JP4895015B2 - Recording medium feeding apparatus, recording apparatus, and liquid ejecting apparatus - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recording medium feeding apparatus that feeds a recording medium and a recording apparatus including the recording medium feeding apparatus. The present invention also relates to a liquid ejecting apparatus.
Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus uses an ink jet recording head, and is not limited to a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile machine that discharges ink from the recording head to perform recording on a recording medium. And a device that ejects a liquid corresponding to the application from a liquid ejecting head corresponding to the ink jet recording head to an ejected medium corresponding to a recording medium, and adheres the liquid to the ejected medium. .

  In addition to the recording head, as a liquid ejecting head, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, and an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming an electrode such as an organic EL display or a surface emitting display (FED) Examples thereof include an ejection head, a bioorganic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and a sample ejection head as a precision pipette.

  A printer as an example of a recording apparatus or a liquid ejecting apparatus employs a configuration in which a plurality of driving objects are driven by a single motor from the viewpoint of cost reduction of the apparatus. Further, a power transmission switching device is provided between one motor and a plurality of driving objects, and is often configured to selectively drive a necessary driving object only when necessary.

  An example of the power transmission switching device is a planetary gear mechanism. That is, by using a planetary gear that meshes with the sun gear and that performs planetary movement as the sun gear rotates, the planetary gear is directed to the gear to which power should be transmitted by switching the rotation direction of the sun gear. Move and mesh.

Here, if the planetary gear is separated from the gear to which power is to be transmitted, the power is cut off, so that there is a case where a lock means is provided so that the planetary gear does not move. Patent Document 1 describes a lock device that locks a planetary gear so that the planetary gear is not separated from the gear to which power is to be transmitted.
JP 2000-266155 A

  In the locking device described in Patent Document 1, a notch portion is formed in a planetary lever that pivotally supports a planetary gear, and a convex locking portion that fits into the notch portion is attached to the notch portion by a solenoid. To move forward and backward. And, since it is configured to lock the planetary gear by fitting the convex locking part to the notch part, a large-scale structure is required, which increases the cost and meets the demand for space saving. I can't.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such problems, and its purpose is to reduce the cost and reduce the size of the means for maintaining the meshing state between the planetary gear and the gear to which power should be transmitted. In particular, it is intended to reduce the cost and size by utilizing the components of the printer feeding device.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first aspect of the present invention supports a recording medium, a feeding roller that feeds the recording medium downstream by contacting and rotating the recording medium, A recording medium comprising: a hopper capable of switching between a first posture in which the uppermost supported recording medium is brought into contact with the feeding roller and a second posture in which the uppermost one is separated from the feeding roller. The hopper driving means for switching the attitude of the hopper is a power transmission switching means for selectively transmitting power from a driving source to the hopper , and the power from the driving source is transmitted by the power transmission switching means. The second shape of the hopper during one rotation of the hopper cam gear by being provided on the hopper cam gear to be transmitted and engaging with a hopper cam cam follower provided on the hopper. And a hopper cam that executes switching from the first posture to the second posture, and the power transmission switching means includes a sun gear, A planetary gear that meshes with the sun gear and planetarily moves around the sun gear as the sun gear rotates, and a planet that is provided so as to be swingable about the rotation center of the sun gear and that supports the planetary gear A gear support member, and the planetary gear support member includes a cover portion engageable with a lock portion formed on the hopper cam gear or a gear rotating at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear. A lock portion is formed, and the lock portion restrains the operation of the locked portion so that the meshing state of the planetary gear is maintained at a specific rotation phase of the hopper cam gear. And a restrained state in which the operation of the locked portion is restrained by the lock portion along with the rotation of the hopper cam gear, and a non-restrained state in which the operation of the locked portion is not restrained by the lock portion. It is configured to be switched.

  According to this aspect, the planetary gear is pivotally supported by the planetary gear support member, and the planetary gear support member is formed with the locked portion, and on the other hand, rotates at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear or the hopper cam gear. A lock part is formed on the gear, and the locked part and the lock part can be engaged with each other.

  The lock portion has a shape that restricts the operation of the locked portion so that the meshing state of the planetary gear is maintained in a specific rotation phase of the hopper cam gear, and with the rotation of the hopper cam gear, the locked portion is moved by the lock portion. Switching is made between a restrained state in which the operation is restrained and an unconstrained state in which the operation of the locked portion is not restrained by the lock portion. That is, since the gears constituting the power transmission switching means are configured to maintain (lock) the planetary gear meshing state, the means for maintaining the planetary gear meshing state can be reduced in cost and size. it can.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium feeding device according to the first aspect, the locked portion is a disk surface of the hopper cam gear or a gear that rotates at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear. It is comprised by the rib formed in a disk surface, The said to-be-locked part is comprised by the boss | hub which can be engaged with the said rib, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.

  According to this aspect, the locked part is configured by a rib formed on a disk surface of the hopper cam gear or a disk surface of a gear that rotates at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear. Since the portion is constituted by a boss that can be engaged with the rib, the locked portion and the lock portion can be configured simply and at low cost.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium feeding device according to the second aspect, the rib is extended so as to form a closed region surrounding the boss.
According to this aspect, since the rib extends so as to form a closed region surrounding the boss, the boss is rotated by the user's hand, for example, so that the boss is locked to the locked portion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent a situation where the position is not restrained by the locked portion.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium feeding device according to the third aspect, the extended portion of the rib causes the locked portion to be connected to the lock portion as the hopper cam gear rotates. It is characterized by having a guide shape for guiding to the side.
According to this aspect, the extended portion of the rib forms a guide shape that guides the locked portion toward the lock portion as the hopper cam gear rotates. For example, when the boss is turned by a user's hand, the boss can be prevented from coming into strong contact with the extending portion of the rib and being damaged.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium feeding device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the hopper is switched so that the hopper is switched from the second posture to the first posture. Hopper urging means for urging the hopper, and when the hopper switches from the second position to the first position during one rotation of the hopper cam gear, the locked portion It is formed so as to restrain the movement of

  When the hopper is switched from the second position to the first position by the urging force of the hopper urging means, the hopper cam receives a force from the hopper urging means and tends to rotate vigorously. Due to the influence, the planetary gear may be separated from the gear meshing at this time. However, since the lock portion restrains the operation of the locked portion when the hopper is switched from the second posture to the first posture, it is possible to prevent such a problem from occurring.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the recording medium feeding device according to the fifth aspect, a biasing force is applied to the hopper cam gear or a gear meshing with the hopper cam gear so that the hopper cam is biased to the hopper. has a braking means for reducing the tendency to recognize around said hopper cam gear by the force received from the unit, when the locking part is, that the biasing force of said brake means during one rotation of the hopper cam gear is released in, characterized in that constraining the behavior of the locked portion.

