JP5278447B2 - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a thinned image recorder which allows a user to easily take out a recording medium having an image recorded thereon and discharged in an intracavity manner. <P>SOLUTION: In an opening 16 of a printer section, a paper sheet feed tray 29 and a paper sheet discharge tray 21 are arranged one above the other as the discharge tray 21 is arranged on the upper side. A recording paper sheet stored on the feed tray 29 has an image recorded thereon while it is conveyed along a conveyance route 23 and is discharged onto the discharge tray 21. In an extension tray 61 of the discharge tray 21, the upper surface 95 at its rear end 122 is supported nearly horizontally in a first posture. When the discharge tray 21 changes its posture from the first posture to a second posture, the upper surface 95 is moved to the feed tray 29 side, to the first posture. Through this posture change of the discharge tray 21, a space for a user to insert user's hand so as to take out the recording paper sheet is expanded downward in the opening 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus for discharging a recording medium on which an image is recorded into a cylinder.

  An image recording apparatus such as an ink jet printer or a laser printer includes a paper feed tray and a paper discharge tray. The paper feed tray accommodates recording paper used for image recording. The recording paper is conveyed from the paper feed tray, and an image is recorded in the conveyance process and discharged to the paper discharge tray. Among this type of image recording apparatus, there is known a so-called in-cylinder discharge type in which a discharge tray is provided inside the apparatus main body.

  The image forming apparatus described in Patent Literature 1 includes an image reading unit and an image forming unit. In this image forming apparatus, an image of an original is read by an image reading unit, and the image of the original is recorded on a recording sheet by an image forming unit. The recording paper on which the image is recorded is discharged to a paper discharge tray. The paper discharge tray is provided between an image reading unit provided in the upper part of the apparatus main body and an image forming unit provided in the lower part. The paper discharge tray is inclined so that the front end side in the recording paper discharge direction is lower than the rear end side. Accordingly, since the upper surface of the paper discharge tray is directed to the outside of the image forming apparatus, the user can easily take out the recording paper from the paper discharge tray as compared with the case where the paper discharge tray is provided horizontally. it can.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration that facilitates taking out the recording paper discharged to a position away from the front side of the apparatus main body provided with an operation panel. The image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2 is provided with a discharge tray from which a recording sheet on which an image is recorded is discharged, and a discharge port for taking out the recording sheet from the discharge tray on the side of the apparatus main body. . The recording paper on which the image is recorded is discharged to the back side of the apparatus main body in the paper discharge tray. The paper discharge tray is inclined so that the front side of the apparatus main body is lower than the back side. Therefore, the recording paper discharged to the paper discharge tray slides from the back side of the apparatus main body to the front side along the inclined paper discharge tray. This facilitates taking out of the recording paper from the front side of the apparatus main body.

  Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration that allows rotation between a horizontal posture in which the paper discharge tray is horizontally disposed and an inclined posture in which the paper discharge tray is inclined as described above. When the user depresses the front side of the main body of the apparatus in the paper discharge tray, the paper discharge tray rotates, and it becomes easy to take out the recording paper from the paper discharge tray.

JP 2001-63898 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-116830

  In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1, since the paper discharge tray is inclined, the space occupied by the paper discharge tray is increased as compared with the case where the paper discharge tray is provided horizontally. For this reason, there exists a problem that an apparatus enlarges. In the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 2, it is necessary to provide a space for rotating the paper discharge tray, and there is a problem that the apparatus is enlarged as in the image forming apparatus described in Patent Document 1. .

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is that it provides a thin image recording apparatus in which a user can easily take out a recording medium on which an image is recorded and discharged in a cylinder. .

  An apparatus main body having an opening; a first tray disposed in the opening of the apparatus main body for accommodating a sheet-like recording medium; and formed in the apparatus main body, within the opening of the apparatus main body, the first A second tray disposed above the tray, a first transport unit that transports a recording medium from the first tray, and a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium transported by the first transport unit; A second transport unit that transports the recording medium recorded by the recording unit to the second tray, and the second tray is in a first posture and a position pulled out from the opening. The recording medium that is configured to be changeable in posture between the second posture where the upper surface is closer to the first tray than the first posture, and the recording medium transported by the second transport unit is the first posture or It is configured to be placed in the second posture.

  A placement tray for placing a recording medium transported from the second transport portion together with the second tray in the second posture on the second transport portion side of the second tray in the second posture. May be formed.

  The second tray is disposed at the same position as the opening on the opening side of the first tray or at a position pushed into the second tray in the first posture, and the opening side of the first tray in the second posture. It may be arranged at a position pulled out from the end of the.

  The second tray includes a tray main body and an auxiliary tray body that can be pulled out from the tray main body in a direction in which the second tray is pulled out, and the second tray includes the second tray. A recording medium transported from the transport unit may be placed.

  The second tray may be formed to be slidable from the first posture to the second posture.

  According to the present invention, by changing the posture of the second tray from the first posture to the second posture, the space on the second tray in the opening is expanded downward, and the recording medium can be easily taken out from the second tray. It becomes. Accordingly, the height of the opening can be reduced and the image recording apparatus can be made thinner without suffering the disadvantage that it is difficult for the user to take out the recording medium from the second tray.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 20. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 20. FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the paper feed cassette 52. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the front side of the paper feed tray 29, and shows a state in which the expansion tray 59 is pulled out in the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 54. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the back side of the paper feed tray 29 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the front side of the paper feed tray 29, and shows a state in which the expansion tray 59 is pushed in the first direction 36 with respect to the tray main body 54. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the back side of the paper feed tray 29 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the front side of the discharge tray 21 and shows a state in which the extension tray 61 is pulled out in the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 56. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the back side of the paper discharge tray 21 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the front side of the paper discharge tray 21 and shows a state in which the extension tray 61 is pushed in the first direction 36 with respect to the tray main body 56. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the back side of the paper discharge tray 21 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the XV portion in FIG. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the XVI portion in FIG. 17A and 17B are side views of the paper feed cassette 52. FIG. 17A shows a state in which the paper discharge tray 21 is in the first posture, and FIG. 17B shows a state in which the paper discharge tray 21 is in the second posture. FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating the paper feed cassette 52 in which the paper discharge tray 21 is changed in posture to the second posture. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture when the extension tray 61 is pushed in the first direction 36. FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet discharge tray 21 is changed in posture from the first posture to the second posture by the extension tray 61 being pulled out in the second direction 37. FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture when the extension tray 59 is pulled out in the second direction 37. FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet discharge tray 21 is changed in posture from the first posture to the second posture when the extension tray 59 is pushed in the first direction 36 side. FIG. 23 is a plan view of the paper feed cassette 52 in the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture when the sub-tray 126 is pushed in the first direction 36. FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture by rotating the rear end portion 112 with respect to the bottom 93.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In addition, this embodiment is only an example of this invention, and it cannot be overemphasized that embodiment can be changed suitably in the range which does not change the summary of this invention.

[First Embodiment]
First, the configuration and operation of the multifunction machine 10 according to an embodiment of the image recording apparatus of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external configuration of the multifunction machine 10.

As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 includes a printer unit 20 (corresponding to the apparatus main body of the present invention) in the lower part and a scanner part 12 (corresponding to the reading part of the present invention) in the upper part. Multifunction device (MFD). The multifunction machine 10 has a printer function, a scanner function, a copy function, and a facsimile function, and the printer unit 20 corresponds to the image recording apparatus of the present invention. Therefore, the image recording apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the multifunction machine 10, and for example, the present invention can be applied to a single-function printer that does not have the scanner unit 12 and does not have a scanner function or a copy function. .

