Recording device

Abstract

To solve the problem that quality of an image formed on a medium is deteriorated due to a skew-correcting operation for the medium by a gate part.SOLUTION: A printer 1 comprises: a curved path T0 through which a medium P is conveyed toward a line head 46; a pair of conveying rollers 38 which are disposed in the curved path T0 and convey the medium P by holding between a driving roller 39 and a driven roller 40 at a hold position PN; a gate 50 which has a contact surface 52b and can take a contact position PC located on the upstream side of the hold position PN in the curved path T0 along the conveying direction of the medium P and a retreat position PE not contacting the medium P; and a guide 74 which forms the curved path T0 and guides a leading end Pef of the conveyed medium P to the contact surface 52b located at the contact position PC.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a recording device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an image forming apparatus that includes an image forming unit that forms an image on a sheet, which is an example of a medium, a pair of transport rollers that transport the sheet toward the image forming unit, a shutter member that is an example of a gate unit, and a sheet transport path provided upstream of the pair of transport rollers, and corrects skew of the sheet by bringing the leading edge of the transported sheet into contact with the shutter member and making the leading edge of the sheet follow the shutter member. The image forming unit is an example of a recording unit that records on the medium, the shutter member is an example of a gate unit, and the sheet transport path is an example of a transport path. The pair of transport rollers is composed of a transport roller and a transport roller. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 9-183539 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When the peripheral surfaces of the conveying rollers and the conveying rollers are defined as the peripheral surfaces located upstream in the conveying direction from the position where the shutter member contacts the leading edge of the sheet, the sheet conveyance path in Patent Document 1 opens toward the upstream peripheral surfaces of the conveying rollers and the upstream peripheral surfaces of the conveying rollers. Therefore, a sheet conveyed through the sheet conveyance path may have two regions in the width direction of the sheet where the leading edge of the sheet contacts the upstream peripheral surfaces of the conveying rollers before contacting the shutter member, and another region where the leading edge of the sheet contacts the upstream peripheral surfaces of the conveying rollers before contacting the shutter member. In this case, the quality of the image formed on the sheet may be reduced due to the shutter member's correction of the skewed sheet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The recording device includes a recording unit that records on a medium, a transport path along which the medium is transported toward the recording unit, a transport roller pair having a first roller and a second roller provided on the transport path, the transport roller pair sandwiching the medium between the first roller and the second roller and transporting the medium toward the recording unit, a gate unit having a contact surface when the direction in which the medium is transported is defined as the transport direction and the position at which the transport roller pair sandwiches the medium is defined as the clamping position, the gate unit having the contact surface located at a contact position on the transport path upstream of the clamping position in the transport direction, and capable of taking an advanced state in which it contacts the leading edge of the medium being transported, and a retracted state in which the contact surface retracts from the contact position, and a guide unit that forms the transport path and guides the leading edge of the medium being transported to the contact surface located at the contact position, the guide unit protruding radially of the first roller beyond the circumferential surface of the first roller when viewed from a direction along the rotation axis of the first roller.

[0006] The recording device includes a recording unit that records on a medium, a transport path along which the medium is transported toward the recording unit, a transport roller pair having a first roller and a second roller that is provided on the transport path, the transport roller pair sandwiching the medium between the first roller and the second roller and transporting the medium toward the recording unit, and a gate unit having a contact surface, the gate unit being positioned at the transport path at the sandwich position when the direction in which the medium is transported is defined as a transport direction and the position at which the transport roller pair sandwiches the medium is defined as a sandwich position. the gate section is capable of taking an advanced state in which the contact surface is located at a contact position located more upstream in the transport direction and contacts the leading edge of the medium being transported, and a retracted state in which the contact surface retracts from the contact position, and the transport path is such that the medium, whose first side has been recorded by the recording section, is transported in an orientation in which the first side contacts the circumferential surface of the first roller, and the first roller is a toothed roller having a plurality of teeth that can make point contact with the medium, and the plurality of teeth form the circumferential surface whose axis is the rotation axis of the first roller. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the entire transport path of the printer. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the main part of the curved path as seen from the front side of the printer. [Figure 3] FIG. [Figure 4] 4 is a perspective view showing the main part of the curved path in a state where the driven roller is removed from FIG. 3. FIG. [Figure 5] A view of the main part of the curved path from the left side of the printer. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing a main part d7 shown in FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the s8-s8 cross section shown in FIG. 5. [Figure 9] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the s9-s9 cross section shown in FIG. 5 . [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the curved path when the gate portion is in the advanced state. [Figure 11] 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a curved path in the middle of switching the gate portion from an advanced state to a retracted state. FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the curved path when the gate portion is in a retracted state. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a plan view of the medium with its tip in contact with the gate portion. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a medium whose skew has been corrected. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a curved path in which a gate portion of another embodiment is in an advanced state. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a curved path in which a gate portion of another embodiment is in a retracted state. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a curved path in which a gate portion of another embodiment is in an advanced state. [Figure 18] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a curved path in which a gate portion of another embodiment is in a retracted state. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The present disclosure will be described below based on embodiments. In each drawing, the same components are assigned the same reference numerals, and redundant explanations will be omitted. In this specification, "same" and "identical" not only refer to being completely the same, but also include being the same taking into account measurement error, being the same taking into account manufacturing variations of components, and being the same to the extent that functionality is not impaired. Therefore, for example, "their dimensions are the same" means that, taking into account measurement error and manufacturing variations of components, the dimensional difference between the two components is within ±10% of one dimension, more preferably within ±5%, and particularly preferably within ±3%.

[0009] In each figure, X, Y, and Z represent three spatial axes that are orthogonal to one another. In this specification, the directions along these axes are referred to as the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction. When specifying a direction, a positive direction is indicated by "+" and a negative direction by "-", and both positive and negative signs are used to indicate the direction, with the direction indicated by the arrow in each figure being the + direction and the direction opposite the arrow being the - direction.

[0010] The Z-axis direction indicates the direction of gravity. The plane including the X-axis and Y-axis will be referred to as the XY plane, the plane including the X-axis and Z-axis as the XZ plane, and the plane including the Y-axis and Z-axis as the YZ plane. The XY plane will be a horizontal plane. The three spatial axes of X, Y, and Z, which are not limited to positive and negative directions, will be referred to as the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis.

[0011] 1. Embodiment 1 In this embodiment, the printer 1 is configured as an inkjet printer, and performs recording by ejecting ink, which is an example of a liquid, onto a medium P, typically recording paper. The printer 1 is an example of a recording device. A configuration in which the line head 46, which will be described later, is omitted from the printer 1 can be called a medium conveying device 10. However, even if the printer 1 includes the line head 46, the printer 1 can also be considered a medium conveying device 10 when focusing on the conveyance of the medium P.

