JP6624398B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording device that performs recording on a medium.

  2. Description of the Related Art In a recording device represented by a facsimile or a printer, particularly a recording device capable of recording on both sides of a medium, a medium transport path for reversing the medium is required. There are various forms of the medium transport path for reversing the medium. For example, the medium transport path may be configured by combining a reversing path for bending and reversing the medium and a path for switching back the medium. Patent Document 1 discloses an example of such a recording device.

JP 2010-221644 A

  There are two types of recording apparatuses: face-up discharge, which discharges paper with the surface on which recording was last performed up, and face-down discharge, which discharges paper with the surface on which recording is performed last. Of these, face-down discharge requires a large space in the height direction of the apparatus in order to bend and reverse the sheet.

  Therefore, in a configuration including a reversing path for bending and reversing the medium, a path for switching back the medium, and face-down discharge for discharging with the surface on which recording was last performed downward, the height of the apparatus is An increase in the dimension in the direction becomes unavoidable, which becomes a barrier to miniaturization of the device.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and has as its object a reversing path for reversing a medium, a path for switching back a medium, and a face-down for ejecting with the surface on which recording was last performed downward. It is another object of the present invention to further reduce the size of the discharge path provided with these components.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus including: a medium storage cassette for storing a medium; and a conveyance apparatus configured to convey the medium fed from the medium storage cassette and inverted upward. A first transport path that extends linearly upstream and downstream of the recording unit through a recording unit that performs recording on the medium, and a downstream of the first transport path, and connects the recording unit After transporting the medium that has passed, a second transport path that transports the medium in the reverse direction and switches back, and is connected to the second transport path, and transports the medium transported in the reverse direction to the recording unit. A third transport path that is detoured and inverted at the upper side and merges at an upstream position of the recording unit in the first transport path, and a medium connected to the downstream of the first transport path and passing through the recording unit. Fourth transport discharged from the discharge port Path, a medium receiving tray that receives the medium discharged from the discharge port, a normal rotation direction in which the medium that has passed through the recording unit is fed into the second transport path, and a medium that is fed into the second transport path. The rotation direction can be switched to a reverse rotation direction in which the medium is transported in the reverse direction, and the medium is disposed on a side where the discharge port is provided with respect to the recording unit in a direction in which the first transport path extends. And a conveyance roller pair, and the medium storage cassette, the first conveyance path, the recording unit, the third conveyance path, and the medium receiving tray are arranged so as to overlap each other in this order from below in the apparatus height direction. Has been characterized.
Further, the recording apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention is a transport path for transporting a medium, a first transport path that extends through a recording unit that performs recording on the medium and upstream and downstream of the recording unit, A second conveyance path connected to the first conveyance path, the medium being fed through the recording unit, and then being switched back and conveyed in a direction opposite to the feeding direction; A third conveyance path in which the medium conveyed in the reverse direction is reversed around the upper side of the recording unit and is reversed at the upstream position of the recording unit in the first conveyance path. And a fourth conveyance path connected to the first conveyance path and connected to the first conveyance path, wherein the fourth conveyance path is configured to bend, reverse, and discharge the medium passing through the recording unit. Formed along the fourth transport path And wherein the door.

  According to this aspect, after the medium that has passed through the recording unit is fed, the second conveyance path that switches back and conveys the medium in the direction opposite to the feeding direction curves and reverses the medium that has passed through the recording unit. The second transport path and the fourth transport path do not occupy separate and independent areas in the recording apparatus because the second transport path and the fourth transport path are formed along the fourth transport path for discharging the recording paper. Can be achieved. In the following, for convenience, the second transport path may be referred to or referred to as a “switchback path”, and the third transport path may be referred to or referred to as a “reverse path”. May be called or added as a “face-down discharge path”.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the second transport path and the fourth transport path are located on the third transport path side with respect to the first transport path. And
According to this aspect, the second transport path (switchback path) and the fourth transport path (face-down discharge path) are located on the third transport path (reversing path) side with respect to the first transport path. Therefore, the second transport path (switchback path), the third transport path (reversing path), and the fourth transport path (face-down discharge path) are at least partially identical in the apparatus height direction. Since the region is used, an increase in the dimension in the height direction of the device can be more effectively suppressed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the second transport path and the third transport path are included in an occupied area in the height direction of the fourth transport path. And

  According to this aspect, in the occupied area in the height direction of the fourth transport path (face-down discharge path), the second transport path (switchback path) and the third transport path (reversal path) , The second transport path (switchback path) and the third transport path (reversal path) do not independently occupy areas in the height direction, and the size of the apparatus can be further reduced. it can.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the second aspect, the second transport path is disposed inside the fourth transport path.
According to this aspect, since the second transport route (switchback route) is disposed inside the fourth transport route (face-down discharge route), the second transport route (switchback route) is connected to the second transport route (switchback route). The path going to the third conveyance path (reversing path) does not intersect with the path going from the first conveyance path to the fourth conveyance path (face-down discharge path), so that the degree of freedom of control during recording is improved. As a result, the throughput can be improved.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fourth aspects, a medium receiving tray for receiving a medium discharged from the fourth transport path is provided above the recording unit, Takes an upwardly inclined posture that is upward toward the side far from the exit of the fourth transport path, and the third transport path is inverted after being upwardly inclined along the upwardly inclined attitude of the medium receiving tray. And join the first transport path.

  According to this aspect, the third transport path (reversing path) is inclined upwardly along the upwardly inclined posture of the medium receiving tray and then inverted to join the first transport path. The curvature of the reversal portion in the transport path (reversal path) can be reduced, and the medium can be smoothly and smoothly reversed.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the second transport path is the second transport path facing a recording head constituting the recording unit in a medium passing through the first transport path. It is characterized by being curved with one surface inside.

  In the case where the recording unit performs recording by discharging a liquid onto a medium, the medium onto which the liquid is discharged tends to be curved with the surface (recording surface) on which the liquid is discharged outside (curl tendency). There is. When such a medium is reversed and sent to the recording unit again, the medium is curved with the surface facing the recording head inside, so that the so-called head rubbing where the front and rear ends of the medium come into contact with the recording head. Easy to occur.

  However, according to this aspect, the second transport path (switchback path) is connected to the first surface (recording has already been performed) of the medium passing through the first transport path and facing the recording head constituting the recording unit. The head is rubbed in the direction in which the curl tendency is corrected, so that the head rub can be prevented or suppressed.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a printer according to the invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a medium transport path in the printer according to the invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state of a flap connecting the first transport path and the second transport path when the medium is transported from the first transport path to the second transport path. FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing a state of a flap connecting the second transport path and the third transport path when transporting a medium from the second transport path to the third transport path. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the printer according to the present invention in a state where the opening / closing body that forms a part of the transport path is opened with respect to the apparatus body. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a medium receiving tray in the printer according to the invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the medium receiving tray in an opened state with respect to the apparatus main body. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state where a unit body is pulled out in the apparatus main body. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a printer according to the invention. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a state in which a unit forming a part of a medium transport path is pulled out of the apparatus main body. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state where a cover on a front side of the printer is opened. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover on the front side of the printer is opened, the unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body, and the transport roller pair can be accessed from an opening. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a pair of transport rollers accessible from an opening. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first state of a medium conveyed in a medium conveyance path. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second state of the medium conveyed on the medium conveyance path. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a third state of the medium transported on the medium transport path. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a fourth state of the medium conveyed in the medium conveyance path. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a fifth state of the medium transported on the medium transport path. FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a sixth state of the medium transported on the medium transport path. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an opening / closing unit is removed from a medium transport path. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a state in which an upper section is rotated to expose an upper section in a medium transport path. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second state in which the unit opens the medium transport path in the medium transport path.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are given to the same components in each embodiment, and only the first embodiment will be described, and the description of the configuration will be omitted in the subsequent embodiments.

  FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a printer according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a medium transport path in the printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 transports a medium from a first transport path to a second transport path. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a state of a flap connecting the first transport path and the second transport path at the time, and FIG. 4 shows the second transport path and the second transport path when transporting a medium from the second transport path to the third transport path. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state of a flap connecting to three transport paths, and FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the printer according to the present invention in a state in which the opening / closing body constituting a part of the transport path is opened with respect to an apparatus main body. .

  6 is a perspective view showing a medium receiving tray in the printer according to the present invention, FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the medium receiving tray opened with respect to the apparatus main body, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the printer according to the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where a unit constituting a part of the medium transport path is pulled out of the apparatus main body.

  FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cover on the front side of the printer is opened. FIG. 12 is a state in which the cover on the front side of the printer is opened, the unit is pulled out from the apparatus main body, and the transport roller pair can be accessed from the opening. FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a pair of transport rollers accessible from an opening, and FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a first state of a medium transported in a medium transport path. FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a second state of the medium conveyed in the medium conveyance path.

  FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a third state of the medium transported on the medium transport path, FIG. 17 is an explanatory view showing a fourth state of the medium transported on the medium transport path, and FIG. FIG. 19 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a fifth state of the medium transported on the transport path, FIG. 19 is an explanatory view illustrating a sixth state of the medium transported on the medium transport path, and FIG. FIG. 21 is a view showing a state in which the unit is removed, FIG. 21 is a view showing a state in which an upper section is rotated in a medium transport path to expose an upper section, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a second state in which the transport path is opened.

  In the XYZ coordinate system shown in each drawing, the X direction indicates the depth direction of the recording apparatus and the width direction of the medium, the Y direction indicates the width direction of the recording apparatus and the transport direction of the medium, and the Z direction indicates the apparatus height direction. I have. In each of the drawings, the −X direction is the front side of the apparatus, and the + X direction side is the rear side of the apparatus.

■■■ Overview of printer and transport route ■■■■
An inkjet printer 10 (hereinafter, referred to as a printer 10) as an example of a recording apparatus will be described with reference to FIGS. The printer 10 is configured as a multifunction peripheral including an apparatus main body 12 and a scanner unit 14. The apparatus main body 12 includes a plurality of medium storage cassettes 16 for storing a medium. Each medium accommodating cassette 16 is detachably attached from the front side of the apparatus main body 12 (the −X axis direction side in FIG. 1). In the present specification, the medium P indicates a sheet such as plain paper, thick paper, or photo paper as an example.

  Further, in the apparatus height direction (Z-axis direction) of the apparatus main body 12, between the scanner unit 14 and the medium accommodating cassette 16, there is provided a medium receiving tray 20 for receiving a medium P on which recording has been executed in a recording unit 18 described later. Is provided.

  The transport path of the medium P in the printer 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that in FIG. 2, only the main components of the transport path of the medium P are denoted by reference numerals, and in particular, reference numerals are omitted for a plurality of spurs. On the other hand, in FIG. 14, reference numerals of the detailed configuration of the transport path of the medium P are attached.

  The printer 10 according to the present embodiment includes a medium transport path 21. The medium transport path 21 includes a straight path 22 as a “first transport path”, a switchback path 24 as a “second transport path”, an inversion path 26 as a “third transport path”, and a “fourth transport path”. And a feeding path 30 connected from the medium storage cassette 16 to the straight path 22.

  The feeding path 30 is provided with a feeding roller 32, a separation roller pair 33, and a first conveyance roller pair 34 in order along the conveyance direction of the medium P. The feed roller 32 is rotated by a driving source (not shown). One roller 33a of the separation roller pair 33 is a roller that is driven and rotated in a state in which a predetermined rotation resistance is given, and the medium P is nipped with the other roller 33b (a roller that is driven to rotate) to nip the medium. Separate P.

  One roller 34a of the first transport roller pair 34 is configured as a driven roller that is driven to rotate with the rotation of the other roller 34b, and the other roller 34b is a driving roller that is driven to rotate by a driving source (not shown). It is configured as

  In this embodiment, one roller 34a and the other roller 34b of the first transport roller pair 34 are formed by rubber rollers. Each drive roller is controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 12 via a drive source (not shown). Further, a recording head 48 described later is also controlled by the control unit. That is, the control unit is configured to be able to execute control necessary for a recording operation in the printer 10.

  In the following description, it is assumed that one roller in each transport roller pair appearing in the present specification is configured as a driven roller, and the other roller is configured as a driving roller that is rotationally driven by a driving source (not shown). explain. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, one roller is configured as a spur having a plurality of teeth on the outer circumference, and the driving roller, which is the other roller, is configured as a rubber roller as an example.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the medium P stored in the medium storage cassette 16 is supported on a hopper 17 provided in the medium storage cassette 16. The hopper 17 rotates around a rotation shaft 17 a provided on the hopper 17 to lift the medium P upward. At that time, the feed roller 32 comes into contact with the uppermost medium P of the medium P supported by the hopper 17, and conveys the medium P downstream in the conveyance direction. At this time, the second and subsequent media P may be transported together with the highest media P, but the uppermost media P and the next and subsequent media P are separated by the separation roller pair 33, and Only P is transported downstream in the transport direction.

  Hereinafter, description will be made with reference to FIG. In this embodiment, a description will be given on the assumption that the recording surface of the medium P is face-down discharged toward the medium receiving tray 20 with the recording surface facing downward. A second transport roller pair 36 is provided downstream of the first transport roller pair 34 in the transport direction. The second transport roller pair 36 also includes one roller 36a and the other roller 36b.

  In the present embodiment, the feeding path 30 and the straight path 22 are connected at the position of the second conveying roller pair 36. That is, the feeding path 30 is set as a path from the medium storage cassette 16 to the second transport roller pair 36.

  The straight path 22 is configured as a path extending linearly, and sequentially in the transport direction, the second transport roller pair 36, the third transport roller pair 38, the recording unit 18, the spur 40, the fourth transport roller pair 42, and the spur 44 , A first flap 46 is provided. In the present embodiment, the straight path 22 is set as a path from the second transport roller pair 36 to the first flap 46. That is, the straight path 22 is set as a path that passes through the recording unit 18 and extends upstream and downstream of the recording unit 18.

  The third transport roller pair 38 includes one roller 38a and the other roller 38b. Subsequently, the recording unit 18 includes a recording head 48. In the present embodiment, when the medium P is transported to a position facing the recording head 48, the recording head 48 is configured to discharge ink on the recording surface of the medium P to execute recording. The recording head 48 according to the present embodiment is a recording head provided so that the nozzles that eject ink cover the entire area in the paper width direction, and can perform recording over the entire paper width without moving in the paper width direction. It is configured as a simple recording head.

  The spur 40, one roller 42 a (spur) of the fourth conveying roller pair 42, and the spur 44 rotate on the recording section 18, that is, on the transport path downstream of the recording head 48 on the side facing the recording surface of the medium P. It is provided as possible. That is, by guiding the paper on the recording surface of the medium P with these spurs, it is possible to reduce the contact area on the recording surface, suppress the transfer and the white spot on the recording surface, and suppress the deterioration of the recording quality.

  Subsequently, the first flap 46 is located downstream of the spur 44 in the transport direction. The first flap 46 connects the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24 by the drive mechanism controlled by a control unit (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 12 (the state shown in FIG. 14), or the first flap 46 And the face-down discharge path 28 (the state shown in FIG. 16). In this embodiment, the driving mechanism for driving the first flap 46 is constituted by a solenoid. Further, the attitude switching operation of the first flap 46 is controlled by the control unit (not shown).

  That is, when the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24 are connected by the first flap 46, the medium P is sent from the straight path 22 to the switchback path 24 by the fourth conveying roller pair 42 (see FIG. 3). When the straight path 22 and the face-down discharge path 28 are connected, the medium P is sent from the straight path 22 to the face-down discharge path 28 by the fourth conveying roller pair 42 (see FIG. 19).

