JP4826830B2 - Sheet conveying apparatus and image recording apparatus provided with the sheet conveying apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus including a positioning member that positions a sheet placed on a tray at a predetermined position, and an image recording apparatus including the sheet conveying apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a sheet conveying apparatus that separates sheets stored in a tray in a stacked state one by one and conveys them to a recording unit is generally well known. In this sheet conveying apparatus, when the sheet feeding roller is rotationally driven with the roller surface in contact with the sheet, the sheets are conveyed in a predetermined conveying direction from the tray while being separated one by one by contact friction. As a sheet feeding roller used in such a sheet conveying device, a roller that is rotatably provided at the tip of an arm supported so as to be swingable like a pendulum is known. In a sheet conveying apparatus using this type of sheet feeding roller, the remaining several sheets stored in a tray may be conveyed in a bundle. Such conveyance is called double feeding. In order to reliably separate the sheets and prevent the multi-feed, a friction member having a predetermined friction coefficient is disposed on the sheet placement surface of the tray. The friction member is disposed at a position facing the sheet feeding roller on the sheet placement surface. By providing this friction member, the frictional force acting between the tray and the sheet becomes larger than the frictional force acting between the sheets, and the multifeed is reduced.

  By the way, when the remaining sheet (hereinafter referred to as “last sheet”) accommodated in the tray is conveyed from the tray and the tray becomes empty, the paper feed roller and the friction member come into contact with each other. In this case, the contact friction between the paper feed roller and the friction member acts as an excessive load on the paper feed roller. As a mechanism for preventing the occurrence of such an overload, Patent Document 1 discloses a separation operation unit that lifts the sheet feeding roller in a direction away from the friction member when the tray becomes empty. According to the separation operation means, it is possible to prevent an overload on the sheet feeding roller.

JP 2007-62965 A

  However, even in the sheet conveying apparatus including the separation operation unit described in Patent Document 1 described above, the leading end of the sheet reaches the conveying unit arranged on the downstream side in the conveying direction depending on the size in the conveying direction of the sheet. The sheet feeding roller is lifted by the separating operation means before the sheet can be conveyed, which may cause a problem that the sheet cannot be conveyed.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a predetermined size without overloading the paper feeding roller when conveying a sheet having a size larger than a predetermined size. An object of the present invention is to provide a sheet conveying apparatus capable of preventing a conveyance failure such that a sheet is jammed when conveying a sheet having a size smaller than the size, and an image recording apparatus including the sheet conveying apparatus.

(1) The present invention includes a tray, a first rotating body, a second rotating body, a recessed portion, a separating operation means, a positioning member, and an immersion restriction member. A plurality of sheets can be stacked on the tray. The 1st rotary body is supported so that a movement to the direction which contacts / separates with respect to the said tray is possible. As the first rotating body rotates in contact with the sheet on the tray, the sheet is conveyed in a predetermined conveyance direction. The second rotating body is provided downstream of the first rotating body in the predetermined transport direction, and further transports the sheet transported from the tray. The recess is provided on the bottom surface of the tray on the upstream side in the predetermined transport direction from the first rotating body. The separation actuating means has a first actuating portion that can be changed into a posture of immersing in the concave portion and a posture of retracting from the concave portion to the bottom surface side. In conjunction with the first operating part immersing in the recess, the separating operation means separates the first rotating body from the bottom surface of the tray. The positioning member is provided on the tray. The positioning member is movable between a first position for positioning a sheet larger than a predetermined size and a second position for positioning the sheet having the predetermined size. An immersion restriction member allows the first operating portion to be immersed in the recess when the positioning member is moved to the first position, and when the positioning member is moved to the second position. The immersion of the first operating part into the recess is prevented.

  The sheet placed on the tray is conveyed by the first rotating body. When the leading edge of the sheet reaches the second rotating body, the sheet is further conveyed in the predetermined conveying direction by the second rotating body. When the remaining one sheet (last sheet) placed on the tray is conveyed by the first rotating body, a concave portion hidden by the sheet appears. At this time, the first operating portion of the separating operation means is immersed in the recess. The first rotating body is separated from the bottom surface of the tray by the separating operation means in conjunction with the first operating portion being immersed in the recess. Therefore, when the sheet no longer exists on the tray, the first rotating body becomes free. When the first rotating body is rotationally driven in this state, the first rotating body rotates idly.

  When a sheet corresponding to the predetermined size is placed on the tray, depending on the length of the sheet in the predetermined conveyance direction, when the trailing edge of the sheet passes through the recess when the last sheet is conveyed Then, the leading edge of the sheet may not reach the second rotating body. In this case, if the first rotating body is separated from the bottom surface of the tray immediately after the rear end of the sheet passes through the recess, the rotational force of the first rotating body and the second rotating body is not transmitted to the sheet. Will not be transported.

  The sheet conveying apparatus of the present invention is provided with an immersion restriction member. In the sheet conveying apparatus, the sheet placed on the tray is positioned by the positioning member. When the positioning member is moved to the first position, the immersion restricting member allows the first actuating portion to be immersed in the recess. On the other hand, when the positioning member is moved to the second position, the immersion restricting member prevents the first operating portion from being immersed into the recess. Therefore, when the positioning member is at the first position, the first rotating body can be separated from the bottom surface of the tray by the separating operation means. However, when the positioning member is at the second position, the recess is opened. Even if it is, the first operating part cannot be immersed in the recess, so that the first rotating body cannot be separated from the bottom surface of the tray.

  Since the present invention is configured as described above, when a sheet having a size larger than the predetermined size is conveyed from the tray, the first rotating body is separated after the last sheet is conveyed. The rotating body idles. On the other hand, when the sheet corresponding to the predetermined size is placed on the tray, the first rotating body is not separated even after the last sheet is conveyed. Therefore, the rotational force of the first rotating body can be transmitted to the sheet until the rear end of the sheet exits the first rotating body.

(2) The first actuating portion is immersed in the recess when a sheet is not placed on the bottom surface of the tray, and retreats from the recess when a sheet is placed on the bottom surface of the tray. Abuts on the sheet.

  When a sheet is placed on the bottom surface of the tray, the recess is covered with the sheet. For this reason, the state in which the first operating portion is supported by the sheet on the tray from the bottom and retracted from the concave portion is maintained. When no sheet is placed on the bottom surface of the tray, the recess is opened. For this reason, the said 1st operation part immerses in the said recessed part. That is, after the rear end of the last sheet placed on the bottom surface of the tray has passed through the recess, the first operating portion can be immersed in the recess.

(3) The length of the predetermined size in the predetermined transport direction is longer than the path length from the first rotating body to the second rotating body and shorter than the path length from the recess to the second rotating body. The present invention is suitable when a sheet having such a size is conveyed last.

(4) The predetermined size is preferably the size of the smallest regular sheet that can be conveyed by both the first rotating body and the second rotating body.

(5) The immersion restriction member is provided on the positioning member, and is arranged at a position where the immersion restriction member covers the recess when the positioning member is moved to the second position.

  Thus, the concave portion can be covered by performing a simple operation of adjusting the positioning member to the size of the sheet, and as a result, the first operating portion can be prevented from entering the concave portion.

(6) The positioning member includes a first plate and a second plate. The first plate is configured in parallel to the bottom surface of the tray. The first plate supports the end portion of the sheet placed on the tray from the lower surface thereof. The second plate is erected from the first plate. The second plate has a side surface that comes into contact with the end of the sheet placed on the tray. The sheet is positioned on the tray by the side surface being in contact with the end of the sheet. The immersion restriction member extends from the first plate in the moving direction of the positioning member.

  Thereby, the said immersion control member can be easily manufactured by forming integrally with the said positioning member.

(7) The positioning member is configured to be movable in the width direction substantially orthogonal to the predetermined conveyance direction on the tray, and the side surface of the second plate is arranged in the width direction of the sheet placed on the tray. It is preferable that it abuts against the end.

(8) Further, the positioning member is configured to be movable on the tray along the predetermined conveyance direction, and a side surface of the second plate is arranged in the predetermined conveyance direction on the sheet placed on the tray. You may contact | abut to the edge part of an upstream.

(9) It is preferable that the immersion restriction member is provided on each of the two positioning members provided on both sides in the width direction of the sheet placed on the tray.

  The both sides of the sheet placed on the tray are supported by two positioning members. An immersion restriction member is provided on each of the first plates of the two positioning members. For this reason, when each positioning member is moved to the 2nd position, immersion of the 1st operation part to a crevice is prevented more stably by two immersion control members.

(10) The apparatus further comprises urging means for urging the separation operation means in a direction for immersing the first operation portion into the recess, and the urging means is provided on one side in the width direction of the separation operation means. The urging force is transmitted, and the immersion restriction member may be provided on the positioning member on the one side.

  The urging force by the urging means is transmitted to one side in the width direction of the separating operation means. The immersion restriction member is provided on the positioning member on the one side in the width direction. For this reason, when the positioning member is disposed at the second position, the one side in the width direction that receives the urging force in the separating operation means is supported by the immersion restriction member. Therefore, the separating operation means is supported efficiently.

(11) The positioning member may further include support means for supporting the immersion restriction member when the positioning member is moved to the second position.

  Since the positioning member is configured to be movable with respect to the tray, the positioning member may rattle. Since the immersion restricting member is provided on the positioning member, it is affected by the rattling of the positioning member. In particular, there is a possibility that the position of the immersion restriction member varies in the height direction due to the rattling of the positioning member when the positioning member is moved to the second position. Further, when the first operating portion is supported by the immersion restricting member, the immersion restricting member may be deformed depending on the load of the separating operation means applied to the immersion restricting member. Due to such rattling of the positioning member, deformation of the immersion restriction member, and the like, the position of the immersion restriction member in the height direction may vary when the positioning member is moved to the second position. If the immersion control member is disposed at a position lower than the position at which the immersion control member should be disposed in order to prevent the first operation unit from entering the recess, the position at which the first operation unit is supported by the immersion control member is lowered. . In this case, the first rotating body is separated from the bottom surface of the tray when the rear end of the sheet of a predetermined size passes through the recess. As a result, there arises a problem that the rotational force of the first rotating body is not transmitted to the sheet of a predetermined size, and the sheet of the predetermined size is not conveyed. With the above configuration, when the positioning member is moved to the second position, the immersion restriction member is supported by the support means. Therefore, the variation in the height of the immersion restriction member is suppressed, and the immersion of the first operating portion into the recess is stably prevented.