[0012] In each figure, the Y-axis direction is the direction that intersects with the transport direction of the medium P, i.e., the width direction of the medium, and is also the depth direction of the device. Within the Y-axis direction, the +Y direction is the direction from the front of the device to the rear of the device, and the -Y direction is the direction from the rear of the device to the front of the device. The X-axis direction is the width direction of the device, with the +X direction being the left side and the -X direction being the right side as seen from the operator of the printer 1. The Z-axis direction is the height direction of the device, with the +Z direction being the upward direction and the -Z direction being the downward direction.

[0013] Below, the direction in which the medium P is transported may be referred to as "downstream," and the opposite direction may be referred to as "upstream." In addition, in Figure 1, the transport path T is indicated by a dashed line. In the printer 1, the medium P is transported through the transport path T indicated by the dashed line.

[0014] The F-axis direction is the direction of transport of the medium between the line head 46 (described later) and the conveyor belt 13, i.e., the direction of transport of the medium in the recording area, with the +F direction being the downstream direction in the transport direction and the opposite -F direction being the upstream direction in the transport direction. The V-axis direction is the direction of movement of the head unit 45, with the +V direction of the V-axis direction being the direction in which the head unit 45 moves away from the conveyor belt 13 and the -V direction being the direction in which the head unit 45 moves towards the conveyor belt 13.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 1 is equipped with a first media cassette 3 that stores media P at the bottom of the device main body 2, and is further configured so that an expansion unit 6 can be connected to the bottom of the device main body 2. When the expansion unit 6 is connected, a second media cassette 4 and a third media cassette 5 are located below the first media cassette 3. The media P sent out from each media cassette is transported along a transport path T indicated by a dashed line inside the printer 1. The first media cassette 3, second media cassette 4, and third media cassette 5 are examples of a media storage unit.

[0016] The first medium cassette 3, the second medium cassette 4, and the third medium cassette 5 are provided with pick rollers 21, 22, and 23 that feed the stored medium P in the −X direction.

[0017] Furthermore, feed roller pairs 25, 26, and 27 feed medium P sent in the -X direction diagonally upward. Feed roller pairs 25, 26, and 27 are provided for first medium cassette 3, second medium cassette 4, and third medium cassette 5, respectively. Note that, hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, a "roller pair" refers to a drive roller driven by a motor (not shown) and a driven roller that contacts and rotates in response to the drive roller.

[0018] The medium P sent out from the third medium cassette 5 is sent to the transport roller pair 35 by the transport roller pair 29, 28. The medium sent out from the second medium cassette 4 is sent to the transport roller pair 35 by the transport roller pair 28. The medium is sent to the transport roller pair 38 by the transport roller pair 35. Hereinafter, the section of the transport path T from the transport roller pair 35 to the transport roller pair 38 will be referred to as the curved path T0. The curved path T0 forms part of the transport path T. The curved path T0 is also an example of a transport path. The curved path T0 is a section in which the medium P is curved so that it is convex in the -Z direction.

[0019] The transport roller pair 35 is composed of a drive roller 36 driven by a motor (not shown) and a driven roller 37 that can rotate following the drive roller 36. The transport roller pair 38 is composed of a drive roller 39 driven by a motor (not shown) and a driven roller 40 that can rotate following the drive roller 36.

[0020] The medium P sent out from the first medium cassette 3 is sent to the transport roller pair 38 without passing through the transport roller pair 35. The supply roller 19 and separation roller 20 provided near the transport roller pair 35 are a roller pair that sends out the medium P from a supply tray (not shown).

[0021] The medium P, which receives a feeding force from the transport roller pair 38, is sent to a recording position between the line head 46 and the transport belt 13, that is, facing the line head 46. The line head 46 is an example of a recording unit. Note that, hereinafter, the section of the transport path T from the transport roller pair 38 to the transport roller pair 30 is referred to as the transport path T1 during recording. The transport path T1 during recording constitutes part of the transport path T.

[0022] The line head 46 constitutes the head unit 45. The line head 46 performs recording by ejecting ink onto the surface of the medium P. The line head 46 is an ink ejection head configured so that the nozzles that eject ink cover the entire area in the width direction of the medium, and is configured as an ink ejection head that can record across the entire width of the medium without moving in the width direction of the medium. However, the ink ejection head is not limited to this, and may be a type that is mounted on a carriage and ejects ink while moving in the width direction of the medium.

[0023] The head unit 45 is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat relative to the transport path T1 during recording, and is provided so as to be displaceable between a recording position indicated by a solid line in FIG. 1 and a retracted position where it is retracted furthest from the transport belt 13, as indicated by a two-dot chain line and reference symbol 45-1 in FIG. 1. When the head unit 45 is in the retracted position, maintenance of the line head 46 is performed by a maintenance unit (not shown). In this embodiment, the displacement direction of the head unit 45 is the V-axis direction along the inclination of the discharge tray 8. The head unit 45 is located below the discharge tray 8, upstream in the direction in which the medium P is discharged onto the discharge tray 8, and displaces along the underside of the discharge tray 8.

[0024] The ink storage units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d store ink. Ink ejected from the line head 46 is supplied from each of the ink storage units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d to the line head 46 via tubes (not shown). Each of the ink storage units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d is detachably provided. The waste liquid storage unit 11 stores ink as waste liquid ejected from the line head 46 toward a flushing cap (not shown) for maintenance.

[0025] The conveyor belt 13 is an endless belt that is wound around pulleys 14 and 15, and rotates when at least one of the pulleys 14 and 15 is driven by a motor (not shown). The medium P is conveyed to a position facing the line head 46 while being attracted to the belt surface of the conveyor belt 13. The medium P can be attracted to the conveyor belt 13 by an attraction method such as air suction or electrostatic attraction.

[0026] Here, the transport path T1 during recording, which passes through a position facing the line head 46, is configured to transport the medium P upward at an angle relative to the horizontal and vertical directions. This upward transport direction is a direction that includes a -X direction component and a +Z direction component in FIG. 1, and this configuration makes it possible to reduce the horizontal dimensions of the printer 1. Note that in this embodiment, the transport path T1 during recording is set at an inclination angle in the range of 65° to 85° relative to the horizontal direction, and more specifically, is set at an inclination angle of approximately 75°.

[0027] The medium P, on whose first surface has been recorded by the line head 46, is sent further upward by the transport roller pair 30 located downstream of the transport belt 13. A flap 41 is provided downstream of the transport roller pair 30, and this flap 41 switches the transport direction of the medium P. When the medium P is to be discharged as is, the transport path T of the medium P is switched by the flap 41 so that it faces the upper transport roller pair 31, and the medium P is discharged by the transport roller pair 31 towards the discharge tray 8.

