JP2012250779A - Recording medium supply device, recording apparatus, and recording medium supply method - Google Patents

Abstract

A recording medium supply device is provided that can supply stacked recording media one by one to a recording unit with a simple configuration.
A plurality of sheets P to be supplied to a recording unit 20 that performs recording on a sheet P are loaded in a stacked state, and the medium loading unit is provided in a stacked sheet P loaded in a stacked state. At least a portion between the upstream end Pe in the supply direction to the recording unit 20 and the downstream end Ps is curved in the supply direction while being stacked, and the downstream ends Ps of the plurality of sheets P The housing passage 19 is formed so as to generate a displacement in the supply direction.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a recording medium supply apparatus, a recording apparatus including the recording medium supply apparatus, and a recording medium supply method.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a recording apparatus that records an image including characters and figures in a recording unit by ejecting liquid onto a recording medium supplied along a conveyance path provided in the apparatus has been put into practical use. This type of recording apparatus includes a recording medium supply device that stacks and loads recording media, separates the stacked recording media one by one, sends them to a conveyance path, and supplies them to a recording unit.

  For example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228707, the uppermost layer stacked by a sheet feeding mechanism using a rotating roller (feeding roller) from a sheet feeding cassette in which sheets as recording media are stacked and loaded. A device that feeds the paper to the transport path is provided as a recording medium supply device.

JP 2010-241535 A

  However, such a paper feeding mechanism using a rotating roller requires a driving mechanism for the rotating roller and a control device for controlling the driving mechanism, so that the structure of the recording medium supply device and the recording device is not a little complicated. Turn into. In addition, there is a problem that a state in which the rotating roller cannot send the uppermost sheet to the conveyance path is caused due to a problem in the mechanism of the driven rotating roller.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its main object is to provide a recording medium supply device capable of supplying a stacked recording medium one by one to the recording unit with a simple configuration. Is to provide. It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording apparatus including such a recording medium supply apparatus. It is another object of the present invention to provide a recording medium supply method that makes it easy to supply stacked recording media one by one to a recording unit.

  In order to achieve the above object, a recording medium supply apparatus of the present invention includes a medium loading unit in which a plurality of the recording media supplied to a recording unit that performs recording on a recording medium are loaded in a stacked state. The section is along the supply direction while maintaining at least a part of the recording medium loaded in a stacked state from the upstream end in the supply direction to the recording section to the downstream end in the stacked state. And a curved path portion that generates a displacement in the supply direction between each of the downstream end portions of the plurality of recording media.

  According to this configuration, a positional deviation in the supply direction according to the curvature of the curved portion occurs between the stacked recording media at the downstream end serving as the end on the recording unit side in the recording medium. Therefore, it is possible to separate the stacked recording media one by one using this positional deviation and supply them to the recording unit. As a result, it is possible to provide a recording medium supply device capable of supplying the stacked recording media one by one to the recording unit with a simple configuration.

  In the recording medium supply apparatus of the present invention, the medium loading unit has an upstream end located on the upstream side in the supply direction with respect to the curved path in the recording medium loaded in a stacked state. Positioning means for aligning in a state aligned in the stacking direction is provided.

  According to this configuration, the positional deviation that occurs between the recording media stacked in the medium loading unit including the curved path portion is aligned so that no positional deviation occurs in the supply direction at the upstream end of the recording medium. Therefore, this occurs as a misalignment in the supply direction at the downstream end of the recording medium. Therefore, by moving the recording medium in the supply direction according to the amount of positional deviation along the supply direction generated at the downstream end, the stacked recording media can be supplied to the recording unit one by one. Note that the state in which the recording media are aligned in the stacking direction means a state in which each recording medium substantially overlaps in the stacking direction, including an error in the planar shape of the recording surface and a positional shift in the supply direction due to a shift in loading.

  In the recording medium supply apparatus of the present invention, the curved path portion includes an upstream end in the supply direction of the recording medium loaded in a stacked state and an inner side of the downstream end in the stacked state. It is formed in a shape to be wound at a position.

  According to this configuration, the recording medium loaded in the stacked state in the medium loading unit is continuously curved in the stacked state in the range from the upstream end to the downstream end in the supply direction. Therefore, a large amount of misalignment can be generated in the supply direction at the downstream end of the recording medium between the stacked recording media. Therefore, using the large amount of positional deviation that occurs, the stacked recording media can be easily supplied to the recording unit one by one.

  In the recording medium supply apparatus of the present invention, a guide passage for guiding the downstream end in the supply direction of the recording medium loaded in a stacked state to the recording unit, and the recording medium loaded in the stacked state Moving means for moving the upstream end portion in the supply direction toward the downstream side in the supply direction, and the guide passage extends in the stacking direction of the recording medium toward the downstream side in the supply direction. It is a tapered passage where the passage space becomes narrower.

  According to this configuration, the downstream end of the recording medium can be guided from the tapered path to the recording unit by moving the upstream end of the recording medium to the downstream side in the supply direction. At this time, since the guided recording medium has a positional shift in the supply direction between the stacked recording media, the stacked recording media are separated one by one from the tapered path by the positional shift. Can be easily transported.

