JP2005200141A - Recording medium feeding device and recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an adverse effect of downsizing a feeding device, in particular, to surely prevent double feeding of paper and to maintain paper setting properties.
A recording sheet P supported in an inclined posture by a hopper 10 is pressed against a feeding roller 11 when the hopper 10 is raised, and is fed downstream as the feeding roller 11 rotates. The leading edge of the recording paper P that has been double-fed and stayed in the friction separator 13 is returned to the leading edge support surface 38 a side by the turning operation of the return lever 12. The return lever 12 changes in order from the first posture, which is the standby posture, to the second, third, and fourth postures, and returns to the first posture. The second posture is a posture that overlaps with the leading end support surface 38a, whereby the leading end portion of the recording paper P is pressed against the hopper 10, and the uppermost recording paper P does not inadvertently contact the feeding roller 11. Unintentional feeding is prevented.
[Selection] Figure 6

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium, a recording medium feeding apparatus capable of setting a plurality of recording media and feeding the recording medium one by one downstream, and a recording apparatus including the recording medium feeding apparatus. .

  A printer as an example of a recording apparatus is provided with a feeding device (ASF) capable of setting a plurality of sheets as recording media in an inclined posture. The feeding device includes, for example, a feeding roller, a hopper capable of switching between a posture for supporting and supporting the paper against the feeding roller and a posture for separating the paper, and a front end of the paper set in an inclined posture. A guide portion having a tip support surface for supporting the sheet, a separating means for separating the uppermost sheet to be fed and the next and subsequent sheets by contacting the feeding roller, and multiple feeding at the time of feeding And a return lever for returning the sheet to the front support surface side.

  Conventionally, the return lever has been driven and controlled to take approximately two postures. In other words, when waiting for feeding, the first posture for closing the sheet feeding path is taken. Then, when the paper feeding operation is started, the drive control is performed so as to rotate to the downstream side of the paper feeding path so as to retreat from the paper feeding path. After that, when the uppermost sheet to be fed is fed by a certain amount, the first and subsequent sheets to be double fed are rotated in a direction to return to the upstream side, and the first sheet is fed. The drive is controlled to return to the posture.

  Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2003-26349 (Patent Document 1) discloses a feeding device that is driven and controlled so that a return lever has three positions. The first position is a standby position as described above, and the second position is a position rotated slightly upstream from the first position. This is to return the newly stacked sheet material to a predetermined position (the tip support surface) when the sheet material is newly stacked during the waiting for feeding. The third position is a position rotated to the most downstream side so as to retreat from the sheet feeding path, as in the second posture. At the time of feeding, the return lever is driven and controlled so as to transit to the first to third positions in order.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-26349

  By the way, in the case of further downsizing the apparatus, there arises a situation in which the interval between the uppermost sheet and the feed roller when the maximum number of sheets is set must be reduced as much as possible. In this case, especially when the maximum number of sheets is set, the interval between the top sheet and the feeding roller is the smallest. Depending on the stacking condition of the sheets, the top sheet and the feeding roller In some cases, the sheet is brought into contact with the sheet, and the sheet feeding is started immediately after the rotation of the feeding roller is started.

  Here, in a feeding device including a feeding roller having a substantially D shape when viewed from the side, the feeding roller is rotated to form a pressure contact at the arcing portion of the separating means (for example, a friction separating material) and the feeding roller. The hopper ascending timing is determined so that the leading edge of the sheet enters the separating means after forming and forming a state capable of preventing double feeding. However, as described above, when the sheet feeding starts immediately after the feeding roller starts rotating, the leading edge of the sheet enters the separating unit without forming a pressure contact between the feeding roller and the separating unit. This may cause a problem that double feed occurs.

  In the feeding device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the newly loaded sheet material is returned to a predetermined position when the return lever transitions from the first position to the second position. The problem of preventing double feed caused by a small distance between the feed roller and the uppermost sheet could not be solved.

  In addition, particularly in the case of further downsizing the apparatus, since the tip support surface has no dimensional allowance, when additional sheets are set when the number of sheets set is near the maximum set number, The leading edge of the sheet is likely to fall downstream without contacting the leading edge support surface. In this case, the leading edge (and the trailing edge) between the additionally set paper and the already set paper is not used, although the leading edge of the paper is in direct contact with the return lever in the standby position to prevent further depression. They are not uniform, are not preferable in appearance, and lower the user's operational feeling when setting.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of such a problem, the problem of which is to prevent adverse effects when miniaturizing the feeding device, in particular, to reliably prevent double feeding of paper, The purpose is to maintain paper setting.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the first aspect of the present invention is to support the recording medium in an inclined posture while feeding the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium, A hopper provided so as to be able to switch between a posture in which the recording medium is pressed against the feeding roller and a posture in which the recording medium is separated from the feeding roller; a lower end of the hopper; A guide portion having a tip support surface for supporting the tip, a separating means for separating the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording media; It is provided so as to be able to rotate when viewed from the side of the medium feeding path. By rotating, the leading end of the next and subsequent recording media that has advanced downstream along with the uppermost recording medium to be fed is provided. Recording to be returned to the tip support surface side A recording medium feeding device comprising a body return lever, wherein the recording medium return lever is configured to change to first to third postures when the recording medium is fed; Is a posture that closes the feeding path of the recording medium and is a posture in which the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the feeding path of the recording medium is viewed from the side. The second posture is a posture rotated upstream from the first posture, and the recording medium return lever overlaps the tip support surface when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side. The third posture is a posture rotated from the second posture to the downstream side so as to retreat from the feeding path of the recording medium.