  When the hopper is switched from the second position to the first position by the urging force of the hopper urging means, there is a case where a collision sound in which the recording medium loaded on the hopper collides with the feeding roller may be generated. . The brake means applies a biasing force to the hopper cam gear or a gear meshing with the hopper cam gear, thereby preventing the hopper from switching from the second posture to the first posture and mitigating the collision noise. Or prevent its occurrence.

  On the other hand, when the urging force by the brake means is released, the hopper cam tends to rotate vigorously due to the sudden release of the urging force, and this influence causes the planetary gear to mesh at this time. There is a possibility that it will be separated from the gears that do. However, since the lock portion restrains the operation of the locked portion when the urging force by the brake means is released, it is possible to prevent such a problem from occurring.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus comprising recording means for recording on a recording medium, the recording target according to any one of the first to sixth aspects provided upstream of the recording means. A medium feeding device is provided. According to this aspect, in the recording apparatus, it is possible to obtain the same operational effects as the first to sixth aspects.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid ejecting means for ejecting a liquid onto the ejected medium, an upstream side of the liquid ejecting means, and the ejected medium is brought downstream by contacting and rotating the ejected medium. A feeding roller for feeding, a first posture for supporting the ejected medium and bringing the uppermost one of the supported ejected media into contact with the feeding roller, and a second posture for separating the feeding medium from the feeding roller An ejected medium feeding device comprising a hopper capable of switching between postures, wherein hopper driving means for switching the posture of the hopper selectively transmits power from a driving source to the hopper And a hopper cam gear to which power from the drive source is transmitted by the power transmission switching means and engaging with a hopper cam cam follower provided in the hopper. A hopper cam that performs switching of the hopper from the second position to the first position and switching from the first position to the second position during one rotation of the puck gear. The power transmission switching means includes a sun gear, a planetary gear meshing with the sun gear and planetarily moving around the sun gear as the sun gear rotates, and a center of rotation of the sun gear. And a planetary gear support member that pivotally supports the planetary gear, and the planetary gear support member has the same reduction ratio as that of the hopper cam gear or the hopper cam gear. A locked portion that is engageable with a lock portion formed on a rotating gear is formed, and the lock portion is configured to be configured to be configured so that the planetary gear is in a specific rotation phase of the hopper cam gear. The locked portion has a shape that restrains the operation of the locked portion so that the meshing state is maintained, and the locked portion is restrained by the locking portion as the hopper cam gear rotates, and the locked portion The part is configured to switch between an unconstrained state in which the operation is not restrained by the lock part.

Hereinafter, embodiments of a “recording medium feeding device”, a “recording device”, and a “liquid ejecting device” according to the invention will be described based on the drawings.
<< Inkjet printer configuration >>
First, the configuration of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) as an embodiment of “recording apparatus” and “liquid ejecting apparatus” will be outlined with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view of the printer 1.

  The printer 1 includes a rear feeding device 2 as an embodiment of a “recording medium feeding device” at the rear of the device, and a front feeding device 3 at the bottom of the device. From these two feeding devices, a conveying means 5 is provided. A recording paper (hereinafter referred to as “paper P”) as “recording medium” or “ejection medium” is fed to the head. The paper P is transported by the transport means 5 to the recording means 4 (recording head 55). After recording is performed, the paper P is discharged by a discharge means 6 to a stacker (not shown).

Hereinafter, the components on the paper transport path will be described in more detail.
1 and 2, the rear feeding device 2 includes a hopper 16, a feeding roller 11, a retard roller 26, and a return lever 33 as components on the paper feeding path.
The hopper 16 that supports the sheet P in an inclined posture is provided so as to be able to swing around an upper swing fulcrum 16a. By swinging, the sheet P supported on the hopper 16 is pressed against the feeding roller 11. The first posture to be moved (hereinafter referred to as “upward posture”) and the second posture to be separated from the feeding roller 11 (hereinafter referred to as “downward posture”) are switched. The attitude switching operation of the hopper 16 is executed by a hopper driving means 102 described later.

  The feed roller 11 has a circular shape, and the outer periphery is formed of a high friction material, and is provided at a position biased to one digit side (the right side in FIG. 2) in the rotation axis direction of the feed roller rotation shaft 12. The feed roller 11 contacts and rotates with the paper P pushed up by the hopper 16 to feed the uppermost paper P downstream. The feeding roller 16 is driven by feeding roller driving means 101 described later.

  The retard roller 26 has a circular shape, and the outer periphery is formed of a high friction material. The retard roller 26 is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the feed roller 11 at a position facing the feed roller 11, and is provided in a state where a predetermined rotational resistance is given by a torque limiter mechanism. Accordingly, when only the uppermost sheet P to be fed exists between the retard roller 26 and the feeding roller 11, the retard roller 26 is driven to rotate, and the next and subsequent sheets P are present. In this case, the sheet P is stopped without being driven and rotated by the sliding action between the sheets, thereby preventing the next and subsequent sheets P from being double-fed. The advance / retreat operation of the retard roller 26 with respect to the feed roller 11 is executed by a hopper driving means 102 described later.

  A plurality of return levers 33 are provided on a rotating shaft 34 extending in the sheet width direction, and can swing when viewed from the side of the sheet feeding path as indicated by a solid line and a virtual line in FIG. The return lever 33 shown by the solid line in FIG. 1 indicates a standby posture. When the feeding operation starts, the return lever 33 swings in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. Open the route.

  After the leading edge of the uppermost sheet P to be fed passes through the return lever 33, it swings in the clockwise direction in FIG. Subsequent sheets P are returned onto the hopper 16. Then, when the feeding operation is finished, it swings in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 1 so as to fall slightly downstream, and again returns to the posture shown by the solid line in FIG. The return lever 33 is driven by hopper driving means 102 described later.

On the other hand, the front feeding device 3 provided at the bottom of the printer 1 and configured to set the paper P from the front of the device includes a paper feeding cassette 40, a pickup roller 41, a feeding roller 42, a retard roller 39, and the like. , And an assist roller 43.
A pickup roller 41 that is rotationally driven by a feed roller driving means 102 to be described later rotates in contact with the uppermost one of the paper P set in the paper feed cassette 40 that can be mounted and removed from the front side of the apparatus. The uppermost paper P is fed out from the paper feed cassette 40. The feeding roller 42 is rotationally driven by a driving unit (not shown), reverses the uppermost sheet P fed out from the sheet feeding cassette 40, and feeds it to the conveying unit 5 after the sheet guidance 50.

