JP4947313B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a configuration of an image recording apparatus including a paper feeding device that feeds paper (hereinafter, referred to as a recording medium) such as paper or a cut sheet of a synthetic resin sheet to an image recording unit one by one. Is.

  Conventionally, in order to feed a recording medium so as to face a recording part of an ink jet type image recording apparatus or the like, the base end part is fed to the distal end part of an arm body that is pivotally supported by the apparatus housing in a vertically rotatable manner. A configuration with a roller is known. According to this configuration, the feeding roller is pressed against the uppermost surface of the paper stacked and accommodated in the feeding tray whose upper surface is opened by the urging force of the spring that presses the arm body. In this state, the feeding roller is driven to rotate, so that the end of the sheet abuts against the inclined separation wall formed at the end of the sheet feeding tray on the downstream side in the feeding direction. Only the sheet is separated and fed in the direction of the image recording unit (see Patent Document 1). In this case, the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller is made of a member having a large coefficient of friction such as rubber, and a plate having the same coefficient of friction such as a cork plate is provided at the bottom surface of the paper feed tray where the paper feed roller contacts. Paste. As a result, when the number of sheets in the sheet feeding tray is reduced, the sheets are not double-fed.

  However, when the paper in the paper feed tray runs out and the paper feed roller is driven to rotate with the cork plate in contact with the bottom surface of the paper feed tray, the cork plate and the peripheral surface of the paper feed roller are excessively worn. Or the rotation of the paper feed roller is locked. As a result, there is a problem that the drive motor may be defective. In order to solve these problems, as disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, a mechanism has been devised in which a separating means comprising an operating body that can be turned up and down is provided on the lower surface side of the tip of the arm body. Yes. As a result, when the paper feed roller at the tip of the arm body approaches the bottom of the paper feed tray, the operating body first comes into contact with the bottom and pushes the paper feed roller away from the bottom.

On the other hand, as shown in the image recording apparatus described in Patent Document 4, a bottom plate is provided at the lower end portion of the apparatus housing, and a space above the bottom plate is formed in the tray storage section. In general, the feeding tray can be inserted into and removed from the tray storage portion in a substantially horizontal direction. As disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, the arm body is provided with a cam follower (not shown) extending in the width direction of the paper (direction orthogonal to the feeding direction) on the rotating base side. ing. On the other hand, left and right side plates of the paper feed tray are provided with cam portions (not shown) that change the height of sliding contact with the cam follower when the paper feed tray is inserted and removed horizontally. For this reason, a configuration has been disclosed in which when the paper feed tray is inserted and removed, the arm body is forcibly raised and lowered so that the paper feed roller gets over the inclined separation plate at the downstream end in the feed direction of the paper feed tray. Yes.
Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2005-247521 (see FIGS. 5 to 8) JP 2007-062965 A (see FIGS. 5 to 12) JP 2007-223704 A (see FIGS. 10 to 13) JP 09-2673 A (see FIGS. 5 to 8)

  Incidentally, an inclined portion 105 that protrudes obliquely upward is provided at the upstream end in the feeding direction of the operating body 104 shown in Patent Documents 3 and 4 and shown in FIG. 11, and is provided in the apparatus housing of the image recording apparatus. When additional paper is supplied to the paper feed tray in the inserted state, the paper is easily introduced into the lower surface side of the paper feed roller at the inclined portion.

  However, when the paper feed tray 100 is pulled out from the apparatus housing, the arm body 103 is largely inclined downward toward the back side of the housing so that the paper feed roller 102 contacts the bottom plate 101 of the device housing. . At that time, the actuating body 104 of the actuating body 104 in the separating means tilts to a posture such that the upstream end portion in the feeding direction approaches the bottom plate 101, and therefore the inclined portion 105 in the actuating body 104 and the lower surface side of the arm body 103. A large gap 107 is formed between the two.

  In the state where the leading end portion of the upper layer of the sheets 106 stacked and accommodated in the sheet feed tray 100 is disposed over the inclined separation plate 108 at the downstream end of the sheet feed tray 100 in the feeding direction, When the paper feed tray 100 is pushed into the apparatus housing, the leading end of the paper 106 is fitted in the gap 107 between the inclined portion 105 and the lower surface side of the arm body 103 as shown in FIG. In this state, the paper feed tray 100 is further pushed into the back of the apparatus housing, the portion of the inclined separation plate 108 of the paper feed tray 100 approaches the operating body 104, and the operating body is operated by the cooperative action of the cam follower and the cam portion. 104 tries to rise. However, since the leading end of the sheet 106 is sandwiched between the operating body 104 and the arm body 103, the operating body 104 cannot be raised. If the user does not know this and further pushes the paper feed tray 100 into the back side of the apparatus housing, the operating body 104 or the arm body 103 may be damaged due to the operating body 104 colliding with the inclined separation plate 108 or the like. There was a problem that there was.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described conventional problems, and is a means for engaging the operating body so as to approach the lower surface of the arm body when the arm body contacts or approaches the bottom plate of the apparatus housing. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus that can prevent the arm body and the operating body from being damaged when the paper feed tray is pushed in.

