JP6759664B2 - Tray and transport device with tray - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a tray and a transport device including the tray.

In Patent Document 1, a backing plate that presses the tip edge of the printed paper (medium) is provided, and a backing plate that presses both side edges of the printed paper in conjunction with this when adjusting the position according to the size of the printed paper. A paper output stand adjusting device that can be moved to an appropriate position is described.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 48-11105

However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, although the position of the backing plate can be adjusted, the size of the paper ejection table itself cannot be adjusted. Therefore, for example, when a small printed paper is ejected, the paper ejection stand itself may hinder the removal of the printed paper.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a tray whose size can be adjusted, and a transport device including the tray.

In order to solve the above problems, the tray of the present invention is a tray having a receiving surface for receiving a medium discharged from the discharging mechanism along the discharging direction, and is one of a base member and the receiving surface. The rotating member constituting the portion, wherein the downstream end portion of the rotating member in the discharge direction is parallel to the first position and the receiving surface and is orthogonal to the discharge direction. The rotating member attached to the base member and the receiving portion so as to be movable between the second position separated from the first position with respect to the upstream end portion of the rotating member in the discharge direction. A slide member that constitutes a part of the surface and can slide in the discharge direction and the opposite direction with respect to the base member, slide movement in the discharge direction in the slide member, and the rotation member in the rotation member. The downstream end is interlocked with the rotation in the first rotation direction in which the downstream end moves from the first position to the second position, and the slide movement in the opposite direction in the slide member and the said in the rotating member. The downstream end is provided with an interlocking member that interlocks with the rotation in the second rotation direction that moves from the second position to the first position, and the downstream end of the rotating member is in the second position. At one time, the downstream end is at a position downstream of the slide member and the base member in the direction from the first position to the second position in the orthogonal direction, and is discharged from the discharge mechanism. wherein the position near Rukoto capable receiving medium.

In addition, the transport device of the present invention includes a plurality of trays described above, a support member that supports the plurality of trays so as to be arranged in a vertical direction, and one of the plurality of trays. The receiving surface is provided with a discharge mechanism for selectively discharging the medium.

According to the present invention, the distance in the orthogonal direction between the upstream end and the downstream end of the rotating member can be changed by sliding the sliding member in the discharge direction and the opposite direction. As a result, the tray can be expanded and contracted in the orthogonal direction and the tray can be resized.

It is a schematic block diagram of an inkjet printer. It is a perspective view of the tray in the expanded state. It is a perspective view of the tray in a reduced state. It is a top view of the tray in the expanded state. It is a top view of the tray in a reduced state. It is a perspective view of the tray in an expanded state which concerns on a modification. It is a perspective view of the tray in a reduced state which concerns on a modification.

Hereinafter, an inkjet printer (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “printer”) 1 including the tray and the transport device of the present invention will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped housing 1x and a tray unit 50 detachably attached to the housing 1x. The tray unit 50 is arranged above the housing 1x so that the opening 1x1 formed on the upper surface of the housing 1x and the opening 51x1 formed on the lower surface of the support member 51 face each other. Another tray unit may be mounted on the upper part of the tray unit 50.

A tray 12 is provided on the upper part of the housing 1x. The tray 12 rotates about an axis along the main scanning direction with respect to the tray body 13 formed of the upper wall of the housing 1x, the base 14 detachably attached to the tray body 13, and the base 14. Includes a possibly attached stopper 15. The tray body 13 constitutes a receiving surface 13a for receiving the paper P.

The tray unit 50 includes four trays 52a to 52d and a housing-shaped support member 51 that supports the four trays 52a to 52d so as to be arranged in the vertical direction. Similar to the tray 12, these four trays 52a to 52d also have a receiving surface for receiving the paper P. Projective ranges obtained by projecting the receiving surfaces of the trays 52a to 52d along the vertical direction on a virtual plane orthogonal to the vertical direction overlap each other. The configuration of the four trays 52a to 52d (hereinafter, referred to as “tray 52” when the four trays 52a to 52d are not particularly distinguished) will be described in detail later.

An inkjet head (hereinafter, simply referred to as a “head”) 10, a platen 11, a paper feeding mechanism 20, a transport mechanism 30a, and a control unit 1c are provided inside the housing 1x. Further, a transport mechanism 30b is provided inside the support member 51.

The head 10 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape that is long in the main scanning direction. That is, the printer 1 is a line type inkjet printer. The head 10 includes a flow path unit in which an ink flow path including a pressure chamber is formed, and an actuator that applies pressure to ink in the pressure chamber of the flow path unit. The lower surface of the head 10 is the lower surface of the flow path unit, which is a discharge surface 10x on which a plurality of discharge ports for ejecting ink are formed. Ink is supplied from a cartridge (not shown) to the ink flow path of the flow path unit.

The platen 11 is arranged below the head 10. The platen 11 is a flat plate-shaped member and has a support surface 11x that supports the paper P. The support surface 11x faces the discharge surface 10x in the vertical direction while being separated from each other.

