact with the pressure plate 105 to position the flat plate. 107c is the pressure plate 105
To form the same plane as the upper surface of the. The corner portion 107d formed by the projection portion 107b and the flat surface portion 107c of the setting plate 107 in FIG. 5 is a chamfered cut surface or a rounded arc surface for setting a normal cut sheet material. It is designed so that it will not get caught.

<Operation> Next, the operation will be described.

FIG. 1 shows a state before sheet feeding, in which the folded long sheet material 110 is stacked on the pressure plate 105, and the end 110f of the folded portion in the conveying direction is abutted against the set plate 107. Then, only the leading end portion of the long sheet material 110 is pulled out from the set plate 107 and fed to the feeding roller 10.
It is set on the downstream side of 1, 102.

First, when a printing command signal is output from a computer or the like (not shown), the feeding rollers 101 and 102 are rotated in the feeding direction (clockwise direction F in the figure) by a control circuit and a driving circuit (not shown). Begin to. This feeding roller 10
Simultaneously with the start of rotation of the rollers 1, 102, the pressure plate 105 is moved by a cam (not shown) in a direction of being pressed against the feeding rollers 101, 102.

When the long sheet material 110 comes into contact with the feeding rollers 101 and 102, the long sheet material 110 is fed by the feeding rollers 101 and 102 in the feeding direction (rightward direction H in the drawing). . Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the fed long sheet material 110 turns off the photo coupler 141 by rotating the paper end lever 140, and is further conveyed by a predetermined amount by the feed rollers 101 and 102. Then, the tip end thereof abuts on the nip portion formed by the transport roller 130 and the pinch roller 131. After that, the feeding rollers 101, 10
The rotation of 2 stops.

Subsequently, the carrying roller 130 rotates in the carrying direction (clockwise direction I in the drawing), and at the same time, the feeding roller 10
1, 102 rotate synchronously with the conveyance roller 130 and convey the long sheet material 110 by a predetermined amount. As a result, the long sheet material 110 is fed between the head cartridge 120 and the platen 124 by the length of the first printing, and printing is performed by the reciprocating operation of the head cartridge 120. At this time, when the feeding rollers 101 and 102 make one rotation, the pressure plate 105 is pressed down by a cam (not shown) to regulate the position, and at the same time, the feeding rollers 101 and 102 stop.

As shown in FIG. 3, the folded portion of the long sheet material 110 is a sheet material portion 110a, 110 having a predetermined length.
.. are folded in a zigzag shape in the feeding direction, and the sheet material portion 110a of each layer of the folded portion is the sheet material portion 110 of the lower layer from the leading end 110f side in the feeding direction.
At the same time as the sheet is slid with respect to a, the rear end portion of the lower sheet material portion 110a is pulled up and turned up, and the sheet is fed while forming a loop D by reversing the front and back.

As the conveyance progresses, the size of the loop D becomes smaller, but the uppermost sheet material portion 110a comes off the set plate 107 before the long sheet material 110 is bent or otherwise damaged. That is, since there is a front-rear distance along the feeding direction between the leading end 110f of the long sheet material 110 that is folded and stacked in the feeding direction and the feeding roller 102, a space is opened. In a large state, the fold line on the leading end side in the feeding direction can be expanded to feed the lower sheet material portion 110a. As a result, the long sheet material 110 folded at a predetermined position is fed without any damage such as bending.

In the same manner, the sheet material portion 11 of each layer
0a is alternately conveyed so as to flip up in a loop from the rear end side.

The long sheet material 110 is repeatedly printed and conveyed, and finally, the sheet discharge roller 133 and the spur 13 are formed.
The sheet is ejected by 4. During ejection, the protrusion 107b of the set plate 107 prevents the long sheet material 110 from being pulled off from the set plate 107 during conveyance.

[Second Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the protrusion 107b is provided on the set plate 107.
As shown in FIG. 7, a similar effect can be obtained even if a non-slip member 108 having a high friction coefficient, such as rubber, is attached to the flat surface portion 107c of the set plate 107, and the projection portion 107b is not formed. Can be realized.

[Third Embodiment] In the first embodiment, the shape having the projection 107b on the setting plate 107 has been described, but the setting is performed to the extent that the long sheet material 110 is not pulled down during conveyance. If the flat portion 107c of the plate 107 is long or the pressure plate 105 is at a slanted angle, the same effect can be obtained even with the set plate 107 having no protrusion 107b as shown in FIG.