  A retard roller 39 is provided at a position facing the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller 42 so as to be able to advance and retreat with respect to the feed roller 42, and when the uppermost paper P is fed out from the paper feed cassette 40. Forms the nip point by pressing against the feeding roller 42, and the leading edge of the next and subsequent sheets P fed from the sheet feeding cassette 40 along with the uppermost sheet P to be fed is moved to the nip. Stay near the point. The assist roller 43 is provided so as to be in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the feed roller 42, and feeds the paper P accompanying the rotation of the feed roller 42 by nipping the paper P with the feed roller 42. Assist.

  Next, on the downstream side of the rear feeding device 2 and the front feeding device 3, a paper guiding post 50 for guiding the fed paper P to the conveying means 5 and a paper guiding top 49 are provided. The paper P fed by the rear feeding device 2 and the front feeding device 3 is guided to the conveying means 5 by a post-paper guide 50 and a paper guide top 49. Reference numeral 46 denotes a guide roller that forms the feeding posture of the paper P fed from the rear feeding device 2. Although not shown in FIG. 1, a paper detection sensor 52 (see FIG. 2) that detects the passage of the paper P is provided in the paper transport path formed by the paper guide 50 and the paper guide top 49.

  The transport means 5 includes a transport drive roller 47 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and a transport driven roller 48 that is driven to rotate by elastic contact with the transport drive roller 47 from above. A plurality of transport driven rollers 48 are arranged in the direction of the rotation axis of the transport drive roller 47 and are supported by a paper guide 49. The paper P fed from the rear feeding device 2 or the front feeding device 3 is conveyed by the conveying means 5 to the recording means 4 (recording head 55) on the downstream side.

  The recording head 55 is provided at the bottom of the carriage 53, and the carriage 53 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction by a motor (not shown) while being guided by a carriage guide shaft 54 extending in the main scanning direction (front and back direction in FIG. 1). Driven by. The carriage 53 is equipped with independent ink cartridges (not shown) for each of a plurality of colors, and ink is supplied from the ink cartridges to the recording head 55. At a position facing the recording head 55, there is provided a paper guide front 51 that has a shape extending in the paper width direction and supports the paper from below and guides it to the downstream side. A distance from the recording head 55 is defined.

  On the downstream side of the recording unit 4, a discharge unit 6 that discharges the recorded paper P is provided. The discharge means 6 includes a discharge drive roller 56 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and a discharge driven roller 57 that is driven to rotate in contact with the discharge drive roller 56, and is a sheet on which recording is performed by the recording means 4. P is discharged by a discharge means 6 to a stacker (not shown) provided on the front side of the apparatus. The above is the general configuration of the printer 1.

<< Configuration of power transmission switching device >>
Hereinafter, the configuration of the power transmission switching device provided in the rear feeding device 2 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 11. Here, FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the relationship between the driving source of the rear feeding device 2 and its driving target, FIGS. 4 and 5 are perspective views of the power transmission switching devices 60 and 61, and FIG. 6 is the rotating plate 20 and HOME. FIG. 7 is a front view of the power transmission switching device 60, and FIGS. 8 to 11 are operation diagrams of main components of the rear feeding device 2. In FIG. 5, for convenience of illustration, the ASF sub motor 63 is not shown.

  First, an outline will be given with reference to FIG. The rear feeding device 2 has two driving systems, that is, a feeding roller driving unit 101 and a hopper driving unit 102. The feed roller driving means 101 has an ASF motor 62 as a drive source and a power transmission switching device 60. The power of the ASF motor 62 is fed to the rear feeding device 2 via the power transmission switching device 60. This is selectively transmitted to either the roller 11 or the pickup roller 41 (FIG. 1) of the front feeding device 3.

  The hopper driving means 102 includes an ASF sub motor 63 as a drive source and a power transmission switching device 61, and a hopper cam (described later) for switching the attitude of the hopper 16 from the ASF sub motor 63 and a return lever cam for swinging the return lever 33. On / off switching of power transmission to both (described later) is performed via the power transmission switching device 61. The retard roller 26 and the sheet regulating member 30 perform an advance / retreat operation to the feed roller 11 in conjunction with the attitude switching operation of the hopper 16 as described above. Reference numeral 100 denotes a control unit that controls the ASF motor 62 (feed roller driving means 101) and the ASF sub motor 63 (hopper driving means 102).

A specific configuration will be described below with reference to FIGS.
The ASF motor 62 and the power transmission switching device 60 are provided at the lower right side of the frame 10 that constitutes the base of the rear feeding device 2 (FIG. 2). The power transmission switching device 60 starts with a pinion gear 65 attached to the rotation shaft of the ASF motor 62 and transmits power in the order of gears 66 and 67. Here, the gear 67 has a function of a sun gear, and two planetary gears 69 and 70 are provided on a holder 68 that swings around a rotation shaft 68 a of the sun gear 67. The two planetary gears 69 and 70 mesh with the sun gear 67 and planetarily move around the sun gear 67 according to the rotation of the sun gear 67. For example, when the sun gear 67 rotates in the clockwise direction of FIG. 70 meshes with the gear 71, whereby power is transmitted to the feed roller gear 72 attached to the feed roller rotating shaft 12, and the feed roller 11 is driven. On the contrary, when rotating in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 4, the planetary gear 69 meshes with the gear 88 (see reference numerals 69 and 69 ′ in FIG. 7), thereby driving the pickup roller 41 of the front feeding device 3. .

  That is, the feed roller driving means 101 can select a state in which power is transmitted to the feed roller 11 and a state in which power is not transmitted by switching the rotation direction of the ASF motor 62, that is, the feed roller. 11, the power of the ASF motor 62 can be selectively transmitted.

  The ASF sub motor 63 and the power transmission switching device 61 are provided on the upper right side of the frame 10 constituting the base of the rear feeding device 2 (FIG. 2). The power transmission switching device 61 starts with a pinion gear 75 attached to the rotation shaft of the ASF sub motor 63 and transmits power in the order of the gears 76 and 78. Here, the gear 76 has a function of a sun gear, and meshes with the sun gear 76 as a “planetary gear support member” that oscillates around the rotation axis of the sun gear 76, and the sun gear 76. A planetary gear 78 that performs planetary movement around the gear 76 is provided.

  Accordingly, when the sun gear 76 rotates, for example, in the counterclockwise direction of FIG. 5, the planetary gear 78 meshes with the gear 79 as the meshed gear, and the hopper 16, the return lever 33, etc. are driven. Conversely, when the sun gear 76 rotates in the clockwise direction of FIG. 5, the planetary gear 78 is separated from the gear 79, and the hopper 16, the return lever 33, etc. are not driven.