  Here, the second flap 50 will be described. The second flap 50 is provided above the first flap 46 in the apparatus height direction (Z-axis direction). The second flap 50 is driven by an interlocking mechanism (not shown) in conjunction with the operation of the first flap 46. That is, the second flap 50 is controlled by the control unit via the first flap 46 and the interlocking mechanism.

  Explaining a specific operation, in a state where the first flap 46 connects the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24 (see FIG. 14), the second flap 50 connects the switchback path 24 and the inversion path 26. The posture is to interrupt the connection. On the other hand, in a state where the first flap 46 connects the straight path 22 and the face-down discharge path 28 as shown in FIG. 16, the second flap 50 is connected to the switchback path 24 and the reversing path 26 in the posture. Become.

  Referring to FIG. 14 again, the face-down discharge path 28 will be described. The face-down discharge path 28 is curved and inverted while extending upward from the straight path 22 in the apparatus height direction. The face-down discharge path 28 includes a fifth transport roller pair 52, a sixth transport roller pair 54, a seventh transport roller pair 56, an eighth transport roller pair 58, a ninth transport roller pair 60, and a tenth transport roller pair 62. And a plurality of spurs 64.

  The face-down discharge path 28 is a path from the first flap 46 to the outlet 28a located on the downstream side in the transport direction of the tenth transport roller pair 62. That is, the face-down discharge path 28 is a transport path connected to the straight path 22 and a path for bending the medium P passing through the recording unit 18, inverting the medium P, and discharging the medium P.

  The medium P on which the recording is performed on the recording surface by the recording unit 18 is sequentially arranged along the transport direction from the first flap 46 in the face-down discharge path 28 in the fifth transport roller pair 52, the sixth transport roller pair 54, and the seventh transport roller. The pair of conveying rollers 56, the pair of eighth conveying rollers 58, the ninth pair of conveying rollers 60, and the tenth pair of conveying rollers 62 are sequentially nipped and conveyed. Then, the medium P is discharged from the outlet 28a toward the medium receiving tray 20.

  Here, when the medium P is transported along the face-down discharge path 28, the medium P is finally transported with the recording surface recorded by the recording unit 18 facing upward, and then the recording surface is moved to the curved portion of the face-down discharge path 28. The paper is conveyed while being curved inward, and is discharged from the outlet 28a toward the medium receiving tray 20 with the recording surface facing downward.

  One roller 52a of the fifth transport roller pair 52, one roller 54a of the sixth transport roller pair 54, one roller 56a of the seventh transport roller pair 56, one roller 58a of the eighth transport roller pair 58, One roller 60a of the ninth transport roller pair 60, one roller 62a of the tenth transport roller pair 62, and the plurality of spurs 64 are recorded last inside the curve of the face-down discharge path 28, that is, in the recording unit 18. The recording surface is disposed on the side facing the recording surface.

  Further, the other roller 52b of the fifth transport roller pair 52, the other roller 54b of the sixth transport roller pair 54, the other roller 56b of the seventh transport roller pair 56, the other roller 58b of the eighth transport roller pair 58, The other roller 60b of the ninth transport roller pair 60 and the other roller 62b of the tenth transport roller pair 62 face the outer side of the curve of the face-down discharge path 28, that is, face the recording surface on which the recording was last performed in the recording unit 18. It is located on the side opposite to the side that does.

  That is, when the medium P is conveyed, the plurality of spurs arranged inside the curve of the face-down discharge path 28 come into contact with the recording surface last recorded in the recording unit 18. Contact can be suppressed to a minimum, and a decrease in the recording quality of the medium P can be suppressed.

  Here, the medium receiving tray 20 will be described with reference to FIG. 2 again. The medium receiving tray 20 has an upward inclined posture that is upward (+ Z-axis direction) toward the side far from the outlet 28a of the face-down discharge path 28, that is, toward the −Y-axis direction side. Then, the medium P discharged from the face-down discharge path 28 is placed thereon. In this embodiment, the medium receiving tray 20 is located above the recording unit 18 in the Z-axis direction, that is, on the + Z-axis direction side.

  Next, the switchback path 24 will be described with reference to FIG. 14 again. The switchback path 24 and the reverse path 26 are paths through which the medium P passes when recording is performed on the second surface after recording on the first surface of the medium P, that is, when double-sided recording is performed. The medium P also passes through the switchback path 24 and the reversing path 26 when recording is not performed on the first surface but is performed on the second surface. That is, in this specification, double-sided recording means that recording is performed on the second surface by reversing the medium P regardless of whether or not recording is performed on the first surface.

  The switchback path 24 is located inside a face-down discharge path 28 that curves upward and reverses in the apparatus height direction, and extends along the face-down discharge path 28. The switchback path 24 includes an eleventh transport roller pair 66 and a plurality of spurs 68. One roller 66a of the eleventh transport roller pair 66 and the plurality of spurs 68 are arranged inside the switchback path 24 in the bending direction. Further, the other roller 66b of the eleventh transport roller pair 66 is disposed outside the switchback path 24 in the bending direction.

  In this embodiment, the switchback path is set as a path from the second flap 50 to the opening 24 a provided at the tip of the switchback path 24. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 14, when the switchback path 24 and the straight path 22 are connected by the first flap 46, the medium P is transported by the fourth transport roller pair 42 to the recording unit 18. Through the first flap 46 to the switchback path 24. The medium P is fed to the switchback path 24 to a position where the rear end in the transport direction is nipped by the eleventh transport roller pair 66.

  Note that, at this time, the length of the medium P in the transport direction may be longer than the path length of the switchback path 24. In this case, the front end side of the medium P is in a state where the front end portion of the medium P projects from the opening 24 a provided at the front end of the switchback path 24 and is exposed outside the apparatus main body 12. Then, when the medium P is sent to the reversing path 26, the leading end portion of the medium P protruding from the opening 24a is drawn into the switchback path 24 from the opening 24a. Therefore, it is possible to cope with the case where the length of the medium P in the transport direction is longer than the path length of the switchback path 24.

  Further, the first flap 46 changes from the posture in which the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24 are connected to each other (see FIG. 14) to the state in which the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24 are disconnected from each other (see FIG. 16). Upon switching, the second flap 50 switches to a posture connecting the switchback path 24 and the reverse path 26 (see FIGS. 4 and 16).

  Accordingly, the control unit rotates the eleventh transport roller pair 66 in a direction opposite to the direction in which the medium P is sent to the switchback path 24, and transfers the medium P to the reversing path 26 with the rear end of the medium P as the front end. Send out. That is, the medium P is switched back. Therefore, the switchback path 24 is a transport path connected to the straight path 22 and is a path for feeding the medium P that has passed through the recording unit 18 and then switching back to transport the medium P in a direction opposite to the feeding direction.

  Next, the inversion path 26 will be described with reference to FIG. The reversing path 26 is set as a path extending from the second flap 50 to above the recording unit 18 and to the second transport roller pair 36 of the straight path 22.

  The reversing path 26 includes a twelfth transport roller pair 70, a thirteenth transport roller pair 72, a fourteenth transport roller pair 74, and a plurality of spurs 76. In the reversing path 26, the other roller 70b of the twelfth conveying roller pair 70, the other roller 72b of the thirteenth conveying roller pair 72, and the other roller 70b of the fourteenth conveying roller pair 74 It is provided inside, that is, near the recording unit 18. The one roller 70a of the twelfth transport roller pair 70, the one roller 72a of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72, and the spur 76 are provided outside the transport path.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the section from the spur denoted by reference numeral 76a to the spur denoted by reference numeral 76b via the twelfth transport roller pair 70 and the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 is referred to as an upper section 26a, and denoted by reference numeral 76b. The portion from the spur to the second conveying roller pair 36 is referred to as a reversing portion 26b.