In order to achieve the above object, an image recording apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention has an accommodating portion capable of accommodating a sheet-like recording medium in a stacked state in an apparatus housing having a recording unit for the recording medium. An image recording apparatus provided with a tray storage unit that stores a paper feed tray so that it can be inserted and removed in a substantially horizontal direction, wherein the tray storage unit supports at least a part of the paper feed tray. wherein the the device housing, a vertically movable arm member is arranged in accordance with the amount of deposition of the recording medium accommodated in the accommodating portion of the paper feed tray, the front end portion of the arm body A feeding roller that rotates while being in contact with the uppermost recording medium is disposed, and a base end portion of the arm body is attached to the arm body so that the base end can be turned up and down, and the feeding roller feeds more than the feeding roller. An operating body extending upstream in the direction; Detection that is provided on the lower surface of the moving body on the upstream side in the feeding direction, abuts on the uppermost surface of the recording medium, and fits into an open portion formed on the bottom surface of the housing portion when the recording medium does not exist And a working unit provided on the working body downstream in the feeding direction from the detecting unit, and a working unit contacting the bottom surface of the housing unit and separating the feeding roller from the bottom surface of the housing unit. provided, when pulling the paper feed tray from the device housing comprises an engagement means for the recording medium to engage both the state capable gap enters is eliminated between the actuating member and the arm member, and Release means for releasing engagement by the engagement means is provided.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to the first aspect, the release means inserts a paper feed tray in which the recording medium is stored in the storage portion into the apparatus housing. The engagement of the engaging means is released by contacting the recording medium accommodated or the bottom surface of the accommodating portion.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the release means is a contact piece that extends downstream in the feeding direction of the operating body. Is.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to third aspects of the present invention, the operating body has a protruding portion for guiding the paper upstream in the feeding direction from the detection portion. The engaging body is provided with one engaging claw in the engaging means on the rotation center side of the operating body from the protruding portion, and the arm body is provided with a locking portion that engages with and disengages from the engaging claw. Is.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, when the paper feed tray is inserted into and removed from the paper feed tray, the arm body and the operation are provided. A retracting means for separating the body from the downstream end of the paper feed tray is provided.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to the fifth aspect, one of the retracting means includes a cam follower provided on the arm body and a cam formed on a side portion of the paper feed tray. The other one of the retracting means is an inclined separation plate standing from the downstream side in the feeding direction of the paper feed tray, and when the paper feed tray is inserted and removed, the tilt separation is performed. The upper end of the plate is configured to be in sliding contact with the lower surface of the operating body.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the image recording apparatus according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, when the paper feed tray is not housed in the apparatus casing, the release is performed in the apparatus casing. An invalidating means for invalidating the operation of the means is provided.

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the paper feed tray having the accommodating portion capable of accommodating the sheet-like recording medium in the accumulated state is provided in the apparatus housing having the recording portion for the recording medium. An image recording apparatus provided with a tray storage portion that is detachably stored in a substantially horizontal direction, wherein the tray storage portion includes a support portion for supporting at least a part of the paper feed tray, An arm body that can be moved up and down according to the amount of recording medium stored in the storage section of the paper feed tray is disposed in the apparatus housing, and the uppermost cover is disposed at the tip of the arm body. A feeding roller that rotates while being in contact with the recording medium is disposed, and a base end portion of the arm body is rotatably attached to the arm body so that the arm body is upstream of the feeding direction. And the feeding method of the working body A detection unit that is provided on a lower surface on the upstream side of the recording medium and that abuts on an uppermost surface of the recording medium and fits into an open portion formed on a bottom surface of the housing unit when the recording medium is not present; and the detection unit An operation unit that is provided on an operating body on the downstream side in the feeding direction, and has an operation unit that contacts the bottom surface of the housing unit and separates the feeding roller from the bottom surface of the housing unit, And an engagement means for engaging the recording medium in a state where there is no gap in which the recording medium can enter between the operating body and the arm body. Release means for releasing the connection is provided.

  Therefore, when the recording medium is not accommodated in the accommodating portion, the separating means is fitted in the open portion formed on the bottom surface of the accommodating portion, and the feeding roller is separated from the bottom surface of the accommodating portion. Therefore, the feeding roller does not wear carelessly, and the drive motor does not burn out. In addition, when the paper feed tray is pulled out from the apparatus housing, it is provided with engagement means for engaging the recording medium so that there is no gap into which the recording medium can enter between the separation means and the arm body. It is possible to reliably prevent damage to the arm body and the operating body when the recording medium is pushed out when the recording medium protrudes from the front end of the paper feeding tray. Further, since the release means for releasing the engagement by the engagement means is provided, the operation of feeding the recording medium accumulated and accommodated in the normal paper feed tray by the feed roller can be ensured. There is an effect.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the paper feed tray in which the recording medium is stored in the storage portion is inserted into the apparatus housing, the release unit stores the recording medium stored in the storage unit or the recording medium. In addition to the effect of the invention of claim 1, the structure of the releasing means is extremely simple and reduces the manufacturing cost. It is possible to contribute, and there is an effect that it is not necessary to increase the height of the entire image recording apparatus and it can be made compact.