  The multifunction machine 10 is mainly connected to an external information device (not shown) such as a computer. The multifunction device 10 receives print data including image data and document data transmitted from the external information device. The multifunction machine 10 records an image on a recording sheet (an example of a sheet-like recording medium in the present invention) based on the print data. The multifunction machine 10 records an image on a recording sheet based on the image data of the original read by the scanner unit 12. The multifunction machine 10 is connected to a digital camera or the like, and records image data output from the digital camera or the like on a recording sheet. The multifunction machine 10 is loaded with various storage media such as a memory card and records image data and the like recorded on the storage medium on a recording sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 has a wide and thin, generally rectangular parallelepiped shape having a width and depth larger than the height. The printer unit 20 has an opening 16 formed on the front side thereof. The opening 16 is for the user to take out the recording paper on which an image has been recorded and discharged into the cylinder in the opening 16. A paper feed tray 29 and a paper discharge tray 21 are arranged in the opening 16. The paper feed tray 29 and the paper discharge tray 21 are arranged in two upper and lower stages with the paper discharge tray 21 as the upper side of the paper feed tray 29. The paper feed tray 29 is a paper feed cassette 52 (see FIG. 6) in which the paper discharge tray 21 is integrally provided as a lid of the paper feed tray 29.

  The paper feed tray 29 accommodates recording paper used for image recording. Examples of the recording paper include plain paper, glossy paper, inkjet paper, postcard and the like. As the recording paper is conveyed from the paper feed tray 29, an image is recorded and discharged into the space 40 of the printer unit 20 (see FIG. 2). The paper discharge tray 21 accommodates a recording sheet on which this image is recorded.

  The paper feed cassette 52 is inserted into and removed from the printer unit 20 through the opening 16. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the opening 16 is provided on the front side (the left side in FIG. 2) of the same printer unit 20 as the operation panel 14. Thus, for example, it is easier to take out the recording paper from the paper discharge tray 21 than when the opening 16 is formed on the side surface of the printer unit 20. However, the position of the opening 16 is not limited to this. The opening 16 may be formed on the side surface or the back surface of the printer unit 20. The paper feed cassette 52 will be described in detail later.

  A door 28 (see FIG. 1) is provided at the lower right portion of the front of the printer unit 2 so as to be freely opened and closed. Inside the door 28, a cartridge mounting portion (not shown) is provided. When the door 28 is opened, the cartridge mounting portion is exposed to the front side, and the ink cartridge can be removed. The ink cartridge is connected to the recording head 39 (see FIG. 5) via the ink tube 41 (see FIG. 4) by being mounted on the cartridge mounting portion. A carriage 38 (see FIG. 4), which will be described later, is provided with a sub tank along with a recording head 39. The sub tank stores the ink supplied from the ink cartridge. The recording head 39 records the image on the recording paper by discharging the ink supplied from the sub tank.

The upper part of the multifunction machine 10 is a scanner unit 12. The scanner unit 12 reads an image of a document. The scanner unit 12 includes a flat bed scanner (FBS) and an automatic document feeder (ADF) 34. The scanner unit 12 includes a document table 30 and a document cover 17. The document table 30 functions as an FBS. A platen glass on which a document is placed is provided on the top surface of the document table 30. An image sensor that reads an image of a document is provided inside the document table 30. The document cover 17 is used to bring a document placed on the platen glass into close contact with the platen glass, and is provided to be openable and closable with respect to the document table 30. The document cover 17 is provided with a first document tray 32 and a second document tray 18 together with the ADF 34.

  In the scanner unit 12, an image of a document placed on the platen glass or a document placed on the first document tray 32 is read by an image sensor. An instruction to start reading an original is issued with the original placed on the first original tray 32. The document placed on the first document tray 32 is transported along a predetermined transport path by the ADF 34 and discharged to the second document tray 18. An image of the original is read by an image sensor disposed at a predetermined position on the conveyance path during the conveyance process.

  An instruction to start reading the document is issued with the document placed on the platen glass. The image sensor is moved in the sub-scanning direction of the document (the width direction of the printer unit 20) facing the platen glass. In the process, the image of the original on the platen glass is read by the image sensor through the platen glass.

  An operation panel 14 is provided in the upper front portion of the multifunction machine 10. The operation panel 14 includes a liquid crystal display for displaying various information, an input key for the user to input information, and the like. The multifunction machine 10 operates based on operation input from the operation panel 14 or information transmitted from a computer or the like.

  FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal configuration of the multifunction machine 10.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a paper feed tray 29 is provided on the bottom side of the multifunction machine 10. An inclined plate 22 (see FIG. 6) is provided on the back side (right side in FIG. 2) of the paper feed tray 29. The inclined plate 22 is inclined so as to fall to the back side of the apparatus (the right side in FIG. 2). The inclined plate 22 separates the recording paper supplied from the paper feed tray 29 and guides it upward. A conveying path 23 is provided above the inclined plate 22. The conveyance path 23 is for conveying recording paper, and a part of the conveyance path 23 is curved. Specifically, the transport path 23 is directed upward from the inclined plate 22 and then bends to the front side (left side in FIG. 2) of the multi-function device 10 and extends to the front side, and the image recording unit 24 (the recording of the present invention). To the paper discharge tray 21. The recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 29 is guided so as to make a U-turn from below to above along the conveyance path 23 and reaches the image recording unit 24, and image recording is performed by the image recording unit 24. It is discharged into the space 40 on the tray 21. The conveyance path 23 is composed of an outer guide surface and an inner guide surface that are opposed to each other at a predetermined interval except for a portion where the image recording unit 24 is disposed.

  FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a paper feed roller 25 is provided above the paper feed tray 29. The paper feed roller 25 presses the recording paper and supplies the recording paper to the transport roller 67 and the pinch roller 64 (see FIG. 19). The paper feed roller 25 is provided on the upstream side (hereinafter also simply referred to as “upstream side”) in the recording paper conveyance direction with respect to the curved conveyance path 23. The paper feed roller 25 presses the recording paper loaded on the paper feed tray 29 and supplies the recording paper to the inclined plate 22. The paper feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26. The paper feed roller 25 is rotated by a driving force transmitted from the LF motor 85 (see FIG. 5) by a drive transmission mechanism 27 in which a plurality of gears are engaged.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the paper feed arm 26 is moved up and down so as to be able to come into contact with and separate from the paper feed tray 29 about the base shaft 26 </ b> A as a rotation shaft. The paper feed arm 26 is rotated downward so as to contact the paper feed tray 29 by its own weight. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 is brought into contact with the paper feed tray 29. When recording paper is stored in the paper feed tray 29, the paper feed roller 25 is pressed against the uppermost recording paper in the paper feed tray 29. When the paper feed cassette 52 (see FIG. 6) is inserted and removed from the opening 16, the paper feed arm 26 is retracted upward.

  The paper feed roller 25 is rotated by the driving force transmitted from the LF motor 85 while being pressed against the surface of the recording paper on the paper feed tray 29. As a result, the uppermost recording sheet is sent out toward the inclined plate 22 by the frictional force between the roller surface of the sheet feeding roller 25 and the recording sheet. The leading end of the recording sheet abuts on the inclined plate 22 and is guided upward, that is, to the conveyance path 23. When the uppermost recording paper is sent out by the paper feed roller 25, the recording paper immediately below it may be sent out together by the action of friction or static electricity, but the recording paper is stopped by contact with the inclined plate 22. The

  As shown in FIG. 3, a conveyance roller 67 (conveyance according to the present invention) is provided downstream of the curved conveyance path 23 in the conveyance direction of the recording paper (hereinafter also simply referred to as “downstream side”). Part of the part) is provided. A pinch roller 64 (a part of the transport unit of the present invention) is provided at a position facing the transport roller 67 across the transport path 23 (see FIG. 19). The pinch roller 64 is not shown in FIG. The pinch roller 64 is urged so as to be in pressure contact with the conveying roller 67. When the recording paper is supplied to the transport path 23 by the paper feed roller 25, the recording paper enters between the transport roller 67 and the pinch roller 64. At that time, the pinch roller 64 is retracted by the thickness of the recording paper and sandwiches the recording paper together with the conveying roller 67. The conveying roller 67 is rotated by a driving force transmitted from the LF motor 85 (see FIG. 5). The rotational force of the transport roller 67 is reliably transmitted to the recording paper, and the recording paper is transported onto the platen 42 (see FIG. 3).

