JP6136904B2 - Sheet conveying apparatus and image recording apparatus - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sheet conveying apparatus that feeds a sheet from a sheet support portion along a conveying path, and an image recording apparatus that includes the sheet conveying apparatus.

  An image recording apparatus that records an image on a sheet conveyed along a conveyance path inside the apparatus housing is known. Some image recording apparatuses have a sheet support portion that supports a plurality of sheets. As an example of the sheet support portion, there is one in which a support surface is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity and guides the sheet obliquely downward in the direction of gravity (Patent Document 1). A sheet fed from the sheet support unit is separated from a bundle of sheets by a separation unit provided below the support surface, and enters the conveyance path.

  There are various sizes of sheets used in the image recording apparatus, such as JIS standard A4 and A3. Recently, in addition to A4, which is generally used frequently for office work in Japan, the frequency of use of larger A3 sizes is also increasing. Therefore, an extension tray may be provided to extend the support surface of the sheet support portion (Patent Document 2).

JP 2003-327332 A JP-A-5-278868

  In the configuration in which the support surface of the extension tray, which is a member different from the member constituting the support surface of the sheet support portion, supports the sheet together with the support surface of the sheet support portion, the extension tray can be rotated to the sheet support portion. It may be provided. For example, when the sheet support part is composed of a plurality of members that can rotate relative to each other, the support surface of the extension tray and the support surface of the sheet support part may be included in the same virtual plane depending on the rotation state. It may be structurally difficult to be arranged at least in parallel even if there are slight steps. Therefore, when the extension tray is provided so as to be rotatable at the sheet support portion with a simple configuration without considering such an arrangement, the support surface of the sheet support portion and the support surface of the extension tray are included in the same virtual plane. It may not be parallel or parallel. As a result, the sheet supported by the support surface of the sheet support portion and the support surface of the extension tray bends or curves. Depending on the direction of bending or bending of the sheet, the separation performance by the separation unit may be reduced.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide means capable of supplementing the support surface of the sheet support portion with another member and suppressing reduction in sheet separation performance. is there.

(1) A sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention has an apparatus casing having a conveying path therein and a first surface, and the first surface is a mounting surface on which the apparatus casing is mounted. and Cie over preparative supporting portion to support an inclined and a plurality of sheets in a stacked state for, the sheet is disposed on the mounting surface side on the support portion, the edge of the sheet supported on said first surface A separation portion that comes into contact with the first support portion, and a proximal end portion close to the first surface of the second surface in the same direction as the first surface is disposed on the opposite side of the separation portion in the seat support portion. A first position where the distal end located on the placement plane side above the virtual plane including the first surface and the far end from the first surface is located on the virtual plane, and the distal end is the virtual plane A plate member that can be moved to a second position that is different from the first position, and a sheet that is supported by the first surface and the distal end of the second surface. And a feeding unit that feeds the sheet to the conveying path while sliding the sheet with respect to the separating unit.

  Since the first surface of the sheet support portion and the distal end portion of the second surface of the plate member at the first position are located in the same virtual plane, they are supported by the distal end portions of the first surface and the second surface. The sheet does not bend or curve.

  (2) The seat support portion includes a fixed portion provided in the apparatus housing and a movable portion rotatably provided on the fixed portion, and the first surface is movable. It may be provided in the part.

  The device can be reduced in size by the rotation of the movable part.

  (3) The movable part may change its state to a storage state in which the first surface is orthogonal to the placement surface.

  As a result, the apparatus is efficiently downsized.

  (4) The plate material at the second position may cover the space on the first surface side in the movable portion in the stored state.

  When the plate is in the second position, foreign matter, dust, and the like are prevented from entering the space on the first surface side of the sheet support portion.

  (5) The movable unit may include a side guide for guiding an edge along the sheet conveyance direction, and the first surface may be provided on the side guide.

  When the sheet is replenished to the sheet support portion, alignment of the edge of the sheet becomes easy.

  (6) The feeding unit includes a feeding roller that rotates in contact with the uppermost sheet from a bundle of a plurality of sheets supported by the distal ends of the first surface and the second surface. There may be.

  One sheet is separated from the bundle of a plurality of sheets supported by the distal ends of the first surface and the second surface by the feeding roller, and is fed to the conveyance path.

  (7) The sheet support portion further includes a third position that overlaps below the first surface and an extension member that moves from the first surface to a fourth position that protrudes to the opposite side of the separation portion. And the said board | plate material may be provided in the said extension member.