The paper feed mechanism 20 includes a storage tray 21 capable of storing a plurality of sheets of paper P and detachable from the housing 1x, and a paper feed roller 22 attached to the storage tray 21. The paper feed roller 22 is rotated by driving a paper feed motor (not shown) under the control of the control unit 1c. The paper feed roller 22 rotates while contacting the uppermost paper P in the storage tray 21 to feed the paper P.

The transport mechanism 30a and the transport mechanism 30b constitute the transport mechanism 30. The transport mechanism 30 is another tray unit in which the paper P fed from the paper feed mechanism 20 passes between the discharge surface 10x and the support surface 11x and is arranged above the trays 12, 52a to 52d and the tray unit 50. This is a mechanism for selectively transporting the paper P to any of the trays. The transport mechanism 30 corresponds to the discharge mechanism of the present invention.

The transport mechanism 30 forms a main path R1 from the paper feeding mechanism 20 to the opening 51x2 and five branch paths R2 to R6 branching from the main path R1 in order to each of the trays 12, 52a to 52d. A switching guide member F for switching the transfer destination of the paper P is provided at each of the branch positions of the main path R1 and each of the branch paths R2 to R6. Each of the switching guide members F is configured to be movable between a position where the paper P transported along the main path R1 is further conveyed along the main path R1 and a position where the paper P is conveyed along the branch path R1. Then, the switching guide member F is selectively arranged at one of these two positions according to the instruction from the control unit 1c.

The transport mechanism 30 includes a guide 31 and a pair of rollers 32 to 44. The guide 31 is arranged so as to face the front surface and the back surface of the paper P conveyed along the paths R1 to R6.

The roller pairs 32 to 39 are arranged along the main path R1 and rotate by driving a transfer motor (not shown) under the control of the control unit 1c to transfer the paper P along the main path R1. To do. The roller pairs 40 to 44 are arranged along the corresponding branch paths R2 to R6, respectively, and are rotated by being driven by a transfer motor (not shown) under the control of the control unit 1c to eject the paper P. It is discharged along D and received in the tray 52. Hereinafter, the discharge direction D of the paper P by each of the rollers 40 to 44 is simply referred to as “discharge direction D”.

The control unit 1c includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an I / F (Interface), and an I / O (I / O), which are arithmetic processing units. It has an Input / Output Port). The CPU is electrically connected to each unit other than the CPU included in the control unit 1c, and controls each unit of the printer 1 based on the data received from each unit. The ROM stores fixed data such as a program executed by the CPU. The RAM temporarily stores data necessary for the CPU to execute a program. The ASIC rewrites and rearranges image data (for example, signal processing and image processing). The I / F transmits / receives data to / from an external device (for example, a PC connected to the printer 1). I / O sends and receives signals to and from various sensors.

Further, the control unit 1c is electrically connected to the contact C1 provided on the upper surface of the housing 1x. When the tray unit 50 is mounted on the housing 1x, the contact C1 and the contact C2 provided on the lower surface of the support member 51 come into contact with each other and are electrically connected. The contact C2 is electrically connected to each of the transfer motors and the switching guide member F of the roller pairs 36 to 39, 41 to 44 of the tray unit 50. As a result, the control unit 1c can control the transport motor and the switching guide member F of the tray unit 50.

Further, when another tray unit is mounted on the upper part of the tray unit 50, the contact C3 provided on the upper surface of the support member 51 of the tray unit 50 and the contact C3 provided on the lower surface of the support member of the other tray unit 50 are separately provided. The contacts are in contact with each other and are electrically connected. The other contact is electrically connected to the transport motor and the switching guide member F of another tray unit. As a result, signals can be transmitted and received between the control unit 1c and the transfer motor and switching guide member F of another tray unit.

Under the control of the control unit 1c, when the paper P conveyed by the transfer mechanism 30 passes between the ejection surface 10x and the support surface 11x, the actuator of the head 10 is driven and a plurality of sheets formed on the ejection surface 10x. Ink is selectively ejected from the ejection port of. When the ejected ink lands on the paper P, an image is formed on the paper P (that is, recording is performed on the paper P). The paper P after recording is further conveyed by the conveying mechanism 30, and is selectively ejected to the receiving surface of any one of the trays 12, 52a to 52d. When the paper P is received by the tray 12, the paper P is discharged from the roller pair 40 along the discharge direction D, and then falls by the tip colliding with the stopper 15 and is received by the receiving surface 13a. .. Further, when the paper P is received by the trays 52a to 52d, the paper P is discharged from the roller pairs 41 to 44 along the discharge direction D, and then the tip of the paper P collides with the stopper 74 described later and falls. Is accepted on the receiving surface. In this way, the alignment of the paper P received on the receiving surfaces of the trays 12, 52a to 52d by the stoppers 15 and 74 with respect to the discharge direction D can be improved.

Next, the tray 52 included in the tray unit 50 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5. For convenience of explanation, the cover 100 is shown in the state of being removed from the base member 60 in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the cover 100 to be drawn by a solid line is drawn by a dotted line in FIGS. 4 and 5. Further, in the following, the front-back and left-right directions shown in FIG. 2 are defined as "front", "rear", "left", and "right" of the tray 52, and these directions will be described as appropriate. The rear direction is the same as the discharge direction D in a plan view. Further, the left-right direction is a perpendicular direction parallel to the receiving surface of the tray 52 and orthogonal to the discharging direction D. In this embodiment, this left-right direction is the same as the main scanning direction.

