JP7192316B2 - Sheet conveying device and image recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a sheet conveying device that conveys a sheet, and an image recording apparatus that includes the sheet conveying device and records an image on a sheet.

A sheet conveying device includes a roller pair for conveying a sheet along a conveying path. One of the rollers forming the roller pair is biased toward the other of the rollers forming the roller pair by a biasing member such as a spring. The roller pair nips and conveys the sheet.

Further, the sheet conveying device includes a guide member that forms a conveying path. The guide member guides the sheet on the conveying path. Some guide members are rotatable between a closed position that constitutes the transport path and an open position that exposes the transport path to the outside. When a sheet is jammed inside the sheet conveying device, the jammed sheet can be removed by opening the guide member. At this time, when the rollers forming the roller pair are separated from each other, it becomes easier to take out the jammed sheet.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-100002 discloses a sheet conveying device having a structure in which rollers constituting a roller pair are moved away from each other in conjunction with rotation of a guide member from a closed position to an open position. Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200002 discloses a sheet conveying device having a structure in which a user manually separates rollers forming a roller pair from each other after rotating a guide member from a closed position to an open position.

JP-A-7-125868 Japanese Patent No. 5633151

However, in the case of the sheet conveying device disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the guide member rotates to the open position, the rollers are always separated regardless of whether the separation of the rollers constituting the roller pair is necessary. Here, every time the rollers constituting the roller pair move away from each other, a force resisting the biasing force acts on the biasing member that biases one of the rollers toward the other. Therefore, in the sheet conveying device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200012, the urging member is likely to sag.

Further, in the case of the sheet conveying device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200303, it is necessary to manually separate the rollers constituting the roller pair from each other, which is time-consuming.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to easily remove a jammed sheet while reducing fatigue of an urging member that urges one of rollers constituting a roller pair toward the other. To provide a sheet conveying device that can be taken out.

(1) A sheet conveying device according to the present invention includes a body having a conveying path through which a sheet passes, a first roller positioned in the conveying path, a second roller facing the first roller, and the second roller. and a roller holder rotatable to a first position where the second roller is in contact with the first roller and a second position where the second roller is separated from the first roller. a biasing member that biases the roller holder to the first position; and a biasing member that is rotatably supported independently of the roller holder by the main body on the opposite side of the first roller with respect to the second roller. a first guide member rotatable to a closed position closed with respect to the main body to form the transport path and an open position opened with respect to the main body to expose the transport path and the roller holder to the outside; , provided. The roller holder includes a guide portion forming the transport path downstream of the second roller in the sheet transport direction.

According to this configuration, the roller holder is exposed to the outside by rotating the first guide member from the closed position to the open position. Here, according to this configuration, the rotation of the first guide member and the rotation of the roller holder can be performed separately. Therefore, even if the first guide member rotates, the roller holder does not rotate. As a result, unnecessary rotation of the roller holder can be prevented, and fatigue of the biasing member can be reduced.

Further, according to this configuration, when the sheet is jammed inside the main body while being sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller, by rotating the first guide member from the closed position to the open position, The sheet can be exposed to the outside. In this state, when the sheet is pulled, a force is applied from the sheet to the guide portion in the direction from the first position to the second position, so that the roller holder rotates from the first position toward the second position. . As a result, the second roller is separated from the first roller, so that the jammed sheet can be easily removed.

(2) The guide portion may extend downstream in the conveying direction from the first roller.

According to this configuration, when the sheet is jammed inside the main body while being sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller, the sheet is removed by rotating the first guide member from the closed position to the open position. It can be exposed to the outside. In this state, when the sheet is pulled, a force is applied from the sheet to the guide portion in the direction from the first position to the second position. Here, if the guide portion does not extend downstream from the first roller in the conveying direction, the force acting from the sheet to the guide portion becomes small, and the roller holder rotates from the first position to the second position. may not be possible. According to this configuration, since the guide portion extends downstream from the first roller in the conveying direction, it is possible to increase the force acting on the guide portion from the sheet. This can reduce the possibility that the roller holder will not rotate from the first position to the second position when the sheet is pulled.

(3) The first guide member may be positioned downstream of the rotation shaft of the roller holder in the conveying direction.

According to this configuration, the size of the first guide member can be reduced.

(4) A sheet conveying apparatus according to the present invention includes a tray having a support surface for supporting a sheet, a feeding unit for feeding the sheet supported by the support surface in a feeding direction, and the sheet feeding unit from the tray. a second guide member provided downstream in the feeding direction and having a guide surface inclined upward with respect to the support surface as it goes downstream in the feeding direction; The second roller is positioned above the guide surface, and the guide surface abuts on the sheet fed by the feeding section to move the sheet between the first roller and the second roller of the conveying path. and the rotation shaft of the roller holder may be located below the upper end of the guide surface.