[0028] When recording is to be performed on the second side of the medium P in addition to the first side, the transport direction of the medium P is directed toward the branch position K1 by the flap 41. The medium P then passes through the branch position K1 and enters the switchback path T2. In this embodiment, the switchback path T2 is the section of the transport path T above the branch position K1. A pair of transport rollers 32A and 32B is provided on the switchback path T2. The medium P that has entered the switchback path T2 is transported upward by the pair of transport rollers 32A and 32B, and when the bottom edge of the medium P passes the branch position K1, the rotation direction of the pair of transport rollers 32A and 32B is switched, causing the medium P to be transported downward.

[0029] A reversing path T3 is connected to the switchback path T2. In this embodiment, the reversing path T3 is a path section that runs from the branching position K1 through the transport roller pairs 33 and 34 to the transport roller pair 35. The reversing path T3 connects to the curved path T0, so that the medium P transported downward from the branching position K1 receives a feed force from the transport roller pairs 33 and 34, reaches the transport roller pair 35, and is sent by the transport roller pair 35 toward the transport roller pair 38.

[0030] By using the reversing path T3 and the curved path T0, the surface of the medium P that was facing downward, i.e., the second surface that is the opposite surface to the first surface that is the already recorded surface, turns upward. In other words, when recording is to be performed on the second surface of the medium P in addition to the first surface, the medium P, on which the first surface has been recorded by the line head 46, is transported along the curved path T0 toward the line head 46 in an orientation such that the first surface contacts the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39 (described later) of the transport roller pair 38. The medium P that has been sent to a position opposite the line head 46 via the reversing path T3 faces the line head 46 with the second surface facing the line head 46. This makes it possible to record on the second surface of the medium P by the line head 46.

[0031] The flap 42 is provided so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis. The flap 42 is normally in a position where it can guide the medium P traveling along the reversing path T3 to the transport roller pair 35. In contrast, the medium P sent out from the second medium cassette 4 or the third medium cassette 5 below the transport roller pair 35 reaches the transport roller pair 35 by pushing up the flap 42.

[0032] Furthermore, a feed path T4 is connected to the curved path T0. In this embodiment, the feed path T4 is a path section that runs from the first medium cassette 3 through the feed roller pair 25 to the curved path T0. The feed path T4 feeds the medium P from the first medium cassette 3 toward the curved path T0. The medium P sent out from the first medium cassette 3 reaches the transport roller pair 38 through the feed path T4 and the curved path T0, which is downstream in the transport direction from the connection position between the feed path T4 and the curved path T0. The medium P that has reached the transport roller pair 38 is transported by the transport roller pair 38 toward the recording transport path T1, which is downstream in the transport direction. The transport roller pair 38 is an example of a transport unit.

[0033] Next, the configuration of the curved path T0 will be described. As shown in Fig. 2, the inside of the curved path T0 is formed by an inner path forming portion 67 and a first guide portion 71, and the outside is formed by an outer path forming portion 65, an intermediate guide portion 81, and a second guide portion 82. The inner path forming portion 67 forms an inner path forming surface 67a, which is the inner surface of the curved path T0. The outer path forming portion 65 forms an outer path forming surface 65a, which is the outer surface of the curved path T0.

[0034] The first guide portion 71 is provided adjacent to the inner path forming portion 67 on the downstream side in the transport direction. The first guide portion 71 forms the inner surface of the curved path T0 that extends from the inner path forming surface 67a of the inner path forming portion 67 toward the transport roller pair 38 in the transport direction, and forms part of the transport path T1 during recording that is downstream in the transport direction of the transport roller pair 38. The first guide portion 71 is provided with a drive roller 39 that constitutes the transport roller pair 38, and a gate portion 50. The first guide portion 71 has ribs 73. The ribs 73 support the medium P by coming into contact with the medium P being transported.

[0035] When a direction intersecting the transport direction and the Y-axis direction is defined as a depth direction DF of the transport path T including the curved path T0 and the transport path during recording T1, the axial center of the rotation shaft 39a of the drive roller 39 is located on the first guide portion 71 side of the transport path T in the depth direction DF of the transport path T and at a position farther from the transport path T than the inner surface of the transport path T formed by the ribs 73 of the first guide portion. In other words, the rotation shaft 39a of the drive roller 39 is located on the first guide portion 71 side of the curved path T0 in the depth direction DF of the transport path T and at a position farther from the curved path T0 than the ribs 73 of the first guide portion.

[0036] The intermediate guide portion 81 is provided downstream of the outer path forming portion 65 in the conveying direction. The intermediate guide portion 81 has a guide surface 81a. The guide surface 81a forms the outer surface of a curved path T0 that extends in the conveying direction from the outer path forming surface 65a of the outer path forming portion 65 toward the second guide portion 82. The intermediate guide portion 81 is provided with a medium detection unit 48. A feeding path T4 that is connected to the curved path T0 is formed between the intermediate guide portion 81 and the outer path forming portion 65.

[0037] The second guide portion 82 is provided adjacent to the intermediate guide portion 81 on the downstream side in the transport direction. The second guide portion 82 has a guide surface 82a. The guide surface 82a forms the outer surface of a curved path T0 that extends from the guide surface 81a of the intermediate guide portion 81 toward the transport roller pair 38 in the transport direction. The second guide portion 82 also forms part of a transport path T1 during recording that is downstream in the transport direction of the transport roller pair 38. The second guide portion 82 is provided with a driven roller 40 that forms part of the transport roller pair 38.

[0038] The axial center of the rotation shaft 40a of the driven roller 40 is located on the second guide section 82 side of the curved path T0 in the depth direction DF of the transport path T, and at a position farther from the curved path T0 than the guide surface 82a of the second guide section.

[0039] 3 to 6, 13, and 14, a plurality of drive rollers 39 constituting a transport roller pair 38 provided on curved path T0 are provided at predetermined intervals along the Y-axis direction, which is the axial direction of the rotation shaft 39a, i.e., the medium width direction. The symbol CL indicates the center position in the width direction of transport path T, and the drive rollers 39 are arranged to have a symmetrical structure with respect to the center position CL. In this embodiment, four drive rollers 39 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the center position CL. The drive rollers 39 are an example of a first roller.

[0040] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the driven rollers 40 constituting the transport roller pair 38 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the axial direction of the rotation shaft 40a, i.e., the medium width direction, so as to face the drive roller 39. Thus, the transport roller pair 38 is arranged on the curved path T0 so that the medium P can be sandwiched between the drive roller 39 and the driven roller 40 and transported toward the line head 46. The driven rollers 40 are arranged in a symmetrical structure with respect to the center position CL. In this embodiment, four driven rollers 40 are arranged on both the left and right sides of the center position CL. In this embodiment, the peripheral surface 40d of the driven roller 40 is formed from an elastic member. The driven roller 40 is an example of a second roller.