The tray 52 can be resized so that it can be in an expanded state (see FIGS. 2 and 4) and a reduced state in which the size of the tray 52 is reduced in each of the front-rear direction and the left-right direction (see FIGS. It is a possible tray. Thereby, the size of the tray 52 can be made an appropriate size according to the size of the paper P to be received by the tray 52. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 5, the tray 52 includes a base member 60, a slide member 70, a stopper 74, a pair of rotating members 80 and 85, an interlocking member 90, a cover 100, and a pair of side guides 120 and 125. I have.

The base member 60 is a flat plate-shaped member, and its front end is supported by the support member 51 (see FIG. 1).

The slide member 70 includes a pair of flat plate members 71 and 72 and a connecting member 73. The pair of flat plate members 71 and 72 are flat plate-shaped members extending in the front-rear direction (discharge direction D), respectively, and are arranged side by side in the left-right direction. The upper surfaces of the pair of flat plate members 71 and 72 form a part of the receiving surface of the tray 52. Here, "the upper surfaces of the pair of flat plate members 71, 72 form a part of the receiving surface" means that the pair of flat plate members 71, when the tray 52 is in at least one of the expanded state and the reduced state. It means that it is possible to receive the paper P on the upper surface of 72. Further, the rear ends of the pair of flat plate members 71 and 72 are connected to the connecting member 73 extending in the left-right direction. The stopper 74 is erected from the connecting member 73 in the upward direction orthogonal to the receiving surfaces of the flat plate members 71 and 72.

On the lower surface of the flat plate member 72, two pins (not shown) protruding downward from the lower surface are arranged at intervals in the front-rear direction. These two pins are slidably engaged with a slit 62 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) formed in the base member 60 and extending in the front-rear direction. With the above configuration, the slide member 70 can slide and move in the front-rear direction (discharge direction D and vice versa) with respect to the base member 60, and can take a first slide position and a second slide position. The first slide position is the position of the slide member 70 when the tray 52 is in the reduced state (see FIGS. 3 and 5), and the front ends of the flat plate members 71 and 72 and the front ends of the base member 60 are substantially the same in the front-rear direction. This is the slide position that serves as the position. On the other hand, the second slide position is the position of the slide member 70 when the tray 52 is in the expanded state (see FIGS. 2 and 4), and is a position behind the first slide position.

In the present embodiment, the lengths of the slide member 70 and the base member 60 in the front-rear direction are set to be substantially the same. Therefore, when the slide member 70 is slid from the first slide position to the second slide position, the slide member 70 protrudes rearward by the amount of the slide with respect to the base member 60.

Next, the pair of rotating members 80 and 85 will be described. The pair of rotating members 80 and 85 are rotatably attached to a pair of columnar spacers 61 arranged side by side in the left-right direction at the front end portion of the base member 60, respectively. Further, the pair of rotating members 80 and 85 are arranged above the slide member 70 by the pair of spacers 61.

Here, since the rotating members 80 and 85 have a symmetrical configuration, the rotating member 80 will be described below with attention to the rotating member 80, and the configuration of the rotating member 85 will be the corresponding configuration of the rotating member 80. A code obtained by adding "5" to the code of is added, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

The rotating member 80 both includes a first member 81a and a second member 81b, which are long flat plate-shaped members, and a connecting portion 81c arranged between them. The connecting portion 81c connects the first member 81a and the second member 81b so that the longitudinal directions of the first member 81a and the second member 81b coincide with each other. The upper surfaces of the first member 81a, the second member 81b, and the connecting portion 81c form a part of the receiving surface of the tray 52. Here, "the upper surfaces of the first member 81a, the second member 81b, and the connecting portion 81c form a part of the receiving surface" means that the tray 52 is in at least one of the expanded state and the reduced state. It means that the paper P can be received on the upper surfaces of the first member 81a, the second member 81b, and the connecting portion 81c.

The front end portion 80a, which is the end portion of the first member 81a opposite to the connecting portion 81c, is rotatably attached to the spacer 61. That is, the upstream end of the rotating member 80 in the discharge direction D is rotatably attached to the base member 60. As a result, the rotating member 80 can move between the first rotating position (see FIGS. 3 and 5) and the second rotating position (see FIGS. 2 and 4).

The first rotation position is the rotation position of the rotation member 80 when the tray 52 is in the reduced state (see FIGS. 3 and 5). In this first rotation position, the position of the rear end portion 80b (first position), which is the end portion of the second member 81b opposite to the connecting portion 81c, and the position of the front end portion 80a of the first member 81a are , Arranged in a substantially straight line along the front-back direction. On the other hand, the second rotation position is the rotation position of the rotation member 80 when the tray 52 is in the expanded state (see FIGS. 2 and 4). In this second rotation position, the rotation member 80 arranged at the first rotation position rotates in the clockwise direction in FIG. 5 around the central axis of the spacer 61 (hereinafter, the first rotation direction T1). ), The position of the rear end portion 80b of the second member 81b is located on the right side of the position of the first rotation position. That is, in the second rotation position, the downstream end of the rotation member 80 in the discharge direction D is in the left-right direction with respect to the upstream end of the rotation member 80 in the discharge direction D, as compared with the first rotation position. It is a position separated from.

