JP4576960B2 - Recording apparatus and liquid ejecting apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To further improve the operability by more simplifying the switching operation for positions of a tray guide, and to further reduce the size in a height direction of a recorder. <P>SOLUTION: A printer 1 is constituted to be able to transfer a tray T in which a medium to be recorded such as an optical disk can be set. The printer is equipped with the tray guide 40 which has a tray supporting face 40a for supporting the tray T and can move to be able to take a first position where it can guide the tray T from the tray supporting face 40a to a sheet transfer course, and a second position retreated from the sheet transfer course. The tray guide 40 moves between the first position and the second position while the tray supporting face 40a maintains a posture along a transfer direction of the tray T when the sheet transfer course is seen sideways. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that performs recording on a recording medium, and more particularly to a recording apparatus configured to be able to transport a tray on which a recording medium such as an optical disk can be set. The present invention also relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.
Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus uses an ink jet recording head, and is not limited to a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine that discharges ink from the recording head to perform recording on a recording medium. And a device that ejects a liquid corresponding to the application from a liquid ejecting head corresponding to the ink jet recording head to an ejected medium corresponding to a recording medium, and adheres the liquid to the ejected medium. .
In addition to the recording head, as a liquid ejecting head, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, and an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display or a surface emitting display (FED) Examples thereof include an ejection head, a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and a sample ejection head as a precision pipette.

Some inkjet printers (hereinafter referred to as “printers”) as an example of a recording apparatus and a liquid ejecting apparatus can directly perform inkjet recording on a label surface of an optical disk typified by a compact disk. That is, an optical disk as a recording medium is set on a tray as a medium to be transported, which can be transported along a paper transport path by a transport roller, and the tray is transported by the transport roller and recorded. Is to do.
In such a printer, a guide member (attachment: hereinafter referred to as “tray guide”) for guiding the tray to the front side of the apparatus is detachably provided. When performing recording on the optical disc, the tray guide is mounted, and the tray is inserted into the apparatus from above the tray guide, so that the tray is conveyed to the recording start position by the conveyance roller while being supported by the tray guide. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).

  Further, the discharge roller provided on the downstream side of the recording head is generally configured by a discharge drive roller that is rotationally driven and a discharge driven roller that is driven to rotate in contact with the discharge drive roller. As the discharge driven roller, a so-called serrated roller having teeth on the outer periphery is used in order to prevent white leakage of ink and transfer. However, some optical discs have a data area immediately below the label surface. If the above-mentioned jagged roller is pressed against the label surface of such an optical disc, the data on the optical disc may be destroyed. Therefore, a recording apparatus capable of recording on an optical disk is configured such that the discharge driven roller can be separated from the discharge drive roller. As an example of such a configuration, Patent Document 2 discloses that the stacker can take a first position and a second position so that a stacker for stacking discharged sheets can be used as a tray guide. Discloses a recording apparatus configured to be displaceable. According to this configuration, the discharge driven roller can be displaced to the corresponding state in conjunction with the stacker position switching operation, the user's operation is simplified, and the tray guide is integrally provided in the recording apparatus. Therefore, there is no need to manage the tray guide separately, which is user-friendly.

JP 2003- 211757 A JP 2004-130774 A

In order to switch the stacker described in Patent Document 2 from the second position (position where paper can be stacked) to the first position (position where the tray can be guided), the stacker in a substantially horizontal position is temporarily set to a vertical position. And then lifted upward, and then rotated again to a substantially horizontal posture. The switching operation from the first position to the second position is performed in the reverse procedure.
However, such an operation has some aspects that are difficult for the user to understand, and also requires a space in the height direction of the recording apparatus because the stacker is rotated and moved up and down.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and the problem is that the operation of switching the position of the tray guide is further simplified, the operability is further improved, and the dimensions of the recording apparatus in the height direction are improved. Is to make it even smaller.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a first aspect of the present invention is a recording head that performs recording on a recording medium, and a recording medium that is provided upstream of the recording head and that is directed to an area facing the recording head. A recording apparatus configured to convey a tray serving as the medium to be recorded on which a recording medium can be set, and includes a tray support surface that supports the tray, and A first position at which the tray support surface is horizontal capable of guiding the tray from the tray support surface to a transport path of the transported medium; and a second position at which the tray support surface is horizontal and retracts from the transport path . A tray guide provided so as to be displaceable while maintaining a posture along the transport direction of the tray as viewed from the transport path of the transported medium. Guide holding means for guiding from the first position to the second position and from the second position to the first position is provided, and the guide holding means is erected on both sides in the width direction of the tray guide. And a pair of first guide pins extending in the displacement direction of the tray guide for guiding a shaft protruding outward from both sides of the tray guide and a first guide pin protruding outward from both sides of the tray guide. A guide member fixed to the recording apparatus in which one guide groove is formed, and a torsion coil that engages with the first guide pin and biases the shaft in a direction in which the tray guide is displaced to the first position. A spring, a slot for loosely inserting the shaft, and a cam groove having a heart shape and a plurality of step shapes formed on the bottom surface; A positioning mechanism comprising: a heart cam that is pivotable about a moving shaft; and a positioning pin that is biased in a direction in pressure contact with the bottom surface of the cam groove and is displaceable in the cam groove. The pin is locked to the step shape in the cam groove to position the heart cam, hold the positioning pin so that the tray guide is held in the second position, and the second position. When the tray guide held on the recording medium is pushed toward the rear side of the recording apparatus when the surface of the recording apparatus in which the opening for inserting the tray is formed is viewed from the front side, the positioning pin And a cam means for releasing the holding state.

According to the above aspect, the tray support surface that supports the tray is provided, and the tray support surface that can guide the tray from the tray support surface to the transport path of the transported medium is horizontal . the tray support surface is level, and between the second position is housed in the recording apparatus, the travel path of the carrier medium and the side view, while maintaining a posture along the conveyance direction of the tray The displacement of the tray guide (position switching direction, i.e., the operation direction) becomes simple because of the displacement, the operability of the tray guide can be improved, and the height dimension of the apparatus can be further reduced. Can do.

The tray guide is held in the second position when pushed toward the rear side of the recording apparatus when the surface on which the opening for inserting the tray guide is formed is viewed from the front side , and When the tray guide in the second position is pushed to the rear side of the apparatus in the same manner as described above, the holding state is released, that is, by performing a push-on operation, the tray guide is moved to the second position and Since it is possible to switch to the first position, the operation is simple, easy to understand, and user friendly.

Further, since the tray guide receives a biasing force of a torsion coil spring when the tray guide is displaced from the second position to the first position, the tray guide is moved from the second position to the first position. The operation at the time of switching can be easily performed with a small load.

  Further, since the cam means is configured to include the heart cam, a configuration for performing the position of the tray guide by a so-called push-on operation can be easily obtained with a simple structure.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the tray guide is retracted above the conveyance path at the second position.

  According to the above aspect, since the tray guide is retracted above the transport path at the second position, the tray guide is not affected by the tray guide when discharging a recording medium such as plain paper. It is possible to prevent complication of the path for discharging the recording medium.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the recording apparatus includes a discharge unit that discharges a recording medium on which recording has been performed to the outside of the apparatus on the downstream side of the recording head. A discharge driving roller that is rotationally driven; and a discharge driven roller that is provided on a discharge frame that extends in the width direction of the recording medium and that is driven to rotate in contact with the discharge driving roller. The tray roller is provided so as to be displaceable so that the driven roller can be in contact with the discharge drive roller and a separated position separated from the discharge drive roller. When the second position is displaced to the first position, the contact position is displaced to the separated position, and the tray guide is displaced. To be displaced from the contact position with displaced to said second position from said first position to said separated position, at both side ends of the discharge frame, the second guide pin projecting outward are provided, The second guide pin is configured to be guided by a second guide groove formed in the guide member and extending in the displacement direction of the discharge frame, and the first guide pin and the second guide pin are A third guide groove and a fourth guide groove formed in the link member are inserted into the third guide groove and the third guide groove, respectively, when the tray guide is held at the second position, and at the second position. A slot extending in the operation direction of the tray guide when releasing the holding state, and a method of approaching and separating the tray guide from the transport path The fourth guide groove is a guide groove extending in the proximity and separation direction of the discharge driven roller with respect to the discharge drive roller, and intersecting with the discharge drive roller, The first guide pin and the second guide pin move in the first guide groove and the second guide groove according to the displacement operation of the tray guide and the discharge frame, respectively, and further, the third guide groove and the second guide pin respectively. It is configured to move in the fourth guide groove .