  As shown in FIG. 3, an image recording unit 24 (see FIG. 4) is provided on the downstream side of the transport roller 67. The image recording unit 24 includes a head control board 33 (see FIG. 5) and a recording head 39 (see FIG. 5) on a carriage 38 (see FIG. 4) that reciprocates in the main scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. 3). It is installed. Here, the main scanning direction is a direction substantially orthogonal to the recording paper conveyance direction 50 (see FIG. 4). Ink is supplied to the recording head 39 from the ink cartridge described above through the ink tube 41 (see FIG. 4). The recording head 39 selectively ejects ink as fine ink droplets onto the recording paper. The recording sheet is conveyed on the platen 42 by the conveying roller 67 and the pinch roller 64. In this transport process, the recording head 39 selectively ejects ink droplets while being scanned in a direction substantially perpendicular to the transport direction of the recording paper by the reciprocation of the carriage 38. As a result, an image is recorded on the recording paper passing over the platen 42.

  On the downstream side of the image recording unit 24, a paper discharge roller 68 (a part of the transport unit of the present invention, see FIG. 3) is provided. A spur roller 69 (a part of the transport unit of the present invention) is provided at a position facing the paper discharge roller 68 across the transport path 23. The spur roller 69 is in pressure contact with the paper discharge roller 68. The image is recorded on the recording sheet by the image recording unit 24 in the process of passing through the platen 42 as described above. When this recording sheet enters between the conveyance roller 68 and the spur roller 69, the recording sheet is held between the paper discharge roller 68 and the spur roller 69. The driving force from the LF motor 85 (see FIG. 5) is transmitted to the paper discharge roller 68 together with the transport roller 67. As a result, the transport roller 67 and the paper discharge roller 68 are intermittently driven with a predetermined line feed width. The rotations of the transport roller 67 and the paper discharge roller 68 are synchronized. The recording sheet on which the image is recorded is conveyed by a conveyance roller 67, a pinch roller 64, a paper discharge roller 68, and a spur roller 69 (see FIG. 19) and discharged onto the paper discharge tray 21 toward the opening 16. A scanner unit 12 is provided above the image recording unit 24 (see FIG. 2). A space 40 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is provided between the scanner unit 12 and the paper discharge tray 21. The recording sheet on which the image is recorded is discharged from the conveyance path 23 into the space 40 and is stored in the paper discharge tray 21.

  FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the printer unit 20.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of guide rails 43 and 44 are provided on the upper side of the transport path 23 (upper side in FIG. 3). The guide rails 43, 44 are extended in a direction (hereinafter also referred to as “orthogonal direction”) 51 that is perpendicular to the transport direction 50, with a predetermined distance in the transport direction 50 of the recording paper. The carriage 38 is placed so as to be able to reciprocate in a horizontal direction (orthogonal direction 51) orthogonal to the transport direction 50 so as to straddle the guide rails 43 and 44.

  The guide rail 43 is disposed upstream of the guide rail 44. The guide rail 43 is a flat plate whose length in the width direction (orthogonal direction 51) of the transport path 23 (see FIG. 3) is longer than the reciprocating range of the carriage 38. The upper surface on the downstream side of the guide rail 43 is a guide surface 43A. The upstream end of the carriage 38 is slidably supported by the guide surface 43A.

  The guide rail 44 is disposed on the downstream side of the guide rail 43. The guide rail 44 has a flat plate shape in which the length in the width direction of the transport path 23 is substantially the same as that of the guide rail 43. The upstream edge 45 of the guide rail 44 is bent substantially perpendicularly upward. An upper surface on the downstream side of the guide rail 44 is a guide surface 44A. The downstream end of the carriage 38 is slidably supported by the guide surface 44A. The carriage 38 holds the edge 45 with a roller (not shown) or the like. Accordingly, the carriage 38 is slidably supported on the guide surfaces 43A and 44A of the guide rails 43 and 44. The carriage 38 can reciprocate in the horizontal direction (orthogonal direction 51) perpendicular to the recording sheet conveyance direction with the edge 45 of the guide rail 44 as a reference.

  A belt driving mechanism 46 is provided on the upper surface of the guide rail 44. The belt drive mechanism 46 is provided along the guide rail 44. The belt drive mechanism 46 includes a drive pulley 47, a driven pulley 48, and a drive belt 49. The drive pulley 47 and the driven pulley 48 are provided near both ends in the width direction of the transport path 23. The drive belt 49 is an endless ring having teeth on the inside, and is stretched between the drive pulley 47 and the driven pulley 48. Teeth that mesh with the teeth of the drive belt 49 are formed on the outer periphery of the drive pulley 47. For this reason, the rotation of the drive pulley 47 is reliably transmitted to the drive belt 49, and the drive belt 49 is moved circumferentially. The carriage 38 is connected to the drive belt 49. For this reason, the carriage 38 reciprocates in the orthogonal direction 51 on the guide rails 43 and 44 based on the operation of the belt drive mechanism 46. The recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 38. For this reason, the recording head 39 can reciprocate with the orthogonal direction 51 as the main scanning direction.

  The drive pulley 47 is rotatably provided at one end (the right end in FIG. 4) of the upper surface of the guide rail 44 with a direction orthogonal to the guide surface 44A as an axis. That is, the axial direction of the drive pulley 47 is the vertical direction. Although not shown in FIG. 4, a CR (carriage) motor 80 (see FIG. 5) is provided below the guide rail 44. The driving force of the CR motor 80 is transmitted to the shaft of the driving pulley 47. As a result, the drive pulley 47 is rotated and the carriage 38 is reciprocated.

  As shown in FIG. 4, a platen 42 is disposed below the conveyance path 23 so as to face the recording head 39. The platen 42 is disposed over the central portion of the reciprocating range of the carriage 38 through which the recording paper passes. The width of the platen 42 is sufficiently larger than the maximum width of the recording paper that can be conveyed. For this reason, the recording paper is conveyed along the conveying path 23 so that both ends thereof always pass over the platen 42. The platen 42 and the guide rails 43 and 44 are parallel to each other with a predetermined distance therebetween. For this reason, the lower surface of the recording head 39 slidably moved on the guide rails 43 and 44 and the upper surface of the platen 42 are opposed to each other with a predetermined head gap.

  FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment.

The control unit 100 controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10. As shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 and a ROM (Read Only Memory) 10.
2, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 103 and an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable ROM) 104 are configured as a microcomputer. The control unit 100 is connected to an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) 109 via a bus 107.

  The ROM 102 stores a program for the CPU 101 to control various operations of the multifunction machine 10. The RAM 103 is used as a storage area or a work area for temporarily storing various data used when the CPU 101 executes the program. The EEPROM 104 stores settings, flags, and the like that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

  Connected to the ASIC 109 are a head control board 33, a drive circuit 82, a drive circuit 81, a scanner unit 12 (see FIG. 1), an operation panel 14 (see FIG. 1), and the like.

  The head control board 33 drives and controls the recording head 39 based on the image signal input from the ASIC 109. Thus, ink is selectively ejected from the nozzles (not shown) of the recording head 39 at a predetermined timing, and an image is recorded on the recording paper. The head control board 33 is mounted on the carriage 38 (see FIG. 4) together with the recording head 39.

  The drive circuit 82 supplies a drive signal to the CR motor 80 based on the phase excitation signal or the like input from the ASIC 109. The CR motor 80 that receives this drive signal rotates to control the reciprocation of the carriage 38.

  The drive circuit 81 drives the LF motor 85. The LF motor 85 is connected to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 67, and the paper discharge roller 68 shown in FIG. The drive circuit 81 receives the output signal from the ASIC 109 and drives the LF motor 85. The driving force of the LF motor 85 is selectively transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 67, and the paper discharge roller 68 via a known drive mechanism including gears, drive shafts, and the like.

  FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the overall configuration of the paper feed cassette 52.

