JP5741801B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording medium cassette that is detachable from an apparatus main body. The present invention also relates to a recording medium feeding apparatus including the recording medium cassette, and a recording apparatus represented by a facsimile, a printer, or the like including the recording medium feeding apparatus.

  Some inkjet printers as an example of a recording apparatus are configured to be able to record by ejecting ink droplets directly onto a label surface of an optical disk. In such an ink jet printer, generally, a recording medium such as an optical disc is set on a tray having a plate shape, is transported through a transport path in the ink jet printer in a state of being set on the tray, and recording is performed. The

  The tray is fed into the apparatus through guide means (adapter) provided in front of the apparatus of the ink jet printer, and the guide means include those shown in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

  For example, the one disclosed in Patent Document 1 is configured so that a stacker on which recorded sheets are stacked is also used as a guide unit. Also, in the device disclosed in Patent Document 2, the guide means is configured to be rotatable on the printer body, and can be used and stored by rotating. The above-mentioned guide means may be used not only for the tray on which the optical disk is set but also when recording on a plate-like body having high rigidity and thickness such as board paper.

JP 2004-130774 A JP 2005-144932 A

  As shown in Patent Document 2, in the case of using a dedicated guide means for guiding the tray, it is necessary to secure a dedicated space for arranging the guide means inside the recording apparatus main body. It is easy to invite upsizing. Further, as shown in Patent Document 1, in the case of a configuration in which a stacker that stacks recorded sheets is used as a guide unit for a tray, the stacker is a relatively large component, and therefore the posture of stacking sheets And the configuration for switching the tray guiding position tend to be large, and the cost increase tends to be relatively large.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is to reduce the space and cost of the guide means for guiding a plate-like body such as a tray or a board on which an optical disk is set. There is to configure.

  In order to solve the above problems, a recording medium cassette according to the first aspect of the present invention includes a guide unit that includes a guide unit that guides a plate-shaped transport medium toward a transport path for transporting the recording medium. It is a recording medium cassette that accommodates a recording medium and is detachably provided in a recording apparatus that performs recording on the recording medium.

  According to this aspect, the plate-shaped transported medium is provided to the recording medium cassette that accommodates the recording medium, which is detachably provided in the recording apparatus that performs recording on the recording medium, toward the transport path for transporting the recording medium. Since the guide means for guiding the medium is provided, it is not necessary to secure a dedicated space for arranging the guide means in the inside of the recording apparatus main body. Compared to a configuration using a paper stacker as guide means, the degree of complexity of the apparatus configuration can be reduced, and the degree of cost increase can be reduced.

  In the present specification, “medium to be transported” means a medium transported through a medium transport path in the recording apparatus, regardless of whether recording is actually performed. Further, “recorded medium” means a medium to be recorded. Therefore, for example, in a situation where a tray on which a recording medium is set is conveyed on the medium conveyance path, the tray is a conveyance medium but not a recording medium. An optical disc set on a tray as a transported medium is a transported medium and a recording medium. Further, cardboard such as board paper is a medium to be transported and a medium to be recorded.

  The second aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the first aspect, the guide means is constituted by a guide member provided so as to be able to appear and retract from the recording medium cassette.

  According to this aspect, since the guide means is constituted by the guide member provided so as to be able to protrude and retract from the recording medium cassette, the upper space of the recording medium cassette is opened in the submerged state. Accordingly, for example, in the case where a stacker for stacking the recording medium is provided on the upper part of the recording medium cassette, or in the configuration in which the upper surface of the recording medium cassette is used as the stacker, the guide member does not become an obstacle and is advantageous.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, a lower tray on which the recording medium is stored, and an upper stage on which the recording medium is placed , which is provided above the lower tray. A tray, and the guide means is provided in the upper tray.

  According to this aspect, in the multi-stage type recording medium cassette including the lower tray and the upper tray, the effects of the first or second aspect can be obtained. In addition, there are various names such as “cassette” and “tray” for the storage unit for storing the recording medium in the recording apparatus for recording on the recording medium. One entire unit body is referred to as a “cassette”, and a plurality of recording medium accommodation portions provided in the cassette are referred to as “trays”.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording medium feeding device for feeding a recording medium, comprising the recording medium cassette according to any one of the first to third aspects. . According to this aspect, it is possible to obtain the same operational effects as those of any of the first to third aspects described above in the recording medium feeding device.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording means for recording on a recording medium, a recording medium cassette according to the second aspect, a driving mechanism for moving the guide member in and out, and a control for controlling the driving mechanism. And when the mode for executing the recording on the plate-shaped transport medium or the recording medium set on the plate-shaped transport medium is selected, A certain guide member is advanced.