  According to the above aspect, the discharge frame is displaced in conjunction with the displacement operation of the tray guide, that is, the discharge driven roller is separated from or in contact with the discharge drive roller. When recording on a recording medium, the discharge driven roller can reliably prevent destruction of the data area due to pressure contact with the recording surface of the recording medium, and the user does not need to perform a special operation, User friendly.

  In addition, since the tray guide and the discharge frame are connected via a link member, it is possible to connect both the tray guide and the discharge frame while ensuring the freedom of operation of both the tray guide and the discharge frame. .

  The tray guide and the discharge frame are connected one-to-one by the third guide groove and the fourth guide groove formed in the link member, and the tray guide is moved by the third guide groove. When holding at the second position and when releasing the holding state at the second position, a latch stroke of the heart cam can be secured, that is, only the tray guide is displaced without displacing the discharge frame. be able to.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to third aspects, the shaft is rotatably supported on the tray guide and a pinion gear is attached to the shaft end of the shaft. The guide member is characterized in that a rack that meshes with the pinion gear is formed along a displacement locus of the tray guide.

  According to the above aspect, the tray guide is not inclined in the sliding operation by the pinion gear provided in the tray guide and the rack formed on the guide member meshing with the pinion gear. A stable and smooth displacement operation can be performed.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fourth aspects, an area facing the surface opposite to the tray support surface in the tray guide taking the second position is a recording area. And a rib extending in the discharge direction of the recording medium is formed at a position corresponding to the side end portion of the recording medium on the opposite surface of the recording medium discharge area. Features.

  According to the above aspect, when the recording medium is discharged, the side end of the recording medium can be smoothly discharged without being caught by the tray guide.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, a scanner unit is provided above the conveyance path.

  According to the above aspect, according to the above aspect, the recording apparatus includes the scanner unit above the conveyance path. It is possible to obtain a scanner unit integrated recording apparatus that suppresses the above.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following,
1. Overall configuration of the printer
2. Configuration of guide holding means
3. Configuration of tray guide locking means
4). Configuration of tray lifting control means
These will be described in the order.

<< 1. Overall configuration of printer >>
In the following, first, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, an overall configuration of an inkjet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 1 as an example of a “recording apparatus” and a “liquid ejecting apparatus” according to an embodiment of the present invention. Outline. Here, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the main body of the printer 1 (with the outer case removed), FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view, and FIG. 3 shows how the tray T is guided by the tray guide 40 to the conveyance path. It is a principal part perspective view shown.

  The printer 1 includes a scanner unit (not shown) in the upper part of the apparatus, that is, is configured as a scanner-integrated printer, and records an image read by the scanner unit by recording means described later. (However, the description of the scanner unit is omitted below). Accordingly, the printer 1 is appropriately devised to keep the size in the height direction of the apparatus small, as will be described later. The printer 1 also has an interface (not shown) that can be connected to an external host computer, and a slot (not shown) in which a storage medium such as a memory card is mounted. The apparatus is also configured as a so-called stand-alone printer that directly reads image data and the like held in the storage medium and directly performs recording by a recording unit to be described later.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the printer 1 is configured to be able to transport a tray T as a “transported medium” formed so that an optical disk D as an example of a “recorded medium” can be set. The tray T is formed of a plate-like body, and conveys a print sheet (hereinafter referred to as “paper P”) as an example of “recorded medium”, “ejected medium”, and “conveyed medium” (hereinafter referred to as “paper conveyance”). The route guide 40 is guided by the tray guide 40. Ink jet recording is directly performed on the label surface of the optical disc D by a recording unit (to be described later) while being transported along a sheet transport path by a transport unit 2 (to be described later).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tray guide 40 includes a tray support surface 40a for supporting the tray T, and a first position (in FIG. 2, an imaginary line and reference numeral 40 ′) that can guide the tray T to the paper transport path. And a second position (shown by a solid line in FIG. 2) for retreating from the paper conveyance path. Here, in the present embodiment, the tray T is configured to be conveyed substantially horizontally in the depth direction of the printer 1 (front-rear direction: left-right direction in FIG. 2), and thus the tray support surface 40a is substantially horizontal in the first position. It is formed to form. Further, as will be described in detail later, the tray guide 40 is viewed from the side of the sheet conveyance path, and the tray support surface 40a maintains the posture along the conveyance direction of the tray T while the first position and the second position are maintained. It is configured to displace between. In the following, the terms “paper P”, “tray T”, “disk D”, and “tray support surface 40a” are used extensively without being particularly illustrated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, a photo stand paper (after printing, processed so that it can be placed on a placement surface in a standing posture like a photo stand: not shown) from the tray guide 40 is referred to as a tray T. Similarly, it is possible to guide to the paper conveyance path, and the width direction dimensions of the photo stand paper and the tray T are set to be the same. Therefore, a so-called edge guide that can be displaced in the width direction is not required on the tray support surface 40a of the tray guide 40.

  Next, in FIGS. 1 and 3, reference numeral 51 denotes a first position and a second position for holding the tray guide 40, the first position to the second position, and the second position to the first position. The guide holding means which guides to this position is shown. Reference numeral 50 denotes a guide holding for holding the tray guide 40 at the first position and guiding the tray guide 40 from the first position to the second position and from the second position to the first position. Means are shown. The guide holding means 50 and 51 will be described in detail later.

  Next, the paper transport path of the printer 1 will be described in detail with reference mainly to FIG. In the present invention, the paper transport path means a downstream path (right side in FIG. 2) from the transport drive roller 21 described later, that is, a substantially linear paper transport path. The path on the side is referred to as a “paper feeding path” and is distinguished from each other.

  The printer 1 includes a feeding device (ASF) 11 that can set the paper P1 in an inclined posture at the rear of the device (left side in FIG. 2), and a paper feed tray 31 that can set the paper P2 in a horizontal posture at the bottom of the device. In other words, two paper feeding paths are provided. Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish the paper P1 and the paper P2 from time to time, they are simply referred to as “paper P”.

  The feeding device 11 includes a hopper 12, a feeding roller 13, and a separation roller 14. The hopper 12 supports the paper P <b> 1 in an inclined posture and swings to switch between a state in which the paper P <b> 1 is pressed against the feeding roller 13 and a state in which the paper P <b> 1 is separated. The feeding roller 13 has a substantially D shape when viewed from the side, and rotates to feed the uppermost sheet P1 in pressure contact with the feeding roller 13 to the downstream side. The separation roller 14 is disposed so as to be able to come into pressure contact with the feeding roller 13 and is provided in a state where a predetermined rotational resistance force is applied. When only one sheet P1 is fed without occurrence of double feeding of the sheet P1, the separation roller 14 is driven to rotate accordingly, and the sheet P1 is fed with the feeding roller 13, the separation roller 14, and the like. In the case where there are a plurality of sheets, the rotation is stopped because the coefficient of friction between the sheets is low. By such an action of the separation roller 14, the next and subsequent sheets P 1 that are to be double-fed along with the uppermost sheet P 1 to be fed do not advance downstream from the feeding roller 13. It stays in the vicinity of the pressure contact between the feeding roller 13 and the separation roller 14, and the double feeding of the paper is prevented.

  On the downstream side of the feeding device 11, a conveyance driving roller 20 and a conveyance driven roller 21 are provided, and conveyance means 2 that conveys the paper P or the tray T to an area facing the inkjet recording head 18 is provided. ing. The transport drive roller 20 is formed by a shaft body that is long in the main scanning direction, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown). The transport driven roller 21 is pivotally supported by a plurality of transport driven roller holders 19 arranged side by side in the main scanning direction so as to be freely rotatable, and is driven to rotate by being driven by the transport drive roller 20. To do. The paper P fed from the paper feeding device 11 or the paper feed tray 31 at the bottom of the device is nipped by the transport driving roller 20 and the transport driven roller 21, and the inkjet drive on the downstream side by the rotation of the transport driving roller 20. It is conveyed to a region facing the head 18.

  On the downstream side of the transport driving roller 20 and the transport driven roller 21, an ink jet recording head 18 and a platen 27 constituting a recording unit are disposed so as to face each other in the vertical direction. The ink jet recording head 18 is disposed at the bottom of the carriage 15 and ejects ink droplets onto the paper P or the optical disk D as the carriage 15 reciprocates in the main scanning direction. Recording is performed. The carriage 15 is disposed so as to be guided in the main scanning direction by a main carriage guide shaft 17 and a sub-carriage guide shaft 16 that extend in the main scanning direction (the front and back direction in FIG. 2). It is driven back and forth in the scanning direction.