When the rotating member 80 is arranged at the second rotating position, the position (second position) of the rear end portion 80b of the rotating member 80 is on the right side (rotating member 80) of the slide member 70 and the base member 60. Is located on the downstream side in the direction in which the rear end portion 80b in the left-right direction moves when the is rotated in the first rotation direction T1). Therefore, as the rotating member 80 moves from the first rotating position to the second rotating position, the size of the tray 52 in the left-right direction increases.

Further, the width of each of the first member 81a, the second member 81b, and the connecting portion 81c with respect to the lateral direction of the first member 81a is larger in the order of the second member 81b, the first member 81a, and the connecting portion 81c. Further, the outer edges of the first member 81a, the second member 81b, and the connecting portion 81c on the upstream side in the first rotation direction T1 are aligned along the direction orthogonal to the first rotation direction T1. It is configured in. Therefore, at the outer edge of the rotating member 80 formed by the first member 81a, the second member 81b, and the connecting portion 81c on the downstream side of the first rotating direction T1, the connecting portion 81c is in the first rotating direction T1. A notch 80c is formed which is notched from the downstream side to the upstream side.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when the tray 52 is in the expanded state, the distance and rotation in the front-rear direction (discharge direction D) from the front end portion 80a to the rear end portion 80b of the rotating member 80. The distance from the front end of the moving member 80 to the rear end (stopper 74) of the slide member 70 in the front-rear direction is the same. As a result, the downstream end of the discharge direction D of the paper P received by the receiving surface of the tray 52 can be received by the receiving surfaces of the rotating members 80 and 85 and the slide member 70, so that the media can be aligned. The sex can be improved.

As mentioned earlier, the rotating member 85 is a rotating member having a configuration symmetrical to the rotating member 80 in the left-right direction. However, as shown in FIG. 5, the first rotation direction T1 of the rotating member 80 and the first rotation direction T1 of the rotating member 85 are opposite to each other. That is, when each of the rotating member 80 and the rotating member 85 rotates in the first rotation direction T1, the rear end portions 80b and 85b move in directions away from each other in the left-right direction. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, in the rotating member 80 and the rotating member 85, the rotation direction (second) when the rotating member is rotated from the second rotating position to the first rotating position. The rotation directions T2) are opposite to each other. Further, when the rotating member 85 is arranged at the second rotating position, the position (second position) of the rear end portion 85b of the rotating member 85 is located on the left side of the slide member 70 and the base member 60. ing. Therefore, by rotating the rotating members 80 and 85 between the first rotation position and the second rotation position, the elasticity of the size of the tray 52 in the left-right direction can be increased.

Next, the interlocking member 90 will be described. The interlocking member 90 is a member that interlocks the rotation of the rotating members 80 and 85 with the sliding movement of the sliding member 70, and is arranged between the sliding member 70 and the rotating member 80 in the vertical direction. .. That is, in the present embodiment, the rotating member 80, the interlocking member 90, and the sliding member 70 are arranged in this order from the upper side.

The interlocking member 90 includes two connecting members 91, 92, a first rack gear 93, 94, a second rack gear 95, a first pinion gear 96, and a second pinion gear 97.

The connecting member 91 includes a first flat plate member 91a, a second flat plate member 91b, a third flat plate member 91c, and a fourth flat plate member 91d. The first flat plate member 91a, the second flat plate member 91b, the third flat plate member 91c, and the fourth flat plate member 91d are each flat plate-shaped members, and their upper surfaces are configured to be flush with each other.

The first flat plate member 91a is a long-shaped flat plate member having a longitudinal direction in the left-right direction. On the lower surface of the first flat plate member 91a, two pins (not shown) protruding downward from the lower surface are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction. These two pins are slidably engaged with a slit 63 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) formed in the base member 60 and extending in the left-right direction. With the above configuration, the connecting member 91 can slide and move in the left-right direction with respect to the base member 60.

The second flat plate member 91b, the third flat plate member 91c, and the fourth flat plate member 91d are arranged along the front-rear direction.

Both the second flat plate member 91b and the third flat plate member 91c are long-shaped flat plate members having a longitudinal direction in the front-rear direction. Then, the rear end of the second flat plate member 91b and the front end of the third flat plate member 91c so that the long side on the right side of the third flat plate member 91c is on the left side of the long side on the right side of the second flat plate member 91b. Is connected.

The width of the second flat plate member 91b in the lateral direction and the width of the first member 81a of the rotating member 80 in the lateral direction are set to be substantially the same. Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the tray 52 is in the reduced state, the second flat plate member 91b and the first member 81a are configured to substantially overlap in a plan view.

