JPH01133824A - Recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate an unrecordable range in the rear end of a sheet by controlling a recordable range correlating to a detection signal when a sheet supplying device, which enables the fed sheet to be drawn out till a sheet residual amount disappears in a recording part, is detected to be mounted. CONSTITUTION:When assumed lines A for a distance from a sheet sensor 30 to a pinch roller 6 in the front and lines B for a distance from the sheet sensor 30 to a recording head 4, a sheet 5 generates a bottom end space by the lines B-A when a sheet supplying device 8 is not mounted. Then detecting by a sensor 31 the sheet supplying device 8 for whether or not it is mounted, when it is not mounted, the sheet 5 is fed to the line A after a sheet sensor 30 is turned off during printing. While when the device 8 is detected to be mounted, the sheet is fed to the line B, after the sheet sensor 30 is turned off, performing recording by a recording head 4. Thus by simplified further compact constitution, when the sheet supplying device is mounted, an unrecordable range in the rear end of the sheet can be eliminated or substantially reduced.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a method for storing a plurality of sheets stored in a sheet storage section into one
The present invention relates to a recording device that is removably equipped with a sheet feeding device that automatically feeds sheets one by one to the recording device.

[Conventional technology]

The sheet supply device that supplies sheets to the recording device is provided with a sheet supply device that separates and supplies the sheets stored in the sheet storage section one by one, and a sheet discharge device that pulls out the processed sheets from the recording device and stores them in a stacker. It is being

In addition, in recording devices such as printers, except for some devices, the sheet feeding means is located upstream from the recording section, and the end of the sheet corresponds to the length between the recording section and the sheet feeding means. could not control the sheet feed and could not record.

Further, the sheet ejecting means of the conventional sheet feeding apparatus is a means for ejecting the sheet that has passed through the sheet feeding means in the recording apparatus to the stacker, and an accurate sheet feeding function has not been taken into account.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

Therefore, in the conventional recording apparatus, there was an unrecordable range at the end of the sheet corresponding to the distance between the recording section and the sheet feeding means (such as a feeding roller).

Further, some recording apparatuses are equipped with a feeding means such as a pail roller on the downstream side of the processing section, but the apparatus is large in size, has a complicated structure, and is expensive.

[Means for solving problems]

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus that has a simple and compact configuration and can eliminate or significantly reduce the unrecordable area at the trailing edge of a sheet.

The present invention provides a removable sheet feeding device that can pull out sheets to be sent out until there are no remaining sheets in the recording section, and the recordable range is made variable by controlling the sheet feeding device when the sheet feeding device is attached to the recording device. The above object is achieved by a recording device configured as follows.

〔Example〕

The present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of a main part of a recording apparatus equipped with a sheet feeding device to which the present invention is applied.

In FIG. 1, a sheet feed roller 1 is rotatably supported in a recording device such as a printer, and in front of the sheet feed roller 1 is a guide rail 2 installed parallel to the sheet feed roller 1.
A carriage 3 is provided which reciprocates along the same direction, and a recording head 4 is mounted on the carriage 3.

A pinch roller 6.6 for applying frictional conveyance force to the sheet (recording medium such as paper or a thin plastic plate) 5 is pressed onto the circumferential surface of the sheet feed roller 1, and also,
A paper guide 7 for guiding the sheet is provided around the sheet feeding roller 1.

A sheet feeding device (cut sheet feeder) 8 is removably attached to the upper part of the recording apparatus described above.

The sheet supply device 8 automatically supplies a plurality of sheets stored in the sheet storage portion into the recording apparatus one by one, and automatically discharges the recorded sheets 5.

This sheet feeding device 8 includes a paper feeding roller 11 that is drivably connected to a gear train that is connected to a roller gear (roller gear la in FIG. 7) provided on the shaft of the sheet feeding roller 1 when installed in the recording device. and a paper discharge roller 12 are provided.

In this way, when the sheet feeding device 8 is installed, the sheet feeding motor in the recording device rotates the sheet feeding roller 1, and the power is transmitted to the feeding roller 11 and the paper ejecting roller 12 through the gear train of the sheet feeding device. By transmitting the information to the stacker 9, the sheet 5 is automatically fed and automatically ejected, and the ejected sheets 5 are stacked on the stacker 9.