  According to the above aspect, the recording medium return lever is driven and controlled so as to return to the first posture after sequentially changing to the first to third postures. Since the second posture rotated from the upstream side to the upstream side is the posture overlapping the tip support surface, the tip of the recording medium placed on the recording medium return lever at the time of feeding standby is Once returned to the front end support surface, the front end of the bundle of recording media in a stacked state is pressed toward the hopper. Accordingly, contact between the uppermost recording medium and the feeding roller during standby is prevented, and an appropriate feeding operation (multifeed prevention) can be executed.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feeding roller that feeds the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium, and supports the recording medium in an inclined posture, and the recording medium is supported by the feeding roller. A hopper provided so as to be switchable between a posture in which it is pressed against and a posture in which it is separated from the feeding roller, and a tip support surface that is provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and supports the tip of the set recording medium. A guide unit having a separating unit that separates the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording medium; and a feeding path of the recording medium when viewed from the side. The leading end of the next and subsequent recording media that has advanced downstream along with the topmost recording medium to be fed is moved toward the leading end support surface. A recording medium return lever to be returned A recording medium feeding device, wherein the recording medium return lever is configured to change to the first to third postures when feeding the recording medium, and the first posture is a position of the recording medium. The posture for closing the feeding path is a posture in which the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the feeding path of the recording medium is viewed from the side. 1 is a posture rotated from the first posture to the upstream side, a posture in which the leading end portion of the recording medium set is pressed against the hopper, and the third posture is It is characterized in that it is a posture rotated from the second posture to the downstream side so as to retreat from the recording medium feeding path.

  According to the above aspect, like the first aspect described above, the recording medium return lever is controlled to return to the first position after sequentially changing to the first to third positions. Since the posture is a posture in contact with the leading end portion of the set recording medium and pressing the leading end portion toward the hopper, the recording target that has been placed on the recording medium return lever during feeding standby is thereby The front end of the medium is once returned to the front end support surface, and the front end of the bundle of recording media in a stacked state is pressed toward the hopper. Accordingly, contact between the uppermost recording medium and the feeding roller during standby is prevented, and an appropriate feeding operation (multifeed prevention) can be executed.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feeding roller that feeds the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium, and supports the recording medium in an inclined posture, and the recording medium is supported by the feeding roller. A hopper provided so as to be switchable between a posture in which it is pressed against and a posture in which it is separated from the feeding roller, and a tip support surface that is provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and supports the tip of the set recording medium. A guide unit having a separating unit that separates the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording medium; and a feeding path of the recording medium when viewed from the side. The leading end of the next and subsequent recording media that has advanced downstream along with the topmost recording medium to be fed is moved toward the leading end support surface. A recording medium return lever to be returned A recording medium feeding device, wherein the recording medium return lever is configured to change to the first to fourth postures when feeding the recording medium, and the first posture is a position of the recording medium. The posture for closing the feeding path is a posture in which the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the feeding path of the recording medium is viewed from the side. 1 is a posture rotated upstream from the posture 1, and a posture in which the recording medium return lever overlaps the tip support surface when the feeding path of the recording medium is viewed from the side. Is a posture rotated from the second posture to the downstream side so as to retract from the feeding path of the recording medium, and the fourth posture is so as to block the feeding path of the recording medium. And a posture rotated upstream from the third posture, Characterized in that the feed path of the recording medium and the side view is a posture that is located between said second position and said first position.

  According to the above aspect, the recording medium return lever has four postures and is driven and controlled so as to sequentially change to the first to fourth postures, so that the feeding operation can be performed more appropriately. Can do. In other words, the first posture is a posture in a waiting state for feeding, and the second posture following this is a posture that overlaps with the leading end support surface. The leading end of the recording medium placed on the recording medium is temporarily returned to the leading end support surface, and the leading end portion of the stack of recording mediums in a stacked state is pressed toward the hopper. Accordingly, contact between the uppermost recording medium and the feeding roller during standby is prevented, and an appropriate feeding operation (multifeed prevention) can be executed.