  The upper section 26a includes an upper member 78 (see FIG. 2) that is a path forming member that forms the upper section 26a. The upper member 78 is located above the upper section 26a, and the medium receiving tray 20 is formed above the upper member 78. That is, the upper surface of the upper member 78 constitutes the medium receiving tray 20, and the lower surface thereof constitutes a part of the upper section 26a. That is, the upper member 78 is formed integrally with the medium receiving tray 20.

  In the reversing path 26, the spurs 76, 76a, 76b located in the upper section 26a, one roller 70a of the twelfth transport roller pair 70, and one roller 72a of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 rotate to the upper member 78. Mounted as possible.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the upper member 78 is provided with a pivot 80 at the end in the + Y-axis direction. Therefore, the upper member 78 can take a closed posture (see a solid line portion in FIG. 2) constituting the upper section 26a and a posture (see a two-dot chain line portion in FIG. 2) that opens the upper section 26a. The rotation of the upper member 78 will be described later in detail.

  Referring again to FIG. 14, the upper section 26 a in the reversing path 26 is inclined upward (in the + Z-axis direction) and extends in the −Y-axis direction. That is, the upper section 26a extends along the medium receiving tray 20 (see FIG. 2). As a result, it is possible to reduce the curvature of a portion of the reversing section 26b that turns the medium and reverses the medium, that is, the curvature of the reversing portion, and the medium P is not forcibly bent.

  The exit side of the reversing portion 26b is configured to join the straight path 22 at a position upstream of the second transport roller pair 36 in the straight path 22. Then, the medium P is sent to the straight path 22 again. That is, the reversing path 26 is a transport path connected to the switchback path 24, and reverses the medium P transported in the reverse direction, that is, the medium P switched back, by bypassing the upper side of the recording unit 18, and Is set as a path to be joined by the second conveying roller pair 36 located at the upstream position of the recording unit 18 in FIG.

  Here, when the medium P joins the straight path 22 from the reverse path 26, skew is removed. In the present embodiment, one roller 74a of the fourteenth transport roller pair 74 is configured as a resin roller. In a path between the second transport roller pair 36 and the fourteenth transport roller pair 74, a spur 82 is rotatably provided inside the transport path.

  That is, the medium P conveyed along the reversing path 26 is nipped by the fourteenth conveying roller pair 74, and the skew is removed by abutting the leading end of the medium P on the second conveying roller pair 36. At this time, the spur 82 prevents the curved medium from rubbing against the path forming member in the reversing path 26 during skew removal.

  The above is an outline of the medium transport path when the printer 10 performs face-down ejection on the medium receiving tray 20. In this embodiment, when the printer 10 performs double-sided recording on the medium P, that is, recording on the first surface and the second surface of the medium P, the transport path of the medium P is from the medium storage cassette 16 to the straight path 22 and the recording unit 18. The recording medium 18 passes through the straight path 22 and the recording unit 18 again via the switchback path 24 and the reversing path 26, and reaches the medium receiving tray 20 via the face-down discharge path 28.

  Further, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment is configured to be capable of face-up discharge. A part of the path forming member between the other roller 54b of the sixth transport roller pair 54 and the other roller 56b of the seventh transport roller pair 56 in the face-down discharge path 28 is configured as a third flap 84. The third flap 84 is configured to be able to switch between a posture (see FIGS. 2 and 14) forming a transport path of the face-down discharge path 28 and a face-up discharge posture (not shown). In this embodiment, the third flap 84 is under the control of the control unit.

  By switching the third flap 84 to the face-up discharge position, the medium P sent from the straight path 22 to the face-down discharge path 28 is transferred to the face-up discharge tray 86 shown in FIG. The paper is discharged with the recording surface of P facing upward.

  In FIG. 2, a broken line denoted by reference numeral 88 indicates manual feeding of the medium P supplied from the manual feeding tray 90 in a state where the manual feeding tray 90 (see FIG. 1) is rotated and opened with respect to the apparatus main body 12. Shows the route. The manual feed path 88 is configured to join the feed path 30. Thereby, the medium P supplied from the manual feed path 88 is also configured to be able to execute both one-sided recording and two-sided recording in the printer 10. Note that the posture of the manual feed tray 90 opened with respect to the apparatus main body 12 is omitted.

■■■ Conveying multiple media in a printer ■■■■
Next, with reference to FIGS. 14 to 19, a description will be given of the transport of a medium in a medium transport path when performing double-sided printing on a plurality of media Pn in the printer 10. FIG. In FIGS. 14 to 19, the dashed line P1 is the medium to be conveyed first on the conveyance path, the dashed line P2 is the medium to be conveyed second, and the mark P3 is the medium. The dashed line is the medium to be conveyed to the third sheet.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the medium P1 sent from the medium storage cassette 16 (see FIG. 2) along the feeding path 30 by the feeding roller 32 (see FIG. 2) is the second conveying roller pair 36 and the third conveying The sheet is sequentially nipped by the roller pair 38 and is conveyed to the recording unit 18, that is, a position facing the recording head 48. Then, recording is performed on the first surface of the medium P1 in the recording unit 18. The medium P1 on which the recording has been performed on the first surface is nipped by the fourth transport roller pair 42 and transported toward the first flap 46 located downstream of the fourth transport roller pair 42 in the transport direction.

  At this time, the first flap 46 is in a state of connecting the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the medium P <b> 1 is sent to the switchback path 24 via the first flap 46 by the fourth conveying roller pair 42.

  Then, the medium P1 is nipped by the eleventh transport roller pair 66 and sent along the switchback path 24 to a position where the rear end of the medium P1 does not interfere with the second flap 50. At this time, the second medium P2 is sent out from the medium storage cassette 16 to the feeding path 30 by the feeding roller 32.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 16, the control unit (not shown) switches the posture of the first flap 46 so that the straight path 22 and the face-down discharge path 28 are connected. As a result, the second flap 50 takes an attitude of connecting the switchback path 24 and the reverse path 26 in conjunction with the operation of the first flap 46. Then, under the control of the control unit, the eleventh transport roller pair 66 is rotationally driven in a direction opposite to the direction in which the medium P1 is sent to the switchback path 24. As a result, the medium P1 is sent out to the reversing path 26 with the rear end in the conveying direction when the medium P1 is sent into the switchback path 24 as the front end in the conveying direction. That is, the medium P1 is switched back. At this time, the recording of the medium P2 has been performed on the first surface by the recording unit 18.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 17, the medium P1 is sequentially nipped by the twelfth transport roller pair 70 and the thirteenth transport roller pair 72, and transported in the upper section 26a located above the recording unit 18 in the reversing path 26. You. When the medium P1 passes through the second flap 50, the posture of the first flap 46 is switched, and the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24 are again connected.

Then, the medium P2 on which recording on the first surface in the recording unit 18 has been completed is transferred to the fourth transport roller pair 4
2. The sheet is conveyed to the switchback path 24 via the first flap 46 and the eleventh conveying roller pair 66. Note that the second flap 50 is switched to a posture in which the switchback path 24 and the reversing path 26 are disconnected from each other in accordance with the posture switching of the first flap 46.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 18, when the medium P1 is transported along the reversing portion 26b of the reversing path 26, the first surface and the second surface are reversed, and are nipped by the fourteenth transport roller pair 74. To the straight path 22. At this time, the skew is removed by abutting the leading end of the medium P on the second transport roller pair 36. Then, the medium P1 is sent into the straight path 22 with the second surface facing the recording head 48 of the recording unit 18. The medium P <b> 1 sent to the straight path 22 is sequentially nipped by the second transport roller pair 36 and the third transport roller pair 38 and transported to the recording unit 18.