[0041] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the drive roller 39 has a plurality of teeth 39c that protrude outward from the cylindrical portion 39b of the drive roller 39. The drive roller 39 is an example of a toothed roller. The teeth 39c provided on the cylindrical portion 39b of the drive roller 39 are arranged to form rows along the rotation direction of the drive roller 39 that rotates together with the rotation shaft 39a, i.e., the circumferential direction of the drive roller 39, and are arranged in multiple rows in the Y-axis direction. The teeth 39c provided on the cylindrical portion 39b of the drive roller 39 are arranged so that the intervals between the teeth 39c in the circumferential direction of the drive roller 39 are equal when viewed from the Y-axis direction.

[0042] The drive roller 39 transports the medium P by contacting the tips of the teeth 39c provided on the cylindrical portion 39b with the medium P. The multiple teeth 39c provided on the drive roller 39 are capable of point contact with the medium P. The tips of the multiple teeth 39c that can make point contact with the medium P form a circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39 that can come into contact with the medium P, as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 8. In other words, the drive roller 39 is a toothed roller that has multiple teeth 39c that can make point contact with the medium P, and the multiple teeth 39c form the circumferential surface 39d whose axis is the rotation axis 39a of the drive roller 39.

[0043] On the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39, if the tips of the teeth 39c of the drive roller 39 are convex portions that can come into contact with the medium P, the valleys between the tips of the teeth 39c of the drive roller 39 are concave portions that do not come into contact with the medium P. For this reason, the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39 has more convex and concave portions than the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40. Therefore, the surface roughness value of the circumferential surface 39d is greater than the surface roughness value of the circumferential surface 40d.

[0044] 2, a gate unit 50 is provided in the curved path T0. The gate unit 50 includes a moving member 52. The moving member 52 is provided rotatably about the rotation shaft 39a of the drive roller 39. In other words, the gate unit 50 is provided rotatably about the rotation shaft 39a of the drive roller 39.

[0045] As shown in Figures 3 to 6, a plurality of moving members 52 are provided at predetermined intervals in the Y-axis direction. The moving members 52 are arranged so as to have a bilaterally symmetrical structure with respect to the center position CL. In this embodiment, three moving members 52 are arranged on each of the left and right sides of the center position CL. The multiple moving members 52 are attached to a connecting member 53 that can rotate coaxially with the rotation shaft 39a, and all of the moving members 52 rotate simultaneously when the connecting member 53 rotates. A switching unit 57 is connected to the end of the connecting member 53 in the -Y direction.

[0046] The switching unit 57 connects the connecting member 53 with the plunger 58a of the solenoid 58. The switching unit 57 converts the linear movement of the plunger 58a in the Y-axis direction, which is caused by energizing the solenoid 58, into a rotational movement of the connecting member 53 about the rotation shaft 39a. When the plunger 58a moves in the -Y direction by driving the solenoid 58, the connecting member 53 rotates clockwise about the rotation shaft 39a as viewed from the -Y direction to the +Y direction. This causes the moving member 52 to rotate clockwise about the rotation shaft 39a as viewed from the -Y direction to the +Y direction.

[0047] A pressing force that rotates the connecting member 53 in the counterclockwise direction is applied by a spring (not shown). Therefore, when the supply of current to the solenoid 58 is stopped and the plunger 58a moves in the +Y direction, the connecting member 53 rotates counterclockwise about the rotation shaft 39a as viewed from the -Y direction to the +Y direction. As a result, the moving member 52 rotates counterclockwise about the rotation shaft 39a as viewed from the -Y direction to the +Y direction, and the gate portion 50 enters an advanced state, which will be described later.

[0048] The control unit 90 that controls the solenoid 58 controls the operation of the solenoid 58, i.e., the movement of the contact unit 52a forward and backward relative to the curved path T0, based on a detection signal from a medium detection unit 48 that is provided in the intermediate guide unit 81 near the upstream side of the transport roller pair 38. In addition to controlling the solenoid 58, the control unit 90 also performs various controls such as transport of the medium P in the printer 1, skew correction operation, and recording.

[0049] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6 to 14, a contact portion 52a is formed on the moving member 52. As the moving member 52 rotates, the gate unit 50 switches between an advanced state in which the contact portion 52a advances into the curved path T0 as shown in Figures 2, 4, 7 to 10, 13, and 14, and a retracted state in which the contact portion 52a retracts from the curved path T0 as shown in Figures 3 and 12. The contact portion 52a is provided with a contact surface 52b that can come into contact with the leading edge Pef of the medium P. The contact surface 52b is the surface of the contact portion 52a on the upstream side in the transport direction. When the gate unit 50 is in the advanced state, the leading edge Pef of the medium P comes into contact with the contact surface 52b.

[0050] 8 to 10, the position of contact surface 52b when gate unit 50 is in the advanced state is referred to as contact position PC, and as shown in Fig. 12, the position of contact surface 52b when contact surface 52b retracts from contact position PC and gate unit 50 is in the retracted state is referred to as retracted position PE. When the position where transport roller pair 38 sandwiches medium P is referred to as clamping position PN, contact position PC is located upstream of clamping position PN in the transport direction, as shown in Figs. 8 to 10. Furthermore, contact position PC is located downstream of the upstream ends of circumferential surface 39d of drive roller 39 and circumferential surface 40d of driven roller 40 in the transport direction.

[0051] 12, the retracted position PE is located downstream of the clamping position PN in the conveying direction. Furthermore, when the gate unit 50 is in the retracted state, the gate unit 50 is located at a position farther from the curved path T0 than the rib 73 of the first guide unit 71. Furthermore, the contact portion 52a of the moving member 52 in the retracted state of the gate unit 50 is located on the first guide unit 71 side of the curved path T0 in the depth direction DF of the conveying path T, and at a position farther from the curved path T0 than the rib 73 of the first guide unit.

[0052] 10, with the leading edge Pef of the medium P in contact with the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a, i.e., the gate portion 50, the medium is transported by the transport roller pair 35 located upstream of the transport roller pair 38 in the transport direction, causing a bulge to form in the medium P along the curved path T0. This causes the leading edge Pef of the medium P to follow the gate portion 50, correcting the skew. In this way, the transport roller pair 35 transports the medium P toward the transport roller pair 38, bringing the leading edge Pef of the medium P into contact with the contact surface 52b at the contact position PC, and the transport roller pair 35 then transports the medium P in this state, which is the skew correction operation.

[0053] 3 to 5 and 7 to 12, the first guide portion 71 has a base surface 72, a rib 73 protruding from the base surface 72 toward the second guide portion 82, and a guide portion 74. The rib 73 supports the medium P by contacting the medium P being transported.

