JP4706657B2 - Sheet supply apparatus and image recording apparatus including the sheet supply apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention provides a pivot end of an arm provided further above a first tray and a second tray arranged in the vertical direction and pivotable in a direction in which the first tray and the second tray are in contact with and separated from each other. In particular, the present invention relates to a sheet supply apparatus provided with a roller and an image recording apparatus including the sheet supply apparatus, and in particular, the roller is not damaged when the second tray is slid, and is smoothly interlocked with the slide of the second tray. The present invention relates to a sheet supply device in which an arm is rotated upward, and an image recording apparatus including the sheet supply device.

  Some sheet supply apparatuses that separate and feed recording paper from a paper feed tray on which a plurality of sheets such as recording paper are held include a so-called pendulum type paper feeding roller. The paper feed roller is rotatably provided at the tip of an arm that rotates in a direction in which the paper feed tray is brought into contact with or separated from the paper feed tray. In this configuration, the surface on which the sheet is placed inside the sheet feed tray is constant, and the pendulum type sheet feed roller rotates according to the number of sheets held in the sheet feed tray, thereby feeding the sheet. Of the sheets held on the tray, the sheet feeding roller is always in contact with the uppermost sheet.

  In the sheet supply apparatus described above, a configuration in which the sheet feeding tray can be inserted into and removed from the apparatus main body can be employed. This is because, by pulling out the paper feed tray from the apparatus main body, it becomes easy to replenish sheets in the paper feed tray. However, in this case, a configuration is adopted in which at least the paper feed roller is retracted to a position where it does not collide with the paper feed tray in conjunction with the paper feed tray insertion / extraction so as not to hinder the paper feed tray insertion / extraction. Yes. As this configuration, for example, there is a configuration in which a wing-shaped cam is extended from an arm in a direction orthogonal to the insertion / removal direction of the paper feed tray so as to be in contact with one side wall of the paper feed tray. A configuration is proposed in which one side wall of the paper feed tray is formed in a predetermined shape as a cam follower, so that the insertion / extraction operation of the paper feed tray is transmitted as an up / down movement of the arm through the cam follower and the wing-shaped cam. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

  In addition, there has been proposed a sheet supply device in which a manual feed tray is provided above the paper feed tray and the manual feed tray is slidable in the front-rear direction (see, for example, Patent Document 3 and Patent Document 4). According to the sheet supply apparatus having such a configuration, recording sheets having different sizes and types are held by the sheet feeding tray and the manual feed tray. That is, the type of recording paper that is always used is held in the paper feed tray. On the other hand, when using recording papers of various sizes or special types of recording paper that are used infrequently, the manual feed tray may be slid to hold the recording paper to be used on the manual feed tray. In other words, since any type of recording paper can be set in the manual feed tray without removing the paper feed tray from the apparatus main body, the operability is excellent.

JP 2002-249242 A JP 2005-247542 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-95038 Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 6-49439

  In a sheet supply apparatus that includes a paper feed tray and a manual feed tray and does not employ a pendulum type roller, a configuration in which the paper feed roller does not come into contact with the manual feed tray or a sheet held on the manual feed tray when the manual feed tray slides is employed. As a configuration in which the paper feed roller does not contact the manual feed tray or the sheet held on the manual feed tray, for example, there is a configuration in which a paper feed roller having a substantially D-shaped cross section orthogonal to the axial direction is rotated at a predetermined position. . In a sheet feeding apparatus that employs this sheet feeding roller, when one sheet at the uppermost position among the sheets stacked and loaded in the sheet feeding tray has been fed, The feed roller is stopped at a position where the D-shaped plane always faces the next uppermost sheet. In such a sheet feeding device, the uppermost sheet is disposed at a predetermined height, and as a result, there is a space between the substantially D-shaped plane of the paper feed roller and the uppermost sheet. It is formed. By this space, the manual feed tray or the sheet held on the manual feed tray is not in contact with the paper feed roller. Therefore, the paper feed roller is not damaged by the slide of the manual feed tray.

  However, when a pendulum type paper feed roller is employed in a sheet feeding apparatus having a paper feed tray and a manual feed tray as described above, the manual feed tray is slid without being inserted or removed. become. That is, since the paper feed tray and the arm are not interlocked as described above, the manual feed tray slide may collide with the paper feed roller, resulting in damage to the paper feed roller. There is.

  If the manual feed tray has a cam follower similar to the paper feed tray described above and the wing-shaped cam extended from the arm is lifted, the side wall of the manual feed tray needs to have a certain height. Therefore, it is impossible to reduce the thickness of the manual feed tray, and as a result, there arises a problem that the entire apparatus is enlarged. In addition, since the rigidity required for lifting the arm and paper feed roller is required for the manual feed tray, the thickness of the manual feed tray increases and the shape becomes complicated. It becomes difficult. Further, when the arm is rotated by bringing a wing-shaped cam into contact with one side wall (cam follower) of the manual feed tray, which is less rigid than the paper feed tray, a load for that occurs on one side wall of the manual feed tray. . As a result, not only smooth sliding of the manual feed tray is obstructed, but also the manual feed tray does not slide straight but skews, and as a result, the manual feed paper skews during conveyance.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and the second tray can be slid straight without being damaged and the second tray is not skewed. It is an object of the present invention to provide a sheet supply apparatus in which an arm is smoothly rotated upward in conjunction with a slide of a tray, and an image recording apparatus including the sheet supply apparatus.

(1) The sheet supply apparatus according to the present invention includes a first tray that holds the first sheet, a first tray that is disposed above the first tray and can hold the second sheet, and can convey the first sheet. A second tray that slides between a posture and a second posture capable of conveying the second sheet, and extends in a first direction perpendicular to the sliding direction of the second tray, and the first tray in the first direction A rotating shaft that is driven and transmitted on the outside of one tray, and is supported by the rotating shaft and disposed in the center of the second tray in the first direction and above the first tray. And an arm that is pivotable in the direction of contact and separation, and a pivot end of the arm that is provided on both sides of the first direction, and the first sheet on the first tray or the second sheet on the second tray. Row that feeds two sheets in the specified transport direction And a drive transmission mechanism that is provided on the arm and transmits the drive from the rotating shaft to the roller, and is provided at a tip of the second tray on the transport direction side, and the second tray is in the first posture. And a rib that contacts the arm when sliding from the second position to rotate the arm so that the roller is positioned above the second tray.