According to the invention described in claim 3, since the release means is a contact piece extending downstream in the feeding direction in the operating body, in addition to the effect of the invention described in claim 1, it is separated. The means and the releasing means are integrally formed, and there is an effect that the configuration can be made more compact.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the operating body is provided with a paper guiding protrusion on the upstream side in the feeding direction with respect to the detection portion, and the operating body is located on the rotation center side of the operating body. Is provided with one engaging claw in the engaging means, and the arm body is provided with a locking portion that engages with and disengages from the engaging claw. Therefore, the configuration of the engaging means is extremely simple.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, when the paper feed tray is inserted and removed from the paper feed tray, the retracting means for separating the arm body and the operating body from the downstream end of the paper feed tray. It is equipped with. Therefore, when the paper feed tray is inserted / removed, the arm body and the operating body can get over without interfering with the front end portion of the paper feed tray, and there is an effect that the parts are not damaged.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, one of the retreating means includes a cam follower provided in the arm body and a cam part formed on a side portion of the paper feed tray. The other one is an inclined separation plate erected from the downstream side in the feeding direction of the paper feed tray. When the paper feed tray is inserted and removed, the upper end portion of the inclined separation plate is It is comprised so that a lower surface may be slidably contacted. Accordingly, the retracting means can be provided by using the configuration of the sheet feeding tray, and the necessary functions can be satisfied while being small and the minimum component.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, the device casing is provided with invalidating means for invalidating the operation of the release means when the paper feed tray is not stored in the device casing. It is what.

  Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the working body 56 from being damaged by preventing a large gap from being formed between the arm body 20c and the upstream portion of the working body 56 in the feeding direction by mistake.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a multifunctional image recording apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a left and right central portion of a recording unit, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the paper feed tray, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the feeding means without the drive shaft, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the feed means with the drive shaft removed. 7 is a side view showing a state in which the separating means is locked to the arm body, FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the engaging means of the separating means, and FIGS. 9A to 9D are views for feeding the feed tray when it is pulled out. FIGS. 10A to 10C are explanatory views showing the operation of the separating means, and FIG. 11 is an explanatory view showing the prior art.

[Basic structure of multi-function device 1]
As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 2 a is opened on the front side (front side in FIG. 1) of the housing 2 (corresponding to the device casing in the claims) in the multi-function device 1. The sheet feeding tray 3 having an open top surface for accommodating sheets as recording media in a stacked state is mounted so as to be insertable / removable along the X-axis direction. A paper discharge tray 33 is mounted on the upper surface of the paper feed tray 3. The term “insertion / removal” is not limited to the case where the paper feed tray 3 is detachable from the housing 2, and even when the paper feed tray 3 is pulled out of the housing 2, This is intended to include those in which the tray 3 cannot be removed (cannot be attached or detached).

  An image reading device 5 for reading a document in a copy function or a facsimile function is disposed on the upper part of the housing 2 made of synthetic resin. The image reading device 5 is configured to be vertically openable and closable with respect to one side end of the housing 2 via a pivot portion (not shown). Further, the upper surface of the image reading device 5 is constituted by a glass plate for placing a document, and this glass plate is a document cover body 6 that can be turned up and down around the pivot with respect to the rear end of the image reading device 5. Covered with. The document cover body 6 is opened upward, the document is placed on the glass plate, and an image of the document is read by a document reading scanner (for example, CIS: Contact Image Sensor) that reciprocates in the main scanning direction below the glass plate. Read.

  On the upper surface of the housing 2 and in front of the document cover body 6, an operation panel unit 7 having various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display device 8 for displaying an operation procedure and a state of processing being executed are provided. ing. The various operation buttons include a start button, a stop button, and the like, and various operations are performed by pressing these operation buttons. In addition, the setting state of the multi-function device 1 and various operation messages are displayed as necessary.

  An external memory insertion portion 11 for inserting an external memory is provided on the front surface of the housing 2 and above the opening 2a. The external memory corresponds to, for example, CompactFlash (registered trademark), SmartMedia (registered trademark), Memory Stick (registered trademark), SD card (registered trademark), xD (registered trademark), and the like. The data stored in the external memory inserted into the external memory insertion unit 11 is read into the internal memory of the multi-function device 1 and recorded on the paper by the recording device.

  Next, the recording unit 10 and the paper feeding device 12 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of the recording unit 10 and the paper feeding device 12.

[Recording section]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 10 is supported by a box-shaped main frame (not shown) having an open upper surface and a pair of left and right side plates, and extends horizontally in the Y-axis direction (main scanning direction). It is formed between the plate-like first and second guide members 15 and 16. The carriage 13 on which the recording head (not shown) in the recording unit 10 is mounted on the lower surface slides across the first guide member 15 on the upstream side and the second guide member 16 on the downstream side in the paper transport direction. It is supported (mounted) freely and can reciprocate.

  In order to reciprocate the carriage 13, timing is arranged on the upper surface of the second guide member 16 disposed on the downstream side in the paper conveyance direction (arrow A direction) so as to extend in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction). A belt (not shown) is wound around a pulley (not shown), and a CR (carriage) motor (not shown) that drives the timing belt is fixed to the lower surface of the second guide member 16.