  By the extension member, a larger size sheet can be supported by the sheet support portion.

  (8) The present invention may be regarded as an image recording apparatus including the sheet conveying apparatus and a recording unit that records an image on a sheet in the conveying path.

  According to this invention, the 1st surface of a sheet | seat support part can be supplemented with the 2nd surface of a board | plate material, and the fall of the separation performance of the sheet | seat by a separation part can be suppressed.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of the multifunction machine 10 with the movable portion 69 standing. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the bypass tray 70 in which the movable portion 69 is in a lying state and the tray cover 94 is in the sealed position. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 5 is an external perspective view of the rear side of the multifunction machine 10 with the movable portion 69 removed. FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the bypass tray 70 with the movable portion 69 lying down and the tray cover 94 being in the open position. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a VII-VII cross section of FIG. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing the bypass tray 70 in which the movable portion 69 is in a lying state, the extension member 89 is pulled out, and the tray cover 94 is in the open position. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section IX-IX in FIG.

  Hereinafter, the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it is needless to say that the embodiment can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the advance from the starting point of the arrow to the ending point is expressed as the direction, and the traffic on the line connecting the starting point and the ending point of the arrow is expressed as the direction. In the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to a state where the multifunction device 10 (an example of the image recording apparatus of the present invention) is installed in a usable state (the state shown in FIG. 1), and an opening 13 is provided. The front-rear direction 8 is defined with the front side as the front side (front side), and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction machine 10 is viewed from the front side (front side).

[Overall configuration of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction machine 10 is formed in a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and includes a printer unit 11 that records an image on a sheet such as a recording sheet by an inkjet recording method. The multifunction machine 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. The printer unit 11 corresponds to an image recording apparatus.

  The printer unit 11 includes a housing 14 having an opening 13 formed on the front surface. In addition, a feeding tray 20 and a discharge tray 21 that can accommodate recording sheets of various sizes can be inserted and removed from the opening 13 in the front-rear direction 8. The bottom surface of the housing 14 abuts on the placement surface on which the multifunction machine 10 is installed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a feeding unit 15 that feeds recording paper from the feeding tray 20, a recording unit 24 that records an image on the recording paper, a first conveyance roller pair 54, and a second pair. A conveyance roller pair 55 and the like are provided.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a scanner unit 12 is provided above the printer unit 11. The dimensions of the casing 16 of the scanner unit 12 in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 are the same as those of the casing 14 of the printer unit 11. Accordingly, the casing 14 of the printer unit 11 and the casing 16 of the scanner unit 12 are integrated to form a substantially rectangular parallelepiped outer shape of the multifunction machine 10. The scanner unit 12 is a flat bed scanner. In addition, since the structure of a flat bed scanner is well-known, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted here. The scanner unit 12 may be provided with an automatic document feeder (ADF) that separates and conveys a plurality of documents one by one.

[Printer 11]
Hereinafter, the detailed structure of the printer unit 11 will be described. The printer unit 11 corresponds to an image recording apparatus. A mechanism for conveying a sheet such as recording paper in the printer unit 11 corresponds to a sheet conveying apparatus.

[Feeding tray 20]
The feeding tray 20 has an outer shape in which the lengths in the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 are longer than the length in the up-down direction 7, and has a box shape with an open upper surface. A discharge tray 21 is provided on the front side of the upper surface of the feeding tray 20. The feeding tray 20 can accommodate a recording sheet by supporting recording sheets of various sizes such as an A4 size according to Japanese Industrial Standards and an L plate used for photographic recording on a supporting surface. The feeding tray 20 is detachably mounted in an internal space that communicates with the opening 13 of the housing 14. The feeding tray 20 can advance and retreat along the front-rear direction 8 with respect to the housing 14 through the opening 13.

[Feeding unit 15]
As shown in FIG. 2, the feeding unit 15 includes a feeding roller 25, a feeding arm 26, a drive transmission mechanism 27, and a separation pad 23. The feeding unit 15 is provided above the feeding tray 20 and below the recording unit 24. The feed roller 25 is pivotally supported at the tip of the feed arm 26 so as to be rotatable. The feeding arm 26 rotates in the direction of an arrow 29 about a shaft 28 provided at the base end. Thereby, the feed roller 25 can be brought into contact with and separated from the support surface of the feed tray 20. Therefore, when the feeding tray 20 containing the recording paper is mounted in the housing 14, the feeding roller 25 can come into contact with the recording paper stored in the feeding tray 20. A separation pad 23 is provided at a position where the feed roller 25 contacts the support surface of the feed tray 20 when the feed tray 20 that does not contain recording paper is mounted in the housing 14. The separation pad 23 is formed of a material having a friction coefficient larger than that of the support surface of the feeding tray 20 with respect to the recording paper.