  Two types of sheets of different types and sizes can be independently held by the first tray and the second tray. When the second tray is in the first posture, the roller contacts the first sheet held on the first tray and feeds the first sheet. When the second tray is in the second posture, the roller contacts the second sheet held on the second tray and feeds the second sheet. When the second tray is slid from the first posture to the second posture, a rib provided at the leading end of the second tray on the transport direction side contacts the arm. The arm rotates by being pushed upward by the rib. Since the arm is rotated by the rib so that the roller is positioned above the second tray, the leading end of the second tray on the conveyance direction side does not contact the roller.

  Since the arm is disposed in the center of the first direction orthogonal to the sliding direction in the second tray, when the rib rotates the arm, the arm and roller gravity loaded on the second tray through the rib, etc. However, it acts on the slide of the second tray without any bias. Therefore, the second tray can be smoothly slid.

  (2) An embodiment in which the rib protrudes upward from the second tray and the height at which the rib protrudes from the tray surface of the second tray is at least a height H greater than the radius R of the roller is considered. It is done.

  (3) On the rear end side of the rib in the transport direction, when the second tray is slid from the first posture to the second posture, the arm is moved to the tray surface of the second tray. A guide surface that guides the vehicle to descend may be provided.

  Thereby, when the second tray is slid from the first posture to the second posture, the arm is guided to the tray surface of the second tray by the guide surface. Thereby, the roller can be landed on the tray surface of the second tray without impact.

  (4) A protruding piece extending from the leading end may be provided at a position corresponding to the roller at the leading end of the second tray on the transport direction side. The protruding piece carries the roller that rotates together with the arm guided by the guide surface when the second tray is slid from the first position to the second position.

  Thus, the roller can be reliably landed on the tray surface without contacting the tip of the second tray on the conveyance direction side.

( 5 ) The present invention provides the sheet supply device, a conveyance unit that conveys the sheet fed from the sheet supply device, a recording unit that can record an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveyance unit, The image recording apparatus may include a discharge unit that discharges a sheet on which an image is recorded by the recording unit.

  According to the present invention, when the second tray is slid from the first posture to the second posture, the rib provided at the tip of the second tray on the transport direction side contacts the arm, and the roller is in the second position. Since the arm is rotated so as to be positioned above the tray, the tip of the second tray on the conveyance direction side does not contact the roller. Therefore, when the second tray is slid, contact with the roller is prevented. Further, the second tray can be slid straight without being skewed, and the arm is smoothly rotated upward in conjunction with the sliding of the second tray. In particular, when the arm is disposed at the center in the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the second tray, the apparatus can be reduced in size, and the second tray can be smoothly slid, and the second tray can be reduced in thickness. Is realized.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, this embodiment is only an example of this invention, Of course, embodiment may be changed suitably in the range which does not change the summary of this invention.

  FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a multifunction peripheral 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the printer unit 102. 3 and 4 are external perspective views showing the main configuration of the sheet supply apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the manual feed tray 14. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the configuration of the ribs 60A and 60B and the protruding pieces 63A and 63B. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG.

<Multifunction device 100>
The multifunction machine 100 includes the sheet supply apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and is realized as an image recording apparatus that integrally includes a printer unit 102 and a scanner unit 103. The multi-function device 100 is a multi-function device (MFD) having a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. Note that the multifunction peripheral 100 is only one embodiment, and the sheet feeding apparatus according to the present invention may be realized in an image recording apparatus having only a printer function, for example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-function device 100 has a wide and thin, generally rectangular parallelepiped outer shape having a width and depth larger than the height. The upper part of the multifunction peripheral 100 is a scanner unit 103. The scanner unit 103 is configured as a so-called flat bed scanner. A document cover 105 is provided as a top plate of the multifunction machine 100 so as to be freely opened and closed. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a platen glass and an image sensor are provided inside the main body below the document cover 105. The image of the document placed on the platen glass is read by the image sensor. In realizing the present invention, since the scanner unit 103 has an arbitrary configuration, detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  A lower part of the multifunction peripheral 100 is a printer unit 102. The printer unit 102 records an image or document on a recording sheet based on image data read by the scanner unit 103 or externally input print data. The printer unit 102 is equipped with a sheet supply apparatus 10 having a sheet feeding cassette 11. The recording paper stored in the paper feeding cassette 11 is fed into the printer unit 102 by the sheet feeding device 10. The printer unit 102 records a desired image on a recording sheet.

  An operation panel 104 is provided on the front upper portion of the multifunction peripheral 100. The operation panel 104 has a liquid crystal display unit and various keys. The printer unit 102 and the scanner unit 103 are operated based on an instruction signal input on the operation panel 104. Further, since the multifunction peripheral 100 can be connected to an information processing apparatus such as an external computer, the multifunction peripheral 100 is also operated based on an instruction signal transmitted from the computer or the like via a printer driver or a scanner driver.

<Schematic Configuration of Printer Unit 102>

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet supply apparatus 10 is mounted on the printer unit 102. The sheet supply apparatus 10 includes a paper feed cassette 11 and a paper feed mechanism 12 broadly.

  An opening 106 is formed on the front surface of the printer unit 102. Inside the opening 106, the paper feed cassette 11 is disposed. Specifically, almost the entire sheet cassette 11 is accommodated in the opening 106. The paper feed cassette 11 is configured to be disposed on the bottom side of the multifunction peripheral 100. In this paper feed cassette 11, a paper feed tray 13 and a manual feed tray 14 are arranged in two upper and lower stages with the manual feed tray 14 as the upper side (upward). The configuration of the paper feed cassette 11 will be described later.