  A flat platen 17 extending in the Y-axis direction so as to face the lower surface of the recording head 14 in the carriage 13 is fixed between the guide members 15 and 16 and above the bottom plate of the main frame. A space between the platen 17 and the bottom plate 2b of the housing 2 (corresponding to a support portion in the claims) is a tray storage portion in which a later-described paper feed tray 3 can be stored and inserted and removed. At least a part of the bottom 3 a of the paper feed tray 3 is supported on the bottom plate 2 b of the housing 2.

  In addition, a registration roller (conveyance roller) pair 18 for feeding the sheet to the lower surface of the recording head 14 is disposed on the upstream side of the platen 17, and the recorded sheet is disposed on the downstream side of the platen 17. A pair of paper discharge rollers 19 for carrying the paper on a paper discharge tray 33 provided on the upper surface of the paper feed tray 3 is disposed. The platen 17 supports the sheet conveyed by the registration roller (conveyance roller) pair 18 so that the gap between the platen and the recording head is constant.

[Paper Feeder]
The recording medium accommodated in the paper feed tray 3 is hereinafter referred to as paper for convenience. However, the recording medium is not only plain paper, but also special paper such as postcards and envelopes, special paper such as glossy paper, and resin. It is a concept that includes films and the like.

  Next, the configuration of the sheet feeding device 12 will be described in detail. The housing portion of the paper feed tray 3 that is an injection molded product of synthetic resin material includes a front housing portion 3b and a rear housing portion 3d that is connected to the front housing portion 3b so as to be movable back and forth. The maximum size of paper that can be stored in the storage portion of the paper feed tray 3 in the state where the rear storage portion 3d is retracted with respect to the front storage portion 3b to increase the total length (length in the X direction) is A3 size. , A3 size paper can be deposited inside the front storage portion 3b and the rear storage portion 3d so that the long side is along the Y direction and the short side is along the X direction (see FIGS. 3 and 4). However, FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which the paper discharge tray portion 33 and the side guide 41 are removed. Further, when accumulating and storing A4 size paper, the rear storage portion 3d is pushed into the front storage portion 3b, and the length of the paper feed tray 3 is shortened. The paper in the paper feed tray 3 is fed to the recording unit 10 one by one via a pendulum type feeding means 20 and U-turn-shaped conveyance path bodies 22 and 23 which will be described later.

  The front accommodating part 3b is comprised by the bottom part 3a, the right-and-left both-sides board 3c, and the inclination separation board 21 connected with the downstream end of a feed direction. Similarly, a handle portion 3f is provided at the rear end of the rear housing portion 3d having a bottom plate and left and right side plates (both not shown). In this embodiment, the maximum accumulation amount of sheets on the sheet feed tray 3 is about 150 sheets of plain paper, and the accumulation height is about 15 mm.

  The paper discharge tray 33, which is an injection-molded product of synthetic resin material, is connected to the left and right side plates of the rear housing portion 3d so as to be vertically rotatable via a rotation portion 33a. The paper discharge tray section 33 is placed on the left and right side plates of the rear housing section 3d in a horizontal state (see FIG. 3), and can be pulled out from the opening 2a together with the rear housing section 3d.

  The front storage portion 3b in the paper feed tray 3 is provided with a pair of side guides 41 for guiding and positioning side edges parallel to the paper feeding direction in the paper feed tray 3 (FIG. 3). reference). On the other hand, a rear guide (not shown) that can be moved and adjusted along the X direction is provided in the rear housing portion 3d so as to contact the rear edge of the sheet.

  The pair of side guides 41 can be moved in a wide and narrow manner (a wide and narrow slide) in a direction (Y direction) perpendicular to the paper feeding direction (X direction) on the bottom plate 3 a between the left and right side plates 3 c of the paper feed tray 3. Is provided. Each side guide 41 includes a slider 43 parallel to the bottom plate 3a and an abutting plate 42 standing upright from the slider, and only one side guide 43 has a knob with a knob for positioning (see FIG. Not shown).

  Each slider 43 is slidable along the upper surface of the bottom plate 3a and supports the lower surface of the stored paper. Each contact plate 42 is in contact with a side edge in the width direction of the paper.

  Further, rack teeth are formed on one surface of the rack rod 46 connected to the lower surface of each slider 43. The pair of left and right rack cages 46 extend toward the other side guide 41 along the pair of left and right parallel guide grooves formed in the bottom plate 3a. The teeth are configured to mesh with a rotatable pinion 47 disposed at the center line position in the width direction on the lower surface of the bottom plate 3 a of the sheet feeding tray 3. As a result, a so-called center alignment is performed by the pair of side guides 41 so that the center line in the width direction of the paper feed tray 3 (the direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction) and the center line in the paper width direction coincide. can do.

  Each lock member is provided on the lower surface of the slider 43, and can be selectively disengaged with respect to a plurality of engagement teeth formed on the upper surface of the bottom plate 3a.

[Feeding means]
Next, the structure of the feeding means (also referred to as a feeding roller unit) 20 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2, 5, and 6. In the embodiment, the arm 20c made of synthetic resin in the feeding means 20 can be turned up and down around the drive shaft 39, and the arm 20c extends so as to approach the inclined separation plate 21, and the tip of the arm 20c. The feeding roller 20a is disposed in the part. The feed roller 20a is rotationally driven from the drive shaft 39 via a gear transmission mechanism 20b provided on the arm body 20c (see FIG. 2). The gear transmission mechanism 20b includes a plurality of transmission gears and a planetary gear. Note that the pair of feed rollers 20a in the embodiment are provided at symmetrical positions with respect to the center line in the Y direction (see FIG. 3).