The fourth flat plate member 91d is a rectangular flat plate member whose width in the left-right direction is longer than the width in the left-right direction of each of the second flat plate member 91b and the third flat plate member 91c. The fourth flat plate member 91d is connected to the rear end of the third flat plate member 91c so that the right side thereof is on the right side of the long side on the right side of the third flat plate member 91c. Therefore, the right side of the third flat plate member 91c arranged between the second flat plate member 91b and the fourth flat plate member 91d is on the left side of the right side of the second flat plate member 91b and the fourth flat plate member 91d. Will be placed in. Therefore, in the flat plate member composed of the second flat plate member 91b, the third flat plate member 91c, and the fourth flat plate member 91d, the third flat plate member 91c forms a notch portion 91f cut out from the right side to the left side. .. As shown in FIG. 5, the cutout portion 91f is configured to substantially overlap the cutout portion 80c of the rotating member 80 in a plan view when the tray 52 is in the reduced state.

The fourth flat plate member 91d is swingably connected to the second member 81b of the rotating member 80. Specifically, the fourth flat plate member 91d is formed with an elongated hole 91d1 that inclines rearward from the left side to the right side. The rotating member 80 is provided with a boss portion 80d that protrudes downward from the lower surface of the second member 81b. The boss portion 80d is fitted into the elongated hole 91d1 so as to be displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole 91d1. In this way, the elongated hole 91d1 defines the displacement direction of the boss portion 80d (connecting position) when the rotating member 80 rotates. With the above configuration, it is possible to smoothly swing the rotating member 80 and the connecting member 91. As a modification, an elongated hole is formed in the second member 81b of the rotating member 80, and a boss portion that fits into the elongated hole and is displaceable along the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole is formed in the fourth flat plate member 91d. It may be formed.

The second flat plate member 91b, the third flat plate member 91c, and the fourth flat plate member 91d form a part of the receiving surface of the tray 52. Here, "the upper surfaces of the second flat plate member 91b, the third flat plate member 91c, and the fourth flat plate member 91d form a part of the receiving surface" means that the tray 52 is at least one of the expanded state and the reduced state. It means that the paper P can be received on the upper surfaces of the second flat plate member 91b, the third flat plate member 91c, and the fourth flat plate member 91d in the state.

The side guide 120 stands upward from the outer edge on the right side of the front end portion of the second flat plate member 91b. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the left side surface of the side guide 120 is in contact with the right side surface of the rotating member 80 when the tray 52 is in the reduced state, and the upper end of the side guide 120 is the rotating member 80. It protrudes above the top surface. As a result, the side guide 120 can come into contact with the right end portion of the paper P received on the receiving surface of the tray 52 in the left-right direction regardless of whether the tray 52 is in the reduced state or the expanded state. .. As a result, the alignment of the paper P received on the receiving surface of the tray 52 in the left-right direction can be improved.

The right end of the first flat plate member 91a is connected to the connection point between the second flat plate member 91b and the third flat plate member 91c. As a result, the connecting member 91 has a substantially T-shaped shape with the bottom facing left as a whole.

Since the connecting member 92 has a substantially symmetrical configuration except that the connecting position of the first flat plate member differs from that of the connecting member 91, the configuration of the connecting member 92 is based on the code of the corresponding configuration of the connecting member 91. A reference numeral added with "1" is added, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

On the lower surface of the first flat plate member 92a, two pins (not shown) protruding downward from the lower surface are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction. These two pins are slidably engaged with a slit 64 (see FIGS. 2 and 4) formed in the base member 60 and extending in the left-right direction. As a result, the connecting member 92 can slide and move in the left-right direction with respect to the base member 60. Further, the side guide 125 is erected upward from the outer edge on the left side of the front end portion of the second flat plate member 92b.

The left end of the first flat plate member 92a of the connecting member 91 is connected to the fourth flat plate member 91d. Therefore, the first flat plate member 91a of the connecting member 91 and the first flat plate member 92a of the connecting member 92 are arranged at different positions in the front-rear direction. Then, the first pinion gear 96 is arranged at a position where the first flat plate member 91a and the first flat plate member 92a are sandwiched in the front-rear direction.

The first rack gear 93 is provided on the rear side surface of the connecting member 91 and extends along the left-right direction. The first rack gear 94 is provided on the front side surface of the connecting member 92 and extends along the left-right direction. The first pinion gear 96 can be meshed with both the first rack gears 93 and 94, and is arranged at a position where the first pinion gear 96 is sandwiched between the first rack gears 93 and 94 in the front-rear direction.

The second rack gear 95 is provided on the left side surface of the flat plate member 72 of the slide member 70, and extends along the front-rear direction (discharge direction D). The second pinion gear 97 is rotatably attached to the base member 60 at a position sandwiched by the flat plate member 71 and the flat plate member 72 of the slide member 70 in the left-right direction. While the second pinion gear 97 can mesh with the second rack gear 95 provided on the flat plate member 72, it does not abut on the flat plate member 71. Further, in the present embodiment, the first pinion gear 96 and the second pinion gear 97 are connected with the same axial center 98, and the rotation of the first pinion gear 96 and the rotation of the second pinion gear 97 Are configured to work together.

