Supply mechanism, image forming apparatus, and supply tray

Abstract

The present application provides a feeding mechanism, an image forming apparatus, and a feeding tray, which suppresses position deviation of at least one of a roll and a roll medium in the axial direction. The feeding tray (1) includes: a first housing portion (8) configured to house a roll (R); a pair of side walls (12, 13) disposed on both sides of the first housing portion (8) with respect to the axial direction of the roll (R) housed in the first housing portion (8); and a side guide (17) disposed inside the pair of side walls (12, 13) and configured to abut against the left and right ends of the roll (R) housed in the first housing portion (8) and the roll paper (Rp) wound from the roll (R) in the left and right directions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a feeding mechanism, an image forming apparatus, and a feeding tray having a feeding tray capable of accommodating a roll of a long sheet-like medium wound into a roll and being insertable and removable relative to the housing of an image recording apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] The fax machine (image forming apparatus) disclosed in Patent Document 1 has a paper feed tray (feeding pallet) that can be detached from the fax machine body. The paper feed tray is provided with a support for paper rolls (paper media) and is capable of holding paper rolls.

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-264556 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] Paper jams may occur when the roll of long sheet media is wound into a roll and its position shifts within the paper tray, or when the roll of media being rolled out of the roll and transported within the paper tray shifts its position in the width direction (axial direction of the roll).

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide a feeding mechanism, an image forming apparatus, and a feeding tray capable of suppressing axially related positional offset of at least one of the roll body and the roll medium.

[0009] Methods for solving problems

[0010] The feeding mechanism of the present invention includes a feeding tray capable of receiving a roll of a long sheet medium wound into a roll and capable of being inserted and removed relative to the housing of an image forming apparatus. The feeding tray has: a first receiving portion capable of receiving the roll; a pair of sidewalls respectively disposed on both sides of the first receiving portion with respect to the axial direction of the roll received in the first receiving portion; and a side guide disposed inside the pair of sidewalls and capable of abutting against at least one of the axial end of the roll received in the first receiving portion and the sheet medium, i.e., the roll medium, wound out from the roll.

[0011] The image forming apparatus of the present invention includes the above-described feeding mechanism.

[0012] The feed tray of the present invention is capable of accommodating a roll of long sheet media wound into a roll and is pluggable relative to the housing of an image forming apparatus. It comprises: a first receiving portion capable of accommodating the roll; a pair of sidewalls respectively disposed on both sides of the first receiving portion with respect to the axial direction of the roll received in the first receiving portion; and a side guide disposed inside the pair of sidewalls, capable of abutting against at least one of the axial end of the roll received in the first receiving portion and the sheet media, i.e., the roll media, wound out from the roll.

[0013] Invention Effects

[0014] According to the feeding mechanism, image forming apparatus, and feeding tray of the present invention, axial positioning is achieved by abutting the axial end of at least one of the roll body and roll medium against a side guide. Therefore, axial positional offset of at least one of the roll body and roll medium can be suppressed. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic side view illustrating the internal structure of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 The diagram shows a three-dimensional view of the supply pallet.

[0017] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 The shown is a cross-sectional view of the supply pallet along line III-III.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 The top view of the supply pallet shown.

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 2 The side view shown is of the feed tray with the side walls removed.

[0020] Figure 6 This diagram shows the state in which the upward rotation of the support plate is restricted by the limiting part.

[0021] Figure 7 yes Figure 4 The cross-sectional view of the feed tray along line VII-VII shown is (a) a diagram showing the side guides in the non-overlapping position and (b) a diagram showing the side guides in the overlapping position.

[0022] Figure 8 This is a diagram showing the second-side guide in an overlapping position.

[0023] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view of the supply pallet of the first variant, (a) corresponding to Figure 4 The cross-sectional view of the supply pallet shown along line IXa-IXa, (b) corresponds to Figure 4 The shown is a cross-sectional view of the supply pallet along line VII-VII.

[0024] Figure 10 This is a top view of the feeding pallet in the second variation. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The following is for reference Figure 1 The printer 100 (image forming apparatus of the present invention) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described. It should be noted that... Figure 1 The up / down, front / back, and left / right directions shown are set as the up / down, front / back, and left / right directions of printer 100.