[0054] The rib 73 is provided so as to extend from the upstream side of the drive roller 39 in the transport direction to the downstream side of the drive roller 39 in the transport direction. A plurality of ribs 73 are provided so as to sandwich the drive roller 39 in the Y-axis direction. Each rib 73 is provided with a guide portion 74 that guides the leading edge Pef of the medium P being transported toward the driven roller 40, protruding from the leading edge of the rib 73 shown by the dashed dotted line in FIG. 9 . In other words, the guide portion 74 is provided at a position corresponding to the rib 73. Furthermore, the guide portion 74 is provided at the same position as the rib 73 in the Y-axis direction.

[0055] The guide portion 74 comes into contact with the medium P to guide the leading edge Pef of the medium P being transported toward the driven roller 40. In this embodiment, the guide portion 74 is integrally formed with the rib 73. Therefore, a plurality of guide portions 74 are provided in the Y-axis direction so as to sandwich the drive roller 39 therebetween. As shown in FIG. 9 , the guide portion 74 protrudes radially from the drive roller 39 beyond the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39 when viewed along the Y-axis direction. The Y-axis direction is an example of the direction of the rotation axis 39a of the drive roller 39.

[0056] The surface of the guide portion 74 that comes into contact with the medium P is formed smoothly, and has fewer surface irregularities than the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39. Therefore, the surface roughness of the surface of the guide portion 74 is smaller than the surface roughness of the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39. The surface of the guide portion 74 may also be formed to be the same as or smoother than the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40, in which case the surface irregularities of the guide portion 74 will be the same as or less than the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40.

[0057] The downstream end of the guide portion 74 in the conveying direction is located downstream in the conveying direction of the contact surface 52b located at the contact position PC. Therefore, when the gate portion 50 is in the advanced state, the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a of the gate portion 50 and the guide portion 74 appear to partially overlap when viewed from the direction along the Y axis. In other words, when the gate portion 50 is in the advanced state, the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a of the gate portion 50 and the guide portion 74 overlap when viewed from the direction along the Y axis. Therefore, when the gate portion 50 is in the advanced state, the guide portion 74 guides the leading edge Pef of the medium P being conveyed to the contact surface 52b located at the contact position PC. The direction along the Y axis is an example of the direction along the rotation axis 39a of the drive roller 39.

[0058] On the other hand, the downstream end of the guide unit 74 in the transport direction is located upstream of the clamping position PN in the transport direction. For this reason, in the curved path T0, the guide unit 74 is not present between the downstream end of the guide unit 74 in the transport direction and the clamping position PN, but the direction in which the guide unit 74 guides the medium P is set so that the leading edge Pef of the medium P being transported faces the driven roller 40. For this reason, of the leading edges Pef of the medium P being transported toward the clamping position PN, the leading edge Pef of the medium P being transported while being guided by the guide unit 74 is unlikely to come into contact with the drive roller 39 even during the period from when it passes the downstream end of the guide unit 74 in the transport direction until it reaches the clamping position PN.

[0059] In this embodiment, the guide section 74 includes an upstream guide section 75 and a downstream guide section 76 that continues downstream of the upstream guide section 75 in the conveying direction. The upstream guide section 75 and the downstream guide section 76, together with the opposing second guide section 82 and the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40, are inclined to form a conveying path that tapers from the upstream side to the downstream side in the conveying direction as viewed along the Y-axis. This conveying path constitutes part of the curved path T0. In this embodiment, the inclination of the downstream guide section 76 is set to be gentler than the inclination of the upstream guide section 75. As a result, the direction in which the downstream guide section 76 faces the driven roller 40 is closer to the clamping position PN than the direction in which the upstream guide section 75 faces the driven roller 40.

[0060] 10 to 12, following the skew correction operation, gate unit 50 switches from the advanced state to the retracted state by rotating clockwise about rotation shaft 39a as viewed from the -Y direction to the +Y direction, as indicated by the hollow arrow in Fig. 11. During this process, the tip of contact portion 52a of gate unit 50 in the advanced state moves from a position where it appears to overlap with circumferential surface 40d of driven roller 40 as viewed from the direction along the Y axis in the advanced state, to a position away from driven roller 40 while increasing the gap between contact portion 52a and circumferential surface 40d of driven roller 40.

[0061] Furthermore, following the skew correction operation, rotation occurs clockwise about rotation shaft 39a as viewed from the -Y direction side to the +Y direction, causing contact surface 52b of contact portion 52a to move from contact position PC to sandwich position PN of conveyance roller pair 38. During the time it takes from contact position PC to sandwich position PN, as shown in Fig. 11 , contact surface 52b of contact portion 52a located at contact position PC moves from a state aligned with the depth direction DF of conveyance path T as viewed from the direction along the Y axis toward retracted position PE while increasing the degree of inclination such that the driven roller 40 side of contact surface 52b is more downstream in the conveyance direction than the drive roller 39 side of contact surface 52b as viewed from the direction along the Y axis.

[0062] For this reason, during the process of switching the gate unit 50 from the advanced state to the retracted state, the leading edge Pef of the medium P in contact with the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a is likely to move toward the driven roller 40 on the contact surface 52b while the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a moves from the contact position PC to the clamping position PN of the transport roller pair 38. Therefore, the leading edge Pef of the medium P is unlikely to come into contact with the drive roller 39 while contacting the contact surface 52b until it contacts the clamping position PN.

[0063] Next, the skew correction operation and the operation subsequent to the skew correction operation will be described with reference to Figures 9 to 14. Figures 13 and 14 are plan views of medium P with tip Pef in contact with contact surface 52b of contact portion 52a in gate section 50. In Figures 13 and 14, medium P is transported upward.

[0064] 9 , when the gate unit 50 is in an advanced state in which the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a is located at the contact position PC, the control unit 90 drives the drive roller 36 of the transport roller pair 35 to transport the medium P transported from the upstream side in the transport direction to the curved path T0 toward the transport roller pair 38. Alternatively, when the gate unit 50 is in an advanced state in which the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a is located at the contact position PC, the control unit 90 drives and controls the feed roller pair 25 to transport the medium P fed from the first medium cassette 3 toward the transport roller pair 38 via the feed path T4 and the curved path T0. Note that the medium P transported from the first medium cassette 3 to the curved path T0 via the feed path T4 is guided by the rib 73 and the guide portion 74 of the first guide portion 71 along the curved path T0 and transported toward the transport roller pair 38. In other words, the medium P transported from the first medium cassette 3 toward the transport roller pair 38 via the feeding path T4 and the curved path T0 is transported along the first guide portion 71 on the curved path T0.