  The paper feed cassette 52 is roughly divided and includes a paper feed tray 29 and a paper discharge tray 21. The paper discharge tray 21 is rotatably supported on the upper portion of the paper feed cassette 29. The paper discharge tray 21 is rotated upward and downward with a horizontal direction 74 (hereinafter also referred to as “horizontal direction”) 74 substantially orthogonal to a first direction 36 and a second direction 37 described below. It is configured to be movable. When the paper discharge tray 21 is laid down with respect to the paper feed tray 29, the upper surface of the paper feed tray 29 is covered with the paper discharge tray 21 (see FIG. 6). In this state, the paper discharge tray 21 holds a recording sheet on which an image is recorded and functions as a lid of the paper feed tray 29. As a result, entry of dust into the paper feed tray 29 is prevented. Further, when the paper discharge tray 21 is raised with respect to the paper feed tray 29, the upper surface of the paper feed tray 29 is opened, and the recording paper can be replenished to the paper feed tray 29. Note that the upper side on the back side of the paper feed tray 29 is open because the drive transmission mechanism 27 (see FIG. 2) is disposed.

  The paper feed tray 29 has a tray main body 54 and an expansion tray 59. The sheet feeding tray 29 is configured such that the expansion tray 59 can slide in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 54. Here, the first direction 36 is a direction in which an extension tray 59 or an extension tray 61 described later is pushed into the opening 16 (see FIGS. 1 and 2). The second direction 37 is a direction in which the extension tray 59 and the extension tray 61 are pulled out from the opening 16. As will be described later, the extension tray 59 is provided in the tray main body 54 such that the rear end portion 112 is slidable in the first direction 36 side and the second direction 37 side from the rear end portion 122 (corresponding to the end portion of the present invention). It has been. When the extension tray 59 is slid in the second direction 37 or the first direction 36 as necessary with respect to the tray main body 54, the sheet stacking surface of the paper feed tray 29 is extended in the transport direction 50 (see FIG. 4). Reduced. As a result, recording paper of various sizes can be stored in the paper feed cassette 29. The transport direction 50 and the second direction 37 are the same direction.

  The paper discharge tray 21 has a tray body 56 and an expansion tray 61. The discharge tray 21 is configured such that the expansion tray 61 can slide in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 56. As will be described later, the extension tray 61 is provided in the tray main body 56 so that the rear end portion 122 is slidable in the first direction 36 side and the second direction 37 side from the rear end portion 112. The extension tray 61 is slid in the second direction 37 or the first direction 36 in accordance with the extension tray 59 with respect to the tray body 56. Thereby, the state where the upper side of the paper feed tray 29 is covered with the paper discharge tray 21 is maintained. That is, even if the position of the expansion tray 59 is changed in order to change the size of the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 29, the paper discharge tray 21 functions as a lid for the paper feed tray 29.

  FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the front side of the paper feed tray 29, and shows a state in which the expansion tray 59 is pulled out in the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 54. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the back side of the paper feed tray 29 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing the front side of the paper feed tray 29 and shows a state in which the extension tray 59 is pushed in the first direction 36 with respect to the tray main body 54. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the back side of the paper feed tray 29 in the state shown in FIG. 7 to 10 show a state in which the paper discharge tray 21 is removed from the paper feed tray 29. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the tray body 54 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37. The inclined plate 22 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is provided at the front end 60 of the tray main body 54. The inclined plate 22 is a plate-like member that is long in the width direction of the tray body 54 (the horizontal direction 74 in FIG. 6). The inclined plate 22 is inclined toward the back side of the apparatus (the first direction 36 side). Therefore, when the leading end of the recording sheet comes into contact with the inclined plate 22, the leading end is guided obliquely upward along the inner side surface 62 of the inclined plate 22. In other words, the inner side surface 62 serves as a guide surface for guiding the recording sheet to the conveyance path 23 (see FIG. 3).

  A separation member 71 is provided on the inner side surface 62. The separation member 71 is disposed at the center in the longitudinal direction of the inclined plate 22 on the inner side surface 62. The separating member 71 is formed by arranging a plurality of teeth protruding from the inner side surface 62 along the inclination direction of the inclined plate 22. When a plurality of recording sheets are fed in a stacked state and the leading edge of the sheet bundle contacts the inner surface 62, the leading edge of the sheet bundle is rolled by the separating member 71. At that time, the teeth of the separating member 71 enter between the recording sheets and a gap is formed between the recording sheets. As a result, the recording paper is easily separated, and only the uppermost recording paper is reliably separated from the lower recording paper in combination with the force applied to the recording paper from the paper feed roller 25 during feeding. The

  Two rotating rollers 65 are rotatably provided on the inner surface 62. The rotary roller 65 is provided at a symmetrical position with the separation member 71 in the longitudinal direction of the inclined plate 22. The roller surface of the rotating roller 65 is exposed from the inner side surface 62. By rotating the rotary roller 65, the conveyance friction applied to the recording paper is reduced.

  The tray main body 54 is provided with a pair of side guides 70. The side guide 70 is provided to be slidable in the width direction (horizontal direction 74) of the tray main body 54. The side guide 70 regulates the position in the width direction of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 29. Specifically, the position in the width direction of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 29 is regulated so as to substantially coincide with a predetermined reference position (the center in the width direction of the paper feed tray 29 in this embodiment). To do. In this manner, restricting the recording sheet so that the center position in the width direction of the recording sheet coincides with the reference position is generally called a center register. 7 and 9 show a state in which the side guide 70 has been moved to the outside in the width direction of the tray main body 54. FIG. 18 shows a state in which the side guide 70 is moved inward in the width direction of the tray main body 54.

  The side guide 70 is provided with a rack gear 76 (see FIGS. 8 and 10) extending toward the center in the width direction. The rack gear 76 is meshed with a pinion gear 77 embedded in the center of the tray body 54 in the width direction. When one of the two side guides 70 is slid in the horizontal direction 74, the other is slid in the opposite direction in conjunction with the other. Therefore, when the width of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 29 is shorter than the separation distance of the side guides 70, the two side guides 70 are moved simultaneously by sliding one of the side guides 70. As a result, the central position in the width direction of the recording paper substantially matches the reference position.

  The tray main body 54 is provided with a side end guide 78. The side end guides 78 are provided at both ends of the tray body 54 in the width direction. The side end guide 78 stands vertically upward from the bottom 73 of the tray main body 54. The side end guide 78 is provided with a bearing hole 66 for supporting the paper discharge tray 21 (see FIG. 11).

  The side end guide 78 (see FIGS. 7 to 10) has a guide groove 75 having a reverse U-shaped cross section. The guide groove 75 regulates the sliding direction of the extension tray 59 in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37. The rail 88 of the extension tray 59 is inserted into the guide groove 75.

  A concave portion 79 is formed in the tray body 54. The concave portion 79 is formed in a long rectangular shape along the longitudinal direction of the tray main body 54. The recess 79 is provided with two rails 72 (see FIGS. 7 and 9). As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the rail 72 is erected in the vertical direction from the bottom surface of the recess 79. The rail 72 is provided over the entire length of the concave portion 79. When the rail 72 is inserted into the guide groove 108 (see FIGS. 8 and 10) of the extension tray 59, the sliding direction of the extension tray 59 is restricted to the first direction 36 and the second direction 37.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the expansion tray 59 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the horizontal direction 74 (see FIG. 6). A horizontal upper surface 105 is formed at the center in the width direction of the rear end portion 112 (corresponding to the end portion of the present invention) of the extension tray 59. The extension tray 61 of the discharge tray 21 is supported on the upper surface 105 (see FIG. 6).

  At both ends in the width direction of the extension tray 59, rails 88 inserted into the guide grooves 75 of the tray body 54 are provided so as to extend in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37, as well as constituting wall surfaces in the width direction. Yes. The rail 88 is formed in a position and shape that can be inserted into the guide groove 75.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the extension tray 59 is provided with an upper insertion portion 90 and a lower insertion portion 91. The upper insertion portion 90 is provided at the center in the width direction of the extension tray 59 with the first direction 36 and the second direction 37 as longitudinal directions. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the upper insertion portion 90 is inserted into the tray body 54 so as to cover the upper side of the recess 79. Therefore, the upper insertion portion 90 is formed in a position and shape corresponding to the recess 79.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, two guide grooves 108 are formed on the back surface of the upper insertion portion 90 along the short direction of the extension tray 59. The rail 72 (see FIGS. 7 and 9) of the tray main body 54 is inserted into the guide groove 108. Therefore, the guide groove 108 is provided at a position corresponding to the rail 72.