  That is, the planetary gear 78 can be selected between a state in which the planetary gear 78 is engaged with the gear 79 and a state in which the planetary gear 78 is not engaged with the gear 79, that is, can be selectively engaged with the gear 79. Thus, by switching the rotation direction of the ASF sub motor 63, it is possible to switch whether the hopper 16, the return lever 33, etc. are driven or not.

  Next, the gear wheel train and the cam mechanism ahead of the gear 79 will be described. The gear 79 meshes with a spring cam gear 80, and a hopper cam gear 82 is connected to the spring cam gear 80. The spring cam gear 80 and the hopper cam gear 82 are configured to rotate integrally. That is, the spring cam gear 80 and the hopper cam gear 82 have the same rotation center and are rotated by the same rotation angle.

  A hopper cam 83 is formed on the disk surface of the hopper cam gear 82, and this hopper cam 83 can be engaged with a hopper cam follower 16 b (see FIGS. 8 to 11) formed on the hopper 16. Here, a hopper spring 17 (FIG. 1) is provided on the back side of the hopper 16 as hopper urging means, and the hopper 16 is urged by the hopper spring 17 from the lowered position to the raised position. .

  Accordingly, the hopper 16 is switched from the lowered position to the raised position by the urging force of the hopper spring 17, and the hopper cam 83 pushes the hopper cam follower 16 b against the urging force of the hopper spring 17, thereby switching from the raised position to the lowered position. It is supposed to change. As described above, the attitude of the hopper 16 is switched by the ASF sub motor 63. Further, the shape of the hopper cam 83 is determined so that the hopper 16 is switched from the lowered posture to the raised posture and from the raised posture to the lowered posture during one rotation of the hopper cam gear 82.

  Next, a gear 84 is meshed with the hopper cam gear 82, and a return lever cam gear 86 is meshed with the gear 84. A return lever cam 85 is formed on the return lever cam gear 86, and this return lever cam 85 is engaged with a return lever cam follower (not shown) attached to the rotating shaft 34 (FIG. 1) of the return lever 33. . Thereby, the swinging motion of the return lever 33 is executed by the power of the ASF sub motor 63.

  The reduction ratio when power is transmitted from the hopper cam gear 82 to the return lever cam gear 86 via the gear 84 is 1: 1. Therefore, these gears of the spring cam gear 80, the hopper cam gear 82, and the return lever cam gear 86 are provided. The rotation ratio is 1: 1: 1, and all rotate by the same rotation angle.

  Subsequently, in FIG. 5, reference numeral 90 indicates a rotating plate connected to the gear 84. As shown in FIG. 6, flags 90a, 90b, and 90c are provided on the outer periphery of the rotating plate 90, and holes indicated by reference numerals 90d and 90e are formed on the disk surface. A HOME sensor 91 as an optical sensor including a light emitting unit and a light receiving unit and a phase sensor 92 are provided at a position facing the outer periphery of the rotating plate 90. The HOME sensor 91 has its optical axis rotated. The phase sensor 92 is provided so as to block the disk surface of the plate 90 and the optical axis of the phase sensor 92 so as to block the passage areas of the flags 90a, 90b, 90c. Note that an arrow R in FIG. 6 indicates the rotation direction of the rotating plate 90.

  Accordingly, the HOME sensor 91 passes through the hole 90d (hereinafter referred to as “HOME position detection hole 90d”) and the hole 90e (hereinafter referred to as “spring release position detection hole 90e”) as the rotating plate 90 rotates. The phase sensor 92 can detect the passage of the flags 90a, 90b, 90c as the rotating plate 90 rotates. Since the rotating plate 90 is connected to the gear 84, the reduction ratio when rotating with respect to the spring cam gear 80, the hopper cam gear 82, and the return lever cam gear 86 is 1: 1, and the rotating plate 90 rotates by the same rotation angle. Will be.

  Next, planetary gear holding means for holding the meshing state between the planetary gear 70 and the gear 71 of the power transmission switching device 60 will be described. As shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 4, FIG. 5, etc., the power transmission switching device 60 includes a coil spring 93 constituting “brake means”. The coil spring 93 is loosely inserted into a projection 10c formed on the frame 10 of the rear feeding device 2 at one end of the coil spring 93, and one end of the coil spring 93 can be engaged with the spring engaging portion 68b of the holder 68 as a first action portion 93b. Further, the other end is provided as a second action portion 93a so as to be engageable with a planetary lock cam 81 formed on the spring cam gear 80.

  Hereinafter, the function of the coil spring 93 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11. FIG. 8 shows a state when the hopper cam 83 pushes down the hopper cam follower 16b and the hopper 16 takes a lowered posture (a state before starting feeding). In this state, the second action portion 93a of the coil spring 93 and the planetary lock cam 81 are in a disengaged state.

  At the time of paper feeding, the ASF sub motor 63 is first rotated from this state. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9, the planetary lock cam 81 and the second action part 93a of the coil spring 93 are engaged, and the first action part 93b of the coil spring 93 attaches the holder 68 in the counterclockwise direction in the figure. Rush. As a result, the planetary gear 70 meshes with the gear 71 and the meshed state is maintained. 8 to 11, the gear 71 is not shown for the sake of simplicity.

  When the hopper 16 is switched to the ascending posture by the rotation of the ASF sub motor 63, the ASF sub motor 63 temporarily stops its rotation, and then the ASF motor 62 starts to rotate. As a result, the feeding roller 11 is driven, and the uppermost sheet P in pressure contact with the feeding roller 11 is fed downstream.

  Almost at the same time as the leading edge of the fed paper P reaches the transport means 5 (FIG. 1) and the transport of the paper by the transport means 5 starts, the stopped ASF sub motor 63 starts rotating again, and the hopper 16 Switching operation from the rising posture to the lowering posture is started (FIG. 11). When the hopper 16 is switched to the lowered posture, both the ASF motor 62 and the ASF sub motor 63 are stopped. Thereafter, the paper P is transported by the transport means 5.

  Here, when the hopper 16 is switched from the rising posture to the lowering posture, the engagement state between the second action portion 93a of the coil spring 93 and the planetary lock cam 81 is also released. At this time, the second action portion 93a is moved to the planetary lock cam. If it deviates from 81 at a stretch, a big noise may generate | occur | produce for it. Therefore, a slope 81a is formed at the rear end of the planetary lock cam 81, and the second action portion 93a of the coil spring 93 is configured to gradually release the engagement state with the planetary lock cam 81 (FIG. 10, FIG. 11).