A clutch is attached to the shaft of the paper feed roller 11, and the clutch is turned on and off by switching the rotational direction of the sheet feed motor, thereby controlling the rotation of the paper feed roller 11. .

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device 8, FIG. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the sheet storage section when ordinary sheets are loaded in the sheet storage section, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the sheet storage section when stacking cardboard.

2 to 4, a stacking plate 18 is urged by a spring 19 toward the circumferential surface of the paper feed roller 11, and the stacking plate 18 is directly pressed against the paper feed roller 11 when there is no sheet.

Two loading plates 18 are provided on the left and right, and each loading plate 18.
18 is rotatably supported by two left and right hopper guides 20, 20 which are movable independently along the guide shaft 21 toward the middle of the sheet 5.

A center guide 22 is mounted between the left and right hopper guides 20, 20 and is movable independently in the left-right direction along the guide shaft 21.

A hopper wire 23 extending upward is attached to the center guide 22, and guides and supports the upper half of the sheet 5 pressed and supported between the stacking plate 18 and the paper feed roller 11.

A front cover 24 is removably attached to the front of the sheet feeding device 8, and inside the front cover 24 is a paper ejection pinch roller 24a that is pressed against the circumferential surface of the paper ejection roller 12 by a leaf spring 24b. is installed. This paper discharge pinch roller 24a is arranged corresponding to each paper discharge roller 12 provided at a plurality of positions.

The paper ejection roller 12 is normally driven in conjunction with the sheet feed roller 1 (FIG. 1) of the recording apparatus at approximately the same circumferential speed (usually a slightly higher circumferential speed), and the paper ejection pinch roller 24a;
t- By being pressed against the discharge roller 12, the recorded sheet 5 sent out from the recording device is reliably pulled up and deposited into the stunker 9 (FIG. 1).

A stunker wire 25 extending upward is detachably attached to the stunker 9 and guides and supports the sheets 5 stacked on the stacker 9.

Legs 41 and 41 projecting downward are provided on the left and right sides of the front bottom of the sheet feeding device 8, and the tip of each leg 41 engages with the shaft of the sheet feeding roller 1 (FIG. 1) when installed. A front opening type substantially horizontal groove 42 is formed.

Further, a claw member 27 is provided on the right wall portion 26 of the recording device at a position a predetermined distance behind the leg portion 41. This claw member 27 is pivotably mounted around a pin 43 and is biased forward by a spring 44.

When the sheet feeding device 8 is attached to the recording device, the grooves 42.42 of the left and right leg portions 41.41 engage with the shaft of the sheet feeding roller 1 (FIG. 1), and the sheet feeding device 8 is attached to the right wall portion 26. The claw member 27 that is attached to the key part 45 (first
3), the sheet feeding device 8 can be reliably fixed to the recording device.

In FIGS. 2-4, the left and right loading plates 18.18 are rotatably supported around pivots 46.46 provided at the upper ends of the left and right hopper guides 20.20, respectively.

On the other hand, a release lever 28 is swingably supported at one end (the right end in FIG. 2) of the guide shaft 21 that supports each popper guide 20 so as to be movable left and right. A release shaft 28a is connected which engages the loading plate 18.18.

Therefore, by rotating the release lever 28, each loading plate 18.18 is pressed by the pressing spring 19.
19 (FIGS. 3 and 4) and can be separated from the paper feed roller 1.

At the outer lower ends of the left and right hopper guides 20.20 and on the front side of the stacking plate 18.18, there are separating claws for separating a plurality of sheets (ordinary sheets) 5 on the stacking plate 18.18 one by one. (Separation means) 20a, 20a are provided.

On the other hand, in the sheet storage portions (sheet loading surfaces) of the left and right loading plates 18.18, guide members 18a movable in forward and backward directions are provided.
, 18a are attached.

That is, when each guide member 18a, 18a retreats (evacuates) from the sheet storage surface, the entire sheet storage section of the stacking plate 18. When driving and supplying sheets, the stacked sheets are guided by left and right hopper guides 20, 20, separated one by one by the separating claws 20a, 20a, and fed into the recording apparatus.