  The recording of the medium P1 is performed on the second surface by the recording unit 18. In addition, the first flap 46 changes its posture from the position connecting the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24 to the position connecting the straight path 22 and the face-down discharge path 28 in preparation for discharging the medium P1. It is switched by the control unit. Further, the second flap 50 is also linked with the first flap 46 to switch from the posture in which the switchback path 24 and the inversion path 26 are disconnected to the posture in which the switchback path 24 and the inversion path 26 are connected. Can be

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 19, the medium P <b> 1 on which recording has been performed on the second surface in the recording unit 18 is sent out to the face-down discharge path 28 by the fourth transport roller pair 42. In the face-down discharge path 28, the medium P1 has a fifth transport roller pair 52, a sixth transport roller pair 54, a seventh transport roller pair 56, an eighth transport roller pair 58, a ninth transport roller pair 60, and a tenth transport roller pair. 62, the paper is conveyed to the downstream side in the conveyance direction, and is discharged from the outlet 28a of the face-down discharge path 28 toward the medium receiving tray 20 with the surface on which the recording was performed lastly, that is, the second surface being the lower side. You.

  At this time, the medium P2 is sent from the switchback path 24 to the reverse path 26 by the eleventh transport roller pair 66. Then, the third medium P3 enters the straight path 22 and is transported to the recording unit 18. Then, recording on the first surface of the medium P3 is executed in the recording unit 18.

  Then, the medium P3 passes through the first flap 46 switched from the attitude of connecting the straight path 22 to the face-down discharge path 28 to the attitude of connecting the straight path 22 and the switchback path 24 to the fourth conveying roller pair 42. And is sent to the switchback path 24 by the eleventh transport roller pair 66. Further, when the medium P3 passes through the first flap 46, the posture is switched again. Then, the recording unit 18 performs recording on the second surface of the medium P2 sent from the reversing path 26, and discharges the medium P2 to the medium receiving tray 20 through the face-down discharge path 28.

  After that, the recording of the first surface of the medium Pn-1 is performed by the recording unit 18 until the recording on the second surface of the predetermined number of media Pn is executed and discharged to the medium receiving tray 20 to complete the recording operation. After that, while the medium Pn-1 is being conveyed through the switchback path 24 and the reverse path 26, the recording unit 18 performs recording on the first surface of the medium Pn. Thereafter, the medium Pn is transported from the straight path 22 to the switchback path 24.

  Then, after the medium Pn is conveyed to the switchback path 24, recording on the second surface of the medium Pn-1 is executed in the recording unit 18, and the medium Pn-1 is discharged from the face-down discharge path 28 to the medium receiving tray 20. Is repeated. The above is the description of the conveyance of the medium in the medium conveyance path 21 when performing double-sided printing on a plurality of media Pn in the printer 10.

  That is, in the present embodiment, the medium transport path 21 is provided such that the switchback path 24 is provided along the face-down discharge path 28, and the reverse path 26 connected to the switchback path 24 rotates around the recording unit 18. Since the three media P are provided, the three media P can be simultaneously transported in the media transport path 21 and recording can be sequentially performed, so that the number of recording processes performed per unit time can be improved. That is, the throughput in the printer 10 can be improved.

  To summarize the above description, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment is a transport path that transports the medium P, and is a straight path that passes through the recording unit 18 that performs recording on the medium P and extends upstream and downstream of the recording unit 18. 22, a transport path connected to the straight path 22 and a switchback path 24 for feeding the medium P through the recording unit 18 and then switching back to transport the medium P in a direction opposite to the feeding direction; 24, a reversing path 26 for reversing the medium P conveyed in the reverse direction by bypassing the upper side of the recording unit 18 and merging at a position upstream of the recording unit 18 in the straight path 22. A face-down discharge path 2 that is a transport path connected to the straight path 22 and that curves, reverses, and discharges the medium P that has passed through the recording unit 18. It is equipped with a door. The switchback path 24 is formed along the face-down discharge path 28.

  In other words, after the medium P that has passed through the recording unit 18 is fed, the switchback path 24 that switches back and conveys the medium P in the direction opposite to the feeding direction causes the medium P that has passed through the recording unit 18 to be curved, inverted, and discharged. The switch-back path 24 and the face-down discharge path 28 do not separately occupy the area in the printer 10 because they are formed along the face-down discharge path 28, and the size of the apparatus is further reduced. be able to.

In this embodiment, the switchback path 24 and the face-down discharge path 28 are located on the side of the reverse path 26 with respect to the straight path 22.
Here, the positional relationship between the straight path 22, the switchback path 24, the reversing path 26, and the face-down discharge path 28 is summarized as follows. It is located on the reverse path 26 side. Therefore, the switchback path 24, the reversing path 26, and the face-down discharge path 28 use at least partly the same area in the apparatus height direction of the printer 10, and more effectively increase the size of the apparatus in the height direction. Can be suppressed.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the switchback path 24 and the face-down discharge path 28 are included in the occupied area in the height direction of the face-down discharge path 28.
In other words, the switchback path 24 and the inversion path 26 do not independently occupy the area in the height direction of the device, and the size of the device can be further reduced.

Further, in this embodiment, the switchback path 24 is arranged inside the face-down discharge path 28.
As a result, the path from the switchback path 24 to the reversing path 26 does not intersect with the path from the straight path 22 to the face-down discharge path 28, so that the degree of freedom of control during recording is improved, and the throughput is improved. Can be achieved.

In the present embodiment, the printer 10 includes a medium receiving tray 20 that receives the medium P discharged from the face-down discharge path 28 above the recording unit 18. The medium receiving tray 20 has an upward inclined posture that is upward toward a side far from the outlet 28 a of the face-down discharge path 28. In addition, the reversing path 26 inclines upward along the upward inclination posture of the medium receiving tray 20 and then reverses to join the straight path 22.
As a result, the curvature of the inversion portion in the inversion path 26 can be reduced, and the medium can be easily and smoothly inverted.

  Further, the switchback path 24 in the present embodiment is curved with the first surface facing the recording head 48 of the recording unit 18 in the medium P passing through the straight path 22.

  Here, when printing is performed on both surfaces (the first surface and the second surface) of the medium P, the printing unit 18 performs printing by discharging ink as a “liquid” onto the medium P. Has a tendency to curl (curl tendency) with the surface (recording surface) on which the ink has been ejected outward. When such a medium P is inverted and sent to the recording unit 18 again, the medium P is curved with the surface facing the recording head 48 inside, so that the leading end and the rear end of the medium P So-called head rubbing is likely to occur.

  However, in the present embodiment, the switchback path 24 is curved with the first surface (the surface on which recording has already been performed) facing the recording head 48 constituting the recording unit 18 on the medium P passing through the straight path 22. The head is rubbed, that is, curved in a direction to correct the curl tendency, so that head rubbing can be prevented or suppressed.

■■■ About the configuration for handling paper jams in the main unit ■■■■
Next, with reference to FIGS. 2, 5 to 13, and 20, a configuration for processing a paper jam of the medium P generated in the transport path in the apparatus main body 12 will be further described.

<<< jam processing in feeding route and reversing section 26b >>>
Referring to FIG. 20, a dashed-dotted line portion denoted by reference numeral 92 indicates an opening / closing unit that can be opened and closed with respect to the apparatus main body. In FIG. 20, the opening / closing unit 92 is illustrated in a state of being moved in the horizontal direction from the medium transport path 21 for the sake of explanation. The opening / closing unit 92 can take a state of being closed with respect to the apparatus main body 12 shown in FIG. 1 and a state of being opened with respect to the apparatus main body 12 shown in FIG. The opening / closing unit 92 has a pivot point (not shown) at an end on the + X axis direction side. The opening / closing unit 92 is configured to be rotatable about the rotation fulcrum with respect to the apparatus main body 12 (see FIGS. 1 and 5).

