JP4640617B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus capable of recording (printing) an image on paper (a recording medium that is a cut sheet).

  In recent years, in an image recording apparatus, sheets are separated one by one from a sheet feeding cassette on which a large number of cut sheets (sheets) are stacked and fed to a conveyance path, and sequentially in an image recording unit disposed in the conveyance path. When recording an image on a sheet, the image recording start position from the leading edge (downstream edge in the transport direction) of each sheet is set to a predetermined distance (length), and skewing of the sheet is prevented. For this reason, a pair of registration rollers is provided on the upstream side of the image recording unit in the transport direction, and an appropriate interval is provided between the trailing edge of the preceding paper to be transported and the front edge of the succeeding paper. Things have been done.

  However, if this interval is large, it takes a long time for continuous image recording on a plurality of sheets, and there is a problem that high-speed recording cannot be performed.

  In particular, the sheet feeding roller that separates and feeds the sheet from the sheet feeding cassette, the registration roller pair, and the sheet discharge roller that is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction from the image recording unit are configured to be driven by one motor. In this case, when the paper is fed to the registration roller pair by the paper feed roller and subjected to the registration action, the rotation direction of the paper feed roller is different from the rotation direction of the registration roller pair, and the paper is fed to the image recording unit by the registration roller pair. Since it is necessary to stop the paper feed roller during the conveyance, the paper interval becomes large, and it is impossible to increase the speed and efficiency of image recording.

In order to solve the above problem, for example, in Patent Document 1, in a sheet conveying apparatus that continuously conveys a sheet from a sheet feeding cassette toward an image forming unit (photosensitive drum), on the upstream side in the conveying path. A first conveying means (paper feed roller) is arranged, a second conveying means is arranged on the downstream side, a sheet detecting means is arranged between the first conveying means and the second conveying means, and the conveying of the first conveying means The transport speed of the second transport means is set to be faster than the speed, and when the paper is transported from the paper feed cassette, the trailing edge of the preceding paper and the leading edge of the succeeding paper partially overlap along the transport direction. In this way, the conveyance is started by the first conveyance unit, but it is disclosed that a space is provided between the preceding sheet and the succeeding sheet so that the leading edge of the succeeding sheet can be detected at the position of the sheet detection unit. Yes.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-301998 (see FIGS. 2, 3, and 8)

However, in the control procedure of Patent Document 1, a predetermined time is used to form an appropriate interval between the preceding sheet and the succeeding sheet. In addition, the control procedure depends on the time elapsed after the leading edge of the previous sheet is detected by the sheet sensor.
The technique disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the predetermined time must be adjusted according to the sheet size. For example, a long predetermined time must be adopted when a long sheet is supplied from a cassette, and a short predetermined time must be adopted when a short sheet is supplied from a cassette. Therefore, the control procedure of the sheet supply mechanism must be changed according to the sheet size, and if the printer does not recognize the paper size, an appropriate predetermined time cannot be selected.

  Furthermore, in the technique disclosed in Patent Document 1, the control procedure depends on the time elapsed after the leading edge of the previous sheet is detected by the sheet sensor. That is, the control procedure changes depending on the position of the sheet conveyed by the sheet supply mechanism. This complicates the control procedure, and further causes a problem that the sheet conveyance speed is reduced according to the position of the sheet.

  The present invention has been made to solve such a conventional problem, and is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of paper feeding and conveyance employing the same control procedure regardless of the sheet size. Another object of the present invention is to provide an image recording apparatus capable of paper feeding and conveyance in which an appropriate interval is formed between the preceding sheet and the succeeding sheet even if the image recording apparatus itself does not recognize the sheet size. Is to provide.

In order to achieve the above object, an image recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention includes a sheet-feeding roller having a circular shape in a side view that feeds recording media accumulated in a sheet-feeding cassette one by one to a conveyance path, and the conveyance It is possible to apply a resist action to a single recording medium fed to the path and rotate the recording medium so that the recording medium is conveyed in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the recording medium. An image recording apparatus comprising a registration roller pair conveyed to a recording unit, wherein the registration roller pair includes a driving roller driven by a driving source and a driven roller that presses the driving roller. The conveyance force of the recording medium is set to be larger than the conveyance force of the recording medium by the paper feed roller, and the conveyance speed of the recording medium by the pair of registration rollers is set to the recording medium by the paper feed roller. Than the transport speed is set to a large becomes, so that the conveying direction of the resist roller pair the recording medium by the paper feed roller and the conveying direction of the recording medium due to become the same direction, the in the resist roller pair By simultaneously driving and driving the driving roller and the paper feeding roller, a plurality of recording media can be continuously fed and transported without a resist action, and can be controlled by the registration roller pair. When the trailing edge of the preceding recording medium is separated from the paper feeding roller, the conveyance of the subsequent recording medium by the paper feeding roller is started.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to the first aspect, a distance L1 along the conveyance path from a feeding position by the paper feeding roller to an arrangement position of the registration roller pair is the paper feeding It is set to be larger than the distance L2 from the feeding position by the roller to the recording medium separating position in the paper feed cassette.