  According to this aspect, the guide member constituting the guide means that is capable of appearing and retracting is provided so as to be capable of appearing and retracting, and a mode for executing recording on a recording medium conveyed using the guide member is provided. Since it is configured to be in the advanced state when selected, it is not necessary for the user to perform the operation of moving the guide member himself / herself, and usability can be improved.

A sixth aspect of the invention, in the fifth aspect, the recording medium cassette, the lower tray for accommodating the recording medium, provided in the upper portion of the lower tray, for mounting a recording medium An upper tray, and the upper tray is configured to feed the recording medium from the upper tray by a tray driving unit and feed the recording medium from the lower tray. The guide member is provided so as to be able to move in and out when the upper tray is in the retracted position, and the control unit is formed in the plate shape. When the mode for executing recording on the transported medium or the recording medium set on the plate-shaped transported medium is selected, if the upper tray is at the feedable position, the upper stage Side tray Wherein the displacing to avoid position.

  According to this aspect, in the recording medium cassette configured to include the lower tray, and the upper tray that is displaceable between the feedable position and the retracted position with respect to the lower tray, The control unit is configured so that the guide member can enter and exit when a mode for executing recording on the plate-shaped transport medium or the recording medium set on the plate-shaped transport medium is selected. Since the upper tray is displaced from the feedable position to the retracted position, it is not necessary for the user to operate the upper tray by himself, and usability can be improved.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the fifth or sixth aspect, in the recording mode in which the control unit feeds a recording medium from the recording medium cassette and performs recording, the guide member is It is characterized by maintaining the sunken state.

  According to this aspect, the control unit that controls the protruding and retracting operation of the guide member maintains the guide member in the retracted state in the recording mode in which recording is performed by feeding the recording medium from the recording medium cassette. Thus, the guide member does not advance on the recording medium discharge path, and the recording medium can be appropriately discharged.

FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a paper conveyance path of the printer according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view illustrating a paper conveyance path of the printer according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of some components of the paper cassette and the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of some components of the paper cassette and the recording apparatus according to the embodiment of the invention.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are side sectional views showing a sheet conveyance path of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 1 which is an embodiment of a “recording apparatus” according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows the front side, and FIG. 2 shows the rear side. However, FIG. 1 shows a state where the upper tray 60 is in a feedable position, and FIG. 2 shows a state where the upper tray 60 is in the retracted position (details will be described later). In the state of FIG. The rear end is located on the front side of the apparatus as shown in FIG. Further, in the state of FIG. 2, the tip of the upper tray 60 is located on the rear side of the apparatus as shown in FIG.

  3 and 4 are perspective views of some components of the paper cassette 100 and the printer 1 which are an embodiment of the “recording medium cassette” according to the present invention. 1 and 2, the right direction indicates the sheet feeding direction, and the front and back direction of the drawing indicates the sheet width direction.

  The overall configuration of the printer 1 will be outlined below with reference to FIG. The printer 1 includes a feeding device 2 at the bottom of the device, and feeds paper (mainly cut sheet paper) as an example of a “recording medium” from the feeding device 2 one by one, and recording is performed by the recording unit 4. (Inkjet recording) is performed, and a basic structure is provided for discharging toward a discharge stacker (not shown) provided on the front side of the apparatus (left side in FIG. 1).

Hereinafter, the components on the paper transport path will be described in more detail.
The feeding device 2 includes a paper cassette 100, a pickup roller 16, a guide roller 20, and a separating unit 21.

  The paper cassette 100 capable of setting a plurality of paper sheets P in a stacked state can be attached to and detached from the front side of the apparatus main body of the feeding apparatus 2, and constitutes the base of the paper cassette 100 at the lower part. Two sheet storage units, that is, a lower tray 50 to be moved, and an upper tray 60 that is slidable between a feedable position and a retreat area that are located above the tray 50 are provided.

  In FIGS. 1 and 2, the paper accommodated in the lower tray 50 is indicated by reference numeral P <b> 1, and the paper accommodated in the upper tray 60 is indicated by reference numeral P <b> 2 (hereinafter, it is not necessary to distinguish between them). In this case, it is called “paper P”).

  A pickup roller 16 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) is provided on a swinging member 17 that swings about a swinging shaft 18, and the upper tray 60 is the rearmost side of the apparatus (left direction in FIG. 1: paper). When the cassette 100 is slid in the pulling direction side, that is, when the upper tray 60 is in the retreat area, the top tray 60 rotates in contact with the uppermost one of the sheets P1 accommodated in the lower tray 50. The upper sheet P1 is sent out from the lower tray 50.