  The subsequent third posture is a posture rotated downstream so as to retreat from the recording medium feeding path, and the fourth posture following this is a position between the first posture and the second posture. Therefore, the recording medium can be reliably returned to the leading edge support surface as compared with the case of returning to the first attitude, and the set medium is set compared to the second attitude. The load applied to the leading end of the recording medium can be reduced.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feeding roller that feeds the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium, a recording medium that supports the recording medium in an inclined posture, and the recording medium that supports the recording medium. A hopper provided so as to be switchable between a posture in which it is pressed against and a posture in which it is separated from the feeding roller, and a tip support surface that is provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and supports the tip of the set recording medium. A guide unit having a separating unit that separates the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording medium; and a feeding path of the recording medium when viewed from the side. The leading end of the next and subsequent recording media that has advanced downstream along with the topmost recording medium to be fed is moved toward the leading end support surface. A recording medium return lever to be returned A recording medium feeding device, wherein the recording medium return lever is configured to change to the first to fourth postures when feeding the recording medium, and the first posture is a position of the recording medium. The posture for closing the feeding path is a posture in which the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the feeding path of the recording medium is viewed from the side. 1 is a posture rotated from the first posture to the upstream side, a posture in which the leading end portion of the recording medium set is pressed against the hopper, and the third posture is It is an attitude rotated downstream from the second attitude so as to retract from the recording medium feeding path, and the fourth attitude is the third attitude so as to block the feeding path of the recording medium. And the feeding path of the recording medium. Characterized in that it is a posture that is located between and side-view with the first posture and the second posture.

  According to the above aspect, the recording medium return lever is driven and controlled so as to sequentially change to the first to fourth postures as in the above-described third aspect, but the first in the feed standby state. The second posture following this posture is a posture in contact with the leading end portion of the set recording medium and pressing the leading end portion toward the hopper. Accordingly, the recording medium that has been placed on the recording medium return lever at the time of waiting for feeding is temporarily returned to the front end support surface, and the front end of the stack of recording media in the stacked state is By being pressed toward the hopper, contact between the uppermost recording medium and the feeding roller during standby is prevented, and an appropriate feeding operation (multifeed prevention) can be executed.

  The following third posture is a posture rotated to the downstream side so as to retract from the recording medium feeding path, and the fourth posture following this is the difference between the first posture and the second posture. Since the posture is positioned in between, the recording medium can be surely returned to the tip support surface as compared with the case of returning to the first posture, and set in comparison with the second posture. The load applied to the leading end of the recording medium can be reduced.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third or fourth aspect, the fourth posture is that the recording medium return lever is supported by the tip when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side. Since the posture does not overlap with the surface, the recording medium return lever does not come into contact with the leading end portion of the recording medium on which the recording medium is set, and thus no load is applied to the leading end portion of the set recording medium. .

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, the recording medium return lever supports the leading end of the recording medium together with the leading end support surface in the first posture. It is characterized by forming a surface.
According to the above aspect, the recording medium return lever is configured to form a support surface that supports the leading end of the recording medium together with the leading end support surface in the first posture. Even when the leading end of the recording medium set in the state deviates from the leading end support surface, the recording medium does not fall downstream, and the leading ends can be aligned, which is preferable in appearance and sets the recording medium. It is possible to improve the operation feeling of the user at the time. In particular, when the apparatus is small, when the recording medium is additionally set when the leading end support surface has no dimensional allowance and the number of recording medium sets is close to the maximum number, Although it is easy to fall to the downstream side without contacting the tip reference surface, such a problem can be solved according to the above aspect.

  According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a feed roller that feeds the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium, and supports the recording medium in an inclined posture, and the recording medium is supported by the feeding roller. A hopper provided so as to be switchable between a posture in which it is pressed against and a posture in which it is separated from the feeding roller, and a tip support surface that is provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and supports the tip of the set recording medium. A guide unit having a separating unit that separates the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording medium; and a feeding path of the recording medium when viewed from the side. The leading end of the next and subsequent recording media that has advanced downstream along with the topmost recording medium to be fed is moved toward the leading end support surface. A recording medium return lever to be returned A recording medium feeding apparatus, wherein the recording medium return lever is configured to form a support surface that supports the leading end of the recording medium together with the leading end support surface in a posture during standby of feeding. It is characterized by.

  According to the above aspect, the recording medium return lever is formed so as to form a support surface that supports the front end of the recording medium together with the front end support surface in a posture during feeding standby. Similarly to the sixth aspect, even when the leading end of the recording medium set in the feeding standby state is detached from the leading end support surface, the recording medium does not fall downstream, and the leading ends can be aligned. It is preferable in appearance and can improve the user's operational feeling when setting the recording medium.