  The paper feed mechanism 12 includes a paper feed roller 25, a drive transmission mechanism 26, and a swing arm 27 that supports them. The configuration of the paper feed mechanism 12 will be described later.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 102 is formed with a paper transport path 23 through which recording paper is transported. The sheet conveyance path 23 is curved upward and extends from the end on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the sheet feeding cassette 11 along the rear surface of the apparatus, and extends to the front side of the apparatus (right side of the sheet in FIG. 2). To the opening 106 in the front of the apparatus. Therefore, the recording paper fed from the paper feed cassette 11 to the paper conveyance path 23 is guided by the paper conveyance path 23 so as to make a U-turn from the bottom to the top and reaches the image recording unit 24. After the recording is performed, the ink is discharged to the opening 106.

  The sheet conveyance path 23 is configured by an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval, except for a portion where the image recording unit 24 and the like are disposed. For example, the curved portion of the sheet conveyance path 23 on the back side of the multifunction peripheral 100 is configured by fixing the outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19 to the apparatus frame.

  An image recording unit 24 is provided in the paper conveyance path 23 on the way from the back side of the apparatus to the opening 106. The image recording unit 24 includes a carriage 38. The carriage 38 is equipped with an ink jet recording head 39. On both sides of the carriage 38 in the conveyance direction, flat guide rails 43 and 44 are extended in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2) orthogonal to the recording sheet conveyance direction. The carriage 38 is supported on the guide rails 43 and 44 at both ends in the conveying direction, and can reciprocate in the extending direction of the guide rails 43 and 44.

  The ink jet recording head 39 is supplied with ink of each color from an ink cartridge disposed in the multifunction peripheral 100 through an ink tube. The ink cartridge and the ink tube are not shown in FIG. While the carriage 38 is reciprocated, each color ink is selectively ejected from the inkjet recording head 39 toward the platen 42 as fine ink droplets. As a result, an image is recorded on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 42.

  A conveyance roller 46 and a pinch roller are provided on the upstream side of the image recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction. Since this pinch roller is hidden by other members, it does not appear in FIG. The pinch roller is disposed below the transport roller 46 and in pressure contact with the transport roller 46. The transport roller 46 and the pinch roller sandwich the recording paper transported through the paper transport path 23 and transport it onto the platen 42. A paper discharge roller 48 and a spur 49 are provided on the downstream side in the transport direction of the image recording unit 24. The paper discharge roller 48 and the spur 49 convey the recorded recording paper to the opening 106 while sandwiching it. The conveyance roller 46 and the paper discharge roller 48 are intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width corresponding to various recording modes, when a rotational driving force is transmitted from a motor (not shown).

The paper conveyance path 23, the conveyance roller 46, and the pinch roller (not shown) described above correspond to the conveyance unit of the present invention. The image recording unit 24 corresponds to the recording unit of the present invention. The paper discharge roller 48 and the spur 49 correspond to the discharge unit of the present invention.

<Paper cassette 11>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the paper feed cassette 11 will be described. 3 shows a state where the manual feed tray 14 is in the first posture, and FIG. 4 shows a state where the manual feed tray 14 is in the second posture.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the paper feed cassette 11 includes a paper feed tray 13 and a manual feed tray 14. The paper feed tray 13 corresponds to the first tray of the present invention. The manual feed tray 14 corresponds to the second tray of the present invention. A manual feed tray 14 is disposed above (above) the paper feed tray 13. The sheet supply apparatus 10 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the sheet feeding cassette 11 is mounted on the apparatus main body as shown in FIG. 1, and the sheet feeding roller 25 is placed in the sheet feeding tray 13 as shown in FIG. When the operator performs a predetermined operation on the manual feed tray 14 while in contact with the upper surface of the paper feed roller 25, the paper feed roller 25 is pushed up to the upper surface of the manual feed tray 14 together with the swing arm 27 as shown in FIG. There is in point. When the operation opposite to the predetermined operation is performed, the paper feed roller 25 is lowered to the upper surface of the paper feed tray 13 together with the swing arm 27, and the original state shown in FIG. The point is that the sheet is returned to the state in contact with the upper surface of the sheet feeding tray 13. Hereinafter, the configurations of the paper feed tray 13 and the manual feed tray 14 will be described in detail.

  Each of the paper feed tray 13 and the manual feed tray 14 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the transport direction in which the recording paper is transported from the paper feed cassette 11 (the direction indicated by the arrow 59; the same applies hereinafter). Recording sheets are stored in a stacked state in each of the paper feed tray 13 and the manual feed tray 14. In the present embodiment, the paper feed tray 13 is formed deeper than the manual feed tray 14. Accordingly, the paper feed tray 13 can accommodate more recording paper than the manual feed tray 14. The paper feed tray 13 can accommodate recording paper of A4 size or smaller, for example, recording paper of various sizes such as A4 size, B5 size, postcard size, and photo L size. On the other hand, as will be described later, the manual feed tray 14 can load a recording sheet of A4 size or larger, for example, a legal size or A3 size, by enlarging the recording sheet mounting surface. The recording paper accommodated and held in the paper feed tray 13 is referred to as a first sheet in the present invention. The recording paper accommodated and held in the manual feed tray 14 is referred to as a second sheet in the present invention. Note that the recording sheet is an example of a first sheet and a second sheet, and a resin sheet or the like other than the recording sheet may be accommodated and held in the paper feed tray 13 or the manual feed tray 14.

  An inclined separation plate 54 is provided at the downstream end of the feed tray 13 in the transport direction (the direction indicated by the arrow 59). The inclined separation plate 54 is formed of a plate-like member that is long in the width direction (the direction orthogonal to the conveyance direction indicated by the arrow 59, the same applies hereinafter). The inclined separation plate 54 is formed to have a width substantially the same as the width of the paper feed tray 13. The inclined separation plate 54 is inclined at a predetermined angle toward the back side of the apparatus. Therefore, when the front end of the recording sheet comes into contact with the inclined separation plate 54, the front end is guided obliquely upward along the inner surface of the inclined separation plate 54.