  The effect of the power transmission switching device 60 configured as described above will be described. The holder 68 is energized by a coil spring 93 that exerts an energizing force by the action of the planetary lock cam 81 formed on the disk surface of the spring cam gear 80, whereby the meshing state between the planetary gear 70 and the gear 71 is maintained (locked). )

  Therefore, the meshing state between the planetary gear 70 and the gear 71 can be held (locked) by the constituent elements of the planetary lock cam 81 and the coil spring 93, and the means for maintaining the meshing state between the planetary gear 70 and the gear 71 can be reduced in cost. In addition, the size can be reduced.

  In addition, in order to feed the paper, it is necessary to transmit power to the feeding roller 11 when the hopper 16 takes the rising posture, but the planetary lock cam 81 is a hopper cam that switches the posture of the hopper 16. 83 is formed in the spring cam gear 80 that rotates at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear 82 in which the 83 is formed, so that the meshing state between the planetary gear 70 and the gear 71 can be maintained with the simple configuration and the attitude switching of the hopper 16. Can be linked.

  By the way, when the hopper 16 receives the urging force of the hopper spring 17 and switches from the lowered position to the raised position, a reaction force from the hopper spring 17 acts on the hopper cam 83, thereby causing a tendency for the hopper cam 83 to rotate. For this reason, the paper P supported by the hopper 16 collides with the feeding roller 11 vigorously, and there is a possibility that an unpleasant collision sound is generated.

Here, the hopper cam gear 82 on which the hopper cam 83 is formed and the spring cam gear 80 on which the planetary lock cam 81 is formed rotate integrally. The planetary lock cam 81 receives a reaction force from the coil spring 93. The section receiving this reaction force and the section in which the hopper cam 83 is about to rotate by receiving the reaction force of the hopper spring 17 are substantially coincident (section z _{1 in} FIG. 13), and the hopper cam 17 is biased by the urging force of the hopper spring 17. The direction in which the gear 82 is to be rotated and the direction in which the spring cam gear 82 is to be rotated by the biasing force of the coil spring 93 are opposite.

  That is, the urging force of the coil spring 93 acts as a brake when the hopper cam gear 82 is rotated by receiving the urging force of the hopper spring 17, and the sheet P supported by the hopper 16 thereby. However, it is possible to mitigate the collision noise that occurs due to the collision with the feeding roller 11 vigorously. In order to obtain such effects, the planetary lock cam 81 meshes with the hopper cam gear 82, a gear provided integrally with the hopper cam gear 82 (this embodiment: spring cam gear 80), and the hopper cam gear 82. It is necessary to be provided on at least one of the gears.

<< Description of paper feeding mode >>
Next, the sheet feeding mode will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 and other drawings. 12 is an operation timing chart of main components of the rear feeding device 2, and FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing the relationship between the swing angle of the hopper 16 and the torsion angle of the coil spring 93.

  In the rear feeding device 2 according to the present embodiment, the feeding roller driving unit 101 and the hopper driving unit 102 are configured separately and independently as described above, and the control unit 100 serving as a control unit that controls them is provided. (FIG. 3) is capable of executing three modes: a first feeding mode, a second feeding mode, and a spring release mode. The spring release mode is not used during normal printing.

  Below, the 1st feeding mode and the 2nd feeding mode are explained first. The first feeding mode is a mode in which the posture of the hopper 16 is switched for each sheet when feeding a plurality of sheets P, and the second feeding mode is the raising of the hopper 16. In this mode, a plurality of sheets of paper P are fed without rotating the posture of the hopper 16 by rotating the feeding roller 11 while maintaining the posture.

  Whether the control unit 100 selects the first feeding mode or the second feeding mode is selected according to recording mode information transmitted from a computer device connected to the printer 1, for example. In the present embodiment, the control unit 100 selects the second feeding mode when recording on plain paper at a high speed (generally also referred to as a draft mode), and sets the first feeding mode for other recordings. It is configured to select.

  The horizontal axis in FIG. 12 indicates the rotational phase (deg) of the spring cam gear 80, the hopper cam gear 82, and the return lever cam gear 86, and 0 deg on the horizontal axis indicates the state before starting the feeding operation (the state in FIG. 8). ing. “UP” in the chart of the hopper 16 means an ascending posture, and “DOWN” indicates a descending posture (at the same time, the vertical scale indicates the swing angle of the hopper 16). The vertical axis in the chart of the retard roller 26 and the paper regulating member 30 indicates the distance from the feeding roller 11, and the vertical axis in the chart of the return lever 33 indicates the swing angle of the return lever 33. The return lever 33 indicates a swing angle in a direction in which the standby state is 0 deg, the upper side is tilted to the downstream side, and the lower side is tilted to the upstream side.

  The home sensor 91 and the phase sensor 92 show detected waveforms. “ON” means that the optical axis is in a non-blocking state (light receiving state), and “OFF” indicates a state where the optical axis is blocked. It means that. More specifically, in the case of the HOME sensor 91, the optical axis is not cut off at the position of the HOME position detection hole 90d or the spring release position detection hole 90e (FIG. 6), and in the case of the phase sensor 92, the flags 90a, 90b, 90c. The optical axis is cut off at the position. In FIG. 12, positions on the waveform are indicated by reference numerals 90a to 90e, respectively.

  The control unit 100 can detect the HOME position (rotation phase 0 deg) based on the combination of the detection states of the HOME sensor 91 and the phase sensor 92, and the current rotation phase can be detected on any of the detection waveforms of the phase sensor 92. It is possible to detect whether it is within the section.

  In the first feeding mode, each component of the rear feeding device 2 performs a series of operations shown in FIG. 12 (operations associated with one rotation (360 deg rotation) of the hopper cam gear 82 and the like) with a plurality of sheets P. This is always done once every time one sheet is fed. That is, when feeding a plurality of sheets P, the posture of the hopper 16 is switched for each sheet.

  However, when feeding one sheet P, the ASF sub motor 63 temporarily stops at the position (a) and the position (b). Here, the reason for stopping at the position (a) is that it is necessary to obtain a double feed preventing action by the retard roller 26 until the leading edge of the sheet reaches the conveying means 5. The reason for stopping at the position (b) is that while the recording is being performed on the fed paper P, the return lever 33 is tilted further upstream than the standby position, so This is because the sheet is sufficiently retracted so as not to come into strong contact with the sheet being fed while preventing the avalanche, and an excessively curved posture is not formed on the sheet P being recorded.

  In the case of the second feeding mode, each component of the rear feeding device 2 performs a series of operations shown in FIG. 12 only once throughout feeding a plurality of sheets P. In other words, by rotating the feeding roller 11 while keeping the posture of the hopper 16 in the raised posture, a plurality of sheets P are fed without switching the posture of the hopper 16.