  The opening and closing unit 92 includes a manual tray 90 that can be opened and closed with respect to the opening and closing unit 92. Further, when the opening / closing unit 92 is in a state of being closed with respect to the apparatus main body 12, the path from the first transport roller pair 34 to the merging position with the manual feeding path 88 in the feeding path 30 is reversed. A part of the inverted portion 26b of the path 26 is formed. Further, the opening / closing unit 92 includes one roller of the fourteenth transport roller pair 74, that is, a roller 74a that can be driven and rotated.

  Therefore, when the opening / closing unit 92 is opened with respect to the apparatus main body 12 as shown in FIGS. 5 and 20, the feeding path 30 extends from the first conveying roller pair 34 to the position where the manual feeding path 88 joins. And a part of the reversing part 26b of the reversing path 26 is exposed to the outside of the apparatus main body 12. At this time, as shown in FIG. 20, one roller 34a of the first transport roller pair 34 is separated from the other roller 34b, and the nip state of the first transport roller pair 34 is eliminated. Therefore, the medium P jammed in the feeding path 30 can be easily removed. Therefore, the jam processing can be further facilitated.

  Similarly, one roller 74a and the other roller 74b of the fourteenth transport roller pair 74 are separated from each other, so that the nip state of the fourteenth transport roller pair 74 is eliminated. Therefore, the medium P jammed in the reversing section 26b of the reversing path 26 can be easily removed. Therefore, the jam processing can be further facilitated.

<<< jam processing in upper section 26a in reversal path 26 >>>
Next, the upper member 78 will be described with reference to FIGS. The upper member 78 moves upward from the closed state (see FIG. 6) with respect to the apparatus main body 12 (see FIG. 6) with the rotation fulcrum 80 (see FIG. 21) provided at the end on the + Y-axis direction side as the fulcrum. It can be turned to an open state with respect to the apparatus main body 12 (see FIG. 7).

  When the upper member 78 is opened with respect to the apparatus main body 12 (see FIG. 21), the upper section 26a of the reversing path 26 is opened. That is, the upper section 26a of the reversing path 26 is exposed to the outside of the apparatus main body 12. Further, one roller 70a (spur) of the twelfth transport roller pair 70 arranged in the upper section 26a is separated from the other roller 70b, and the nip state in the twelfth transport roller pair 70 is eliminated. Similarly, one roller 72a (spur) of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 disposed in the upper section 26a is separated from the other roller 72b, and the nip state of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 is eliminated.

  Further, since the spurs 76, 76a, 76b arranged in the upper section 26a are provided on the upper member 78, when the upper member 78 is rotated, what remains in the upper section 26a is in the device height direction. Only the other roller 70b (rubber roller) of the twelfth transport roller pair 70 supporting the lower side of the medium P and the other roller 72b (rubber roller) of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 are provided. Therefore, since there is no obstacle above the upper section 26a, the jam clearance of the medium P can be facilitated.

  To summarize the above description, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment is a transport path that transports the medium P, and is a straight path that passes through the recording unit 18 that performs recording on the medium P and extends upstream and downstream of the recording unit 18. 22, a transport path connected to the straight path 22 and a switchback path 24 for feeding the medium P through the recording unit 18 and then switching back to transport the medium P in a direction opposite to the feeding direction; 24, a reversing path 26 for reversing the medium P conveyed in the reverse direction by bypassing the upper side of the recording unit 18 and merging at a position upstream of the recording unit 18 in the straight path 22. And a path forming member that forms the upper section 26a of the recording unit 18 in the reversing path 26, and is located above the upper section 26a. And a upper member 78 can be opened.

  In the present embodiment, the reversing path 26 is configured as a path that bypasses the upper side of the recording unit 18 to reverse the medium P and joins the straight path 22 at a position upstream of the recording unit 18 in the straight path 22. That is, the reversing path 26 is located above the recording unit 18. Since the upper section 26a of the recording section 18 is formed by the upper member 78 that can open the upper section 26a, the recording section 18 can be moved without moving the recording section 18 by opening the upper member 78. The jam removal operation for removing the jammed medium in the upper section 26a can be easily performed without the obstacle 18 being in the way.

  The upper section 26a includes a twelfth transport roller pair 70 that nips and transports the medium P. One roller 70a constituting the twelfth transport roller pair 70 is provided on the upper member 78, and one roller 70a constituting the twelfth transport roller pair 70 is separated from the other roller 70b by opening the upper member 78. I do. Similarly, the upper section 26a also includes a thirteenth transport roller pair 72 for nipping and transporting the medium P. One roller 72a constituting the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 is provided on the upper member 78, and one roller 72a constituting the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 is separated from the other roller 72b by opening the upper member 78. I do.

  As a result, the nip state of the medium P by one roller 70a and the other roller 70b of the twelfth transport roller pair 70 is eliminated. Similarly, the nip state of the medium P by one roller 72a and the other roller 72b of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 is also eliminated. This makes it possible to more easily remove the jammed medium P.

  In the present embodiment, one roller 70a of the twelfth transport roller pair 70 provided on the upper member 78 is a roller that can be driven to rotate, and the other roller 70b is a roller that is driven to rotate by a drive source. Similarly, one roller 72a of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 provided on the upper member 78 is also a roller that can be driven to rotate, and the other roller 72b is a roller that is rotationally driven by a driving source.

  Therefore, one roller 70a of the twelfth transport roller pair 70 and one roller 72a of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 provided on the upper member 78 are rollers that can be driven and rotated, respectively. There is no need to provide a power transmission mechanism, so that an increase in the weight of the upper member 78 can be avoided and the upper member 78 can be easily opened and closed with a small force.

One roller 70a of the twelfth transport roller pair 70 and one roller 72a of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 provided on the upper member 78 are knurled rollers (spurs) having a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery. , In contact with the one surface of the medium P on which recording has already been performed.
That is, one roller 70a of the twelfth transport roller pair 70 and one roller 72a of the thirteenth transport roller pair 72 provided on the upper member 78 are spurs (jagged rollers) having a plurality of teeth on the outer periphery. Since the spur is in contact with the one surface on which the recording has already been performed on the medium, it is possible to suppress the transfer and the white spot on the recording surface.

The printer 10 is located above the upper section 26a and receives the discharged medium P, and a transport path connected to the straight path 22. And a face-down discharge path 28 for transporting to The medium receiving tray 20 is formed integrally with the upper member 78 and can be opened and closed.
Therefore, by integrally forming the medium receiving tray 20 having a large open / close area and the upper member 78, it is possible to more easily perform a jam clearance operation with the upper member 78 opened.

The medium receiving tray 20 has an upward inclined posture in which the medium receiving tray 20 is upwardly directed to a side far from the outlet 28a of the face-down discharge path 28 in a closed state. The rotation fulcrum 80 during the movement is located on the upstream side of the medium receiving tray 20.
Therefore, a large rotation range between the medium receiving tray 20 and the upper member 78 can be ensured, and the jam clearing operation with the upper member 78 opened can be more easily performed.

<<<< Jam clearing in switchback path and face down discharge path >>>>
Referring to FIG. 22, the two-dot chain line indicated by reference numeral 94 in FIG. 22 indicates a first state in which the medium transport path 21 is formed with respect to the apparatus main body 12 and a second state in which the medium transport path 21 is opened. And the unit body that can be taken. In FIG. 22, among the plurality of spurs provided in the medium transport path 21, only the spurs related to the unit body 94 are denoted by reference numerals, and the other spurs are omitted.