  Note that the printer 1 according to the present embodiment does not mount an ink cartridge on the carriage 15, and an ink supply tube (not shown) from an ink cartridge disposed on the bottom (not shown) on the front side of the apparatus independently of the carriage 15. Ink is supplied to the ink jet recording head 18 via.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the platen 27 has a shape extending in the main scanning direction and includes ribs extending in the paper transport direction at appropriate intervals in the main scanning direction to support the paper P and the paper P and the inkjet recording head 18. Specify the distance to. The platen 27 has a recess 27a at a position facing the ink jet recording head 18 (ink ejection nozzle).

  In the concave portion 27a formed so as to extend in the main scanning direction, the island portion 27b is located so as to be localized in the main scanning direction. With such a configuration, the leading end, the trailing end, Then, the ink ejected to the part deviated from the both ends of the sheet P of the predetermined size is thrown away into the recess 27a, and borderless printing is executed. An ink absorbing material (not shown) for absorbing the discarded ink is disposed in the recess 27a, and a hole (not shown) communicating with the bottom surface of the platen 27 is formed at the bottom of the recess 27a. Thus, the ink is guided (discharged) to the waste liquid collection tray 28 provided below the platen 27 through the hole.

  Next, on the downstream side of the ink jet recording head 18, a discharge unit 9 including a first discharge drive roller 23, a first discharge driven roller 24, a second discharge drive roller 25, and a second discharge driven roller 26 is provided. Is provided. The first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge drive roller 25 are rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), the first discharge driven roller 24 is the first discharge drive roller 23, and the second discharge driven roller 26 is the second discharge drive roller. 25 to follow and rotate. The recorded paper P is nipped by these rollers and discharged to the stacker 30.

  Here, the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 are provided on a discharge frame 36 (FIG. 3) formed of a metal plate and extending in the main scanning direction so as to be freely rotatable. . Further, the discharge frame 36 includes a contact position where the first discharge driven roller 24 is in contact with the first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge driven roller 26 is in contact with the second discharge drive roller 25, the first discharge driven roller 24, and the first discharge driven roller 24. The two discharge driven rollers 26 are configured to be displaceable so that they can be separated from the first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge drive roller 25, respectively.

  That is, for the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 that are in contact with the printing surface of the paper P, so-called serrated rollers having teeth on the outer periphery are used in order to prevent ink whitening and transfer. However, some optical disks D have a data area immediately below the label surface (printing surface), and the first discharge driven roller 24 or the second discharge driven roller formed on the label surface of such an optical disk D by a serrated roller. If 26 touches, the data area of the optical disk D may be damaged. Accordingly, when printing on the optical disk D, the discharge frame 36 is displaced to the separated position so as not to damage the data area of the optical disk D (details will be described later).

  In the following, the “separated position” means the position of the discharge frame 36 when the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 are separated from the first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge drive roller 25, respectively. Similarly, the positions of the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge drive roller at this time are used in the meaning of both. Similarly, the “contact position” is the same as the position of the discharge frame 36 when the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 come into contact with the first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge drive roller 25. At this time, the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge drive roller are used in the meaning of both.

  Subsequently, a pickup roller 33 is disposed at the upper end on the front end side of the paper feed tray 31 provided at the bottom of the apparatus. The pickup roller 33 is pivotally supported by a pivotal support member 32 that can swing around a swinging shaft 32a, and is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown). Then, by the swinging operation of the shaft support member 32, the position in contact with the paper P2 set in the paper feed tray 31 and the position away from the paper P2 are displaced and rotated while in contact with the paper P2. The uppermost sheet P2 is fed toward the rear of the apparatus (left direction in FIG. 2).

  A reversing roller 34 that is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown) is provided at the front end side of the paper feed tray 31, and a curved reversal feeding path for the paper P <b> 2 centering on the reversing roller 34 is formed. A nip roller 35 is provided at a position facing the reversing roller 34 so as to displace a position where the reversing roller 34 is pressed against and a position away from the reversing roller 34. By passing through the pressure contact with the nip roller 35, double feeding is prevented and feeding force by rotation of the reversing roller 34 is applied to feed further downstream. Then, the sheet P2 passes through the curved reversal feeding path centered on the reversing roller 34, and is nipped by the conveyance driving roller 20 and the conveyance driven roller 21 in the same manner as the sheet P1 fed by the feeding device 11, and is downstream. It is conveyed to.

<< 2. Configuration of guide holding means >>
Next, the configuration of the guide holding means 50 and 51 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 4 is a perspective view of the guide holding means 51, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the guide holding means 50,
6 is an exploded perspective view of the guide holding means 50, FIGS. 7 to 11 are partially enlarged views of FIG. 6, FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the guide member 52, FIG. 13 is a plan view of the guide member 52, and FIG. 15 is a plan view of the heart cam 61, FIGS. 16 to 20 are operation transition diagrams of the guide holding means 50, and FIGS. 21 and 22 show the relationship between the guide holding means 50 and the exterior parts of the printer 1. FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the tray guide 40 as viewed from the back side, and FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the latch lever 70 attached.

[2-1. Configuration of guide holding means]
As shown in FIG. 1, the guide holding means 50 is provided on the left side of the tray guide 40, and the guide holding means 51 is provided on the right side of the tray guide 40. The guide holding means 50 has a guide member 52 standing on the left side of the tray guide 40, and the guide holding means 51 has a guide member 53 standing on the right side of the tray guide 40. 53, the tray guide 40 is guided from the first position to the second position, and from the second position to the first position. Similarly, the discharge frame 36 is guided from the contact position to the separation position and from the separation position to the contact position.

  Here, in addition to the structure of the guide holding means 51, the guide holding means 50 includes a cam means 60 as shown in FIG. The cam means 60 holds the tray guide 40 at the second position, and at the second position when the tray guide 40 held at the second position is pushed toward the rear side of the printer 1. It fulfills the function of releasing the holding state. Therefore, hereinafter, the configuration of the guide holding means 50 will be described in detail. The configuration of the guide holding means 51 is the same as that of the guide holding means 50 except that the cam means 60 is not provided.

  As shown in FIG. 5 showing the assembled state of the guide holding means 50, FIG. 6 showing the disassembled state, and FIGS. 7 to 11 which are enlarged views of FIG. 6, the guide holding means 50 includes the first guide pin 41, the shaft 43, A pinion gear 44, a guide member 52, a link member 54, a frame 55, a discharge frame guide 56, a cam means 60, a position sensor 57, and a torsion coil spring 58 are provided. The cam means 60 includes a heart cam 61, a sliding rod 62, a rod guide 63, a spring 64, and a slider 65.

  On both sides of the discharge frame 36, second guide pins 36 b (FIG. 10) projecting outward (projecting in the same direction as the first guide pin 41, which will be described later) are located downstream of the discharge frame 36. On the upstream side, a protrusion 36a that protrudes in the same direction as the second guide pin 36b is formed. The second guide pins 36b and the protrusions 36a constitute discharge frame guide means for defining the slide trajectory of the discharge frame 36.

  Hereinafter, each component will be described separately. As shown in FIG. 11, the first guide pin 41 slides in the sliding direction of the tray guide 40 that slides outward from both sides of the tray guide 40, that is, in the transport direction of the tray T (left-right direction in FIG. 2). In the assembled state of the guide holding means 50, a first member formed on the guide member 52 is provided so as to protrude in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction (the width direction of the tray guide 40: the front and back direction in FIG. 2). It will be in the state loosely inserted in the guide groove 52c.

The shaft 43 is pivotally supported in the tray guide 40 so as to be freely rotatable so as to extend in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the tray guide 40 (the width direction of the tray guide 40), and both shaft ends thereof are the first guide pins 41. In the same manner as above, it is formed so as to protrude outward from both sides of the tray guide 40. In the present embodiment, the shaft end of the shaft 43 is configured to have the same function as that of the first guide pin 41 by being loosely inserted into the first guide groove 52 d formed in the guide member 52.
The pinion gear 44 is attached to both shaft ends of the shaft 43, and in the assembled state of the guide holding means 50, the pinion gear 44 meshes with a rack 52e (see FIG. 12) formed on the guide member 52, thereby sliding the tray guide 40. Rotate according to movement.

