JP5246124B2 - Tray conveying apparatus and image recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tray conveying apparatus that conveys a tray while being sandwiched between a pair of rollers, and an image recording apparatus equipped with the tray conveying apparatus.

  An image recording apparatus such as a printer is an example of an apparatus that sandwiches and conveys a thin plate tray with a pair of rollers. In the image recording apparatus, a thick recording medium such as a CD or a DVD is set on a dedicated tray. The tray is conveyed in the image recording apparatus, and an image is recorded on a recording medium in an image recording unit provided in the image recording apparatus.

  The dedicated tray on which the recording medium is set is inserted by the user so as to come into contact with a pair of rollers including a conveyance roller and a driven roller provided in the image recording apparatus. After the tray is inserted, the conveyance roller is driven, and the tray is nipped by the roller pair and conveyed in the image recording apparatus.

  In the recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a tapered portion is formed at the front end portion of the tray, and the tray sheet is fixed to the back surface of the tapered portion. When the tray sheet is bitten by the roller pair, a conveying force is generated, and the taper portion at the tip of the tray lifts the pinch roller, so that a thick tray can be held between the roller pair.

JP 2004-42384 A

  In the recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, the tray sheet is formed of a sheet-like film that is thinner than the thickness of the front end of the tray. By forming the tray sheet thin, the tray sheet is easily bitten by the roller pair. However, the tray sheet is thin and easily damaged. As described above, since the tray is usually inserted by the user, there is a high possibility that the tray is damaged by the user.

  Further, if the image recording apparatus has a configuration in which at least one driven roller having a width smaller than that of the conveying roller is provided, the following problem may occur. When the tray sheet is conveyed in the image recording apparatus having such a configuration, an area in which the tray sheet is sandwiched between the conveyance roller and the driven roller and receives pressure, and an area in contact with only the conveyance roller and not subjected to pressure are alternately displayed. Will exist. In this case, the tray sheet may be bent in a region where pressure is not received. If the tray sheet is bent, there is a possibility that the conveyance of the tray sheet between the conveyance roller and the driven roller may be hindered.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to mount a tray transport device in which a thin plate-shaped tray is easily sandwiched between a pair of rollers and the tray is not easily damaged, and the tray transport device. An object is to provide an image recording apparatus.

  (1) The tray transport device of the present invention is driven by a drive source to be rotated by a drive source, and can be brought into and out of contact with the first roller, and is urged to come into contact with the first roller. A second roller having a shorter length in the width direction than the first roller; and a tray sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller and conveyed in a first direction perpendicular to the width direction. The tray is provided with a convex portion projecting in the first direction at a position not corresponding to the second roller at the leading end portion in the first direction to be conveyed. The tip portion other than the convex portion has a tip surface facing the second roller, and the thickness gradually increases from the tip toward a second direction opposite to the first direction.

  When the leading end of the convex portion of the tray being conveyed contacts the first roller, the leading end surface of the convex portion is guided in the first direction along the outer periphery of the first roller. When the tray is guided in the first direction, the tip portion other than the convex portion then comes into contact with the second roller. The second roller is pushed away from the first roller by the tip surface of the tip portion other than the convex portion. As a result, the tip is sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller. The convex portion provided at a position that does not correspond to the clamping position by the first roller and the second roller is inserted prior to the apparatus, so that the position of the tray is stabilized. As a result, the tray is properly inserted into the apparatus. Needless to say, the thickness of the tray is a length in a direction perpendicular to the width direction and not in the first direction and the second direction.

  (2) The convex portion has a tip surface facing toward the first roller, and a thickness that gradually increases from the tip toward the second direction.

  In the above-described configuration, when the leading end surface of the convex portion of the tray to be conveyed and the outer periphery of the first roller are in contact, the leading end surface of the convex portion is unlikely to hit the first roller and is in contact with the outer periphery of the first roller. Cheap. As a result, the front end surface of the convex portion is moved along the outer periphery of the first roller and can be easily guided in the first direction.

  (3) The length of the convex portion in the first direction is longer than the range in which the thickness gradually increases in the second direction.

  By determining the length of the convex portion in this way, the tip of the tip portion other than the convex portion can be guided to the holding position by the first roller and the second roller by the convex portion.

  (4) Each corner of the convex portion with the front and back surfaces of the tray at the front end surface is a curved surface.

  In the above-described configuration, the tip surface of the convex portion is not angular. Therefore, when the front end surface of the convex portion of the tray to be conveyed and the outer periphery of the first roller abut, the movement of the tray due to the front end surface of the convex portion abutting against the first roller is prevented.

  (5) The length of the convex portion in the width direction gradually increases from the tip toward the second direction.

  If the length of the convex portion in the width direction is short, the contact between the convex portion and the first roller is easy. If the length of the convex portion in the width direction is long, the position of the tray is stabilized. Therefore, in the above-described configuration, the contact between the projection and the first roller can be prioritized before the contact between the projection and the first roller, and the stability of the tray position is prioritized after the contact between the projection and the first roller. it can.

  (6) The convex portion has a roller at its tip that rotates perpendicularly to the first direction and rotates in the direction along the front or back surface of the tray as an axial direction.