  A separation member 57 is provided at the center in the width direction of the inclined separation plate 54. The separating member 57 is provided with a plurality of claws protruding inward of the paper feed tray 13 along the recording paper conveyance direction. If a plurality of recording sheets are stacked and fed from the sheet feed tray 13 to the inclined separation plate 54, the front end of the sheet bundle is rolled by the separation member 57. At that time, the claw of the separating member 57 enters between the recording sheets, and a gap is formed between the recording sheets. As a result, the recording paper is easily separated, and the force applied to the recording paper from the paper feed roller 25 during feeding and the contact friction of the recording paper are combined, so that only the uppermost recording paper is lower. It is reliably separated from the recording paper at the position.

  The inclined separation plate 54 is formed with two cutouts 51A and 51B that are deeply cut from the upper end thereof. These notches 51 </ b> A and 51 </ b> B are arranged on both sides of the separating member 57. Ribs 60A and 60B, which will be described later, are inserted into the notches 51A and 51B, respectively. As shown in FIG. 4, when the manual feed tray 14 is set to the second posture, the ribs 60A and 60B are inserted into the notches 51A and 51B, and the first guide portions 61A and 61B are notched 51A and 51B. Supported at the top of the. Accordingly, the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71 of the manual feed tray 14 is supported by the notches 51A and 51B (see FIG. 12). When the manual feed tray 14 is set to the second posture, the ribs 60A and 60B are inserted into the cutouts 51A and 51B until the second guide portions 62A and 62B do not protrude from the inner surface of the inclined separation plate 54. .

  In the inclined separation plate 54, through holes 52A and 52B are formed on both sides of the notches 51A and 51B described above. The through holes 52A and 52B correspond to the height positions of projecting pieces 63A and 63B described later. That is, as shown in FIG. 4, when the manual feed tray 14 is set to the second posture, the protruding pieces 63A and 63B are inserted into the through holes 52A and 52B. In this state, the protruding pieces 63A and 63B are supported by the through holes 52A and 52B. Accordingly, the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71 of the manual feed tray 14 is supported by the through holes 52A and 52B (see FIG. 12).

  As shown in FIG. 5, the manual feed tray 14 mainly includes a tray body 70, a first slide plate 71, and a second slide plate 72. The manual feed tray 14 has a three-layer structure in which a first slide plate 71 is disposed below the tray body 70 and a second slide plate 72 is disposed above the tray body 70. The first slide plate 71 and the second slide plate 72 are configured to be slidable with respect to the tray body 70. By sliding the first slide plate 71 and the second slide plate 72 with respect to the tray body 70, the paper support surface of the manual feed tray 14 is enlarged or reduced. As shown in FIG. 3, recording paper can be fed from the paper feed tray 13 by the paper feed mechanism 12 in a state where the first slide plate 71 and the second slide plate 72 are accommodated in the tray body 70. Such a posture of the manual feed tray 14 is referred to as a first posture in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, recording paper can be fed from the manual feed tray 14 by the paper feed mechanism 12 in a state where the first slide plate 71 and the second slide plate 72 are pulled out from the tray body 70. Such a posture of the manual feed tray 14 is referred to as a second posture in the present invention. The manual feed tray 14 is slidable between the first posture and the second posture while being supported by the paper feed tray 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the tray body 70 is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction from the paper feed mechanism 12, specifically, on the upstream side in the transport direction from the paper feed roller 25. As shown in FIG. 5, the tray body 70 is detachably supported by the paper feed tray 13. The tray body 70 includes a flat base 75, a pair of arms 76A and 76B, and a gear unit 78.

  Each of the pair of arms 76A and 76B is formed of an elongated flat plate member. The arms 76A and 76B are provided at both ends in the width direction of the base body 75, respectively. In detail, the arms 76A and 76B have a flat plate whose front and back surfaces are perpendicular to the base body 75 and whose longitudinal direction extends from both side ends of the base body 75 toward the downstream side in the transport direction. The arms 76A and 76B are extended downstream in the transport direction with the vicinity of the center of both side ends of the base body 75 as a base end. The directions in which the pair of arms 76A and 76B extend are parallel.

  The gear unit 78 is provided on the base body 75. The gear unit 78 has a shaft 81 and two pinion gears 80A and 80B. A plurality of teeth capable of meshing with a rack gear 96B and a rack gear 98B, which will be described later, are formed on the outer peripheral surfaces of the pinion gears 80A and 80B. Each pinion gear 80A, 80B is formed with a shaft hole penetrating the shaft center, and the shaft 81 is fitted into the shaft hole, whereby the two pinion gears 80A, 80B are fixed to both ends of the shaft 81, respectively. .

  The shaft 81 is slightly shorter than the distance between the pair of arms 76A and 76B, and the two pinion gears 80A and 80B fixed to both ends of the shaft 81 are disposed inside the arms 76A and 76B. The shaft 80 is rotatably supported by the base body 75. In the base body 75, through holes 86A and 86B are formed at locations where the pinion gears 80A and 80B are disposed. As a result, in a state where the shaft 81 is supported by the base body 75, the upper half of the pinion gears 80 </ b> A and 80 </ b> B is exposed on the upper surface of the base body 75, and the lower half is exposed on the lower surface of the base body 75.

  Guide grooves 88A and 88B are formed on the inner side surfaces of the arms 76A and 76B projecting from the upper surface of the base 75. The guide grooves 88A and 88B are concave grooves extending in the longitudinal direction of the arms 76A and 76B. Rails 97A and 97B provided at both ends of the second slide plate 72 are inserted into the guide grooves 88A and 88B, respectively, so that the second slide plate 72 is guided to be slidable in the extending direction of the arms 76A and 76B. .

  At the lower ends of the arms 76A and 76B, support pieces 92A and 92B are provided that protrude in opposite directions. The support piece 92B is provided at a position facing the support piece 92A on the inner surface of the arm 76B, but is not shown in FIG. The support pieces 92A and 92B protrude in the horizontal direction from the lower ends of the arms 76A and 76B. The support pieces 92A and 92B are divided into a predetermined length, and are spaced apart in the vertical direction so as to be able to sandwich both side ends of the first slide plate 71. Both side ends of the first slide plate 71 are inserted into the support pieces 92A and 92B, respectively, and the first slide plate 71 is supported so as to be slidable in the extending direction of the arms 76A and 76B.