According to this configuration, the rotating shaft of the roller holder can be positioned far from the guide section. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the force acting on the guide portion required to rotate the roller holder from the first position toward the second position. That is, the roller holder can be rotated with a small force.

(5) A plurality of the roller holders may be arranged at intervals in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction.

According to this configuration, the weight of each roller holder can be made lighter than the configuration in which one roller holder extending in the width direction is arranged. Therefore, each roller holder can be rotated with a small force.

(6) A plurality of the first guide members are arranged at intervals in a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction, each extending in the conveying direction and having a rib capable of guiding the sheet in the closed position. A downstream end of the roller holder in the transport direction may be positioned downstream in the transport direction from an upstream end of the rib in the transport direction.

According to this configuration, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the sheet is caught between the roller holder and the rib in the conveying direction.

(7) The bearing for the rotating shaft of the roller holder has an open portion that is partially opened in the circumferential direction, and the rotating shaft of the roller holder can be fitted to the bearing through the open portion. There may be.

According to this configuration, it is easy to attach the roller holder to the main body. Further, since the rotating shaft is fitted in the bearing, the roller holder can be positioned. Thereby, the nip accuracy of the second roller with respect to the first roller can be maintained satisfactorily.

(8) For example, the first guide member in the closed position may form part of the outer wall of the main body.

(9) The present invention provides a main body having a conveying path through which a sheet passes, a first roller positioned in the conveying path, a second roller opposed to the first roller, and rotatably supporting the second roller. a roller holder rotatable to a first position where the second roller contacts the first roller, a second position where the second roller is separated from the first roller, and the roller holder. An urging member for urging to the first position and an urging member are supported by the main body so as to be rotatable independently of the roller holder on the side opposite to the first roller with respect to the second roller. a first guide member rotatable to a closed position where it is closed to form the transport path and an open position where it is opened relative to the main body to expose the transport path and the roller holder to the outside; a recording unit that records an image on a certain sheet, and the roller holder can be regarded as an image recording apparatus that includes a guide unit that configures the conveying path downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction of the sheet. .

According to the present invention, it is possible to easily remove a jammed sheet while reducing fatigue of an urging member that urges one of the rollers constituting the roller pair toward the other.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the MFP 10 with the guide member 85 in the closed position. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the AA cross section of FIG. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the MFP 10 with the guide member 85 in the open position. FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the BB section of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 3, showing the state where the roller holder 87 is at the first position. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 3, showing the state in which the roller holder 87 is in the second position. FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing the AA section of FIG. FIG. 8 is a sectional view showing the DD section of FIG. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing the EE cross section of FIG.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. It should be noted that the embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be changed as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention. In the following description, the vertical direction 7 is defined with reference to the state in which the multifunction device 10 is installed for use (the state shown in FIG. 1), and the front-rear direction 8 is defined with the surface on which the guide member 85 is provided as the rear surface. A left-right direction 9 is defined when the MFP 10 is viewed from the front to the rear. The up-down direction 7, the front-rear direction 8, and the left-right direction 9 are orthogonal to each other. In this embodiment, the up-down direction 7 corresponds to the vertical direction, and the front-rear direction 8 and the left-right direction 9 correspond to the horizontal direction.

[Overall Structure of MFP 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, a multi-function device 10 (an example of an image recording device) is generally shaped like a rectangular parallelepiped. The MFP 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function and a print function. The multi-function device 10 has a function of recording an image on a sheet such as paper as a print function.

As shown in FIG. 2, the multifunction device 10 includes a sheet conveying device and a recording section 24. As shown in FIG. The sheet conveying device includes a housing 14 (an example of a main body), feeding trays 131, 132, and 133, an ejection tray 21, a feeding section 141 (see FIG. 4), a guide member 71 (an example of a second guide member, FIG. 5 ), a conveying roller pair 57, a discharge roller pair 58, an intermediate roller pair 86 (see FIG. 5), a torsion coil spring 88 (an example of a biasing member, see FIG. 5), a roller holder 87 (see FIG. 5), and a guide A member 85 (an example of a first guide member) is provided. The feed tray 131 is an example of a tray.

The housing 14 shown in FIG. 1 constitutes the appearance of the multi-function device 10 . As shown in FIG. 2, an opening 13 is formed in the front surface of the housing 14 . The recording unit 24 , the feeding unit 141 , the guide member 71 , the pair of conveying rollers 57 , the pair of discharge rollers 58 , the pair of intermediate rollers 86 , the torsion coil springs 88 , and the roller holders 87 are arranged inside the housing 14 . A transport path 65 along which the paper is transported is formed inside the housing 14 . The transport path 65 is indicated by a dashed line in FIG.