  In the above-described configuration, the roller contacts the outer periphery of the first roller when the tip end surface of the convex portion of the tray to be conveyed contacts the outer periphery of the first roller. The front end surface of the convex portion is moved along the outer periphery of the first roller by the rotation of the roller, and can easily guide the tray in the first direction.

  (7) The tray transport device of the present invention is provided on the upstream side in the first direction from the first roller, and the convex portion of the tray is at least from the nipping position by the first roller and the second roller. A guide member for guiding the tray so as to face the first roller is further provided.

  In the above-described configuration, the tray is guided by the guide member so that the convex portion faces at least the first roller side from the clamping position by the first roller and the second roller. Therefore, the front end surface of the convex portion of the tray is likely to come into contact with the first roller. When the front end surface of the convex portion comes into contact with the first roller, the front end surface of the convex portion is guided in the first direction along the outer periphery of the first roller. Thereafter, the tip portion other than the convex portion is brought into contact with the second roller, and the second roller is pushed away from the first roller by the tip surface of the tip portion other than the convex portion. That is, with the above-described configuration, the tray is easily sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller.

  (8) The present invention can be understood as an image recording apparatus including the tray conveying device described above and an image recording unit that records an image on a thin plate-shaped recording medium placed on the tray. You can also.

  In the present invention, when the front end of the convex portion of the tray comes into contact with the first roller, the front end surface of the convex portion is guided in the first direction while coming into contact with the first roller. When the tray is guided in the first direction, the tip portion other than the convex portion then comes into contact with the second roller. The second roller is pushed away from the first roller by the tip surface of the tip portion other than the convex portion. Accordingly, the tip portion other than the convex portion is sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller. As described above, the thin plate-shaped tray is easily sandwiched between the pair of rollers including the first roller and the second roller. Further, the convex portion provided at a position not corresponding to the clamping position by the first roller and the second roller is inserted into the apparatus in advance, so that the position of the tray is stabilized. As a result, the tray is properly inserted into the apparatus.

  In the present invention, a member thinner than the thickness of the tray such as a sheet-like film is not used for the tray. Therefore, the tray is not easily damaged.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a multifunction machine 1 that is an example of an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit 2. FIG. 3 is a partial plan view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 2. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the mechanism of the image recording unit 24. 5A and 5B are perspective views of the conveying device 54, in which FIG. 5A shows a state in which the components are combined, and FIG. 5B shows a state in which the components are disassembled. FIG. 6 is a front view schematically showing the mechanism of the transport device 54. 7A and 7B are perspective views of the media tray 71. FIG. 7A shows the upper surface 71a side, and FIG. 7B shows the vicinity of the tip 72 on the lower surface 71b side. FIG. 8 is a partial plan view schematically showing the transport device 54 and the media tray 71. FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing the transport device 54 and the media tray 71. FIG. 9A shows a state immediately before the tip 74b of the convex portion 74 comes into contact with the drive roller 47. B) shows a state in which the tip 73b of the recess 73 is in contact with the clamping position of the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48. FIG. 7C shows the media tray 71 held between the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48. (D) shows a media tray 71 in which the tip end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 is a curved surface, and (E) shows a roller 79 provided on the tip end surface 74a of the convex portion 74. The shown media tray 71 is shown. FIG. 10 is a perspective view and a partial plan view of the media tray 71. FIG. 10A shows a perspective view of the vicinity of the front end portion 72 of the media tray 71 in which the front end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 is a curved surface. (B) is a perspective view of the vicinity of the front end portion 72 of the media tray 71 in which the roller 79 is provided on the front end surface 74a of the convex portion 74, and (C) shows the convex portion 74 having a tapered shape. 9 is a partial plan view schematically showing the vicinity of the front end portion 72 of the media tray 71.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[Multifunction machine 1]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of a multifunction machine 1 as an example of an image recording apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multifunction device 1 is disposed on the front side of the upper surface of the apparatus, the printer unit 2 disposed in the lower part, the scanner unit 3 disposed in the upper part, the document cover 7 provided in the upper part of the scanner unit 3. A multi-function device (MFD: Multi Function Device) provided integrally with the operation panel 9 has a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, a facsimile function, and the like. In the present embodiment, the direction indicated by the arrow 13 is the width direction (left-right direction) of the multifunction device 1, the direction indicated by the arrow 14 is the height direction (up-down direction) of the multifunction device 1, and the arrow The direction indicated by 12 is the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the multifunction machine 1. In realizing the present invention, a scanner function, a facsimile function, and the like are arbitrary functions. For example, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention may be implemented as a printer having only a printer function.

  An operation panel 9 for operating the printer unit 2 and the scanner unit 3 is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the multifunction device 1 and on the upper surface of the front side of the scanner unit 3. The operation panel 9 includes various operation buttons and a liquid crystal display unit 11. The multifunction device 1 is operated by a control unit (not shown) that controls the operation of the multifunction device 1 based on inputs from the operation panel 9. The When the multifunction device 1 is connected to a computer, the multifunction device 1 is also operated based on an instruction transmitted from the computer via a printer driver or a scanner driver.