(12) The apparatus further comprises support means for supporting the immersion restriction member when the positioning member is moved to the second position, wherein the upper surface of the immersion restriction member is lower than the upper surface of the first plate, It is preferable that when the positioning member is moved to the second position, the immersion restriction member is lifted.

  When a sheet is stored in the tray, the recording paper is inserted into the tray so as to move along the upper surface of the first plate. At that time, the sheet tends to be bent so that the central portion in the width direction swells downward. When the upper surface of the immersion restricting member is the same height as the upper surface of the first plate or the upper surface of the immersion restricting member is higher than the upper surface of the first plate, the leading edge of the sheet is inserted into the tray in the process of inserting the sheet. There is a risk that the sheet will be caught and the insertion of the sheet may be hindered. For this reason, in order to prevent the sheet from being caught, it is necessary to make the upper surface of the immersion restriction member lower than the upper surface of the first plate.

  However, if the immersion restriction member is lower than the upper surface of the first plate, the following conveyance failure may occur. That is, in a state where the positioning member is disposed at the second position, a sheet of a predetermined size is placed on the tray. When the remaining one sheet having a predetermined size placed on the tray is conveyed by the first rotating body, a concave portion hidden by the sheet having the predetermined size appears. When the rear end of the remaining one sheet passes through the recess, the first operating portion moves toward the recess by the height difference between the upper surface of the first plate and the upper surface of the immersion restriction member. For this reason, the first rotating body is separated from the bottom surface of the tray, and the rotational force of the first rotating body becomes difficult to be transmitted to the remaining one sheet, which may cause a conveyance failure of the remaining one sheet. With the above configuration, when the positioning member is moved to the second position, the immersing restriction member is lifted by the support means. For this reason, the immersion of the 1st action | operation part in a recessed part is prevented reliably by the immersion control member.

(13) The support means is provided in the vicinity of the recess on the bottom surface of the tray, and has a first protrusion on which the immersion control member or the first plate rides when the positioning member is moved to the second position. You may have.

  With this configuration, the immersion restricting member or the first plate rides on the first protrusion while the positioning member is moved to the second position. For this reason, when the positioning member is moved to the second position, the immersion restriction member is supported while being lifted by the first protrusion.

(14) The support means is provided in the vicinity of the concave portion on the bottom surface of the tray and the second protrusion provided on the back surface of the immersion restriction member or the first plate, and the positioning member is in the second position. And an inclined surface that rides on the second protrusion when moved.

  The inclined surface is inclined so as to increase as it approaches the recess. In other words, the inclined surface is inclined so as to rise from the outside in the width direction toward the center. For this reason, a 2nd protrusion goes up this inclined surface in the process in which a positioning member is moved to a 2nd position. Thereby, when the positioning member is moved to the second position, the immersion restriction member is supported in a state where it is lifted by the inclined surface.

(15) The sheet conveying apparatus further includes a support member that supports the first rotating body so as to be movable in a direction in which the sheet is moved toward and away from the tray. In this case, the separation actuating means is configured such that a base end portion is rotatably attached to the support member and extends to the upstream side in the predetermined transport direction from the first rotating body, and the operating body in the operating body And a second operating part provided on the lower surface on the downstream side in the predetermined transport direction. The first operating part is provided on the lower surface of the operating body upstream of the predetermined operating direction than the second operating part. In this configuration, the separation operation unit is configured such that when the first operation unit is immersed in the recess, the second operation unit contacts the bottom surface of the tray, and the support member is separated from the bottom surface of the tray. Move in the direction you want.

(16) The present invention can also be understood as an image recording apparatus that includes the above-described sheet conveying apparatus and includes a recording unit that records an image on the sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying apparatus. Even in such an image recording apparatus, the above-described effects are exhibited.

  According to the present invention, when a sheet having a size larger than the predetermined size is transported from the tray, the first rotating body is idled since the first rotating body is separated after the last sheet is transported. On the other hand, when the sheet of the predetermined size is placed on the tray, the first rotating body is not separated even after the last sheet is conveyed. Therefore, the rotational force of the first rotating body is transmitted to the sheet until the rear end of the sheet exits the first rotating body. Thereby, the conveyance failure that the sheet of the predetermined size is jammed between the first rotating body and the second rotating body is prevented.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. Each embodiment described below is only an example in which the present invention is embodied, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of an image recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a cross-sectional structure of the main part of the printer unit 2. In FIG. 2, a part of the paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are omitted. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2, and shows the configuration of the recording unit 24. 4 and 5 are perspective views showing the external configuration of the paper feed cassette 70. FIG. 4 shows the paper feed roller 25 and the arm 26, and FIG. 5 does not show the paper feed roller 25 and the arm 26. 6 and 7 are plan views of the paper feed tray 20. FIG. 6 shows a state in which the side guides 80 and 81 are arranged at the first position for positioning the A4 size recording sheet. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the side guides 80 and 81 are arranged at the second position for positioning the photographic L-size recording paper. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of the separation operation mechanism 54. 9 and 10 are schematic cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the separation operation mechanism 54.

<Schematic configuration of MFP 10>
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 is a multi-function device (MFD: Multi Function Device) integrally including a printer unit 11 and a scanner unit 12, and includes a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile. Has functions etc. In the first embodiment, an example in which the printer unit 11 performs image recording by the ink jet recording method will be described. However, the printer unit 11 may be a laser printer that uses toner for image recording. The printer unit 11 corresponds to a recording unit of the present invention. In addition, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention may be implemented as a printer having only a print function in addition to the multifunction machine 10 having a plurality of functions.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 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 machine 10 is a scanner unit 12. The scanner unit 12 is configured as a so-called flat bed scanner. A document cover 30 is provided as a top plate of the multifunction machine 10 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 30. The image of the document placed on the platen glass is read by an image sensor. In realizing the present invention, the scanner unit 12 has an arbitrary configuration, and a detailed description thereof is omitted here.

  The lower part of the multifunction machine 10 is a printer unit 11. The printer unit 11 records an image or a document on a recording sheet (an example of a sheet of the present invention) based on image data read by the scanner unit 12 or print data input from the outside. The printer unit 11 is configured such that the paper feed cassette 70 is detachable through the opening 13. The recording paper stored in the paper feed cassette 70 is fed (conveyed) into the printer unit 11 by a feeding device 16 (see FIG. 2) which is an example of a sheet conveying device of the present invention. The printer unit 11 is provided with a recording unit 24 (see FIG. 3). The recording unit 24 records a desired image on the recording paper conveyed from the paper feed cassette 70.

  An operation panel 14 is provided in the upper front portion of the multifunction machine 10. The operation panel 14 includes a liquid crystal display for displaying various information, an input key for a user to input information, and the like. The multi-function device 10 operates based on an operation input from the operation panel 14 or information transmitted from an external information device. Note that the printer unit 11 and the scanner unit 12 also operate based on an instruction signal input from the operation panel 14 or an instruction signal transmitted from an external device using a printer driver or a scanner driver.

<Printer unit 11>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the printer unit 11 will be described in detail.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 mainly includes a feeding device 16 and a recording unit 24 (see FIG. 3). Further, the feeding device 16 mainly operates to separate the sheet feeding cassette 70, the sheet feeding roller 25 (an example of the first rotating body of the present invention), and the transport roller 50 (an example of the second rotating body of the present invention). And a mechanism 54 (an example of the separation operation means of the present invention).

  The paper feed cassette 70 is configured to be able to be inserted into and removed from the printer unit 11 through the opening 13 (see FIG. 1). That is, the paper feed cassette 70 can be inserted in the insertion direction 90 with respect to the printer unit 11 and can be pulled out from the printer unit 11 in the extraction direction 92. The paper feed cassette 70 includes a paper feed tray 20 (an example of the tray of the present invention) and a paper discharge tray 21 (see FIG. 3). A recording sheet is placed on the bottom plate 84 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the sheet feeding tray 20. The paper feed tray 20 can store a plurality of recording papers in layers. A recording sheet on which an image is recorded is discharged to the discharge tray 21. The insertion direction 90 matches the direction in which the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is fed to the transport path 22.

<Paper feed roller 25>
The paper feed roller 25 is disposed on the upper side of the paper feed cassette 70. The paper feed roller 25 feeds the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 22. An arm 26 (an example of a support member of the present invention) is provided above the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed roller 25 is rotatably provided on the tip side of the arm 26. A driving force is transmitted to the paper feeding roller 25 through a power transmission mechanism 27 supported by the arm 26 using a motor (not shown) as a driving source. In response to this driving force, the paper feed roller 25 rotates. The power transmission mechanism 27 has a plurality of gears and is configured by meshing them in series.

<Arm 26>
The base end portion of the arm 26 is supported by the base shaft 28. Specifically, the base end portion of the arm 26 is pivotally supported by the base shaft 28. As a result, the arm 26 can rotate in a direction in which the arm 26 contacts and separates from the paper feed tray 20 around the base shaft 28. Along with the rotation of the arm 26, the paper feed roller 25 provided at the tip of the arm 26 can also move in a direction in which the paper feed tray 20 contacts and is separated. The arm 26 is biased to rotate downward by being biased by the weight of the arm 26 and the paper feed roller 25 or a spring.

  When the arm 26 is urged to rotate downward, the paper feed roller 25 contacts the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20 with a predetermined pressure. When the paper feeding roller 25 is rotated in this state, the uppermost recording paper in the paper feeding tray 20 is sent out in the transport direction by the frictional force generated between the roller surface of the paper feeding roller 25 and the recording paper. An inclined plate 32 is provided at the front end of the paper feed tray 20 in the conveyance direction. When the leading edge of the recording paper comes into contact with the inclined plate 32, the conveying direction of the recording paper is guided upward by the inclined plate 32. A conveying path 22 is formed above the inclined plate 32, and the recording paper guided upward is conveyed to the conveying path 22.

  Note that the paper feed roller 25 does not necessarily need to be supported by the arm 26 as long as it can move in a direction in which the paper feed tray 20 moves toward and away from the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed roller 25 may be supported by the frame of the paper feed tray 20 so as to be movable up and down.

<Separation operation mechanism 54>
A separation operation mechanism 54 is attached to the arm 26. The separation operation mechanism 54 is provided in a later-described concave portion 76 (an example of the concave portion of the present invention, see FIGS. 5 and 6) formed in the bottom plate 84 (see FIGS. 4 and 5) of the paper feed tray 20. The arm 26 is lifted in conjunction with the immersion of a part (a first operating unit 68 described later) of the sheet 54 to separate the sheet feed roller 25 from the bottom plate 84 of the sheet feed tray 20. The configuration of the separation operation mechanism 54 will be described in detail later.