At this time, the friction type center separator (separation means) 29 attached to the center guide 22 is retracted to the rear.

When each of the guide members 18a, 18a is advanced to protrude from the loading surface, the hopper guide 20.20 and the separating claws 20a, 20a are not used;
By protruding the center separator 29 to the use position, a state suitable for supplying thick sheets of paper towels or the like is achieved.

That is, the guide member 1 on the upper surface of the left and right loading plates 18 and 18
When feeding thick sheets such as postcards stored inside 8a and 18a by driving the paper feed roller 11,
The sheets are guided by left and right guide members 18a, 18a, separated one by one by the friction type center separator (separation means) 19, and fed into the recording apparatus.

In FIG. 3, in which the separating claws 20a, 20a are used, the plurality of sheets 5 in the sheet storage section are guided by the hopper guides 20, 20 and brought to the top when the feed roller 11 rotates and a feeding force is applied. When the upper sheet passes over the separating claws 20a, 20a, the leading edge of the sheet curls, so that it can be reliably separated and conveyed (supplied) one by one.

On the other hand, the hopper guide 20.2o and the separation claw 20a,
Guide members 18a, 18 standing upright without using 20a
FIG. 4, in which a and a protruding friction type separation means 29 are used, is a suitable state for supplying a stiff sheet 5 such as a postcard.

In other words, if the sheets 5 stored in the sheet storage section are thick paper such as postcards, the above-mentioned separating claw 2°a method is difficult to curl and it is difficult to reliably separate just one sheet. 20. Separation claw 20a on 20
, 20a, the cardboard (stiff sheet) 5 is separated using a center separator 29 which is a friction type separation means attached to the center guide 22 so as to be movable back and forth.

The tip of the center separator 29 is given an appropriate angle, and when the cardboard 5 sent out by the paper feed roller 11 passes through the inclined part of the center separator 29, the tip of the top layer closest to the paper feed roller 11 Only sheets can be sent out.

Here, the center separator 29 is provided with a member having a high friction coefficient, such as foamed urethane, having spring properties such as a polyester sheet at its tip, and the cardboard is separated by utilizing the friction with the center separator 29. It can be configured as follows.

FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of the center separator 29 and the guide member 18a.

As mentioned above, the separation claws 20a, 20a and the separator 29 are not used at the same time, but are used alternatively, so when the separation claws 20a, 20a are used, the center separator 29 is retracted out of the sheet conveyance path. There is a need. Conversely, when the center separator 29 is used, it is necessary to operate it so that the separation claws 20a, 20a are not located within the sheet conveyance path.

Therefore, the center separator 29 is made movable,
When the separation claws 20a, 20a are used, the center separator 29 is configured to move away from the sheet conveyance path.

In this case, guide members 18a, 18 supported by the loading plate 18.18 and movable (protruding and retracting) with respect to the loading plate 18.
a, and the guide member 18a.

When 18a is projected to the use position and the inner side of the separating claws 20a, 20a is used as the sheet conveyance path, it is preferable that the center separator 29 is also configured to protrude to the use position (inside the sheet conveyance path) in conjunction with this. .

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an interlocking mechanism between the guide members 18a, 18a and the center separator 29.

In FIG. 5, the left and right guide members 18a, 18a and the center separator 29 at the intermediate portion are connected by a link mechanism, and by driving the link mechanism using a solenoid 47 provided in the device, the guide members 18a, 18a are connected to each other by a link mechanism. and the center separator 29 are automatically and simultaneously moved to the use position or the retracted position.

In this way, in the sheet feeding device that supplies the plurality of sheets 5 stored in the sheet storage section (on the stacking plate 18) one by one, one sheet is separated from the plurality of sheets 5 stored in the sheet storage section. A plurality of separating means 20a, 20a, 29 are provided which have a feeding mechanism and can be selected according to the stiffness (thickness) and other characteristics of the stored sheet 5. It is possible to obtain a sheet supply device configured to retract the separating means outside the sheet supply path and hold it at the retracted position.

Further, the selection of the plurality of separating means 20a, 20a, and 29 is performed by moving a guide member 18a provided in the sheet storage section 18.