And the invention of Claim 3 is
3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving roller in the pair of registration rollers and the paper feeding roller are driven by a common driving motor.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects, the paper feed roller swings so as to be able to contact and separate from above on the surface of the recording medium to be deposited. It is provided in the arm body which moves.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, a paper sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium to be transported is provided in the transport path. When the paper sensor detects the passage of the trailing edge of the preceding recording medium, it controls the cueing of the image recording on the succeeding recording medium.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, when the recording medium is located across both the registration roller pair and the paper feed roller, A release mechanism that cuts off transmission of driving force from the driving source to the paper feed roller is provided.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the recording medium accumulated in the paper feed cassette is fed to the transport path one by one and is fed to the transport path, and is fed to the transport path. In addition, it is possible to apply a resist action to a single recording medium, and the recording medium is rotated so as to be conveyed in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the recording medium by the paper feed roller and conveyed to the image recording unit. An image recording apparatus comprising: a registration roller pair, and the registration roller pair includes a driving roller driven by a driving source and a driven roller that presses against the driving roller. The conveyance force is set to be larger than the conveyance force of the recording medium by the paper feed roller, and the conveyance speed of the recording medium by the registration roller pair is higher than the conveyance speed of the recording medium by the paper supply roller. Is set so that the so that the conveying direction of the recording medium is in the same direction by the registration roller pair by the sheet feeding roller and the conveying direction of the recording medium, the sheet feeding and the drive roller in the pair of registration rollers And a control means for controlling a plurality of recording media to be continuously fed and transported without resist action by simultaneously rotating and driving the rollers. When the trailing edge deviates from the paper feed roller, transport of the subsequent recording medium by the paper feed roller is started, so that it is possible to feed the paper using the same control procedure regardless of the sheet size. Even if the image recording apparatus itself does not recognize the sheet size, it is possible to feed and convey a suitable gap between the previous sheet and the following sheet. There is an effect that that.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the distance L1 along the conveyance path from the feeding position by the paper feeding roller to the arrangement position of the registration roller pair is set from the feeding position by the paper feeding roller. Since it is set to be larger than the distance L2 to the recording medium separation position in the paper cassette, in the case of continuous paper feeding operation, the trailing edge of the preceding recording medium is in contact with the paper feeding roller. Since the succeeding recording medium is fed and conveyed by the rotation of the feeding roller at the moment when it deviates from the point (feeding position), the distance L2 is the preceding recording medium and the succeeding recording medium. The wrap amount (overlapping amount) along the transport direction of. However, the difference between L2 and L1 is set to be longer than a predetermined value, and the difference (V1−V2) between the peripheral speed V1 of the driving roller and the peripheral speed V2 (V1> V2) of the paper feed roller is predetermined. If the value is set to be equal to or greater than the value, the leading edge of the subsequent recording medium does not reach the nip position when the trailing edge of the preceding recording medium moves away from the nip position of the registration roller pair in the transport direction. Thus, an appropriate gap (paper interval) can be formed between the end edge of the preceding recording medium and the leading edge of the succeeding recording medium. Therefore, even if a plurality of recording media are continuously fed / conveyed, the image recording unit can record all of the image recording data corresponding to each recording medium without omission.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the registration roller pair is disposed upstream of the carriage in the recording medium conveyance direction, and the paper feed roller is disposed further upstream of the registration medium pair. Since the roller pair and the paper feed roller are configured to be rotationally driven in the same direction by one common drive motor, there is an effect that the paper feeding / conveying configuration is simplified.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. 1 is an overall perspective view of a multifunctional image recording apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a main body case with the upper case removed, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the main body case with the upper case removed. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part of the image recording unit, paper feed cassette, and paper feed unit, FIG. 5 is a side cross-sectional view of the main part of the recording unit, FIG. 6 is a side view of the paper feed unit, and FIG. FIG. 8 is a partially cutaway plan view of the recording unit with the paper feed cassette mounted thereon, FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the recording unit unit with the downstream guide plate and platen removed, and FIG. 9 is the IX-IX line of FIG. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the power transmission switching means, FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the action in each work mode, and FIGS. 12A to 12B are an explanation of the action in the precise (intermittent paper feed) recording mode. FIGS. 13A to 13C and FIGS. 14A to 14B are in the continuous feed recording mode. FIG. 15 is a functional block diagram of the control device, and FIGS. 16 and 17 are control flowcharts.

  A multifunction image recording apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1 has a facsimile function, a printer function, a copying function, a scanner function, and the like. An image recording apparatus 1 as a multi-function device has a substantially box-shaped main body case 2 with an open top and a hinge and hinges on one side of the main body case 2 (left side in the embodiment of FIG. 1). And an upper case 3 pivotally attached via a rotation axis part (not shown) such as a part. In the following description, the front side of the image recording apparatus 1 in FIG. 1 is the front side, and the horizontal direction (main scanning direction, Y-axis direction), the front-rear direction (sub-scanning direction, X-axis direction), and the vertical direction are also described. Description will be made with reference to the orientation of the image recording apparatus 1 in FIG. The main body case 2 and the upper case 3 are synthetic resin injection molded products.

  An operation panel 30 is disposed on the upper front portion of the upper case 3. The operation panel 30 is provided with various buttons such as a numeric button, a start button, and a function operation button, and various operations are performed by pressing these buttons. The operation panel 30 is provided with a display unit 31 such as a liquid crystal (LCD), and the setting state of the image recording apparatus 1 and various operation messages are displayed as necessary.

  In the upper case 3, a scanner device (image reading unit) 33 is disposed on the rear side of the operation panel 30. That is, the scanner 33 for reading a facsimile original to be transmitted to the other facsimile apparatus during the facsimile function and an image of the original to be copied during the copying function includes a flat bed reading unit that reads an image of the original on a large glass plate. , And a rotatable cover body 34 covering the upper surface of the flat bed reading unit.

  Although not shown, a line-type contact image sensor (CIS: Contact Image) as an example of a photoelectric conversion element for reading an image surface of a document in contact with the glass plate is provided directly below the glass plate in the flat bed reading unit. Sensor) is provided so as to be capable of reciprocating along a guide shaft extending in a direction parallel to a carriage movement direction (main scanning direction, Y-axis direction) described later.

  Note that the cover body 34 is configured to be openable and closable via a hinge around the back side (the back side in FIG. 1) of the image recording apparatus 1.

  The upper case 3 can be greatly opened upward with respect to the main body case 2 with the left end portion in FIG. 1 as the center, and the lower surface of the upper case 3 serves as an open posture holding means for holding the opened posture. A guide rail (not shown) having a guide groove hole is fixed to one side (portion close to the back side of the image recording apparatus 1) so as to extend in the direction parallel to the moving direction of the image sensor. Then, a guide pin at the tip (upper end) of a support rod (not shown) whose base end is pivotally mounted on the side farther from the pivot axis portion in the main body case 2 is movably inserted into the guide rail. To do. Then, the upper case 3 is attached to the main body case 2 in a state in which the guide pin is fitted in an engaging portion (not shown) formed by notching upward in the guide groove hole on the side far from the rotation axis portion. On the other hand, it is configured so that it can be held at a predetermined large opening angle.

  Next, the configuration of the printer device (recording unit) will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, a paper feed cassette 5 for placing a plurality of sheets of recording media P as a recording medium in a substantially horizontal state in a stacked state is disposed at the bottom of the main body case 2 in the horizontal direction. The sheet feeding cassette 5 is configured to be able to be pulled out with respect to the opening 2 a on the front surface of the main body case 2. A separation member (not shown) having a large friction coefficient is arranged on the separation inclined surface 8 provided at the front end of the paper feed cassette 5.