In order to achieve the above object, a recording apparatus of the present invention includes a recording unit that performs recording on a supplied recording medium, and the recording medium supply apparatus configured as described above.
According to this configuration, it is possible to realize a recording apparatus that can supply the stacked recording media one by one to the recording unit without providing a recording medium feeding mechanism such as a rotating roller.

  In order to achieve the above object, the recording medium supply method of the present invention includes loading a plurality of the recording media supplied to a recording unit that performs recording on the recording medium in a stacked state, and loading the recording medium in the stacked state. And at least a portion between the upstream end portion and the downstream end portion in the supply direction to the recording unit in the stacked state is curved along the supply direction while remaining in the stacked state, and the upstream end portion in the supply direction Is aligned in a state in which the recording medium is stacked, and the recording medium is supplied from the downstream end in the supply direction to the recording unit.

  According to this method, it is possible to cause displacement in the supply direction between the downstream ends of the stacked recording media by curving the stacked recording media. Therefore, it is possible to supply the recording media stacked using this positional deviation one by one to the recording unit.

The model end view which looked at the conventional printer from the side. 1 is a schematic end view of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention as viewed from the side. In the first embodiment, a schematic end view of the printer as viewed from the side, showing a state in which stacked top sheets are supplied. FIG. 3 is a schematic end view of the printer as viewed from the side, showing a state in which the lowest stacked sheets are supplied in the first embodiment. The model end view which looked at the printer provided with the paper feeder with which the paper curved by the cylinder shape was loaded in the 2nd Embodiment from the side.

  An embodiment in which the recording apparatus of the present invention is embodied in an ink jet printer (hereinafter simply referred to as “printer”) will be described with reference to the drawings. In order to facilitate the following description, as shown in FIG. 1, the gravity direction in the vertical direction is defined as the downward direction, and the antigravity direction is defined as the upward direction. In addition, a transport direction in which the sheet P, which is a kind of recording medium, is transported when recording an image is a forward direction, and a direction opposite to the transport direction is a rear direction. Furthermore, the direction in which the liquid jet head 23 reciprocates, that is, the scanning direction, which intersects both the vertical direction and the transport direction, is referred to as the right direction and the left direction, respectively, when viewed from the front.

  Before describing the printer of this embodiment, a printer 11J provided with a paper feeding device KSJ as a conventional recording medium supply device will be described with reference to FIG. 1 in order to facilitate understanding of the present invention. .

  As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 11 </ b> J includes a recording unit 20 that records an image on a sheet P as a recording medium in a main body case 12 that has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape, and a recording that supplies the sheet P to the recording unit 20. And a sheet feeding device KSJ as a medium supply device.

  The sheet feeding device KSJ is configured as follows. That is, at the lower end of the main body case 12, a paper cassette 13 having a bottomed rectangular box shape that accommodates the paper P is detachably attached to the printer 11J by being inserted and removed in the front-rear direction. A plurality of sheets P are stacked and stored in the sheet cassette 13 with the recording surface thereof being flat along the bottom surface, and the sheet cassette 13 is inserted into the main body case 12, whereby the sheets P are loaded into the printer 11J. It has come to be.

  On the upper side of the paper cassette 13 in the main body case 12, a feeding unit 40 having a paper feed roller 41 that is a rotary roller that is rotationally driven is provided. The sending unit 40 has a sending mechanism for sequentially sending the sheets P stored in the sheet cassette 13 one by one from the uppermost (outermost layer) one to the transport path 16 serving as the transport path for the paper P positioned at the rear. It has become.

  The transport path 16 for each sheet P is formed by path forming members 14 and 15 provided in the main body case 12, and serves as a reversing path for transporting the sheet P fed rearward from the sheet cassette 13 forward. That is, after the front side wall surface 14a of the passage forming member 14 and the rear side wall surface 15a of the passage forming member 15 are curved so as to bulge to the rear side while rising from the rear end side of the paper cassette 13 while providing a predetermined interval. It is formed to extend toward the front. Of the front side wall surface 14a of the passage forming member 14, the wall surface 14b located behind the paper cassette 13 is a separation slope that separates the uppermost one of the papers P (paper P1) from the other. It has become.

  Further, in the middle of the conveyance path 16, each sheet P sent out from the sheet cassette 13 by the delivery unit 40 is conveyed toward the recording unit 20 located downstream in the conveyance direction without being stagnated in the conveyance path 16. For this purpose, a pair of transport rollers 43 and 44 are arranged. The transport roller 43 is rotatably supported by the passage forming member 15, the transport roller 44 is rotatably supported by the passage forming member 14, and one of the transport rollers 43 and 44 is a drive roller. The paper P transported along the transport path 16 is supplied to the recording unit 20 located downstream in the transport direction. Accordingly, the transport direction is the direction in which the paper P is supplied to the recording unit 20.

  The recording unit 20 is configured as follows. That is, the paper P supplied from the transport path 16 is configured to be transported and moved in the recording unit 20 by a paper feed roller 25 as a transport means. Specifically, the paper feed roller 25 includes a paper feed drive roller 26 that is rotationally driven by a paper feed motor (not shown), and a paper feed driven roller 27 that is driven to rotate as the paper feed drive roller 26 rotates. It has. Then, after sandwiching the leading end of the conveyance downstream of the paper P between the rollers 26 and 27, the paper P is fed onto the support base 24 provided in the front by rotating in the sandwiched state. Is moved forward while being supported from below.