  A slit 110 (see FIGS. 7 and 9) is formed in the center of the upper insertion portion 90 in the width direction over the entire longitudinal direction. The upper insertion portion 90 is provided with a rear guide 140 (see FIGS. 7 and 9). The rear guide 140 is in contact with the rear end of the recording paper placed on the paper feed tray 29 and regulates the position of the rear end. A lower portion of the rear guide 140 is inserted into the slit 110. Accordingly, the rear guide 140 is supported so as to be slidable along the slit 110. Therefore, the rear guide 140 can slide between the front end 83 and the rear end 112. When the rear guide 140 is slid toward the rear end of the recording paper, the rear end of the recording paper contacts the guide surface of the rear guide 140. Thereby, the trailing edges of the recording sheets are aligned.

  Of the bottom 93 of the extension tray 59, a portion excluding the upper insertion portion 90 is a lower insertion portion 91 (see FIGS. 8 and 10). That is, the lower insertion portion 91 is provided outside both ends of the upper insertion portion 90 in the width direction. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 10, the lower insertion portion 91 is inserted so as to sink into the back side of the tray main body 54. A slit 111 is formed at the boundary between the upper insertion portion 90 and the lower insertion portion 91 (see FIGS. 7 and 9). The slit 111 extends in the same direction as the extending direction of the slit 110 and is formed in substantially the same shape as the slit 110. The upper insertion portion 90 and the lower insertion portion 91 are separated in the width direction of the expansion tray 59 by the slit 111. Accordingly, when the extension tray 59 is attached to the tray main body 54, the upper insertion portion 90 is inserted so as to be exposed on the front surface side of the bottom 73 of the tray main body 54, and the lower insertion portion 91 is inserted into the back surface side of the bottom 73. So that it can be inserted.

  Since the tray main body 54 and the expansion tray 59 are configured in this way, the expansion tray 59 can slide in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37 with respect to the tray main body 54. The sheet stacking surface of the sheet feeding tray 29 is expanded by pulling the expansion tray 59 in the second direction 37 from the state in which the expansion tray 59 is accommodated in the tray body 54 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). Conversely, when the extension tray 59 is pulled out from the tray body 54 (see, for example, FIGS. 6 to 8), the sheet stacking surface of the sheet feeding tray 29 is moved by being pushed into the tray body 54 in the first direction 36. Reduced.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the front side of the discharge tray 21 and shows a state in which the extension tray 61 is pulled out in the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 56. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the back side of the paper discharge tray 21 in the state shown in FIG. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing the front side of the paper discharge tray 21, and shows a state in which the extension tray 61 is pushed in the first direction 36 with respect to the tray body 56. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the back side of the paper discharge tray 21 in the state shown in FIG. 11 to 14 show a state in which the paper discharge tray 21 is removed from the paper supply tray 29. FIG.

  The widths of the tray body 56 and the extension tray 61 are set to be shorter than the separation distance between the side end guides 78. For this reason, the tray main body 56 is supported by the tray main body 54, whereby the paper discharge tray 21 is disposed inside the paper feed tray 29 in the width direction.

  The tray body 56 is formed in a substantially concave shape in plan view (see FIGS. 12 and 14). As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the tray body 56 is provided with a rotation shaft 35. The rotation shaft 35 is provided at both ends in the width direction (horizontal direction 74 in FIG. 6) at the front end 84 of the tray body 56. By inserting the rotation shaft 35 into the bearing hole 66 (see FIG. 7 and the like), the paper discharge tray 21 is supported rotatably about the width direction of the paper supply tray 29 as an axis.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the XV portion in FIG. FIG. 16 is an enlarged view of the XVI portion in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the tray main body 56 has a guide groove 115 having a U-shaped cross section on the upper surface thereof. The guide groove 115 is formed so that the front surface of the tray body 56 is recessed toward the back surface side. The guide groove 115 is provided over the entire area of the tray body 56 so as to extend in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37. By inserting the convex piece 58 (see FIG. 12) of the extension tray 61 into the guide groove 115, the sliding direction of the extension tray 61 is restricted to the first direction 36 and the second direction 37.

  As shown in FIGS. 15 and 16, the tray main body 56 is provided with rails 98 on the upper surface thereof. The rails 98 are alternately arranged with the guide grooves 115 in the width direction of the tray body 56. The rail 98 is erected in the vertical direction from the surface of the tray body 56. The rail 98 is provided over the entire area of the tray body 56 so as to extend in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37. By inserting the rail 98 into the guide groove 86 (see FIG. 12) of the extension tray 61, the sliding direction of the extension tray 61 is restricted to the first direction 36 and the second direction 37.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 to 14, the extension tray 61 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the width direction. The extension tray 61 includes a flat portion 114 having a flat upper surface and an inclined portion 106 that is inclined downward in the first direction 36 with respect to the flat portion 114.

  The flat surface portion 114 is provided with an opening 120 (see FIGS. 11 and 23) at the rear end portion 122. The rear end 122 is an end of the expansion tray 61 on the opening 16 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) side. The opening 120 is provided in the rear end portion 122 from the center in the width direction of the rear end surface 117 to the upper surface 95. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, a receiving portion 127 for receiving the sub-tray 63 is provided on the back side of the flat portion 114. The accommodating portion 127 includes a side wall 124 and a support piece 135 that extend in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37. The support piece 135 protrudes from the lower end of the side wall 124 to the center in the width direction of the flat portion 114.

  The sub-tray 63 is formed in a rectangular shape in which the length in the width direction (horizontal direction 74) and the length in the depth direction (first direction 36 and second direction 37) are substantially equal. The subtray 63 is accommodated in the accommodating portion 127 and supported by the support piece 135 from below. The sub-tray 63 is slidable with respect to the extension tray 61 in the second direction 37 from the state shown in FIG. Although not shown in the drawing, the sub-tray 63 protrudes from the rear end surface 117 by being pulled out from the expansion tray 61 in the second direction 37. As a result, the sheet placement surface of the expansion tray 61 is expanded in the second direction 37 side.

  As shown in FIGS. 12 and 14, the flat portion 114 has a recess 129 formed on the back side thereof. The concave portion 129 is formed in a rectangular shape that is long in the short direction of the flat portion 114. The recessed portion 129 is provided with a rear end portion 122 at an end portion on the second direction 37 side, and an end portion on the first direction 36 side is open. The concave portion 129 accommodates a convex portion 113 (see FIGS. 12 and 14) provided on the tray body 56. Thereby, the extension tray 61 is supported from below by the tray body 56.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a convex piece 58 to be inserted into the guide groove 115 (see FIGS. 11 and 13) of the tray body 56 is provided on the back side of the tip 96 (see FIGS. 11 and 13) of the inclined portion 106. Is provided. The convex piece 58 is formed so as to protrude downward from the back surface of the tip 96. The convex piece 58 is formed in a position and shape that can be inserted into the guide groove 115.

  As shown in FIG. 12, a guide groove 86 having a reverse U-shaped cross section is formed on the tip 96 side of the back surface of the inclined portion 106. A rail 98 (see FIGS. 11 and 13) of the tray main body 56 is inserted into the guide groove 86. Therefore, the guide groove 86 is provided at a position corresponding to the rail 98. The convex piece 58 of the extension tray 61 is inserted into the guide groove 115 of the tray body 56, and the rail 98 of the tray body 56 is inserted into the guide groove 86 of the extension tray 61. Thereby, the sliding direction of the extension tray 61 is restricted to the first direction 36 and the second direction 37.