  The second slide plate 72 is provided with a pair of side guides 93A and 93B. The side guides 93 </ b> A and 93 </ b> B can slide in the width direction on the upper surface of the second slide plate 72. The side guides 93A and 93B regulate the position in the width direction of the recording sheet placed on the second slide plate 72. Specifically, the position in the width direction of the recording sheet placed on the second slide plate 72 is made to substantially coincide with a predetermined reference position (the center in the width direction of the second slide plate 72 in this embodiment). To regulate. The pair of side guides 93A and 93B are configured to be interlocked by a mechanism using a rack gear and a pinion gear (not shown). Therefore, when one of the pair of side guides 93A and 93B is slid, the other slides in an opposite direction in conjunction with each other. Each drawing shows a state in which the side guides 93A and 93B are arranged near the side end of the second slide plate 72.

  Support plates 95A and 95B are provided on the side guides 93A and 93B, respectively. The support plates 95 </ b> A and 95 </ b> B constitute upper surfaces of the side guides 93 </ b> A and 93 </ b> B and have a bowl shape parallel to the upper surface of the second slide plate 72. The recording paper discharged to the front side of the apparatus by the paper discharge roller 48 is supported on the support plates 95A and 95B.

  A handle 99 is provided at the rear end of the second slide plate 72. The handle 90 is provided at the center in the width direction at the rear end of the second slide plate 72. The handle 90 has a shape that is uneven in the thickness direction of the second slide plate 72, and is integrally formed with the second slide plate 72. When the operator grips the handle 90 and applies a force in the transport direction with the second slide plate 72 supported by the tray body 70, the second slide plate 72 extends along the extending direction of the arms 76A and 76B. Slide.

  Rack gears 98 </ b> A and 98 </ b> B are provided on both side ends of the lower surface of the second slide plate 72. Although the rack gear 98A is not shown in FIG. 5, the second slide plate 72 is provided symmetrically with the rack gear 98B in the width direction. The rack gears 98A and 98B are formed integrally with the second slide plate 72. Two rack gears 98A and 98B are provided in the width direction of the second slide plate 70 so as to correspond to the two pinion gears 80A and 80B. The shape and pitch of the teeth of the rack gears 98A and 98B are formed so as to be able to mesh with the pinion gears 80A and 80B. In a state where the second slide plate 72 is assembled to the tray body 70, the rack gears 98A and 98B mesh with the pinion gears 80A and 80B.

  Thus, when the second slide plate 72 is slid with respect to the tray body 70, the linear motion of the second slide plate 72 is changed to a rotational motion that rotates the pinion gears 80A and 80B by the rack gears 98A and 98B. That is, the operator can rotate the pinion gears 80A and 80B by sliding the second slide plate 72.

  Further, the lower surface of the second slide plate 72 is supported by the pinion gears 80A and 80B, and the slide of the second slide plate 70 is restricted by the rack gears 98A and 98B. The lengths of the rack gears 98A and 98B are determined by the slide range of the second slide plate 72. Here, in FIG. 3, the posture in which the second slide plate 72 is slid to the maximum extent in the transport direction downstream with respect to the tray main body 70, that is, the posture in which the second slide plate 72 is accommodated in the tray main body 70 ( (Corresponding to the first posture of the present invention). 4 shows a posture in which the second slide plate 72 is pulled out to the maximum extent in the transport direction from the tray body 70, in other words, a posture in which the paper support surface of the manual feed tray 14 is enlarged (in the present invention). Corresponding to the second posture).

  Two rack gears 96A and 96B are provided on both side ends of the upper surface of the first slide plate 71 so as to correspond to the pinion gears 80A and 80B. Although the rack gear 96A is not shown in FIG. 5, the first slide plate 71 is provided symmetrically with the rack gear 96B in the width direction. The rack gears 96 </ b> A and 96 </ b> B are formed integrally with the first slide plate 71. The shape and pitch of the teeth of the rack gears 96A and 96B are formed so as to be able to mesh with the pinion gears 80A and 80B. When the first slide plate 71 is assembled to the tray body 70, the rack gears 96A and 96B are engaged with the pinion gears 80A and 80B.

  Accordingly, when the second slide plate 72 is slid with respect to the tray body 70, a force for sliding the first slide plate 71 to the rack gears 96A and 96B is applied via the rack gears 98A and 98B and the pinion gears 80A and 80B. That is, when the operator slides the second slide plate 72, the pinion gears 80A and 80B are rotated, the rotational force is transmitted to the rack gears 96A and 96B, and the first slide plate 71 is slid. The lengths of the rack gears 96A and 96B are elements determined by the slide range of the first slide plate 71, but are substantially the same length as the rack gears 98A and 98B. Here, FIG. 3 shows a posture (corresponding to the first posture of the present invention) in which the first slide plate 71 is slid to the maximum extent in the transport direction with respect to the tray main body 70. FIG. 4 shows a posture (corresponding to the second posture of the present invention) in which the first slide plate 71 is pulled out to the maximum extent from the tray body 70 to the downstream side in the transport direction.

  The first slide plate 73 is provided with rollers 82 and 83 at positions where the paper feed roller 25 contacts in the second posture. The rollers 82 and 83 are exposed from the upper surface of the first slide plate 73 and are rotatably provided with the width direction of the first slide plate 73 as the rotation axis direction. When the first slide plate 73 is set to the first posture, the rollers 82 and 83 come into contact with the two paper feed rollers 25 (see FIG. 12). The rollers 82 and 83 facilitate the conveyance of the recording paper on the first slide plate 73.

<Ribs 60A and 60B and protruding pieces 63A and 63B>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the ribs 60A and 60B and the protruding pieces 63A and 63B will be described. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the vicinity of the center of the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG.