  Further, in the main body case 2, a feeding unit 6 as a feeding means provided with a paper feeding roller 7 above the paper feeding cassette 5, and an upward U-shaped U-turn at the rear end portion in the main body case 2. Ink is ejected to the surface of the paper P on the platen 11 as a flat paper support portion disposed in the transport path, and the transport path for transporting the paper P in a substantially horizontal direction forward through the transport path 9. A recording unit 10 having an inkjet recording head 12 for recording an image is disposed (see FIGS. 2, 3 and 4).

  An ink cartridge 26 for supplying ink to the recording head 12 for color recording is disposed in the main body case 2 on the inner surface of the side plate at a position farthest from the side plate having the rotation axis portion. It is configured to be detachable from above with respect to the accommodating portion 27 (see FIG. 3) at a close position. The ink cartridge 26 stores ink for each of a plurality of colors. In the embodiment, the ink cartridge 26 has four colors of black, cyan, magenta, and yellow. However, inks of more colors may be stored. Ink is supplied from each ink cartridge 26 to the recording head 12 by connecting a flexible ink tube 28.

  2 to 5, the recording unit 10 includes a carriage 13 having a recording head 12, a plate-like platen 11 made of synthetic resin, a CR (carriage) motor 24 for reciprocating the carriage 13, and the CR. The timing belt 25 connected to the motor 24 and an engine frame 39 made of a metal plate for supporting them are mainly configured. The engine frame 39 is disposed on the rear side of the main body case 2 and above the paper feed cassette 5. The engine frame 39 as a support frame is made of metal, and as shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, on the upper side of the box-shaped main body 39 a in the left-right direction (main scanning direction, Y-axis direction) of the main body case 2. A pair of guide plates 40 and 41 that extend and slidably support the carriage 13 are mounted.

  A timing belt 25 arranged to extend in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction) is provided on the upper surface of the guide plate 41 arranged on the downstream side in the paper feeding direction (see the arrow A direction in FIGS. 1 and 3). It is wound around pulleys 25a and 25b. A carriage 13 on which the recording head 12 is mounted is connected to a part of the timing belt 25.

  A linear encoder (encoder strip) 37 is disposed on the upper surface of the guide plate 41 so as to extend along the longitudinal direction (main scanning direction), and the position of the carriage 13 in the Y-axis direction (main scanning direction) and its movement. Detect direction. The strip-shaped linear encoder (encoder strip) 37 is arranged such that the inspection surface (the surface on which slits are arranged at regular intervals in the Y-axis direction) is along the vertical direction.

  A driving shaft 14 and a paper feeding arm 6a of the feeding unit 6 are pivotally fixed to the main body 39a of the engine frame 39, and a flat plate for supporting the paper P facing the lower surface of the recording head 12. A platen 11 having a shape is arranged. Here, a space between the lower surface of the recording head 12 and the platen 11 is defined as an image recording unit in the claims of the present application. The paper feed arm 6a is constantly urged in the downward rotation direction by a torsion spring 38 (see FIG. 6) as urging means. As shown in FIG. 4, a gear transmission mechanism 50 including a plurality of meshing gears for transmitting a rotational force from the drive shaft 14 to the sheet feeding roller 7 is disposed on the sheet feeding arm 6 a of the feeding unit 6. .

  Further, of the registration roller (conveyance roller) pair 20 that is disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction across the platen 11 and sends the paper P to the image recording unit that is the lower surface of the recording head 12, both ends of the drive roller 20a The paper discharge roller pair 21 is disposed downstream of the platen 11 in the transport direction and transports the recorded paper P toward the paper discharge unit (see the arrow B direction in FIGS. 1 and 4). Both ends of the driven paper discharge roller 21a are rotatably supported by shaft support portions provided on the pair of side plates 39b and 39c in the engine frame 39. The conveyed paper P is nipped between the drive roller 20a located on the upper surface side and the driven roller 20b located on the lower surface side. Further, the driven paper discharge roller 21a in the paper discharge roller pair 21 comes into contact with the lower surface of the paper P to be discharged, and the spur 21b is nipped so as to contact the upper surface of the paper P.

  On the outside of the width of the paper P to be conveyed (short side of the paper P), one end side (in the embodiment, the main body 39a of the engine frame 39 is placed on the left side plate 39b when viewed from the paper P feeding direction. An ink receiving portion 35 is disposed in the vicinity), and a maintenance portion 36 composed of a maintenance unit is disposed in the other end (portion near the right side plate 39c). As a result, the recording head 12 periodically discharges ink to prevent nozzle clogging during the recording operation at the flushing position provided in the ink receiving portion 35, and receives ink at the ink receiving portion 35.

  The drive roller 20a, the discharge roller 21a, and the maintenance unit 36 are supplied with power from one common drive motor (LF motor) 42 disposed in the vicinity of the side plate 39b opposite to the side where the maintenance unit 36 is disposed. It is transmitted via a predetermined gear transmission mechanism 43 (see FIGS. 7, 9 and 10). As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the gear transmission mechanism 43 includes a pinion 43a attached to a drive shaft of a LF motor 42 that can rotate forward and backward (for paper conveyance), and a transmission gear 43b that meshes with the pinion 43a on the left and right. The intermediate gear 43c includes a transmission gear 43d that meshes with the intermediate gear 43c, and the transmission gear 43b is attached to one side (left end portion) of the drive roller 20a in the registration roller pair 20. The other transmission gear 43 d is attached to one end (left end portion) of the paper discharge roller 21 a in the paper discharge roller pair 21. When the sheet P is fed closer to the image recording unit via the U-turn conveyance path 9 on the upstream side of the conveyance position than the arrangement position of the registration roller pair 20, the leading end position and the end position of the sheet P are set. A paper detection body 116 for detection is provided (see FIG. 5), and a registration sensor 117 as a paper sensor is provided in association therewith.

  In the embodiment, the rotational force from the LF motor 42, which is a DC motor, is transmitted from the other end of the drive roller 20a in the registration roller pair 20 via the power transmission switching means 100 disposed on the maintenance unit 36 described later. Then, power is selectively transmitted to the sheet feed roller 7 of the feeding unit 6 and the maintenance mechanism (not shown in detail) of the maintenance unit 36.