The feed trays 131 , 132 , and 133 are attached to the housing 14 by being inserted rearward into the housing 14 through the opening 13 , and removed forward from the housing 14 through the opening 13 . The discharge tray 21 is supported by the feed tray 133 . The guide member 85 is rotatably supported by the housing 14 (see FIGS. 1 and 3).

The feed trays 131, 132, and 133 are generally rectangular parallelepiped box-shaped with an open top. The feed trays 131, 132, and 133 each have a bottom plate 76 that supports a plurality of stacked sheets.

When the feed trays 131 , 132 , and 133 are attached to the housing 14 , the feed tray 133 is positioned above the feed tray 132 , and the feed tray 132 is positioned above the feed tray 131 . ing.

A feeding unit 141 shown in FIG. 4 is provided corresponding to each of the feeding trays 131 , 132 , and 133 . A feeding unit 141 shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the feeding tray 133 . Each feeding section 141 is positioned above the bottom plate 76 of each feeding tray 131 , 132 , 133 . Each feeding section 141 feeds the sheet supported on the upper surface of the bottom plate 76 of each of the feeding trays 131, 132, 133 to the transport path 65 located behind. That is, each feeding unit 141 feeds the sheet supported on the upper surface of the bottom plate 76 backward (an example of the feeding direction). The upper surface of the bottom plate 76 is an example of a support surface.

Since the structure of each feeding unit 141 corresponding to each of the feeding trays 131, 132, and 133 is the same, the following description of the feeding unit 141 (the feeding unit 141 corresponding to the feeding tray 133) shown in FIG. A configuration is described. As shown in FIG. 4, the feeding section 141 includes a feeding roller 25, an arm 26, and a shaft (not shown).

The feed roller 25 is rotatably supported by the tip of the arm 26 . The feeding roller 25 is rotated by being given a driving force from a motor (not shown). A proximal end of the arm 26 is rotatably supported by a shaft. The shaft is supported by the frame 23 of the MFP 10 . The arm 26 is urged to rotate toward the bottom plate 76 by its own weight or elastic force from a spring or the like. The feed roller 25 rotates in contact with the sheets supported by the bottom plate 76 to pick up the uppermost sheet supported by the bottom plate 76 and feed it to the transport path 65 .

The paper fed to the transport path 65 is transported along the transport path 65 in the transport direction 16 indicated by the dashed-dotted arrow in FIG. When the downstream end of the sheet conveyed along the conveying path 65 in the conveying direction 16 reaches the conveying roller pair 57 , the sheet is conveyed along the conveying path 65 toward the recording unit 24 in the conveying direction 16 by the conveying roller pair 57 . An image is recorded by the recording unit 24 on the sheet that has reached directly below the recording unit 24 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the guide member 71 is positioned behind the rear end portions of the feed trays 131 , 132 , and 133 attached to the housing 14 . That is, the guide member 71 is provided downstream of each of the feed trays 131 , 132 , 133 in the feeding direction. Since the configuration of each guide member 71 corresponding to each of the feed trays 131, 132, and 133 is the same, the configuration of the guide member 71 corresponding to the feed tray 131 will be described below.

The guide member 71 includes a forward-facing inclined surface 73 (an example of a guide surface). The inclined surface 73 is inclined with respect to the upper surface of the bottom plate 76 . The inclined surface 73 is inclined upward toward the rear. The lower end of the inclined surface 73 is close to the rear end of the feed tray 131 attached to the housing 14 . The inclined surface 73 is brought into contact with the paper fed backward by the feeding roller 25 . As a result, the paper is guided by the inclined surface 73 and is directed upward from the rear while being transferred to the transport path 65 (more specifically, the first roller 91 and the second roller 92 of the intermediate roller pair 86 on the transport path 65 ). to a position between ).

As shown in FIG. 2 , the transport path 65 extends generally upward from the rear end of the feed tray 131 , passes through the rear surface of the guide member 71 corresponding to the feed tray 132 , and corresponds to the feed tray 133 . The rear surface of the guide member 71 is reached. The transport path 65 curves forward above the rear surface of the guide member 71 corresponding to the feed tray 133 . The conveying path 65 generally extends forward from the curved position to above the discharge tray 21 via the conveying roller pair 57 , the recording unit 24 , and the discharge roller pair 58 . That is, the transport path 65 is composed of a portion that extends generally upward and a portion that is located downstream of the portion in the transport direction 16 and extends generally forward.

The transport roller pair 57 includes a transport roller 60 and a pinch roller (not shown) facing each other. The conveying roller 60 is driven and rotated by a motor (not shown). The motor may be the same as or different from the motor that rotates the feeding roller 25 . The pinch roller rotates with the rotation of the conveying roller 60 . The transport roller pair 57 nips the sheet and transports it in the transport direction 16 .