  A driving force of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the feeding roller 25 through a drive transmission mechanism 27. The drive transmission mechanism 27 transmits the rotation transmitted to the shaft 28 to the shaft of the feeding roller 25 by an endless belt. When the feeding roller 25 rotates while being in contact with the uppermost recording sheet among the recording sheets supported on the support surface of the feeding tray 20, the recording sheet is fed to the conveyance path 65. Is done. When the recording sheet is fed to the conveyance path 65, the leading end of the recording sheet comes into contact with the separation member 35 provided on the rear side of the feeding tray 20 in the front-rear direction 8. As a result, only the uppermost recording paper is separated from the lower recording paper and conveyed. Then, the lower recording paper than the uppermost recording paper is held while being accommodated in the feeding tray 20 without being dragged by the uppermost recording paper.

[Conveyance path 65]
As shown in FIG. 2, the conveyance path 65 provided in the internal space of the housing 14 extends in a curved manner so as to make a U-turn upward from the rear side of the feed tray 20, and further on the rear side of the printer unit 11. After being bent from the front side to the front side, it extends almost straight toward the front side and reaches the discharge tray 21. The conveyance path 65 is roughly divided into a curved path 65A that makes a U-turn and a straight path 65B that is straight.

  The curved path 65 </ b> A is defined by the outer guide member 18, the inner guide member 19, and the guide member 31 that face each other with a space through which the recording paper can pass. The straight path 65 </ b> B is defined by the recording unit 24 and the platen 42 that face each other with a space through which the recording paper can pass, and the guide member 32 and the guide member 33.

  The recording paper fed along the conveyance path 65 by the feeding roller 25 of the feeding tray 20 is reversed in the conveyance direction from below to above along the curved path 65A, and is conveyed along the straight path 65B. Is conveyed from the rear to the front without being inverted.

  The outer guide member 18 is a member that constitutes an outer guide surface when the recording sheet is conveyed along the curved path 65A. The inner guide member 19 is a member that forms an inner guide surface when the recording sheet is conveyed along the curved path 65A. In addition, each guide surface may be comprised by one surface, and may be comprised as a group of the front end surface of a some rib.

  The guide member 31 is disposed above the inner guide member 19 immediately upstream (rear side) of the first conveying roller pair 54. The outer guide member 18 and the guide member 31 are members that define a bypass path 66 described later.

[Rear cover 22]
The rear cover 22 is a member that supports the outer guide member 18 and constitutes a part of the rear surface of the housing 14. The rear cover 22 is pivotally supported with respect to the housing 14 at both lower left and right ends. By rotating the rear cover 22 around the rotation axis along the lower left-right direction 9 so that the upper side is inclined backward, a part of the conveyance path 65 and a part of a bypass path 66 described later are formed. The housing 14 is opened (exposed) to the outside.

  Similarly to the rear cover 22, the outer guide member 18 is also pivotally supported with respect to the housing 14 at both lower left and right ends. In a state where the rear cover 22 is rotated backward, the outer guide member 18 can also be rotated around the rotation axis along the lower left-right direction 9 so that the upper side is inclined backward. When the outer guide member 18 rotates backward, at least a part of the curved path 65A is opened (exposed). As shown in FIG. 2, when the rear cover 22 is closed so as to be in an upright state, the outer guide member 18 is supported by the rear cover 22 from the rear and maintained in the upright state, and faces the inner guide member 19. To define a curved path 65A.