The cover 100 is a flat plate-shaped cover, and is attached to a spacer 65 provided on the base member 60 so as to cover the first pinion gear 96 and the second pinion gear 97 from above. The cover 100 is arranged so as to be sandwiched between the pair of rotating members 80 and 85 in the left-right direction. Further, the cover 100 is attached to the spacer 65 so that the upper surface thereof is flush with the upper surface of the rotating member 80. As a result, it is possible to prevent the tip of the paper P discharged from the roller pair from colliding with the first pinion gear 96 and the second pinion gear 97, and as a result, the paper P is smoothly received by the tray 52. Can be accepted by the surface.

In the above configuration, when the tray 52 is in the reduced state, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the paper P discharged from the transport mechanism 30 is received by the receiving surface of the rotating member 80, and the interlocking member 90. It cannot be received by the receiving surface of the slide member 70 and the receiving surface of the slide member 70. On the other hand, when the tray 52 is in the expanded state, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the paper P discharged from the transport mechanism 30 receives the interlocking member 90 in addition to the receiving surface of the rotating member 80. It will be received by the surface and the receiving surface of the slide member 70.

In the present embodiment, the ratio of the distance between the front end portions 80a and 85a of the rotating members 80 and 85 to the stopper 74 in the front-rear direction and the distance in the left-right direction of the pair of side guides 120 and 125 is the ratio of the tray 52. It is configured to be the same when the state is in the reduced state and when it is in the expanded state.

Next, the operation of the interlocking member 90 when the slide member 70 is slid backward when the tray 52 is in the reduced state will be described.

When the user slides the slide member 70 in the rear direction (discharge direction D) in order to move the slide member 70 from the first slide position to the second slide position, the second slide member 70 is provided on the flat plate member 72. The second pinion gear 97 that meshes with the rack gear 95 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. As a result, the first pinion gear 96 connected to the second pinion gear 97 also rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Then, the connecting member 91 provided with the first rack gear 93 that meshes with the first pinion gear 96 moves to the right side, and the connecting member 92 provided with the first rack gear 94 that also meshes with the first pinion gear 96 moves to the left side. Moving.

As a result, the rotating member 80 connected to the connecting member 91 rotates in the first rotation direction T1 (clockwise in FIG. 5) to move from the first rotation position to the second rotation position. Further, the rotating member 85 connected to the connecting member 92 also moves from the first rotation position to the second rotation position by rotating in the first rotation direction T1 (counterclockwise in FIG. 5). .. As a result, the tray 52 is in the expanded state.

Next, the operation of the interlocking member 90 when the rotating member 80 is moved from the first rotating position to the second rotating position when the state of the tray 52 is reduced will be described.

When the user rotates the rotating member 80 in the first rotation direction T1 in order to move the rotating member 80 from the first rotating position to the second rotating position, the connecting member connected to the rotating member 80 92 moves to the right. As a result, the first pinion gear 96 that meshes with the first rack gear 93 provided on the connecting member 91 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Then, the connecting member 92 provided with the first rack gear 94 that meshes with the first pinion gear 96 moves to the left side. As a result, the rotating member 85 connected to the connecting member 92 also rotates in the first rotation direction T1.

Further, when the first pinion gear 96 rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 5, the second pinion gear 97 also rotates counterclockwise in FIG. Then, the slide member 70 provided with the second rack gear 95 that meshes with the second pinion gear 97 slides backward from the first slide position to the second slide position. As a result, the tray 52 is in the expanded state. When the rotating member 85 is moved from the first rotating position to the second rotating position when the tray 52 is in the reduced state, the tray 52 is expanded by the operation of the interlocking member 90 which is substantially the same. Can be in a state.

Subsequently, the operation of the interlocking member 90 when the slide member 70 is slid forward in the expanded state of the tray 52 will be described.

When the user slides the slide member 70 in the forward direction (opposite to the discharge direction D) in order to move the slide member 70 from the second slide position to the first slide position, the slide member 70 is provided on the flat plate member 72 of the slide member 70. The second pinion gear 97 that meshes with the second rack gear 95 rotates clockwise in FIG. As a result, the first pinion gear 96 connected to the second pinion gear 97 also rotates clockwise in FIG. Then, the connecting member 91 provided with the first rack gear 93 that meshes with the first pinion gear 96 moves to the left side, and the connecting member 92 provided with the first rack gear 94 that also meshes with the first pinion gear 96 moves to the right side. Moving.

As a result, the rotating member 80 connected to the connecting member 91 rotates in the second rotation direction T2 (counterclockwise in FIG. 4) to move from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. .. Further, the rotating member 85 connected to the connecting member 92 rotates in the second rotation direction T2 (clockwise in FIG. 4) to move from the second rotation position to the first rotation position. As a result, the tray 52 is in a reduced state.

Next, the operation of the interlocking member 90 when the rotating member 80 is moved from the second rotating position to the first rotating position when the tray 52 is in the expanded state will be described.

When the user rotates the rotating member 80 in the second rotation direction T2 in order to move the rotating member 80 from the second rotating position to the first rotating position, the connecting member connected to the rotating member 80. 92 moves to the left. As a result, the first pinion gear 96 that meshes with the first rack gear 93 provided on the connecting member 91 rotates clockwise in FIG. Then, the connecting member 92 provided with the first rack gear 94 that meshes with the first pinion gear 96 moves to the right side. As a result, the rotating member 85 connected to the connecting member 92 also rotates in the second rotation direction T2.