The discharge roller pair 58 is located downstream of the transport roller pair 57 in the transport path 65 in the transport direction 16 . The ejection roller pair 58 includes an ejection roller 62 and a spur (not shown) facing each other. The discharge roller 62 is driven and rotated by a motor (not shown). The motor may be the same as or different from the motor that rotates the feed roller 25 and the motor that rotates the transport roller 60 . The spur rotates as the ejection roller 62 rotates. The discharge roller pair 58 nips the sheet and conveys it in the conveying direction 16 . The paper conveyed in the conveying direction 16 by the discharge roller pair 58 is discharged to the discharge tray 21 .

The recording unit 24 is located between the transport roller pair 57 and the discharge roller pair 58 in the transport path 65 . In this embodiment, the recording unit 24 records an image on a sheet conveyed through the conveying path 65 by an inkjet method. The method of recording an image on paper by the recording unit 24 is not limited to the inkjet method, and may be another method such as an electrophotographic method.

[Intermediate roller pair 86]
As shown in FIG. 5 , the intermediate roller pair 86 is located above the upper end of the guide member 71 corresponding to the feed tray 131 and above the upper end of the guide member 71 corresponding to the feed tray 132 in the transport path 65 . located below. The intermediate roller pair 86 nips the paper and conveys it in the conveying direction 16 .

The intermediate roller pair 86 includes a first roller 91 and a second roller 92 facing each other. The first roller 91 and the second roller 92 are positioned above the inclined surface 73 of the guide member 71 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the first roller 91 has a shaft 911 and a roller portion 912 . The shaft 911 extends in the left-right direction 9 . The roller portion 912 covers the outer circumference of the shaft 911 . In this embodiment, four roller portions 912 are provided at intervals in the left-right direction 9 . Note that the number of roller portions 912 may be three or less, or may be five or more. The first roller 91 is driven and rotated by a motor (not shown). The motor may be the same as or different from the motor that rotates the feed roller 25, the motor that rotates the transport roller 60, and the discharge roller 62. FIG.

The second roller 92 is provided corresponding to the roller portion 912 of the first roller 91 . That is, in this embodiment, four second rollers 92 are provided at intervals in the left-right direction 9 , and each of the second rollers 92 faces each of the roller portions 912 . The number of second rollers 92 may be three or less or five or more depending on the number of roller portions 912 of the first roller 91 .

The second roller 92 is rotatably supported by a roller holder 87 which will be described later. The second roller 92 moves as the roller holder 87 rotates. The second roller 92 can come into contact with and separate from the first roller 91 by this movement. The second roller 92 rotates with the rotation of the first roller 91 in a state of being in contact with the first roller 91 or in a state of sandwiching the paper between the first roller 91 and the first roller 91 .

[Roller holder 87]
As shown in FIG. 5 , the roller holder 87 is positioned above the upper end of the guide member 71 corresponding to the feed tray 131 and below the upper end of the guide member 71 corresponding to the feed tray 132 . .

The roller holder 87 has a guide surface 871 forming part of the transport path 65 . The guide surface 871 extends upward toward the rear from the upper end of the inclined surface 73 of the guide member 71 corresponding to the feed tray 131 . The guide surface 871 guides the sheet that has passed through the inclined surface 73 in the conveying direction 16 .

Three roller holders 87 are provided side by side in the left-right direction 9 (an example of the width direction) orthogonal to the transport direction 16 . Note that the number of roller holders 87 is not limited to three.

Each roller holder 87 rotatably supports the second roller 92 at its upper portion. In this embodiment, each of the four roller holders 87 supports one second roller 92 .

Note that the manner in which each roller holder 87 supports the second roller 92 is not limited to the above. For example, three roller holders 87 are provided, and the roller holder 87 arranged in the middle in the horizontal direction 9 among the three roller holders 87 is arranged in the middle in the horizontal direction 9 among the four second rollers 92 . The rightmost roller holder 87 of the three roller holders 87 supports the rightmost second roller 92 of the four second rollers 92. The leftmost roller holder 87 of the three roller holders 87 may support the leftmost second roller 92 of the four second rollers 92 . Further, for example, one roller holder 87 may be provided, and one roller holder 87 may support four second rollers 92 .

A part of the second roller 92 supported by the roller holder 87 protrudes from the guide surface 871 to the transport path 65 . The guide surface 871 extends from upstream to downstream in the conveying direction 16 from the second roller 92 . That is, the roller holder 87 extends downstream in the transport direction 16 from the second roller 92 . A downstream guide surface 874, which is a portion of the guide surface 871 positioned downstream in the conveying direction 16 from the second roller 92, is an example of a guide portion. A downstream end of the downstream guide surface 874 in the conveying direction 16 is located above the first roller 91 . That is, the downstream guide surface 874 extends downstream in the transport direction 16 from the first roller 91 .