Furthermore, the selection of the plurality of separating means 20a, 29 is performed by retracting the separating means 29 out of the sheet supply path and moving a guide member 18a provided in the sheet storage section,
The guide member 18a is configured to move in conjunction with the retracting operation of the separating means 29.

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the sheet ejecting mechanism with the sheet feeding device 8 attached to the recording apparatus.The sheet ejecting mechanism will be described below with reference to FIG.

In FIG. 6, a paper ejection pinch roller 24a is attached to the inner surface of a front cover 24 which is removably provided to cover the front of the paper ejection roller 12 via a leaf spring 24b. The rollers 24a (usually a plurality of rollers) are pressed against the front side of each corresponding discharge roller 12 by the spring force of each leaf spring 24b.

The sheet 5 sent out from the recording device is transported by the paper ejection roller 1.
The sheet is conveyed to the stunker 9 by the rotational force of the paper sheet 2 and the pressing force of the sheet discharge pinch roller 24a.

Therefore, the sheet conveyance force of the paper ejection roller 12 is increased by the pressure contact force of the paper ejection pinch roller 24a.
Even after the conveyance force of the sheet feed roller 1 in the recording apparatus is lost, the sheet from the recording apparatus can be reliably fed by the sheet discharge roller 12.

In a conventional recording device, the conveying force (sheet feeding) of the sheet feeding roller 1 is transferred to the pinch roller 6 below the recording head 4.
(Fig. 6), there is an unrecordable area (bottom margin) at the bottom end of the sheet 5 corresponding to the distance between the recording head 4 and the pinch roller 6, resulting in waste of the sheet 5 and poor image arrangement. There were restrictions.

In contrast, in the structure of the embodiment, the paper ejection roller 12 is driven in synchronization with the sheet feed roller 1 at approximately the same circumferential speed, and the paper ejection pinch roller 24a is provided in pressure contact with the sheet feed roller 1.
The paper ejection roller 12 has a large (reliable) sheet feeding force, so that even after the sheet feeding roller 1 loses its conveying force, the sheet can be fed only by the paper ejection roller 12, without creating a bottom margin. It becomes possible to record up to the bottom end of the sheet 5.

Therefore, when the sheet supply device 8 is installed in the recording apparatus, if this is detected and the drive of the paper ejection roller 12 is controlled,
The recordable range for the sheet 5 can be increased as appropriate, and can be increased to the point where there is no bottom margin if necessary.

Further, the circumferential speed of the paper ejection roller 12 is set to be slightly faster than the circumferential speed of the sheet feed roller 1 (for example, about 0.2 to 0.8%), and the sheet 5 is This allows for reliable transportation without causing any slack.

However, if the rotation speed of the paper ejection roller 12 is faster than the sheet feed roller 1, the tension of the sheet 5 between the paper ejection roller 12 and the sheet feed roller 1 increases due to variations in the thickness of the sheet 5, and the sheet 5 is transported. Since the load increases, sheet feeding accuracy may decrease.

Therefore, in the structure of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a friction clutch 15 is provided at the end of the paper ejection roller 12, and when a load of more than a certain level is applied to the paper ejection roller 12, the rotational speed of the paper ejection roller 12 is reduced. A mechanism is provided to slow it down. By doing so, the sheet 5 can always be fed with a constant transport load, and a decrease in sheet feeding accuracy can be prevented.

FIG. 7 shows a gear train that transmits power from the roller gear 1a on the axis of the sheet feed roller 1 to the paper feed roller 11 and the paper discharge roller 12, and FIGS.
This shows the clutch attached to the shaft.

In FIG. 7, a roller gear 1a fixed to the shaft of a sheet feeding roller 1 in the recording device is meshed with a gear 13a pivotally supported on a sheet feeding device 8, and these gears 18% 13
The driving force of the sheet feeding roller 1 is transmitted to the sheet feeding device 8 by the meshing of the sheets a.

On the other hand, a paper feed gear 17, a clutch 16, and a clutch gear 14 are attached to the shaft of the paper feed roller 11, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. The clutch 16 and the clutch gear 14 are directly connected to each other, and the clutch 16 and the clutch gear 14 are rotatable about the shaft of the paper feed roller 11 as a support shaft.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, a clutch pawl 14a is provided on the flange surface of the clutch gear 14, and when the clutch gear 14 rotates, the clutch pawl 14a moves on the outer circumference of the clutch 16. slide.