According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium, comprising the recording medium feeding apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects. Features.
According to the above aspect, the recording apparatus for recording on the recording medium includes the recording medium feeding apparatus described in any of the first to seventh aspects described above. The same effects as those of the seventh aspect can be obtained.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an ink jet printer (hereinafter referred to as “printer”) 1 as an example of a recording apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the apparatus main body, and FIG. It is. 4 is a front view of the hopper 10 and the feeding roller 11, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the feeding roller 11 and the feeding roller shaft 11a, FIG. 6 is a side view of the feeding device 2, and FIGS. 7-4 is an operation transition diagram of the return lever 12 (side view of the return lever 12), and FIG. 8 is a timing chart for showing the operation of the return lever 12 and the hopper 10 with respect to the rotation angle of the feeding roller 11. FIG. 9 is a side view showing another embodiment of the return lever.
In the following, the upstream side (right side in FIG. 3) of the paper transport (feed) path is simply referred to as “upstream side”, and the downstream side (left side in FIG. 3) of the paper transport (feed) path is simply referred to as “downstream”. Side ".

First, the configuration of the printer 1 will be outlined with reference to FIGS. The printer 1 is configured as a small size suitable for recording on a recording paper (hereinafter referred to as “recording paper P”) such as a relatively small postcard or L size as an example of a recording medium. is there.
In FIG. 1, the printer 1 has an external appearance constituted by a housing 3, and in the same way as an ink jet printer suitable for A4 size recording, a plurality of recording papers P can be set in an inclined posture at the rear of the apparatus. A feeding device 2 as an “apparatus” is provided with a carriage 25 that can be reciprocated in the main scanning direction in the middle of the apparatus, and a stacker 6 that stacks recording sheets P on which recording is performed at the front of the apparatus. .

  An operation unit 5 including a power button, a print setting button, and the like, and a display unit 4 for displaying print setting contents, current operation status, and the like are arranged at the center of the upper surface of the apparatus. An openable / closable cover 3a is provided to cover a card slot (not shown) in which a stored semiconductor memory medium can be mounted. That is, the printer 1 not only receives print data by connecting to an external host computer, but also reads image data directly from the semiconductor memory storing the image data, generates print data, and executes printing by itself. It is configured to be possible.

  Next, the internal configuration of the printer 1 will be described. 2 and 3, the feeding device 2 includes a hopper 10, a movable guide 9, a fixed guide 8, a feeding roller 11, an idle roller 14, a friction separating material 13, a return lever 12, and a guide. Part 38. The hopper 10 supports the recording paper P in an inclined posture and is driven to swing by a driving means (not shown) around the swinging fulcrum 10a, so that the recording paper P is pressed against the feeding roller 11 and separated. Switching is possible. The fixed guide 8 and the movable guide 9 provided in the hopper 10 regulate the position of the side edge of the recording paper P, and the movable guide 9 has a width of the recording paper P so as to correspond to each size of the recording paper P. It is slidable in the direction.

  The feed roller 11 has a substantially D shape when viewed from the side, and as shown in detail in FIG. 5, a roller main body 11b (a drum with a flange) formed integrally with the feed roller shaft 11a. The rubber material 11c is wound around. The relationship between the roller body 11b and the rubber material 11c is such that the rubber material 11c is in contact with the recording paper P at the arc portion, and the roller body 11b is in contact with the recording paper P at the flat portion. . The feeding roller 11 (feeding roller shaft 11a) is rotationally driven during sheet feeding by a driving motor (not shown).

  At the time of paper feeding, the feeding roller 11 feeds the uppermost one of the recording paper P pressed against the feeding roller 11 by the arc portion to the downstream side, and when the paper feeding is finished, the downstream side conveyance drive roller In order to prevent a conveyance load from being generated during the sheet conveyance operation 21, the drive control is performed so that the flat portion in a substantially D shape in a side view faces the friction separating member 13 as shown in FIG. 3.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the feeding roller 11 is provided at a position slightly deviated from the center to the 0 digit side (right side in FIG. 4) in the width direction of the hopper 10, so that the paper size is, for example, the maximum paper size. In the case of the width, the feeding roller 11 is not positioned at the center of the paper width, and accordingly, there is a possibility that the curved posture of the recording paper P during the paper feeding becomes uneven in the paper width direction. In order to prevent such a problem, the feed roller shaft 11a is provided with D-shaped disks 11d and 11d having a substantially D shape in side view and the same size as the feed roller 11. It has been. Accordingly, the posture of the recording paper P during paper feeding becomes uniform in the width direction, and it becomes possible to prevent the occurrence of skew or the like during feeding.

  Further, when the recording paper P comes into contact with the roller main body 11b or the D-shaped disks 11d and 11d while the paper is being transported by the transport drive roller 21 on the downstream side, a transport load is generated and a contact mark that extends in the transport direction on the recording surface. May be formed. Therefore, in order to prevent this, an idle roller indicated by reference numeral 14 is provided in this embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the idle roller 14 is provided so as to be freely rotatable in the vicinity of both sides of the feed roller 11 and at a position sandwiched between the D-shaped disks 11d and 11d. Contact with the roller main body 11b and the D-shaped disk 11d is prevented, thereby preventing the above-described transport load and contact traces. Further, since the idle rollers 14 are arranged substantially evenly in the paper width direction, the posture in the paper width direction can be made uniform, thereby preventing the occurrence of skew or the like during paper conveyance (during printing). It becomes possible.