[0026] (Overall structure of Printer 100)

[0027] The printer 100 mainly comprises a housing 100a, a feed mechanism 3, a transport mechanism 4, a cutter 5, a head 6, a paper tray 7, and a control unit 10. The feed mechanism 3 includes a feed tray 1, a feed roller 2, and a separating disc 31. The feed tray 1 is detachable from the lower part of the housing 100a. The feed tray 1 is disposed within the housing 100a below the head 6. The paper tray 7 is disposed within the housing 100a in front of the head 6 and above the feed tray 1. The feed tray 1 can be inserted and removed from the housing 100a in a front-rear direction via an opening 101 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a. The paper tray 7 can be inserted and removed from the housing 100a in a front-rear direction via an opening 102 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a.

[0028] The feed tray 1 is capable of accommodating both cut paper Kp and roll paper R, and has a first receiving section 8 capable of accommodating the roll paper R and a second receiving section 9 capable of accommodating multiple cut paper Kp stacked in the vertical direction. The roll paper R is obtained by winding a long piece of paper in a rolled shape around the outer circumference of a cylindrical core member Rc. The width direction of the cut paper Kp in the feed tray 1 and the roll paper Rp rolled out from the roll paper R are aligned with the horizontal direction. The cut paper Kp is shorter than the long piece of paper wound into a roll.

[0029] The feed roller 2 feeds either the roll of paper Rp received from the roll R housed in the first receiving section 8 or the cut paper Kp housed in the second receiving section 9 from the feed tray 1. In the following description, the cut paper Kp and the roll of paper Rp will be referred to as "paper P" without distinction. The feed roller 2 is pivotally supported at the front end of the arm 2a and rotates by a feed motor (not shown). The arm 2a is rotatably supported on the support shaft 2b. The arm 2a is subjected to force by a force-applying member (not shown) to bring the feed roller 2 close to the bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1. When the feed motor is driven by the control unit 10, the feed roller 2 rotates, applying a conveying force from front to rear to the paper P in contact with the feed roller 2. Thus, the paper P is fed from the feed tray 1. It should be noted that the arm 2a is configured to retract upwards when loading and unloading the feed tray 1 relative to the housing 100a.

[0030] Separator 31 is used to prevent overlapping feeding when the cut paper Kp is fed from the feed tray 1. Separator 31 is located downstream of the feed tray 1 with respect to the transport direction of the paper P on the feed roller 2 (from front to back: referred to as the "transport direction" in the following description). Separator 31 is inclined such that its rear end is positioned above its front end. A fine embossed pattern is formed on the surface of separator 31. Separator 31 contacts the center portion of the cut paper Kp in the width direction, separating the cut paper Kp in contact with the feed roller 2 from other cut paper Kp. The paper P fed from the feed tray 1 and in contact with separator 31 is guided obliquely upwards.

[0031] The conveying mechanism 4 includes an intermediate roller pair 41, a conveying roller pair 42, a paper discharge roller pair 43, and a guide member 44. The intermediate roller pair 41 consists of a drive roller that rotates under the drive of an intermediate motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates along with the driven roller. When the intermediate motor (not shown) is driven under the control of the control unit 10, the intermediate roller pair 41 carries the paper P while it is clamped and rotated. The intermediate roller pair 41 is located above the separating plate 31. The intermediate roller pair 41 carries the paper P upwards while clamping it, as it is fed from the feed tray 1 by the feed roller 2 and then guided obliquely upwards by the separating plate 31. The guide member 44 is located above the intermediate roller pair 41. The guide member 44 guides the paper P carried upwards by the intermediate roller pair 41 forwards.

[0032] The transport roller pair 42 consists of a drive roller that rotates under the drive of a transport motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates along with the driven roller. The paper discharge roller pair 43 consists of a drive roller that rotates under the drive of a paper discharge motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates along with the driven roller. When the transport motor (not shown) and the paper discharge motor (not shown) are driven under the control of the control unit 10, the transport roller pair 42 and the paper discharge roller pair 43 transport the paper P while holding it in place and rotating. The transport roller pair 42 is located behind the head 6, and the paper discharge roller pair 43 is located in front of the head 6. The transport roller pair 42 transports the paper P forward while holding it and being guided forward by the guide member 44. The paper discharge roller pair 43 transports the paper P forward while holding it and being transported forward by the transport roller pair 42.