  The scanner unit 3 is configured as a so-called flat bed scanner. A document cover 7 as a top plate of the multifunction device 1 is provided on the upper portion of the scanner unit 3 so as to be freely opened and closed. A platen glass and an image sensor (not shown) are provided below the document cover 7. An image of a document placed on the platen glass is read by an image sensor. Since the scanner unit 3 is not relevant for realizing the present invention, a detailed description of the scanner unit 3 is omitted here.

[Printer unit 2]
Hereinafter, the configuration of the printer unit 2 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. As shown in FIG. 1, an opening 4 is formed on the front side of the printer unit 2. Through this opening 4, the paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are mounted on the multifunction machine 1. In FIG. 1, the paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are omitted. The paper feed tray 20 accommodates recording paper of a desired size such as A4 size or B5 size. As shown in FIG. 2, when the paper feed tray 20 is attached to the multi-function device 1, the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 20 has a longitudinal direction of the recording paper that is the depth direction 12 of the multi-function device 1. Set to be. The paper discharge tray 21 is supported by the paper feed tray 20 and disposed above the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed tray 20 and the paper discharge tray 21 are mounted in the multifunction device 1 in two upper and lower stages.

  The multifunction device 1 has a function of recording an image on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM medium. This function will be described later.

  A separation inclined plate 22 is disposed on the back side of the paper feed tray 20 mounted on the multifunction machine 1. The separation inclined plate 22 separates the recording paper fed from the paper feed tray 20 and guides it upward.

  A conveyance path 23 is formed above the separation inclined plate 22. The conveyance path 23 is bent upward from the upper side of the separation inclined plate 22 and to the front side of the multifunction machine 1 and extends from the rear side of the apparatus to the front side. Further, the conveyance path 54 (an example of the tray conveyance apparatus of the present invention). ) And the lower side of the image recording unit 24 (an example of the image recording unit of the present invention) and the holding position by the driving roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 and the paper discharge tray 21. The recording paper fed out from the paper feed tray 20 is guided by the conveyance path 23 so as to make a U-turn from the lower side to the upper side, and reaches the image recording unit 24. The recording sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 21 after image recording by the image recording unit 24.

  A paper feed roller 25 is provided on the upper side of the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the front end of a paper feed arm 26 that moves up and down detachably from the paper feed tray 20. The sheet feeding roller 25 is rotated by a driving force of a motor (not shown) transmitted by a driving transmission mechanism 27 in which a plurality of gears are engaged. The paper feed roller 25 separates the recording paper stacked on the paper feed tray 20 one by one and supplies it to the transport path 23. More specifically, the sheet feeding roller 25 is pressed against the recording sheet on the sheet feeding tray 20 and the sheet feeding roller 25 rotates in this state, so that the roller surface of the sheet feeding roller 25 and the recording sheet are separated from each other. The uppermost recording sheet is fed to the separation inclined plate 22 by the frictional force. The front end of the recording sheet abuts against the separation inclined plate 22 and is guided upward, and is sent to the conveyance path 23.

  The conveyance path 23 is composed of an outer guide surface 29 and an inner guide surface 28 that face each other at a predetermined interval except for a place where the image recording unit 24 and the like are disposed.

[Image Recording Unit 24]
The image recording unit 24 includes a carriage 31 that is mounted with a recording head 30 and reciprocates in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2). The recording head 30 is supplied with inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) from an ink tank 32 (see FIG. 3) through an ink tube 33. The recording head 30 ejects each ink as a minute ink droplet from a nozzle provided on the lower surface thereof. As the carriage 31 reciprocates in the main scanning direction, the recording head 30 scans the recording paper, and an image is recorded on the recording paper conveyed on the platen 34.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a pair of guide rails 35 and 36 are disposed on the upper side of the conveyance path 23 in which the image recording unit 24 is disposed. The guide rails 35 and 36 are extended in the width direction 13 of the transport path 23 with a separation in the transport direction of the recording paper. The carriage 31 is slidable on the guide rails 35 and 36 in the width direction 13 of the transport path 23 so as to straddle the guide rails 35 and 36.

  The guide rail 35 disposed on the upstream side in the conveyance direction of the recording paper has a flat plate shape in which the length in the width direction 13 of the conveyance path 23 is longer than the scanning width of the carriage 31. The upper surface of the guide rail 35 slidably supports the upstream end portion of the carriage 31.

  The guide rail 36 disposed on the downstream side in the recording sheet conveyance direction is a flat plate having a length in the width direction 13 of the conveyance path 23 that is substantially the same as the guide rail 35. The upper surface of the guide rail 36 slidably supports the upstream end portion of the carriage 31. The upstream end 37 of the guide rail 36 in the conveying direction is bent at a substantially right angle upward. The carriage 31 is provided with an engagement member (not shown) that engages with the end portion 37 so as to sandwich the end portion 37 of the guide rail 36. Thus, the carriage 31 is slidably supported on the guide rails 35 and 36 and can reciprocate in the width direction 13 of the transport path 23 with the end 37 of the guide rail 36 as a reference.