  A friction plate such as a cork plate is fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate 3a of the paper feed tray 3 at a position where the pair of feed rollers 20a abut against each other when pressed downward (not shown). ) Thereby, when the number of sheets in the sheet feeding tray 3 becomes a small number, the multiple feeding phenomenon that a plurality of sheets are simultaneously fed by the rotation of the feeding roller 20a is prevented.

  A shaft hole 34 for pivotally supporting the drive shaft 39 is formed in the base end side of the arm body 20c. On the distal end side (free end side) of the arm body 20 c, a rotating shaft 36 integrally provided with a driven gear 35 is rotatably supported by the shaft hole, and a pair of feeding rollers 20 a are provided at both ends of the rotating shaft 36. It is attached (see FIGS. 4 and 5).

  When the sheets P are separated and fed from the sheet feeding tray 3 one by one, an LF motor (not shown) rotates in the reverse direction, the drive shaft 39 rotates in the forward direction, and the arm body 20c is rotated via the gear transmission mechanism 20b. Since it is urged downward, the feeding roller 20a at the tip of the arm body 20c is pressed against the uppermost surface of the paper P deposited on the paper feed tray 3, and the gear transmission mechanism 20b provided on the arm body 20c. The feed roller 20a is rotated in the feed direction (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 2).

Next, when there is no longer any sheet P to be stored in the paper feed tray 3 (there is no such sheet), the open portion 63 such as a vertical through-hole formed in the bottom 3a of the paper feed tray 3 or a concave portion opened upward. The structure of the separating means for lifting the arm body 20c in relation to the above and operating the feeding roller 20a so as not to contact the surface of the bottom 3a of the paper feed tray 3 will be described. Note that a portion of the bottom 3a of the paper feed tray 3 that faces the outer peripheral surface of the pair of left and right feed rollers 20a as a feed roller made of a member having a large friction coefficient such as rubber is similarly provided with a high friction coefficient. A base pad 64 made of a member (for example, cork or the like) is fixed (attached) (see FIG. 3).
[Separation means]
Next, the separating means will be described in detail. As shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, the separating means includes a synthetic resin operating body 56 formed in an upside down “f” shape in a side view. The base end portion of the operating body 56 is mounted so as to be rotatable up and down with respect to shaft portions 54 provided on both side surfaces on the distal end side of the arm body 20c (see FIG. 11). The upstream portion of the operating body 56 in the feeding direction and the bifurcated upward projecting portion 56a are formed with a large weight. A detection unit 59 is formed on the lower surface of the operating body 56 upstream in the feeding direction. Between the detection part 59 and the said shaft part 54, the action | operation part 58 which protrudes on the lower surface similarly is formed.

When the paper P is present in the storage unit of the paper feed tray 3, the detection unit 59 contacts the uppermost paper P, while when the paper P is not present, the detection unit 59 has an opening hole shape in the bottom 3 a of the paper feed tray 3. It fits in the opening part 63 opened downwardly in a concave shape. In the embodiment, the detection unit 59 is formed of a roller (see FIGS. 5, 7, and 8). When the paper P is not present in the storage portion of the paper feed tray 3, the operating portion 58 has a function of contacting the bottom portion 3a of the paper feed tray 3 and separating the feed roller 20a from the bottom surface 5a. That is, when the detection unit 59 is fitted into the opening 63 and moves downward, the operation unit 58 serves as a fulcrum of the lever of the operation body 56 to push up the arm body 20c. Further, a plate-like contact piece 60 that is curved upward is integrally formed as a release means at the downstream end of the operating body 56 in the feeding direction (see FIGS. 5 to 8). The function and operational effect of the contact piece 60 will be described in detail later.
[Operation of separation means]
In a state where a plurality of sheets P are accumulated on the sheet feeding tray 3, the feeding roller 20a contacts (presses) the uppermost surface of the sheets P accumulated and accommodated. Since the operating body 56 is rotatable with respect to the arm body 20c, the detection unit 59 of the operating body 56 also abuts on the uppermost surface of the paper P, but the operating portion 58 abuts on the uppermost surface of the paper P. Without this, an appropriate gap is made. When a paper feed command is issued in this state, the drive shaft 39 rotates in a predetermined direction, and the feed roller 20a rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Is abutted against an inclined separation plate 21 for paper separation disposed at the front end (right end portion in FIG. 2) of the paper feed tray 3. Only the uppermost sheet P is separated by an elastic separating piece 21a (made of a leaf spring in the embodiment) as a separating means provided at a central portion in the width direction of the sheet P in the inclined separation plate 21, and is conveyed in a U-turn. It can be fed to the recording unit via the road bodies 22 and 23. The above state is maintained until the last sheet P remains on the bottom 3a.