  The unit body 94 includes a path from the downstream side of the fourth conveying roller pair 42 to the first flap 46 and the second flap 50 in the straight path 22, and a path from the second flap 50 to the eleventh conveying roller pair 66 in the switchback path 24. And a path up to the middle of the curved reversal portion through. Further, the unit body 94 is moved from the first flap 46 to the eighth transport roller pair 52, the sixth transport roller pair 54, the seventh transport roller pair 56, and the eighth transport roller pair 58 from the first flap 46 in the face-down discharge path 28. The path from the roller pair 58 to the ninth transport roller pair 60 is included.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the unit body 94 is configured to be movable in the Y-axis direction with respect to the structural body 96 forming the medium transport path 21 in the apparatus main body 12. In the present embodiment, a pair of rail members 98 provided on the structure 96 are configured so as to be able to be taken in and out of the structure 96.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, a lever 100 is provided above the unit body 94. The lever 100 is configured to be engageable with a lock mechanism (not shown) provided in the apparatus main body 12. In a state where the unit body 94 is closed with respect to the apparatus main body 12 (see FIG. 9), that is, in a first state in which the unit body 94 forms the medium transport path 21, the lever 100 is engaged with the lock mechanism. As a result, the movement of the unit body 94 with respect to the apparatus main body 12 is restricted.

  Next, in a case where the engagement state with the lock mechanism is released by lifting the lever 100, for example, the lever 100 is lifted to release the locked state, and by pulling the lever 100, the unit body 94 is lifted. Can be drawn out to the apparatus main body 12. In other words, when the lever 100 is pulled in the + Y-axis direction in FIGS. 9 and 10 in a state where the engagement between the lever 100 and the lock mechanism is released, the unit body 94 is moved from the apparatus main body 12 as shown in FIG. The drawn state, that is, the second state in which the medium transport path 21 is opened.

  As shown in FIG. 22, when the unit body 94 is pulled out of the apparatus body 12 (second state), a part of the straight path 22, a part of the switchback path 24, and the face-down discharge path 28 Are exposed to the outside of the apparatus main body 12. In particular, when a paper jam occurs in the switchback path 24 and the face-down discharge path 28, the switchback path 24 and the face-down discharge path 28 can be visually checked, and the jam clearing work in these paths can be performed more easily. it can.

  The unit body 94 is provided with an opening / closing cover 102 (see FIG. 9) so as to be rotatable with respect to the unit body 94. When the opening / closing cover 102 is opened with respect to the unit body 94 (not shown), the face-up discharge tray 86 provided in the unit body 94 is exposed to the outside of the apparatus main body 12, and the face-up discharge tray 86 Can be taken out of the apparatus main body 12.

<<<< Jam clearing in straight path >>>>
Next, with reference to FIG. 8, FIG. 11 to FIG. 14, and FIG. 22, the jam processing in the straight path 22 and the transport path in the vicinity thereof will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a frame 104 is provided upright on the front side of the recording apparatus in a depth direction of the recording apparatus which is a direction intersecting with the medium conveying direction in the structure 96. The frame 104 is a frame that forms the skeleton of the structure 96. An opening 106 is formed in the frame 104. In the opening 106, when the unit body 94 in the frame 104 is in the first state with respect to the structure body 96, that is, in a state where the unit body 94 configures the medium transport path 21, as shown in FIG. 42, a fifth transport roller pair 52, a sixth transport roller pair 54, an eleventh transport roller pair 66, a first flap 46, and a second flap 50. In FIGS. 14 and 22, the double-dashed line indicated by reference numeral 106 indicates an opening.

  Then, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 22, in a state where the unit body 94 is in the second state with respect to the structure 96, that is, in a state where the unit body 94 is pulled out from the structure 96 to open the medium transport path 21, The user can access a part of the recording unit 18 and a part of the straight path 22, for example, the fourth transport roller pair 42 and the periphery thereof in the medium transport path 21 from the side of the medium transport path 21, that is, the front side of the apparatus, through the opening 106. . Also, the entrance of the switchback path 24 and the face-down discharge path 28 can be accessed.

  Here, considering the case where the opening 106 is not provided in the frame 104, in order to access the straight path 22, which is located at a deep position in the structure 96, for example, the fourth conveying roller pair 42 and its surroundings, It is necessary to access from the side of the unit body 94 pulled out from the body 96. As a result, the access distance from the side of the unit body 94 to the vicinity of the straight path 22 and the vicinity of the recording unit 18 becomes long, and it is difficult to visually confirm the jammed state. It will be inferior.

  In the present embodiment, the fourth transport roller pair 42, the fifth transport roller pair 52, the sixth transport roller pair 54, the eleventh transport roller pair 66, the first flap 46 and the second flap 50 in the medium transport path 21 in the frame 104. Is provided, that is, the opening 106 is provided on the side of the medium transport path 21, so that the unit body 94 is pulled out of the structure 96, that is, in the second state, the unit body 94 is in a recessed position in the apparatus main body 12. Access to the entrance of the recording unit 18, the straight path 22, the switchback path 24, and the face-down discharge path 28 and visual confirmation can be easily performed.

  Further, details of the jam clearing operation around the recording unit 18 and the straight path 22 by the opening 106 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 11, at the position corresponding to the structure 96 in the apparatus height direction in the apparatus main body 12, that is, at the apparatus front side (−X axis direction side) of the frame 104, the lower end portion is pivotally supported. A front cover 108 that is rotatable with respect to the apparatus body 12 is provided. The opening 106 is exposed to the outside of the apparatus main body 12 by rotating the front cover 108 with respect to the apparatus main body 12.

  In this state, since the unit body 94 is housed in the structure 96 and a part of the unit body 94 forms the medium transport path 21, the user can reach into the opening 106, In 21, the straight path 22 on the downstream side of the recording unit 18 cannot be seen.

  Next, referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, the lever 100 is operated to release the lock of the unit body 94 with respect to the apparatus main body 12, and when the unit body 94 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 12, the unit body 94 that has closed the opening 106 is closed. Some move in the + Y-axis direction. As a result, the straight path 22 located at a position deep inside the apparatus main body 12 inside the opening 106, for example, the fourth transport roller pair 42 located downstream of the recording unit 18 and the periphery thereof can be viewed. Then, the user can insert the hand into the medium transport path 21 through the opening 106 to perform the jam processing.

  When the unit body 94 is pulled out from the structure 96, one roller (a rotatable roller) 42a of the fourth transport roller pair 42 is separated from the other roller (drive roller) 42b by an interlock mechanism (not shown). Thus, the nip state in the fourth conveying roller pair 42 is eliminated. Accordingly, a jam (paper jam) generated in the recording unit 18 can be easily processed.

  To summarize the above description, the printer 10 according to the present embodiment includes a recording unit 18 that records on the medium P, a medium transport path 21 that transports the medium P, and a direction that intersects the medium transport path 21 with the medium transport direction. And a frame 104 in which an opening 106 is formed to allow access to the medium transport path 21.

  That is, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to access the medium transport path 21 from the side (−X axis direction side) through the opening 106. Thus, even if a jam occurs at a position deep in the apparatus, access is possible from a location close to the jam occurrence position, and the jam clearing operation can be easily performed.

In this embodiment, the transport direction of the medium P is the width direction of the apparatus in the printer 10, and the frame 104 is erected on the front side of the apparatus.
Therefore, in this embodiment, the opening 106 is located on the front side of the apparatus, and thus the jam clearing operation can be performed more easily.

In this embodiment, the printer 10 includes a unit body 94 in the frame 104, that is, the structure body 96, which can take a first state in which the medium transport path 21 is formed and a second state in which the medium transport path 21 is opened. ing. By setting the unit body 94 in the second state, a part of the medium transport path 21 is exposed inside the opening 106.
As a result, the medium transport path 21 is more greatly exposed inside the opening 106, so that the jam clearing operation can be performed more easily.

In the present embodiment, the printer 10 includes a fourth transport roller pair 42 for nipping and transporting the medium P inside the opening 106. Further, by setting the unit body 94 to the second state, one roller 42a constituting the fourth transport roller pair 42 is separated from the other roller 42b. The fourth transport roller pair 42 is a roller pair located first downstream of the recording unit 18.
When the unit body 94 is pulled out from the apparatus main body 12, one of the rollers 42a constituting the fourth transport roller pair 42 is separated from the other roller 42b. The constraint of P is released, so that the jam clearing operation can be performed more easily.