  A belt drive mechanism 38 is disposed on the upper surface of the guide rail 36. In the belt drive mechanism 38, an endless annular timing belt 41 with teeth on the inside is stretched between a drive pulley 39 and a driven pulley 40 provided near both ends in the width direction 13 of the conveyance path 23. It will be. A motor (not shown) is connected to the shaft of the drive pulley 39, and a driving force is input from the motor. The timing belt 41 moves circumferentially by the rotation of the driving pulley 39. In addition to the endless annular belt, the timing belt 41 may be one in which both end portions of the endless belt are fixed to the carriage 31.

  The carriage 31 is fixed to the timing belt 41. Due to the circumferential movement of the timing belt 41, the carriage 31 reciprocates on the guide rails 35 and 36 with the end portion 37 as a reference. A recording head 30 is mounted on the carriage 31. Therefore, the recording head 30 can reciprocate together with the carriage 31 with the width direction 13 of the transport path 23 as the main scanning direction. An encoder strip 42 of a linear encoder is disposed on the guide rail 36 along the end 37. The linear encoder detects the encoder strip 42 by a photo interrupter. Based on the detection signal of the linear encoder, the reciprocation of the carriage 31 is controlled.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a platen 34 is disposed below the conveyance path 23 so as to face the recording head 30. The platen 34 is disposed over the central portion of the reciprocating range of the carriage 31 through which the recording paper passes. The width of the platen 34 is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be conveyed, and both ends of the recording paper always pass over the platen 34.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a purge mechanism 43 and a waste ink tray 44 are disposed outside the image recording range by the recording head 30, that is, in a range where recording paper on both sides of the platen 34 does not pass. The purge mechanism 43 sucks and removes bubbles and foreign matters together with ink from the nozzles of the recording head 30. The purge mechanism 43 includes a cap 45 that covers the nozzle surface of the recording head 30. When performing suction removal of bubbles or the like of the recording head 30, the carriage 31 is moved so that the recording head 30 is positioned on the cap 45. In this state, the cap 45 moves upward so that the nozzles on the lower surface of the recording head 30 are in close contact with each other. Then, ink is sucked from the nozzles of the recording head 30 by a pump (not shown) connected to the cap 45.

  The waste ink tray 44 is disposed outside the image recording range of the carriage 31 and on the opposite side of the purge mechanism 43. The waste ink tray 44 receives the ink ejected from the recording head 30. This idle discharge is called flushing.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the ink tank 32 is accommodated in an ink tank accommodating portion 46 provided in a housing on the right front side of the printer portion 2. In detail, the ink tank 32 includes four ink tanks 32C, 32M, 32Y, and 32K that store inks of cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk). Become. Ink is supplied from the ink tank 32 to the carriage 31 through an ink tube 33 provided for each color.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a transport device 54 is provided on the upstream side of the image recording unit 24. In the conveying device 54, a driving roller 47 (an example of the first roller of the present invention) and a pinch roller 48 (an example of the second roller of the present invention) provided below the driving roller 47 are integrally unitized. Is. When the driving roller 47 of the conveying device 54 is driven to rotate forward, the recording paper fed from the paper feeding tray 20 is held between the driving roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 and conveyed onto the platen 34 on the downstream side thereof. Is done. The configuration of the transport device 54 will be described in detail later.

  A pair of discharge rollers 55 having a driving roller 49 and a spur roller 50 provided above the driving roller 49 are provided on the downstream side of the image recording unit 24. The recorded recording sheet is conveyed in a predetermined direction by being pinched by the driving roller 49 and the spur roller 50. When the driving roller 49 is driven to rotate forward, the recording paper is conveyed in a direction to be discharged to the paper discharge tray 21. Further, the recording medium is conveyed in the reverse direction by driving the driving roller 49 in the reverse direction. Since the spur roller 50 is in pressure contact with the recorded recording paper, the roller surface is formed in a spur shape so as not to deteriorate the image recorded on the recording paper. For the same reason, the pressure contact force between the rollers is set smaller than that of the conveying device 54.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the driving roller 47 and the driving roller 49 are rotated by a driving force transmitted from a motor 59 (an example of a driving source of the present invention) connected to one end of the driving roller 47 in the axial direction. Is done. Further, the drive roller 47 and the drive roller 49 are controlled by a drive circuit (not shown) mounted on the control board 52 (see FIG. 3), so that the rotation direction is switched to either normal rotation or reverse rotation. The rotation direction is switched by switching control for the motor 59 or by switching a gear or the like that transmits the rotational force of the motor 59 to the rotation shaft of each roller.

  Further, the drive roller 47 and the drive roller 49 are intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width when the motor 59 is driven and controlled. The rotations of the driving roller 47 and the driving roller 49 are synchronized. A rotary encoder (not shown) detects an encoder disk 51 provided on the driving roller 47 with a photo interrupter 60 (see FIG. 4), and drives the driving roller 47 and the driving roller 49 based on a detection signal of the rotary encoder. Is controlled.