  In the second feeding mode, the ASF sub motor 63 starts rotating to feed the first sheet, and then stops at the position (a). Thereafter, the ASF sub motor 63 is not driven, that is, the hopper 16 ASF motor 62 is driven while feeding is maintained in the raised posture, and the last sheet is fed. For the last sheet, the ASF sub motor 63 is driven before recording is started and rotated to the position (b) as in the first feeding mode, and the return lever 33 is further upstream than the standby position. Defeat. Then, after completion of the last sheet discharge operation, the ASF sub motor 63 is driven to return each component shown in FIG. 12 to the HOME position (rotation phase 0 deg).

  When a plurality of sheets are continuously fed by rotating the feeding roller 11 while the hopper 16 is maintained in the raised position, the distance between the trailing edge of the preceding sheet and the leading edge of the following sheet is zero. If this is the case, the paper detection sensor 52 (FIG. 2) cannot detect the passage of the leading and trailing edges of the sheet, and the recording start position cannot be grasped. Therefore, control for forming an interval between the trailing edge of the preceding sheet and the leading edge of the succeeding sheet (hereinafter referred to as “inter-page control”) is executed.

  In the inter-page control, the ASF motor 63 is temporarily driven when the trailing edge of the preceding paper is located downstream from the nip point between the feeding roller 11 and the retard roller 26 and upstream from the paper detection sensor 52. Do by stopping. When the trailing edge of the preceding sheet is located between the nip point between the feeding roller 11 and the retard roller 26 and the sheet detection sensor 52, the preceding sheet is conveyed by the conveying unit 5 on the downstream side. Yes. On the other hand, the following paper is fed by the feed roller 11. Therefore, once the driving of the feeding roller 11 is stopped, an interval can be formed between the trailing edge of the preceding sheet and the leading edge of the succeeding sheet, and the passage of the leading and trailing edges of the sheet is detected by the paper detection sensor 52. Can be detected.

  As described above, in the rear feeding device 2 according to the present embodiment, the feeding roller driving unit 101 and the hopper driving unit 102 are configured separately and independently, and the control unit 100 raises the hopper 16. By rotating the feeding roller 11 while maintaining the posture, the second feeding mode for feeding a plurality of sheets without changing the posture of the hopper 16 is executed, so that the hopper 16 is maintained in the raised posture. The degree of freedom of control when continuously feeding sheets can be ensured, and the hopper 16 can be driven in a short time, so that high throughput can be achieved.

  In addition, since the second feeding mode is executed only when the paper is plain paper, a request for high throughput required for plain paper, a request for emphasizing recording quality required for paper other than plain paper, Can be achieved.

  Next, the spring release mode will be described. In the spring release mode, the hopper cam 83 and the planetary lock cam 81 are disengaged between the planetary lock cam 81 and the second action portion 93a of the coil spring 93 before the hopper 16 is switched from the raised posture to the lowered posture. This is a control mode for positioning to the rotational phase.

  The details will be described below. The horizontal axis of FIG. 13 is the same as FIG. 12, and the operation chart of the hopper 16 and the detection waveforms of the HOME sensor 91 and the phase sensor 92 are also the same as those shown in FIG. Regarding the torsion angle of the coil spring 93 indicated by the one-dot chain line, for example, the non-engagement state (FIG. 8) between the second action portion 93a of the coil spring 93 and the planetary lock cam 81 is zero, and FIGS. As shown, the state in which the second acting portion 93a is pushed by the planetary lock cam 81 and the urging force of the coil spring 93 is maximized is the maximum torsion angle.

  When a command to execute the spring release mode is given, the control unit 100 drives and controls the ASF sub motor 63 so that the state of the hopper 17 and the coil spring 93 is in the position (d). Here, the state at the position (d) is before the hopper 16 switches from the rising posture to the lowering posture (the posture is the rising posture), and is between the planetary lock cam 81 and the second action portion 93a of the coil spring 93. The engaged state is released, that is, the torsion angle of the coil spring 93 is 0 deg, and the urging force is not acting on the holder 68. When the position (d) has passed as a result of stopping the ASF sub motor 63, the ASF sub motor 63 is slightly reversely driven to position the position (d).

  Thereby, the following effects can be obtained. In a state where the hopper 16 maintains the lowered posture against the urging force of the hopper spring 17 (FIG. 1) by the action of the hopper cam 83, the hopper cam follower 16b receiving the force from the hopper cam 83 and the urging force of the hopper spring 17 act. A bending moment is generated between the two parts. Therefore, if this state is left for a long time, the hopper 16 may be plastically deformed.

  Similarly, if the coil spring 93 that applies a biasing force between the planetary lock cam 81 and the holder 68 is left for a long time with the biasing force acting between the planetary lock cam 81 and the holder 68, the biasing force is reduced. There is a risk of plastic deformation at the site of action. As an example in which the device is left unused without being used in this way, for example, after the device is shipped as a product, the device is used by the user.

  Therefore, for example, the spring release mode is executed at the time of product shipment, and the state of the hopper 16 and the coil spring 93 is set to the state shown in FIG. 13D as described above. As a result, the urging force of the hopper spring 17 that urges the hopper 16 becomes the weakest state, and the urging force of the coil spring 93 becomes zero, so that plastic deformation of the hopper 16 and the holder 68 can be prevented.

<< Locking mechanism of swing member >>
Next, a lock mechanism that restrains the operation of the swing member 77 will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 to 17. 14A and 14B are perspective views of the lock mechanism 73 that locks the swing member 77. FIG. 14A shows an unconstrained state of the boss 77a, and FIG. 15 (A) and 15 (B) are explanatory diagrams for illustrating the change in the positional relationship between the lock portion 80a and the boss 77a accompanying the rotation of the spring cam gear 80 (the configuration shown in FIG. 15 is simply shown). FIGS. 16A, 16B, and 17 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the operational effects of the guide ribs 80b and 80c (the configuration shown in FIG. 15 is simply illustrated). For simplification of the drawings in FIGS. 15 to 17, the illustration of the gear 79 as a meshed gear that meshes with the planetary gear 78 is omitted, and all the components are drawn with a solid line ignoring the longitudinal relationship of the members. The details are omitted.

In FIG. 14, a boss 77 a as a locked portion is formed integrally with the swing member 77 on the swing member 77. The boss 77 a has a protruding shape extending from the swing member 77 toward the disk surface of the spring cam gear 80.
On the other hand, the disc surface of the spring cam gear 80 is formed with a recess 80e so that the inner peripheral portion is one step lower than the outer peripheral portion, and the central portion is centered on the rotational center of the spring cam gear 80. A lock portion 80a formed by an arc-shaped rib is provided.