<Separation member 34>
A separation member 34 is provided on the inner surface of the inclined plate 32. The separating member 34 is disposed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the inclined plate 32 on the inner surface. The separating member 34 is formed by arranging a plurality of teeth protruding from the inner side surface in the inclined direction of the inclined plate 32. If a plurality of recording sheets are fed (multiple feeding) in a stacked state, when the leading ends of the recording sheet bundles contact the inner surface of the inclined plate 32, the leading ends of the recording sheet bundles are It is sown by the separating member 34. At that time, the teeth of the separating member 34 enter between the recording sheets and a gap is formed between the recording sheets. This facilitates separation of the recording paper, and in combination with the force applied to the recording paper from the paper supply roller 25 during feeding, only the uppermost recording paper is reliably separated from the lower recording paper. The In the present embodiment, the separation member 34 is not an essential component, and is provided to assist the separation of the recording paper by the paper feed roller 25.

<Conveyance path 22>
A conveying path 22 is formed above the inclined plate 32. The transport path 22 is directed upward from the inclined plate 32 and then bent in a lateral U-shape toward the front side of the printer unit 11 (the right side in FIG. 2). The conveyance path 22 extends from the rear side (left side in FIG. 2) of the multifunction machine 10 to the front side, and passes through the recording unit 24 to the paper discharge tray 21 (see FIG. 3). That is, the paper discharge tray 21 is disposed on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording paper in the conveyance path 22. The recording paper supplied from the paper feed tray 20 is transported along the transport path 22. The recording paper is guided to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side along the conveyance path 22 and reaches the recording unit 24. After the image is recorded by the recording unit 24, the recording paper is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

  The conveyance path 22 is defined by an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface except for a portion where the recording unit 24 and the like are disposed. For example, the curved portion formed on the back side of the multifunction machine 10 is formed by arranging a curved outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 to face each other at a predetermined interval. In this case, the outer guide member 18 constitutes a curved outer guide surface, and the inner guide member 19 constitutes a curved inner guide surface.

<Recording unit 24>
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is disposed in the middle of the conveyance path 22 extending from the back side to the front side of the printer unit 11. The recording unit 24 records an image on the recording paper during the recording paper transporting process in the transport path 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40 and an inkjet recording head (not shown) (hereinafter abbreviated as “recording head”). The recording head is not shown because it is mounted in the carriage 40. The carriage 40 is reciprocated along the guide rails 43 and 44 in the width direction of the recording paper (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, the guide rail 44 is provided with a belt drive mechanism 39 using a motor 73 as a drive source. In the belt drive mechanism 39, for example, a drive pulley 47 and a driven pulley 48 are provided near both ends in the width direction of the guide rail 44, and an endless annular belt is wound around the drive pulley 47 and the driven pulley 48. By connecting the carriage 40 to the belt of the belt drive mechanism 39, the drive of the motor 73 connected to the drive pulley 47 is transmitted to the carriage 40 via the belt drive mechanism 39, and the carriage 40 reciprocates.

  A platen 42 facing the lower surface of the recording unit 24 is provided in the transport path 22. The platen 42 supports the recording paper conveyed through the conveyance path 22 from below. The recording paper is supported by the platen 42 with a predetermined gap from the recording head. An ink cartridge (not shown) is provided inside the multifunction device 10 independently of the recording head. Each color ink accommodated in the ink cartridge is supplied to the recording head through an ink tube. While the carriage 40 is reciprocated, ink of each color is selectively ejected from the recording head toward the platen 42 as minute ink droplets. An image is recorded on the recording sheet conveyed on the platen 42 by the recording unit 24 during the conveyance process.

<Conveying roller 50, paper discharge roller 51>
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a conveyance roller 50 is provided on the downstream side in the conveyance direction of the paper feed roller 25 and on the upstream side in the conveyance direction with respect to the recording unit 24 in the conveyance path 22. A pinch roller (not shown) that is in pressure contact with the conveyance roller 50 is provided below the conveyance roller 50. The transport roller 50 is provided across the width direction of the transport path 22 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 2). A plurality of the pinch rollers are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the conveyance path 22. The recording sheet fed from the sheet feeding cassette 70 by the sheet feeding roller 25 is sandwiched and conveyed onto the platen 42 by the conveying roller 50 and the pinch roller.

  In this embodiment, the conveyance path length from the paper feed roller 25 to the conveyance roller 50 along the conveyance path of the recording paper is the minimum standard size of the recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 (this embodiment). In this case, the conveying roller 50 is arranged so as to have a length corresponding to the L size for photographs). Specifically, the conveyance path from the paper supply roller 25 to the conveyance roller 50 has a conveyance path length in the conveyance direction of L-size recording paper for photography (hereinafter referred to as “minimum paper”). It is formed to be slightly shorter than (typically the dimension in the longitudinal direction). The conveyance path from the recess 76 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) to the conveyance roller 50 is formed such that the conveyance path length is slightly longer than the dimension in the conveyance direction of the minimum sheet. In short, in the present embodiment, the size in the conveyance direction of the L-size photographic recording paper (minimum sheet) is longer than the path length from the paper feed roller 25 to the conveyance roller 50, and from the recess 76 to the conveyance roller 50. Shorter than the path length to Therefore, when the minimum sheet is fed to the conveyance path 22 by the paper feed roller 25 and the trailing edge thereof passes through the recess 76, the leading edge of the minimum sheet does not reach the conveyance roller 50, but the trailing edge of the minimum sheet is fed. At the time of passing through the feeding roller 25, the leading edge of the minimum sheet is pinched by the conveying roller 50.

  A paper discharge roller 51 and a spur (not shown) are provided downstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport path 22. The spur is provided on the upper side of the paper discharge roller 51 and is in pressure contact with the paper discharge roller 51. The paper discharge roller 51 is provided across the width direction of the transport path 22. A plurality of spurs 52 are provided at predetermined intervals in the width direction of the conveyance path 22. The recording sheet on which the image is recorded is sandwiched between the discharge roller 51 and a spur and conveyed toward the discharge tray 21.

  The transport roller 50 and the paper discharge roller 51 are driven using a motor (not shown) as a drive source. The driving of the transport roller 50 and the paper discharge roller 51 is synchronized, and is intermittently driven during image recording, and continuously driven before and after image recording. Thus, the recording paper is conveyed at a predetermined speed on the conveyance path 22 until reaching the recording unit 24, and is intermittently conveyed at a predetermined line feed width when reaching the recording unit 24. While the recording paper is intermittently conveyed, the carriage 40 is reciprocated, and an image is recorded at a predetermined position on the recording paper by the ink jet recording head 41.

<Paper cassette 70>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the paper feed cassette 70 is formed in a thin rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, and includes a paper feed tray 20 and a paper discharge tray 21. The paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are arranged in two upper and lower stages with the paper discharge tray 21 as the upper side of the paper feed tray 20. In the paper feed cassette 70, the recording paper in the paper feed tray 20 is transported in the transport direction 91.

  An opening 93 that guides the paper feed roller 25 to the paper feed tray 20 is provided at the upper portion on the leading end side in the transport direction 91 of the paper feed cassette 70. When the paper feed cassette 70 is attached to the printer unit 11, the opening 93 is disposed below the arm 26 and the paper feed roller 25. At this time, the arm 26 and the paper feed roller 25 are guided to the paper feed tray 20 side through the opening 93, and the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20. Needless to say, when a recording sheet is placed on the sheet feeding tray 20, the sheet feeding roller 25 is pressed against the upper surface of the uppermost recording sheet.

<Discharge tray 21>
The paper discharge tray 21 is configured to be rotatable upward with respect to the paper feed tray 20 with the width direction 94 of the paper feed cassette 70 as a rotation axis. By raising the paper discharge tray 21 with respect to the paper feed tray 20, the upper surface of the paper feed tray 20 is opened. In other words, the recording paper can be replenished to the paper feed tray 20. When the paper discharge tray 21 is laid down with respect to the paper feed tray 20, the upper surface of the paper feed tray 20 is covered with the paper discharge tray 21.

<Paper Tray 20>
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the paper feed tray 20 is generally formed in a rectangular dish shape in plan view. Various sizes of recording paper can be stored in the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed tray 20 is provided with side walls 122 and 123 at both ends in the width direction 94. The side walls 122 and 123 stand vertically upward from the bottom plate 84. The side walls 122 and 123 generally determine the width-direction dimension of the recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20. In the present embodiment, the paper feed tray 20 can accommodate recording papers of various sizes defined in Japanese Industrial Standards. Examples of various sizes include A4 size, B5 size, A5 size, postcard size, and L size for photographs. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the maximum size of recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 is A4 size, and the minimum size of recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 is L size for photographs. . However, the maximum size and the minimum size of the recording paper that can be placed on the paper feed tray 20 are not limited to this. For example, the paper feed tray 20 may be capable of placing various standard sizes of recording paper from business card size to A3 size.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20 is provided with a friction pad (friction member) 104 at the center in the width direction 94. The friction pad 104 is disposed on the bottom plate 84 at a location where the roller surface of the paper feed roller 25 contacts. The friction pad 104 is for accelerating the separation of the recording paper, and is made of a member having a friction coefficient larger than that of the bottom plate 84. The friction pad 104 is formed in a thin plate shape using a material such as cork or rubber, for example. When the paper feed cassette 70 is mounted on the printer unit 11 with no recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20, the arm 26 and the paper feed roller 25 are disposed on the paper feed tray 20. At this time, when the arm 26 is rotated to the paper feed tray 20 side and the paper feed roller 25 is moved to the paper feed tray 20 side, the paper feed roller 25 is brought into contact with the friction pad 104.

  The friction pad 104 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the same direction as the axial direction of the paper feed roller 25. The length of the friction pad 104 in the longitudinal direction is at least longer than the length of the sheet feeding roller 25 in the axial direction. As shown in FIG. 4, when two paper feed rollers 25 are provided in the axial direction, the friction pad 104 is formed to have a length corresponding to these two paper feed rollers 25. Needless to say, when there is one paper feed roller 25, the friction pad 104 is formed to have a length corresponding to one paper feed roller 25.