  In FIG. 10, the guide members 52 erected on both sides of the tray guide 40 have a plate shape, and the plate surface is parallel to the sliding direction of the tray guide 40 and orthogonal to the tray support surface 40a. The frame 55 is fixed. The guide member 52 includes a first guide groove 52c extending in the displacement direction of the tray guide 40 (including a component in the transport direction of the tray T and a component in the direction of approaching and separating from the paper transport path (the vertical direction in FIG. 2)). , 52d (see also FIG. 13), and the displacement direction component of the discharge frame 36 (the transport direction component of the tray T and the component in the direction approaching and separating from the paper transport path (the vertical direction in FIG. 2)). A second guide groove 52b is formed extending to (includes). A rack 52 e (FIG. 12) extending in the displacement direction of the tray guide 40 is formed on the surface facing both side surfaces of the tray guide 40. Further, the shaft 52a is formed on the outer surface so as to protrude outward (in the same direction as the protruding direction of the first guide pin 41).

  In the assembled state of the guide holding means 50, the first guide pin 41 is loosely inserted into the first guide groove 52c, the shaft end of the shaft 43 is loosely inserted into the first guide groove 52d, and the second guide groove 52b is inserted into the second guide groove 52b. A second guide pin 36b formed on the discharge frame 36b is loosely inserted. Then, as shown in FIG. 13, according to the displacement operation of the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame 36, the first guide pin 41 is in the first guide groove 52c, the shaft end of the shaft 43 is in the first guide groove 52d, The two guide pins 36b move in the second guide grooves 52b, respectively, and thereby the slide trajectories of the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame 36 are defined.

  The link member 54 has a plate shape like the guide member 52 and is sandwiched between the guide member 52 and the frame 55. The guide member 52 is formed with guide portions 52g and 52f extending in the transport direction of the tray T, and the link member 54 is fitted between the guide portions 52g and 52f so as to extend in the transport direction of the tray T. Slide operation is possible while being guided. In the guide member 52, reference numerals 52h and 52j are stopper portions, and the slide range of the link member 54 is regulated by the stopper portions 52h and 52j.

  Further, the link member 54 is formed with a third guide groove 54d and a fourth guide groove 54a. Here, the third guide groove 54d is configured to operate the tray guide 40 when the tray guide 40 is held at the second position and when the holding state at the second position is released (position switching direction. In the embodiment, a slot 54b that extends in the direction in which the tray guide 40 is pushed to the rear side of the printer 1, that is, the horizontal direction, and a slot that extends in the proximity and separation direction (vertical direction in the present embodiment) of the tray guide 40 with respect to the paper transport path 54c is a guide groove which intersects 54c and has a substantially L-shape. Further, the fourth guide groove 54a is in the proximity / separation direction of the first discharge driven roller 24 (second discharge driven roller 26) with respect to the first discharge drive roller 23 (second discharge drive roller 25) (substantially vertical in this embodiment). Guide groove extending in the direction).

  In the assembled state of the guide holding means 50, the first guide pin 41 is loosely inserted into the third guide groove 54d, and the second guide pin 36b is loosely inserted into the fourth guide groove 54a. Accordingly, the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame 36 are thereby connected via the link member 54, and the discharge frame 36 is displaced along with the tray guide 40. When the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame 36 are displaced, the first guide pin 41 and the second guide pin 36b move in the first guide groove 52c and the second guide groove 52b as described with reference to FIG. However, as shown in FIG. 14, it moves in the third guide groove 54d and the fourth guide groove 54a, respectively.

  Next, the guide member 52 is attached to the frame 55 erected in parallel with the guide member 52 and the link member 54 in FIG. 9 as described above. Further, a shaft 66 is provided on the frame 55 so as to protrude to the outside of the frame 55, and a heart cam 61 described later is pivotally supported on the shaft 66. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, a discharge frame guide 56 constituting discharge frame guide means is attached to the frame 55 at a position facing the side end of the discharge frame 36. A guide groove 56 a is formed in the discharge frame guide 56, and a protrusion 36 a formed on the side end of the discharge frame 36 is loosely inserted into the guide groove 56 a in the assembled state of the guide holding means 50. Accordingly, the discharge frame 36 is guided by the guide groove 56 a and the second guide groove 52 b formed in the guide member 52, so that the slide locus is defined.

  Note that the discharge frame 36 is provided with a torsion coil spring 37 (see FIG. 4) in order to prevent the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 from floating from the first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge drive roller 25. 4, FIG. 5, and FIG. 29), the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 are urged in a direction in contact with the first discharge drive roller 23 and the first discharge drive roller 25, respectively. Here, the torsion coil springs 37 are disposed at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the discharge frame 36 and are fixedly attached to the frame 10 (FIG. 1), while the discharge frame 36 slides in the paper transport direction. 4, one end 37 a of a torsion coil spring 37 that biases the discharge frame 36 is configured to slide on a guide rail 38 attached to the discharge frame 36 in accordance with the slide operation of the discharge frame 36. . Therefore, the urging force by the torsion coil spring 37 is configured so as not to hinder the smooth sliding operation of the discharge frame 36.

  Subsequently, in FIG. 8, the heart cam 61 has a slot 61 b into which the shaft end of the shaft 43 is loosely inserted, a shaft hole 61 c fitted into the shaft 52 a formed in the guide member 52, and a plan view (see FIG. 15). A cam groove 61 a having a substantially heart shape and a height difference is provided on the bottom surface, and is rotatably attached to the shaft 52 a of the guide member 52. Since the shaft end of the shaft 43 provided in the tray guide 40 is loosely inserted into the shaft hole 61b, the heart cam 61 rotates around the shaft 52a according to the sliding operation of the tray guide 40.

  A sliding rod 62 having a shaft hole 62 c that fits into a shaft 66 provided in the frame 55 is provided at a position facing the heart cam 61. The slide rod 62 is provided so as to be rotatable about a shaft 66, and has a positioning pin 62a that is biased in a direction in which it is pressed against the bottom surface of the cam groove 61a. Moreover, it has the protrusion 62b which protrudes in the reverse direction to the protrusion direction of the positioning pin 62a, and the rod guide 63 is provided in the position facing the said protrusion 62b. The rod guide 63 is formed with a slot (not shown) formed along the locus drawn by the protrusion 62b as the sliding rod 62 rotates. The protrusion 62b includes the spring 64 and the slider. It is loosely inserted into the slot through 65. Accordingly, the positioning pin 62a is urged toward the bottom surface of the cam groove 61a, and the positioning pin 62a is pressed against the bottom surface of the cam groove 61a in accordance with the rotation operation of the heart cam 61, and moves in the cam groove 61a. Moving.

  Note that a position sensor 57 is attached to the rod guide 63 as shown in FIG. The position sensor 57 has a swingable lever 57a. The lever 57a comes into contact with a detection surface 61d formed on the outer periphery of the heart cam 61, so that the posture of the heart cam 61, that is, the tray guide 40 is set to the first position. Whether it is present or in the second position can be detected.

  The cam means 60 constituted by the above components has a first guide so that the tray guide 40 is held in the second position by loosely inserting the first guide pin 41 into the slot 61a formed in the heart cam 61. When the tray guide 40 that holds the guide pin 41 and is held at the second position is pushed toward the rear side of the printer 1, it operates to release the holding state. The details of the operation of the cam means 60 will be described in detail later.

Subsequently, the shaft 52 a formed on the guide member 52 is provided with a torsion coil spring 58 as “biasing means”, and one end of the torsion coil spring 58 is formed on the shaft 43 and the other end is formed on the frame 55. It latches to the made spring latching | locking part (not shown). Accordingly, the shaft 43 is biased in the right direction in FIG. 13, that is, in the direction in which the tray guide 40 is displaced from the second position to the first position.

[2-2. Operation of guide holding means]
The above is the configuration of the guide holding unit 50. Hereinafter, the operation of each of the above-described components of the guide holding unit 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 16 to 20 and other drawings as appropriate. 16 to 22, the illustration of the guide member 52 is omitted for the sake of simplicity, and the first guide grooves 52c and 52d and the second guide groove 52b formed in the guide member 52 are indicated by phantom lines. ing.

  First, FIG. 16 shows a state in which the tray guide 40 is in the first position (a position where the tray T can be guided to the paper transport path). In this state, the first guide pin 41 and the shaft 43 are positioned on the front side of the printer in the first guide grooves 52c and 52d (the right end in FIG. 16) by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 58 acting on the first guide pin 41, respectively. It is held in the state. Here, the first guide grooves 52c and 52d extend in the transport direction of the tray T as shown in the figure, and become higher toward the rear side of the printer (left side in FIG. 16), that is, retreat from the paper transport path. It has a staircase shape. Therefore, in a state where the first guide pins 41 and the shaft 43 are positioned on the front side of the printer in the first guide grooves 52c and 52d (the right end in FIG. 16), the tray support surface 40a of the tray guide 40 is on the extension line of the sheet conveyance path. And the tray T can be guided from the tray support surface 40a.