  As described above, since the driving roller 20a and the paper discharge roller 21a are positioned above and below the paper conveyance path, the driving roller 20a and the paper discharge roller 21a are driven by the rotational drive of the LF motor 42 in a predetermined direction. Will rotate in opposite directions.

Further, a portion of the gear transmission mechanism 43, a rotary encoder 44 for detecting the transport amount of the sheet P by the pair of registration rollers (conveying rollers) 20 are provided. Both the CR motor 24 and the LF motor 42 are configured to be able to rotate forward and reverse.

  Note that a spur 51 is arranged at a position downstream of the image recording area by the nozzle surface of the recording head 12 and between the discharge roller pair 21 and close to the upper surface of the platen 11 (see FIG. 5). As a result, the image-recorded paper P is lifted and does not slide on the nozzle surface, so that the image quality is not deteriorated due to ink stains.

  Next, the configuration of the power transmission unit and the power transmission switching unit 100 for the driving force for the feeding unit 6 and the maintenance unit 36 will be described with reference to FIGS. The power transmission switching unit 100 switches the maintenance mode in which power is transmitted only to the maintenance unit 36 and the driving mode of the paper feeding roller 7 in the feeding unit 6 between the intermittent paper feeding mode and the continuous paper feeding mode.

  As described above, the rotational force from the LF motor 42 capable of forward and reverse rotation is transmitted to the drive roller 20a in the registration roller pair 20 via the reduction gear 43b. One long drive gear 101 in the power transmission switching means 100 is provided at the right end portion (maintenance portion 36) of the drive roller 20a so as to rotate integrally. One switching gear 102 that always meshes with the drive gear 101 is configured to be slidable with respect to a support shaft 103 arranged in parallel with the axis of the drive roller 20a. A first block 104 having a contact piece 104a extending upward is fitted on the support shaft 103 so as to be slidable and rotatable. The second block 105 adjacent to the first block 104 is slidably fitted to the support shaft 103. The first block 104 can be separated from one side of the switching gear 102.

  The first urging spring 106a fitted on the support shaft 103 or the like presses the second block 105 in the direction of arrow C, and the second urging spring 106b presses the switching gear 102 in the direction of arrow E. In this case, the biasing force of the first biasing spring 106a is set to be larger than the force of the second biasing spring 106b. Then, the contact piece 104a can be received by the first engagement step portion 13a or the second engagement step portion 13b of the carriage 13, and the switching is performed according to the movement of the carriage 13 in the arrow C direction or the arrow E direction. The gear 102, the first block 104, and the second block 105 are slid along the support shaft 103 and moved in the direction of arrow C or arrow E. An end face cam portion (not shown) that is inclined with respect to the axis of the support shaft 103 is formed at a facing portion between the first block 104 and the second block 105. When pushing 104 in the direction of arrow C, the contact piece 104a rotates in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 10 (the front side of the paper in FIG. 11).

  As shown in FIG. 11 (a), a plate-like guide block 107 having a guide groove 109 in which the tip end portion of the contact piece 104a can slide up and down is located above the first block 104. Has been placed. As shown in FIG. 11B in plan view, the guide groove 109 includes a straight groove 109a that is long in the directions of arrows C and E, and a clockwise annular groove 109b that communicates with the left end of the straight groove 109a. Prepare. In the embodiment, the restricting piece 110 extending downward from above the guide block 107 is made to face the central portion of the annular groove 109b. The restriction piece 110 is along the straight groove 109a. A stepped first set portion 111 and a second set portion 112 are provided on one side of the annular groove 109b.

  As shown in FIG. 11B, when the carriage 13 is greatly moved in the arrow C direction from the maintenance unit 36 and is in the recording area for the paper P, the first biasing spring 106a is pushed in the arrow C direction. The first block 104 and the switching gear 102 move along the support shaft 103 via the two blocks 105. The contact piece 104 a in the first block 104 is located in the first set portion 111. This position is referred to as position 1 (Po1). At this time, the switching gear 102 meshes with the intermittent sheet feeding transmission gear 113. Next, when the carriage 13 moves in the arrow E direction by the maintenance unit 36, the contact piece 104 a is pushed by the first engagement step portion 13 a in the carriage 13. When the contact piece 104a is positioned at the second set portion 112 (position 2, Po2), the switching gear 102 is engaged with the continuous paper feed transmission gear 114. When the carriage 13 further moves in the direction of arrow E, the contact piece 104a pushed by the first engagement step portion 13a moves along the connecting inclined surface to the linear groove portion 109a in the annular groove portion 109b. At an initial position where the contact piece 104a enters the linear groove 109a (this position is referred to as position 3 (Po3)), the contact piece 104a is engaged with the second engagement step portion 13b of the carriage 13. At this time, the switching gear 102 meshes with the maintenance transmission gear 115. The switching gear 102, the intermittent paper feed transmission gear 113, the continuous paper feed transmission gear 114, and the maintenance transmission gear 115 are spur gears. A large-diameter bevel gear 115a is integrally formed on the side surface of the maintenance transmission gear 115. It is provided to rotate. When the carriage 13 further moves in the direction of arrow E from position 3 (Po3), the side surface of the switching gear 102 abuts against the bevel gear 115a and is prevented from moving in the direction of arrow E and is separated from the first block 104. The switching gear 102 is kept in mesh with the maintenance transmission gear 115. The contact piece 104a is pushed by the second engagement step portion 13b in the carriage 13 and is positioned at the end portion (the right end portion in FIG. 12B) of the linear groove portion 109a. This position is called position 4 (Po4) and is usually the home position (origin position).

  Contrary to the above, when the carriage 13 moves from the position 4 (Po4) in the direction of arrow C and the contact piece 104a moves from the linear groove 109a to the annular groove 109b, the contact piece 104a at the first engagement step portion 13a. Since the contact piece 104a does not enter the connecting inclined surface, the contact piece 104a is slidably contacted with the regulating piece 110 at the left end portion along the left inclined surface of the annular groove 109b in FIG. Thus, the contact piece 104a is engaged with the first set part 111 so that it can move cyclically.