  Next, referring back to FIGS. 2 and 3, a guide portion 38 having a front end support surface 38 a that supports the front end of the set recording paper P is provided at a position facing the lower end of the hopper 5. As the 5 moves toward and away from the feeding roller 11, the leading edge of the sheet slides on the leading edge support surface 38a. In the guide portion 38, the surface facing the feeding roller functions to guide the leading edge of the sheet to the downstream side.

  On the other hand, a friction separating material 13 as a “separating means” is provided at a position facing the feeding roller 11. The friction separating material 13 is pressed against the arc portion of the feeding roller 11 during paper feeding to form a pressure contact, whereby the uppermost recording paper P to be fed and the next order to be double fed. The subsequent recording paper P is separated.

  Further, a return lever 12 is provided at a position facing the feeding roller 11. The return lever 12 is provided so as to be rotatable around a rotation fulcrum 12a so that the rotation range of the return lever 12 overlaps with the pressure contact between the feeding roller 11 and the friction separating member 13, and by a driving means (not shown). Drive controlled. The return lever 12 once falls to retract from the feeding path of the recording paper P from the standby state shown in FIG. 3 during one rotation operation of the feeding roller 11, and rises again as shown in FIG. The next and subsequent recording sheets P about to be double fed are returned onto the hopper 10. The operation of the return lever 12 will be described in detail later.

  The above is the feeding device 2, and a paper detector 17 including a lever 15 and a detection unit 16 is provided between the feeding roller 11 and the transport driving roller 21 on the downstream side of the feeding device 2. It has been. The lever 15 is provided so as to be able to oscillate about the oscillating shaft 15a, and the upper part from the oscillating shaft 15a is configured to come into contact with the recording paper P to be fed. The detection unit 16 is an optical sensor, and when the lower part of the lever 15 enters the detection unit 16 as shown in the figure, the light from the light emitting unit to the light receiving unit is blocked, and the recording paper P is not loaded. A passing state is detected. When the lever 15 swings with the passage of the recording paper P, the lower portion of the lever 15 from the swinging shaft 15a is disengaged from the detecting unit 16, thereby detecting the passage of the leading edge of the recording paper P. It can be done. Further, when the trailing edge of the recording paper P passes, the lower end portion of the lever 15 enters the detection unit 16 again, whereby the passage of the trailing edge of the recording paper P can be detected.

  Next, a conveyance driving roller 21 and a conveyance driven roller 22 are provided on the downstream side of the paper detector 17 (hereinafter, the roller pair is appropriately referred to as “conveyance roller”). The transport drive roller 21 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), and the transport driven roller 22 is pressed against the transport drive roller 21 and rotated. The transport driving roller 21 is formed by attaching a coating film to the outer periphery of a metal rod that is long in the direction of the rotation axis. A plurality of transport driven rollers 22 are provided at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the transport driving roller 21. It is done. Then, the recording paper P fed by the feeding roller 11 is nipped by the conveyance roller and conveyed below the recording head 26.

  A free-rotating guide roller 23 is provided at the downstream end of the transport driven roller holder 20 that pivotally supports the transport driven roller 22. The guide roller 23 is a roller for preventing the recording paper P from being lifted off the platen 28, so that the distance between the recording paper P and the recording head 14 is kept constant, so that the recording quality is reduced and the head is rubbed. To prevent.

  Next, the recording head 26 and the platen 28 are provided on the downstream side of the conveying roller so as to face each other. The recording head 26 is provided at the bottom of the carriage 25 and performs recording (printing) by ejecting ink droplets toward the recording paper P. A carriage guide shaft 27 extending in the main scanning direction is inserted into the carriage 25, and is fixed to a part of an endless belt 24 (FIG. 2) extending in the main scanning direction. Then, it receives power from the carriage motor 19 (FIG. 2) and is driven to reciprocate in the main scanning direction while being guided by the carriage guide shaft 27. In the present embodiment, the carriage 25 is not mounted with an ink cartridge, but from an ink cartridge (not shown) fixed to the bottom of the main body of the printer 1 to the recording head 26 via an ink tube (not shown). And ink are supplied.

  The platen 28 defines the gap between the recording paper P and the recording head 25 by supporting the recording paper P from below, but a recess 28 a is formed on the surface facing the recording head 25. This is for printing without margins on the recording paper P. When ink droplets are ejected to the edge of the recording paper P, ink droplets are ejected to the part off the recording paper P, Then, so-called borderless printing is performed by discarding into the concave portion 28a. An ink absorbing material 36 (FIG. 2) that absorbs ink droplets is disposed in the recess 28a.

  The ink droplets discarded in the recess 28a are discharged downward from a discharge hole (not shown), and a waste liquid tray 31 for receiving the discharged ink droplets is provided below the platen 28. A waste liquid absorber 34 is provided inside the waste liquid tray 31 to reliably hold the ink waste liquid in the waste liquid tray 31.