[0033] The cutter 5 is located between the separating plate 31 and the intermediate roller pair 41. The cutter 5 is, for example, composed of a circular rotating blade and a driven blade. In the cutter 5, the rotating blade rotates by a cutting motor (not shown) and reciprocates in the left-right direction. The roll of paper Rp, which is rolled out and transported from the roll body R, is cut by the cutter 5 in the width direction of the roll of paper Rp by the cutting motor driven by the control unit 10.

[0034] The head 6 includes multiple nozzles (not shown) formed on its lower surface and a driver IC (not shown). When the driver IC is driven under the control of the control unit 10, ink is ejected from the nozzles, forming an image on the paper P transported by the transport mechanism 4 as it passes the image forming position opposite the lower surface of the head 6. It should be noted that the head 6 can eject ink from the nozzles in either a fixed position (row-type) or a serial position (serial type) while moving left and right. The paper P with the image formed by the head 6 is then received into the paper tray 7.

[0035] The control unit 10 is connected to the feed motor, intermediate motor, conveyor motor, paper output motor, cut-off motor, and driver IC via an internal bus (not shown). The control unit 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores programs and data used by the CPU for various control operations. The RAM temporarily stores data used by the CPU when executing programs.

[0036] (Structure of supply pallet 1)

[0037] Then, while referring to Figures 2-8The structure of the supply tray 1 will be described below. In the following description, the orientation of each part of the supply tray 1 will be described based on the posture of the supply tray 1 when it is assembled in the housing 100a. The supply tray 1 has a generally quadrilateral shape when viewed from above. The supply tray 1 has a bottom wall 11 and side walls 12 to 15 provided on the edge of the bottom wall 11, forming a box shape that opens upwards.

[0038] like Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the bottom wall 11 extends in a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction. The upper surface of the bottom wall 11 becomes the bottom surface 11a of the supply tray 1. Side walls 12 and 13 extend upward from the left and right end edges of the bottom wall 11. Furthermore, side walls 12 and 13 extend from the front end of the bottom wall 11 along the front-rear direction to the rear end. Side wall 14 extends upward from the front end edge of the bottom wall 11. Moreover, side wall 14 extends from the right end of the bottom wall 11 along the left-right direction to the left end.

[0039] Four sidewalls 15 are provided at the rear edge of the bottom wall 11. Each sidewall 15 has a guide surface 15a that connects to the rear end of the bottom surface 11a and is inclined such that its upper end is positioned further rearward than its lower end. The four sidewalls 15 are separated from each other in the left-right direction. Figure 4 As shown, when the feed tray 1 is assembled into the housing 100a, the separating plate 31 is located between the two inner side walls 15 of the four side walls 15 arranged in the left-right direction. The guide surface 15a of the side wall 15, together with the separating plate 31, guides the paper P conveyed rearward by the feed roller 2 obliquely upward.

[0040] A protrusion 16 protruding upward is formed at the center of the rear end of the bottom wall 11 in the left-right direction. The upper surface 16a of the protrusion 16 becomes a horizontal surface. The protrusion 16 has a base 16b and an extension 16c that is shorter than the base 16b in the left-right direction. The extension 16c is located upstream of the base 16b in the transport direction and extends from the central portion of the base 16b towards the upstream side in the transport direction in the left-right direction.

[0041] In the case where there is no paper P on the upper surface 16a of the protrusion 16, such as Figure 3 As shown, the feed roller 2 contacts the upper surface 16a of the base 16b in the protrusion 16. When paper P is present on the upper surface 16a of the protrusion 16, the feed roller 2 contacts the paper P. That is, the position where the base 16b in the protrusion 16 is provided with respect to the transport direction becomes the transport position where the feed roller 2 applies a transport force to the paper P.

[0042] As described above, the feed tray 1 is provided with a first receiving section 8 capable of receiving rolls R and a second receiving section 9 capable of receiving multiple stacked cut papers Kp in the vertical direction. The first receiving section 8 and the second receiving section 9 are arranged along the transport direction. The second receiving section 9 is located downstream of the first receiving section 8 in the transport direction.