  The position 3 (Po3) is a maintenance position that also serves as a standby position. At the maintenance position also serving as the standby position, the cap portion 36a in the maintenance portion 36 covers the nozzle surface of the recording head 12 from below. The LF motor 42 is driven, and a suction pump (not shown) is operated to selectively suck ink from the nozzles, or a recovery process for removing bubbles in a buffer tank (not shown) on the recording head 12. Do. When the carriage 13 moves from the maintenance unit 36 to the image recording area in the lateral direction, cleaning is performed by wiping the nozzle surface with a cleaner (wiper blade) 36b. In a state where the image recording apparatus 1 is not turned on, the carriage 13 is stopped at the upper surface position of the maintenance unit 36 (position 3 (Po3)), and the nozzle portion of the recording head 12 in the carriage 13 is the maintenance unit. 36 is closely attached to and covered with a cap portion 36a on the upper surface of 36 (see FIG. 7).

  At position 1 (Po1) where the switching gear 102 meshes with the intermittent paper feed transmission gear 113, as shown in FIGS. 12 (a) and 12 (b), the paper feed arm 6a is connected via two intermediate gears 119a and 119b. Power is transmitted to the drive shaft 14 at the base end, and the paper feed roller 7 is rotated via the gear transmission mechanism 50.

  On the other hand, at the position 1 (Po1) where the switching gear 102 meshes with the continuous paper feed transmission gear 114, as shown in FIGS. 13 (a) to 13 (c) and FIG. 14 (a), one intermediate gear 120 is moved. The power is transmitted to the drive shaft 14 at the base end of the paper feed arm 6 a through the gear transmission mechanism 50, and the paper feed roller 7 is rotated through the gear transmission mechanism 50.

  Next, the control unit (control means) of the image recording apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. This control unit controls the overall operation of the image recording apparatus 1.

  This control unit is configured as a microcomputer centering on the CPU 300, ROM 301, RAM 302, and EEPROM 303, and is connected to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 306 via a bus 305.

  The ROM 301 stores programs for controlling various operations of the ink jet printer, and the RAM 302 is used as a storage area for temporarily storing various data used when the CPU executes these programs and as a work area. It is done.

  A network control unit (NCU) 317 is connected to the ASIC 306, and a communication signal input from the public line via the NCU 317 is demodulated by the MODEM 318 and then input to the ASIC 306. When the ASIC 306 transmits image data to the outside by facsimile transmission or the like, the image data is modulated into a communication signal by the MODEM 318, and the communication signal is output to the public line via the NCU 317.

  The ASIC 306 generates, for example, a phase excitation signal for energizing the LF motor 42 in accordance with a command from the CPU 300, and supplies these signals to the drive circuit 311 of the LF motor 42 and the drive circuit 312 of the CR motor 24 for driving. A drive signal is supplied to the LF motor 42 and the CR motor 24 via the circuit 311 and the drive circuit 312 and the like, and the forward / reverse rotation and stop of the LF motor 42 and the CR motor 24 are controlled.

  Further, the ASIC 306 includes a scanner device 33 (for example, CIS) for reading a document image and characters, a panel interface 313 having a keyboard 30a of an operation panel 30 and a liquid crystal display (LCD) 30b for transmission / reception operations. A parallel interface 315, a USB interface 316, and the like for transmitting / receiving data to / from an external device such as a personal computer via a parallel cable or a USB cable are connected.

  Further, the leaf switch 118 for detecting the rotational position of the cam (not shown) of the maintenance unit 36 and the paper P are fed to the ASIC 306 through the U-turn conveyance path 9 so as to approach the image recording unit. Sometimes, the rotation amount of the registration sensor 117 and the driving roller 20a provided in association with the paper detection body 116 located on the downstream side of the U-turn conveyance path 9 in order to detect the leading end position and the end position of the paper P is determined. A rotary encoder 44 for detection, a linear encoder 37 for detecting a movement amount and a movement position (current position) of the carriage 13 in the main scanning direction, and the like are connected.

  The drive circuit 314 is for selectively ejecting ink from the recording head 12 to the paper P at a predetermined timing. The drive circuit 314 generates a signal generated and output by the ASIC 306 based on a drive control procedure output from the CPU 300. In response, the recording head 12 is driven and controlled.

  Next, control of paper feeding and image recording by the above-described control unit will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. More specifically, the control is to switch the paper (cut sheet) feeding mode between the first mode and the second mode. In the first mode, when the image is recorded on a plurality of sheets, the sheet is fed from the sheet feeding cassette 5. This is a mode in which paper is intermittently fed, and a mode in which good accuracy of image recording is prioritized. On the other hand, the second mode is a mode in which sheets are continuously fed from the sheet feeding cassette 5 when images are recorded on a plurality of sheets, and a mode in which a plurality of sheets are fed at a high speed.

  The image recording apparatus 1 is powered on and control starts. Next, when the user selects either the first mode or the second mode by pressing a mode setting button (not shown) on the operation panel 30, the control unit confirms the setting mode (S1). In the first mode, when the color recording (printing) of a color photographic image or the like is performed, and the multicolor ink is recorded on the paper with minute dots, the leading edge of the paper P to be conveyed is positioned at the position of the registration roller pair 20. By temporarily stopping and eliminating the skew of the paper P, and by matching the transport position of the paper P with the print position of the recording head, printing on photographic paper or the like is performed so that color misregistration and color unevenness do not occur. To do.