  When the paper feed cassette 70 is mounted on the printer unit 11 with the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the recording paper on the paper feed tray 20. As a result, the recording paper is sandwiched between the friction pad 104 and the paper feed roller 25. When the paper feed roller 25 rotates in the transport direction, the friction force in the transport direction 91 is applied to the uppermost recording paper among the plurality of recording papers sandwiched between the friction pad 104 and the paper feed roller 25. It is given from. On the other hand, a frictional force in the direction opposite to the conveyance direction 91 acts between the recording sheets or between the friction pads 104 and the recording sheets on the lower layer recording sheets.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20 has a recess 76 formed at the center in the width direction 94. The concave portion 76 is located at the same position as the friction pad 104 in the width direction 94 and is located upstream of the friction pad 104 in the recording sheet conveyance direction 91. In other words, the recess 76 is disposed on the upstream side in the transport direction 91 with respect to the paper feed roller 25. Further, the recess 76 is disposed at a position where the first operating portion 68 of the separation operating mechanism 54 can be immersed. When the recording paper is placed on the bottom plate 84, the recess 76 is covered with the recording paper. In a state where no recording paper is present on the bottom plate 84, the recess 76 is opened upward.

  The bottom plate 84 is provided with a pair of guide grooves 86 and 87 (see FIG. 6) along the width direction 94 of the bottom plate 84. The guide grooves 86 and 87 are rectangular in the width direction 94 and penetrate the bottom plate 84 from the front surface to the back surface. A guide groove 86 is provided on the left side when the sheet feeding tray 20 is viewed from the upstream side in the conveyance direction 91, and a guide groove 87 is provided on the right side. The guide groove 86 and the guide groove 87 are separated in the transport direction 91.

  A pinion gear 82 is provided at the center in the width direction of the bottom plate 84 and upstream of the conveyance direction 91 of the recess 76. The pinion gear 82 is provided at an intermediate position between the guide groove 86 and the guide groove 87. The pinion gear 82 meshes with rack gears 88 and 89 described later on the back surface of the bottom plate 84.

<Side guide 80, 81>
The paper feed tray 20 is provided with a pair of side guides 80 and 81. The side guide 80 is disposed on the left side when the paper feed tray 20 is viewed from the upstream side in the transport direction 91. The side guide 81 (an example of the positioning member of the present invention) is disposed on the right side when the paper feed tray 20 is viewed from the upstream side in the transport direction 91. The side guides 80 and 81 are made of synthetic resin such as ABS resin. The side guides 80 and 81 are formed such that the longitudinal section in the width direction 94 is substantially L-shaped. The side guides 80 and 81 are configured to be movable in the paper feed tray 20. Specifically, the side guides 80 and 81 are provided so as to be slidable in the width direction 94 of the paper feed tray 20. The side guide 80 is supported by the bottom plate 84 so as to be slidable along the guide groove 86. The side guide 81 is supported by the bottom plate 84 so as to be slidable along the guide groove 87.

  The side guides 80 and 81 are for positioning the recording paper with respect to the paper feed tray 20. By moving the side guides 80 and 81, the vertical walls 118 and 128 are brought into contact with the end portions in the width direction 94 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. As a result, the position in the width direction of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is regulated by the side guides 80 and 81. The side guides 80 and 81 have a central position in the width direction 94 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 as a reference position of the paper feed tray 20 (in this embodiment, the center in the width direction 94 of the paper feed tray 20). Match approximately. In this manner, restricting the recording sheet so that the center position in the width direction of the recording sheet coincides with the reference position is generally called a center register. The recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is guided in the transport direction 91 by the side guides 80 and 81 and transported to the transport path 22. In the present embodiment, A4 size, B5 size, A5 size, postcard size, and L size recording paper can be placed on the paper feed tray 20. Therefore, it is possible to position the recording sheets of various sizes with the side guides 82 and 81.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, the side guide 81 includes a bottom wall 117 (an example of the first plate of the present invention) and a vertical wall 118 (an example of the second plate of the present invention). The bottom wall 117 is disposed in parallel to the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20. One end of the recording paper in the width direction is supported by the bottom wall 117 from its lower surface. The vertical wall 118 is erected vertically from the outer edge in the width direction of the bottom wall 117. Although not shown in the drawing, the recording sheet is placed on the bottom wall 117, and one end in the width direction is brought into contact with the inner surface of the vertical wall 118. In this way, the end portion of the recording paper in the width direction 94 is brought into contact with the side guide 81.

  A lever 99 is provided on the vertical wall 118. The lever 99 is formed integrally with the side guide 81 and is made of the same resin. A plurality of engaged portions 95 are formed on the surface of the bottom plate 84. Each engaged portion 95 is formed such that the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the transport direction 91. These engaged portions 95 are arranged in the width direction 94. In the present embodiment, two engaged portion groups each including a plurality of engaged portions 95 are formed. Although not shown in the drawing, the lever 99 is provided with two claws at positions corresponding to the two engaged portion groups. The side guide 81 is fixed to the bottom plate 84 by inserting these claws into the engaged portion 95 of one of the two engaged portion groups. When the user operates the lever 99, the nail is lifted. As a result, the claw is extracted from the engaged portion 95, the side guide 81 is released, and the side guide 81 can slide.

  The side guide 81 is provided with a rack gear 89 extending from the bottom wall 117 to the center in the width direction. The rack gear 89 is disposed on the back surface side of the bottom plate 84 through the guide groove 87 and is meshed with the pinion gear 82 described above.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, a plate 136 (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention) is provided on the bottom wall 117 of the side guide 81. The plate 136 extends from the bottom wall 117 in the moving direction of the side guide 81, specifically toward the center side of the paper feed tray 20 in the width direction 94. The plate 136 is a flat plate member whose longitudinal direction is the width direction 94, and is provided in parallel with the bottom plate 84, similarly to the bottom wall 117. The plate 136 is provided at substantially the same position as the recess 76 in the transport direction 91. The plate 136 is moved in the same direction as the side guide 81 moves. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, when the side guide 81 is moved to the first position for positioning a recording sheet having a size larger than the L size for photographs (for example, a recording sheet having a postcard size or larger). Further, the plate 136 is disposed at a position away from the recess 76. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, when the side guide 81 is moved to the second position for positioning the photographic L-size recording paper, the plate 136 is disposed above the recess 76. Thereby, the recess 76 is covered with the plate 136. The effect of providing such a plate 136 will be described later.

  The side guide 80 is formed in a substantially symmetric shape with the side guide 81 except that the side guide 80 does not have a lever 99 and a plate 136 described later. Similar to the side guide 81, the side guide 80 has a bottom wall 127 and a vertical wall 128. The other end of the recording sheet in the width direction is placed on the bottom wall 127. The vertical wall 128 is erected vertically from the outer edge of the bottom wall 127 in the width direction. Although not shown in the drawing, the recording sheet is placed on the bottom wall 127, and the other end in the width direction is brought into contact with the inner surface of the vertical wall 128.

  The side guide 80 is provided with a rack gear 88 configured substantially the same as the rack gear 89. The rack gear 88 is disposed on the back surface side of the bottom plate 84 via the guide groove 86 and meshes with the pinion gear 82 described above.

  When one of the side guides 80 and 81 (for example, the side guide 81) is slid in the width direction 94, the other of the side guides 80 and 81 (for example, the side guide 80) is interlocked with the sliding operation. Slide in the opposite direction. Accordingly, when the width of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is shorter than the separation distance between the side guides 80 and 81, the side guides 80 and 81 are simultaneously moved by sliding one of the side guides 80 and 81. Moved. As a result, the central position in the width direction of the recording paper substantially matches the reference position.

  Note that only one of the side guides 80 and 81 may be slidable. For example, when the side guide 80 is fixed at the position shown in FIG. 6, it is conceivable that only the side guide 81 slides.

<Rear guide 120>
A rear guide 120 is provided at the center of the paper feed tray 20 in the width direction 94. The rear guide 120 is for positioning the recording paper with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The rear guide 120 is brought into contact with an upstream end portion in the transport direction 91 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. For this reason, the rear guide 120 restricts the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 from moving in the direction opposite to the transport direction 91 with respect to the paper feed tray 20.

  The rear guide 120 is configured to be movable in the paper feed tray 20. Specifically, the rear guide 120 is configured to reciprocate in the transport direction 91 with respect to the paper feed tray 20. The bottom plate 84 is formed with a long groove 97 in the transport direction 91. The groove 97 extends from the vicinity of the center in the longitudinal direction of the paper feed tray 20 to the rear end. The rear guide 120 is slidably provided along the groove 97 on the paper feed tray 20.

  A plurality of engaged portions 85 are formed on both sides of the groove 97. Each engaged portion 85 has a longitudinal direction that coincides with a direction orthogonal to the groove 97. Although not shown in the drawing, the rear guide 120 is provided with two claws that are inserted into and removed from the engaged portions 85 on both sides of the groove 97. The rear guide 120 is provided with a lever 79 formed integrally with the rear guide 120. The lever 79 is formed integrally with the rear guide 120 and is made of the same resin. The rear guide 120 is fixed to the bottom plate 84 by inserting the claws of the rear guide 120 into any of the engaged portions 85. When the user operates the lever 79, the claw of the rear guide 120 is lifted. As a result, the pawl is extracted from the engaged portion 85, the rear guide 120 is released, and the rear guide 120 can be slid.

  With the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20, the rear guide 120 is slid along the groove 97 in the transport direction 91. As a result, the rear guide 120 contacts the trailing edge of the recording paper. As a result, the upstream end in the recording sheet conveyance direction 91 is aligned, and the end is restricted to a position corresponding to the size of the recording sheet. The recording sheet has its downstream end in the transport direction 91 substantially coincided with a predetermined position close to the inclined plate 32 in the sheet feeding tray 20 regardless of the size of the recording sheet.

<Separation operation mechanism 54>
As shown in FIG. 8, the separation operation mechanism 54 includes a main operation body 56 (an example of the operation body of the present invention) and an auxiliary operation body 57. The base end portion 60 of the main operating body 56 is attached to a shaft portion 59 (see FIG. 2) provided at the lower end of the tip of the arm 26 so as to be rotatable up and down, and the recording paper is conveyed from the shaft portion 59. It is extended upstream in the direction. That is, the main operating body 56 extends to the upstream side in the transport direction from the feeding roller 25 at the tip of the arm 26. The upper end of the auxiliary operating body 57 is rotatably supported by the frame 67 of the printer unit 11.