In this state, in the cam means 60, the positioning pin 62a is positioned at a low position in the step shape formed on the bottom surface of the cam groove 61a having a heart shape. Here, the cam groove 61a will be described in detail with reference to FIG.
The cam groove 61a is provided in four regions A, B, C, and D as shown in the figure by forming a plurality of steps (level difference: front and back direction in FIG. 15) on the bottom surface. More specifically, a step is provided at the boundary between any two regions, and in the vicinity of each boundary, the positioning pin 62a moves from the high position to the low position when the positioning pin 62a moves in the direction of the arrow in the figure. The height difference is set so that it will go down (step down). Further, the cam groove 61a has a shape in a plan view (a heart shape) and the step shape so that the positioning pin 62a does not move in the direction opposite to the arrow direction in the drawing, that is, from the region A to the region D. The region D is not moved from the region D to the region C, from the region C to the region B, and from the region B to the region A.

  Hereinafter, the case where the positioning pin 62a moves from the position (d) of the area D to the position (a) of the area A will be specifically described as an example. Since the positioning pin 62a receives the urging force of the spring 64 (FIG. 8) and is in pressure contact with the bottom surface of the cam groove 61a, the positioning pin 62a is in a high position when moving from the position (d) in the area D to the position (a) in the area A. Move from low to low (fit). Here, since the shaft 43 that is loosely inserted into the slot 61b, that is, the tray guide 40, is urged to slide by the torsion coil spring 58 toward the front side of the apparatus, the heart cam 61 always rotates clockwise in FIG. There is a tendency to move.

  However, the step between the region D and the region A is such that (a) the position is lowered and the positioning pin 62a moved from the (d) position to the (a) position is rotated clockwise in FIG. Due to the rotational tendency of the direction, the positioning pin 62a is locked to the step between the region D and the region A because it is pressed against the step surface between the region D and the region A. . That is, when the positioning pin 62a is locked to the step between the region D and the region A, the heart cam 61 cannot be rotated in the clockwise direction in FIG. 15, the heart cam 61 is positioned, and the tray guide 40 is moved to the second position. Held in the position.

  Hereinafter, similarly, the height difference of the step formed between the regions is set so that the positioning pin 62a can only move from the region A to the region B, from the region B to the region C, and from the region C to the region D. ing. In the regions B and C, the bottom surface is formed by a smooth inclined surface so that the bottom surface becomes higher in the direction of the arrow in the figure. Thus, the heart cam 61 (that is, the tray guide 40) is given a positioning tendency from the positioning pin 62a.

Hereinafter, the operation will be described in order from the state in which the tray guide 40 takes the first position as shown in FIG. In the first position of the tray guide 40 shown in FIG. 16, the positioning pin 42a is located at the position (c) in the region C of the cam groove 61a.
In this first position, the first guide pin 41 and the shaft 43 provided on the tray guide 40 are obliquely upward from the front side of the apparatus (right side in the figure) toward the rear side of the apparatus (left side in the figure). The first guide grooves 52c and 52d formed in this way are located closest to the front side of the apparatus. Accordingly, the tray guide 40 is held in the first position, and the tray guide 40 is displaced downward, and the tray support surface 40a extends the sheet conveyance path, that is, the tray T is placed in the tray support surface. It is possible to guide from 40a to the sheet conveyance path.

  Further, the second guide pin 36b provided on the discharge frame 36 is located at the most front side of the apparatus in the second guide groove 52b formed so as to obliquely upward from the rear side of the apparatus toward the front side of the apparatus. Therefore, the discharge frame 36 is displaced upward, and the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 are positioned at the separation positions separated from the first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge drive roller 25, respectively. .

  When the tray guide 40 is pushed from the first position toward the rear side of the apparatus (to the left in the figure) in order to displace it to the second position, as shown in the change from FIG. 16 to FIG. As the pin 41 and the shaft 43 move in the first guide grooves 52c and 52d, the tray guide 40 is displaced upward so as to retract from the paper transport path.

  At this time, since the first guide pin 41 is located in the groove 54c extending in the vertical direction among the third guide grooves 54d formed in the link member 54, the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame are moved in the horizontal direction. 36 has a substantially one-to-one relationship with the link member 54, and accordingly, with the movement of the tray guide 40, the link member 54 and the second guide pin 36b (that is, the discharge frame 36) also move rearward. To do.

  Then, the second guide pin 36b moves in the second guide groove 52b toward the rear of the apparatus, so that the discharge frame 36 is displaced downward (in the direction close to the paper transport path), that is, the first discharge driven roller 24 and The second discharge driven roller 26 is displaced to the contact position side in contact with the first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge drive roller 25. In addition, at this time, in the cam means 60, as the heart cam 61 rotates, the positioning pin 62a is displaced in the area C of the guide groove 61a in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

  Next, in the process of further pushing the tray guide 40 toward the rear side of the apparatus, as shown in the change from FIG. 17 to FIG. 18, the first guide pin 41 is moved horizontally from the slot 54 c extending in the vertical direction. It moves to the slot 54b extending in the direction. Then, the one-to-one relationship between the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame 36 is released during the horizontal movement, and the movement of the discharge frame 36 to the rear side of the apparatus is restricted by the stopper 39, and the position (contact position) thereof. Is determined. Therefore, after the first guide pin 41 moves from the vertically extending slot 54c to the horizontally extending slot 54b, only the tray guide 40 is displaced to the rear side of the apparatus. As will be described in detail later, in this state, the discharge frame 36 is urged toward the stopper 39 by a latch lever 70 provided in the tray guide 40 and is held at the contact position. In the cam means 60, the positioning pin 62a moves from the region C to the region D in the cam groove 61a by pushing the tray guide 40 to the maximum extent toward the rear side of the apparatus.

  Then, when the tray guide 40 is pushed in as far as possible toward the rear side of the apparatus and the hand is released in this state, the tray guide 40 tries to return to the front side of the apparatus by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 58. When the positioning pin 62a moves from the position (d) in FIG. 15 to the position (a) in the cam means 60, it is locked (pressed) at the step between the area D and the area A, as shown in FIG. The heart cam 61 is positioned, that is, the tray guide 40 is held in the second position.

  In this second position (FIG. 19), the first guide pin 41 and the shaft 43 provided in the tray guide 40 are located on the rear side of the apparatus in the first guide grooves 52c and 52d. In this state, the sheet is retracted above the sheet conveyance path. Further, since the second guide pin 36b provided on the discharge frame 36 is located on the most rear side in the second guide groove 52b, the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 are respectively connected to the second guide groove 36b. The contact position comes into contact with the first discharge drive roller 23 and the second discharge drive roller 25.

  To release the holding state of the tray guide 40 at the second position, the tray guide 40 is pushed again toward the rear side of the apparatus. Then, as shown in the change from FIG. 19 to FIG. 20, the positioning pin 62a moves from the position (a) to the position (b) in FIG. When the positioning pin 62a moves to the position (b), the positioning pin 62a can move to the next position (c) (position of the positioning pin 62a in the first position), and therefore takes the second position. When the tray guide 40 is pushed toward the rear side of the apparatus as described above, the guide holding unit 50 releases the holding state of the tray guide 40. After the holding state at the second position is released, the tray guide 40 moves to the front side of the apparatus by the urging force of the torsion coil spring 58 by releasing the hand from the tray guide 40, and again shown in FIG. You will take 1 position. At this time, the discharge frame 36 moves again to the front side of the apparatus and takes a separated position.

[2-3. Effect of guide holding means]
As described above, the tray support surface 40a for supporting the tray T is provided, the first position where the tray T can be guided from the tray support surface 40a to the paper transport path, and the second position where the tray T is retracted from the paper transport path. As shown in FIGS. 16 to 20, the tray guide 40, which can be displaced so as to be able to take In the embodiment, the position is displaced between the first position and the second position while maintaining a horizontal posture. In other words, by sliding in the depth direction of the printer 1, it is displaced between the first position and the second position. Accordingly, the displacement direction (operation direction) of the tray guide 40 is simplified, and the operability of the tray guide 40 can be improved. Further, since no space is required for the operation of the tray guide 40 in the height direction of the apparatus, the dimension in the height direction of the apparatus can be further reduced.
In addition, since the tray guide 40 is retracted above the paper transport path in the second position, the tray guide 40 does not get in the way when the paper P is discharged, and the path for discharging the paper P can be prevented from becoming complicated. .