  Further, when the upper tray 60 is in the abutting position where it slides to the most front side of the apparatus (right direction in FIG. 1: the mounting direction side of the paper cassette 100), that is, in the feedable position of the upper tray 60, the upper tray By rotating in contact with the uppermost one of the sheets P2 contained in the sheet 60, the uppermost sheet P2 is sent out from the upper tray 60.

  In a state where the upper tray 60 is positioned at the feedable position (the state shown in FIG. 1), the separation slope 54 of the lower tray 50 is accommodated in the upper tray 60 rather than the front inner wall of the upper tray 60. Thus, the separation slope 54 is used as a separation means when the paper is sent out from the upper tray 60. That is, the separation slope 54 of the lower tray 50 is used as a common separating means for the lower tray 50 and the upper tray 60.

  Next, a freely rotatable guide roller 20 is provided on the downstream side of the separation slope 54, and on the downstream side of the guide roller 20, a separation means 21 configured with a separation roller 22 and a driving roller 23 is provided. Is provided. The separation roller 22 has an outer peripheral surface formed of an elastic material and is provided so as to be able to press contact with the driving roller 23, and is provided in a state in which a predetermined rotational resistance is given by a torque limiter mechanism. Accordingly, the next and subsequent sheets P to be double fed are stopped between the separation roller 22 and the driving roller 23, that is, double feeding is prevented. The driving roller 23 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown) so as to feed the paper P to the downstream side.

  On the downstream side of the separating means 21, a driving roller 26 that is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown), and an assist roller 27 that is driven to rotate by nipping the paper P between the driving roller 26 are provided. A first intermediate feeding unit 25 is provided, and the first intermediate feeding unit 25 feeds the paper P further downstream. Reference numeral 29 denotes a driven roller that reduces a paper passing load when the paper P passes through the curved inversion path (particularly when the paper trailing edge passes).

  On the downstream side of the driven roller 29, there is provided a second driving roller 32 that is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown), and an assist roller 33 that is driven to rotate while the paper P is nipped between the driving roller 32. An intermediate feeding unit 31 is provided, and the sheet P is further fed downstream by the second intermediate feeding unit 31.

  The recording unit 4 is disposed on the downstream side of the second intermediate feeding unit 31. The recording unit 4 includes a transport unit 5, a recording head 42, a lower paper guide 39, and a discharge unit 6. The transport means 5 includes a transport drive roller 35 that is rotationally driven by a motor, and a transport driven roller 36 that is pivotally supported by the upper paper guide 37 so as to be driven and rotated against the transport drive roller 35. Yes. The paper P that has reached the transport means 5 is precisely fed to the downstream side when the transport drive roller 35 rotates while being nipped by the transport drive roller 35 and the transport driven roller 36.

  Subsequently, the recording head 42 is provided at the bottom of the carriage 40, and the carriage 40 is reciprocated in the main scanning direction by a drive motor (not shown) while being guided by a carriage guide shaft 41 extending in the main scanning direction (front and back direction in FIG. 1). It is driven to move. The carriage 40 is a so-called off-carriage type in which no ink cartridge is mounted, and an ink cartridge (not shown) is provided independently from the carriage 40, and the ink cartridge is connected to the recording head via an ink supply tube (not shown). Ink is supplied to 42.

  A lower paper guide 39 is provided at a position facing the recording head 42, and the distance between the paper P and the recording head 42 is defined by the lower paper guide 39. Discharge means 6 for discharging the recorded paper P is provided on the downstream side of the lower paper guide 39. The discharge means 6 includes a discharge drive roller 44 that is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown), and a discharge driven roller 45 that is driven to rotate in contact with the discharge drive roller 44, and is a sheet on which recording is performed by the recording means 4. P is discharged by the discharge means 6 to a stacker (not shown) provided on the front side of the apparatus.

The outline of the printer 1 has been described above, and the paper cassette 100 will be described in further detail with reference to FIGS.
The lower tray 50 is provided with an edge guide 51 (FIG. 1) slidable in the paper feeding direction (that is, the paper length direction) on the bottom surface 50a. The edge guide 51 regulates the position of the trailing edge. It has become so. Further, an edge guide 52 that is slidable in a direction orthogonal to the paper feeding direction (that is, the paper width direction) is also provided, and the position of the side edge of the paper P1 is regulated by the edge guide 52. .

  Next, a high friction material (not shown) is disposed on the bottom surface 50a of the lower tray 50 at a location corresponding to the contact position between the pickup roller 16 and the paper P1, and the pickup roller 16 is provided with the high friction material. The sheet bundle is held so that the sheet bundle is not sent downstream when the sheet is fed out.