  The main operating body 56 is provided with a pin 63. The pin 63 is provided at the leading end portion 61 on the upstream side in the recording sheet conveyance direction. The pin 63 is inserted through a long hole 66 formed in the lower portion 65 of the auxiliary operating body 57. Thereby, the main operating body 56 and the auxiliary operating body 57 are connected by the pin 63 so that they can be bent and move up and down.

  The main operating body 56 includes a first operating part 68 (an example of the first operating part of the present invention) and a second operating part 69 (an example of the second operating part of the present invention). The first operating unit 68 is provided on the lower surface of the main operating body 56 on the upstream side in the recording sheet conveyance direction. The first actuating portion 68 abuts on the upper surface of the recording paper when it is placed on the paper feed tray 20, and is immersed in the recess 76 opened to the bottom plate 84 when no recording paper is present. . That is, the first actuating portion 68 can be changed between a posture for immersing in the recess 76 and a posture for retracting upward from the recess 76. The second operating unit 69 is a lower surface on the downstream side in the transport direction of the main operating body 56 and is provided on the upstream side in the transport direction 91 with respect to the first operating unit 68.

  In the present embodiment, the weight of the main working body 56 on the first working portion 68 side and the weight of the auxiliary working body 57 are set to be larger than the weight of the main working body 56 on the base end portion 60 side. Specifically, as will be described later, when the recording sheet runs out of the bottom plate 84, the first operating portion 68 is immersed in the recess 76, and in conjunction with this, the second operating portion 69 hits the upper surface of the bottom plate 84. The part on the first actuating part 68 side and the auxiliary action are such that the arm 26 is lifted so that the paper feed roller 25 is separated from the bottom plate 84 by the weight of the first actuating part 68 around the second actuating part 69. The weight of the body 57 is increased.

<Operation of the separation operation mechanism 54>
According to the configuration of the present embodiment, in the state where a large number of recording sheets larger than the minimum sheet (L size for photography in the present embodiment) are stacked and stored in the sheet feeding tray 20, FIG. ), The paper feed roller 25 is in pressure contact with the uppermost surface of the recording paper that is accumulated and accommodated. At this time, although depending on the loading amount of the recording paper, the lower portion 65 of the auxiliary operating body 57 comes into contact with the uppermost surface of the recording paper, and the first operating portion 68 and the second operating portion 69 of the main operating body 56 Does not touch the top surface. Note that the first operating unit 68 may contact the uppermost surface of the recording paper instead of the lower portion 65 of the auxiliary operating body 57 depending on the loading amount of the recording paper. However, in a state in which the recording paper is placed on the paper feed tray 20, the second operating unit 69 does not contact the uppermost surface of the recording paper, and is between the second operating unit 69 and the uppermost surface of the recording paper. An appropriate gap is always formed in.

  When a paper feed command is input in this state, the base shaft 28 rotates in a predetermined direction, and the paper feed roller 25 rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 9A via the power transmission mechanism 27 (see FIG. 2). . As a result, the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 20 is sent to the front end (left end portion in FIG. 9) of the paper feed tray 20. The recording sheet sent out in this way is brought into contact with the inclined plate 32 and its feeding direction is changed, and is fed to the transport path 23.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, when the remaining one recording sheet (last recording sheet) is conveyed and the rear end thereof passes through the recess 76, the recess 76 is opened to the bottom plate 84 side. That is, the concave portion hidden by the recording paper appears on the bottom plate 84. By opening the concave portion 76 toward the bottom plate 84, the first operating portion 68 is allowed to enter the concave portion 76. When the concave portion 76 appears on the bottom surface 84, first, the lower portion 65 of the auxiliary operating body 57 is immersed in the concave portion 76, and then the second operating body 69 contacts the upper surface of the bottom plate 84. Thereafter, the first operating portion 68 descends downward into the recess 76 due to the weight of the main operating body 56 on the first operating portion 68 side. Then, in conjunction with the immersion operation of the first operating portion 68, the arm 26 is lifted by the main operating body 68 so as to separate the paper feed roller 25 from the bottom plate 84 (see FIG. 9C). As a result, even when the paper feed roller 25 is driven to rotate in the transport direction, the paper feed roller 25 does not contact the friction pad 104, so that the roller surface of the paper feed roller 25 is excessively worn or the paper is fed by the friction pad 104. Problems such as a so-called locked state in which the rotation of the roller 25 is stopped, and problems such as seizure due to an overload of the motor can be solved.

  On the other hand, in the state where the minimum sheet is placed on the sheet feeding tray 20, the side guides 80 and 81 are moved to the second position as shown in FIG. Is called. Even if the remaining one minimum sheet (the last minimum sheet) placed on the sheet feeding tray 20 is conveyed and its rear end passes through the recess 76, the recess 76 is not opened to the bottom plate 84 side. Therefore, the first actuating portion 68 will not be immersed in the recess 76. In other words, the immersion of the first operating portion 68 into the recess 76 is prevented by the plate 136. Therefore, the paper feed roller 25 is not separated from the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20. If the first operating unit 68 is immersed in the recess 76 and the paper feed roller 25 is separated from the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20, the transport path length from the recess 76 to the transport roller 50 is minimized as described above. Since it is longer than the dimension in the paper transport direction, the rotational force of the paper feed roller 25 is not transmitted to the paper when the trailing edge of the last minimum paper passes through the recess 76, and the last minimum paper is transported to the transport roller 50. Can not do. In the present embodiment, even if the trailing edge of the last minimum sheet passes through the recess 76, the feeding roller 25 is not separated from the bottom plate 84 of the sheet feeding tray 20, so the rotational force of the sheet feeding roller 25 is the last minimum sheet. Is reliably applied to the last minimum sheet until it reaches the conveying roller 50. That is, the last minimum sheet is surely fed by the sheet feeding roller 25 until the leading edge is securely clamped by the conveying roller 50. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a conveyance failure such that the last minimum sheet is jammed in the conveyance path 22 when the last minimum sheet is conveyed.

  In the above-described embodiment, the plate 136 is provided only on one side guide 81, but the plate 136 may be provided on both the side guide 80 and the side guide 81, for example.

[Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration of the paper feed tray 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the configuration of the paper feed tray 20 of the second embodiment is partially different. Therefore, in the second embodiment, the first embodiment Constituent elements common to the above are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in the first embodiment, and description thereof is omitted.

  The paper feed tray 20 in this embodiment is different from the paper feed tray 20 in the first embodiment in the following points. That is, the second embodiment is different in that an upper step portion 84A and a lower step portion 84B are formed on the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20. Further, the side guide 81 is different in that the plate 136 is not provided and the rear guide 140 (see FIG. 11) is provided in the paper feed tray 20 instead of the rear guide 120 (see FIG. 6). In the first embodiment described above, the side guide 81 functions as the positioning member of the present invention, whereas in the second embodiment, the rear guide 140 (see FIG. 11) functions as the positioning member of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the upper step portion 84 </ b> A is formed on the tip end (downstream end in the transport direction 91) side of the bottom plate 84. The leading end side of the recording sheet is placed on the upper step portion 84A. The lower step portion 84B is formed on the rear end (upstream end in the transport direction 91) side of the bottom plate 84. A vertical step 142 is formed between the upper step 84A and the lower step 84B so that the upper step 84A is higher. The rear guide 140 is provided in the lower step portion 84B.

<Rear guide 140>
The rear guide 140 is provided at the center in the width direction 94 (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 11) in the lower step portion 84B. A groove 97 is formed in the lower step portion 84B. The rear guide 140 is configured to be slidable in the transport direction 91 with respect to the lower step portion 84 along the groove 97. The movement of the rear guide 140 in the transport direction 91 is restricted by the step 142. The rear guide 140 positions the recording paper with respect to the paper feed tray 20. Similar to the rear guide 120, the rear guide 140 is in contact with an upstream end portion in the conveyance direction 91 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20. Thereby, the movement of the recording paper to the rear end side of the paper feed tray 20 is restricted by the rear guide 140.

  With the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20, the rear guide 140 is slid along the groove 97 in the transport direction 91. As a result, the rear guide 140 is brought into contact with the rear end of the recording paper, the rear ends of the recording paper are aligned, and the rear end is restricted to a position corresponding to the size of the recording paper. Regardless of the size of the recording paper, the recording paper is positioned at a predetermined position close to the inclined plate 32 in the paper feed tray 20. That is, the rear guide 140 aligns the downstream end in the transport direction 91 of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 with the reference position of the paper feed tray 20.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the rear guide 140 includes a lever 79, a support portion 145, and a plate 146 (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention). The support portion 145 and the plate 146 are flat plate members arranged in parallel with the lower step portion 84 of the bottom plate 84. The recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 20 is placed on the upper surface of the support portion 145 at the rear end. The inner surface of the lever 79 is a wall surface perpendicular to the lower step portion 84. Although not shown in the drawing, the recording paper is placed on the support portion 145 and the rear end is brought into contact with the inner surface of the lever 79.

  A recess 76 is formed in the upper step 84 </ b> A of the bottom plate 84. A through hole 144 that penetrates the recess 76 is formed in the vertical surface 143 that forms the step 142. The plate 146 is inserted through the penetrating term 144. Specifically, when the rear guide 140 is slid in the transport direction 91 with respect to the paper feed tray 20, the plate 146 is inserted into the through hole 144. In this embodiment, when a photographic L-size recording paper (minimum paper) is placed on the paper feed tray 20 and the rear guide 140 is moved to the second position for positioning the minimum paper, the plate 146 is inserted into the through hole. 144 (see FIG. 11A). As a result, the recess 76 is covered by the plate 146. On the other hand, when the rear guide 140 is moved to the first position for positioning a recording sheet larger than the minimum sheet, the plate 146 is extracted from the through hole 144 (see FIG. 11B).

  As described above, when the rear guide 140 is moved to the second position so as to position the photographic L-size recording paper (minimum paper), the recess 76 is covered with the plate 146. Therefore, in the state where the minimum sheet is placed on the sheet feeding tray 20, as shown in FIG. 11A, the remaining one minimum sheet (the last minimum sheet) is conveyed, and the trailing end is recessed. Even after passing through 76, the paper feed roller 25 is not separated from the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20. Therefore, the rotational force of the paper feed roller 25 is reliably applied to the last minimum sheet until the last minimum sheet reaches the conveyance roller 50. In other words, the last minimum sheet is reliably conveyed by the sheet feeding roller 25 until the leading edge is securely clamped by the conveying roller 50. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a conveyance failure such that the last minimum sheet is jammed in the conveyance path 22 when the last minimum sheet is conveyed.