Further, when the first pinion gear 96 rotates clockwise in FIG. 4, the second pinion gear 97 also rotates clockwise in FIG. Then, the slide member 70 provided with the second rack gear 95 that meshes with the second pinion gear 97 slides forward from the second slide position to the first slide position. As a result, the tray 52 is in a reduced state. When the rotating member 85 is moved from the second rotating position to the first rotating position when the tray 52 is in the expanded state, the tray 52 is reduced by the operation of the interlocking member 90 which is substantially the same. Can be in a state.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by sliding the slide member 70 in the discharge direction D and the opposite direction, the left and right sides between the front end portions 80a, 85a and the rear end portions 80b, 85b of the rotating members 80, 85 are left and right. You can change the distance with respect to the direction. As a result, the tray 52 can be expanded and contracted in the left-right direction, and the size of the tray can be changed. As a result, when the user takes out the paper P received in the tray 52, it is possible to prevent the tray 52 itself from hindering the taking out. In particular, when a plurality of trays 52 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction as in the present embodiment, the trays 52 are in a reduced state even when the small paper P is received by a certain tray 52. By setting the setting, the paper P can be easily taken out from the tray 52.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the front end portions 80a, 85a of the rotating members 80, 85 are rotatably attached to the base member 60, they are rearward of the front end portions 80a, 85a of the rotating members 80, 85. The elasticity of the tray 52 in the left-right direction can be increased as compared with the case where the side portion is rotatably attached to the base member 60.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the rotating members 80 and 85 have a simple configuration of meshing the first pinion gear 96 with the first rack gears 93 and 94 and meshing with the second pinion gear 97 and the second rack gear 95. The rotation and the slide movement of the slide member 70 can be linked. Further, since the first pinion gear 96 and the second pinion gear 97 are connected with the same axis, the rotation of the first pinion gear 96 and the rotation of the second pinion gear 97 can be easily linked. be able to.

Further, since the notches 80c and 85c are formed in the rotating members 80 and 85 and the notches 91f and 92f are formed in the connecting members 91 and 92, the user can view the tray from the left and right directions of the tray 52. The paper P received in 52 can be easily taken out.

Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various design changes can be made as long as it is described in the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, the tray 52 includes a pair of rotating members 80 and 85, but the tray 152 may include only one rotating member 180 as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. .. Hereinafter, the configuration of the tray 152 will be described in detail.

The tray 152 includes a slide member 70, a stopper 74, a rotating member 180, an interlocking member 190, a side receiving portion 292, and side guides 120 and 225. The rotating member 180 and the side receiving portion 292 are arranged side by side in the left-right direction so as to sandwich the first pinion gear 96 of the interlocking member 190. The side receiving portion 292 is a flat plate-shaped member extending in the front-rear direction, and the upper surface thereof constitutes a part of the receiving surface of the tray 152. Further, a side guide 225 is erected upward from the left outer edge of the front end portion of the side receiving portion 292.

The interlocking member 190 does not include the connecting member 92, but includes only the connecting member 91, the first rack gears 93 and 94, the second rack gear 95, the first pinion gear 96, and the second pinion gear 97.

The rotating member 180 includes a third member 182 in addition to the first member 81a, the second member 81b, and the connecting portion 81c. The third member 182 is a flat plate-shaped member that protrudes from the front end portion of the first member 81a toward the side receiving portion 292 side in the lateral direction of the first member 81a. As a result, the rotating member 180 has a substantially L-shaped shape as a whole. In the rotating member 180, the third member 182 is rotatably attached to the spacer 61. As a result, as in the above-described embodiment, in the rotating member 180, the rear end portion 180b of the rotating member 180 is positioned with respect to the front end portion 180a of the rotating member 180 in the first position and in the left-right direction. It can take a second position that is more distant than one position.

As described above, also in this modification, the elasticity of the tray is smaller than that of the above-described embodiment, but the size of the tray 152 in the left-right direction can be changed. Hereinafter, another modification will be described.

In the above-described embodiment, the front end portions 80a and 85a of the rotating members 80 and 85 are rotatably attached to the base member 60, but the portions other than the front end portions 80a and 85a can be rotatably attached to the base member 60. It may be attached.

The stopper 74 may not be provided on the slide member 70, and a stopper may be provided on another member. Further, the interlocking member 90 does not have to form a receiving surface of the tray 52. Further, the interlocking member 90 may not be provided with the side guides 120 and 125, and another member may be provided with the side guides. The connecting members 91 and 92 may not have notches 91f and 92f. Further, the rotating members 80 and 85 may not have notches 80c and 85c.

Further, the tray 52 does not have to include the cover 100. In this case, the paper P is placed on the first pinion gear by arranging the receiving surfaces of the rotating members 80 and 85 and the receiving surface of the slide member 70 above the first pinion gear 96 and the second pinion gear 97. It is also possible to prevent the 96 and the second pinion gear 97 from colliding with each other.