[0043] The first receiving section 8 receives the scroll R in an orientation where its axis and left-right direction are aligned. For example... Figure 3 As shown, the first receiving section 8 has a support platform 81 for supporting the roll R and two rollers 81a and 81b. The support platform 81 extends in the left-right direction. The rollers 81a and 81b also extend in the left-right direction and are arranged separately from each other in the front-back direction. The rollers 81a and 81b are supported on the upper end of the support platform 81 in a manner that allows them to rotate about a rotation axis extending in the left-right direction. The rollers 81a and 81b support the roll R from below in a state of contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower part of the roll R.

[0044] A gap G is formed between the lower surface of the support platform 81 and the bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1. As will be described later, when the roll of paper Rp is placed on the feed tray 1, the roll R supported on the support platform 81 moves in the direction of... Figure 3 The paper roll Rp is pulled out from the front side of the roll body R by rotating clockwise. Furthermore, the paper roll Rp pulled out from the roll body R is pulled out from the front side of the support table 81 to the rear side of the support table 81 through the gap G.

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown, the first receiving section 8 has a cover 82 consisting of a rear portion 82a covering the rear of the roll R supported on the support platform 81 and an upper portion 82b covering the top of the roll R supported on the support platform 81. The rear portion 82a is located behind the roll R supported on the support platform 81 and extends in a plane orthogonal to the front-rear direction. The upper portion 82b is connected to the upper end of the rear portion 82a. The upper portion 82b is located above the roll R supported on the support platform 81 and extends in a plane orthogonal to the vertical direction. The cover 82 is rotatable rearward about a rotation axis 82c located at the lower end of the rear portion 82a that extends in the left-right direction. By making such a rotation axis 82c... Figure 3 The cover 82, which is positioned to cover the roll R supported on the support platform 81 as shown, can rotate to the rearward side to expose the receiving space of the roll R above the support platform 81.

[0046] The second receiving section 9 receives the cut paper Kp in an orientation that aligns with its axial direction and left-right direction. The second receiving section 9 has a support plate 91 (equivalent to the "support member" of the present invention) that supports the multiple cut papers Kp placed in a stacked state from below. It should be noted that when forming an image by feeding the roll of paper Rp, which is rolled out from the roll body R received in the first receiving section 8, from the feed tray 1, the cut paper Kp is removed from the second receiving section 9.

[0047] The support plate 91 is capable of rotating up and down about a rotation axis 91a located at its front end and extending in the left-right direction. Here, as... Figure 3 As shown, an elliptical opening 12a, elongated in the vertical direction, is formed in the side wall 12 of the supply tray 1. One end (right end) of the rotation shaft 91a of the support plate 91 is inserted into the opening 12a in the side wall 12. Similarly, an elliptical opening (not shown) with elongated in the vertical direction is formed in the side wall 13 for the other end (left end) of the rotation shaft 91a of the support plate 91 to be inserted. The rotation shaft 91a can move up and down within the opening 12a in the side wall 12 and the opening (not shown) in the side wall 13.

[0048] The rotating shaft 91a is located between the support platform 81 and the rear portion 82a of the cover 82 in the transport direction. The support plate 91 extends from the rotating shaft 91a toward the downstream side in the transport direction to the end of the bottom wall 11 of the supply pallet 1 in the downstream side in the transport direction.

[0049] The support plate 91 functions as a separator that vertically separates the cut paper Kp housed in the second receiving section 9 from the roll paper Rp wound out from the roll body R. The roll paper Rp wound out from the roll body R passes between the bottom wall 11 of the supply tray 1 and the support plate 91. That is, the bottom wall 11 of the supply tray 1 and the support plate 91 define the guide path for the roll paper Rp wound out from the roll body R housed in the first receiving section 8.

[0050] The delivery tray 1 has a pair of side guides 17 disposed inside a pair of side walls 12, 13 respectively on both sides of the first receiving portion 8 in the left and right directions and separated from each other in the left and right directions. The side guides 17 are supported on the bottom wall 11 in a manner that allows them to move in the left and right directions and are arranged opposite each other in the left and right directions. One side guide 17 and the other side guide 17 can move in a linked manner in a direction of separation and approach, for example, by means of a known linkage mechanism (not shown) consisting of opposing racks and pinions meshing with the two racks.