  Next, it is determined whether or not the accuracy priority mode (intermittent paper feed mode) is set (S2). When the accuracy priority mode is set (S2: yes), the flag is switched to the first mode (S3), and the power transmission switching means is selected. 100 is set to the first mode (S4). For this purpose, the carriage 13 stopped at the standby position (position 3 (Po3)) is largely moved toward the image recording area in the direction of arrow C as shown in FIG. As a result, the first block 104 pushed by the urging spring 106a moves in the direction of arrow C along the regulating piece 110 of the annular groove 109b, and when the carriage 13 is disengaged from the annular groove 109b, the first set portion 111 is moved. And is held in position (position 1 (Po1)). In this state, the switching gear 102 meshes with the paper feed side gear 113 and is connected so that power is transmitted to the gear of the drive shaft 14 of the feeding unit 6 via the intermediate gears 119a and 119b shown in FIG. is doing. In this state, when the LF motor 42 is reversely rotated, the drive roller 20a and the switching gear 102 of the registration roller pair 20 are reversely rotated (counterclockwise in FIG. 12A). Accordingly, the paper feed roller 7 is rotationally driven in the feeding direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 12A and normal rotation) via the gear transmission mechanism 50 in the paper feed arm 6a. As a result, a plurality of sheets P accumulated in the sheet feeding cassette 5 are abutted against a separation member (not shown) having a large friction coefficient on the separation inclined surface 8 provided at the front end of the sheet feeding cassette 5, and Only the sheet P (one sheet P) is separated and fed to the U-turn conveyance path 9 (S5). At this time, since the driving roller 20a of the registration roller pair 20 is rotating in the reverse direction (counterclockwise rotation in FIG. 12A), the leading edge of the sheet P is pushed into the nip portion between the driven roller 20b and the driving roller 20a. It is possible to receive a resist action of correcting skew by applying.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 12B, the LF motor 42 is rotated forward by an appropriate number of steps, and the drive roller 20a and the switching gear 102 of the registration roller pair are rotated forward (clockwise rotation in FIG. 12A). Thus, the paper P sandwiched by the nip portion between the driven roller 20b and the driving roller 20a is conveyed below the paper feed cassette 2 (indexing operation). In the cueing operation, the leading edge of the paper P sandwiched between the registration roller pair 20 passes through the position of the paper detection body 116 and then advances to a predetermined position of the image recording unit and is set at a position where image recording can be started. To do. At this time, the paper feed roller 7 rotates in the opposite direction to the paper feed direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 12B), but the nip force at the registration roller pair 20 is fed at the location of the paper feed cassette 5. By setting it larger than the conveying force of the paper roller 7 (the pressing force of the paper feed roller 7 on the paper by the biasing torsion spring 38), the paper P nipped by the registration roller pair 20 is the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller 7. In contrast, the sheet feeding arm 6a has a release action of swinging upward about the drive shaft 14.

  Subsequently, when there is an image recording command from an external computer (not shown) or the like, one side (front surface) of the paper P from the nozzles of the recording head 12 while reciprocating the carriage 13 in the main scanning direction while the paper P is moved forward intermittently. Ink is ejected to start image recording (S6). When the paper P is moved forward intermittently, the registration roller pair 20 and the paper discharge roller pair 21 rotate in the same direction (forward rotation). Further, at the time of cueing operation and image recording, the drive shaft 14 rotates in the reverse direction, whereby the paper feed arm 6a rotates upward and the paper feed roller 7 rotates in the reverse direction (rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 6). is doing.

  When the recording for one sheet is completed (S7: yes), the paper P on which the image has been recorded starts to be discharged (S8). In that case, the LF motor 42 is rotated forward by an appropriate number of steps in order to continuously rotate the registration roller pair 20 and the discharge roller pair 21 continuously (S9: yes), and then the LF motor 42 is stopped (S10).

  Next, it is determined whether or not there is image recording data for the following paper (next page) (S11). If there is image recording data (S11: yes), the processing from step S5 to S11 is repeated. In this way, the paper P can be fed to the image recording unit one by one and a precise image recording process like a color photograph can be executed.

  Next, the case of the second mode will be described. When it is determined in step S2 that the mode is not the first mode (S11: no), the flag is set to the second mode, that is, the second mode is set in a predetermined area in the RAM 302. Is stored (S12), and the power transmission switching means 100 is set to the second mode (S13). In the second mode, in the image recording operation, a plurality of sheets P are continuously fed from the sheet feeding cassette 5 in order to prioritize the image recording speed rather than emphasizing image quality. Therefore, the nip force at the nip portion between the driven roller 20b and the driving roller 20a is larger than the conveying force for conveying the paper P on the paper cassette 5 by the paper feeding roller 7, and the peripheral speed of the driving roller 20a is supplied. It is set to be larger than the peripheral speed of the paper roller 7. That is, the force that the driven roller 20b and the driving roller 20a nip and convey the paper P is stronger than the force that the paper feeding roller 7 conveys the paper P, and the driven roller 20b and the driving roller 20a nip the paper P. Thus, the conveying speed is faster than the speed at which the paper feed roller 7 conveys the paper P. For example, it is set by the reduction ratio between the continuous paper feed transmission gear 114 and the intermediate gear 10.

  Then, the carriage 13 stopped at the position 1 (Po1) is moved by a predetermined amount in the direction of arrow E as shown in FIG. As a result, the contact piece 104 a is pushed by the first engagement step portion 13 a of the carriage 13. When the abutment piece 104a is positioned at the second set portion 112 (position 2, Po2), the switching gear 102 and the continuous paper feed transmission gear 114 are engaged with each other, and the base of the paper feed arm 6a is connected via one intermediate gear 120. Power is transmitted to the gear of the end drive shaft 14.

  When the LF motor 42 is rotated forward in order to start feeding the recording paper (paper P), the driving roller 20a and the switching gear 102 of the registration roller pair are rotated forward (clockwise as shown in FIG. 13A). And the paper feed roller 7 is also rotated forward in the paper feed direction. Accordingly, only the uppermost sheet P (one sheet P) is separated and fed to the U-turn conveyance path 9 (S14). Next, when the leading end of the sheet P reaches the nip portion between the driving roller 20a and the driven roller 20b, the sheet P is immediately sandwiched by the nip portion and conveyed below the sheet feeding cassette 2 without receiving a resist action (see FIG. 13 (b)), image recording on the first sheet P is started (S15). In the second mode, it is preferable that the ASIC 306 does not accept an output signal (ON / OFF signal) from the registration sensor 17.

  When one sheet P is nipped at the nip portion between the driving roller 20a and the driven roller 20b and nipped at the position of the paper feed roller 7 (as shown in FIG. 13B), both nip portions are Even when the sheet P is positioned across the sheet), the nip force at the nip portion between the driven roller 20b and the driving roller 20a is applied to the sheet cassette 5 by the sheet feeding roller 7 as described above. Since the peripheral force of the driving roller 20a is set to be larger than the peripheral force of the paper feed roller 7 and larger than the conveying force for conveying the paper P, the nip between the driving roller 20a and the driven roller 20b as the registration roller pair 20 is set. Thus, the paper P sandwiched between the sections can be reliably conveyed to the image recording section.

  Next, a command with the next page (following paper) is received from the external device (S16: yes), and when the image recording of the preceding paper P is completed (S17: yes), the current flag is set to the first flag. Whether the mode is the second mode or not (S18). If the flag is the second mode (S18: second), the LF motor 42 is continuously continuously rotated forward to drive roller 20a, paper discharge roller 21a and The paper feed roller 7 is rotated forward. As a result, the preceding paper P (previous page) is discharged, and the next recording paper (following paper) is conveyed to the recording start position (S19), and image recording is performed on the recording paper of the next page (following paper). The process returns to step S15 so as to start (see FIG. 13C). In this way, a plurality of sheets P are continuously fed and conveyed without temporarily stopping the sheet P at the position of the registration roller pair 20, so that a high-speed recording operation is possible.