  The recording paper is intermittently conveyed on the platen 34 with a predetermined line feed width by the driving roller 47 and the driving roller 49. The recording head 30 is scanned for each line feed, and image recording is performed from the leading end side of the recording paper. After image recording is performed on a predetermined area of the recording paper by the recording head 30, the drive roller 49 is continuously rotated. As a result, the recording paper held by the drive roller 49 and the spur roller 50 is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21.

[Conveyor 54]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the conveying device 54 is configured by integrally forming a drive roller 47, a pinch roller 48, a spring 61, a pinch roller holder 62, and the like. Each pinch roller 48 is composed of a single roller as shown in FIG. 5, but a plurality of short rollers as shown in FIG. 6 (the pinch roller holder 62 is omitted in FIG. 6). (2 in FIG. 6) may be used. The media driving roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 sandwich the recording sheet fed from the sheet feeding tray 20 and send it onto the platen 34 on the downstream side.

  The pinch roller holder 62 is formed in a long shape as shown in FIG. 5 and is arranged so that the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the width direction 13 of the recording paper. Moreover, the cross section is formed in the substantially U shape. Four roller storage chambers 64 and eight spring storage chambers 65 are provided on the upper surface of the pinch roller holder 62 facing the drive roller 47. The roller accommodating chamber 64 is formed at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction of the pinch roller holder 62. The spring accommodating chamber 65 is formed adjacent to both ends of the roller accommodating chamber 64. The pinch roller 48 is accommodated in the roller accommodating chamber 64 so that the rotation shaft 66 (see FIG. 5B) coincides with the longitudinal direction of the pinch roller holder 62. That is, the pinch roller 48 is shorter in the width direction 13 than the drive roller 47. Further, the spring 61 is accommodated in the spring accommodating chamber 65 in a compressed state. Needless to say, the number of pinch rollers 48 and springs 61, the accommodation method, and the like can be changed as appropriate.

  The spring accommodating chamber 65 is partitioned by partition plates provided upright on both sides in the longitudinal direction of the spring accommodating chamber 65. A bearing 68 (see FIG. 5B) is formed on the partition plate. The pivot shaft 66 of the pinch roller 48 is supported by a bearing 68. The bearing 68 is formed in a long groove shape in the vertical direction 14. Thereby, the rotation shaft 66 is pivotally supported by the bearing 68 so as to be movable up and down.

  In the conveying device 54, the spring 61 is accommodated in the spring accommodating chamber 65, the rotation shaft 66 of the pinch roller 48 is inserted into the bearing 68, the spring 61 is compressed, and the pinch roller 48 and the driving roller 47 are pressed against each other. The state is configured (see FIG. 5A). The spring force of the compressed spring 61 acts the pinch roller 48 toward the drive roller 47. That is, a biasing force against the driving roller 47 is applied to the pinch roller 48. As a result, the pinch roller 48 comes into pressure contact with the drive roller 47. Since the pinch roller 48 is urged by the spring 61 and is pivotally supported by the pinch roller holder 62, when a thick recording paper or a media tray 71 described below is conveyed, the pinch roller 48 depends on the paper thickness or resin thickness. The pinch roller 48 separates from the driving roller 47 against the urging force of the spring 61.

[Media tray 71]
As described above, the multi-function device 1 has a function of recording an image on the surface of a recording medium such as a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM medium. When an image is recorded on the surface of the recording medium, the recording medium is placed on the media tray 71 (an example of the tray of the present invention).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the media tray 71 is made of resin and has a thickness of several millimeters (for example, 2 mm to 3 mm) in the vertical direction 14. The media tray 71 is longer in the transport direction (depth direction 12) and the width direction 13 than the thickness (height direction 14), and the transport direction (depth direction 12) is longer in the width direction 13. Longer than that. That is, the media tray 71 is a thin rectangular parallelepiped resin plate. On the upper surface 71a of the media tray 71, there is provided a media placement portion 78 that is a circular recess and on which a recording medium is placed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the media tray 71 on which the recording medium is placed on the media placing portion 78 is arranged in the direction of the arrow 77 in FIG. 2, that is, from the opening 4 on the front side of the apparatus. When inserted into H.231, insertion of the media tray 71 is detected by a sensor (not shown), and the driving roller 47 and the driving roller 49 are driven in reverse rotation. As a result, the media tray 71 is oriented in a direction perpendicular to the width direction 13 of the drive roller 47 and opposite to the recording paper transport direction (corresponding to the first direction of the present invention, which will be referred to as the first direction hereinafter). ), And comes into contact with the conveying device 54 from the downstream side in the conveying direction of the recording paper via the discharge roller pair 55 and the image recording unit 24. When the media tray 71 is sandwiched between the driving roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 of the transport device 54, the pinch roller 48 is pushed downward by the thickness of the media tray 7 against the biasing force of the spring 61. The media tray 71 sandwiched between the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 is guided further upstream in the recording sheet conveyance direction. As a result, the recording medium placed on the media tray 71 is positioned upstream of the image recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction of the recording paper.