  Ribs 60A and 60B and projecting pieces 63A and 63B are provided at the front end (tip on the sheet conveying direction side) 73 of the first slide plate 71. The ribs 60 </ b> A and 60 </ b> B are provided at positions that are evenly spaced in the width direction with respect to the center in the width direction of the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71. The ribs 60 </ b> A and 60 </ b> B come into contact with the swing arm 27 when the manual feed tray 14 is slid from the first posture to the second posture, and the swing arm 27 is positioned so that the paper feed roller 25 is positioned above the manual feed tray 14. Is rotated. The positions where the ribs 60A and 60B are provided correspond to the positions where the swing arm 27 is provided. That is, the ribs 60 </ b> A and 60 </ b> B can be brought into contact with the swing arm 27 when the first slide plate 71 is slid, but are provided at positions where they do not come into contact with the paper feed roller 25. Since the ribs 60A and 60B have the same shape except for the arrangement on the first slide plate 71, the rib 60A will be described below as an example, and the description of the rib 60B will be omitted.

  The rib 60A protrudes upward from the front end 73 in a bowl shape. Specifically, the second guide part 62A protrudes obliquely upward from the front end 73 toward the downstream side in the transport direction, and the first guide part 61A protrudes continuously from the upper end of the second guide part 62A in the horizontal direction. The first guide portion 61A and the second guide portion 62A have a bowl shape when viewed from the side.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the upper surface 64 of the first guide portion 61A and the side surface 65 of the second guide portion 62A on the upstream side in the transport direction are continuous, and the swing arm 27 is rotated as will be described later. It becomes a guide surface to be made. The height H from the tray surface 74 of the first slide plate 71 to the upper surface 64 of the first guide portion 61A is larger than the radius R of the paper feed roller 25 (see FIG. 9). This effect will be described later.

  The side surface 65 of the second guide portion 62A is inclined so as to form an obtuse angle with the tray surface 74 along the extending direction of the second guide portion 62A. The swing arm 27 is guided to the side surface 65 and the paper feed roller 25 is gently lowered to the tray surface 74. The side surface 65 corresponds to the guide surface in the present invention.

  The protruding pieces 63A and 63B are provided at positions that are equally spaced in the width direction with respect to the center in the width direction of the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71 and are provided outside the ribs 60A and 60B. The positions where the protruding pieces 63A and 63B are provided correspond to the positions where the two paper feed rollers 25 are provided.

  The protruding pieces 63A and 63B extend so as to expand the tray surface 74 of the first slide plate 71 to the downstream side in the transport direction. The width of the protruding pieces 63 </ b> A and 63 </ b> B (direction along the front end 73) is slightly larger than the width of the paper feed roller 25. The length by which the protruding pieces 63A and 63B protrude from the front end 73 toward the downstream side in the transport direction is set in consideration of the rotation locus of the lowest position of the paper feed roller 25. That is, as described above, when the swing arm 27 is guided to the ribs 60 </ b> A and 60 </ b> B and the paper feed roller 25 is lowered to the tray surface 74, the turning locus of the lowest position of the paper feed roller 25, and the tray surface 74. Projection pieces 63A and 63B project from the crossing position with the surface including the surface toward the downstream side in the transport direction. In short, the upper surfaces of the projecting pieces 63A and 63B include the intersection position. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 descending to the tray surface 74 is landed on the protruding pieces 63A and 63B and is carried on the protruding pieces 63A and 63B. As a result, when the manual feed tray 14 is slid from the first posture to the second posture, the paper feed roller 25 does not directly collide with the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71, so that the paper feed roller 25 is damaged. It is prevented that it becomes sticky.

<Paper feed mechanism 12>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the sheet feeding mechanism 12 will be described. As described above, the paper feed mechanism 12 includes the paper feed roller 25, the drive transmission mechanism 26, and the swing arm 27 that supports them. The paper feed roller 25 corresponds to the roller in the present invention, and the swing arm 27 corresponds to the arm in the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 10, a drive shaft 29 extending in the width direction of the apparatus is provided above the paper feed tray 13. 3 and 4, the drive shaft 29 is omitted. One end of the drive shaft 29 extends to the outside of the paper feed tray 13 and a driving force is transmitted from a motor (not shown). The other end of the drive shaft 29 extends to the center in the width direction of the paper feed tray 13 and is connected to the drive transmission mechanism 26. That is, the drive shaft 29 transmits the driving force of the motor to the drive transmission mechanism 26. The drive shaft 29 is rotatably supported by the main body frame of the multifunction machine 100.

  The swing arm 27 is supported by the drive shaft 29 and extends in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the drive shaft 29. The swing arm 27 is connected to the other end side of the drive shaft 29. That is, the swing arm 27 is disposed at the center in the width direction in the paper feed cassette 11. In other words, the manual feed tray 14 is arranged at the center in the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. The swing arm 27 is rotatable with respect to the drive shaft 29. The swing end (tip) of the swing arm 27 extends from the drive shaft 29 to the downstream side in the transport direction (left side in FIG. 2). A swing end of the swing arm 27 can be rotated in a direction in which the swing arm 27 comes in contact with and separates from the recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 11 on the upper side of the paper feed cassette 11.

  The swing arm 27 is rotated around the drive shaft 29 (fulcrum) by the weight of the swing arm 27 itself and the weight of the paper feed roller 25 and the drive transmission mechanism 26. Then, the swing arm 27 stops at a position where the surface of the paper feed roller 25 contacts the recording paper in the paper feed cassette 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the swing arm 27 is inclined obliquely downward toward the downstream side in the transport direction with the paper feed roller 25 in contact with the recording paper of the paper feed tray 13.

  A paper feed roller 25 is rotatably supported at the rotational end of the swing arm 27. More specifically, a rotating shaft 28 is rotatably supported at a rotating end of the swing arm 27, and two paper feed rollers 25 are fixed to both ends of the rotating shaft 28. That is, the two paper feed rollers 25 are arranged so as to sandwich the swing arm 27, and the two paper feed rollers 25 are rotated together with the rotation of the rotary shaft 28. The paper feed roller 25 comes in contact with and separates from the recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 11 in accordance with the rotation of the swing arm 27. FIG. 2 shows a state where the roller surface of the paper feed roller 25 is in contact with the upper surface of the paper feed tray 13. Of course, when a recording sheet is placed on the sheet feeding tray 13, the roller surface of the sheet feeding roller 25 contacts the upper surface of the recording sheet. An elastic member such as rubber having a large friction with the recording paper is used for the roller surface of the paper feed tray 25.