Further, the shaft of the paper feed roller 11 is supported by a one-way clutch (not shown), and is rotatable only in the direction of arrow A.

FIG. 8 shows the state where the clutch is ON, and the clutch pawl 14 is inserted through the notch hole 16a formed on the outer periphery of the clutch 16.
a has entered and engaged with the paper feed gear 17. In this state, the rotation of the clutch gear 14 is transmitted to the paper feed gear 17,
Paper feed roller 11 rotates.

In FIG. 7, the driving force of the roller gear 1a is transmitted to the clutch gear 14 via gear trains 13a to 13e provided in the sheet feeding device 8. Therefore, the clutch gear 14 operates regardless of whether or not the paper feed roller 11 rotates.
If the roller gear 1a provided on the shaft of the sheet feed roller 1 in the recording apparatus rotates out of rotation, it will always rotate.

A friction clutch gear 15 is attached to the shaft of the paper ejection roller 12.
(Fig. 7) is installed, and as shown in Fig. 7,
The clutch gear 14 and the friction clutch gear 1
5 are meshed and connected by gear trains 13f to 13h, and the rotation of the clutch gear 14 is connected to the paper discharge roller 12.
It is configured to be transmitted to.

FIG. 10 is a developed view of the peripheral surface of the clutch 16 on which the clutch pawl 14a (FIGS. 8 and 9) slides.

In FIG. 10, the peripheral surface of the clutch 16 has HPl, H
There is a stopper F2, and Sl indicates the notch hole 16a.

There is a boundary line between La and Lb at the boundary between the area 5HP1 on the HPl side and the area 5HP2 on the HF2 side, and the clutch pawl 1
When 4a moves from HPI to HF2, HPI → l,
b-HF2 is moved, and when moving from HF2 to HPI, HP2→La-eHPl is moved.

The direction in which the clutch pawl 14a moves from HF2 to HPI is the direction in which the sheet feed roller 1 performs forward feeding (FWD), and the direction in which the clutch pawl 14a moves from HPI to HF2 is in reverse feeding (R
EV).

8 to 10, even if the clutch pawl 14a is in any position, the clutch pawl 14a is inserted into the notch hole S1.
(16a), an initialization operation is performed to ensure that the clutch pawl 14a is inserted into HPl. HP
Since the distance from I to 81 is constant, if the clutch pawl 14a is located at HPI, it is easy to move it to 81 reliably.

In the initialization operation, the clutch pawl 14a is set to Sl and Sl.
When the clutch pawl 14a is moved in the HP1 direction when the clutch pawl 14a is in the area surrounded by and Lb, the clutch pawl 14a moves to 81
Because it is inserted inside and the clutch is turned on,
In order to avoid this, the clutch pawl 14a is initially moved to HF2.

Since the clutch pawl 14a reliably moves to 5HP2-HPl, all initialization operations are performed when the clutch pawl 14 moves to HF2.
This can be done by moving the image a and then moving it to the HPI.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the thalassochi sequence. Next, clutch control will be explained with reference to FIG. 11.

First, as shown in FIG. 1, the recording device is provided with a C3F sensor 31 that detects the presence or absence of the sheet feeding device 8 and a sheet sensor 30 that detects the presence or absence of the sheet 5. When the sheet sensor 30 is OFF, the feeder mode is set and initialization begins.

In FIG. 11, when the print key is turned on in step F1, the process proceeds to step F2B and the C3F sensor 31 is turned on (
If it is ON, the process proceeds to step F3, where it is determined whether the sheet sensor 30 is ON (sheet present).

If there is no sheet feeding device in step F2, printing 1 is performed.

In step F3, printing 2 is performed even if there is a sheet.

If there is no sheet in step F3, proceed to step F4, and use REV (reverse feed) to return 10 lines and FWD (
Rotate the sheet feed roller 1 by 10 lines using advance feed),
The aforementioned clutch pawl 14a is moved to HP1 (Fig. 10).

Next, proceed to step F5 and rotate 4 lines in the return direction,
Clutch pawl 14a is moved from HPI to hole 31 (FIG. 10) to turn the clutch ON.