  When the last sheet P is fed by the feed roller 20a and the opening 63 of the bottom 3a appears, that is, when the sheet P runs out of the paper feed tray 3, the detection unit 59 is fitted into the opening 63. When the middle working portion 58 of the working body 56 comes into contact with the upper surface of the bottom portion 3a, the feeding roller 20a is moved to the bottom by the weight of the upstream portion in the feeding direction and / or the position of the detecting portion 59 in the working body 56. The arm body 20c is lifted by the operating body 56 so as to be spaced apart from 3a by a slight gap. As a result, even if the feeding roller 20a is rotationally driven in the feeding direction, no frictional force with the bottom 3a is generated, so that the outer peripheral surface of the feeding roller 20a is excessively worn or on the upper surface of the bottom 3a. It is possible to eliminate the so-called locked state in which the rotation of the feeding roller 20a is stopped by the base pad 64 constituted by the provided high friction coefficient member (for example, cork or the like), and overload the LF motor. This can solve problems such as seizure.

As described above, when the paper P runs out of the bottom 3a, the detection unit 59 is fitted into the opening 63, and at this time, the operating body 56 can be pushed up by the operating body 56. The weight of the upstream portion in the feeding direction and / or the location of the detection portion 58 is increased. Therefore, the operating body 56 may be made of metal or a synthetic resin member. The detection unit 58 may be formed of a metal member, or an urging unit such as a torsion spring for urging the detection unit 58 side of the operating body 56 downward may be provided. Furthermore, it goes without saying that the weight and the biasing means may be used in appropriate combination.
[Evacuation means]
Next, when the paper feed tray 3 is inserted into and removed from the main body 2 in a substantially horizontal direction, the arm body 20c, the feed roller 20a, and the actuating body 56 as the separating means are moved to the front end of the paper feed tray 3 (tilt separation). The retracting means for preventing collision (interference) with the plate 21) will be described. The retracting means includes a cam follower provided on the arm body 20c and a cam portion that is formed on the upper surface of at least one side plate of the paper feed tray 3 to be inserted / removed and is in sliding contact with the cam follower.

  In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 to 7 and 9, a wing 67 as a cam follower extending in parallel with the axis of the drive shaft 39 is integrally provided near the base portion of the arm body 20 c so as to extend in the Y-axis direction. The arm body 20c is rotatably supported with respect to the drive shaft 39 via a plurality of ring-shaped bearings 68 provided on the wing 67 (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

  On the other hand, on the upper surface of one side plate 3c of the paper feed tray 3 (corresponding to the side where the wing 67 extends), a cam portion 69 whose height changes along the insertion / extraction direction of the paper feed tray 3 is formed. (See FIG. 9). The cam portion 69 is formed on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the first portion 69a which is high in height and close to the inclined separation plate 21 of the paper feed tray 3 and is substantially horizontal. And a V-shaped second portion 69b.

  With this configuration, for example, as shown in FIG. 2, in a state where the inclined separation plate 21 of the paper feed tray 3 is pushed so as to be adjacent to the lower end position of the U-turn-shaped conveyance path bodies 22 and 23, FIG. As shown to A), the wing 67 exists in the location of the minimum height of the 2nd part 69b in the cam part 69. FIG. In this state, the arm body 20c has a downward inclined posture on the downstream side in the feeding direction so that the feeding roller 20a can come into contact with the bottom 3a of the paper feeding tray 3 or the uppermost surface of the stacked paper P. Become. When the paper feed tray 3 is pulled out from the housing 2 from this state, the lower surface of the operating body 56 first comes into contact with the upper end of the inclined separation plate 21 and the operating body 56 is pushed up. Next, the wing 67 is pushed up while being in sliding contact with the V-shaped second portion 69b. When the lower surface of the wing 67 is in sliding contact with the high first portion 69a, the arm body 20c is lifted until it is substantially horizontal. (See FIGS. 9B to 9D). In this state, the feeding roller 20 a at the tip of the arm body 20 c is at a position higher than the upper end edge of the separation inclined plate 21. Therefore, the operating body 56 and the feeding roller 20a can get over without interfering with the upper end edge of the separation inclined plate 21. 9A to 9D, the operating body 56 is not shown.

Contrary to the above, when the paper feed tray 3 is inserted into the housing 2, the arm body 20 c or the wing 67 is pushed up at the upper end edge of the separation inclined plate 21 at the tip of the paper feed tray 3. Thereby, the action body 56 also rises with the arm body 20c. When the operating body 56 gets over the upper end edge of the separation inclined plate 21, since the load on the upward projecting portion 56a side is large, the operating body 56 is inclined so that the contact piece 60 side faces upward. As the amount of the paper feed tray 3 inserted into the housing 2 increases, the wing 61 as a cam follower moves along the cam portion 69 of the paper feed tray 3 by the reverse operation when the paper feed tray 3 is pulled out. Therefore, at the place where the height of the cam portion 64 is lowered, as shown in FIG. 2, the operating body 56, the arm body 20c and the feeding roller 20a can be lowered so as to be close to the bottom portion 3a.
[Engaging means]
Next, engagement means for engaging the posture of the operating body 56 with the arm body 20c approached when the paper feed tray 3 is pulled out from the housing (device housing) 2 will be described. In the first embodiment, the engaging means is provided between the arm body 20c and the operating body 56. In the embodiment, as shown in FIGS. This is an engaging claw 70 provided on the front end surface 56b of the protruding portion 56a. The other of the engaging means is a locking portion 71 that engages and disengages the engaging claw 70 on the arm body 20c. In the embodiment, a frame portion 72 having a hole 73 is provided in the middle of the frame-shaped arm body 20c. When the operating body 56 approaches the lower surface of the arm body 20 c, the protrusion 56 a is fitted into the hole 73. The frame portion 72 is formed with an inclined wall 72a extending substantially parallel to the front end surface 56b of the protruding portion 56a when the operating body 56 is closest to the lower surface of the arm body 20c. The locking part 71 is integrally formed. In addition, when there are a pair of left and right projections 56a, there are also a pair of left and right inclined walls 72a, each of which is provided with an engaging claw 70 and a locking portion 71.