  The lock portion 80a is further extended. Specifically, guide ribs 80b and 80c extending from the outer peripheral portion of the spring cam gear 80 toward the lock portion 80a and connected to the lock portion 80a are formed. A closed region 80d that surrounds the boss 77a is formed by the step shape of 80b, 80c, the lock portion 80a, and the recess 80e.

  The relationship between the lock portion 80a formed as described above and the boss 77a as the locked portion will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 15, the symbol C indicates the swing center of the boss 77a (swing member 77), and the symbol T indicates the swing locus of the boss 77a. FIG. 15A shows a state in which the opening of the lock portion 80a is opposite to the gear 79, and in this state, the swing member 77 is freely swingable. That is, FIG. 15A shows an unconstrained state in which the boss 77a is not restrained by the lock portion 80a.

  Next, when the swinging member 77 swings clockwise by the rotation of the ASF sub motor 63 (pinion gear 75) with the start of the sheet feeding operation, the planetary gear 78 meshes with the gear 79 (FIG. 14 ( B)). At this time, since the spring cam gear 80 rotates in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 15, the opening of the lock portion 80a faces the gear 79, whereby the boss 77a is moved by the lock portion 80a in the direction of arrow H in FIG. It becomes the restraint state which cannot move to.

  That is, with the rotation of the hopper cam gear 82 (spring cam gear 80), the boss 77a is configured to switch between a constrained state where the operation of the boss 77a is constrained by the lock portion 80a and an unconstrained state where the operation is not constrained. Thereby, in the restrained state, the meshing state of both is reliably maintained so that the planetary gear 78 is not separated from the gear 79. As described above, the boss 77a as the locked portion and the lock portion 80a constitute the lock mechanism 73 that locks the planetary gear 78.

Here, the arc shape (the length of the arc, the position of the opening, etc.) of the lock portion 80a is shown when the hopper 16 switches from the lowered position to the raised position after the sheet feeding operation is started, and in FIGS. When the engagement state between the second action portion 93a of the coil spring 93 and the planetary lock cam 81 is released, the boss 77a is set to be restrained (section Z _{2 in} FIG. 13).

That is, the section z ₂ in FIG. 13, the operation of such a boss 77a which mesh state is maintained between the planetary gear 78 and the gear 79 is restricted by the locking portion 80a, such hopper cam gear 82 (spring cam gear 80) The specific rotational phase is shown. This is due to the following reason. That is, as described above, when the hopper 16 is switched from the lowered position to the raised position, the reaction force from the hopper spring 17 (FIG. 1) acts on the hopper cam 83, and this tends to cause the hopper cam 83 to rotate.

  The coil spring 93 (see FIG. 8 and the like) constitutes a brake means that alleviates this tendency. If there is a certain influence of the hopper cam 83 from the hopper spring 17, the planetary gear 78 meshes with this influence. There is a possibility that it will be separated from the gear 79 to be moved. Therefore, when the hopper 16 is switched from the lowered posture to the raised posture, the boss 77a is restrained by the lock portion 80a, and the meshing state of the planetary gear 78 and the gear 79 is maintained.

  Similarly, when the second action portion 93 a of the coil spring 93 is disengaged from the planetary lock cam 81, the spring cam gear 80 tends to rotate vigorously under this influence, and the planetary gear 78 is separated from the gear 79. There is also a risk of it. Therefore, when the second action portion 93a of the coil spring 93 is disengaged from the planetary lock cam 81, the boss 77a is restrained by the lock portion 80a, and the meshing state between the planetary gear 78 and the gear 79 is maintained. As described above, a series of sheet feeding operations can be appropriately executed.

  Moreover, the lock portion 80a is formed on the spring cam gear 80 that rotates at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear 82 on which the hopper cam 83 that switches the attitude of the hopper 16 is formed (or a gear that rotates at the same reduction ratio). Therefore, with a simple configuration, the meshed state maintenance of the planetary gear 78 and the gear 79 can be linked to the attitude switching of the hopper 16.

  The closed region 80d surrounding the boss 77a is formed by the stepped shape of the guide ribs 80b and 80c, the lock portion 80a, and the recess 80e, thereby preventing the boss 77a from being restrained by the lock portion 80a. ing. That is, for example, when the guide ribs 80b and 80c are not formed and the lock portion 80a is provided as a single unit as shown in FIG. 16, the boss 77a is usually as shown by the phantom line in FIG. It can be displaced to a position to be restrained by the lock portion 80a.

  However, if one of the gears constituting the power transmission switching device 61 is turned by the user's hand during paper jam processing or the like and the spring cam gear 80 is turned as shown in FIG. Before the 77a is displaced to the position to be restrained, the opening of the lock portion 80a is rotated first, and the boss 77a cannot be displaced to the position to be restrained. However, in this embodiment, since the closed region 80e surrounding the boss 77a is formed by the guide ribs 80b and 80c, such a problem does not occur.

  In addition, the guide ribs 80b and 80c are formed such that their inner surfaces function as guide surfaces for guiding the boss 77a toward the lock portion 80a. For example, unlike the guide ribs 80b and 80c according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the solid lines indicated by reference numerals 80b 'and 80c' in FIG. If the spring cam gear 80 is turned by the user's hand while the boss 77a is at the position shown in FIG. 17, the boss 77a may come into direct contact with the guide rib 80b or 80c and be damaged.

  The phantom lines indicated by reference numerals 80b and 80c indicate the guide ribs according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 15, and the spring cam gear 80 is rotated by the user's hand with the boss 77a in the position shown in FIG. Even if the boss 77a comes into contact with the guide rib 80b or 80c, the boss 77a is then guided along the inner peripheral surface of the guide rib 80b or 80c so as to move toward the lock portion 80a. The guide ribs 80b and 80c are formed in a curved shape. As a result, it is possible to prevent the boss 77a from coming into contact with the guide rib 80b or 80c and being damaged.