  On the other hand, as with the lower tray 50, the upper tray 60 also has an edge guide 61 slidable in the paper length direction and an edge guide (not shown) slidable in the paper width direction on the bottom surface 60a. I have. A high friction material (not shown) is disposed at a location corresponding to the contact position between the pickup roller 16 and the paper P2.

  The upper tray 60 is provided with a rack (not shown), and the lower tray 50 is provided with a pinion gear (not shown) that meshes with the rack. When the paper cassette 100 is installed in the printer main body, the pinion gear meshes with a gear (not shown) driven by a motor provided in the printer main body. The upper tray 60 is displaced between a feedable position (FIG. 1) and a retracted position (FIG. 2) by a tray driving means constituted by a pinion mechanism.

  Next, guide means for guiding the medium to be conveyed provided in the paper cassette 100 will be described. 2 and 4, a symbol T indicates a tray on which the optical disk D can be set. The optical disk D is fed to the medium conveyance path of the printer 1 while being set on the tray T, whereby the recording head 42. Thus, inkjet recording can be performed on the label surface.

  When recording is performed on a plate-like body such as the tray T, the discharge driven roller 45 is separated from the discharge drive roller 44 as shown in FIG. The gap adjusting means is omitted so that the gap with the lower paper guide 39 is increased. Further, until the leading edge of the tray T enters between the conveyance driving roller 35 and the conveyance driven roller 36, the conveyance driving roller 35 is separated from the conveyance driven roller 36, and thereafter, the separation state is released and the conveyance driving is performed. The tray T is nipped by the roller 35 and the transport driven roller 36 so that the tray T is nipped. These state changes may be configured to be performed manually or may be configured to be executed automatically.

  Next, on the rear end side (left side in FIG. 2) of the paper cassette 100, openings 63 are formed at both ends of the rear end extension 60b of the upper tray 60 in the paper width direction. Therefore, the guide member 56 constituting the guide means is provided so as to be able to appear up and down as indicated by white arrows.

  A rack 56b is formed in the guide member 56 as shown in FIG. 2, and a pinion gear 58 meshes with the rack 56b. The pinion gear 58 is rotationally driven by a control unit 66 that controls the motor 65 using the motor 65 as a drive source. That is, the guide member 56 is controlled to be moved in and out by the controller 66. That is, the rack 56b, the pinion gear 58, and the motor 65 constitute a drive mechanism that moves the guide member 56 in and out.

  The guide member 56 has advanced from the state housed inside so as not to protrude above the paper cassette 100 (in the collapsed state: the state shown in FIG. 3) to the upper side of the paper cassette 100 under the control of the control unit 66. In the state shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the upper guide surface 56 a is at substantially the same height as the upper roller outer peripheral surface of the discharge driving roller 44. As a result, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the tray T on which the optical disk D is set can be supported, and the tray T can be sent toward the medium conveyance path.

  The advance operation from the retracted state of the guide member 56 can be performed, for example, when a mode for executing recording on a plate-like body such as an optical disc D or board paper set in the tray T is selected. However, this is only an example, and for example, a control switch for performing the advance operation of the guide member 56 may be provided, and the guide member 56 may be moved in and out by a user operation.

  In this embodiment, since the guide member 56 can be projected and retracted from the opening 63 formed in the upper tray 60, the guide member 56 can be projected and retracted only when the upper tray 60 is in the retracted position. Become. Therefore, for example, when a mode for executing recording on a plate-like body such as an optical disk D or board paper set in the tray T is selected, the upper tray 60 is not in the retracted position but in a feedable position (FIG. 1). In this case, the controller 66 that controls the position of the upper tray 60 may be configured to move the upper tray 60 from the feedable position to the retracted position and then advance the guide member 56. good.

  Further, in the recording mode in which the control unit 66 feeds paper from the paper cassette 100 and performs recording, the control member 66 can be configured to maintain the guide member 56 in the submerged state. By doing in this way, it can prevent that the guide member 56 advances on a paper discharge path | route, and can discharge a paper appropriately.

  As described above, the paper cassette 100 according to the present invention is provided with the guide member 56 as the guide means for guiding the plate-shaped transport medium toward the medium transport path. It is not necessary to secure a dedicated space for installation in the printer body, and the guide member 56 can be provided in a space-saving manner. Further, compared with a configuration in which a paper discharge stacker for stacking sheets is also used as a guide unit, the degree of complication of the apparatus configuration can be reduced, and an increase in cost can be suppressed.

  Further, since the guide member 56 is configured to be accommodated inside the paper cassette 100 (in the immersed state), the upper space of the paper cassette 100 is opened in the immersed state. Accordingly, when the stacker is provided on the upper portion of the paper cassette 100 or when the upper surface of the paper cassette 100 is used as a stacker, the guide member 56 does not get in the way and is advantageous.