  With the above configuration, when the paper feed tray 3 is pulled out from the tray storage portion of the housing 2, the lower surface of the operating body 56 first comes into contact with the upper end of the inclined separation plate 21, and the operating body 56 contacts the lower surface of the arm body 20c. Pushed up to approach. When the protrusion 56a fits into the hole 73 and the front end surface 56b of the protrusion 56a approaches the inclined wall 72a, the engaging claw 70 protruding forward from the front end surface 56b protrudes from the inclined wall 72a. It is engaged with the portion 71 and is in an engaged state. In this engaged state, as shown in the solid line states of FIGS. 7 and 8 and FIG. 10A, the operating body 56 approaches the lower surface of the arm body 20c and is held in a parallel posture.

  Accordingly, in the projection view from the side surface of the arm body 20c, the upper side of the projecting portion 56a overlaps with the arm body 20c, so that there is no gap between the operating body 56 and the arm body 20c so that the paper P can enter. (The operating body 56 and the arm body 20c) can be engaged. Then, when the paper feed tray 3 is inserted into the tray storage portion, the leading end of the paper P protruding from the upper end edge of the inclined separation plate 21 of the paper feed tray 3 is in the gap between the operating body 56 and the arm body 20c. No more getting in. As a result, when the paper feed tray 3 is further pushed into the tray housing portion, the operating body 56 and the front end portion (inclined separation plate 21) of the paper feed tray 3 do not interfere with each other, and the working body 56 is damaged. It does not occur.

  When the paper feed tray 3 is pulled out from the tray accommodating portion, the distal end side of the arm body 20c rotates downward, so that the contact piece 60 side of the distal end side of the operating body 56 hits the bottom plate 2b, and the engaging claw 70 is When the engagement portion 71 is disengaged, the load on the upward projecting portion 56a side of the actuating body 56 is large, so that the actuating body 56 opens so that the space between the lower surface of the arm body 20c and the projecting portion 56a is wide open. It will turn. Then, as described above, a gap is formed between the operating body 56 and the arm body 20c. In order to avoid such a situation, the bottom plate 2b in the apparatus housing 2 is formed with an open hole 74 into which the downward contact piece 60 can enter (FIG. 10A to FIG. 10). C)). In that case, the lower surface of the feeding roller 20a or the arm body 20c abuts against the bottom plate 2b of the apparatus housing 2, and therefore the arm body 20c does not move further downward (see FIG. 10B).

[Release means]
When the paper feed tray 3 is inserted into the housing 2, the operating body 56, which is a separation means, comes into contact with the top of the paper P accumulated in the paper feed tray or contacts the bottom 3 a of the paper feed tray 3. A contact piece 60 extending from the downstream side in the feed direction of the operating body 56 is provided as an example of a release means for contacting and releasing the lock of the engagement means.

  With the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 7, when the sheet feeding tray 3 is pushed into the tray housing portion while the operating body 56 is engaged with the lower surface of the arm body 20c by the engaging means, as described above, The arm body 20 c can be pushed up together with the operating body 56 at the upper end of the inclined separation plate 21. Then, the operating body 56 and the arm body 20c overcoming the upper end of the inclined separation plate 21 are located in the front housing portion 3a of the paper feed tray 3, and the cooperation between the wing 61 as a cam follower and the cam portion 69 of the paper feed tray 3 is achieved. By the working action, the tip end side of the arm body 20c is turned downward. At this time, when the contact piece 60 in the downward posture on the front end side (downstream in the feeding direction) of the operating body 56 comes into contact with the uppermost position of the sheet P stored or accommodated or the bottom portion 3a of the sheet feed tray 3, it is pushed up. The engagement claw 70 is disengaged from the locking portion 71 in the arm body 20c. As a result, the upstream side of the operating body 56 in the feeding direction rotates downward, and the operating body 56 is inclined so that the contact piece 60 side faces upward. If the paper P is accumulated in the storage portion of the paper feed tray 3, the detection unit 59 and the feed roller 20a can contact the uppermost paper P (see FIG. 10C). When the paper P is not accumulated in the storage portion of the paper feed tray 3, the operating body 56 is fitted into the open portion 63 of the bottom 3a of the paper feed tray 3, and the feed roller 20a is lifted from the bottom 3a.