  When the recording medium placed on the media tray 71 is positioned upstream of the image recording unit 24 in the recording sheet conveyance direction, the driving of the driving roller 47 and the driving roller 49 is temporarily stopped. The direction of rotation is switched to forward rotation. As a result, the media tray 71 is transported in the direction opposite to the first direction, that is, the recording paper transport direction (corresponding to the second direction of the present invention, hereinafter referred to as the second direction). The placed recording medium passes over the platen 34. Ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 30 onto the recording medium conveyed on the platen 34. As a result, an image is recorded on the surface of the recording medium, and the media tray 71 is finally discharged from the discharge tray 21.

  In the above description, the media tray 71 is sandwiched between both the discharge roller pair 50 and the transport device 54 in the process of transport in the first direction. However, in the following description, a case where the media tray 71 is sandwiched between the transport devices 54 will be described. Of course, it is needless to say that the configurations of the media tray 71 and the conveying device 54 described below can also be applied when the media tray 71 is sandwiched between the discharge roller pair 50.

  As shown in FIG. 7A, the first-direction leading end 72 (corresponding to the leading end of the present invention) of the media tray 71 when the media tray 71 is inserted into the multifunction machine 1 It has a shape in which unevenness is repeated in the width direction 13. That is, the front end portion 72 of the media tray 71 includes a predetermined number of concave portions 73 (corresponding to a front end portion other than the convex portion of the present invention) and a convex portion 74 (an example of the convex portion of the present invention). In this embodiment, the case where the media tray 71 includes a plurality of convex portions 74 will be described. However, the number of the convex portions 74 may be one or plural. As will be described below, since the convex portions 74 are provided in a range that does not face the pinch roller 48, the number of convex portions 74 varies depending on the number of pinch rollers 48. Here, the number of pinch rollers 48 may be one or plural.

  The recess 73 is provided in a range A (see FIGS. 6 and 8) facing the pinch roller 48 in the width direction 13 of the drive roller 47. That is, the recess 73 moves in the first direction while being sandwiched between the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 of the transport device 54.

  As shown in FIG. 7B, the front end surface 73a of the recess 73 forms a gradient of a predetermined angle θ1 from the front end 73b of the recess 73 to the lower surface 71b of the media tray 71. In other words, the front end surface 73 a of the recess 73 faces obliquely downward, and this direction corresponds to the pinch roller 48 side that is positioned below the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48. In the recess 73, the thickness of the media tray 71 gradually increases from the leading end 73b in the second direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the convex portion 74 is provided in a range B that does not face the pinch roller 48 in the width direction 13 of the drive roller 47. That is, when the media tray 71 passes through the conveying device 54, the convex portion 74 moves in the first direction while being in contact with the lower side of the driving roller 47 without being sandwiched between the driving roller 47 and the pinch roller 48.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the leading end surface 74 a of the convex portion 74 forms a gradient of a predetermined angle θ2 from the leading end 74 b of the convex portion 74 to the upper surface 71 a of the media tray 71. That is, the front end surface 74 a of the convex portion 74 faces obliquely upward, and this direction is the drive roller 47 side that is located on the upper side of the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48. Similarly to the concave portion 73, the thickness of the media tray 71 also gradually increases in the second direction from the tip 74 b of the convex portion 74.

  Here, the angle θ1 is, for example, when the contact point is a position where the tip 73b of the recess 73 first contacts the pinch roller 48 in the process of transporting the media tray 71 in the first direction, and the tip surface 73a is a tangent at the contact. The angle is such that Further, the angle θ2 is, for example, when the contact point is a position where the tip 74b of the convex portion 74 first contacts the driving roller 47 in the process of transporting the media tray 71 in the first direction, the tip surface 74a is a tangent to the contact point. The angle is such that

[Guide member]
As described above, in the media tray 71, the leading end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 faces the drive roller 47 side. The media tray 71 is guided to the nipping position between the driving roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 when the leading end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 comes into contact with the rotating driving roller 47. Therefore, the height at which the media tray 71 is transported through the transport path 23 is preferably a height at which the tip 74 b of the convex portion 74 comes into contact with the drive roller 47. For example, when the height at which the media tray 71 is transported through the transport path 23 is a height at which the tip 74a of the convex portion 74 and the pinch roller 48 come into contact, the height at which the media tray 71 is transported through the transport path 23. Is lower than the preferred height.

  Therefore, the multifunction device 1 has a rib (an example of the guide member of the present invention, not shown) having a predetermined height on the second direction side (that is, the downstream side in the recording sheet conveyance direction) from the conveyance device 54. It extends in the width direction 13 from the lower guide surface of the conveyance path 23 at a predetermined interval in the conveyance direction (depth direction 12). Accordingly, the lower surface 71b of the media tray 71 is conveyed while being in contact with the upper surface of the rib, and the media tray 71 is held at a preferred height.

  Further, instead of the rib, a conveyance roller (an example of the guide member of the present invention, not shown) may be provided. The conveying roller is rotatably provided with the width direction 13 as an axial direction so that the roller surface is exposed from the lower guide surface. The conveyance roller makes the conveyance of the media tray 71 in contact with the conveyance roller smoother than when the ribs are provided.

  Further, the platen 34 disposed to face the recording head 30 may be the guide member of the present invention. The media tray 71 inserted from the discharge tray 21 side passes over the platen 34 when being transported toward the transport device 54. Accordingly, the platen 34 serves as a guide member of the present invention by being disposed at an appropriate height.