[0065] 10 and 13, the leading edge Pef of the medium P transported toward the transport roller pair 38 comes into contact with the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a. As shown in Fig. 13, when the leading edge Pef of the medium P reaches the gate portion 50 in a skewed state, the medium P does not bulge between the outer path forming surface 65a and the inner path forming surface 67a, and the side edge Pe2 on the side where transport is ahead due to the skew and the side edge Pe1 on the side where transport is delayed due to the skew are at approximately the same position between the outer path forming surface 65a and the inner path forming surface 67a.

[0066] When the tip Pef shown in Figure 13 is in contact with the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a, the control unit 90 continues to drive the drive roller 36 or continues to control the drive of the feed roller pair 25, causing the medium P to swell in the curved path T0, and as a result, as shown in Figure 14, the tip Pef rotates to follow the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a, correcting the skew.

[0067] Following the skew correction operation, the control unit 90 drives the solenoid 58 to switch the gate unit 50 from the advanced state to the retracted state. During the process in which the gate unit 50 switches from the advanced state shown in FIG. 10 to the retracted state shown in FIG. 12 via the state shown in FIG. 11, when the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a moves downstream in the transport direction from the clamping position PN of the transport roller pair 38, the leading edge Pef of the medium P comes into contact with the clamping position PN. Note that when a predetermined time has elapsed since the medium detection unit 48 detected the medium P, the control unit 90 drives the solenoid 58 to switch the gate unit 50 from the advanced state to the retracted state.

[0068] 12, the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a moves to the retracted position PE, and the gate portion 50 enters the retracted state, and the control portion 90 drives the drive roller 39 of the transport roller pair 38. As a result, as shown in FIG. 12, the medium P is transported downstream in the transport direction, and the leading edge Pef of the medium P passes through the clamping position PN and enters the transport path T1 during recording.

[0069] As described above, the printer 1 according to the first embodiment can provide the following advantages.

[0070] The printer 1 includes a line head 46 that records on the medium P, a curved path T0 along which the medium P is transported toward the line head 46, and a transport roller pair 38 having a drive roller 39 and a driven roller 40 provided on the curved path T0, the transport roller pair 38 sandwiching the medium P between the drive roller 39 and the driven roller 40 and transporting the medium P toward the line head 46. When the direction in which the medium P is transported is defined as the transport direction and the position at which the transport roller pair 38 sandwiches the medium P is defined as a clamping position PN, the printer 1 also includes a gate unit 50 having a contact surface 52b, the gate unit 50 being capable of being in an advanced state in which the contact surface 52b is positioned at a contact position PC that is located upstream of the clamping position PN on the curved path T0 in the transport direction and in which the gate unit 50 is in a retracted state in which the contact surface 52b is retracted from the contact position PC. The printer 1 also includes a guide unit 74 that forms the curved path T0 and guides the leading edge Pef of the transported medium P to the contact surface 52b located at the contact position PC. The guide unit 74 protrudes radially from the drive roller 39 beyond the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39 when viewed along the Y axis. As a result, when the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39 or the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40 that is located upstream of the contact position PC in the transport direction is defined as the upstream circumferential surface, compared to conventional technology, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the accuracy of skew correction of the medium P, which would occur if the leading edge Pef of the medium P contacted the upstream circumferential surface before reaching the contact position PC. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the quality of the image formed on the medium P due to the operation of correcting skew of the medium P.

[0071] In the printer 1, the drive roller 39 is a toothed roller that has multiple teeth 39c that can make point contact with the medium P, and the multiple teeth 39c form a circumferential surface 39d. As a result, the drive roller 39 can be suitably used as the first roller that makes up the transport roller pair 38.

[0072] The printer 1 includes a line head 46 that records on the medium P, a curved path T0 along which the medium P is transported toward the line head 46, and a transport roller pair 38 having a drive roller 39 and a driven roller 40 provided on the curved path T0, the transport roller pair 38 sandwiching the medium P between the drive roller 39 and the driven roller 40 and transporting the medium P toward the line head 46. When the direction in which the medium P is transported is defined as the transport direction and the position at which the transport roller pair 38 sandwiches the medium P is defined as a clamping position PN, the printer 1 also includes a gate unit 50 having a contact surface 52b, the gate unit 50 being capable of being in an advanced state in which the contact surface 52b is positioned at a contact position PC that is located upstream of the clamping position PN on the curved path T0 in the transport direction and in which the gate unit 50 is in a retracted state in which the contact surface 52b is retracted from the contact position PC. Then, along the curved path T0, the medium P, on whose first side has been recorded by the line head 46, is transported in an orientation in which the first side contacts the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39. The drive roller 39 is a toothed roller having multiple teeth 39c that can make point contact with the medium P, and the multiple teeth 39c form a circumferential surface 39d whose axis is the rotation axis 39a of the drive roller 39. By using the drive roller 39 as a toothed roller, it is possible to prevent ink adhering to the medium P from being transferred to the drive roller 39, or to prevent ink transferred to the drive roller 39 from being transferred to the driven roller 40. This prevents ink transferred to either the drive roller 39 or the driven roller 40 from being transferred to this medium P or to a subsequent medium P being transported, thereby preventing a decrease in the quality of the image formed on the medium P. This prevents a decrease in the quality of the image formed on the medium P due to the operation to correct the skew of the medium P.

[0073] The printer 1 includes a guide unit 74 that forms the curved path T0 and guides the leading edge Pef of the transported medium P to the contact surface 52b located at the contact position PC. The guide unit 74 protrudes radially from the drive roller 39 beyond the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39 when viewed along the Y axis. As a result, when the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39 or the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40 that is located upstream of the contact position PC in the transport direction is defined as the upstream circumferential surface, compared to conventional technology, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the accuracy of skew correction of the medium P, which would occur if the leading edge Pef of the medium P contacted the upstream circumferential surface before reaching the contact position PC. This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the quality of the image formed on the medium P due to the operation of correcting skew of the medium P.

[0074] In the printer 1, the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40 is formed from an elastic material, and the direction in which the guide section 74 guides the medium P is the direction in which the leading edge Pef of the transported medium P faces the driven roller 40. By guiding the medium P toward the driven roller 40, the medium P is more likely to come into contact with the driven roller 40 of the transport roller pair 38 before reaching the clamping position PN, and contact with the drive roller 39 can be suppressed.

[0075] In the printer 1, when the gate unit 50 is in the advanced state, the contact surface 52b and the guide unit 74 overlap when viewed from the direction along the Y axis. As a result, when the gate unit 50 is in the advanced state, the contact surface 52b and the guide unit 74 overlap when viewed from the direction along the Y axis, which further prevents the leading edge Pef of the medium P from contacting the drive roller 39.