The roller holder 87 is supported by the housing 14 so as to be rotatable about a shaft 31 (an example of a rotation shaft of the roller holder) extending in the left-right direction 9 . The housing 14 has a shaft 31 extending in the left-right direction 9 . The roller holder 87 has a bearing 872 that opens in the left-right direction 9 . The shaft 31 is inserted into the opening 873 of the bearing 872 . The bearing 872 thereby supports the shaft 31 . The bearing 872 and shaft 31 are positioned below the roller holder 87 . Also, the bearing 872 and the shaft 31 are located on the opposite side of the guide surface 871 from the transport path 65 . The bearing 872 and the shaft 31 are located below the second roller 92 , that is, upstream of the second roller 92 in the conveying direction 16 .

In the vertical direction 7 , the position P<b>1 of the shaft 31 is located below the position P<b>2 of the upper end of the inclined surface 73 of the guide member 71 .

Roller holder 87 moves in the direction of arrow 102 from the first position shown in FIG. 5 to the second position shown in FIG. Further, the roller holder 87 moves from the second position to the first position by rotating in the direction of an arrow 103 opposite to the direction of the arrow 102 (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 5, the guide surface 871 forms part of the transport path 65 when the roller holder 87 is at the first position. Also, when the roller holder 87 is at the first position, the second roller 92 is in contact with the first roller 91 . The contact of the second roller 92 with the first roller 91 restricts the rotation of the roller holder 87 at the first position in the direction of the arrow 103 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the second roller 92 is separated from the first roller 91 when the roller holder 87 is at the second position. The roller holder 87 at the second position abuts on a second rib 98 of the guide member 85 from above from the front. This restricts the rotation of the roller holder 87 at the second position in the direction of the arrow 102, that is, the rotation away from the first position.

The bearing 872 has a gap 94 (an example of an open portion) in a part of the circumferential direction 101 . That is, the bearing 872 is partially open in the circumferential direction 101 . Gap 94 is shorter than the diameter of shaft 31 . The shaft 31 is fitted in the bearing 872 with a gap 94 interposed therebetween. When the shaft 31 passes through the gap 94, the bearing 872 is pushed by the shaft 31 and bends. As a result, the gap 94 becomes larger and the shaft 31 can pass through the gap 94 . When the shaft 31 passes through the gap 94 and fits into the bearing 872, the deflection of the bearing 872 is eliminated. Therefore, the shaft 31 is prevented from slipping out of the bearing 872 through the clearance 94 .

Note that the configurations of the shaft 31 and the bearing 872 are not limited to those described above. For example, the roller holder 87 may have the shaft 31 and the housing 14 may have the bearing 872 . Also, for example, the bearing 872 may not have the clearance 94 . In this case, the shaft 31 is inserted into the bearing 872 along the lateral direction 9 .

[Torsion coil spring 88]
A torsion coil spring 88 shown in FIG. 5 biases the roller holder 87 in the direction of an arrow 103 (see FIG. 6). That is, the torsion coil spring 88 biases the roller holder 87 toward the first position.

The shaft 31 passes through the torsion coil spring 88 . One arm 881 of the torsion coil spring 88 is connected to the roller holder 87 . The other arm 882 of the torsion coil spring 88 is connected to the housing 14 .

The biasing member that biases the roller holder 87 is not limited to the torsion coil spring 88, and may be, for example, a plate spring.

[Guide member 85]
As shown in FIG. 2, the guide member 85 is positioned behind the feed trays 132 and 133 . Further, the guide member 85 is positioned above the shaft 31 , that is, downstream of the shaft 31 in the conveying direction 16 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the guide member 85 includes a main body 95 , bearings 96 , first ribs 97 (an example of ribs), and second ribs 98 .

The body 95 is generally plate-shaped. The main body 95 has a recess 99 recessed upward in the state shown in FIG. The recess 99 is defined by two surfaces 991,992. In the state shown in FIG. 5, the surface 991 extends upward toward the front. Also, the surface 992 extends upward toward the rear. That is, in the state shown in FIG. 5 , the surface 991 extends toward the bottom of the recess 99 as it approaches the shaft 32 , and the surface 992 extends toward the bottom of the recess 99 as it moves away from the shaft 32 . The faces 991 , 992 are continuous at the bottom of the recess 99 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the bearing 96 is provided in the lower portion of the main body 95 and opened in the left-right direction 9 . A shaft 32 provided in the housing 14 and extending in the left-right direction 9 is inserted into the opening 961 of the bearing 96 . The bearing 96 thereby supports the shaft 32 . That is, the guide member 85 is rotatably supported by the main body 95 .