  Further, the guide holding means 50 pushes the tray guide 40 toward the rear side of the apparatus to hold the tray guide 40 in the second position, and the tray guide 40 in the second position is again connected to the apparatus. The holding state at the second position is released by pushing the rear side of the second position. That is, since the position can be switched by a push-on type operation, the position switching operation is simple, easy to understand, and user friendly. In addition, when the switching operation from the second position to the first position is performed, the tray guide 40 is pushed toward the rear side of the apparatus, and if the hand is released, the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 58 moves to the second position. Since it switches, operation can be easily performed with a small load.

  Further, in the configuration of the guide holding means 50, the first guide pin 41 provided on the tray guide 40 and the second guide pin 36b provided on the discharge frame 36 are connected via the link member 54. Both of them can be connected while securing the freedom of movement. Further, since the first guide pin 41 is loosely inserted into the third guide groove 54d formed by the groove 54c extending in the vertical direction and the groove 54b extending in the horizontal direction, the first guide pin 41 is latched by the groove 54b extending in the horizontal direction. Stroke can be secured. Here, the latch stroke refers to dropping the positioning pin 62a into the position (a) (FIG. 15) in the cam groove 61 of the heart cam 61 while holding the discharge frame 36 in the contact position (to the second position of the tray guide 40). The stroke of the tray guide 40 necessary for holding and the positioning pin 62a held at the position (a) are moved to the position (b) (the holding state of the tray guide 40 in the second position is released). The stroke of the tray guide 40 required for

  In the present embodiment, the tray support surface 40a is horizontal at the first position and the second position, and the tray guide 40 is kept at the level of the tray support surface 40a while the first position and the second position. However, the “horizontal” of the tray support surface 40a does not necessarily need to be completely horizontal for the purpose of saving space in the height direction of the apparatus. That is, the posture may be almost completely horizontal (substantially horizontal), and the range is a design matter that can be appropriately determined by those skilled in the art according to the configuration of the apparatus.

[2-4. Other characteristic configurations]
Next, other characteristic configurations of the tray guide 40 and the guide holding unit 50 will be described.
As described above with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5, the tray guide 40 includes the first guide pins 52 c and 52 d (in which the first guide pins 41 and the shaft 43 are formed in the guide member 52 (and the guide member 53), respectively. And the first guide grooves 53c, 53d) are slid in the depth direction of the apparatus while maintaining the horizontal posture of the tray support surface 40a. May be skewed during the sliding operation, and the smooth sliding operation may not be performed, and the sliding operation may be difficult.

Accordingly, racks 52e and 53e are formed on the left and right guide members 52 and 53, and pinion gears 44 that mesh with the racks 52e and 53e are provided at both shaft ends of a shaft 41 that is rotatably supported by the tray guide 40. By mounting, the tray guide 40 is configured so that the left and right are synchronized during the sliding operation, so that the skew is prevented and a smooth sliding operation can be performed.
Similarly, the discharge frame 36 also has a skew problem in the sliding operation. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 11, 16 to 20, 24, and 29, both sides of the discharge frame 36 are provided. By providing the tray guide 40 with biasing means 69 that biases the end toward the contact position of the discharge frame 36, skewing associated with the slide operation of the discharge frame 36 is prevented.

  This will be described in detail below. As shown in FIG. 24, on the surface opposite to the tray support surface 40 a in the tray guide 40, an urging means 69 comprising a latch lever 70 and a compression spring 71 is provided in the longitudinal direction of the discharge frame 36. It is provided at a position corresponding to both longitudinal ends of the discharge frame 36 so as to bias both ends. The latch lever 70 is provided so as to be slidable along the sliding direction (arrow direction) of the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame 36 and so as to protrude toward the discharge frame 36, and the compression spring 71 is provided with the latch lever 70. The latch lever 70 is engagable so as to be urged toward the discharge frame 36.

  As shown in FIG. 16, when the tray guide 40 is in the first position and the discharge frame 36 is in the separated position, the latch lever 70 is positioned to be spaced diagonally below the discharge frame 36 and 36 is not engaged. However, as shown in FIG. 16 to FIG. 18, the tray guide 40 taking the first position is engaged with the discharge frame 36 in the process of switching to the second position by pushing it toward the rear of the apparatus, and Thereafter, the downstream end of the discharge frame 36 is urged toward the contact position by the action of the compression spring 71.

  More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 16 to 18, when the tray guide 40 that takes the first position is pushed toward the rear of the apparatus, the first guide is in the middle of switching to the second position as described above. Since the pins 41 are located in the slots 54c extending in the vertical direction, the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame 36 are connected in a one-to-one relationship, whereby the discharge frame 36 is slid. When the first guide pin 41 moves to the slot 54b extending in the horizontal direction, the latch lever 70 then presses the discharge frame 36 toward the contact position, so that the discharge frame 36 moves to the second position. .

  Here, as shown in FIG. 29, the latch lever 70 urges the discharge frame 36 at both ends in the longitudinal direction of the discharge frame 36, that is, at positions symmetrical to the longitudinal center of the discharge frame 36. Even if an attempt is made to skew during the sliding operation, the original posture is restored by the biasing force received from the latch lever 70. Accordingly, the discharge frame 36 can be smoothly slid without being skewed while being kept in a stable posture. In particular, in the present embodiment, since both ends in the longitudinal direction of the discharge frame 36 are urged, a sliding operation can be performed more stably.

  In addition, since the discharge frame 36 is pressed while being balanced by the urging force in this way, even if the tray guide 40 provided with the latch lever 70 is skewed to some extent, it smoothly slides without being affected by it. It becomes possible. In other words, even when the tray guide 40 and the discharge frame 36 are connected one-to-one on the left and right via the link member 54, it may be considered that the discharge frame 36 does not receive the left and right equal force from the link member 54. Even in such a case, the posture of the discharge frame 36 is balanced by the urging force received from the latch lever 70, and a smooth sliding operation can be performed without skew.

  Next, FIGS. 21 and 22 are views showing the relationship between the other components of the printer 1, particularly the upper housing 8 and the stacker 30, in the side view of the guide holding means 50 shown in FIGS. . The upper housing 8 constitutes the external appearance of the printer 1. When the tray guide 40 is in the first position as shown in the drawing, the upper housing 8 forms an opening for inserting the tray T together with the tray support surface 40 a. Here, a stopper 8 a is formed at a portion facing the tray guide 40 in the upper housing 8 so as to hang down toward the tray guide 40. The stopper 8a opens the transport path R for transporting the tray T when the tray guide 40 takes the first position (FIG. 21), but when the tray guide 40 takes the second position (FIG. 22). The conveyance path R is blocked, that is, the opening for inserting the tray T is closed. Therefore, when the tray guide 40 takes the second position, the tray T is not accidentally inserted into the apparatus, and damage to the tray T or the components inside the apparatus can be prevented.

  As shown in FIG. 22, in the state where the tray guide 40 takes the second position, an area 90 facing the surface opposite to the tray support surface 40a (indicated by reference numeral 40b in FIG. 23) is a recording line. A rib 42 extending in the discharge direction of the paper P as shown in FIG. 23 is formed on the opposite surface 40b in the direction perpendicular to the discharge direction of the paper P (paper width direction). ) At an appropriate interval. The rib 42 is formed at a position corresponding to the side end portion of the paper P in relation to the width-direction dimension of the paper P, so that when the paper P is discharged, the side edge of the paper P becomes the tray guide. It is possible to discharge smoothly without being caught by 40.

<< 3. Configuration of tray guide locking means >>
Next, the locking means for locking the tray guide 40 to the second position will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. Here, FIGS. 25 to 27 are perspective views showing the attachment state of the lock member 75 as the lock means, FIGS. 25 and 26 show the unlocked state, and FIG. 27 shows the locked state. FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the lock member.
As shown in FIG. 25, a lock member 75 is provided on the side of the tray support surface 40a of the tray guide 40 so as to be slidable in a direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the tray guide 40 (the width direction of the tray T). .

  More specifically, as shown in detail in FIG. 28, the lock member 75 has an arm portion 75d extending in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the tray guide 40 when provided on the tray guide 40, and a direction orthogonal to the tray support surface 40a. And an arm portion 75e extending in a substantially L shape. In addition, a tray engaging portion 75a that can engage with the side end of the tray T is formed at the tip of the arm portion 75d. Further, a frame engaging portion 75c that protrudes toward the guide member 52 as a “frame member” provided opposite to the side end of the tray guide 40 is formed at the lower end of the arm portion 75e. A guide engaging portion 75b that protrudes in a direction opposite to the protruding direction of the engaging portion 75c, that is, in a direction toward the tray guide 40 is formed.