  In the first and second embodiments described above, the separation operation mechanism 54 is illustrated as an example of the separation operation unit of the present invention, but the separation operation unit of the present invention is not limited to the separation operation mechanism 54. . For example, it is possible to employ a mechanism in which the auxiliary operating body 57 is omitted from the components of the separation operating mechanism 54. Moreover, it is also possible to employ | adopt each Example and each modification of the separation | spacing action | operation means described in patent document 1 mentioned above.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the side guides 80 and 181 according to the third embodiment of the present invention are arranged at the first position. 13 and 14 are perspective views showing the side guide 181. FIG. FIG. 13 shows the surface side of the side guide 181. FIG. 14 shows the back side of the side guide 181. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20 in a state in which the side guides 80 and 181 are disposed at the second position. FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the paper feed tray 20 with the side guides 80 and 181 disposed at the first position. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the paper feed tray 20 with the side guides 80 and 181 disposed at the second position. 18 is an enlarged view of a portion XVIII in FIG. FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of the XIX portion in FIG. FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a portion XX in FIG.

  The paper feed tray 20 in the third embodiment is different from the paper feed tray 20 in the first embodiment in the following points. That is, the third embodiment is different in that a side guide 181 is provided on the paper feed tray 20 instead of the side guide 81. In the side guide 81 (see FIG. 6) of the first embodiment, a plate 136 is provided on the bottom wall 117. On the other hand, the side guide 181 is provided with a restriction piece 156 (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention, see FIG. 13) on the bottom wall 117. Thus, in the third embodiment, the immersion regulating member of the present invention is provided only on the side guide 181 on the side of the side wall 123 in the width direction 94 (one side in the present invention) of the side guide 80 and the side guide 181. It has been. Further, a groove 151 and a protrusion 153 (an example of the support means of the present invention, corresponding to the first protrusion of the present invention, see FIG. 12) are formed on the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20 (the bottom surface of the paper feed tray 20). There are also differences. The third embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment described above except that the configuration of the paper feed tray 20 is partially different. For this reason, in this 3rd Embodiment, about the component which is common in 1st Embodiment, the code | symbol same as the code | symbol used in 1st Embodiment is attached | subjected and the description is abbreviate | omitted. In the third embodiment, the side guide 181 functions as the positioning member of the present invention.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 to 15, a restriction piece 156 is provided on the bottom wall 117 of the side guide 81. The restricting piece 156 extends from the bottom wall 117 in the moving direction of the side guide 81, specifically toward the center side of the sheet feeding tray 20 in the width direction 94 (see FIGS. 12 and 15). The restricting piece 156 is provided at substantially the same position as the recess 76 in the transport direction 91. The restriction piece 156 is provided on the bottom wall 117 in order to perform the same function as the plate 136 described above. That is, the restricting piece 156 covers the recess 76 when the side guide 181 is disposed at the second position, thereby preventing the first operating portion 68 from entering the recess 76.

  The restriction piece 156 has a substantially triangular shape whose width becomes narrower as the distance from the bottom wall 117 increases in plan view. The restriction piece 156 is different in height position from the bottom wall 117. The restricting piece 156 extends in the width direction 94 in parallel with the bottom wall 117 from the rear surface side of the bottom wall 117. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 18, the upper surface 167 of the restriction piece 156 is lower than the upper surface 114 of the bottom wall 117. When recording paper is stored in the paper feed tray 20, the recording paper is inserted into the paper feed tray 20 so as to move along the upper surfaces of the bottom walls 117 and 127. At that time, the recording sheet tends to be bent so that the central portion in the width direction 94 swells downward. When the upper surface 167 of the regulating piece 156 is the same height as the upper surface 114 of the bottom wall 117 or when the upper surface 167 of the regulating piece 156 is higher than the upper surface 114 of the bottom wall 117, the process of storing the recording paper in the paper feed tray 20 As a result, the leading edge of the recording paper may be caught by the regulating piece 156, which may hinder the setting of the recording paper. As described above, since the upper surface 167 of the regulating piece 156 is set lower than the upper surface 114 of the bottom wall 117, the recording paper is prevented from being caught by the regulating piece 156.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 16, a groove 151 is formed in the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20. The groove 151 is a housing space for the restriction piece 156. The groove 151 is provided on the side wall 123 side (the right side in FIG. 16) of the recess 76 in the width direction 94. The groove 151 extends in the moving direction of the side guide 181, that is, in the width direction 94 of the paper feed tray 20. Further, the groove 151 is formed at substantially the same position as the recess 76 in the transport direction 91. The width and depth of the groove 151 are set so that the regulating piece 156 does not contact the groove 151 in a state where the side guide 181 is assembled to the paper feed tray 20. That is, the width of the groove 151 in the transport direction 91 is set wider than the width of the regulation piece 151 in the transport direction 91. Further, the depth of the groove 151 is set slightly deeper than the protruding amount of the regulating piece 156 from the back surface of the bottom wall 117. When the side guide 181 is moved in the width direction 94, the restriction piece 156 is moved in the same direction as the side guide 181 along the groove 151.

  Since the side guide 81 is configured to be movable in the width direction 94 with respect to the paper feed tray 20, the side guide 81 may rattle. Since the restriction piece 156 is provided on the bottom wall 117 of the side guide 81, the restriction piece 156 is affected by the rattling of the side guide 81. In particular, the position of the regulating piece 156 may vary in the height direction due to the backlash of the side guide 81 when the side guide 81 is moved to the second position.

  Further, when the first operating portion 68 is supported by the restriction piece 156, the restriction piece 156 may be deformed depending on the load of the separation operation mechanism 54 applied to the restriction piece 156. Due to such rattling of the side guide 81, deformation of the restriction piece 156, etc., when the side guide 81 is moved to the second position, the position of the restriction piece 156 in the height direction may vary.

  When the side guide 181 is disposed at the second position, the recess 76 is covered with the restriction piece 156. The L-size recording paper for photography is accommodated in the paper feed tray 20 in this state. When the remaining one L-size recording paper is conveyed by the paper feed roller 25, a concave portion 76 that is hidden by the L-size recording paper appears. As described above, the upper surface 167 of the restriction piece 156 is lower than the upper surface 114 of the bottom wall 117. Therefore, when the trailing edge of the remaining one L-size recording sheet passes through the recess 76, the first operating portion 68 moves toward the recess 76 by the height difference between the upper surface 167 and the upper surface 114. To do. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is separated from the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20 so that the rotational force of the paper feed roller 25 is not easily transmitted to the remaining one L-size recording sheet. There is a risk that the recording paper will be poorly conveyed. This recording sheet conveyance failure can also occur when the position of the regulating piece 156 in the height direction varies as described above. In the third embodiment, a protrusion 153 is provided on the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20 in order to solve such a problem.

  A protrusion 153 is provided in the vicinity of the recess 76 in the bottom plate 84. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19, the protrusion 153 is provided at a position adjacent to the recess 76 on the bottom surface of the groove 151. The protrusion 153 is provided at substantially the same position as the regulating piece 156 in the transport direction 91 (see FIG. 12). The protrusion 153 has a horizontal surface 161 and an inclined surface 162. The horizontal surface 161 is a surface that is higher than the bottom surface of the groove 151 and lower than the upper surface of the bottom plate 84. The inclined surface 162 is an inclined surface that connects the horizontal surface 161 and the bottom surface of the groove 151. The inclined surface 162 is inclined so as to increase as it approaches the recess 76 in the width direction 94.

  In the present embodiment, when the side guide 181 is moved to the first position, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 16, the regulating piece 156 is disposed at a position away from the recess 76. In this state, as shown in FIG. 19, the recess 76 is opened from the restricting piece 156. For this reason, the 1st action | operation part 68 can be immersed in the recessed part 76. FIG. Further, when the side guide 181 is moved to the second position, as shown in FIG. 20, a part of the recess 76 (a part on the side wall 123 side of the recess 76) is covered with the regulation piece 156. In a state where the side guide 181 is moved to the second position and the restriction piece 156 is arranged above the recess 76, the restriction piece 156 rides on the protrusion 153 as shown in FIG. That is, in the process in which the side guide 181 is moved to the second position, the restricting piece 156 rises along the inclined surface 162 of the protrusion 153, and the restricting piece 156 is supported from below by the horizontal surface 161 of the protrusion 153.

  The height of the horizontal surface 161 relative to the bottom surface of the groove 151 is preferably set to be substantially equal to or slightly higher than the height difference between the upper surface 167 of the regulating piece 156 and the upper surface 114 of the bottom wall 117. . In this case, when the rear end of the remaining one L-size photographic recording sheet passes through the recess 76 with the side guide 181 disposed at the second position, the first operating portion 68 moves toward the recess 76. There is no movement.

  As described above, when the side guide 181 is moved to the second position, the restricting piece 156 is supported from below with the protrusion 153 being lifted, so that the first actuating portion 68 in the concave portion 76 is supported. Immersion is stably prevented by the restriction piece 156. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 (see FIG. 8) does not move away from the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20, and the paper is fed until the trailing edge of the remaining one L-size recording paper exits the paper feed roller 25. The rotational force of the roller 25 is reliably transmitted to the remaining one L-size recording paper. Therefore, even when L-size recording paper for photographs is used, the occurrence of conveyance failure is prevented.

  In the third embodiment, a description has been given of a mode in which the regulating piece 156 rides on the protrusion 153. For example, the regulating piece 156 is lifted together with the bottom wall 117 when the bottom wall 117 rides on the projection 153. May be. Further, the protrusion 153 may be provided at a position different from the restriction piece 156 in the transport direction 91, and only the bottom wall 117 may ride on the protrusion 153 when the side guide 181 is moved to the second position. Good.

[First Modification]
Hereinafter, a first modification of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the separation operation mechanism 54. The first modification has the same configuration as that of the above-described third embodiment, except that a torsion coil spring 190 (an example of the biasing means of the present invention) is provided on the shaft 184 of the paper feed roller 25. . For this reason, in this 1st modification, about the component which is common in 3rd Embodiment, the code | symbol same as the code | symbol used in 3rd Embodiment is attached | subjected, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 21, a torsion coil spring 190 is provided on the shaft 184 of the paper feed roller 25. The torsion coil spring 190 has a shaft 184 inserted inside the winding portion. One end 191 of the torsion coil spring 190 is locked to a locking portion 186 provided on the arm 26. The other end 192 of the torsion coil spring 190 is locked to a locking portion 187 provided on the main operating body 56. Since both end portions 191 and 192 of the torsion coil spring 190 are locked in this way, the separation operation mechanism 54 is urged in a direction in which the first operation unit 68 is inserted into the recess 76. Due to the reaction force of the force by which the other end 192 of the torsion coil spring 190 presses the main operating body 56 downward, the force with which the paper feed roller 25 side of the arm 26 is urged upward is reduced. For this reason, it is prevented that the paper feed roller 25 bites against the recording paper when the recording paper is fed. This torsion coil spring 190 is provided on the side wall 123 side in the width direction 94 (an example of one side of the present invention, the right side in FIG. 16). For this reason, the urging force of the torsion coil spring 190 is transmitted to the side wall 123 side in the width direction 94 of the separation operation mechanism 54.