  Subsequently, a discharge driving roller 29 and a discharge driven roller 30 are provided on the downstream side of the recording head 26 (hereinafter, the roller pair is appropriately referred to as “discharge roller”). The discharge drive roller 29 is rotationally driven by a drive motor (not shown), and the discharge driven roller 30 is driven to rotate in contact with the discharge drive roller 29. The recording sheet P on which recording has been performed is discharged toward a stacker (not shown) by being nipped by these rollers.

  A discharge auxiliary roller 37 is provided on the downstream side of the discharge drive roller 29. The discharge auxiliary roller 37 is rotated according to the rotation of the discharge drive roller 29 by the belt 38 that is engaged with the rotation shaft 37 a and the rotation shaft 29 a of the discharge drive roller 29. The discharge auxiliary roller 37 functions to reliably drop the rear end of the recording paper P that is nipped between the discharge drive roller 29 and the discharge driven roller 30 and discharged toward the stacker.

Next, the return lever 12 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.
Since the printer 1 is a small printer specialized for the recording paper P having a size near or smaller than the postcard size as described above, the interval between the uppermost recording paper P and the feeding roller 11 when the maximum number of sheets is set. Reduce as much as possible. Therefore, depending on the stacked state of the recording paper P, the uppermost recording paper P and the feeding roller 11 may be in contact with each other during the waiting for feeding. In such a case, the rotation of the feeding roller 11 may occur. Feeding will be started immediately after the start. In this way, when feeding is started immediately after the rotation of the feeding roller 11 is started, the leading end of the sheet enters the separation pad 13 without forming a pressure contact between the feeding roller 11 and the separation pad 13, and double feeding is performed. May occur.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, four postures, that is, first to fourth postures, are set as postures (positions) of the return lever 12, and the feeding operation is executed more appropriately.
The first to fourth postures are the postures indicated by reference numerals 12 _{-1 to} 12 _-4 in FIG. 6, and each subscript is, for example, “return lever 12 ₋₁ ”. It shows that it is a posture.

Hereinafter, the operation of the return lever 12 will be described mainly based on the timing chart of FIG. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis indicates the rotation angle of the feeding roller 11.
At the time of waiting for feeding (position a in FIG. 8), the feeding roller 11 and the separation pad 13 are in a pressure released state (a state where the flat portion of the feeding roller 11 and the separation pad 13 face each other). At this time, the hopper 10 is in the most lowered state (Down), and the return lever 12 is in the first posture (the state shown in FIG. 7-1). The first posture of the return lever 12 is a posture that closes the paper feeding path. Therefore, in this state, the set recording paper P does not fall downward. Further, since the first posture is a posture that does not overlap the leading edge support surface 38a as shown in the figure when viewed from the side of the feeding path, the setting property of the recording paper P is not deteriorated (the abutting against the leading edge support surface 38a) It does not interfere with the leading edge of the paper to be tapped.

  Next, when the rotation of the feeding roller 11 is started, the return lever 12 is soon rotated from the first posture to the upstream side to assume the second posture (state shown in FIG. 7-2: b in FIG. 8). position). This 2nd attitude | position is an attitude | position which overlaps with the front-end | tip support surface 38a, as shown in FIG.

  As described above, when the paper is fed, the first thing to rise is to return to the tip support surface 38a during the previous paper return operation (operation to change from the third posture to the fourth posture described later). The return lever 12 when the leading edge of the recording sheet P is not completely returned to the leading edge support surface 38a and remains on the return lever 12, or when it is additionally set during feeding standby. When the return lever 12 is rotated in the direction to fall downstream as it is, the recording paper P placed on the return lever 12 falls down as it is. This is because there is a risk of causing double feeding.

  Secondly, the leading edge of the set recording paper P can be pressed toward the hopper 10 by rising to such an extent that it overlaps the leading edge support surface 38a. Therefore, the uppermost recording paper P and the feeding roller 11 are thus set even though the hopper 10 is not moving close to the feeding roller 11 as in the standby state. A situation of contact can be avoided, and an appropriate sheet feeding operation (multifeed prevention) can be executed.

  Subsequently, the return lever 12 rotates downstream so as to retract from the feeding path, and takes the third posture. Then, the hopper 10 starts to move closer to the feeding roller 11, and the arc portion of the feeding roller 11 and the friction separating material 13 come into pressure contact with each other to form a pressure contact as the feeding roller 11 rotates ( State shown in FIG. 7C: for example, position c in FIG.

  Subsequently, the return lever 12 starts an upstream rotation operation (rising operation) in order to return the recording paper P whose front end stays on the friction separating material 13 to the front end support surface 38a, and the hopper 10 also. A separation (Down) operation from the feeding roller 11 is started, and the pressure contact state with the friction separating material 13 is released according to the rotation of the feeding roller 11.