  On the other hand, the first hole 52k (see FIGS. 12 and 26) is formed in the guide member 52, and the first hole 52k is formed on the tray guide 40 side as shown in FIGS. A second hole 40c that can be opposed to each other is formed. 26 and 27, in the state where the lock member 75 is provided in the tray guide 40, the guide engaging portion 75b is fitted into the second hole portion 40c, and the first hole portion 52k and the second hole portion 52k are inserted into the second hole portion 40c. The frame engaging portion 75c can be fitted into the first hole portion 52k in a state where the hole portions 40c face each other. The first hole 52k and the second hole 40c are formed to face each other when the tray guide 40 takes the first position.

Hereinafter, the operation of the lock member 75 will be described. In a state where the tray T is not set on the tray guide 40, the tray engaging portion 75a of the lock member 75 protrudes with respect to the transport path (tray support surface 40a) of the tray T as shown in FIG. Similarly, it is urged by urging means (not shown).
In this state, as shown in FIG. 26, the frame engaging portion 75 c is in a state of being separated from the guide member 52, and thus the tray guide 40 is in a state where it can slide with respect to the guide member 52 (unconstrained state). Yes.

  When the tray T is set in the tray guide 40 in this state, the tray T engages with the tray engaging portion 75a, and the lock member 75 slides in a direction away from the side end of the tray T. Then, as shown in FIG. 26, the frame engaging portion 75c is fitted into the first hole 52k, and the guide engaging portion 75b is fitted into the second hole 40c. That is, the guide member 75 passes through the two hole portions so as to straddle the first hole portion 52k and the second hole portion 40c that are located opposite to each other, so that the tray guide 40 is located with respect to the guide member 52. It is in a state where it cannot slide (restraint state). That is, since the tray guide 40 is locked at the first position, even if the position switching operation of the tray guide 40 is performed while the tray T is supported by the tray guide 40, the position of the tray guide 40 is determined. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of problems such as damaging the tray T by applying an excessive force to the tray T or damaging the disk D set on the tray T.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, as the tray T is set on the tray guide 40 in the first position, the tray guide 40 is automatically locked so to speak, so that the tray guide is not required to be separately operated. 40 is locked at the first position, is user-friendly, prevents forgetting operation, and can securely protect the tray T and the disk D.

  Further, the lock member 75 is inserted through the two holes so as to straddle the first hole 52k and the second hole 40c that are opposed to each other, so that the tray guide 40 is brought into the first position. Since it is locked, the tray guide 40 and the guide member 52 are engaged at a close position, whereby the tray guide 40 can be firmly locked to the first position without rattling.

  In addition, in this embodiment, since the lock member 75 is configured to press the one side end of the tray T toward the other end side, when the tray T is set on the tray guide 40, The tray T is pressed toward the edge guide on the other end side (denoted by reference numeral 40d in FIG. 29), and thereby, it is possible to obtain an effect that the skew (skew) of the tray T can be prevented or reduced.

In the present embodiment, the lock member 72 is configured to regulate the slide operation of the tray guide 40 that slides along the transport direction of the tray T. However, the present invention is not limited to the lock member 72, and the first Any configuration may be used as long as the sliding operation of the tray guide 40 taking the position is restricted.
In the present embodiment, the tray guide 40 is configured to be held at the first position by restricting the sliding operation of the tray guide 40 that slides along the transport direction of the tray T. Even if the tray guide is configured to switch between a first position (a position where the tray T can be conveyed) and a second position (a position where the paper conveyance path is opened, the storage position) by rotating, By restricting the rotation operation, the same effect as the above-described locking means can be obtained.

<< 4. Configuration of tray lifting control means >>
Subsequently, the lifting restriction means for restricting the lifting of the tray T from the tray support surface 40a will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 29 is a perspective view showing a mounting state of the lifting restricting member 72 constituting the lifting restricting means, and FIGS. 30 and 31 are side views thereof.
As shown in FIGS. 30 and 31, the lifting restricting member 72 (hereinafter abbreviated as “restricting member 72”) has a substantially L-shape when the transport path of the tray T is viewed from the side, and the rotation shaft 72 a The discharge frame 36 is provided so as to be rotatable about the center.

  Further, the restricting member 72 is formed so that the restricting portion 72b formed so as to protrude toward the transport path of the tray T is rotated downward from the hole formed in the discharge frame 36 ( In addition to being provided so as to be able to project (toward the sheet conveyance path), the torsion coil spring 73 is in a state of being biased so as to rotate in a direction in which the regulating portion 72 b does not project from the lower side of the discharge frame 36.

Further, the frame 10 is provided in the vicinity of the downstream side of the second discharge driving roller 25 and above the conveyance path of the tray T (see also FIG. 1), and the regulating member 72 is engaged with the frame 10. Thus, it is possible to switch between a non-projecting state of the restricting portion 72b shown in FIG. 30 from the discharge frame 36 and a protruding state shown in FIG.
That is, FIG. 30 shows a state in which the tray guide 40 takes the second position and the discharge frame 36 takes the contact position. In this state, the discharge frame 36 is in a state of being obliquely separated from the frame 10. Therefore, the restricting portion 72 b of the restricting member 72 is in a non-projecting state that does not project below the discharge frame 36 due to the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 73.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 31, when the tray guide 40 takes the first position and the discharge frame 36 takes the separated position, the discharge frame 36 is displaced upward and becomes close to the frame 10. The member 72 is pushed downward by the frame 10. As a result, the restricting portion 72b protrudes below the discharge frame 36, that is, to the transport path of the tray T, and protrudes slightly to the transport path side of the tray T from the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26. It becomes a state. In the protruding state of the restricting portion 72 b, the restricting portion 72 b is located between the upstream end portion (indicated by symbol E) of the tray support surface 40 a in the tray guide 40 and the second discharge driven roller 26. .

By this restricting portion 72b, when the discharge frame 36, that is, the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 are in the separated position, the tray T is moved toward the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26. Lifting is regulated.
That is, when the tray T is lifted from the tray support surface 40a, the optical disk D set on the tray T comes into contact with the first discharge driven roller 24 or the second discharge driven roller 26 formed by a toothed roller having teeth on the outer periphery. As a result, the data area existing immediately below the printing surface of the optical disc D is damaged.

  Therefore, in order to prevent such a problem, for example, by increasing the distance from the setting area of the optical disk D to the front end of the tray on the tray T, when the tray T is set, the front end of the tray is moved by the transport driving roller 20 and the transport driven. The optical disc D can be configured so that the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 do not face each other until they are nipped by the roller 21 (FIG. 2). However, according to this method, since the length dimension of the tray T is increased, the depth dimension of the apparatus is increased, or when the recording to the optical disc D is performed, the front end of the tray greatly protrudes toward the rear of the apparatus. The demerit that a large installation space is required occurs.

  However, according to the above-described lifting restriction means, the tray T is lifted from the tray support surface 40a without increasing the length of the tray T, that is, the optical disk D, the first discharge driven roller 24, and the second discharge driven roller 26. Can be reliably prevented. That is, it is possible to reliably prevent contact between the optical disc D and the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 while preventing an increase in size of the apparatus and an increase in installation space behind the apparatus.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the tray guide 40 slides horizontally along the transport direction of the tray T. Therefore, when the tray guide 40 takes the first position, the second discharge driven roller 26 and the tray support surface 40a. The distance from the upstream end E is likely to increase. Therefore, for example, even if the tray guide 40 is provided with an eaves shape that prevents the tray T from being lifted, the tray T is easily lifted. However, since the restricting member 72 is provided between the second discharge driven roller 26 and the upstream end of the tray support surface 40a, the tray guide 40 is configured to slide in the transport direction of the tray T. Even if it exists, it becomes possible to prevent the tray T from being lifted.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 31, when the tray T is supported by the tray support surface 40a, a space is formed between the two so that the regulating member 72b does not contact the upper surface of the tray T. Therefore, when the tray T is transported, no transport load is generated.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the restricting member 72 is provided in the vicinity of the downstream side of the second discharge driven roller 26, and thereby, the following operational effects are obtained. That is, after the tray T is set on the tray guide 40 and the front end of the tray T is nipped by the transport driving roller 20 and the transport driven roller 21, the tray T is difficult to lift from the tray support surface 40a. In this case, when the portion protruding from the tray support surface 40a toward the front side of the apparatus is forcibly pushed down, the tray T is curved so as to protrude upward.