  Next recording paper processing control when there is no image recording data for the next recording paper (subsequent paper) during the continuous paper feeding operation (second mode) will be described. In this process, when the position of the leading edge of the succeeding sheet is located downstream of the determination position by the leading edge of the sheet detector 116 in the transport direction, or the leading edge of the succeeding sheet is already nipped by the registration roller pair 20. If the leading edge of the succeeding sheet is positioned upstream in the transport direction that is not detected by the registration sensor 117, the succeeding sheet P is returned to the sheet feeding cassette 5. (See FIGS. 14 (a), 14 (b), 16 and 17).

  In step S16, when the command with the next page is not received (S16: no), that is, when there is no image recording data for the following paper P, the paper P (recording paper) positioned in the image recording unit is printed. A predetermined amount of about 3 passes in a row is conveyed in the paper discharge direction (S20). When the predetermined amount has been transferred (S20: yes), the flag is switched to the first mode (S21). As a result, a movement command is issued to the paper feed cassette 3, and the power transmission switching means 100 is set and switched to the first mode (position 1). In this state, image recording on the paper P positioned in the image recording unit is executed (S17). When the image recording operation is completed (S17: yes), the current flag state is inquired (S18).

  When it is determined in step S18 that the flag is first (S18: first), the next recording sheet (subsequent recording sheet) processing control is executed (S30). The detailed control is shown in the flowchart of FIG. First, during the continuous paper feeding operation, when the image recording for one page of the preceding recording paper (paper P) is completed, the registration sensor 117 is turned on (the leading edge of the succeeding paper P indicates the position of the paper detector 116). It is determined whether it is equivalent) (S31). When the registration sensor 117 is OFF (when the leading edge of the succeeding sheet P has not reached the sheet detecting body 116, refer to FIG. 14A) (S31: no), the succeeding sheet P is fed into the sheet feeding cassette. In order to return to 5, the paper feed roller 7 is rotated reversely (S32). In the above case, the carriage 13 is moved in the maintenance section direction (the direction of arrow E in FIG. 11B), and the contact piece 114a is positioned at position 1 (Po1). In this position, the switching gear 102 meshes with the continuous paper feed transmission gear 114 as in the above-described continuous paper feed operation, and the paper feed roller of the paper feed arm 6a passes from the continuous paper feed gear 114 through the intermediate gear 120. The rotational force is transmitted to 7. When the LF motor 42 is rotated forward, the driving roller 20a of the registration roller pair 20 is rotated forward (conveyed in the direction of the image recording unit), so that the preceding paper P is conveyed to the paper discharge unit side. Since the paper feed roller 7 rotates in the reverse direction, the paper feed roller 7 is rotated by a predetermined amount (S33) and then stopped (S34), and the subsequent paper P1 returns to the accumulation position of the paper feed cassette 5 (FIG. 14). (See (a)).

  Since the first half (transport downstream side portion) of the succeeding paper P is located in the U-turn transport path 9 and the second half (transport upstream side portion) of the paper P is located on the paper feed cassette 5 side. When the paper P is returned to the paper feed cassette 5, the processing time is shorter, and when the unrecorded paper P is discharged to the paper discharge section through the image recording section, the paper P is again fed into the paper feed cassette. This is to eliminate the time and labor required for setting to 5.

  When the registration sensor 117 is ON (corresponding to the time when the leading edge of the succeeding paper P exceeds the position of the paper detection body 116) (S31: yes), the LF motor 42 is rotated in the reverse direction, and the paper feed roller 7 is rotated forward ( The drive roller 20a is rotated in the reverse direction (S35), rotated by a predetermined amount (S36), and the leading edge of the succeeding paper P1 is applied to the registration roller pair 20 to be subjected to the registration action. In this state, the LF motor 42 is once stopped, and the rotation of the drive roller 20a and the paper feed roller 7 is stopped (S37) (see FIG. 14B). Subsequently, by rotating the LF motor 42 forward, the drive roller 20a and the paper discharge roller 21a are rotated forward to discharge the paper P. In this state, since the paper feed roller 7 is rotating in the reverse direction (see FIG. 14B), when the paper feed roller 7 is rotated forward by a predetermined amount (S39), the paper further following the succeeding paper P1. P1 can be returned to the paper feed cassette 5 direction.

  As shown in FIG. 13B, the U from the contact point (feeding position in the claims) of the paper feed roller 7 to the paper P accumulated in the paper feed cassette 5 to the nip position of the registration roller pair 20 is shown. The distance along the turn conveyance path 9 is L1, and the distance from the contact point (the feeding position in the claims) to the separation member on the separation inclined surface 8 is L2. In the case of continuous paper feeding operation, the succeeding paper P1 is fed and conveyed by the rotation of the paper feeding roller 7 at the moment when the trailing edge of the preceding paper P deviates from the contact point with the paper feeding roller 7. Therefore, the distance L2 is a wrap amount (overlap amount) along the transport direction between the preceding paper P and the following paper P1. However, the difference between L2 and L1 is set to be longer than a predetermined value, and the difference (V1−V2) between the peripheral speed V1 of the drive roller 20a and the peripheral speed V2 (V1> V2) of the paper feed roller 7 Is set to be equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the leading edge of the succeeding sheet P1 does not reach the nip position when the trailing edge of the preceding sheet P moves downstream from the nip position of the registration roller pair 20 in the transport direction. Thus, an appropriate gap (paper interval) can be formed between the trailing edge of the preceding paper P and the leading edge of the succeeding paper P1. Therefore, even if a plurality of sheets P are continuously fed and conveyed, the image recording unit can record all of the image recording data corresponding to each sheet P without omission. That is, in the image recording unit, the end edge of the preceding paper P and the leading edge of the succeeding paper P1 are not overlapped (wrapped), and the image is not recorded across both papers. . In the above case, when the trailing edge of the preceding paper P that is transported only by the registration roller pair 20 deviates from the feeding position by the paper feeding roller 7, the feeding of the subsequent paper P1 by the paper feeding roller 7 is started. If controlled, there is an effect that it is possible to more surely form the above-mentioned sheet interval. In the present invention, since the above-described sheet feeding / conveying control is performed, it is possible to perform sheet feeding / conveying using the same control procedure regardless of the sheet size, and even if the image recording apparatus itself does not recognize the sheet size. There is also an effect that it is possible to feed and convey an appropriate interval between the previous sheet and the subsequent sheet.