  Since the tray body 56 and the extension tray 61 are configured in this way, the extension tray 61 can slide in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 56. That is, the rear end portion 122 of the extension tray 61 is configured to be slidable in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37. The sheet stacking surface of the sheet discharge tray 21 is expanded by pulling the expansion tray 61 from the state where the expansion tray 61 is pushed into the tray body 56 (see FIGS. 13 and 14) in the second direction 37 side. Conversely, the sheet stacking surface of the discharge tray 21 is reduced by pushing the expansion tray 61 in the first direction 36 from the state where the extension tray 61 is pulled out from the tray body 56 (FIGS. 11 and 12).

  Further, by supporting the rotation shaft 35 on the bearing portion 66, the tray body 56 is configured to be able to rotate up and down about the horizontal direction 74 (see FIG. 6). Since the extension tray 61 is provided in the tray main body 56, the rear end portion 122 of the extension tray 61 can be rotated toward the paper feed tray 29 about the horizontal direction 74 in a state where it is not supported by the rear end portion 112. It is.

  For example, when the MFP 10 is instructed to start reading a document, the scanner unit 12 reads a document image. The printer unit 20 executes print processing based on the original image. This printing process is performed as follows. That is, the driving force of the LF motor 85 (see FIG. 5) is selectively transmitted to the paper feed roller 25, the transport roller 67, and the paper discharge roller 68. As a result, the recording paper stored in the paper feed tray 29 is transported along the transport path 23. In the recording paper, an image is recorded by the image recording unit 24 in the course of conveyance, and is discharged toward the opening 16 into the space 40 (see FIG. 2).

  17A and 17B are side views of the paper feed cassette 52. FIG. 17A shows a state in which the paper discharge tray 21 is in the first posture, and FIG. 17B shows a state in which the paper discharge tray 21 is in the second posture. FIG. 18 is a perspective view illustrating the paper feed cassette 52 in which the paper discharge tray 21 is changed in posture to the second posture. FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture when the extension tray 61 is pushed in the first direction 36.

  Since the tray main body 56 and the extension tray 61 are configured as described above, the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 can be changed between the first posture and the second posture. The first posture is a state in which the upper surface 95 at the rear end 122 of the paper discharge tray 21 is supported substantially horizontally (see, for example, FIGS. 2, 6, 17A, and 19A). In the present embodiment, in this first posture, the extension tray 61 of the paper discharge tray 21 is disposed above the upper surface 105 (see FIG. 7) of the paper feed tray 29. The paper discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture by the rear end portion 122 being supported by the rear end portion 112. Specifically, the discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture by placing the rear end portion 122 on the upper surface 105 (see FIG. 7) of the rear end portion 112. In other words, the lower surface 99 (see, for example, FIG. 11) of the rear end portion 122 abuts on the upper surface 105, whereby the paper discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture. That is, the first posture is a state where movement of the rear end portion 122 toward the paper feed tray 29 is restricted.

  The second posture is a state in which the upper surface 95 is moved toward the paper feed tray 21 with respect to the first posture described above (see, for example, FIGS. 17B, 18 and 19D). In the present embodiment, the lower surface 99 of the rear end portion 122 is disposed below the upper surface 105 in the second posture. The second posture will be described in detail later.

  The recording paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 21 while the paper discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the first posture, the upper portion of the paper feed tray 29 is covered with the paper discharge tray 21. Therefore, dust such as paper dust attached to the recording paper stored in the paper discharge tray 21 is prevented from entering the paper supply tray 29.

  In the multifunction machine 10 according to the present embodiment, the recording sheet on which the image is recorded is discharged into the space 40 from the back side (the right side in each drawing of FIG. 17) of the printer unit 20 toward the opening 16. For this reason, when a small size recording paper such as a postcard (hereinafter also referred to as “small size paper”) is used for the printing process, the small size paper is separated from the opening 16 on the paper discharge tray 21. (See FIGS. 17A and 19A). In this case, when the user pushes the expansion tray 61 into the opening 16, it becomes easy to take out the small size paper from the paper discharge tray 21.

  As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the expansion tray 61 is pushed into the opening 16. Since the tray body 56 is supported by the tray body 54, the expansion tray 61 is slid in the first direction 36 with respect to the tray body 56 (see FIGS. 19A and 19B). When the rear end portion 122 is slid toward the first direction 36 with respect to the rear end portion 112, the support of the rear end portion 122 by the rear end portion 112 is released. In a state where the small size paper is stored in the paper feed tray 29, a space 87 (see FIG. 19) in which the small size paper is not arranged is formed on the opening 16 side in the paper feed tray 29. Since the extension tray 61 is provided in the tray main body 56, the extension tray 61 can be rotated toward the sheet feeding tray 29 around the horizontal direction 74 (see FIG. 6). When the support of the rear end portion 122 by the rear end portion 112 is released, the tray main body 56 can be turned to the paper feed tray 29 side, and the expansion tray 61 is turned to the space 87 (FIGS. 19B to 19B). D)). As a result, the discharge tray 21 has a second posture in which the upper surface 95 of the rear end portion 122 moves toward the paper feed tray 29 and the lower surface 99 is disposed below the upper surface 105 of the rear end portion 112 ( (See FIGS. 17B, 18 and 19D). In this way, the discharge tray 21 can change its posture from the first posture to the second posture by the relative movement of the expansion tray 61 in the first direction 36 with respect to the expansion tray 59 of the paper feed tray 29. .

  By changing the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 from the first posture to the second posture as described above, the space on the paper discharge tray 21 in the opening 16 is expanded downward. In other words, a space for the user to put his / her hand in order to take out the recording paper discharged to the paper discharge tray 21 is expanded downward. As shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, the height of the space in the opening 16 that was H1 when the paper discharge tray 21 is in the first posture changes the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 to the second posture. As a result, it becomes H2. For this reason, it is possible for the user to put his hand deeper into the opening 16, and even if the recording paper discharged onto the paper discharge tray 21 is a small size paper, the user can remove the recording paper from the paper discharge tray 21. It can be easily taken out. Accordingly, the height of the opening 16 (the height of the lower cover 31) is reduced and the scanner unit 12 and the printer unit 20 are moved up and down without suffering the disadvantage that it is difficult for the user to take out the recording paper from the paper discharge tray 21. The multifunction device 10 provided in the stage can be thinned. The same applies to the case where the image recording apparatus according to the present embodiment is a single-function printer.

[First Modification]
The extension tray 59 may be provided with a coil spring 131 (see FIG. 19A). The coil spring 131 elastically biases the sheet discharge tray 21 so as to change its posture from the second posture to the first posture. The coil spring 131 is an end of the bottom 93 (see FIG. 7) on the second direction 37 side, and is provided outside the sheet stacking surface. In FIG. 7 and the like, the coil spring 131 is omitted.

  The extension tray 61 is pushed down into the space 87 of the paper feed tray 29 in order for the user to take out small size paper from the paper discharge tray 21 (see FIGS. 19A to 19D). That is, the sheet discharge tray 21 changes its posture from the first posture to the second posture due to an external force. The coil spring 131 is contracted as the extension tray 61 descends, and stores a spring force that pushes the discharge tray 21 upward. When the user removes the hand from the extension tray 61 and the external force is removed, the extension tray 61 is raised by the spring force stored in the coil spring 131. In this manner, the paper discharge tray 21 is returned to the first posture side when the external force is removed.

  The installation location of the coil spring is not limited to the bottom 93. The coil spring is provided on the outer side of the sheet stacking surface of the paper discharge tray 21 so that one end thereof is fixed to the bottom 31 (see FIG. 2) of the printer unit 20 and the other end is fixed to the upper surface 95 of the extension tray 61. May be. Accordingly, the discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture in a state where the extension tray 61 is suspended from the lower cover 31 by the coil spring. When the user pushes down the extension tray 61, the coil spring is extended. As a result, the coil spring stores a spring force that raises the paper discharge tray 21 upward. When the user releases the hand from the extension tray 61, the coil spring is contracted, and the sheet discharge tray 21 is returned to the first posture side by the spring force accumulated by the coil spring.