  On the upper side of the sheet P moving on the support base 24, a carriage 21 configured to be reciprocally movable in the left-right direction by a carriage motor (not shown) is provided. An ink cartridge 22 filled with ink as a liquid is detachably mounted on the carriage 21. A liquid jet head 23 is supported at the lower end of the carriage 21 so as to face the paper P. Ink is supplied from the ink cartridge 22 to the liquid ejecting head 23, and the supplied ink can be ejected from a plurality of nozzles (not shown) of the liquid ejecting head 23. Therefore, printing as a recording process is performed on the paper P by ejecting ink from each nozzle of the liquid ejecting head 23 onto the paper P conveyed on the support base 24 while the carriage 21 reciprocates in the left-right direction. Is to be done.

  At a position downstream of the support 24 (front side), the paper discharge driving roller 28 is rotationally driven by a paper discharge motor (not shown), and is driven to rotate as the paper discharge drive roller 28 is driven to rotate. A paper discharge driven roller 29 is disposed adjacent to the paper P in the vertical direction so as to sandwich the paper P. Then, by rotating the discharge driving roller 28, the rollers 28 and 29 rotate while sandwiching the paper P after printing on the support base 24, so that the paper P that has passed over the support base 24 is transferred. It is transported downstream. Thereafter, the paper P is discharged from a paper discharge port 18 provided on the front surface of the main body case 12 to a paper discharge tray (not shown).

  Now, the printer 11J is provided with the paper feeding device KSJ that supplies the paper P to the recording unit 20 in this way. Accordingly, the printer 11J needs a driving device that rotationally drives the paper feed roller 41 and the transport rollers 43 and 44 in order to supply the stacked paper P to the recording unit 20 one by one. The structure becomes complicated. Further, in the operation of the feeding unit 40, there is a problem that a state in which the paper feed roller 41 cannot send the uppermost paper P to the transport path 16 due to a problem in the driving mechanism of the paper feed roller 41 occurs.

  Further, in a state where the paper cassette 13 containing the paper P is loaded in a flat stacked state and the paper P is loaded in the printer 11J, if the length Lp in the front-rear direction of the stored paper P is increased, the paper is fed. The length Ls in the front-rear direction of the device KSJ (main body case 12) also increases accordingly. For this reason, it is difficult to reduce the size of the printer 11J.

(First embodiment)
Now, a printer 11 including a sheet feeding device KS as a recording medium accommodation device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description of the printer 11, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the printer 11J provided with the conventional paper feeding device KSJ, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate. In the present embodiment, for the sake of simplicity of explanation, it is assumed that five sheets P from the uppermost sheet P1 to the lowermost sheet P5 are stacked as an example. Further, when the sheets P1 to P5 are collectively referred to without being distinguished, they are referred to as a sheet P.

  A sheet feeding device KS as a recording medium supply device provided in the printer 11 of the present embodiment is configured as shown in FIG. In other words, the paper cassette 13 that is detachably attached to the printer 11 by being inserted and removed in the front-rear direction at the lower end of the main body case 12 accommodates the paper P in a stacked state. At this time, each of the stacked sheets P stored in the sheet cassette 13 has a sheet portion on the upstream side, that is, the front side in the supply direction of the sheet P to the recording unit 20 which is also the insertion direction of the sheet cassette 13. Is placed on the inner bottom surface portion 13d.

  Further, a moving means 30 is provided at the front end in the paper cassette 13 to move the paper P in the supply direction for supplying the paper P to the recording unit 20. The moving means 30 includes a moving member 35 that also functions as an alignment means, a motor 31 that is a drive source, a drive gear 32 that is fixed to the rotation shaft of the motor 31, a pinion 33 that meshes with the drive gear 32, A rack 34 is formed on the inner bottom surface 13d of the paper cassette 13 so as to mesh with the pinion 33 and is formed in the front-rear direction. The pinion 33 is rotatably fixed to the moving member 35, and the motor 31 is similarly fixed to the moving member 35. Accordingly, the pinion 33 that rotates via the drive gear 32 by the rotation of the motor 31 moves in the front-rear direction along the rack 34, and the moving member 35 moves in the front-rear direction as the pinion 33 moves. It has become.

  Each sheet P is loaded in the printer 11 and each upstream end Pe in the insertion direction of the sheet cassette 13 abuts on the vertical rear surface of the moving member 35 in the stacking direction. Aligned. Therefore, no positional deviation occurs between the papers P in the supply direction to the recording unit 20.

  On the other hand, the main body case 12 is provided with a storage passage (curved path portion) 19 that is inserted and accommodated while the rear side of each stacked paper P is curved as the paper cassette 13 is inserted. The housing passage 19 is formed by passage forming members 14 and 15 provided in the main body case 12. The front side wall surface 14a of the passage forming member 14 and the rear side wall surface 15a of the passage forming member 15 are raised from the rear end side of the paper cassette 13 while providing a predetermined interval in which the paper P can be inserted in a stacked state. However, it has a curved shape that swells to the rear side. With this configuration, in the present embodiment, a medium loading unit that includes the sheet cassette 13 and the storage passage (curved path portion) 19 and loads the sheet P while being bent while being stacked is configured.