  Here, if the restricting member 72 is provided on the upstream side of the first discharge driven roller 24, the optical disc D set on the tray T is discharged first before the curved tray T comes into contact with the restricting member 72. There is a risk of contact with the driven roller 24 or the second discharge driven roller 26. However, in the present embodiment, since the regulating member 72 is provided in the vicinity of the downstream side of the second discharge driven roller 26, even if the tray T is curved and deformed so as to protrude upward, it is set on the tray T. Before the optical disk D contacts the first discharge driven roller 24 or the second discharge driven roller 26, the tray T or the optical disk D contacts the regulating member 72. Accordingly, the optical disk D set on the tray T can be reliably protected thereby.

Further, in the present embodiment, since a plurality of regulating members 72 are provided in the width direction of the tray T as shown in FIG. 29, the optical disc D, the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 are more reliably connected. Can be prevented, and the posture of the tray T is further stabilized.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the restricting member 72 is disposed at a position avoiding the optical disk D set on the tray T, more specifically, at a position facing the vicinity of both side ends of the tray T. The optical disk D can be prevented from contacting the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 without damaging the optical disk D.

  In addition, as described above, when the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 26 are in the contact position, the regulating member 72 protrudes toward the transport path side of the tray T, and the first discharge driven roller 24 and the second discharge driven roller 24 When the discharge driven roller 26 is in the separation position, it is configured to be separated from the conveyance path of the tray T (does not protrude below the discharge frame 36). The sheet P can be discharged smoothly without hindering the discharge of P.

1 is an external perspective view of an apparatus main body of a printer according to the present invention. 1 is a side sectional view of a printer according to the present invention. 1 is a perspective view of a main part of a printer according to the present invention. The perspective view of a guide holding means. The perspective view of a guide holding means. The disassembled perspective view of a guide holding means. The elements on larger scale of FIG. The elements on larger scale of FIG. The elements on larger scale of FIG. The elements on larger scale of FIG. The elements on larger scale of FIG. The perspective view of a guide member. The top view of a guide member. The top view of a link member. Top view of the heart cam. The operation | movement transition diagram of a guide holding means. The operation | movement transition diagram of a guide holding means. The operation | movement transition diagram of a guide holding means. The operation | movement transition diagram of a guide holding means. The operation | movement transition diagram of a guide holding means. The figure which shows the relationship between a guide holding means and exterior components. The figure which shows the relationship between a guide holding means and exterior components. The perspective view which looked at the tray guide from the back side. The perspective view which shows the attachment state of a latch lever. The perspective view which shows the attachment state (non-locking state) of a locking member. The perspective view which shows the attachment state (non-locking state) of a locking member. The perspective view which shows the attachment state (locking state) of a locking member. The perspective view of a locking member. The perspective view which shows the attachment state of the lifting control member. The side view which shows the attachment state of the lifting control member. The side view which shows the attachment state of the lifting control member.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 2 Conveying means, 8 Upper housing, 9 Ejecting means, 10 Frame, 11 Feeding device, 12 Hopper, 13 Feeding roller, 14 Separating roller, 15 Carriage, 16 Subcarriage guide shaft, 17 Main carriage guide shaft , 18 Inkjet recording head, 19 Conveyance driven roller holder, 20 Conveyance drive roller, 21 Conveyance driven roller, 22 Auxiliary roller, 23 First discharge drive roller, 24 First discharge driven roller, 25 Second discharge drive roller, 26 Second Discharge driven roller, 27 platen, 27a recess, 27b island, 28 waste liquid collection tray, 29 transport driven roller holder, 30 stacker, 31 paper feed tray, 32 swing member, 33 pickup roller, 34 reversing roller, 35 nip roller, 36 Discharge frame, 3 Frame biasing spring, 38 guide rail, 39 stopper, 40 tray guide, 40a tray support surface, 40c second hole, 41 first guide pin, 42 rib, 43 shaft, 44 pinion gear, 50 guide holding means, 51 Guide holding means, 52 guide member, 52b second guide groove, 52c first guide groove, 52d first guide groove, 52e rack, 52k first hole, 53 guide member, 54 link member, 54a fourth guide groove, 54b slot, 54c slot, 54d 3rd guide slot, 55 frame, 56 discharge frame guide, 57 position sensor, 58 torsion coil spring, 60 cam means, 61 heart cam, 61a cam slot, 61b slot, 61c shaft hole, 61d detection surface, 62 sliding rod, 62a positioning pin, 62b protrusion, 62c Shaft hole, 63 Rod guide, 64 Spring, 65 Slider, 66 Shaft, 70 Latch lever, 71 Compression spring, 72 Lifting restricting member, 73 Torsion coil spring, 75 Lock lever, D disk, P paper, T tray

Claims (6)

A recording head for recording on a recording medium;
A transport unit that is provided upstream of the recording head and transports the transported medium to a region facing the recording head, and is capable of transporting a tray as the transported medium on which the recording medium can be set. A configured recording device comprising:
A tray support surface that supports the tray; and a first position where the tray support surface that can guide the tray from the tray support surface to a transport path of the transported medium is horizontal, and the tray support surface includes A tray that is horizontally disposed and displaceable while maintaining a posture along the transport direction of the tray, as viewed from the transport path of the transported medium, between the second position and the second position retracted from the transport path. A guide,
Guide holding means for guiding the tray guide from the first position to the second position and from the second position to the first position;
The guide holding means is erected on both sides in the width direction of the tray guide, and protrudes outward from both sides of the tray guide and outward from both sides of the tray guide. A guide member fixed to the recording apparatus in which a pair of first guide grooves extending in a displacement direction of the tray guide for guiding a shaft to be engaged is engaged with the first guide pin, and the tray guide is the first guide groove. A torsion coil spring that biases the shaft in a direction of displacement to the position of 1;
A heart cam provided with a slot for loosely inserting the shaft, a cam groove having a heart shape and having a plurality of step shapes formed on the bottom surface thereof, and provided so as to be rotatable about a rotation shaft, and the cam A positioning pin that is biased in a direction in pressure contact with the bottom surface of the groove and is displaceable in the cam groove,
The positioning pin is engaged with the step shape in the cam groove to position the heart cam, hold the positioning pin so that the tray guide is held in the second position, and the second When the tray guide held in this position is pushed toward the rear side of the recording apparatus when the front surface of the recording apparatus in which the opening for inserting the tray is formed is viewed from the front side, the positioning is performed. Cam means for releasing the pin holding state;
A recording apparatus comprising:   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the tray guide is retracted above the conveyance path at the second position. The discharge unit according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a discharge unit that discharges the recording medium on which recording has been performed to the outside of the apparatus on the downstream side of the recording head.
The discharge means includes a discharge drive roller that is rotationally driven, and a discharge driven roller that is provided on a discharge frame that extends in the width direction of the recording medium and that rotates following the discharge drive roller.
The discharge frame is provided so as to be displaceable so that a contact position where the discharge driven roller is in contact with the discharge drive roller and a separation position where the discharge driven roller is separated from the discharge drive roller, and is linked to the guide holding means. When the tray guide is displaced from the second position to the first position, the contact position is displaced to the separation position, and when the tray guide is displaced from the first position to the second position, To displace from the contact position to the separation position,
Second guide pins projecting outward are provided on both side ends of the discharge frame, and the second guide pins are formed in the guide member and extend in the displacement direction of the discharge frame. Configured to be guided to, and
The first guide pin and the second guide pin are loosely inserted into a third guide groove and a fourth guide groove respectively formed in the link member;
The third guide groove includes a groove hole extending in an operation direction of the tray guide when the tray guide is held at the second position and when the holding state at the second position is released, and A guide groove formed in a substantially L shape by intersecting slots extending in the proximity and separation direction with respect to the transport path of the tray guide,
The fourth guide groove is a guide groove extending in the proximity and separation direction of the discharge driven roller with respect to the discharge drive roller,
The first guide pin and the second guide pin move in the first guide groove and the second guide groove according to the displacement operation of the tray guide and the discharge frame, respectively, and further each of the third guide grooves. And a recording apparatus configured to move in the fourth guide groove. The shaft according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the shaft is rotatably supported by the tray guide, and a pinion gear is attached to a shaft end of the shaft.
In the guide member, a rack that meshes with the pinion gear is formed so as to follow a displacement locus of the tray guide.
A recording apparatus. 5. The discharge area of a recording medium on which recording is performed, according to claim 1, wherein an area facing the surface opposite to the tray support surface in the tray guide taking the second position is a recording medium discharge area. And a rib extending in the discharge direction of the recording medium is formed on the opposite surface at a position corresponding to a side end portion of the recording medium.
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a scanner unit above the conveyance path.

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