  In the present embodiment, the guide member 56 is provided so as to be able to appear and retract with respect to the paper cassette. However, the guide member 56 may be configured to be detachable from the paper cassette and to be attached by a user operation. . In the present embodiment, the guide member 56 is provided on the lower tray 50 and is provided so as to be able to protrude and retract from the opening 63 formed in the upper tray 60. However, the guide member 56 is provided on the upper tray 60 itself. It may be provided. Furthermore, the paper cassette may have a single-stage configuration instead of a multi-stage configuration.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 2 Feeding device, 4 Recording means, 5 Conveying means, 6 Ejecting means, 16 Pickup roller, 17 Oscillating member, 18 Oscillating shaft, 20 Followed roller, 21 Separating means, 22 Separating roller, 23 Driving roller , 25 1st intermediate feed section, 26 drive roller, 27 assist roller, 29 driven roller, 31 2nd intermediate feed section, 32 drive roller, 33 assist roller, 35 transport drive roller, 36 transport driven roller, 37 upper paper guide, 39 Lower paper guide, 40 Carriage, 41 Carriage guide shaft, 42 Recording head, 44 Ejection drive roller, 45 Ejection driven roller, 50 Lower tray, 50a Bottom surface, 51, 52 Edge guide, 54 Separation slope, 56 Guide member, 56a Guide surface, 56b , 58 pinion gear, 60 upper tray, 60a bottom surface, 61 edge guide, 63 opening, 65 motor, 66 control unit, 100 paper cassette, D optical disc, T tray, P, P1, P2 recording paper

Claims (9)

Recording means for recording on a recording medium;
Rutotomoni a guide means for guiding the plate-like conveyed medium toward the conveying path for conveying a recording medium, it is provided detachably from the apparatus body, and the recording medium cassette for accommodating the recording medium,
A discharge means provided on the downstream side of the recording means in the transport path, and comprising a discharge drive roller that is rotationally driven and a discharge driven roller that is disposed opposite to the discharge drive roller and is driven to rotate;
Release means for separating the discharge driven roller from the discharge drive roller ,
The recording medium cassette is located below the recording means, and includes a lower tray for storing the recording medium, and an upper tray on which the recording medium is provided, which is provided above the lower tray. And comprising
The upper tray is located between a feedable position where the recording medium can be fed from the upper tray by the tray driving means and a retreat position when feeding the recording medium from the lower tray. Provided to be displaceable,
The guide means is constituted by a guide member provided so as to be able to appear and retract from the recording medium cassette,
The guide member is provided so as to be able to advance from the recording medium cassette only when the upper tray is in the retracted position.
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a transport driving roller that is rotationally driven and a transport driven roller that is driven to rotate while being disposed facing the transport driving roller on the upstream side of the recording unit in the transport path.
When recording on the plate-shaped transport medium or the recording medium set on the plate-shaped transport medium, the transport driven roller is configured so that at least the plate-shaped transport medium is in the transport path. Until it is sent from the downstream side toward the upstream side and the leading end enters between the conveyance driving roller and the conveyance driven roller, it is in a state of being separated from the conveyance driving roller.
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a guide member is disposed opposite to a recording head constituting the recording unit and defines a gap between the recording medium and the recording head;
  Gap adjusting means for adjusting the gap,
When the guide member advances from the recording medium cassette, the gap adjusting means increases the gap.
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3 , wherein the discharge driving roller is located below the discharge driven roller ,
The guide surface of the guide means is substantially the same height position as the upper outer peripheral surface of the discharge drive roller.
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a drive mechanism that causes the guide member to move in and out;
A control unit for controlling the drive mechanism,
The control unit advances the guide member in the submerged state when a mode for executing recording on the plate-shaped transport medium or a recording medium set on the plate-shaped transport medium is selected. Let
A recording apparatus. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit selects a mode for performing recording on the plate-shaped transport medium or a recording medium set on the plate-shaped transport medium. When the upper tray is in the feedable position, the upper tray is displaced to the retracted position.
A recording apparatus. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the control unit controls the release unit to set the plate-shaped transport medium or the plate-shaped transport medium. When performing recording on the discharge driven roller, the discharge driven roller is separated from the discharge driving roller.
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 7 claim 5, wherein, in the recording mode for recording by feeding the recording medium from the recording medium cassette, the guide member Keep it in a dead state,
A recording apparatus. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the recording medium sent out from the recording medium cassette is bent and inverted to reach the recording unit.
A recording apparatus.

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