[0051] like Figure 5As shown, a pair of side guides 17 extend along the transport direction from the portion corresponding to the first receiving section 8 to the portion corresponding to the second receiving section 9. The portion of the side guide 17 located in the first receiving section 8 is a first side guide 18 that guides the roll R received in the first receiving section 8. Additionally, the portion of the side guide 17 located downstream in the transport direction of the second receiving section 9 is a second side guide 19 that guides the cut paper Kp received in the second receiving section 9 and the roll paper Rp wound from the roll R. The first side guide 18 and the second side guide 19 are connected by a connecting portion 22.

[0052] The first side guide 18 is a plate-shaped component parallel to the side walls 12 and 13. The first side guide 18 is located in the inner space of the cover 82 of the first receiving section 8. The opposing surfaces of the first side guides 18 of each pair of side guides 17 become first side contact surfaces 18a that can abut against the axial end (or the axial end of the core member Rc) of the roll R received in the first receiving section 8. By guiding the roll R using the first side contact surfaces 18a of the pair of first side guides 18, the roll R can be positioned in the left-right direction within the first receiving section 8.

[0053] The second side guide 19 has a plate-shaped first portion 20 parallel to the side walls 12 and 13 and a second portion 21 parallel to the bottom wall 11. The opposing surfaces of the first portions 20 of each of the pair of side guides 17 become second side abutment surfaces 20a that can abut against the end of the paper P in the width direction. By guiding the paper P using the second side abutment surfaces 20a of the pair of second side guides 19, the paper P in the feed tray 1 can be positioned relative to the left and right directions.

[0054] The second portion 21 of the second side guide 19 extends to the right or left from the lower end of the first portion 20 toward the opposing second side guide 19. The upper surface of the second portion 21 of the pair of second side guides 19 becomes a lower contact surface 21a that abuts against the lower surface of the paper P. The lower contact surface 21a is connected to the second side contact surface 20a.

[0055] A limiting portion 19a is formed at the upper part of the downstream end of the second side guide 19 in the transport direction, restricting the upward rotation of the support plate 91. The limiting portion 19a protrudes from the downstream end of the second side guide 19 in the transport direction toward the downstream side of the transport direction. Figure 6 As shown, when the support plate 91 rotates upward, both ends of the support plate 91 on the downstream side in the transport direction contact the lower ends of the limiting portions 19a formed on a pair of second side guides 19. The portion of the support plate 91 that contacts the lower ends of the limiting portions 19a is on the downstream side in the transport direction, compared to the cutout 91c described later. Therefore, the upward rotation of the support plate 91 is restricted.

[0056] The connecting portion 22 is a plate-shaped part parallel to the side walls 12 and 13. The connecting portion 22 connects the downstream end of the first side guide 18 in the transport direction and the upstream end of the first portion 20 of the second side guide 19 in the transport direction. The lower end of the connecting portion 22 is positioned above the upper surface of the support plate 91 in an inclined position, as will be described later. Additionally, as... Figure 5 As shown, the upper end of the connecting portion 22 at the rear portion 82a of the cover 82, which is provided with respect to the transport direction, is positioned lower than the lower end of the rear portion 82a of the cover 82 in terms of its vertical direction.

[0057] like Figure 2 and Figure 4 As shown, cutouts 91b and 91c are formed in the support plate 91. Cutout 91b is formed at the downstream end of the support plate 91 in the transport direction. In top view, the upper surface 16a of the protrusion 16 is located within the cutout 91b.

[0058] Cutouts 91c are formed at both ends of the support plate 91 in the left-right direction. The first portion 20 of the second side guide 19 is located within the cutout 91c. The lower end of the first portion 20 is located below the support plate 91, and the upper end of the first portion 20 is located above the support plate 91. That is, a pair of first portions 20 of the second side guide 19 are provided on both sides of the support plate 91 in the left-right direction. The first portions 20 of the second side guide 19 move in the left-right direction within the range of the cutout 91c. The first side guide 18, which is connected to the first portion 20 via the connecting portion 22, also moves in the left-right direction in conjunction with the left-right movement of the first portions 20 of the second side guide 19.