  The drive transmission mechanism 26 includes a plurality of gears meshed in series in the extending direction of the swing arm 27. Each gear is rotatably supported by the swing arm 27. A gear on one end side of the drive transmission mechanism 26 is fixed to the drive shaft 29 and is rotated together with the drive shaft 29. The gear on the other end side of the drive transmission mechanism 26 is meshed with the rotary shaft 28 described above. The drive transmission mechanism 26 transmits the rotation of the drive shaft 29 to the rotary shaft 28.

  As the rotational driving force is transmitted from the motor to the paper feed roller 25 through the drive shaft 29, the drive transmission mechanism 26, and the rotary shaft 28 in sequence, the paper feed roller 25 is rotated clockwise in FIG. When the rotational driving force is transmitted to the paper feed roller 25 while the paper feed roller 25 is in contact with the recording paper, the recording paper is conveyed by the frictional force between the roller surface of the paper feed roller 25 and the recording paper. A conveyance force for feeding to the sheet conveyance path 23 downstream in the direction is generated.

<Slide of manual feed tray 14 and rotation of swing arm 27>
Hereinafter, in the sheet supply apparatus 10, a change in the state of the paper feeding mechanism 12 due to a change in the posture of the manual feed tray 14 will be described. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the paper feed cassette 11 and the paper feed mechanism 12 in the process of changing the posture of the manual feed tray 14. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the paper feed cassette 11 and the paper feed mechanism 12 in the process of changing the posture of the manual feed tray 14. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the manual feed tray 14 in the second posture, showing the same cross section as the XI-XI cross section.

  The paper feed tray 13 of the paper feed cassette 11 stores, for example, recording paper of a frequently used size and paper type. The manual feed tray 14 accommodates recording paper of a size and paper type that is used as necessary and is relatively infrequently used. As a result, two types of sheets having different types and sizes are independently held in the paper feed tray 13 and the manual feed tray 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3, when the operator operates the handle 90 and pulls out the second slide plate 72 to the upstream side in the transport direction while the paper feed roller 25 is in contact with the upper surface of the paper feed tray 13. The force that pushes the first slide plate 71 downstream in the transport direction acts on the first slide plate 71 sequentially through the rack gears 98A and 98B, the pinion gears 80A and 90B, and the rack gears 96A and 96B. Thereby, the second slide plate 72 is pulled out toward the front side of the apparatus, and the first slide plate 71 is pushed out downstream in the transport direction. In other words, the posture of the first slide plate 71 is changed in conjunction with the posture change of the second slide plate 72. By this change in posture, the posture of the manual feed tray 14 is changed from the first posture to the second posture.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the ribs 60 </ b> A and 60 </ b> B come into contact with the swing arm 27 in the above-described process of changing the posture of the first slide plate 71, so as to sink into the lower side of the swing arm 27. The swing arm 27 is pushed upward. That is, the swing arm 27 is rotated upward by the ribs 60A and 60B. The swing arm 27 is supported by the first guide portions 61A and 61B of the ribs 60A and 60B.

  As described above, the upper surface 64 of the first guide portion 61A of the rib 60A is above the tray surface 74 of the first slide plate 71 by a height H (see FIG. 7). Although not shown in the drawing, the upper surface of the first guide portion 61B of the rib 60B is also at the same height. This height H is larger than the radius R of the paper feed roller 25. Therefore, when the swing arm 27 is supported by the first guide portions 61A and 61B, the lowermost position of the paper feed roller 25 supported by the rotation end of the swing arm 27 is always the tray surface of the first slide plate 71. It is located above 74. Therefore, even if the first slide plate 71 is further pushed out, the front end 73 and the protruding pieces 63A and 63B of the first slide plate 71 do not contact the paper feed roller 25.

  When the first slide plate 71 is further pushed out, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the rotation end of the swing arm 27 is moved from the upper surface 64 of the first guide portions 61A and 61B to the second guide portions 62A and 62B. Move to the side surface 65 of the. Then, when the pivot end of the swing arm 27 is lowered along the side surface 65, the swing arm 27 is pivoted downward, and the paper feed roller 25 is lowered to land on the projecting pieces 63A and 63B. As described above, the protruding pieces 63 </ b> A and 63 </ b> B protrude toward the downstream side in the transport direction from the intersecting position of the rotation locus and the tray surface 74 of the first slide plate 71 at the lowest position of the paper feed roller 25. The paper feed roller 25 always lands on the protruding pieces 63A and 63B.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 12, when the first slide plate 71 is further pushed out and the manual feed tray 14 is brought into the second posture, the ribs 60A and 60B enter the notches 51A and 51B, and the protruding piece 63A. 63B enter the through holes 52A, 52B. Accordingly, as described above, the first guide portions 61A and 61B are supported on the upper ends of the notches 51A and 51B via the ribs 60A and 60B, and the through holes 52A and 52B are provided via the protruding pieces 63A and 63B. Supported by In this state, the paper feed roller 25 and the rollers 82 and 83 face each other.

  On the other hand, in a state where the paper feed roller 25 is in contact with the tray surface 74 of the manual feed tray 14, the operator operates the handle 90 to slide the second slide plate 72 to the downstream side in the transport direction, thereby causing the tray main body 70. When the second slide plate 72 is accommodated in the first slide plate 71, the force that pulls the first slide plate 71 upstream in the transport direction through the rack gears 98A and 98B, the pinion gears 80A and 80B, and the rack gears 96A and 96B in sequence. Works. Thereby, the posture of the manual feed tray 14 is changed from the second posture to the first posture.