[Effect of the embodiment]
In the following description, FIG. 9A shows an XX section of FIG. 8, and FIGS. 9B and 9C show a YY section of FIG. As shown in FIG. 9A, when the media tray 71 is conveyed in the first direction and the leading end 74 b of the convex portion 74 comes into contact with the driving roller 47, the leading end surface 74 a of the convex portion 74 is It is guided in the first direction along the outer periphery. As shown in FIG. 9B, when the media tray 71 is guided in the first direction, the leading end 73 b of the recess 73 then contacts the pinch roller 48. The pinch roller 48 is pushed in a direction away from the drive roller 47 by the tip surface 73 a of the recess 73. As a result, as shown in FIG. 9C, the tip 72 is sandwiched between the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48. The convex portion 74 provided at a position that does not correspond to the clamping position by the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 is inserted prior to the multifunction machine 1, so that the position of the media tray 71 is stabilized. As a result, the media tray 71 is appropriately inserted into the multifunction machine 1.

  In the above-described embodiment, the leading end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 faces the drive roller 47 side, and the thickness of the convex portion 74 gradually increases from the leading end 74b toward the second direction. Therefore, when the leading end surface 74 a of the convex portion 74 of the media tray 71 to be conveyed and the outer periphery of the driving roller 47 come into contact with each other, the leading end surface 74 a of the convex portion 74 hardly hits the driving roller 47 and the outer periphery of the driving roller 47 Easy to touch. As a result, the front end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 is moved along the outer periphery of the drive roller 47 and is easily guided in the first direction.

  In the above-described embodiment, the media tray 71 is guided by the rib, the conveyance roller, the platen 34, and the like so that the convex portion 74 is directed to the driving roller 47 side from the clamping position by at least the driving roller 47 and the pinch roller 48. . Therefore, the leading end surface 74 a of the convex portion 74 of the media tray 71 is likely to come into contact with the drive roller 47. When the front end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 comes into contact with the drive roller 47, as described above, the front end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 is guided in the first direction along the outer periphery of the roller. Thereafter, the recess 73 is brought into contact with the pinch roller 48, and the pinch roller 48 is pushed in a direction away from the driving roller 47 by the tip end surface 73 a of the recess 73. That is, the media tray 71 is easily held between the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 by providing a rib or a conveyance roller as the guide member of the present invention, or by using the platen 34 as the guide member of the present invention.

[Modification 1 of Example]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the thickness of the media tray 71 gradually increases in the second direction by the length of the protrusion 74 protruding from the tip of the recess 73 has been described. That is, as shown in FIG. 7B, the length in the first direction of the convex portion 74 and the length in the second direction in a range where the tip surface 74a of the convex portion 74 forms a gradient of a predetermined angle θ2. A case has been described in which Sato has a length “L”. However, the length in the first direction of the convex portion 74 may be longer than the length in the second direction in the range where the tip surface 74a of the convex portion 74 forms a gradient. Even if the length in the first direction of the convex portion 74 is longer than the length in the second direction in the range where the tip surface 74a of the convex portion 74 forms a gradient, the tip 73b of the concave portion 73 is not convex. The portion 74 can be guided to a holding position by the driving roller 47 and the pinch roller 48.

[Modification 2 of Example]
The convex portions 74 may have curved surfaces at the corners of the top surface 71a and the bottom surface 71b of the media tray 71 on the front end surface 74a. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9D and 10A, the leading end surface 74a has a steep slope in the vicinity of the leading end 74b, and gradually decreases as it moves away from the leading end 74b and approaches the upper surface 71a of the media tray 71. The curved surface may be a gradient. Here, FIG. 9D shows an XX cross section of FIG. In such a configuration, the tip surface 74a of the convex portion 74 is not angular. Therefore, when the leading end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 of the conveyed media tray 71 and the outer periphery of the driving roller 47 abut, the movement of the media tray 71 due to the leading end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 abutting against the driving roller 47 is caused. Inhibition is prevented.

[Modification 3 of the embodiment]
The length of the convex portion 74 in the width direction 13 may gradually increase from the tip 74b toward the second direction. For example, as shown in FIG. 10C, the length of the convex portion 74 in the width direction 13 may be increased in a tapered shape from the tip 74b toward the second direction. Specifically, the length of the convex portion 74 in the width direction 13 increases as the distance from the tip 74b in the second direction increases. If the length of the convex portion 74 in the width direction 13 is short, the convex portion 74 and the driving roller 47 can be easily brought into contact with each other. When a plurality of pinch rollers 48 are arranged in the width direction 13, the pinch rollers 48 are easily inserted between the pinch rollers 48. If the length of the convex portion 74 in the width direction 13 is long, the position of the media tray 71 is stabilized. Therefore, in the configuration described above, priority can be given to the contact between the projection 74 and the drive roller 47 before the contact between the projection 74 and the drive roller 47, and after the contact between the projection 74 and the drive roller 47, Position stability can be given priority. The third modification of the embodiment may be applied to the second modification of the above-described embodiment. That is, the length of the convex portion 74 in the width direction 13 is gradually increased from the leading end 74b in the second direction, and each corner of the leading end surface 74a with the upper surface 71a and the lower surface 71b of the media tray 71 is a curved surface. May be.