Next, in step F6, when the sheet is fed by one line in the feeding direction, the sheet feeding operation starts, and the sheet 5 is fed into the recording apparatus.

Then, in step F7, the sheet sensor 3 in the recording device
0, the sensor 30 is turned on while detecting the presence or absence of the sheet (
The paper feed operation is performed until the paper reaches (sheet present).

After the sheet sensor 30 is turned on, perform the operation of forwarding 3 lines and returning 4 lines in step F8, and then turn off the clutch 16.
state.

Furthermore, the process advances to the next step F9 and the sheet 5 is conveyed to the recording position.

Here, in step F8, the clutch 16 is turned off by returning REV), and the 12th
As indicated by X in the figure (, return feed of sheet 5 (RE V
) to move the sheet 5 away from the pressure of the pinch roller 6 and to curl the sheet 5, thereby simultaneously eliminating the problem of the sheet 5 getting wedged into the pinch roller 6 and running diagonally. can do.

Further, as described above, when the sheet feeding device 8 is installed in a recording device, even after the sheet conveying force of the recording device is lost, the pulling force (ill feeding force) of the paper ejection roller 12 of the sheet feeding device 8 is maintained. Since sheet feeding can be accurately controlled, printing can be performed freely up to the bottom edge of the sheet without creating a bottom margin.

FIG. 12 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a main part of a recording apparatus equipped with a sheet feeding device 8 according to the present invention.

In FIG. 12, the distance from the sheet sensor 30 to the front pinch roller 6 is defined as line A, and the sheet sensor 3
Assuming that the distance from 0 to the recording head 4 is line B, when the sheet feeding device 8 is not attached, a bottom margin of (B-A) lines is created on the sheet 5.

Therefore, as shown in the flowchart of FIG. 11, control can be performed to change the printing range of the sheet 5 depending on the presence or absence of the sheet feeding device 8.

In FIG. 11, when the sheet supply device 8 (FIG. 12) is not installed, "Print 1" control is performed, and when the sheet supply device 8 is installed, "Print 2" control is performed.

In "Printing 1", the sheet sensor 30 (
12), and after the sheet sensor 30 turns OFF (no sheet), feed the sheet 5 to line A. In "Printing 2", after the sheet sensor 30 turns OFF, While performing control to feed the sheet 5 to the B row, it is possible to record on the sheet 5 in the recording mode 4.

If such printing control is performed, the printable range of the sheet 5 can be expanded by installing the sheet feeding device 8.

Next, the attachment and detachment of the sheet feeding device 8 to and from the recording apparatus will be explained.

FIG. 13 is a right side view showing a state in which the sheet feeding device 8 is connected to the upper part of the recording device.

In FIG. 13, a groove 42 is formed in the right side plate 26R and left side plate 26L (not shown) of the sheet feeding device 8 to engage with the shaft 48 of the sheet feed roller 1 of the recording device. This groove 42 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction of the recording device, and its opening faces forward. In the illustrated example, the left and right grooves 42.42 are the left and right side plates 26L, 26.
It is formed in left and right leg portions 41.41 extending downward from R.

When installing, move the sheet feeding device 8 to the sheet feeding roller 1.
The connecting groove 42.4 is lowered from the upper rear of the shaft 48 of the
After placing the shaft 48 of the sheet feeding roller 1 against the upper wall of the roller 2, slide the sheet feeding device 8 toward you and
into the groove 42.

At this time, since the upper wall of the valley groove 42, 42 protrudes forward longer than the lower wall, the shaft 48 of the sheet feed roller 1
can be easily fitted.

As shown in FIG. 13, the right side plate 26R has a pin 4.
A claw member 27 is rotatably pivotally connected to 3 and biased clockwise (with the engaging portion forward) by a spring 44.

In the installed state shown in FIG. 13, the claw member 27 is inserted into an engaging portion 45 provided on the exterior of the recording device, and the spring force of the spring 44 urges the tip claw portion of the claw member 27 forward. This prevents the sheet feeding device 8 from coming off the recording device.