  Further, as the urging member in the present invention, a torsion coil spring may be provided on the shaft 35 (see FIG. 6). When the user pushes down the extension tray 61, the torsion coil spring is twisted, and a spring force for rotating the paper discharge tray 21 upward is stored. When the user releases his hand from the extension tray 61, the paper discharge tray 21 is returned to the first posture side by the spring force accumulated by the torsion coil spring.

[Second Modification]
The posture of the paper discharge tray 21 may be changed from the first posture to the second posture when the user pulls out the extension tray 61 in the second direction 37 side.

  FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet discharge tray 21 is changed in posture from the first posture to the second posture by the extension tray 61 being pulled out in the second direction 37. In the following description based on FIG. 20, the width of the rear end portion 112 is narrower than the width of the expansion tray 61, and the space in which the rear end portion 112 can be accommodated on the back side (see FIG. 7) of the expansion tray 61. Is provided.

  In a state where the paper discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture (see, for example, FIGS. 1 and 6), the expansion tray 61 is pulled out from the opening 16. Since the tray body 56 is supported by the tray body 54, the expansion tray 61 is slid in the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 56 (see FIGS. 20A to 20C). When the rear end portion 122 is slid toward the second direction 37 with respect to the rear end portion 112, the support of the rear end portion 122 by the rear end portion 112 is released. When the support of the rear end portion 122 by the rear end portion 112 is released, the tray body 56 can be rotated to the paper feed tray 29 side, and the extension tray 61 is moved in the second direction 37 by the gravity acting on the paper discharge tray 21. It rotates to the outside of the paper feed tray 29 (see FIGS. 20C and 20D). As a result, the discharge tray 21 has a second posture in which the upper surface 95 of the rear end portion 122 moves toward the paper feed tray 29 and the lower surface 99 is disposed below the upper surface 105 of the rear end portion 112 ( (See FIG. 20D).

  Thus, the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 can be changed from the first posture to the second posture by the relative movement of the expansion tray 61 in the first direction 36 with respect to the tray main body 56. By changing the posture of the discharge tray 21 from the first posture to the second posture, the space on the discharge tray 21 in the opening 16 is expanded downward. As shown in FIGS. 20A and 20D, the height of the space in the opening 16 that was H3 when the paper discharge tray 21 is in the first posture changes the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 to the second posture. As a result, it becomes H4. Thereby, the user can easily take out the small-size paper from the paper discharge tray 21.

[Third Modification]
The posture of the paper discharge tray 21 may be changed from the first posture to the second posture by the user pulling out the extension tray 59 in the second direction 37 side.

  FIG. 21 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture when the extension tray 59 is pulled out in the second direction 37.

  In a state where the discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture (see, for example, FIGS. 1 and 6), the expansion tray 59 is pulled out with respect to the opening 16. Accordingly, the extension tray 59 is slid in the second direction 37 with respect to the tray body 54 (see FIGS. 21A and 21B). When the rear end 112 is slid toward the second direction 37 with respect to the rear end 122, the support of the rear end 122 by the rear end 112 is released (see FIG. 21B). When the support of the rear end portion 122 by the rear end portion 112 is released, the tray body 56 can be rotated to the paper feed tray 29 side, and the expansion tray 61 is moved to the space 87 in the paper feed tray 29 (see FIG. 21). It rotates (see FIGS. 21B and 21C). As a result, the discharge tray 21 has a second posture in which the upper surface 95 of the rear end portion 122 moves toward the paper feed tray 29 and the lower surface 99 is disposed below the upper surface 105 of the rear end portion 112 ( (See FIG. 21C).

  In this manner, the discharge tray 21 can change its posture from the first posture to the second posture by the relative movement of the expansion tray 59 in the second direction 37 with respect to the tray main body 54. Due to this posture change, the space on the paper discharge tray 21 in the opening 16 is expanded downward. As shown in FIGS. 21A and 21C, the height of the space in the opening 16 that was H5 when the paper discharge tray 21 is in the first posture changes the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 to the second posture. As a result, it becomes H6. Thereby, the user can easily take out the small-size paper from the paper discharge tray 21.

[Fourth Modification]
The posture of the paper discharge tray 21 may be changed from the first posture to the second posture when the user pushes the extension tray 59 toward the first direction 36.

  FIG. 22 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the sheet discharge tray 21 is changed in posture from the first posture to the second posture when the extension tray 59 is pushed in the first direction 36 side. In the following description based on FIG. 22, the width of the rear end portion 112 is narrower than the width of the expansion tray 61, and the space in which the rear end portion 112 can be accommodated on the back side (see FIG. 7) of the expansion tray 61. Is provided.

  In a state where the discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture (see, for example, FIGS. 1 and 6), the extension tray 59 is pushed into the opening 16. Since the small size paper is stored in the paper feed tray 29, the expansion tray 59 can be pushed in. By pushing in the extension tray 59, the extension tray 59 is slid in the first direction 36 with respect to the tray main body 54 (see FIGS. 22A and 22B). When the rear end 112 is slid toward the first direction 36 with respect to the rear end 122, the support of the rear end 122 by the rear end 112 is released. When the support of the rear end portion 122 by the rear end portion 112 is released, the tray body 56 can be rotated to the paper feed tray 29 side, and the extension tray 61 is moved in the second direction 37 (by the gravity acting on the paper discharge tray 21. It rotates to the outside of the paper feed tray 29 in the left side of each drawing in FIG. 22 (see FIGS. 22C and 22D). As a result, the discharge tray 21 has a second posture in which the upper surface 95 of the rear end portion 122 moves toward the paper feed tray 29 and the lower surface 99 is disposed below the upper surface 105 of the rear end portion 112 ( (See FIG. 22C).

  As described above, the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 can be changed from the first posture to the second posture by the relative movement of the expansion tray 59 in the first direction 36 with respect to the tray main body 54. Due to this posture change, the space on the paper discharge tray 21 in the opening 16 is expanded downward. As shown in FIGS. 22A and 22C, the height of the space in the opening 16 that is H7 when the paper discharge tray 21 is in the first posture changes the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 to the second posture. As a result, it becomes H8. Thereby, the user can easily take out the small-size paper from the paper discharge tray 21.

[Second Embodiment]
The second embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The multifunction machine 10 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the configuration of the paper discharge tray 21 is partially different. For this reason, description of components other than the paper discharge tray 21 is omitted.

  FIG. 23 is a plan view of the paper feed cassette 52 in the second embodiment of the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the paper discharge tray 21 includes a tray main body 56, an expansion tray 133, and a sub-tray 126.

  The extension tray 133 has an opening 147 (an example of the cutout portion of the present invention) by partially cutting the opening 16 side (the lower side in FIG. 23) toward the first direction 36 (the back side of the printer unit 20). ) Is formed. The opening 147 is formed from the rear end surface 117 to the upper surface 95 in the same manner as the opening 120 (see FIG. 11). The opening 147 is formed by cutting out the rear end surface 117 and the upper surface 95 more extensively than the opening 120 (see FIGS. 6 and 23). The opening 147 is formed in accordance with the size of the user's hand so that the user can put his hand into the space 87 through the opening 147.

  The sub-tray 126 has substantially the same shape as the sub-tray 63 (see FIGS. 6 and 12), and is formed to be larger than the sub-tray 63 in accordance with the opening 147. By arranging the sub-tray 126 in the opening 147 of the extension tray 133, the opening 147 is closed. A rotation shaft 145 that protrudes outward in the width direction of the sub-tray 126 is provided at the end of the sub-tray 126 on the first direction 36 side.

  As shown in FIG. 23, guide grooves 137 are provided on both sides in the width direction of the accommodating portion in which the sub-tray 126 is accommodated on the back surface side of the extension tray 133. The guide groove 137 supports the rotation shaft 127 of the sub-tray 126 and has a U-shaped cross section. The guide groove 137 is formed at a position corresponding to the rotation shaft 145 of the sub-tray 126 so as to extend in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37. The sub-tray 126 is provided on the expansion tray 133 so that it can slide in the first direction 36 and the second direction 37 and can turn to the paper feed tray 29 side by supporting the rotation shaft 145 in the guide groove 137. Yes.