Although the image recording apparatus has been described in the above embodiment, the present invention can be similarly applied to an image reading apparatus that feeds a sheet-shaped reading medium such as a sheet-shaped document to a reading unit. This case can be realized, for example, by using a reading head instead of the recording head of the above embodiment.

[0059]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the set position changing means for changing the set position of the sheet material in the transport direction is provided, the set position of the sheet material in the transport direction can be set without providing a dedicated stacking unit according to the size, shape and material of the sheet material. Can be set to an optimum position.

In particular, by shifting the set position of the folded long sheet material to the upstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the feeding means, a loop is formed in the conveying direction between the feeding means and the leading end of the folding portion in the conveying direction. Since there is a space for absorbing the long sheet material, the long sheet material can be fed without damage.

Further, since it is not necessary to increase the distance between the feeding means and the loading section, the loading amount is not reduced and the apparatus is not upsized to secure the loading space.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view showing a pre-sheet feeding state of a sheet feeding system of an image recording apparatus to which a sheet material feeding apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a schematic side view showing a state of the feeding device of FIG. 1 during conveyance.

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view showing a state of the feeding device of FIG. 1 during conveyance.

4 (a) and 4 (b) are a front view and a side view of a shape of a set plate.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a set plate and a pressure plate when a long sheet material is set.

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a typical shape of a long sheet material folded at a predetermined position.

FIG. 7 is a schematic side view showing a sheet material feeding device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic side view of a sheet feeding system of a recording apparatus to which a conventional sheet material feeding apparatus is applied.

9 is a schematic side view showing a state where a long sheet material is fed by the apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols] 101, 102 feeding roller (feeding means) 103 Paper edge guide 104 Separation claw 105 Pressure plate 106 Feed roller shaft 107 set board 108 Anti-slip 109 frames 110 long sheet material 111 spring 112 axes 120 head cartridge 121 carriage 122, 123 Guide shaft 124 Platen 125 chassis 130 Conveyor roller 131 pinch roller 132 gears 133 paper ejection roller 134 spur 135 Pressure contact member

Front page continuation (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B65H 1/00 B41J 13/00

Claims (11)

(57) [Claims] 1. A sheet material feeding device comprising: a stacking section for stacking sheet material; and a feeding means for feeding the sheet material loaded on the stacking section to feed the sheet material. A sheet material feeding device, characterized in that a set position varying means for varying the setting position of the sheet material in the conveying direction is provided. 2. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the setting position varying means feeds the set position of the long sheet material folded in multiple layers in the carrying direction by the leading end of the folding portion in the carrying direction. A sheet material feeding device, characterized in that the sheet material feeding device is set so as to be located upstream of the feeding means in the conveying direction. 3. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the feeding means is a feeding roller, and the leading end position of the folding portion of the long sheet material in the feeding direction is from the feeding roller center to the loading portion. A sheet material feeding device, characterized in that the sheet material feeding device is located on the upstream side in the conveying direction with respect to the normal position lowered. 4. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the feeding means is in contact with the sheet material stacked on the stacking portion at the time of feeding to impart a conveying force to the sheet material. The sheet material feeding device is characterized in that after the front end of the sheet material is fed by a predetermined amount, it is separated from the stacking portion and is conveyed by the conveying means on the downstream side. 5. The sheet material feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a plurality of cut sheet materials and long sheet materials separated one by one are provided in the stacking section. Can be stacked selectively, and the set position of the cut sheet material is
A sheet material feeding device, characterized in that its tip is set on the downstream side of the contact position of the feeding means. 6. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 5, wherein the set position changing means is constituted by a set member which is openably and closably mounted on the stacking portion. 7. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 6, wherein a long sheet material is fed to a portion that supports the long sheet material when the setting member is opened. The sheet material feeding device is characterized in that a slip stopper is provided so that the slip does not slip down on the downstream side in the conveying direction. 8. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein the end portion located on the feeding means side when the setting member is opened is convex toward the side that supports the long sheet when opened. A sheet material feeding device, which has a protrusion that becomes 9. The sheet material feeding device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a surface for supporting the sheet material when the setting member is opened is made of a friction material. . 10. An image recording section, and a sheet material feeding section for supplying a sheet material as a recording medium to the image recording section,
An image recording apparatus comprising: a sheet material feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 as the sheet material feeding portion. 11. An image reading unit, and a sheet material supplying unit for supplying a sheet material as a reading medium to the image reading unit,
An image reading apparatus comprising: a sheet material feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 9 as the sheet material feeding unit.