  When the first slide plate 71 is pulled back, the pivot end of the swing arm 27 is guided by the side surfaces 65 of the second guide portions 62A and 62B of the ribs 60A and 60B, and the swing arm 27 is pivoted upward. When the pivot end of the swing arm 27 is supported by the upper surfaces 64 of the first guide portions 61 </ b> A and 61 </ b> B, the paper feed roller 25 is lifted upward from the tray surface 74. Further, when the first slide plate 71 is pulled back, the first guide portions 61A and 61B move to the drive shaft 29 side of the swing arm 27, the swing arm 27 is gently rotated downward, and eventually the paper feed roller 25. Lands on the upper surface of the paper feed tray 13. As a result, the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 13 can be fed by the paper feed roller 25.

<Operational effects of this embodiment>
As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the manual feed tray 14 is slid from the first position to the second position, the ribs 60A and 60B provided at the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71 are in contact with the swing arm 27. Since the swing arm 27 is rotated so that the paper feed roller 25 is positioned above the tray surface 74 of the manual feed tray 14, the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71 and the protruding pieces 63 </ b> A and 63 </ b> B are connected to the paper feed roller. 25 does not contact. Therefore, the paper feed roller 25 is prevented from being damaged when the manual feed tray 14 is slid. Further, the manual feed tray 14 can be slid straight without being skewed, and the swing arm 27 is smoothly rotated upward in conjunction with the slide tray 14.

  In this embodiment, the swing arm 27 is disposed at the center in the direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the manual feed tray 14, but a wing or the like is extended from the swing arm 27 to the side end of the manual feed tray 14 as in the prior art. There is no need, and the ribs 60A and 60B provided on the first slide plate 71 of the manual feed tray 14 directly rotate the swing arm 27, so that the sheet feeding apparatus 10 can be downsized.

  Further, since the ribs 60A and 60B are in contact with the swing arm 27 at substantially the center in the width direction of the first slide plate 71, the load applied to the first slide plate 71 to rotate the swing arm 27 is relative to the slide direction. And not biased. As a result, the manual feed tray 14 can be smoothly slid. Further, since it is not necessary to give the manual feed tray 14 excessive rigidity, the manual feed tray 14 can be made thin.

  Further, since the height H at which the ribs 60A and 60B protrude upward from the tray surface 74 of the first slide plate 71 is larger than the radius R of the paper feed roller 25, the paper feed roller 25 is surely moved above the tray surface 74. Lifted.

  Further, in the ribs 60 </ b> A and 60 </ b> B, the side surfaces 65 of the second guide portions 61 </ b> A and 61 </ b> B guide the swing arm 27 to the tray surface 74 of the first slide plate 71. The surface 74 can be landed without impact.

  Further, the feed roller 25 that rotates together with the swing arm 27 guided by the second guide portions 62A and 62B by the protruding pieces 63A and 63B extending from the front end 73 of the first slide plate 71 to the downstream side in the transport direction. Since it is carried, it is possible to prevent the paper feed roller 25 from contacting the front end 73 of the first slide plate 73 without making the first slide plate 73 excessively large.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an external configuration of a multifunction peripheral 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the printer unit 102. FIG. 3 is an external perspective view showing the main configuration of the sheet supply apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an external perspective view showing the main configuration of the sheet feeding apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the manual feed tray 14. FIG. 6 is an enlarged perspective view showing the configuration of the ribs 60A and 60B and the protruding pieces 63A and 63B. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VII-VII in FIG. FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the paper feed cassette 11 and the paper feed mechanism 12 in the process of changing the posture of the manual feed tray 14. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG. FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the paper feed cassette 11 and the paper feed mechanism 12 in the process of changing the posture of the manual feed tray 14. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XI-XI in FIG. FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the manual feed tray 14 in the second posture, showing the same cross section as the XI-XI cross section.

10: Sheet supply device 13: Paper feed tray (first tray)
14 ... Bypass tray (second tray)
25 ... Paper feed roller (roller)
27 ... Swing arm (arm)
60A, 60B ... ribs 63A, 63B ... projecting piece 65 ... side surface (guide surface)
73 ... front end (tip on the conveyance direction side)
74 ... Tray surface

Claims (5)

A first tray for holding a first sheet;
A second tray that is disposed above the first tray and can hold the second sheet, and slides between a first attitude capable of conveying the first sheet and a second attitude capable of conveying the second sheet;
A rotating shaft that extends in a first direction orthogonal to the sliding direction of the second tray and is driven and transmitted outside the first tray in the first direction;
An arm supported by the rotating shaft, disposed in the center of the second tray in the first direction and above the first tray, and capable of rotating in a direction contacting and separating from the first tray;
A roller provided at each of the pivot ends of the arm and on both sides in the first direction, for feeding the first sheet on the first tray or the second sheet on the second tray in a predetermined transport direction; ,
A drive transmission mechanism provided on the arm and configured to transmit drive from the rotating shaft to the roller;
The second tray is provided at the tip of the second tray in the transport direction, and contacts the arm when the second tray is slid from the first posture to the second posture, and the roller is in contact with the second tray. And a rib for rotating the arm so as to be positioned further upward.   The rib protrudes upward from the second tray, and the height at which the rib protrudes from the tray surface of the second tray is at least a height H greater than the radius R of the roller. The sheet supply apparatus according to 1.   At the rear end side of the rib in the transport direction, the arm is lowered to the tray surface of the second tray when the second tray is slid from the first posture to the second posture. A sheet feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a guide surface for guiding the sheet is provided. At a position corresponding to the roller at the tip of the second tray on the transport direction side, a protruding piece extending from the tip is provided,
The protruding piece carries the roller that rotates together with an arm guided by the guide surface when the second tray is slid from the first position to the second position. Item 4. The sheet feeding device according to any one of Items 1 to 3. A sheet feeding device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 ,
A transport unit for transporting a sheet fed from the sheet feeding device;
A recording unit capable of recording an image on the sheet conveyed by the conveying unit;
An image recording apparatus comprising: a discharge unit that discharges a sheet on which an image is recorded by the recording unit.

Images