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 9, the shaft 32 and bearing 96 are located behind the second roller 92. As shown in FIG. That is, the shaft 32 and the bearing 96 are located on the opposite side of the second roller 92 to the first roller 91 .

The opening 961 of the bearing 96 is elliptical. Thereby, the bearing 96 into which the shaft 32 is inserted can move relative to the shaft 32 . That is, the guide member 85 is slidably supported with respect to the main body 95 . That is, the guide member 85 is rotatable and slidable with respect to the main body 95 .

The first rib 97 protrudes forward from the front surface 952 of the main body 95 in the state shown in FIG. A plurality of first ribs 97 are provided at intervals in the left-right direction 9 . Each first rib 97 extends along the conveying direction 16, that is, generally upwards. The tip of the first rib 97 forms part of the transport path 65 and can guide the paper. The tip of the downstream end portion 971 of the first rib 97 is curved while changing its direction from above to the front. Accordingly, as described above, the transport path 65 is curved forward above the rear end of the feed tray 133 . Further, as a result, the downstream end portion 971 of the first rib 97 in the conveying direction 16 protrudes forward from the other portions.

The second rib 98 protrudes forward from the front surface 952 of the main body 95 in the state shown in FIG. That is, the second rib 98 protrudes from the main body 95 to the same side as the first rib 97 . A plurality of second ribs 98 are provided at intervals in the left-right direction 9 . As shown in FIG. 6, each of the second ribs 98 abuts on the roller holder 87 at the second position from below to support the roller holder 87 at the second position, and at the same time as the arrow of the roller holder 87 at the second position. Rotation in the direction of 102 is restricted.

The guide member 85 is rotatable to a closed position shown in FIG. 1 and an open position shown in FIG. Guide member 85 in the closed position is shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 in addition to FIG. Guide member 85 in the open position is shown in FIGS. 5, 6 and 8 in addition to FIG. The guide member 85 moves from the closed position to the open position by rotating in the direction of the arrow 104 (see FIG. 7). Also, the guide member 85 moves from the open position to the closed position by rotating in the direction of the arrow 105 (see FIG. 8).

When the guide member 85 is in the closed position, as shown in FIGS. 1, 7 and 9, the parts of the guide member 85 are as follows.

As shown in FIG. 1, the main body 95 extends generally in the vertical direction 7 and the horizontal direction 9 . A rear surface 951 of the main body 95 forms part of the rear surface of the housing 14 . That is, the main body 95 forms part of the rear wall of the housing 14 . Also, as shown in FIG. 9 , the first rib 97 is located downstream of the second roller 92 in the conveying direction 16 . Also, the lower end of the first rib 97 is located below the upper end of the roller holder 87 . That is, the upstream end of the first rib 97 in the conveying direction 16 is positioned upstream in the conveying direction 16 from the downstream end of the roller holder 87 in the conveying direction 16 . Further, the tip of the first rib 97 constitutes a part of the transport path 65 and can guide the paper. Also, the second rib 98 is located below the first rib 97 . Also, the second rib 98 is located behind the roller holder 87 .

As shown in FIG. 7, when the guide member 85 is in the closed position, the shaft 32 is positioned at one end (lower end in FIG. 7) of the opening 961 of the bearing 96. As shown in FIG. In the process of rotating the guide member 85 from the closed position to the open position, the shaft 32 relatively moves from one end of the opening 961 of the bearing 96 to the other end (from the lower end to the upper end). That is, the bearing 96 moves downward relative to the shaft 32 . As a result, the guide member 85 slides downward. As a result, when the guide member 85 rotates, the downstream end portion 971 of the first rib 97 in the conveying direction 16 comes into contact with a member positioned thereabove (for example, the guide member 33 forming part of the conveying path 65). can be avoided. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the rotation of the guide member 85 from being hindered by the guide member 33 .

When the guide member 85 rotates in the direction of the arrow 104 and reaches the open position, as shown in FIG. The convex portion 34 abuts from below. The convex portion 34 protrudes upward from a base portion 151 forming the lower portion of the housing 14 . As a result, the rotation of the guide member 85 in the direction of the arrow 104 (the direction away from the closed position, see FIG. 7) is restricted by the convex portion 34 . Further, the slide of the guide member 85 caused by the relative movement of the bearing 96 with respect to the shaft 32 is also restricted by the convex portion 34 .

As shown in Figures 3, 5, 6 and 8, when the guide member 85 is in the open position, the parts of the guide member 85 are as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the transport path 65 and roller holders 87 are exposed to the outside. Further, as described above, the convex portion 34 is in contact with the guide member 85 from below. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the second rib 98 of the guide member 85 can contact the roller holder 87 at the second position from below.