1 is a schematic side sectional view of a printer according to the present invention. 1 is an external perspective view of a feeding device according to the present invention. The block diagram which shows the drive source of the feeder which concerns on this invention, and the relationship of the drive object. The perspective view of a power transmission switching device. The perspective view of a power transmission switching device. The perspective view of a rotary plate, a HOME sensor, and a phase sensor. The front view of a power transmission switching device. The operation | movement figure of the main components of the feeding apparatus which concerns on this invention. The operation | movement figure of the main components of the feeding apparatus which concerns on this invention. The operation | movement figure of the main components of the feeding apparatus which concerns on this invention. The operation | movement figure of the main components of the feeding apparatus which concerns on this invention. The timing chart which shows operation | movement of the main components of the feeding apparatus which concerns on this invention. The timing chart which shows the relationship between a hopper swing angle and a coil spring torsion angle. The perspective view of the locking mechanism which locks a rocking | fluctuating member in both (A) and (B). Explanatory drawing which shows the change of the positional relationship of a lock part and a boss | hub both (A) and (B). (A), (B) is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect of a guide rib. Explanatory drawing for demonstrating the effect of a guide rib.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 2 Rear feeding device, 3 Front feeding device, 4 Recording means, 5 Conveying means, 6 Ejecting means, 10 Frame, 11 Feeding roller, 12 Feeding roller rotating shaft, 16 Hopper, 16a Oscillation fulcrum 16b Hopper cam follower, 17 hopper spring, 26 retard roller, 33 return lever, 34 rotating shaft, 39 retard roller, 40 paper feed cassette, 41 pickup roller, 42 feed roller, 43 assist roller, 46 guide roller, 47 transport drive Roller, 48 Conveyance driven roller, 49 On paper guidance, 50 After paper guidance, 51 Before paper guidance, 52 Paper detection sensor, 53 Carriage, 54 Carriage guide shaft, 55 Recording head, 56 Ejection drive roller, 57 Ejection driven roller, 60 61 Power transmission switching device, 62 ASF model 63, ASF sub motor, 65 pinion gear, 66 gear, 67 sun gear, 68 rocking member, 69, 70 planetary gear, 71 gear, 72 feed roller gear, 73 lock mechanism, 75 pinion gear, 76 sun gear, 77 swing member, 78 planetary gear, 79 gear, 80 spring cam gear, 81 planetary lock cam, 82 hopper cam gear, 83 hopper cam, 84 gear, 85 return lever cam, 86 return lever cam gear, 88 gear, 90 rotating plate, 90a, 90b , 90c flag, 90d HOME position detection hole, 90e spring release position detection hole, 91 HOME sensor, 92 phase sensor, 93 coil spring, 100 control unit, 101 feeding roller driving means, 102 hopper driving means, P recording sheet

Claims (8)

A feeding roller for feeding the recording medium downstream by contacting and rotating the recording medium;
A hopper capable of supporting a recording medium and switching between a first position in which the uppermost supported recording medium is brought into contact with the feeding roller and a second position in which the recording medium is separated from the feeding roller. A recording medium feeding device comprising:
Hopper driving means for switching the attitude of the hopper , power transmission switching means for selectively transmitting power from a driving source to the hopper ;
The hopper cam gear is provided with a hopper cam gear to which power from the drive source is transmitted by the power transmission switching means, and is engaged with a hopper cam cam follower provided in the hopper so that the hopper cam gear rotates during one rotation of the hopper cam gear. A hopper cam that performs switching from the second posture to the first posture and switching from the first posture to the second posture, and
The power transmission switching means includes a sun gear,
A planetary gear meshing with the sun gear and planetarily moving around the sun gear as the sun gear rotates,
A planetary gear support member provided so as to be swingable about the rotation center of the sun gear and supporting the planetary gear.
The planetary gear support member is formed with a locked portion that can be engaged with a lock portion formed on the hopper cam gear or a gear that rotates at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear,
The lock portion has a shape that restricts the operation of the locked portion so that the meshing state of the planetary gear is maintained in a specific rotation phase of the hopper cam gear,
As the hopper cam gear rotates, the locked state is switched between a locked state where the operation of the locked portion is restricted by the lock portion and an unrestrained state where the operation of the locked portion is not restricted by the lock portion. Being
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. 2. The recording medium feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the locked portion is formed by a rib formed on a disk surface of the hopper cam gear or a disk surface of a gear that rotates at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear. Configured,
The locked portion is configured by a boss that can be engaged with the rib.
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above.   The recording medium feeding apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the rib is extended so as to form a closed region surrounding the boss. 4. The recording medium feeding device according to claim 3, wherein the extended portion of the rib forms a guide shape that guides the locked portion toward the lock portion as the hopper cam gear rotates. is doing,
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. 5. The recording medium feeding device according to claim 1, wherein the hopper biasing unit biases the hopper so that the hopper is switched from the second posture to the first posture. 6. Have
The locking portion is formed to restrain the operation of the locked portion when the hopper switches from the second posture to the first posture during one rotation of the hopper cam gear.
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. 6. The recording medium feeding device according to claim 5, wherein a biasing force is applied to the hopper cam gear or a gear meshing with the hopper cam gear, whereby the hopper cam receives the force from the hopper biasing means. Brake means for reducing the tendency of the hopper cam gear to be rotated,
The lock portion restrains the operation of the locked portion at the time when the urging force by the brake means is released during one rotation of the hopper cam gear .
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above.   A recording apparatus comprising recording means for recording on a recording medium, comprising the recording medium feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 upstream of the recording means. A recording apparatus. Liquid ejecting means for ejecting liquid onto the ejected medium;
A feed roller that is provided on the upstream side of the liquid ejecting means and feeds the ejected medium downstream by contacting and rotating the ejected medium;
A hopper that supports a medium to be ejected and that can be switched between a first position in which the uppermost supported medium to be ejected comes into contact with the feeding roller and a second position in which the medium is separated from the feeding roller. An ejected medium feeding device comprising:
Hopper driving means for switching the attitude of the hopper , power transmission switching means for selectively transmitting power from a driving source to the hopper ;
The hopper cam gear is provided with a hopper cam gear to which power from the drive source is transmitted by the power transmission switching means, and is engaged with a hopper cam cam follower provided in the hopper so that the hopper cam gear rotates during one rotation of the hopper cam gear. A hopper cam that performs switching from the second posture to the first posture and switching from the first posture to the second posture, and
The power transmission switching means includes a sun gear,
A planetary gear meshing with the sun gear and planetarily moving around the sun gear as the sun gear rotates,
A planetary gear support member provided so as to be swingable about the rotation center of the sun gear and supporting the planetary gear.
The planetary gear support member is formed with a locked portion that can be engaged with a lock portion formed on the hopper cam gear or a gear that rotates at the same reduction ratio as the hopper cam gear,
The lock portion has a shape that restricts the operation of the locked portion so that the meshing state of the planetary gear is maintained in a specific rotation phase of the hopper cam gear,
As the hopper cam gear rotates, the locked state is switched between a locked state where the operation of the locked portion is restricted by the lock portion and an unrestrained state where the operation of the locked portion is not restricted by the lock portion. Being
A liquid ejecting apparatus.

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