  In the present invention, as described above, the paper P accumulated in the paper feed cassette 5 is fed one by one to the U-turn conveyance path 9 by the paper feed roller 7, and the fed paper P is image-recorded by the registration roller pair 20. In this configuration, the registration roller pair 20 includes a driving roller 20a driven by an LF motor 42 that is a driving source and a driven roller 20b that presses the driving roller 20a. Is set to be larger than the conveying force at the position of the paper feed roller 7, the peripheral speed of the drive roller 20a is set to be larger than the peripheral speed of the paper feed roller 7, and the image data for the subsequent paper P1 is When it is present, it is provided with control means for controlling the drive roller 20a and the paper feed roller 7 to continuously rotate in the same direction. Compared with the paper feeding operation in which the leading edge of the paper P fed out from the paper feeding cassette one by one with the paper feeding roller is temporarily stopped at the position of the registration roller pair 20, a plurality of papers P are continuously fed. Since the image can be transferred to the image recording unit and recorded, it is possible to efficiently execute the image recording with a simple configuration by increasing the speed of continuous image recording on a plurality of sheets P.

  Further, a registration roller pair 20 is disposed upstream of the carriage 13 in the conveyance direction of the paper P, and a paper feed roller 7 is disposed upstream of the registration roller pair 20. Since the paper feed roller 7 is configured to be rotationally driven in the same direction by a single paper transport drive motor (LF motor) 24, the configuration of paper feed and transport is simplified.

  In the present invention, the paper feed roller 7 is provided at the front end of the paper feed arm 6a that swings from the upper side to the surface of the paper P accumulated in the paper feed cassette 5 so as to be able to contact and separate. Continuous feeding operation can be easily executed, and the same feeding configuration can be switched between intermittent feeding operation (precision image recording processing) and continuous feeding operation (high-speed recording processing). There is an effect that it can be realized by using the paper unit 6.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the paper feeding cassettes may be arranged in a plurality of stages, and the above-described continuous paper feeding operation may be executed when feeding each stage.

1 is an overall perspective view of an image recording apparatus. It is the perspective view which looked at the main body case from the back except for the upper case. FIG. 3 is a top view of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view of a main part in a state where a paper feed cassette is attached to the recording unit. It is a principal part expanded side sectional view of only an image recording part. It is a side view of a paper feed cassette and a paper feed unit. FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of a state where a paper feed cassette is attached to the recording unit. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the recording unit in a state where a downstream guide plate and a platen are removed. It is the IX-IX line arrow expanded sectional view of FIG. It is a schematic diagram of a power transmission switching means. (A) is a front view (b) which shows the switching state to each mode by a power transmission switching means. (A) is a figure which shows the power transmission in the paper feeding state in intermittent paper feeding mode (1st mode), (b) is a figure which shows the power transmission at the time of image recording. (A) is a diagram showing power transmission in the paper feeding state in the continuous paper feeding mode (second mode), (b) is a diagram showing power transmission during image recording, and (c) is a feeding of the subsequent paper P. It is a figure which shows the power transmission at the time of paper. (A) is a figure which shows 1st Embodiment of the paper return process in continuous paper feed mode (2nd mode), (b) is a figure which shows 2nd Embodiment. It is a functional block diagram of a control device. It is a flowchart of control of image recording. 6 is a flowchart of sheet return control during a continuous sheet feeding operation.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Image recording apparatus 5 Paper feed cassette 6 Feeding unit 6a Arm 7 Feeding roller 10 Recording unit 11 Platen 12 Recording head 13 Carriage 20 Registration roller pair 20a Drive roller 20b Driven roller 21 Discharge roller pair 24 CR motor 36 maintenance section 42 LF motor 50 gear transmission mechanism 100 power transmission switching means 101 drive gear 102 switching gear 113 intermittent paper feed transmission gear 114 continuous paper feed transmission gear 300 CPU

Claims (6)

It is possible to apply a resist action to a circular sheet feeding roller that feeds the recording medium deposited in the paper feeding cassette one by one to the conveyance path, and one recording medium that has been fed to the conveyance path. And an image recording apparatus comprising a pair of registration rollers that rotate so as to be conveyed in the same direction as the conveyance direction of the recording medium by the paper feed roller and convey the recording medium to the image recording unit,
The registration roller pair includes a driving roller driven by a driving source and a driven roller that presses the driving roller.
The recording medium conveyance force by the registration roller pair is set to be larger than the recording medium conveyance force by the paper feed roller,
The conveyance speed of the recording medium by the registration roller pair is set to be higher than the conveyance speed of the recording medium by the paper feed roller,
Simultaneously rotationally drive the drive roller and the paper feed roller in the registration roller pair so that the recording medium conveyance direction by the registration roller pair is the same as the recording medium conveyance direction by the paper feed roller. A control means for controlling a plurality of recording media to be continuously fed and transported without a resist action,
An image recording apparatus, wherein when a trailing edge of a preceding recording medium conveyed by the pair of registration rollers deviates from the sheet feeding roller, conveyance of the subsequent recording medium by the sheet feeding roller is started.   A distance L1 along the conveyance path from the feeding position by the paper feeding roller to the position where the registration roller pair is arranged is a distance L2 from the feeding position by the paper feeding roller to the separation position of the recording medium in the paper feeding cassette. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is set to be larger.   3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive roller and the paper feed roller in the registration roller pair are configured to be driven by a common drive motor. 4.   4. The sheet feeding roller according to claim 1, wherein the sheet feeding roller is provided on an arm body that swings so as to be able to contact and separate from above with respect to a surface of the recording medium to be deposited. Image recording device. A paper sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium to be transported is provided in the transport path,
5. The control of cueing of image recording onto a subsequent recording medium is executed when the paper sensor detects passage of a trailing edge of the preceding recording medium. The image recording apparatus described.   2. A release mechanism for interrupting transmission of a driving force from the drive source to the paper feed roller when a recording medium is located across both the registration roller pair and the paper feed roller. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1.