[First Conveying Roller Pair 54 and Second Conveying Roller Pair 55]
As shown in FIG. 2, a first transport roller pair 54 is provided on the upstream side of the transport path 65 upstream of the recording unit 24 in the transport direction (frontward in the front-rear direction 8). The first transport roller pair 54 includes a first transport roller 60 and a pinch roller 61. In the conveyance path 65, a second conveyance roller pair 55 is provided on the downstream side of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction. The second transport roller pair 55 includes a second transport roller 62 and a spur roller 63. The first transport roller 60 and the second transport roller 62 are rotated by the rotation of a motor (not shown). The first conveyance roller pair 54 and the second conveyance roller pair 55 perform recording by rotating the first conveyance roller 60 and the second conveyance roller 62 in a state where the recording paper is sandwiched between the respective rollers constituting the first conveyance roller pair 54 and the second conveyance roller pair 55. Transport the paper.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is provided between the first conveyance roller pair 54 and the second conveyance roller pair 55. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 41 and a recording head 39. The carriage 41 is supported by guide rails 43 and 44 provided on the rear side and the front side of the platen 42 so as to reciprocate in the left-right direction 9. The guide rail 44 is provided with a known belt mechanism. The carriage 41 is connected to an endless belt of a belt mechanism, and reciprocates in the left-right direction 9 along the guide rails 43 and 44 by the rotation of the endless belt. When the carriage 41 and the recording head 39 are opposed to the platen 42 with a space therebetween, the carriage 41, the recording head 39, and the platen 42 define a part of the straight path 65B.

  The recording head 39 is mounted on the carriage 41. A plurality of nozzles (not shown) are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 39. Ink is supplied to the recording head 39 from an ink cartridge (not shown). The recording head 39 selectively ejects ink from a plurality of nozzles as fine ink droplets. When the carriage 41 moves in the left-right direction 9, ink droplets are ejected from the nozzles onto the recording paper supported on the platen 42. The ejected ink droplets adhere to the recording paper on the platen 42, whereby an image is recorded on the recording paper.

[Bypass path 66]
An opening 64 is provided above the rear cover 22 on the rear surface of the housing 14. A bypass path 66 extending from the opening 64 to the first transport roller pair 54 is formed inside the housing 14. The bypass path 66 is a path extending diagonally downward and forward from the rear in the front-rear direction 8 inside the housing 14. The bypass path 66 is defined by the guide member 31, the outer guide member 18, and the rear cover 22. The guide member 31 is a member that constitutes the upper guide surface when the recording paper is being conveyed along the bypass path 66. The outer guide member 18 and the rear cover 22 are members that constitute a lower guide surface when the recording paper is being conveyed along the bypass path 66. Both the curved path 65 </ b> A and the straight path 65 </ b> B of the transport path 65 are disposed below the bypass path 66. The outer guide member 18 and the rear cover 22 are rotated so that the upper side of the outer guide member 18 is tilted backward, whereby a part of the bypass path 66 is opened (exposed) to the outside of the housing 14 together with a part of the transport path 65. The

  A recording sheet accommodated in a bypass tray 70 described later is guided obliquely downward along a bypass path 66. The recording sheet is guided along the straight path 65 </ b> B of the transport path 65 and is transported by the first transport roller pair 54. The recording sheet is further subjected to image recording by the recording unit 24 and discharged to the discharge tray 21. As described above, the recording sheet accommodated in the bypass tray 70 is conveyed along a substantially linear path (a path where the front surface and the back surface of the recording sheet are not reversed in the vertical direction 7).

[Bypass tray 70]
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, a bypass tray 70 is provided on the rear surface side of the multifunction machine 10. The bypass tray 70 accommodates recording paper independently of the feeding tray 20. The bypass tray 70 corresponds to the sheet support portion.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, a fixing portion 68 extending downward is provided on the rear surface side of the housing 16 of the scanner portion 12 so as to cover the opening 64 (see FIG. 2). The fixing portion 68 constitutes a part of the bypass tray 70 on the downstream side in the conveyance direction. As shown in FIG. 3, a movable portion 69 is provided on the upper side of the fixed portion 68 so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixed portion 68. A bypass tray 70 is configured by the fixed portion 68 and the movable portion 69.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a slit-shaped opening 67 extending along the left-right direction 9 is formed on the upper surface of the fixing portion 68. The bypass tray 70 is formed with a passage from the opening 67 to the bypass passage 66 (see FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, the fixing portion 68 is provided with a support member 75 having a support surface 74. The support surface 74 extends obliquely downward to the bypass path 66 (see FIG. 2). The lower end of the support member 75 forms a part of a guide surface that guides the recording sheet conveyed along the bypass path 66.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, a separation piece 72 is provided below the support member 75 in the fixed portion 68. The separation piece 72 is positioned at a height substantially equal to the opening 64 in the vertical direction 7. The upper surface of the separation piece 72 is a surface with which the leading end of the recording paper supported by the bypass tray 70 abuts. On the upper surface of the separation piece 72, a plurality of teeth 73 (see FIG. 4) are arranged along the front-rear direction 8 and protrude upward from the upper surface. The tips of the plurality of recording sheets supported by the bypass tray 70 are curled by the teeth 73. The separation piece 72 corresponds to a separation portion. In FIG. 3, the teeth 73 are omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a reinforcing member 84 that rotatably supports a drive shaft (not shown) of the feed roller 76 is provided on the upper end side of the support member 75 and above the support surface 74. . When the driving force is transmitted to the drive shaft of the feed roller 76 supported by the reinforcing member 84 from a motor (not shown) via the drive transmission unit 79, the feed roller 76 rotates.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a drive transmission unit 79 including a plurality of pinion gears is provided on the right side of the fixing unit 68 in the left-right direction 9. A driving force is transmitted to the drive transmission unit 79 from a motor (not shown) provided inside the housing 14 of the printer unit 11. The drive shaft of the feed roller 76 extends along the left-right direction 9, and one end thereof meshes with a pinion gear constituting the drive transmission unit 79. The other end of the drive shaft extends to the center of the fixing portion 68 in the left-right direction 9.