  In the present embodiment, each sheet P has its downstream end Ps in the insertion direction of each sheet P directed from the rear to the front by the curved portion 50 formed in the storage passage 19 of the medium loading unit. The paper feeding device KS is loaded in an inverted state.

  Further, the passage space (passage height) in the stacking direction of the sheets P gradually decreases along the insertion direction (here, the front) in the accommodation passage 19 on the downstream side from the curved portion 50 in the insertion direction of each sheet P. A tapered passage 19a is formed. In other words, the wall surface 14c formed continuously from the front side wall surface 14a of the passage forming member 14 to the insertion direction side of the paper P is an inclined surface that is lowered downward. On the other hand, a wall surface 15c formed continuously from the rear side wall surface 15a of the passage forming member 15 to the insertion direction side of the paper P is a flat surface extending substantially horizontally forward. The wall surface 15c, which is a flat surface, is configured to face the wall surface 14c, which is an inclined surface, and a tapered passage 19a is formed.

  An end gap 17 through which at least one sheet P can pass is formed at the end of the path ahead of the tapered path 19a. A paper feed roller 25 is disposed in front of the end gap 17. Therefore, the downstream end Ps of the paper P that has passed through the end gap 17 formed in the tapered passage 19a is securely held by the paper feed roller 25. That is, the tapered passage 19 a is a guide passage that guides the downstream end of the paper P so as to be sandwiched between the paper feed rollers 25.

  In the paper feeding device KS having the above-described configuration, each paper P is loaded as shown in FIG. 2 by inserting the paper cassette 13 into the main body case 12. That is, each sheet P is accommodated in a state where the upstream side in the insertion direction of the sheet cassette 13 is placed on the inner bottom surface portion 13d of the sheet cassette 13 and each upstream end Pe contacts the moving member 35. , And aligned in the stacking direction. In the present embodiment, the state in which the sheets P are aligned in the stacking direction is a state in which the sheets P substantially overlap each other in the stacking direction, including a planar shape error and a positional deviation in the front-rear direction when being stored in the sheet cassette 13. To tell.

  Each sheet P accommodated in the sheet cassette 13 with the upstream end Pe aligned in the stacking direction is inserted into the main body case 12 in the insertion direction of each sheet P. The downstream side is inserted into the accommodating passage 19 having a curved shape. As a result, each sheet P is in a state in which a curved portion 50 that is curved while being stacked in the insertion direction is formed on the downstream side in the insertion direction. At this time, since the upstream ends Pe of the sheets P are aligned in the stacking direction, the curvature and the sheet thickness of the curved portion 50 are mutually equal between the downstream ends Ps of the stacked sheets P. A predetermined amount of positional shift determined accordingly occurs in the insertion direction.

  By the way, in the present embodiment, each sheet P in which the positional deviation has occurred is positioned such that the downstream end Ps of the uppermost sheet P1 is closest to the recording unit 20 side in the accommodation path 19, and subsequently the sheets P2 to P2. The sheet is loaded into the sheet feeding device KS so as to be closer to the recording unit 20 in the order of P5. Further, since the paper P generates a force in the direction opposite to the bending direction due to the bending rigidity thereof, the downstream end portion Ps of each paper P is urged toward the wall surface 14c in the tapered passage 19a, and is applied to the wall surface 14c. It is in contact or almost contact.

  Note that in one of the passage forming members 14 forming the accommodating passage 19, the wall surface 14b extending from the front side wall surface 14a to a position adjacent to the rear end of the paper cassette 13 is inserted into the stacked paper P in the stacked state. Is functioned as a guide surface for guiding the gas to the accommodation passage 19.

  The sheet feeding device KS is operated so as to supply each sheet P loaded in this way to the recording unit 20 one by one. Next, the operation, that is, the operation of the sheet feeding device KS will be described with reference to FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the sheet feeding device KS operates the moving means 30 to move the moving member 35 backward from the position when each sheet P is loaded, that is, in the insertion direction of each sheet P at the time of loading. Let In the present embodiment, the position of the moving member 35 is sequentially moved to the respective positions of the moving members 35a, 35b, 35c, 35d, and 35e according to the sheets P1 to P5. Each sheet P is supplied to the recording unit 20 by the movement of the moving member 35. Therefore, in this embodiment, the insertion direction of each paper P when loading each paper P into the printer 11 is also the supply direction of each paper P to the recording unit 20 as described above.

  First, when the moving member 35 moves to the position of the moving member 35a, as shown in FIG. 3, the upstream end Pe of each sheet P is moved together by the moving member 35 in the backward or supply direction. By this movement, the downstream end portion Ps of the uppermost sheet P1 slides on the wall surface 14c (or the wall surface 15c) in the tapered passage 19a and is pushed forward from the end gap 17 in the supply direction. The extruded paper P1 is nipped by the paper feed roller 25, and forward conveyance is started by the rotation of the paper feed drive roller 26, and is supplied to the recording unit 20. In this conveyance, the sheet P1 is rubbed against at least one surface of the adjacent sheet P2 and the passage forming member 15, so that conveyance resistance is generated. Accordingly, the paper feed roller 25 applies a transport force that can move between the path forming member 15 and the paper P2 to the paper P1.