<<< Modification of Example >>>
(1) In the present embodiment, the opening 106 is formed in the medium transport path 21 such that the fourth transport roller pair 42, the fifth transport roller pair 52, the sixth transport roller pair 54, the eleventh transport roller pair 66, the first flap 46, and the Although the configuration is provided on the side of the position corresponding to the two flaps 50, the opening 106 may be provided at a position corresponding to another configuration of the medium transport path 21 instead of this configuration.
(2) In the present embodiment, the unit body 94 is configured to be able to access the inside of the opening 106 by sliding the unit body 94 with respect to the apparatus main body 12. A configuration is also possible in which the inside of the opening 106 can be accessed without sliding.
(3) In this embodiment, the opening 106 is provided in the frame 104 provided on the front side of the apparatus when the medium P is conveyed in the apparatus width direction, but instead of this structure, the medium P is conveyed. When the direction is the depth direction of the apparatus, the apparatus may be provided on the side surface of the apparatus. That is, any configuration may be used as long as the opening 106 is provided in the medium transport path 21 so as to be accessible from a direction intersecting with the medium transport direction.

In the present embodiment, the straight path 22, the switchback path 24, the reversing path 26, and the face-down discharge path 28 according to the present invention are applied to an ink jet printer as an example of a recording apparatus. Is also possible.
Here, the liquid ejecting apparatus is not limited to a recording apparatus such as a printer, a copying machine, and a facsimile that uses an ink jet recording head and discharges ink from the recording head to perform recording on a recording medium. And a device for ejecting a liquid corresponding to the intended use from a liquid ejecting head corresponding to the ink jet recording head to a medium to be ejected corresponding to a recording medium, and causing the liquid to adhere to the medium to be ejected.

  As the liquid ejecting head, in addition to the recording head, a color material ejecting head used for manufacturing a color filter such as a liquid crystal display, and an electrode material (conductive paste) used for forming electrodes such as an organic EL display and a surface emitting display (FED). Examples include an ejection head, a biological organic matter ejection head used for biochip production, and a sample ejection head as a precision pipette.

  It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims, which are also included in the scope of the present invention. Needless to say.

Reference Signs List 10 printer, 12 apparatus main body, 14 scanner unit, 16 medium storage cassette, 17 hopper, 17a rotating shaft, 18 recording unit, 20 medium receiving tray,
21 medium transport path, 22 straight path, 24 switchback path,
24a, 106 opening, 26 inversion path, 26a upper section, 26b inversion section,
28 face-down discharge path, 28a exit, 30 feed path, 32 feed roller,
33 separation roller pair, 33a, 34a, 36a, 38a, 42a, 52a, 54a, 56a, 58a, 60a, 62a, 66a, 70a, 72a, 74a One roller,
33b, 34b, 36b, 38b, 42b, 52b, 54b, 56b, 58b, 60b,
62b, 66b, 70b, 72b, 74b The other roller,
34 a first transport roller pair, 36 a second transport roller pair, 38 a third transport roller pair,
40, 44, 64, 68, 76, 76a, 76b, 82 spurs, 42 fourth transport roller pair, 46 first flap, 48 recording head, 50 second flap, 52 fifth transport roller pair, 54 sixth transport roller Pair, 56 7th transport roller pair, 58 8th transport roller pair,
60 ninth transport roller pair, 62 10th transport roller pair, 66 11th transport roller pair,
70 twelfth transport roller pair, 72 thirteenth transport roller pair, 74 fourteenth transport roller pair, 78 upper member, 80 rotation fulcrum, 84 third flap, 86 face-up discharge tray, 88 manual feed path, 90 manual tray , 92 opening / closing unit, 94 unit body,
96 structure, 98 rail member, 100 lever, 102 opening / closing cover,
104 frame, 108 front cover, P, P1, P2, P3 medium

Claims (14)

A medium storage cassette for storing a medium;
A transport path for transporting the medium that has been fed upward from the medium storage cassette and that has been turned upward, and passes straight through a recording unit that performs recording on the medium and upstream and downstream of the recording unit. A first transport path extending,
A second transport path that is connected to the downstream of the first transport path, transports the medium that has passed through the recording unit, and then transports the medium in the reverse direction to switch back;
A third transport which is connected to the second transport path, reverses the medium transported in the reverse direction by bypassing the upper side of the recording unit, and joins the medium at an upstream position of the recording unit in the first transport path. Routes and
A fourth transport path connected to the downstream of the first transport path, curving the medium passing through the recording unit, inverting the medium, and discharging the medium from an outlet;
A medium receiving tray for receiving the medium discharged from the discharge port;
The rotation direction can be switched between a normal rotation direction in which the medium passing through the recording unit is fed into the second transport path and a reverse rotation direction in which the medium fed into the second transport path is transported in the reverse direction. In the direction in which the first transport path extends, a transport roller pair disposed on a side where the discharge port is provided with respect to the recording unit;
With
The second transport path is disposed inside the apparatus with respect to the fourth transport path,
The medium storage cassette, the first transport path, the recording unit, the third transport path, and the medium receiving tray are arranged so as to overlap with each other in this order from below in the apparatus height direction. Recording device. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second conveyance path conveys the medium having passed through the recording section while curving the medium upward, and switches back the medium.
The recording apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the fourth transport path bends the medium that has passed through the recording unit, reverses the medium, and discharges the medium. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the third transport path is disposed along a side of the medium receiving tray opposite to a side receiving the medium.
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the medium receiving tray has an upwardly inclined posture that is upward toward a side far from the discharge port of the fourth transport path, and
The third transport path, after being tilted upward along the upward tilt attitude of the medium receiving tray, is inverted and then joins the first transport path.
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pair of rollers for skew removal is disposed in a reverse path in the third transport path. 6.
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a manual feed tray,
The feeding path of the manual feed tray joins a junction of the third transport path and the first transport path,
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. 7. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a first flap configured to switch a downstream side of the first transport path and an upstream side of the second transport path between a connection state and a non-connection state. 8. ,
When the first flap switches from the connection state to the non-connection state, the first flap includes a second flap connecting the second conveyance path and the third conveyance path.
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. 8. The recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein after the first medium is fed to the first transport path and is recorded by the recording unit, the first flap causes the first transport path and the second transport path to move. Connected, the first medium is transported to the second transport path,
Thereafter, a subsequent second medium is fed to the first transport path, the second flap connects the second transport path and the third transport path, and the first medium is transported to the third transport path. When transported to the, the second medium is transported to the recording unit and recorded,
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. 9. The recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein after the first medium is conveyed to the third conveyance path, the first flap connects the first conveyance path and the second conveyance path, and Is transported to the second transport path,
Thereafter, the first medium inverted in the third transport path is transported to the recording unit and is recorded, the first flap is in the non-connection state, and the first transport path and the fourth transport path are connected. Connected,
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. The recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first medium is transported to the fourth transport path,
The second flap connects the second transport path and the third transport path, and when the second medium is transported to the third transport path, the subsequent third medium is transferred to the first transport path. Fed and conveyed to the recording unit, where it is recorded,
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second transport path and the third transport path are on a side facing a recording surface of the medium recorded by the recording unit. Each with multiple spurs,
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. The recording apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising a path forming member that forms an upper section of the recording unit in the third transport path, the path forming member being located above the upper section, An upper member capable of opening the upper section is provided,
The upper section includes a roller pair that nips and conveys the medium,
One roller constituting the roller pair is provided on the upper member, and by opening the upper member, the one roller is separated from the other roller constituting the roller pair,
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. The recording device according to claim 12, wherein the one roller provided on the upper member is a driven rotatable roller,
The other roller is a roller that is rotationally driven by a driving source,
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned. 14. The recording apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the one roller provided on the upper member is a toothed roller having a plurality of teeth on an outer periphery, and the toothed roller contacts a surface on which recording has been performed on a medium.
A recording device characterized by the above-mentioned.

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