  FIG. 24 is a schematic diagram showing a state where the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture when the sub-tray 126 is pushed in the first direction 36.

  The paper discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture by the rear end portion 122 of the extension tray 133 and the rear end portion 142 of the sub-tray 126 being supported by the rear end portion 112 (see FIG. 7) (see FIG. 7). FIG. 23 and FIG. 24 (A)). The sheet discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture when the lower surface 148 of the rear end portion 142 abuts on the upper surface 105. In the first posture, the upper surface 15 of the sub-tray 126 is supported substantially horizontally (see FIG. 24A). From this state, the sub-tray 126 is pushed in by the user. As a result, the sub-tray 126 is slid in the first direction 36 with respect to the expansion tray 133 (see FIGS. 24A and 24B). When the rear end 142 is slid toward the first direction 36 with respect to the rear end 112, the support of the rear end 142 by the rear end 112 is released (see FIG. 24B). When the support of the rear end portion 142 by the rear end portion 112 is released, the sub-tray 126 can be turned to the paper feed tray 29 side, and the sub-tray 126 is turned to the space 87 in the paper feed tray 29 (FIG. 24 ( B) to (D)). As a result, the discharge tray 21 has a second posture in which the upper surface 15 of the rear end portion 142 moves toward the paper feed tray 29 and the lower surface 148 is disposed below the upper surface 105 of the rear end portion 112 ( (See FIG. 24D).

  Thus, the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 can be changed from the first posture to the second posture by the relative movement of the sub-tray 126 in the first direction 36 with respect to the expansion tray 133. With this change in posture, the space on the paper discharge tray 21 in the opening 16 is expanded to the lower side of the opening 147. As shown in FIGS. 24A and 24D, the height of the space in the opening 16 that is H9 when the paper discharge tray 21 is in the first posture changes the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 to the second posture. As a result, H10 is obtained. Thereby, a space for the user to put his / her hand in order to take out the recording paper from the paper discharge tray 21 is expanded downward, and the user can easily take out the small size paper from the paper discharge tray 21.

  In the present embodiment, the tray main body 56 and the extension tray 133 are described as separate members. However, the second tray main body according to the present invention may be configured by integrally forming them.

  In the present embodiment, since the center register is adopted as the reference position of the recording paper in the paper feed tray 29, the recording paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 21 with reference to the center position in the width direction of the paper discharge tray 21. Is done. In the case of a side register in which the end in the width direction of the recording paper coincides with the end in the width direction of the paper feed tray 29, the recording paper is discharged onto the discharge tray 21 with the end in the width direction of the discharge tray 21 as a reference. Will be. In this case, it is preferable to change the position of the opening 147 to the width direction end of the expansion tray 133 according to the reference position of the recording paper discharged onto the paper discharge tray 21.

  In the first embodiment and the second embodiment of the present invention, the discharge tray 21 is moved from the first posture to the second posture by the relative movement of the expansion tray 61 or the sub-tray 126 in the first direction 36 or the second direction 37. The form in which the attitude is changed has been described. However, the discharge tray 21 may be configured so that its posture can be changed from the first posture to the second posture without relative movement of its constituent members.

[Third Embodiment]
The third embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The multifunction machine 10 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment except that the configuration of the paper discharge tray 21 is partially different. For this reason, description of components other than the paper discharge tray 21 is omitted.

  FIG. 25 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture by rotating the rear end portion 112 with respect to the bottom 93.

  As shown in FIG. 25, the rear end portion 112 of the extension tray 59 may be configured to be rotatable outward via a hinge 149. In a state where the paper discharge tray 21 is maintained in the first posture (see FIG. 25A), the rear end 112 is rotated to the opening 16 side (left side in each drawing of FIG. 25). By rotating the rear end portion 112, the support of the rear end portion 122 by the rear end portion 112 is released (see FIG. 25B). By releasing the support of the rear end portion 122 by the rear end portion 112, the tray body 56 can be rotated toward the paper feed tray 29, and the rear end portion 122 is moved by the gravity acting on the paper discharge tray 21. Rotate upward (see FIGS. 25B and 25C). As a result, in the paper discharge tray 21, the upper surface 95 of the rear end portion 122 moves to the paper feed tray 29 side, and the lower surface 99 is disposed below the upper surface 105 (see FIG. 25A) of the rear end portion 112. The second posture is obtained (see FIGS. 25A and 25C). Thus, the posture of the paper discharge tray 21 is changed from the first posture to the second posture, so that the space on the paper discharge tray 21 in the opening 16 is expanded downward.

  In the above-described embodiment, the form in which the paper discharge tray 21 is provided on the paper feed tray 29 as a cover of the paper feed tray 29 has been described. However, the paper discharge tray 21 is not the paper feed tray 29 but the printer unit 20. (For example, it may be provided under the cover 31).

  In the above-described embodiment, the form in which the discharge tray 21 is rotated toward the paper supply tray 29 to change the posture from the first posture to the second posture has been described. It may be configured to be lowered toward the paper feed tray 29 while maintaining the above. In other words, for example, the discharge tray 21 may be configured such that the extension tray 61 and the tray main body 59 can move integrally to the paper feed tray 29 side. In other words, the change in the posture of the discharge tray 21 from the first posture to the second posture in the present invention is not limited to the rotation of the discharge tray 21, but the discharge tray 21 moves toward the paper feed tray 29. It may be a slide.

  In the above-described embodiment, the form in which the discharge tray 21 is changed in posture from the first posture to the second posture by rotating the tray main body 56 toward the paper feed tray 29 is described. And the extension tray 61 may be provided separately, and the extension tray 61 may be configured to be lowered toward the paper feed tray 29 while maintaining a horizontal posture.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Multifunction machine 12 ... Scanner part 15 ... Upper surface 16 ... Opening 20 ... Printer part 21 ... Paper discharge tray 24 ... Image recording unit 25 ... Paper feed roller 29 ... Feeding tray 36 ... First direction 37 ... Second direction 40 ... Space 54 ... Tray body 56 ... Tray body 59 ... Extension tray 61 ... Extension tray 67 ... Conveying roller 68 ... Discharge roller 74 ... Horizontal direction 85 ... LF motor 95 ... Upper surface 105 ... Upper surface 112 ... Rear end portion 122 ... Rear end portion 126. .... Sub-tray 131 ... Coil spring 133 ... Expansion tray 142 ... Rear end 147 ... Opening

Claims (5)

An apparatus body having an opening;
A first tray disposed in the opening of the apparatus main body and containing a sheet-like recording medium;
A second tray formed in the apparatus main body and disposed in the opening of the apparatus main body and above the first tray;
A first transport unit for transporting a recording medium from the first tray;
A recording unit for recording an image on the recording medium conveyed by the first conveying unit;
A second transport unit that transports the recording medium recorded by the recording unit to the second tray;
The second tray is configured to be changeable between a first posture and a second posture in which an upper surface of the second tray is closer to the first tray than the first posture at a position pulled out from the opening. An image recording apparatus, wherein the recording medium conveyed by the second conveying unit is placed in the first attitude or the second attitude.   A placement tray for placing a recording medium transported from the second transport portion together with the second tray in the second posture on the second transport portion side of the second tray in the second posture. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the image recording apparatus is formed. The second tray is
In the first posture, the first tray is disposed at the same position as the end portion on the opening side or pushed into the inside,
3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein in the second posture, the image recording apparatus is disposed at a position pulled out from an end of the first tray on the opening side. The second tray includes a tray body, and an auxiliary tray body that can be pulled out from the tray body in a direction in which the second tray is pulled out.
The auxiliary tray member and by said tray body, an image recording apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that for mounting the recording medium 3 to be conveyed from the second conveying section.   The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second tray is formed to be slidable from the first posture to the second posture.

Images