  An arm 78 is rotatably supported on the drive shaft of the feed roller 76. That is, the arm 78 is rotatable around the drive shaft of the feed roller 76. A feeding roller 76 is rotatably supported on the rotating tip side of the arm 78. The arm 78 extends downward from the drive shaft of the feed roller 76 toward the support surface 74 of the support member 75. The arm 78 is disposed at the center of the fixing portion 68 in the left-right direction 9.

  The feed roller 76 is connected to a drive shaft by an endless belt (not shown). The rotation of the drive shaft is transmitted to the feed roller 76 by the endless belt, and the feed roller 76 rotates. The feeding roller 76 rotates while being in contact with the uppermost recording sheet among the recording sheets supported on the support surface 74 of the bypass tray 70, so that the uppermost recording sheet is bypassed 66. Will be fed along. The recording sheet below the uppermost recording sheet is pinched by the teeth 73 of the separation piece 72 and is held on the bypass tray 70 without being dragged by the uppermost recording sheet. As described above, the feeding unit including the feeding roller 76, the drive shaft 77, and the arm 78 is disposed in the space outside the housing 14 and above the support surface 74.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the movable portion 69 is provided above the fixed portion 68 so as to be rotatable with respect to the fixed portion 68. The movable portion 69 can be rotated between a standing state standing along the vertical direction 7 as shown in FIG. 1 and a lying state inclined with respect to the vertical direction 7 as shown in FIG. 3. . The standing state is a state for reducing the space for the movable portion 69 on the rear surface side of the housing 14 and is a state in which the bypass tray 70 is not used. The rear surface of the movable portion 69 in the standing state is substantially parallel to the rear surface of the housing 14. The lying down state is a state in which the inclined support surfaces 74 and 90 are made substantially one plane by inclining the movable portion 69 obliquely upward toward the outside of the housing 14, and the use of the bypass tray 70. It is possible. The user can select whether the movable portion 69 is in a standing state or a lying state by an arbitrary operation by the user.

  As shown in FIG. 3, side walls 86 and 87 are provided on both sides of the movable portion 69 in the left-right direction 9. The side walls 86 and 87 cover parts of both sides of the fixing portion 68 in the left-right direction 9. A drive transmission portion 79 provided on the right side of the fixed portion 68 in the left-right direction 9 is covered with a side wall 86 of the movable portion 69.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a support member 88 is provided across the side walls 86 and 87 of the movable portion 69. In the lying state, the support surface 90 provided on the upper surface of the support member 88 is substantially flush with the support surface 74. That is, in the bypass tray 70, the surface formed by the support surface 74 and the support surface 90 supports the recording paper. Further, in the standing state, the support surface 90 is orthogonal to the placement surface of the multifunction machine 10, that is, along the vertical direction 7 and the horizontal direction 9. The support surface 90 corresponds to the first surface. In the present embodiment, the placement surface on which the multifunction machine 10 is placed is a surface that extends along the left-right direction 9 and the front-rear direction 8. Here, “substantially one plane (same plane)” is a plane on which the supported recording paper does not bend or curve even if there is a slight difference between the two planes. That is, it refers to a flat surface that supports the recording paper so that the separation piece 72 exhibits stable separation performance.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the support member 88 is provided with a pair of side guides 92. The pair of side guides 92 are spaced apart in the left-right direction 9 and protrude upward from the support surface 90. The side guide 92 has a guide surface 93 that extends along the conveying direction of the bypass tray 70. When the recording paper on the support surface 90 is transported, the edge of the recording paper along the transport direction is guided by the guide surface 93.