[Modification 4 of the embodiment]
The convex portion 74 may have a roller (an example of the roller of the present invention) that rotates at the tip 74b orthogonal to the first direction and that rotates in the direction along the upper surface 71a or the lower surface 71b of the media tray 71 as an axial direction. Good. For example, as shown in FIGS. 9 (E) and 10 (B), the central portion in the width direction 13 of the tip 74b of the convex portion 74 is recessed, and an axis (not shown) extending in the width direction 13 in the recessed portion. ) Is provided. The roller 79 is provided so as to be rotatable about the axis so as to be exposed from the distal end surface 74a. Here, FIG. 9E shows an XX cross section of FIG.

  Note that the shaft of the roller 79 is preferably provided closer to the pinch roller 48 than the middle of the media tray 71 in the height direction 14. When the shaft center of the roller 79 is provided on the driving roller 47 side, the media tray 71 is not guided from the driving roller 47 toward the pinch roller 48 depending on the contact mode between the roller 79 and the driving roller 47. This is because the roller 47 may be guided toward the opposite side of the pinch roller 48.

  In the above-described configuration, the roller 79 is in contact with the outer periphery of the drive roller 47 when the tip surface 74 a of the convex portion 74 of the media tray 71 to be conveyed and the outer periphery of the drive roller 47 abut. The leading end surface 74 a of the convex portion 74 is moved along the outer periphery of the driving roller 47 by the rotation of the roller 79, and can easily guide the media tray 71 in the first direction.

  In the second modification to the fourth modification of the embodiment, an example in which the convex portion 74 is configured with a curved end surface 74a (modification 2), an example in which the convex portion 74 is enlarged in a tapered shape (modification 3), In addition, the example in which the roller 79 is provided (Modification 4) has been described, but the shape of the convex portion 74 is not limited thereto. That is, the convex portion 74 is provided at a position that does not correspond to the pinch roller 48, and guides the media tray 71 to the sandwiching position of the drive roller 47 and the pinch roller 48 by contacting the drive roller 47. Can be configured in different shapes.

[Modification 5 of the embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the driving roller 47 is provided above the pinch roller 48 and the spur roller 50 is provided above the driving roller 49 in the multifunction machine 1 has been described. However, the pinch roller 48 may be provided above the drive roller 47, and the drive roller 49 may be provided above the spur roller 50. In this case, it goes without saying that the directions of the tip surfaces 73a and 74a of the concave portion 73 and the convex portion 74 are opposite to those of the above-described embodiment. That is, the front end surface 73a of the concave portion 73 faces obliquely upward, and the front end surface 74a of the convex portion 74 faces diagonally downward.

[Modification 6 of the embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the transport device 54 as the tray transport device is mounted on the multifunction device 1 as the image recording device has been described. However, the transport device 54 is mounted on a thin plate-shaped tray with a pair of rollers. The image recording apparatus such as the multifunction machine 1 is not limited to the apparatus as long as the apparatus is nipped and conveyed. Examples of such an apparatus include an apparatus that conveys an iron plate and an apparatus that conveys a printed board.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... MFP 2 ... Printer part 24 ... Image recording part 47 ... Drive roller 48 ... Pinch roller 54 ... Conveying device 71 ... Media tray 72 ... Tip part 73 ... Concave part 74 ... Convex part

Claims (8)

A first roller that is rotated by driving transmission from a driving source;
A second roller that is capable of coming into contact with and separating from the first roller and is urged to come into contact with the first roller, and has a shorter length in the width direction than the first roller;
A tray sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller and conveyed in a first direction perpendicular to the width direction,
The tray is provided with a convex portion projecting in the first direction at a position not corresponding to the second roller in the leading end portion in the first direction to be conveyed,
The tray whose tip surface other than the convex portion has a tip surface facing the second roller and whose thickness gradually increases from the tip toward a second direction opposite to the first direction. Conveying device.   2. The tray transport device according to claim 1, wherein a tip surface of the convex portion is directed toward the first roller, and a thickness thereof gradually increases from the tip toward the second direction.   The tray conveying device according to claim 2, wherein the length of the convex portion in the first direction is longer than a range in which the thickness gradually increases in the second direction.   2. The tray transport device according to claim 1, wherein each corner of the convex portion with the front and back surfaces of the tray at the front end surface is a curved surface.   5. The tray transport device according to claim 1, wherein a length of the convex portion in the width direction is gradually increased from the tip toward the second direction. 6.   2. The tray transport device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portion has a roller that rotates at a tip thereof perpendicular to the first direction and having a direction along the front or back surface of the tray as an axial direction.   The tray is provided on the upstream side in the first direction from the first roller, and the tray is arranged so that the convex portion of the tray faces at least the first roller side from the clamping position by the first roller and the second roller. The tray conveyance device according to claim 2, further comprising a guide member for guiding. A tray transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An image recording apparatus comprising: an image recording unit configured to record an image on a thin plate-shaped recording medium placed on the tray.

Images