  As a release means, as another embodiment in place of the contact piece 60, although not shown, a direct-acting electromagnetic solenoid is disposed on the arm body 20c or a main frame that supports the arm body 20c, and is fed into the tray storage section. When the operating body 56 and the arm body 20c are positioned on the upper portion of the paper tray 3, the electromagnetic solenoid is driven by a signal from a sensor for detecting the operating body 56, and the upstream portion of the operating body 56 in the feeding direction is pushed down. A configuration for releasing the engagement of the engagement means may be adopted, or a configuration may be adopted in which the electromagnetic solenoid is driven by a switch manually operated by the user on the front side of the housing (device housing) 2. .

  It should be noted that a disabling switch is provided in the housing (device casing) 2 so that the operation of the switch or electromagnetic solenoid is disabled when the paper feed tray 3 is not stored in the tray storage portion (invalidation). Means) may be provided. If configured in this way, it is possible to prevent a large gap from being formed between the upstream portion in the feeding direction of the operating body 56 and the arm body 20c in a state where the paper feed tray 3 is not inserted, and to operate. It is possible to reliably prevent the body 56 from being damaged. When a large gap is formed between the upstream portion of the operating body 56 in the feeding direction and the arm body 20c, a stopper that prohibits the insertion of the paper feed tray 3 may be activated by the disabling means.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, the feeding roller may include a pair of left and right feeding rollers 20a or only one feeding roller 20a. Further, the outer peripheral surface of the feeding roller 20a may be configured with a member having a large friction coefficient such as rubber.

1 is an overall perspective view of an image recording apparatus. It is a sectional side view of a recording part. It is a top view of a paper feed tray and feeding means. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a paper feed tray with a paper discharge tray portion removed. It is a perspective view of a feeding means and a separation means. It is a top view of a feeding means and a separation means. FIG. 7 is a side view taken along line VII-VII in FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a partially cutaway side sectional view showing an engaging means between a feeding roller 20a and an operating body 56. (A)-(D) is explanatory drawing which shows the attitude | position change of the arm body 20c at the time of drawer | drawing-out of a paper feed tray. (A)-(C) are explanatory drawings which show the state which cancels | releases the engagement of the action body 56. FIG. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of a prior art.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 2 Housing as apparatus housing 2b Bottom plate as supporting part 3 Feeding tray 3a Bottom part 20 Feeding roller unit as feeding means 20a Feeding roller 20c Arm body 54 Shaft part 56 Actuating body 56a Protruding part 58 Acting part 59 Detection Part 60 abutment piece 67 wing as cam follower 69 cam part 70 engagement claw 71 locking part 72 frame part 72a inclined wall

Claims (7)

An apparatus housing having a recording unit for a recording medium is provided with a tray storage unit for storing a paper feed tray having a storage unit capable of storing a sheet-like recording medium in a stacked state so that the sheet feeding tray can be inserted and removed in a substantially horizontal direction. An image recording apparatus comprising:
The tray storage unit includes a support unit for supporting at least a part of the paper feed tray,
The device housing in the body, a vertically movable arm member is arranged in accordance with the amount of deposition the paper feed tray of the containing portion of the recording medium contained in,
A feeding roller that rotates while contacting the uppermost recording medium is disposed at the tip of the arm body,
The arm body has a base end portion mounted on the arm body so as to be pivotable up and down and extending upstream of the feeding roller in the feeding direction, and upstream of the feeding body in the feeding direction. A detection unit that is provided on the lower surface of the recording medium and that is in contact with the uppermost surface of the recording medium and that fits in an open portion formed on the bottom surface of the storage unit when the recording medium is not present; An operating part provided on an operating body on the downstream side in the feeding direction, and having an operating part that contacts the bottom surface of the housing part and separates the feeding roller from the bottom surface of the housing part ,
When the paper feed tray is pulled out of the apparatus housing, an engagement means is provided for engaging the recording medium so that there is no gap in which the recording medium can enter between the operating body and the arm body. An image recording apparatus comprising release means for releasing engagement by the combination means.   The releasing means is in contact with the stored recording medium or the bottom surface of the storage portion when the paper feed tray in which the storage medium is stored in the storage portion is inserted into the apparatus housing. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the engagement of the means is released. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the release unit is a contact piece that extends downstream in the feeding direction of the operating body. The operating body is provided with a paper guiding protrusion on the upstream side in the feeding direction from the detection section, and one engagement of the engaging means is provided on the rotation center side of the operating body from the protrusion. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a claw, wherein the arm body includes a locking portion that engages and disengages the engagement claw. Wherein the paper feed tray, when for insertion moves the paper feed tray, claim 1, further comprising a retracting means for spacing said arm body and the operating body from the downstream end of the paper feed tray The image recording apparatus according to claim 4 . One of the retracting means includes a cam follower provided in the arm body and a cam portion formed on a side portion of the paper feed tray.
Another one of the retracting means is an inclined separation plate standing from the downstream side in the feeding direction of the paper feed tray. When the paper feed tray is inserted and removed, the upper end portion of the inclined separation plate is The image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the image recording apparatus is configured to be in sliding contact with a lower surface of the operating body.   7. The device casing is provided with invalidating means for disabling the operation of the releasing means when the paper feed tray is not stored in the apparatus casing. An image recording apparatus according to any one of the above.

Images