  On the other hand, in the other sheets P2 to P5, similarly to the sheet P1, the downstream end portion Ps slides on the wall surface 14c in the tapered passage 19a and moves toward the end gap 17 side as the moving member 35 moves. . At this time, the position of the downstream end portion Ps of the paper P2 in a stacked state with the paper P1 is shifted by a predetermined amount in the direction opposite to the supply direction with respect to the paper P1, so that the paper P1 is sandwiched between the paper feed rollers 25. In the state, the position is a predetermined distance away from the paper feed roller 25. Similarly, the positions of the downstream end portions Ps of the paper P3 with respect to the paper P2, the paper P4 with respect to the paper P3, and the paper P5 with respect to the paper P4 are relative to the paper feed roller 25. It becomes a position that is spaced apart by a fixed amount.

  As described above, the sheet feeding device KS moves the moving member 35 to the position of the moving member 35a, thereby separating the sheet P1 from the stacked sheets P and sandwiching the sheet P1 between the sheets P1 to be transported. On the other hand, the other sheets P2 to P5 are positioned so as not to be sandwiched between the sheet feed rollers 25. As a result, the sheet feeding device KS supplies one sheet P1 to the recording unit 20.

  Next, although illustration is omitted, when the moving member 35 moves from the position of the moving member 35a to the position of the moving member 35b, the upstream end Pe of each sheet P (that is, the sheets P2 to P5) is moved together by the moving member 35. Moved in the supply direction. As a result of this movement, the downstream end Ps of the uppermost sheet P2 transported by the sheet P1 slides on the wall surface 14c (or the wall surface 15c) in the tapered path 19a and is pushed forward from the end gap 17. . The extruded paper P1 is nipped by the paper feed roller 25, and forward conveyance is started by the rotation of the paper feed drive roller 26, and is supplied to the recording unit 20. In this conveyance, the sheet P2 is rubbed against at least one surface of the adjacent sheet P3 and the passage forming member 15, so that conveyance resistance is generated. Accordingly, the paper feed roller 25 applies a transport force that can move between the path forming member 15 and the paper P3 to the paper P2.

  On the other hand, in the other sheets P3 to P5, similarly to the sheet P2, the downstream end Ps slides on the wall surface 14c in the tapered passage 19a and moves to the end gap 17 side. At this time, the position of the downstream end portion Ps of the sheet P3 in a stacked state with the sheet P2 is shifted by a predetermined amount in the direction opposite to the supply direction with respect to the sheet P2, so that the sheet P2 is sandwiched between the sheet feed rollers 25. In this state, the sheet is separated from the paper feed roller 25 by a predetermined amount. Similarly, the positions of the downstream end portions Ps of the paper P4 with respect to the paper P3 and the paper P5 of the paper P4 are spaced apart from the paper feed roller 25 by a predetermined amount.

  In this way, the paper feeding device KS moves the moving member 35 to the position of the moving member 35b, thereby separating the paper P2 from the stacked paper P and sandwiching the paper P2 between the paper P2 and transporting it. On the other hand, the other sheets P3 to P5 are positioned so as not to be sandwiched between the sheet feed rollers 25. As a result, the sheet feeding device KS supplies one sheet P2 to the recording unit 20.

  Hereinafter, although the explanation of the operation is omitted, similarly, the sheet feeding device KS moves the moving member 35 from the position of the moving member 35b to the position of the moving member 35c, so that one sheet of paper P3 is moved to the position of the moving member 35c. The sheet P4 is supplied to the recording unit 20 by moving the sheet P4 to the position of the moving member 35d.

  As shown in FIG. 4, when the moving member 35 moves from the position of the moving member 35d to the position of the moving member 35e, the upstream end Pe of the last sheet P5 is pushed together in the supply direction by the moving member 35. Move. As a result of this movement, the downstream end Ps of the sheet P5 that is transported by the remaining sheets P1 to P4 slides on the wall surface 14c (or the wall surface 15c) in the taper passage 19a and moves forward from the end gap 17. Extruded. The extruded paper P1 is nipped by the paper feed roller 25, and forward conveyance is started by the rotation of the paper feed drive roller 26, and is supplied to the recording unit 20. In this conveyance, the sheet P5 is rubbed against at least one surface of the passage forming members 14 and 15, so that conveyance resistance is generated. Accordingly, the paper feed roller 25 applies a transport force that can move between the path forming members 14 and 15 to the paper P5.

  In this manner, the paper feeding device KS moves the moving member 35 to the position of the moving member 35e, thereby transporting the paper P5 while being sandwiched by the paper feed roller 25, and supplying one paper P5 to the recording unit 20. . Thus, the sheet feeding device KS supplies all the sheets loaded in the stacked state to the recording unit 20 one by one. The moving member 35e does not need to press the upstream end Pe of the paper P5 after the paper P5 is started to be transported by the paper feed roller 25. It is returned to the position of the moving member 35.