[0076] In the printer 1, the guide unit 74 is provided across the contact surface 52b of the gate unit 50 in the Y axis direction. This allows the guide unit 74 to stably guide the medium P to the contact surface 52b of the contact unit 52a located at the contact position PC.

[0077] The printer 1 has ribs 73 that form the curved path T0 and come into contact with the transported medium P, and the guide section 74 is provided at a position corresponding to the rib 73. As the guide section 74 is provided at a position corresponding to the rib 73, the leading edge of the medium can be guided more stably than in a configuration in which the guide section 74 is provided alone.

[0078] In the printer 1, when the gate unit 50 is in the retracted state, the gate unit 50 is located at a position farther from the curved path T0 than the rib 73. As a result, when the gate unit 50 is in the retracted state, the gate unit 50 does not come into contact with the medium P, and therefore, the transport load on the medium P can be reduced.

[0079] In the printer 1, the contact surface 52b of the gate unit 50 is provided to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 39a of the drive roller 39. This can be suitably used as a configuration for switching the gate unit 50 between an advanced state and a retracted state.

[0080] The printer 1 according to the above embodiment of the present disclosure is basically configured as described above, but it is of course possible to modify or omit parts of the configuration without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above embodiment and other embodiments described below can be combined with each other within the scope of technical compatibility. Other embodiments are described below.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the movable member 52 of the gate unit 50 may have a support portion 52s capable of supporting the medium P when the gate unit 50 is in the retracted state. For example, as shown in FIGS. 15 and 16 , the support portion 52s of the movable member 52 is a flat surface that is provided contiguous to the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a. In this case, the contact surface 52b and the support portion 52s may be provided so as to form the same plane. Also, in this case, as shown in FIG. 16 , when the gate unit 50 is in the retracted state, the contact surface 52b and the support portion 52s may be provided so as to be at the same position as the base surface 72 of the first guide portion 71 in the depth direction DF of the transport path T. Also, in this case, as shown in FIG. 15 , when the gate unit 50 is in the advanced state, the contact surface 52b at the contact position PC may be inclined in a direction such that the driven roller 40 side of the contact surface 52b is downstream in the transport direction from the drive roller 39 side of the contact surface 52b when viewed along the Y-axis direction.

[0082] In the above embodiment, the movable member 52 of the gate unit 50 may have a guide portion 52g that guides the leading edge Pef of the transported medium P to the contact surface 52b when the gate unit 50 is in the advanced state. The guide portion 52g has the same function as the guide portion 74 of the first guide portion 71 in the first embodiment. In this case, the first guide portion 71 may not have the guide portion 74. For example, as shown in FIG. 17 , when the gate unit 50 is in the advanced state, the guide portion 52g may have the same shape as the guide portion 74 in the first embodiment when viewed along the Y-axis direction. The movable member 52 may also have a support portion 52s that can support the medium P. The support portion 52s is provided adjacent to the guide portion 52g. In this case, as shown in FIG. 18 , when the gate unit 50 is in the retracted state, the position at which the support portion 52s supports the medium P may be the same position as the base surface 72 of the first guide portion 71 in the depth direction DF of the transport path T. In this case, when the gate unit 50 is in the retracted state, the guide portion 52g and the support portion 52s may have a rib shape extending in the conveying direction. In this case, the guide portion 52g and the support portion 52s may be provided in plurality on the moving member 52 at intervals in the Y-axis direction.

[0083] In the above embodiment, the guide portion 74 of the first guide portion 71 does not have to be integrally formed with the rib 73. For example, the guide portion 74 may be a separate member attached to the rib 73 at the same position as the guide portion 74 in embodiment 1. Alternatively, the guide portion 74 may be a separate member attached to the first guide portion 71 at a different position in the Y-axis direction from the rib 73 in embodiment 1. Alternatively, the guide portion 74 may be a separate member provided movably with respect to the first guide portion 71. In this case, the guide portion 74 may be moved so that when the gate portion 50 is in the advanced state, it is positioned at a guide position that is the same position as the guide portion 74 in embodiment 1 when viewed along the Y-axis, and when the gate portion 50 is in the retracted state, it is positioned at a retracted position where it does not protrude from the rib 73. In this case, a cam surface that supports a protrusion provided on the guide portion 74 may be provided on the movable member 52, and the cam surface may be displaced in response to switching between the advanced state and the retracted state, thereby moving the guide portion 74 between the guide position and the retracted position.

[0084] In the above embodiment, the moving member 52 of the gate unit 50 does not have to be rotatable about the rotation axis 39a of the drive roller 39. For example, the moving member 52 may be rotatable about a rotation axis different from the rotation axis 39a of the drive roller 39. If this rotation axis is the rotation axis RS (not shown), for example, the center of the rotation axis RS is along the Y axis, and when viewed from the direction along the Y axis as in FIG. 10 , the center of the rotation axis RS is located on the first guide section 71 side of the conveying path T in the depth direction DF of the conveying path T, and at a position farther from the conveying path T than the inner surface of the conveying path T formed by the ribs 73 of the first guide section. When viewed from the direction along the Y axis, the center of the rotation axis RS is located at a position upstream in the conveying direction from the circumferential surface 39d of the drive roller 39. In this case, the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a provided on the moving member 52 may move between the contact position PC in the first embodiment and a separate position located closer to the rotation axis 39a of the drive roller 39 than the contact position PC in the depth direction DF of the transport path T. When this separate position is defined as the separate position PSA (not shown), the separate position PSA is located upstream of the clamping position PN in the transport direction. Furthermore, when viewed along the Y axis, a gap through which the medium P can pass is formed between the tip of the contact portion 52a and the driven roller 40 during the process of the gate unit 50 switching from the advanced state to the retracted state. When this gap is defined as the gap GA (not shown), it can be said that the contact portion 52a, together with the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40, forms a transport path that constitutes part of the curved path T0 when the gap GA is formed. This transport path has a shape that tapers from the upstream side to the downstream side in the transport direction when viewed along the Y axis. Furthermore, because contact portion 52a rotates about rotation axis RS, until gap GA is formed, contact surface 52b of contact portion 52a is inclined in a direction such that the driven roller 40 side of contact surface 52b is more downstream in the transport direction than the drive roller 39 side of contact surface 52b when viewed from the direction along the Y axis. For this reason, until gap GA is formed, leading edge Pef of medium P in contact with contact surface 52b is likely to move toward driven roller 40 of contact surface 52b. Therefore, leading edge Pef of medium P, which moves from a state in contact with contact surface 52b through gap GA toward clamping position PN, is unlikely to come into contact with drive roller 39.