  Here, the return lever 12 does not return to the standby posture (first posture) but takes the fourth posture (state shown in FIG. 7-4: position d in the figure). The fourth posture is a posture positioned between the first posture and the second posture, and thereby, the recording paper P about to be double fed can be reliably returned to the leading edge support surface 38a. In addition, the load applied to the leading end of the set recording paper P can be reduced. The fourth posture is such that the return lever 12 does not overlap the leading edge support surface 38a, so that the load applied to the leading edge of the recording paper P can be reduced more reliably.

  In this embodiment, when the leading edge of the recording paper P staying in or near the friction separating material 13 is returned to the leading edge support surface 38a, the drive control is performed so as to take the fourth posture as described above. Even if the drive control is performed so as to take the first posture, which is the posture at the time of waiting for feeding, the operation effect of the second posture described above, that is, the front end portion of the set recording paper P is pressed against the hopper 10. Thus, it is possible to obtain an effect of preventing a situation in which the feeding of the recording paper P is started immediately after the feeding roller 11 starts to rotate. Further, as an alternative to the fourth posture, it is possible to control the drive so as to take the second posture.

Furthermore, it is also effective to make the shape of the return lever 12 as shown in FIG. The return lever 12 'shown in FIG. 9 (reference numerals 12 _{-1 to} 12 _-3 indicate the postures corresponding to the first to third postures) is viewed from the side of the feeding path, and the tip support surface A support surface for supporting the leading edge of the recording paper P together with 38a (portion indicated by reference numeral 12'b: a surface almost perpendicular to the recording paper P as with the leading edge supporting surface 38a) is formed. This is due to the following reason. For example, when the paper is set, as indicated by the symbol P ′, the leading edge of the recording paper P to be set may come off from the leading edge support surface 38a, but the state as shown in FIG. If there is a V-shaped gap with the end of 38a, the leading edge of the recording paper P that has come off the leading edge support surface 38a falls into the gap. In this case, depending on the degree of the gap, the front end of the paper cannot be aligned, which is not preferable in appearance, and lowers the user's operational feeling when setting (a sense that the front end of the paper can be reliably abutted). It will end up. Therefore, by forming the support surface 12b ′ for supporting the leading edge of the recording paper P together with the leading edge support surface 38a as viewed from the side as described above, the above problem can be solved.

  INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used for a recording apparatus typified by a FAX, a printer, or the like, or a liquid ejecting apparatus, that is, an apparatus that ejects liquid onto an ejected medium from a liquid ejecting head and attaches the liquid to the ejected medium It is.

1 is an external perspective view of an inkjet printer according to the present invention. The perspective view of the apparatus main body. FIG. The front view of a hopper and a feeding roller. The perspective view of a feed roller and a feed roller shaft. The side view of a feeder. Side view of the return lever (movement transition diagram). Side view of the return lever (movement transition diagram). Side view of the return lever (movement transition diagram). Side view of the return lever (movement transition diagram). The timing chart which shows operation | movement of a feed roller, a return lever, and a hopper. The side view which shows other embodiment of a return lever.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Inkjet printer, 2 paper feeder, 3 housing, 4 display part, 5 operation part, 6 stacker, 7 biasing spring, 8 fixed guide, 9 movable guide, 10 hopper, 11 feeding roller, 12 paper return lever, 13 Friction separator, 14 idle roller, 15 lever, 16 detector, 17 paper detector, 18 paper guide member, 19 carriage motor, 20 transport driven roller holder, 21 transport drive roller, 22 transport driven roller, 23 guide roller, 24 Endless belt, 25 Carriage, 26 Recording head, 27 Carriage guide shaft, 28 Platen, 29 Discharge drive roller, 30 Discharge driven roller, 31 Waste liquid tray, 34 Waste liquid absorber, 36 Ink absorber, 37 Discharge auxiliary roller, 38a Tip support Surface, 38b guide surface, 38 guide part, P recording Paper

Claims (8)