According to the above embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(1) At each downstream end Ps, which is the end on the recording unit 20 side of each sheet P, a displacement in the supply direction occurs between the stacked sheets P in accordance with the curvature of the curved portion 50. Accordingly, the stacked sheets P can be separated one by one using the positional deviation and supplied to the recording unit 20. As a result, it is possible to provide the sheet feeding device KS that can supply the stacked sheets P one by one to the recording unit 20 with a simple configuration. Further, since the sheets P that are curved in the stacked state can be loaded, the length Ls in the front-rear direction of the printer 11 is the length in the front-rear direction of the printer 11J in which the sheets P are stacked in a flat state. It can be shorter than Ls. As a result, the printer 11 can be downsized relative to the printer 11J.

  (2) Since the positional deviation that occurs between the sheets P stacked in the medium loading section including the storage passage 19 is aligned so that the positional deviation does not occur in the supply direction at the upstream end Pe of the paper P. This occurs as a displacement in the supply direction at the downstream end Ps of the paper P. Accordingly, the stacked sheets P can be supplied to the recording unit 20 one by one by moving the sheets P in the supply direction according to the amount of positional deviation along the supply direction generated at the downstream end Ps. .

  (3) By moving the upstream end Pe of the paper P to the downstream side in the supply direction, the downstream end Ps of the paper P can be guided to the recording unit 20 from the tapered path 19a. At this time, the guided paper P is misaligned in the supply direction between the stacked sheets P, so that the stacked sheets P are recorded one by one from the tapered path 19a due to the misalignment. It can be easily transported to the section 20.

(4) The printer 11 that can supply the stacked sheets P one by one to the recording unit 20 without providing the sheet feeding mechanism such as the sheet feeding roller 41 can be realized.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the present embodiment, in the first embodiment, each sheet P on which the upstream end Pe in the supply direction is formed in a cylindrical curved portion 60 wound inside is stacked and loaded into the sheet feeding device KS. It is the form which was made to do.

  In the description of the present embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the printer 11 of the first embodiment, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. Also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, in order to simplify the following description, as an example, as shown in FIG. 5, the sheet P <b> 1 positioned on the most central side of the cylinder in the cylindrical curved portion 60. It is assumed that five sheets of paper P from the outermost sheet P5 to the outermost sheet P5 are stacked. Further, when the sheets P1 to P5 are collectively referred to without being distinguished, they are referred to as a sheet P.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the paper feeding device KS provided in the printer 11a of the present embodiment is configured as follows. That is, a paper cassette 13a that accommodates each paper P is detachably attached to the printer 11a at the lower rear end of the main body case 12 by being inserted and removed in the front-rear direction. The sheet cassette 13a is wound inward while the upstream end Pe in the supply direction to the recording unit 20 remains in a stacked state, and is stacked in the range from the upstream end Pe to the downstream end Ps. Each sheet P on which the cylindrical curved portion 60 that is continuously curved as it is is accommodated and mounted on the printer 11a.

  Further, in the present embodiment, each sheet P in the state in which the sheet cassette 13a is mounted on the printer 11a is changed from the downstream end Ps of each sheet P in the supply direction to the recording unit 20 to the recording unit 20 (paper feeding). It is loaded so as to be positioned in a tapered passage 19a which becomes a passage leading to the roller 25). In the loaded state, the passage forming members 14 and 15 and the paper cassette 13 are disposed so as to surround the cylindrical curved portion 60 of the paper P. Therefore, in the present embodiment, a medium loading unit that includes the sheet cassette 13a and the passage forming members 14 and 15 and loads the sheet P while being bent while being stacked is configured.

  In the present embodiment, the passage forming member 14 provided in the main body case 12 is disposed behind the paper feed roller 25, and the front wall surface 14c of the lower wall surface thereof is an inclined surface that descends forward in the forward direction. . On the other hand, a passage forming member 15 similarly provided in the main body case 12 is disposed with a portion located in front of the paper cassette 13. A wall surface 15c located behind the paper feed roller 25 and above the passage forming member 15 is a flat surface extending substantially horizontally forward. The wall surface 15c that is a flat surface is configured to face the wall surface 14c that is an inclined surface, and a tapered passage 19a having an end gap 17 is formed.

  Further, the inner side wall surface 13b of the passage forming member 15 on both the front and lower sides of the paper cassette 13a has the outer surface of each cylindrical paper P accommodated in the paper cassette 13a (that is, the outermost paper P5). A curved surface portion along the surface) is formed. In addition, a curved surface portion is formed on the rear side wall surface 15a of the passage forming member 15 along the outer surface of each cylindrical sheet P accommodated in the sheet cassette 13 (that is, the outermost sheet P5). ing.

  In the present embodiment, the moving means 30 is provided in the paper cassette 13a, and is configured to supply each paper P one by one to the recording unit 20 by rotation rather than movement in the front-rear direction. That is, the moving means 30 has a motor (not shown) as a driving source, a rotating shaft 61 rotated by the motor, and a rotating member 62 fixed to the rotating shaft 61 and having a flange-shaped portion 63 formed on the outer periphery. is doing. When the motor is driven, the rotating member 62 is rotated as indicated by an arrow in the figure. In the present embodiment, the rotation direction of the rotation member 62 is a supply direction for supplying each sheet P to the recording unit 20.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the upstream end Pe in the supply direction of each sheet P is positioned in contact with the rotating member 62 that also functions as an alignment unit and aligned in the stacking direction. In addition, the movement of the outer end portion Pe at the upstream end Pe is abutted against the flange-shaped portion 63 so that the movement is restricted so as not to move outward due to the bending rigidity of the paper P. In this way, each sheet P in which the upstream end Pe is aligned and regulated in the stacking direction has a curved shape in a state of being rounded into a cylindrical shape while being stacked, and is downstream from the upstream end Pe in the supply direction. It is formed up to the side end portion Ps. In other words, in the sheet feeding device KS, a curved path portion that is curved in a so-called spiral shape is formed while the sheets P remain stacked in the medium loading portion.