  As described in the third embodiment, the regulating piece 156 is provided on the bottom wall 117 of the side guide 181 on the side wall 123 side of the side guide 80 and the side guide 181. For this reason, when the side guide 181 is arrange | positioned in the 2nd position, the side wall 123 side of the width direction 94 of the 1st action | operation part 68 is supported by the control piece 156. FIG. Therefore, the first operating portion 68 of the separation operating mechanism 54 is efficiently supported by the restriction piece 156.

[Second Modification]
Hereinafter, a second modification of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 22 and 23. FIG. 22 is a plan view of the paper feed tray 20 with the side guides 180 and 181 disposed at the first position. FIG. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the side guides 180 and 181 are arranged at the second position.

  The paper feed tray 20 in the second modification is different from the paper feed tray 20 in the third embodiment in the following points. That is, the second modification is different in that a side guide 180 is provided on the paper feed tray 20 instead of the side guide 80 (see FIG. 15). The side guide 180 is provided with a regulating piece 157 (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention, see FIG. 22) that is not provided on the side guide 80 on the bottom wall 127. That is, in the second modified example, the immersion restriction members (restriction pieces 156 and 157) of the present invention are provided on the side guides 180 and 181 provided on both sides of the paper feed tray 20 in the width direction 94, respectively. Another difference is that a groove 152 and a protrusion 154 (an example of the support means of the present invention, corresponding to the first protrusion of the present invention, see FIG. 22) are formed on the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20. As described above, the second modification has the same configuration as that of the above-described third embodiment except that the configuration of the paper feed tray 20 is partially different. For this reason, in this 2nd modification, about the component which is common in 3rd Embodiment, the code | symbol same as the code | symbol used in 3rd Embodiment is attached | subjected, and the description is abbreviate | omitted. In the second modification, both the side guide 180 and the side guide 181 function as the positioning member of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 22, a restriction piece 157 is provided on the bottom wall 127 of the side guide 180. The regulating piece 157 protrudes from the bottom wall 127 toward the center side of the paper feed tray 20 in the width direction 94 of the paper feed tray 20. The restriction piece 157 extends from the bottom wall 127 in the moving direction of the side guide 180, specifically, toward the center side (right side in FIG. 22) of the paper feed tray 20 in the width direction 94. The restricting piece 157 is provided at substantially the same position as the recess 76 in the transport direction 91. The restriction piece 157 is provided on the bottom wall 127 in order to perform the same function as the restriction piece 156. That is, the restriction piece 157 prevents the first operating portion 68 from entering the recess 76 together with the restriction piece 156 by covering the recess 76 when the side guides 180 and 181 are disposed at the second position. is there.

  The restriction piece 157 has the same shape as the restriction piece 156. The restriction piece 157 differs from the bottom piece 127 in the height position, similarly to the restriction piece 156. The restricting piece 157 extends in the width direction 94 in parallel with the bottom wall 127 from the back surface side of the bottom wall 127. Thereby, the upper surface of the restriction piece 157 is lower than the upper surface of the bottom wall 127. With this configuration, the recording paper is prevented from being caught by the regulating piece 157 when the recording paper is set in the paper feed tray 20.

  Since the regulating piece 157 is provided on the back surface side of the bottom wall 127, the groove 152 is formed in the bottom plate 84 of the paper feed tray 20. This groove 152 is a housing space for the regulating piece 157. The groove 152 is provided on the side wall 122 side (left side in FIG. 22) of the recess 76 in the width direction 94. The groove 151 extends in the moving direction of the side guide 180, that is, in the width direction 94 of the paper feed tray 20. The groove 152 is formed at substantially the same position as the recess 76 in the transport direction 91. The width and depth of the groove 152 are set in the same manner as the groove 151. When the side guide 180 is moved in the width direction 94, the restriction piece 157 is moved in the same direction as the side guide 180 along the groove 152.

  As shown in FIGS. 22 and 23, a protrusion 154 is provided at a position adjacent to the recess 76 on the bottom surface of the groove 152. The protrusion 154 is provided at substantially the same position as the restriction piece 157 in the transport direction 91 (see FIG. 22). The protrusion 154 has the same shape as the protrusion 153 and performs the same function. For this reason, detailed description of the configuration of the protrusion 154 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 23, when the side guides 180 and 181 are moved to the second position, the restricting pieces 156 and 157 are disposed above the recess 76. Thereby, in the width direction 94, the side wall 123 side of the recess 76 is covered with the restriction piece 156, and the side wall 122 side of the recess 76 is covered with the restriction piece 157. In the process in which the side guides 180 and 181 are moved to the second position, the restriction piece 156 rides on the protrusion 153 and the restriction piece 157 rides on the protrusion 154. As a result, the restricting piece 156 is lifted by the protrusion 153 and the restricting piece 157 is lifted by the protrusion 154. Therefore, when the side guides 180 and 181 are moved to the second position, the immersion of the first operating portion 68 into the recess 76 is more stably prevented by these two restricting pieces 156 and 157.

[Third Modification]
Hereinafter, a third modification of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 24 to 27. FIG. 24 is a plan view of the paper feed tray 20 with the side guides 80 and 281 disposed at the first position. FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of the XXV portion in FIG. FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of the XXVI part in FIG. FIG. 27 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the side guides 80 and 281 are arranged at the second position.

  The paper feed tray 20 in the third modification is different from the paper feed tray 20 in the third embodiment in the following points. That is, the third modified example is different in that a side guide 281 is provided on the paper feed tray 20 instead of the side guide 181. The side guide 181 and the side guide 281 are different in the following points. That is, the side guide 281 is different from the side guide 181 in that a restriction piece 256 (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention, see FIG. 25) is provided instead of the restriction piece 156 (see FIG. 18). Description of portions of the side guide 281 that are common to the side guide 181 will be omitted, and portions that are different will be described. Another difference is that a groove 251 is provided in the groove 151. Another difference is that an inclined surface 177 (a part of the supporting means of the present invention, corresponding to the inclined surface of the present invention) is formed on the bottom surface of the groove 251 instead of the protrusion 153 (see FIG. 19). As described above, the third modification has the same configuration as that of the above-described third embodiment except that the configuration of the paper feed tray 20 is partially different. For this reason, in the third modification, the same components as those in the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those used in the third embodiment, and the description thereof is omitted. In the third modification, the side guide 281 functions as the positioning member of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 24, a restriction piece 256 is provided on the bottom wall 117 of the side guide 281. The restriction piece 256 performs the same function as the restriction piece 156. That is, the restriction piece 256 prevents the first operating portion 68 from entering the recess 76 by covering the recess 76 when the side guide 281 is disposed at the second position. The outer shape of the restriction piece 256 and the height dimension with respect to the bottom wall 117 are the same as those of the restriction piece 156. The restriction piece 256 is different from the restriction piece 156 in that a protrusion 173 (a part of the support means of the present invention, corresponding to the second protrusion of the present invention) is provided on the back surface thereof. The protrusion 173 protrudes downward on the back surface of the restriction piece 256. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 173 is formed so that the vertical cross section has a substantially triangular shape (see FIG. 25). The protrusion 173 is provided at substantially the same position as an inclined surface 177 described later in the transport direction 91 (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 24).

  As shown in FIG. 25, a groove 251 is formed on the bottom surface of the groove 151. The groove 251 is a housing space for the protrusion 173. The groove 251 extends in the width direction 94 of the paper feed tray 20, similarly to the groove 151. Further, the groove 251 is provided at a position corresponding to the protrusion 173 in the transport direction 91 (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 24). The width and depth of the groove 251 are set so that the protrusion 173 does not contact the groove 251 in a state where the side guide 281 is assembled to the paper feed tray 20. That is, the width of the groove 251 is set wider than the width of the protrusion 173 in the transport direction 91. Further, the depth of the groove 251 is set slightly deeper than the protruding amount of the protrusion 173 from the bottom surface of the restricting piece 256. When the side guide 281 is moved in the width direction 94, the protrusion 173 of the restriction piece 156 is moved along the groove 251 in the same direction as the side guide 281.

  As shown in FIG. 26, an inclined surface 177 is provided on the bottom surface of the groove 251. The inclined surface 177 is provided at a position adjacent to the recess 76 on the bottom surface of the groove 251. The inclined surface 177 is inclined with respect to the bottom surface of the groove 251 so as to become higher in the width direction 94 as it approaches the recess 76. In other words, the inclined surface 177 is inclined so as to rise from the outside of the sheet feeding tray 20 toward the center side in the width direction 94. The inclined surface 177 is ridden by the protrusion 173. For this reason, the inclined surface 177 is provided at a position corresponding to the protrusion 173 in the transport direction 91.

  In the process in which the side guide 281 is moved in the width direction 94, the protrusion 173 of the restriction piece 256 moves along the groove 251 in the same direction as the side guide 281. In the process in which the side guide 281 is moved to the second position, the protrusion 173 rides on the inclined surface 177. When the side guides 80 and 81 are moved to the second position, the protrusion 173 goes up the inclined surface 177. As a result, as shown in FIG. 27, the restricting piece 256 is lifted by the protrusion 173 and the inclined surface 177, and the immersion of the first operating portion 68 into the recess 76 is surely prevented. In the third modification, the projection 173 is provided on the back surface of the regulating piece 256, but the projection 173 may be provided on the back surface of the bottom wall 117.

  FIG. 28 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the side guides 280 and 281 are arranged at the second position.