A feeding roller for feeding the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium;
A hopper that supports the recording medium in an inclined posture and that is switchable between a posture in which the recording medium is pressed against the feeding roller and a posture in which the recording medium is separated from the feeding roller;
A guide portion provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and having a front end support surface for supporting the front end of the set recording medium;
Separating means for separating the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording media;
It is provided so as to be able to rotate when viewed from the side of the feeding path of the recording medium. By rotating, the recording medium of the next and subsequent recording mediums proceeding downstream together with the uppermost recording medium to be fed. A recording medium feeding device provided with a recording medium return lever for returning the tip to the tip support surface side,
The recording medium return lever is configured to return to the first posture after changing to the first to third postures when feeding the recording medium,
The first posture is a posture in which the recording medium feeding path is closed, and the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side. Yes,
The second posture is a posture rotated upstream from the first posture, and the recording medium return lever is over the tip support surface when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side. Wrapping posture,
The third posture is a posture rotated from the second posture to the downstream side so as to retreat from the feeding path of the recording medium.
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. A feeding roller for feeding the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium;
A hopper that supports the recording medium in an inclined posture and that is switchable between a posture in which the recording medium is pressed against the feeding roller and a posture in which the recording medium is separated from the feeding roller;
A guide portion provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and having a front end support surface for supporting the front end of the set recording medium;
Separating means for separating the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording media;
It is provided so as to be able to rotate when viewed from the side of the feeding path of the recording medium. By rotating, the recording medium of the next and subsequent recording mediums proceeding downstream together with the uppermost recording medium to be fed. A recording medium feeding device provided with a recording medium return lever for returning the tip to the tip support surface side,
The recording medium return lever is configured to return to the first posture after changing to the first to third postures when feeding the recording medium,
The first posture is a posture in which the recording medium feeding path is closed, and the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side. Yes,
The second posture is a posture rotated to the upstream side from the first posture, and is a posture in contact with the leading end portion of the set recording medium and pressing the leading end portion toward the hopper. ,
The third posture is a posture rotated from the second posture to the downstream side so as to retreat from the feeding path of the recording medium.
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. A feeding roller for feeding the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium;
A hopper that supports the recording medium in an inclined posture and that is switchable between a posture in which the recording medium is pressed against the feeding roller and a posture in which the recording medium is separated from the feeding roller;
A guide portion provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and having a front end support surface for supporting the front end of the set recording medium;
Separating means for separating the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording media;
It is provided so as to be able to rotate when viewed from the side of the feeding path of the recording medium. By rotating, the recording medium of the next and subsequent recording mediums proceeding downstream together with the uppermost recording medium to be fed. A recording medium feeding device provided with a recording medium return lever for returning the tip to the tip support surface side,
The recording medium return lever is configured to return to the first posture after changing to the first to fourth postures when feeding the recording medium,
The first posture is a posture in which the recording medium feeding path is closed, and the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side. Yes,
The second posture is a posture rotated upstream from the first posture, and the recording medium return lever is over the tip support surface when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side. Wrapping posture,
The third posture is a posture rotated from the second posture to the downstream side so as to retreat from the feeding path of the recording medium,
The fourth posture is a posture rotated from the third posture to the upstream side so as to close the feeding path of the recording medium, and the first posture is viewed from the side of the feeding path of the recording medium. A posture positioned between the posture and the second posture,
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. A feeding roller for feeding the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium;
A hopper that supports the recording medium in an inclined posture and that is switchable between a posture in which the recording medium is pressed against the feeding roller and a posture in which the recording medium is separated from the feeding roller;
A guide portion provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and having a front end support surface for supporting the front end of the set recording medium;
Separating means for separating the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording media;
It is provided so as to be able to rotate when viewed from the side of the feeding path of the recording medium. By rotating, the recording medium of the next and subsequent recording mediums proceeding downstream together with the uppermost recording medium to be fed. A recording medium feeding device provided with a recording medium return lever for returning the tip to the tip support surface side,
The recording medium return lever is configured to change to the first to fourth postures when feeding the recording medium,
The first posture is a posture in which the recording medium feeding path is closed, and the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side. Yes,
The second posture is a posture rotated to the upstream side from the first posture, and is a posture in contact with the leading end portion of the set recording medium and pressing the leading end portion toward the hopper. ,
The third posture is a posture rotated from the second posture to the downstream side so as to retreat from the feeding path of the recording medium,
The fourth posture is a posture rotated from the third posture to the upstream side so as to close the feeding path of the recording medium, and the first posture is viewed from the side of the feeding path of the recording medium. A posture positioned between the posture and the second posture,
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. 5. The fourth posture according to claim 3, wherein the fourth posture is a posture in which the recording medium return lever does not overlap the tip support surface when the recording medium feeding path is viewed from the side.
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. 6. The recording medium return lever according to claim 1, wherein the recording medium return lever forms a support surface that supports the leading end of the recording medium together with the leading end support surface in the first posture. ,
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. A feeding roller for feeding the recording medium by rotating in contact with the recording medium;
A hopper that supports the recording medium in an inclined posture and that is switchable between a posture in which the recording medium is pressed against the feeding roller and a posture in which the recording medium is separated from the feeding roller;
A guide portion provided opposite to the lower end of the hopper and having a front end support surface for supporting the front end of the set recording medium;
Separating means for separating the uppermost recording medium to be fed by contacting the feeding roller and the subsequent recording media;
It is provided so as to be able to rotate when viewed from the side of the feeding path of the recording medium. By rotating, the recording medium of the next and subsequent recording mediums proceeding downstream together with the uppermost recording medium to be fed. A recording medium feeding device provided with a recording medium return lever for returning the tip to the tip support surface side,
The recording medium return lever is configured to form a support surface that supports the front end of the recording medium together with the front end support surface in a posture during feeding standby.
A recording medium feeding device characterized by the above. A recording apparatus for recording on a recording medium, comprising the recording medium feeding apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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