  The side guide 92 has a support surface 91 along the support surface 90 of the support member 88. That is, the side guide 92 has an L shape in which the guide surface 93 and the support surface 91 are orthogonal to each other. Although the support surface 91 is slightly different from the support surface 90, the support surface 91 is substantially the same plane and supports the recording sheet together with the support surfaces 74 and 90. The distance at which the pair of side guides 92 are separated along the left-right direction 9 is variable. Thereby, the edge of the recording paper of various sizes supported by the support surfaces 90 and 91 can be guided by the guide surface 93 of the side guide 92.

  As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the support member 88 is provided with an extension member 89. The extension member 89 is a flat plate-like member and can be accommodated in an internal space formed below the support surface 90 of the support member 88. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the extension member 89 is pulled out above the support member 88 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. It is possible to slide between the pulled-out state. The housed state corresponds to the third position, and the pulled-out state corresponds to the fourth position.

  A tray cover 94 is provided at the upper end of the extension member 89. The tray cover 94 is provided to be rotatable around a shaft 82 (see FIG. 4) with respect to the extension member 89. The tray cover 94 is a flat plate-like member that can seal the opening on the upper end side of the bypass tray 70 and cover the space on the support surface 90 side. The tray cover 94 corresponds to a plate material.

  As shown in FIG. 1, when the movable portion 69 is in the standing state and the extension member 89 is in the accommodated state, the tray cover 94 can be rotated to a position that covers the opening on the upper end side of the bypass tray 70. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the tray cover 94 can be rotated to a position where the opening on the upper end side of the bypass tray 70 is opened when the movable portion 69 is in the lying state and the extension member 89 is in the accommodated state. It is. The position (FIGS. 6 and 7) where the tray cover 94 opens the upper opening of the bypass tray 70 corresponds to the first position, and the sealing position (FIGS. 1, 3 and 4) corresponds to the second position. To do.

  The tray cover 94 extends obliquely upward so as to extend the support surface 90 at a position where the upper end side of the bypass tray 70 is opened (FIGS. 6 and 7), and the upper end side of the recording paper protruding from the support surface 90 Can be supported.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 to 9, in the tray cover 94 in the open state, the inner surface 95 facing upward in the up-down direction 7, like the support surface 90, is composed of a plurality of surfaces on which irregularities and curved surfaces are formed. Of the inner surface 95, the lower end side that is the rotation end of the tray cover 94, that is, the proximal end portion 96 near the support surface 90 is an imaginary plane 6 including the support surface 90 in the movable portion 69 in a lying state (FIG. 7, 9), it is located on the placement surface side of the multifunction machine 10, that is, in the vertical direction 7 downward. The extension member 89 can be accommodated in the internal space below the support surface 90 of the support member 88, and the tray cover 94 is pivotally connected to the upper end of the extension member 89. The end portion 96 is located below the virtual plane 6.

  Of the inner surface 95 of the tray cover 94, the upper end side that is the rotation tip, that is, the distal end portion 97 far from the support surface 90 is substantially located on the virtual plane 6. The distal end portion 97 extends along the left-right direction 9, and all the distal end portions 97 extending in the left-right direction 9 are substantially located on the imaginary plane 6. The distal end 97 is substantially located on the imaginary plane 6 regardless of the sliding position of the extension member 89. Here, the state of being “substantially located on the virtual plane 6” means that even if a plurality of parts are not strictly on the virtual plane 6, the recording paper is not bent or curved by each part. The state in which the recording paper is supported, that is, the state in which the recording sheet is supported so that the separation piece 72 exhibits a stable separation performance.

  At the distal end 97 of the inner surface 95 of the tray cover 94, a convex portion 98 is provided at the center in the left-right direction 9. When the tray cover 94 is in the first position, the convex portion 98 protrudes upward from the inner surface 95. A part of the upper surface 99 of the convex portion 98 (on the distal end portion 97 side) is substantially located on the imaginary plane 6. Note that convex pieces 100 are provided at both ends of the tray cover 94 in the left-right direction 9. When the tray cover 94 is in the second position with respect to the bypass tray 70, the convex piece 100 is provided on the bypass tray 70 so that the tray cover 94 does not easily rotate to the first position with respect to the bypass tray 70. A protrusion 100A that is lightly engaged with a predetermined portion is provided. Therefore, when the user rotates the tray cover 94 with respect to the bypass tray 70, the user can feel a light click feeling. Further, when the recording paper is normally supported by the s noodle 90 of the bypass tray 70, the convex piece 100 is located on the distal end 97 side of the tray cover 94 so that the convex piece 100 does not contact the recording paper. It is arrange | positioned at the both ends of the left-right direction 9. Therefore, there is no portion protruding above the virtual plane 6 on the inner surface 95 where the recording paper normally supported by the support surface 90 in the bypass tray 70 can come into contact.