[Operation of guide member 85 and roller holder 87 against paper jam]
When the paper is jammed near the intermediate roller pair 86, the user rotates the guide member 85 from the closed position (see FIG. 1) to the open position (see FIG. 3). As a result, the transport path 65 jammed with paper is exposed to the outside.

If the paper is not sandwiched between the intermediate roller pair 86, the user removes the paper.

When the paper is sandwiched between the intermediate roller pair 86, the user pulls the paper rearward (or diagonally upward rearward). At this time, a force in the direction of arrow 102 (see FIG. 5) acts on the downstream guide surface 874 of the roller holder 87 from the paper. As a result, the roller holder 87 rotates from the first position to the second position against the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 88 . As a result, since the second roller 92 is separated from the first roller 91, the paper can be easily taken out.

Further, when the paper is sandwiched between the intermediate roller pair 86, the roller holder 87 may be gripped by the user and rotated from the first position (see FIG. 5) to the second position (see FIG. 6). . Specifically, when the downstream guide surface 874 of the roller holder 87 is pressed by the user, the roller holder 87 is rotated from the first position to the second position. As a result, the second roller 92 is separated from the first roller 91, so that the paper can be easily taken out.

When the paper is removed and the user does not touch the roller holder 87 , the roller holder 87 is rotated from the second position to the first position by the biasing force of the torsion coil spring 88 .

Finally, the user rotates the guide member 85 from the open position to the closed position.

[Effects of Embodiment]
According to this embodiment, the roller holder 87 is exposed to the outside by rotating the guide member 85 from the closed position to the open position. Here, according to this embodiment, the rotation of the guide member 85 and the rotation of the roller holder 87 can be performed separately. Therefore, even if the guide member 85 rotates, the roller holder 87 does not rotate. As a result, unnecessary rotation of the roller holder 87 can be prevented, and fatigue of the torsion coil spring 88 can be reduced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the paper is jammed inside the housing 14 while being sandwiched between the first roller 91 and the second roller 92, the guide member 85 is rotated from the closed position to the open position. By doing so, the paper can be exposed to the outside. In this state, when the paper is pulled, a force is applied from the paper to the downstream guide surface 874 in the direction from the first position to the second position. Rotate. As a result, the second roller 92 is separated from the first roller 91, so that the jammed paper can be easily removed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, when the paper is jammed inside the housing 14 while being sandwiched between the first roller 91 and the second roller 92, the guide member 85 is rotated from the closed position to the open position. By doing so, the paper can be exposed to the outside. In this state, when the paper is pulled, a force is applied from the paper to the downstream guide surface 874 in the direction from the first position to the second position. Here, if the downstream guide surface 874 does not extend downstream from the first roller 91 in the transport direction 16, the force acting on the downstream guide surface 874 from the paper becomes small, and the roller holder 87 moves from the first position. It may not be possible to rotate to the second position. According to this embodiment, since the downstream guide surface 874 extends downstream in the transport direction 16 from the first roller 91, the force acting on the downstream guide surface 874 from the paper can be increased. This can reduce the possibility that the roller holder 87 will not rotate from the first position to the second position when the paper is pulled.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the guide member 85 is positioned downstream of the shaft 31 in the transport direction 16 , the guide member 85 is arranged more upstream than the shaft 31 in the transport direction 16 . can be miniaturized in the vertical direction 7.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the shaft 31 is positioned below the upper end of the inclined surface 73, the shaft 31 can be guided downstream more than the structure in which the shaft 31 is positioned above the upper end of the inclined surface 73. It can be located far from surface 874 . Therefore, the force acting on the downstream guide surface 874 required to rotate the roller holder 87 from the first position to the second position can be reduced. That is, the roller holder 87 can be rotated with a small force.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, since a plurality of roller holders 87 are arranged at intervals in the left-right direction 9, each roller holder 87 is arranged in a configuration in which one roller holder 87 extending in the left-right direction 9 is arranged. The weight of 87 can be lightened. Therefore, each roller holder 87 can be rotated with a small force.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the downstream end of the roller holder 87 in the transport direction 16 is positioned downstream in the transport direction 16 from the upstream end of the first rib 97 in the transport direction 16 . Therefore, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the paper is caught between the roller holder 87 and the first rib 97 in the transport direction 16 .

Further, according to this embodiment, the shaft 31 can be fitted into the bearing 872 with the gap 94 interposed therebetween. Therefore, it is easy to attach the roller holder 87 to the housing 14 . Further, since the shaft 31 is fitted in the bearing 872, the roller holder 87 can be positioned. As a result, the nip accuracy of the second roller 92 with respect to the first roller 91 can be maintained satisfactorily.