Further, the interlocking member 90 is not particularly limited to the above-described embodiment as long as the rotation of the rotating members 80 and 85 and the sliding movement of the slide member 70 can be interlocked. For example, the first pinion gear 96 and the second pinion gear 97 may not be connected to each other, and may be configured so that their rotational powers are transmitted through different gears.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the rotating member 80, the interlocking member 90, and the sliding member 70 are arranged from the upper side in this order, but the present invention is not particularly limited, and the rotating member 80 and the interlocking member 90 are arranged. The 90 and the slide member 70 may be arranged at the same position in the vertical direction. In this case, even when the tray 52 is in the reduced state, the paper P can be configured to be received by the receiving surfaces of the rotating member 80, the interlocking member 90, and the sliding member 70, respectively.

Further, the printer 1 may include only one tray 52. The transport device is not limited to a printer, and may be a facsimile, a copier, a multifunction device, or the like. The recording unit is not limited to the serial type and may be a line type. Further, the recording unit is not limited to the inkjet type, and may be a laser type, a thermal type, or the like. The transport device does not have to include a recording unit. The medium is not limited to paper, but may be cloth or the like. Further, the medium is not limited to what is recorded, and may be a medium that is not recorded.

1 Inkjet printer (conveyor)
52 Tray 60 Base member 70 Slide member 80,85 Rotating member D Discharge direction 30 Conveyance mechanism (discharge mechanism)

Claims (13)

A tray having a receiving surface for receiving a medium discharged from the discharge mechanism along the discharge direction.
With the base member
A rotating member that forms part of the receiving surface, the downstream end of the rotating member in the discharging direction is parallel to the receiving surface and orthogonal to the discharging direction at the first position. Rotation attached to the base member so as to be movable in the orthogonal direction between a second position separated from the first position with respect to the upstream end portion of the rotating member in the discharge direction. Members and
A slide member that forms a part of the receiving surface and can slide with respect to the base member in the discharge direction and the opposite direction.
The slide movement of the slide member in the discharge direction and the rotation of the rotating member in the first rotation direction in which the downstream end portion moves from the first position to the second position are interlocked and An interlocking member that links the slide movement of the slide member in the opposite direction and the rotation of the rotating member in the second rotation direction in which the downstream end portion moves from the second position to the first position. When,
With
When the downstream end of the rotating member is in the second position
The downstream end is a position downstream of the slide member and the base member in the direction from the first position to the second position in the orthogonal direction, and the medium discharged from the discharge mechanism is released. tray, characterized in acceptable locations near Rukoto.
The tray according to claim 1, wherein the upstream end portion of the rotating member is rotatably attached to the base member. It is provided with a pair of the rotating members.
The interlocking member slides and moves the slide member so that when the pair of rotating members rotate in the first rotation direction, the downstream ends thereof are separated from each other in the orthogonal direction. The tray according to claim 2, wherein the tray and the rotation of the pair of rotating members are interlocked with each other. The distance with respect to the discharge direction from the upstream end portion to the downstream end portion of the rotating member when the downstream end portion of the rotating member is arranged at the second position, and the rotating member. The distance with respect to the discharge direction from the upstream end of the rotating member to the downstream end of the slide member in the discharge direction when the downstream end is arranged at the second position is the same. The tray according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the tray is configured to be. The tray according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a stopper erected above the end of the slide member on the downstream side in the discharge direction. The tray according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the interlocking member constitutes a part of the receiving surface. The tray according to claim 6, wherein the tray is erected above the interlocking member and includes a side guide that abuts on the receiving surface and abuts on the end portion of the medium received in the orthogonal direction. The interlocking member
A connecting member that is attached to the base member so as to be slidably movable in the orthogonal direction, and is swingably connected to a position on the rotating member downstream of the upstream end portion.
A first rack gear provided on the connecting member and extending along the orthogonal direction, and
A second rack gear provided on the slide member and extending along the discharge direction, and
A first pinion gear that can be meshed with the first rack gear,
A second pinion gear that can be meshed with the second rack gear,
With
The tray according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the rotation of the first pinion gear and the rotation of the second pinion gear are interlocked with each other. The tray according to claim 8, wherein the first pinion gear and the second pinion gear are connected with the same axial center. Of the connecting member and the rotating member, one of the connecting member and the rotating member is provided with an elongated hole that defines the displacement direction of the connecting position when the rotating member rotates. The tray according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the tray is provided with a boss portion that fits into the elongated hole and is displaced along the longitudinal direction of the elongated hole. The tray according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a flat plate-shaped cover that covers the first pinion gear and the second pinion gear from above. The claim is characterized in that a notch portion cut out from the downstream side to the upstream side in the first rotation direction is formed on the outer edge of the rotating member on the downstream side in the first rotation direction. The tray according to any one of 1 to 11. The plurality of trays according to any one of claims 1 to 12, and
A support member that supports the plurality of trays so as to be lined up in the vertical direction, and
An ejection mechanism for selectively ejecting the medium to the receiving surface of any one of the plurality of trays.
A transport device characterized by being equipped with.