[Operation of Printer Unit 11]
Hereinafter, the operation of the printer unit 11 when the feeding tray 20 or the bypass tray 70 is used will be described.

  When the bypass tray 70 is not used, the movable portion 69 is raised as shown in FIG. Thereby, since the projection area of the movable part 69 in plan view is reduced, the space on the rear surface side of the multifunction machine 10 can be reduced. Further, the tray cover 94 is rotated to a position that closes the opening at the upper end of the bypass tray 70. If there is sufficient space on the rear side of the multifunction machine 10, the movable portion 69 may remain in a lying state even when the bypass tray 70 is not used.

  When the feeding tray 20 is used, a recording sheet having a desired size is set on the feeding tray 20. Specifically, a plurality of recording sheets are stored in the feeding tray 20 in a stacked state. The feeding tray 20 in which the recording paper is accommodated is inserted into the housing 14 through the opening 13 and is in a mounted state. In this state, the feeding roller 25 contacts the uppermost recording sheet among the plurality of recording sheets stored in the feeding tray 20. The printer unit 11 feeds recording paper from the feed tray 20 based on user input, print data, and the like.

  When receiving an instruction to start printing, the printer unit 11 drives a motor (not shown) to rotate the feeding roller 25, the first transport roller pair 54, and the second transport roller pair 55 at a predetermined timing. In response to the rotation of the feeding roller 25, the uppermost recording sheet is fed from the feeding tray 20 along the conveyance path 65. The fed recording sheet is guided along the curved path 65 </ b> A of the conveying path 65 and reaches the first conveying roller pair 54. Ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 39 onto the recording paper that is sandwiched between the first conveying roller pair 54 and conveyed to the recording unit 24, and a desired image is recorded. The recording paper on which image recording has been completed is sandwiched between the second transport roller pair 55, transported along the straight path 65B, and discharged onto the discharge tray 21.

  When the bypass tray 70 is used, as shown in FIG. 3, the movable portion 69 is brought into a lying state. Thereby, in the bypass tray 70, the support surfaces 74 and 90 substantially form one plane. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the tray cover 94 is rotated to a position (first position) where the opening on the upper end side of the bypass tray 70 is opened. The extension member 89 is appropriately pulled out according to the size of the recording paper set on the bypass tray 70, as shown in FIG. Further, the pair of side guides 92 are moved to positions corresponding to the width of the recording paper set on the bypass tray 70. By rotating the tray cover 94 to the open position, the distal end 97 and the upper surface 99 of the tray cover 94 are substantially located on the virtual plane 6 including the support surfaces 74 and 90.

  When the bypass tray 70 is used, a recording sheet of a desired size is set on the bypass tray 70. Specifically, the recording sheets are placed on the support surfaces 74 and 90 of the bypass tray 70 in a state where a plurality of recording sheets are stacked. The upper end side of the recording paper placed on the support surfaces 74 and 90 is also supported by the distal end portion 97 and a part of the upper surface 99 of the tray cover 94. Since the support surfaces 74 and 90, the distal end portion 97, and a part of the upper surface 99 are substantially on the same virtual plane 6, the recording paper set on the bypass tray 70 does not bend or curve.

  In a state where the recording sheet is set on the bypass tray 70, the feeding roller 76 of the bypass tray 70 contacts the uppermost recording sheet among the plurality of recording sheets. Further, the lower ends of a plurality of recording sheets are in contact with the separation piece 72. The printer unit 11 feeds recording paper from the bypass tray 70 based on user input, print data, and the like.

  When an instruction to start printing is received, the printer unit 11 drives a motor (not shown) to rotate the feeding roller 76, the first transport roller pair 54, and the second transport roller pair 55 at a predetermined timing. In response to the rotation of the feed roller 76, the uppermost recording sheet is fed from the bypass tray 70 along the bypass path 66. The recording sheet fed along the bypass path 66 is further transported along the straight path 65 </ b> B of the transport path 65 and reaches the first transport roller pair 54. During this time, the outer guide member 18, the rear cover 22, and the guide member 31 that define the bypass path 66 and the straight path 65 B guide the recording sheet toward the first conveying roller pair 54. Ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 39 onto the recording paper that is sandwiched between the first conveying roller pair 54 and conveyed to the recording unit 24, and a desired image is recorded. The recording paper on which image recording has been completed is discharged to the discharge tray 21 by the second conveying roller pair 55.