Here, the sheet feeding device 8 receives power from the sheet feeding motor of the recording apparatus through meshing of the gear 13a and the roller gear 1a of the sheet feeding roller 1.

Therefore, when a load is applied when driving the sheet feeding roller 11 or the sheet ejecting roller 12 of the sheet feeding device 8, the gear 13a on the sheet feeding device side tends to move away from the roller gear 1a in the direction of arrow A. do. For this reason, in the conventional sheet feeding apparatus, problems such as insufficient meshing between the gear 13a and the roller gear 1a and tooth skipping occur.

However, the sheet feeding device 8 according to the present invention shown in FIG.
In this case, the gear 13a is installed to be located directly above the roller gear 1a in the vertical direction.
Even if 3a tries to move in the six directions of arrows due to the above load, some displacement in the direction of arrow A occurs, but the displacement is also in the tangential direction and does not lead to problems such as tooth skipping.

When removing the sheet feeding device 8 from the recording device, keep the distal end claw portion of the claw member 27 separated from the engaging portion 45 provided on the exterior of the recording device by rotating it in the direction of arrow C. , the sheet feeding device 8 is moved in the direction of arrow B and upward)
Remove it from the recording device while rotating it.

At this time, since the releasing direction of the claw member (direction of arrow C) and the direction of removing the sheet feeding device 8 (direction of rotation in the direction of arrow B) are selected to be approximately the same direction, the sheet feeding device 8
can be easily removed from the recording device.

FIG. 14 is a right side view of another embodiment of the structure of the coupling portion between the sheet feeding device 8 and the recording device.

The structure of FIG. 14 replaces the rotatable pawl member 27 and spring 44 in the structure of FIG.
6R is formed with a downward protrusion 26a, and a recess 10a is formed in the upper part of the outer device 0 of the recording apparatus, and the protrusion 26a is inserted into the recess 10a from above.

The bonding structure shown in FIG. 14 differs from the bonding structure shown in FIG. 13 in the above points, and other parts are substantially the same as those shown in FIG. Detailed explanation will be omitted.

According to the coupling structure of the sheet feeding device 8 shown in FIG. 14,
When a load is applied during sheet conveyance, a force in the direction of arrow A is applied to the sheet feeding device 8 so as to move it in a direction directly opposite to the opening of the coupling groove 42,42.

Therefore, if the coupling 442 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction (approximately horizontal direction), the positioning protrusion 26a that engages with the outer device 0 of the recording device presses against the outer device 0. , the sheet feeding device 8 will not be separated from this outer device 0.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheets 5 discharged upward through the sheet conveyance means consisting of the discharge roller 12 and the discharge pinch roller 24a are stacked on the stacker 9, and the stacker 9 has the processed sheets ( A stacker wire 25 is attached which forms an extended surface for holding the stacked sheets (5).

However, on the opposite surface (rear side) of the stacker 9 (specifically, the stacker wire 25) to the sheet stacking surface, the sheets stored in the sheet storage section consisting of the stacking plate 18 and the hopper wire 23 are stored. A protrusion 25a125a for guiding and holding 5 is provided.

By providing these projections 25a, 25a, problems such as the seat 5 in the seat storage section buckling as shown by the dotted chain line Y in FIG. It has become possible to accurately convey the sheet by the paper roller 11.

The sheet guide protrusion 25a provided on the back surface of the stacker wire 25 may be integrally formed by bending the wire itself as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
It is also possible to provide the straight stacker wire 25 by fixing a separately molded member of plastic or the like with adhesive or the like.

Figure 15 shows the front cover 24 in Figures 1 and 2.
It is a partial perspective view showing the inside of.

In FIGS. 1, 2, and 15, the front cover 24 has a guide for guiding the sheet 5 to be conveyed to the stacker 9 through a sheet ejecting means consisting of the ejecting roller 12 and the ejecting pinch roller 24a. The inner surface of the front cover 24 is provided with a plurality of longitudinal guide ribs 5 arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the seat.
1 is formed.

However, a suitable number of the plurality of guide ribs 51, for example, two left and right guide ribs (guiding means) 51 located at a predetermined interval, are provided on the stunker 9 (including the stunker wire 25). Stored (deposited) sheets 5
An abutment protrusion 52 is provided to prevent buckling and falling.