  As a result, since the upstream end Pe is aligned in the stacking direction of each sheet P, the position of the downstream end Ps is curved between the sheets P stacked on each other by this bending. Misalignment in the supply direction occurs by a predetermined amount determined according to the curvature of the sheet and the sheet thickness. In this embodiment, it is possible in principle to generate a larger amount of displacement than in the first embodiment.

  Accordingly, the sheet feeding device KS in the present embodiment performs the same operation (action) as in the first embodiment. That is, each paper P loaded in a cylindrical shape is sequentially supplied one by one to the recording unit 20 from the tapered path 19a by the moving means 30, as in the first embodiment. That is, by driving the motor and rotating the rotating member 62, each sheet P is pushed out in the supply direction while sliding along the inner side wall surface 13b of the sheet cassette 13a and the rear side wall surface 15a of the passage forming member 15. By this extrusion, as in the above-described embodiment, the paper P1 on the most central side is first pushed out from the end gap 17 of the tapered passage 19a, and the downstream side end Ps is sandwiched and conveyed by the paper feed roller 25. The sheets P2 to P5 are sequentially supplied one by one. Since this supply operation is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  In the present embodiment, when the paper P1 closest to the center of the bending portion 60 is conveyed to the recording unit 20, the paper P1 is adjacent to the adjacent paper P2 and the rotation member 62, and further to at least one surface of the paper P5. Since it rubs, conveyance resistance arises. Accordingly, the paper feed roller 25 applies a transport force that moves against the generated transport resistance to the paper P1. As shown in FIG. 5, each paper P is displaced so as to have a large curvature due to its bending rigidity, so that a gap 65 (shaded portion in the figure) is formed between the paper P <b> 1 and the rotation member 62. Is done. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the gap 65 reduces the conveyance resistance when the sheet P1 moves to the recording unit 20.

According to this embodiment, in addition to the effects (1) to (4) in the first embodiment, the following effects (5) and (6) are obtained.
(5) The paper P loaded in a stacked state in the medium loading unit has a cylindrical shape that continuously curves in the stacked state in the range from the upstream end Pe to the downstream end Ps in the supply direction. Since the curved portion 60 is formed, it is possible to cause a large amount of displacement in the supply direction at the downstream end portion Ps of the paper P between the stacked paper P. Therefore, the stacked paper P can be easily supplied to the recording unit 20 one by one using the large amount of misalignment that occurs.

  (6) Since each sheet P is rolled and accommodated in the sheet cassette 13a, the length Ls in the front-rear direction of the printer 11 is the length in the front-rear direction in the printer 11J in which the sheets P are stacked in a flat state. It can be shorter than Ls. Further, the vertical dimension Hs of the printer 11a can be reduced by rounding the cylinder so that the outer diameter is reduced.

In addition, you may change the said embodiment as follows.
In the above-described embodiment, it is preferable that the moving unit 30 temporarily stops the moving member 35 at each position, and moves the paper P to the next position again after the paper P is nipped by the paper feed roller 25 and conveyed. In this way, it is possible to supply the next sheet P after waiting for the end of image formation on one sheet P. For example, when printing is performed continuously, it is preferable to move the moving member 35 to the next position without stopping at each position.

  In the above embodiment, for example, when the moving unit 30 cannot be configured, the recording unit is configured to move the paper feeding roller 25 as the conveying unit and sandwich each sheet P, which is displaced in the supply direction, one by one. It is good also as a structure supplied to 20. That is, the paper feed roller 25 is moved in a direction opposite to the supply direction (in this case, the rear direction) so that the paper P1 is first sandwiched, conveyed forward, and supplied to the recording unit 20. Thereafter, the sheets P2 to P5 are sequentially sandwiched by moving backward by the amount of positional deviation in the supply direction (front-rear direction) between the stacked sheets P (for example, between the sheets P1 and P2). Then, the paper P is transported in the supply direction (forward), and the paper P is supplied to the recording unit 20 one by one. In this case, the tapered passage 19a has an opening through which the paper feed roller 25 can enter the passage so that the paper feed roller 25 can sandwich the downstream end portion Ps of each paper P located in the tapered passage 19a. Is formed.

  In the above embodiment, the upstream end Pe in the feeding direction of each paper P may not necessarily be aligned so as to overlap in the stacking direction in the loaded state. For example, the upstream end Pe in the supply direction of each paper P may be inclined in the stacking direction by being displaced from each other in the supply direction. In short, the formation of the curved portions 50 and 60 may cause a positional deviation in the supply direction between the downstream ends Ps in the supply direction of each paper P.

  When each sheet P is inclined in the stacking direction, it is preferable that the stacked upper sheet P is displaced in the supply direction with respect to the lower sheet P. Due to such misalignment, the misalignment amount in the supply direction between the sheets P increases, so that each sheet P can be easily supplied to the recording unit 20 one by one by the sheet feed roller 25.