[Effect of the embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, in the bypass tray 70, the support surfaces 74 and 90, the distal end portion 97, and a part of the upper surface 99 are substantially on the same virtual plane 6, so that the bypass tray 70 is set on the bypass tray 70. Recorded paper does not bend or bend. As a result, the recording sheet held in a posture along the virtual plane 6 comes into contact with the separation piece 72, so that stable separation performance is exhibited by the separation piece 72.

  Further, the bypass tray 70 has a fixed portion 68 provided in the housing 14 and a movable portion 69 rotatably provided on the fixed portion 68, so that the multifunction machine 10 is rotated by the rotation of the movable portion 69. Space saving of the installation area is realized.

  In addition, since the movable portion 69 changes in the state in which the support surface 90 is orthogonal to the mounting surface of the multifunction device 10, the installation area of the multifunction device 10 is efficiently saved.

  In addition, since the tray cover 94 can be rotated to a position that covers the space on the support surface 90 side in the retracted movable portion 69, foreign matter, dust, and the like can be prevented from entering the space on the support surface 90 side of the bypass tray 70. The

  In addition, since the side guide 92 is provided in the bypass tray 70, the alignment of the edge of the recording paper in the bypass tray 70 is easy.

  The feeding unit is a feeding roller that rotates in contact with the uppermost sheet from a bundle of a plurality of recording sheets supported by a part of the support surface 90, the distal end portion 97, and the upper surface 99 of the bypass tray 70. In the process of feeding by the feeding roller 76, one sheet is separated from the bundle of recording sheets supported by the support surface 90, the distal end 97 and the upper surface 99 by the separation piece 72. To the bypass path 66.

  Further, since the extension member 89 is provided on the bypass tray 70, the bypass tray 70 can support a large size recording sheet.

11 Printer unit (sheet conveying device, image recording device)
14 Housing (device housing)
24 Recording section 65 Conveyance path 66 Bypass path 68 Fixed section 69 Movable section 70 Bypass tray (sheet support section)
76 Feed roller (feed section)
72 Separation piece (separation part)
90 Support surface (first surface)
91 Support surface (first surface)
92 Side guide 94 Tray cover (plate material)
95 Inner surface (second surface)
96 Proximal end 97 Distal end

Claims (8)

A device housing having a transfer path inside;
Has a first surface, a said first side Resid over preparative supporting portion to support an inclined and a plurality of sheets with respect to the mounting surface of the device housing is placed in a stacked state,
A separation portion that is disposed on the placement surface side of the sheet support portion and contacts the end of the sheet supported by the first surface;
A virtual plane that is disposed on the opposite side of the separation portion in the sheet support portion and includes a first end surface of a second surface in the same direction as the first surface, the proximal end portion close to the first surface. The first position where the distal end located on the placement surface side and far from the first surface is located on the virtual plane, and the distal end located at a position different from the virtual plane A plate member movable to a second position;
A sheet conveying apparatus comprising: a sheet feeding unit configured to feed a sheet supported by a distal end portion of the first surface and the second surface to the conveying path while sliding the sheet with respect to the separation unit. The seat support portion includes a fixed portion provided in the apparatus housing, and a movable portion provided rotatably on the fixed portion.
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first surface is provided on the movable portion.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the movable portion changes in a storage state in which the first surface is orthogonal to the placement surface.   The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the plate member at the second position covers the space on the first surface side in the movable portion in the stored state. The movable part has a side guide for guiding an edge along the sheet conveyance direction,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the first surface is provided on the side guide.   6. The feeding unit according to claim 1, wherein the feeding unit includes a feeding roller that rotates in contact with the uppermost sheet from a bundle of a plurality of sheets supported by the first surface and the second surface. The sheet conveying apparatus of crab. The sheet support portion further includes an extension member that moves to a third position that overlaps below the first surface and a fourth position that protrudes from the first surface to the opposite side of the separation portion,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plate member is provided on the extension member. A sheet conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
An image recording apparatus comprising: a recording unit that records an image on a sheet in the conveyance path.

Images