[Modification]
Although the opening 961 of the bearing 96 was elliptical in the above embodiment, it may be circular. In other words, although the guide member 85 is supported rotatably and slidably, it may be supported by the main body 95 only rotatably, not slidably.

In the above embodiment, the guide member 85 has the first rib 97 and the tip of the first rib 97 constitutes a part of the transport path 65. However, the guide member 85 does not have the first rib 97. may In this case, for example, the surface of the main body 95 of the guide member 85 facing the transport path 65 forms part of the transport path 65 .

In the above embodiment, the MFP 10 has three feeding trays 131, 132, and 133, but the number is not limited to three. For example, the multi-function device 10 may have one feeding tray 131 .

In the above-described embodiment, the sheet conveying device is a device for conveying a sheet on which an image is recorded by the print function in the multifunction machine 10, which is an example of an image recording device. However, the sheet conveying device is not limited to the above devices. For example, the sheet conveying device may be provided in the scanner. In this case, the sheet conveying device is a device that conveys a document sheet whose image is read by a scanner.

10 MFP (image recording device)
14 ... housing (main body)
16 Conveyance direction 65 Conveyance path 85 Guide member (first guide member)
87 Roller holder 88 Torsion coil spring (biasing member)
91... First roller 92... Second roller 874... Downstream guide surface

Claims (10)

a main body having a conveying path through which the sheet passes;
a first roller positioned on the transport path;
a second roller facing the first roller;
The second roller is rotatably supported, and is rotatable between a first position where the second roller is in contact with the first roller and a second position where the second roller is separated from the first roller. a roller holder,
a biasing member having one end connected to the roller holder and the other end connected to the main body for biasing the roller holder toward the first position;
a closed position supported by the main body so as to be rotatable independently of the roller holder on the opposite side of the first roller with respect to the second roller, and closed with respect to the main body to form the conveying path; and a first guide member that can rotate to an open position that opens with respect to the main body and exposes the conveying path and the roller holder to the outside,
The sheet conveying device, wherein the roller holder includes a guide portion forming the conveying path downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction of the sheet. 2. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide portion extends downstream in the conveying direction from the first roller. further comprising a third guide member located downstream of the first roller in the conveying direction,
3. The first guide member is positioned downstream of the rotation shaft of the roller holder in the conveying direction, and forms the conveying path with the third guide member in the closed position. The sheet conveying device according to . a tray having a support surface for supporting the sheet;
a feeding unit that feeds the sheet supported by the support surface in a feeding direction;
a second guide member provided downstream in the feeding direction from the tray and having a guide surface inclined upward with respect to the supporting surface as it goes downstream in the feeding direction;
The first roller and the second roller are positioned above the guide surface,
The guide surface abuts on the sheet fed by the feeding unit and guides the sheet toward a position between the first roller and the second roller of the conveying path,
4. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating shaft of the roller holder is positioned below the upper end of the guide surface. 5. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said roller holders are arranged at intervals in a width direction orthogonal to said conveying direction. The first guide members are arranged at intervals in a width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction, each of which extends in the conveying direction and includes a rib capable of guiding the sheet in the closed position,
The sheet conveying apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a downstream end of the roller holder in the conveying direction is positioned downstream in the conveying direction from an upstream end of the rib in the conveying direction. The bearing for the rotating shaft of the roller holder has an open portion that is partially open in the circumferential direction,
7. The sheet conveying device according to claim 1, wherein the rotating shaft of the roller holder can be fitted to the bearing through the opening. 8. The sheet conveying apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first guide member in the closed position forms part of an outer wall of the body. a main body having a conveying path through which the sheet passes;
a first roller positioned on the conveying path;
a second roller facing the first roller;
The second roller is rotatably supported, and is rotatable between a first position where the second roller is in contact with the first roller and a second position where the second roller is separated from the first roller. a roller holder,
a biasing member having one end connected to the roller holder and the other end connected to the main body for biasing the roller holder toward the first position;
a closed position supported by the main body so as to be rotatable independently of the roller holder on the opposite side of the first roller with respect to the second roller, and closed with respect to the main body to form the conveying path; and a first guide member that is rotatable to an open position that opens with respect to the main body and exposes the conveying path and the roller holder to the outside;
a recording unit that records an image on the sheet on the conveying path;
The image recording apparatus, wherein the roller holder includes a guide portion forming the conveying path downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction of the sheet. further comprising a third guide member located downstream of the first roller in the conveying direction,
10. The first guide member according to claim 9, wherein the first guide member is positioned downstream of the rotation shaft of the roller holder in the conveying direction, and forms the conveying path with the third guide member in the closed position. image recorder.

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