  As shown in FIG. 28, a side guide 280 may be provided on the paper feed tray 20 instead of the side guide 80. The side guide 280 is provided with a restriction piece 257 (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention) and a protrusion 174 (a part of the support means of the present invention, corresponding to the second protrusion of the present invention) on the bottom wall 127. This is different from the side guide 80. The restricting piece 257 performs the same function as the restricting piece 157 (see FIG. 22). That is, the restricting piece 257 prevents the first operating portion 68 from entering the recess 76 by covering the recess 76 when the side guide 280 is disposed at the second position. The restriction piece 257 has the same shape as the restriction piece 157, and is provided at the same position as the restriction piece 157 with respect to the bottom wall 127. For this reason, detailed description of the configuration of the restriction piece 257 is omitted.

  The protrusion 174 protrudes downward on the back surface of the restriction piece 257. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 174 has the same shape as the protrusion 173. The protrusion 174 is provided at substantially the same position as an inclined surface 178 described later in the transport direction 91 (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 28).

  As shown in FIG. 28, a groove 252 is formed on the bottom surface of the groove 152. The groove 252 is a housing space for the protrusion 174. Similar to the groove 152, the groove 252 extends in the width direction 94 of the paper feed tray 20. Further, the groove 252 is provided at a position corresponding to the protrusion 174 in the transport direction 91 (a direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 24). The width and depth of the groove 252 are set in the same manner as the groove 251. When the side guide 280 is moved in the width direction 94, the protrusion 174 of the restriction piece 257 is moved along the groove 252 in the same direction as the side guide 280.

  As shown in FIG. 28, an inclined surface 178 is provided on the bottom surface of the groove 252. The inclined surface 178 is provided at a position adjacent to the recess 76 on the bottom surface of the groove 252. The inclined surface 178 is inclined with respect to the bottom surface of the groove 252 so as to become higher in the width direction 94 as it approaches the recess 76. In other words, the inclined surface 178 is inclined so as to rise from the outside of the sheet feeding tray 20 toward the center side in the width direction 94. The inclined surface 178 is ridden by the protrusion 174. For this reason, the inclined surface 178 is provided at a position corresponding to the protrusion 174 in the transport direction 91.

  In the process in which the side guides 280 and 281 are moved in the width direction 94, the protrusions 173 of the restriction pieces 256 move along the grooves 251. Accordingly, the protrusion 174 of the restriction piece 257 moves along the groove 252 in the direction opposite to the protrusion 173. When the side guides 280 and 281 are moved to the second position, the protrusion 173 goes up the inclined surface 177 and the protrusion 174 goes up the inclined surface 178. As a result, the restricting pieces 256 and 257 are lifted, and the immersion of the first operating portion 68 into the recess 76 is more reliably prevented.

  In the third embodiment of the present invention, the mode in which the positioning member of the present invention is the side guides 180, 181, 280, 281 has been described. However, the positioning member of the present invention may be the rear guide 120 (see FIG. 12).

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of an image recording apparatus of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view showing a cross-sectional structure of the main part of the printer unit 2. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 2, and shows the configuration of the recording unit 24. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the paper feed cassette 70. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the paper feed cassette 70. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the side guides 80 and 81 are arranged at the first position for positioning the A4 size recording paper. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the paper feed tray 20 in a state in which the side guides 80 and 81 are disposed at the second position for positioning the photographic L-size recording paper. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the structure of the separation operation mechanism 54. FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the separation operation mechanism 54. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the separation operation mechanism 54. FIG. 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view schematically showing a cross-sectional configuration of the paper feed tray 20 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20 in a state in which the side guides 80 and 181 according to the third embodiment of the present invention are arranged at the first position. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the side guide 181, and the surface side of the side guide 181 is shown. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the side guide 181, and shows the back side of the side guide 181. FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray 20 in a state in which the side guides 80 and 181 are disposed at the second position. FIG. 16 is a longitudinal sectional view of the paper feed tray 20 with the side guides 80 and 181 disposed at the first position. FIG. 17 is a longitudinal sectional view of the paper feed tray 20 with the side guides 80 and 181 disposed at the second position. 18 is an enlarged view of a portion XVIII in FIG. FIG. 19 is an enlarged view of the XIX portion in FIG. FIG. 20 is an enlarged view of a portion XX in FIG. FIG. 21 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the configuration of the separation operation mechanism 54. FIG. 22 is a plan view of the paper feed tray 20 with the side guides 180 and 181 disposed at the first position. FIG. 23 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the side guides 180 and 181 are arranged at the second position. FIG. 24 is a plan view of the paper feed tray 20 with the side guides 80 and 281 disposed at the first position. FIG. 25 is an enlarged view of the XXV portion in FIG. FIG. 26 is an enlarged view of the XXVI part in FIG. FIG. 27 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the side guides 80 and 281 are arranged at the second position. FIG. 28 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of the paper feed tray 20 in a state where the side guides 280 and 281 are arranged at the second position.

Explanation of symbols

10: Multifunction machine (an example of an image recording apparatus of the present invention)
11: Printer unit (corresponding to the recording unit of the present invention)
16 ... Feeding device (an example of a sheet conveying device of the present invention)
20 ... Paper feed tray (an example of the tray of the present invention)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 21 ... Paper discharge tray 22 ... Conveyance path 24 ... Recording unit 25 ... Paper feed roller (an example of the 1st rotary body of this invention)
50 ... Conveying roller (an example of the second rotating body of the present invention)
54... Separation operation mechanism (an example of separation operation means of the present invention)
56 ... main operating body 57 ... auxiliary operating body 76 ... concave part 80 ... side guide 81 ... side guide (an example of the positioning member of the present invention)
114 ... upper surface 117 ... bottom wall (an example of the first plate of the present invention)
118... Vertical wall (an example of the second plate of the present invention)
136... Plate (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention)
140... Rear guide (an example of the positioning member of the present invention)
146... Plate (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention)
153, 154... Projection (an example of the support means of the present invention, corresponding to the first projection of the present invention)
156, 157, 256, 257 ... restriction piece (an example of an immersion restriction member of the present invention)
167... Upper surface 173, 174... Projection (a part of the support means of the present invention, corresponding to the second projection of the present invention)
177, 178 ... inclined surface (a part of the support means of the present invention, corresponding to the inclined surface of the present invention)
180, 181, 280, 281... Side guide (an example of the positioning member of the present invention)
190 ... Torsion coil spring (an example of the biasing means of the present invention)

Claims (16)

A tray having a bottom surface on which a sheet is placed;
A first rotating body that is supported so as to be movable in a direction in which it is in contact with or separated from the tray, and that conveys the sheet in a predetermined conveyance direction by rotating in contact with the sheet on the tray;
A second rotating body provided further downstream of the first rotating body in the predetermined transport direction and further transporting the sheet transported from the tray;
A recess provided on the bottom surface of the tray on the upstream side in the predetermined transport direction from the first rotating body;
A first actuating portion that can be changed into an attitude that immerses into the recess and an attitude that retreats from the inside of the recess toward the bottom surface; A separation actuating means for separating one rotating body from the bottom surface of the tray;
A positioning member provided on the tray and movable to a first position for positioning a sheet larger than a predetermined size and a second position for positioning a sheet of the predetermined size;
When the positioning member is moved to the first position, the first actuating portion is allowed to enter the recess, and when the positioning member is moved to the second position, the recess is moved into the recess. An immersion restriction member that prevents immersion of the first operating portion of the sheet conveying device.   The first actuating unit is immersed in the recess when the sheet is not placed on the bottom surface of the tray, and is retracted from the recess when the sheet is placed on the bottom surface of the tray. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, which abuts on the top.   The length of the predetermined size in the predetermined transport direction is longer than a path length from the first rotating body to the second rotating body and shorter than a path length from the recess to the second rotating body. The sheet conveying apparatus according to 2.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined size is a size of a minimum regular sheet that can be conveyed by both the first rotating body and the second rotating body. The immersion restriction member is provided on the positioning member,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the positioning member is moved to the second position, the immersion restriction member is disposed at a position covering the concave portion. The positioning member is configured in parallel with the bottom surface of the tray, and supports a first plate that supports an end portion of a sheet placed on the tray from the lower surface thereof, and is placed on the tray and is erected from the first plate. A second plate having a side surface abutted against the end of the sheet to be made,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the immersion restriction member extends from the first plate in a moving direction of the positioning member.   The positioning member is configured to be movable in the width direction substantially orthogonal to the predetermined conveying direction on the tray, and the side surface of the second plate is at the end in the width direction of the sheet placed on the tray. The sheet conveying device according to claim 6, which abuts.   The positioning member is configured to be movable on the tray along the predetermined conveyance direction, and an end portion on the upstream side of the predetermined conveyance direction in the sheet on which the side surface of the second plate is placed on the tray The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 6, which abuts on the sheet.   The sheet conveyance device according to claim 7, wherein the immersion restriction member is provided on each of the two positioning members provided on both sides in the width direction of the sheet placed on the tray. A biasing means for biasing the separation actuating means in a direction to cause the first actuating part to be immersed in the recess;
The urging means transmits an urging force to one side in the width direction of the separation operation means,
The sheet conveyance device according to claim 7, wherein the immersion restriction member is provided on the positioning member on the one side.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 5 to 10, further comprising support means for supporting the immersion restriction member when the positioning member is moved to the second position. And further comprising support means for supporting the immersion restriction member when the positioning member is moved to the second position.
The upper surface of the immersion restriction member is lower than the upper surface of the first plate,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10, wherein the support means lifts the immersion restriction member when the positioning member is moved to the second position.   The support means includes a first protrusion that is provided in the vicinity of the recess on the bottom surface of the tray, and on which the immersion control member or the first plate rides when the positioning member is moved to the second position. 12. A sheet conveying apparatus according to item 12. The support means is
A second protrusion provided on the back surface of the immersion control member or the back surface of the first plate;
The sheet conveyance according to claim 12, further comprising: an inclined surface that is provided in the vicinity of the concave portion on the bottom surface of the tray and that rides on the second protrusion when the positioning member is moved to the second position. apparatus. A support member that supports the first rotating body so as to be movable in a direction of moving toward and away from the tray;
The separation operation means is
An operating body having a base end rotatably attached to the support member and extending upstream from the first rotating body in the predetermined transport direction;
A second operating portion provided on the lower surface of the operating body on the downstream side in the predetermined transport direction,
The first operating part is provided on the lower surface of the operating body upstream of the predetermined transport direction than the second operating part,
15. When the first operating part is immersed in the recess, the second operating part comes into contact with the bottom surface of the tray and moves the support member in a direction away from the bottom surface of the tray. The sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of the above. A sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 15, comprising:
An image recording apparatus having a recording unit for recording an image on a sheet conveyed by the sheet conveying apparatus.

Images