[0085] In the above embodiment, the movable member 52 of the gate unit 50 does not have to be rotatable about the rotation shaft 39a of the drive roller 39. For example, the movable member 52 may be provided in the first guide unit 71 so as to be slidable in a direction along the depth direction DF of the transport path T. In this case, the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a provided on the movable member 52 may move between the contact position PC in the first embodiment and a separate position where it does not contact the transported medium P. If this separate position is defined as the separate position PSB (not shown), the separate position PSB is located closer to the rotation shaft 39a of the drive roller 39 than the contact position PC in the depth direction DF of the transport path T when viewed from the Y-axis direction as in FIG. 10 . The contact surface 52b located at the separate position PSB is aligned with the depth direction DF of the transport path T. In this case, the separate position PSB is located at the same position as the contact position PC in the transport direction and is located upstream of the clamping position PN in the transport direction. In this case, in the process of switching the gate portion 50 from the advanced state to the retracted state, a gap GB (not shown) through which the medium P can pass is formed between the tip of the contact portion 52a and the circumferential surface 40d of the driven roller 40. Then, the tip Pef of the medium P, which moves from a state of contact with the contact surface 52b through the gap GB toward the clamping position PN, is unlikely to come into contact with the drive roller 39.

[0086] In the above embodiment, the printer 1 does not have to include the switching unit 57 and solenoid 58 that switch the gate unit 50 between the advanced state and the retracted state. For example, in embodiment 1, the pressing force of the spring acting on the connecting member 53 may be changed so that the gate unit 50 is in the advanced state. In this case, the pressing force of the spring acting on the connecting member 53 may be set so that, in FIG. 10 , when the leading edge Pef of the medium P being transported comes into contact with the contact surface 52b at the contact position PC and the pressing force pressing on the contact surface 52b reaches a predetermined magnitude, the moving member 52 rotates clockwise, allowing the medium P to pass through the gap GC (not shown) formed between the contact portion 52a and the driven roller 40.

[0087] In the above embodiment, the control unit 90 may drive the drive roller 39 following the skew correction operation before the gate unit 50 enters the retracted state. For example, the control unit 90 may start driving the drive roller 39 simultaneously with driving the solenoid 58 for switching the gate unit 50 from the advanced state to the retracted state. Furthermore, for example, the control unit 90 may start driving the drive roller 39 while the moving member 52 is moving in the process of switching the gate unit 50 from the advanced state to the retracted state. In this case, the control unit 90 may start driving the drive roller 39 after the contact surface 52b of the contact portion 52a passes the clamping position PN.

[0088] In the above embodiment, a heater may be provided in the transport path T to dry ink adhering to the first side of the medium P, the first side of which has been recorded by the line head 46, before the medium P reaches the transport roller pair 38. In this case, for example, the heater may be provided in the switchback path T2 or the reversal path T3. Alternatively, the medium P, the first side of which has been recorded, may be held in the switchback path T2 or the reversal path T3 for a predetermined time, thereby drying the ink adhering to the first side of the medium P before the medium P reaches the transport roller pair 38. If the ink adhering to the medium P is unlikely to be transferred to the drive roller 39 constituting the transport roller pair 38, the drive roller 39 does not need to be a toothed roller. In this case, the drive roller 39 may be a metal roller having a peripheral surface 39d that is partially roughened, i.e., a so-called non-slip roller. In this case, the drive roller 39 may also be a ceramic roller having a plurality of ceramic particles provided on the peripheral surface 39d. [Explanation of symbols]

[0089] 1...printer, 2...device main body, 3...first media cassette, 4...second media cassette, 5...third media cassette, 6...expansion unit, 8...output tray, 10...media transport device, 11...waste liquid storage section, 12a...ink storage section, 13...transport belt, 14, 15...pulley, 19...supply roller, 20...separation roller, 21, 22, 23...pick roller, 25, 26, 27...feed roller pair, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32A, 33, 34, 35, 38...transport roller pair, 36, 39...drive roller, 37, 40...followed roller, 39a, 40a...rotating shaft, 39b...cylindrical portion, 39c...teeth, 39d, 40d...circumferential surface, 41, 42...flap, 45...head unit, 46...line head, 48...media detection section, 50...gate section, 52...moving member, 52a...contact portion, 52b...contact surface, 52g...guide portion, 52s...support portion, 53...connecting member, 57...switching portion, 58...solenoid, 58a...plunger, 65...outer path forming portion, 65a...outer path forming surface, 67...inner path forming portion, 67a...inner path forming surface, 71...first guide portion, 72...base surface, 73...rib, 74...guide portion, 75...upstream guide portion, 76...downstream guide portion, 81...intermediate guide portion, 81a...guide surface, 82...second guide portion, 82a...guide surface, 90...control portion, K1...branching position, T...conveyance path, T0...curved path, T1...conveyance path during recording, T2...switchback path, T3...reverse path, T4...feed path, P...medium, Pef...tip, PC...contact position, PE...retraction position, PN...clamping position.

Claims

1. a recording unit that records on the medium; a transport path along which the medium is transported toward the recording unit; A pair of conveying rollers having a first roller and a second roller provided in the conveying path The medium is sandwiched between the first roller and the second roller, and the medium the conveying roller pair that conveys the recording medium toward the recording unit; The direction in which the medium is transported is defined as the transport direction, and the transport roller pair sandwiches the medium. When the position is the clamping position, a gate portion having a contact surface, the gate portion being arranged to move from the clamping position to the conveying direction in the conveying path; The contact surface is located at a contact position on the upward flow side and contacts the leading edge of the medium being conveyed. and a retreated state in which the contact surface retreats from the contact position. and, The conveying path is configured, and the leading edge of the conveyed medium is positioned at the contact position. a guide portion that guides the first roller to the contact surface, when viewed from a direction along the rotation axis of the first roller, the guide portion protruding from a peripheral surface of the first roller in a radial direction of the first roller; a rib that forms the transport path and contacts the medium being transported; Equipped with the guide portion is provided at a position corresponding to the rib, When the gate portion is in the retreated state, the gate portion is located closer to the conveying path than the rib. and the gate portion is located at a position away from the medium so that the gate portion does not come into contact with the medium. A recording device characterized by:

2. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, The first roller has a plurality of teeth that can make point contact with the medium, and the plurality of teeth A toothed roller forms the peripheral surface. A recording device characterized by:

3. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, The peripheral surface of the second roller is formed of an elastic member, The guide section guides the medium in a direction such that the leading edge of the medium is guided by the second guide section. The direction is towards the controller. A recording device characterized by:

4. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, When the gate portion is in the advanced state, the contact surface and the guide portion are in contact with each other. When viewed from the direction along the rotation axis of the roller, A recording device characterized by:

5. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, The guide portion is configured to guide the first roller in the direction of the rotation axis of the first roller. It is placed across the surface, A recording device characterized by:

6. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, The contact surface of the gate portion is provided rotatably about the rotation axis of the first roller. can be A recording device characterized by:

Images