  In the second embodiment, each sheet P curved in a cylindrical shape while being stacked may be moved in the left-right direction along the longitudinal direction of the cylinder and loaded into the printer 11a. For example, in FIG. 5, the paper cassette 13a that stores each paper P is inserted into the main body case 12 from the left to the right (from the front side to the back side of the paper), so that each paper is supplied to the printer 11a. P may be loaded.

In the above embodiment, the recording medium is not limited to the paper P, and may be a plate-like member made of a metal plate, a resin plate, a cloth, or the like.
In the above embodiment, the printers 11, 11 a, and 11 J may be an off-carriage type in which the ink cartridge 22 is not mounted on the carriage 21. Alternatively, the present invention is not limited to a serial type printer in which the carriage 21 moves in the main scanning direction, and is a line head type or lateral type printer capable of printing the maximum width range of the paper P even with the liquid ejecting head 23 fixed. Also good.

  In the above embodiment, the recording apparatus is embodied as the ink jet printers 11, 11 a, 11 J that eject ink as liquid, but as a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects or discharges liquid other than ink. It may be embodied. Various liquid ejecting apparatuses including a liquid ejecting head that discharges a minute amount of liquid droplets can be used. In addition, a droplet means the state of the liquid discharged from the said liquid ejecting apparatus, and shall also include what pulls a tail in granular shape, tear shape, and thread shape. The liquid here may be any material that can be ejected by the liquid ejecting apparatus. For example, it may be in a state in which the substance is in a liquid phase, such as a liquid with high or low viscosity, sol, gel water, other inorganic solvents, organic solvents, solutions, liquid resins, liquid metals (metal melts ) And a liquid as one state of a substance, as well as a material in which particles of a functional material made of a solid such as a pigment or metal particles are dissolved, dispersed or mixed in a solvent. Further, representative examples of the liquid include ink and liquid crystal as described in the above embodiment. Here, the ink includes general water-based inks and oil-based inks, and various liquid compositions such as gel inks and hot melt inks. As a specific example of the liquid ejecting apparatus, for example, a liquid containing a material such as an electrode material or a color material used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display, an EL (electroluminescence) display, a surface emitting display, a color filter, or the like in a dispersed or dissolved state. There is a liquid ejecting apparatus for ejecting. Alternatively, it may be a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a bio-organic material used for biochip manufacturing, a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid that is used as a precision pipette and a sample, a printing apparatus, a micro dispenser, or the like. In addition, transparent resin liquids such as UV curable resin to form liquid injection devices that pinpoint lubricant oil onto precision machines such as watches and cameras, and micro hemispherical lenses (optical lenses) used in optical communication elements. A liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects a liquid onto the substrate or a liquid ejecting apparatus that ejects an etching solution such as an acid or an alkali to etch the substrate may be employed. The present invention can be applied to any one of these liquid ejecting apparatuses.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11, 11a, 11J ... Printer as recording apparatus, 19 ... Accommodating passage as curved path portion, 19a ... Tapered passage as guide passage, 20 ... Recording portion, 30 ... Moving means, 35 ... Moving member as positioning means , 50, 60 ... curved portion, 62 ... rotating member as positioning means, Pe ... upstream end, Ps ... downstream end.

Claims (6)

A medium loading unit in which a plurality of the recording media supplied to a recording unit that performs recording on a recording medium are loaded in a stacked state;
The medium loading unit supplies the recording medium loaded in a stacked state with at least a part from the upstream end to the downstream end in the supply direction to the recording unit in the stacked state. A recording medium supply device comprising a curved path portion that is curved along a direction and generates a displacement in the supply direction between each of the downstream end portions of the plurality of recording media. . The recording medium supply device according to claim 1,
The medium loading unit aligns an upstream end located upstream in the supply direction with respect to the curved path portion in the recording medium loaded in a stacked state so as to be aligned in the stacking direction of the recording medium. A recording medium supply device comprising an alignment means for performing The recording medium supply apparatus according to claim 1 or 2,
The curved path portion is formed in a shape in which the upstream end portion in the supply direction of the recording medium loaded in a stacked state is wound into a position inside the downstream end portion in the stacked state. A recording medium supply apparatus. The recording medium supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A guide path for guiding the downstream end in the supply direction of the recording medium loaded in a stacked state to the recording unit;
Moving means for moving the upstream end portion in the supply direction of the recording medium loaded in the stacked state toward the downstream side in the supply direction; and
The recording medium supply device according to claim 1, wherein the guide path is a tapered path in which a path space in the stacking direction of the recording media becomes narrower toward a downstream side in the supply direction. A recording unit for recording on a supplied recording medium;
A recording medium supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
A recording apparatus comprising: Loading a plurality of the recording media to be supplied to a recording unit that performs recording on the recording medium in a stacked state,
The recording medium loaded in the stacked state is curved along the supply direction while maintaining at least a portion from the upstream end to the downstream end in the supply direction to the recording unit in the stacked state. , Align the upstream end of the supply direction in a state aligned in the stacking direction of the recording medium,
From the state, the recording medium is supplied to the recording unit from the downstream end in the supply direction.

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