By providing the abutting protrusion 52 on the guide means formed by the front cover 24, the stacked sheets 5 on the stacker 9 can be moved as shown by the two-dot chain line Z in FIG. This prevents the problem of buckling and allows the processed sheets 5 to be stored in the correct stacking posture on the stacker 9 (including the stacker wire 25). As shown in Figure 2, the left and right hopper guides 20.20
A center guide 22 that can move left and right along a guide shaft 21 is provided between them, and the center guide 22 has a friction-type roller that is suitable for separating and feeding stiff (thick) sheets 5 such as postcards. Separation means (center separator) 2
9 is attached so that it can move (advance and retreat).

However, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this separating means 29 has a mechanism that prevents the sheet 5 from buckling forward in the sheet conveyance direction (lower side in FIGS. 4 and 4) from the separating portion 29a. A sheet guide section 55 is integrally provided for this purpose.

The sheet guide section 55 is intended to prevent the sheet 5 from buckling and entering the gap between the paper guide of the recording device and the sheet feeding device 8 as shown by the two-dot chain line W, and is particularly When using thick paper such as postcards, the problem that tends to occur when the sheet 5 is reversely fed to turn off the clutch 16 (FIG. 9) or to correct the skew of the sheet 5, as shown by the two-dot chain line W above. This is effective in preventing severe buckling.

Since the sheet guide section 55 is provided integrally with the central separation means 29, it is effective in preventing the above-mentioned buckling when feeding thick paper such as postcards, and the separation claws 20a,
When feeding a normal sheet using 20a, it can be retracted at the same time as the separating means 29 is retracted.

Therefore, there is no need to increase the number of parts or require extra space. We were able to configure the guide section.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the recording apparatus of the present invention, a sheet feeding device is detachably attached which can pull out sheets to be sent out until there are no remaining sheets in the recording section, and when the sheet feeding device is attached, the sheet feeding device Since the recordable range is made variable by controlling the device, it has a simple and compact configuration and can eliminate or significantly reduce the unrecordable range at the trailing edge of the sheet when the sheet feeding device is installed. A device is obtained.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a main part of a recording device equipped with a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a recording device using a separation claw. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the paper feeding mechanism using a center separator, FIG. 5 is a side view of the interlocking mechanism of the center separator and guide member in FIG. 4, and FIG. FIG. 7 is a side view showing the power transmission mechanism of the sheet feeding device shown in FIG. 2; FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the clutch mechanism of the paper feeding roller in an ON state; 9 is a partial perspective view of FIG. 8 in the OFF state, FIG. 10 is a developed view of the circumferential surface of the clutch of FIG. 8, FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation sequence of the clutch of FIG. 8, and FIG. 12 is 13 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of a recording device equipped with a sheet feeding device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 13 is a side view of a joint structure between the sheet feeding device and the recording device, and FIG. FIG. 15 is a side view showing another example of the structure of the connecting portion with the recording device, and FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the inside part of the front cover in FIG. 1. 1---------Sheet feed roller, 1a・-
---11----Roller Gya, 4-----------・
-Recording head, 5-------- Sheet, 8-
...--- Sheet feeding device, 9・-11------
--Stacker, 11---11--Paper feed roller, 12--111--11-Paper discharge roller, 13 a
~13 h----Gear train, 16-------
------Clutch, 1 B-------------1 loading plate (seat storage section), 18 a-----1 guide member, 20----- ---Hopper guide, 20a------One-separate claw, 22----
----------- Center guide, 23---------・
- Hopper wire, 24-----Front cover, 24a-----Protrusion, 27----
--------One claw member (locking member), 29-・-111---- Center separator (separation means), 4
2-・--11-----Groove for coupling, 48--・--
Shaft of sheet feed roller, 51--Guiding rib (guiding means), 52--1--1 abutting protrusion. Agent Patent Attorney Yasutake Ooto

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A sheet feeding device capable of pulling out sheets to be sent out until there is no remaining sheet in the recording section is detachably attached, and a detection means for detecting that the sheet feeding device is attached is provided, and a detection means is provided to detect that the sheet feeding device is attached. A recording device characterized in that a recordable range is controlled in relation to a detection signal.