[0059] Here, the length of the portion of the support plate 91 located between a pair of second side guides 19, i.e., the portion of the support plate 91 with cutouts 91c at both ends in the left-right direction, related to the left-right direction, is defined as the width W. The width W is less than or equal to the minimum width of the roll paper Rp that can be used in the printer 100. Specifically, the minimum width of the roll paper Rp used in the printer 100 is 210 mm.

[0060] exist Figure 2 and Figure 7 In the state shown in (a), the pair of second side guides 19 are in a non-overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a does not overlap with the support plate 91 when viewed from above. The pair of second side guides 19 are transmitted from... Figure 2 and Figure 7 The position shown in (a) moves towards the center of the paper P in the left-right direction and towards each other, as shown in the figure. Figure 7 (b) and Figure 8As shown, it moves to the overlapping position where the lower contact surface 21a overlaps with the support plate 91 in a top view. It should be noted that in this embodiment, when guiding the cutting paper Kp housed in the second housing part 9, the second side guide 19 is in a non-overlapping position.

[0061] like Figure 7 As shown in (a), when the roll of paper Rp is not placed on the feed pallet 1 and the pair of second side guides 19 are in a non-overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a does not overlap with the support plate 91 in a top view, the lower surface of the support plate 91 contacts the bottom surface 11a of the feed pallet 1. At this time, the support plate 91 is in a position where the direction connecting the front end and the rear end is approximately the same as the transport direction.

[0062] Furthermore, when the pair of second-side guides 19 are in a non-overlapping position, the height of the upper surface of the support plate 91 is substantially the same as the height of the lower abutment surface 21a of the second-side guide 19. That is, when the pair of second-side guides 19 are in a non-overlapping position, the upper surface of the support plate 91 and the lower abutment surface 21a of the second-side guide 19 are substantially in the same plane. Moreover, at this time, the height H1 of the upper surface 16a of the protrusion 16 is higher than the height H2 of the upper surface of the support plate 91 and the lower abutment surface 21a of the second-side guide 19.

[0063] From the second side guide 19 Figure 7 The position shown in (a) moves in the left and right direction, as follows: Figure 7 (b) When moved to the overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a overlaps with the support plate 91 in a top view, the support plate 91 is pushed upward by the second portion 21 of the second side guide 19. That is, when the second side guide 19 is in the overlapping position, the lower abutment surface 21a of the second side guide 19 is located below the support plate 91. When the roll paper Rp is not placed on the feed tray 1 and the pair of second side guides 19 are in the overlapping position, the lower surface of the support plate 91 contacts the lower abutment surface 21a of the second side guide 19. The posture of the support plate 91 at this time is set to an inclined posture.

[0064] Here, an example of the installation process of the roll paper Rp onto the feed tray 1 will be described. First, the feed tray 1 is pulled out from the outer casing 100a by pulling it from the rear to the front. Then, the cover 82 of the first receiving section 8 is rotated to expose the receiving space of the roll paper R in the first receiving section 8, and the support platform 81 supports the roll paper R. Next, the left and right positions of the pair of side guides 17 are adjusted so that the two ends of the roll paper R in the axial direction contact the first side abutment surface 18a of the first side guide 18. As a result, the two ends of the roll paper R supported on the support platform 81 in the axial direction are guided by the first side guide 18, and the roll paper R is positioned in the left and right direction.

[0065] Next, the roll body R is manually rotated to unwind the paper roll Rp, and the front end of the paper roll Rp is conveyed to the upper surface 16a of the base 16b of the protrusion 16 in the bottom surface 11a. The paper roll Rp unwound from the roll body R is first conveyed from the front side of the support table 81 to the rear side of the support table 81 through the gap G below the support table 81. Further, the paper roll Rp is fed into the guide path defined by the bottom wall 11 of the supply tray 1 and the support plate 91 while the rotation axis 91a at the upstream end in the transport direction of the support plate 91 is moved upward.

[0066] The lower surface of the paper roll Rp, which reaches the position of the side guide 17 within the guide path I, abuts against the lower abutment surface 21a of the second side guide 19. Furthermore, both ends of the paper roll Rp in the width direction abut against the second side abutment surface 20a of the second side guide 19. Thus, the two ends of the paper roll Rp conveyed within the guide path in the width direction are guided by the second side guide 19, and the paper roll Rp is positioned in the left-right direction. Then, the paper roll Rp is conveyed downstream in the transport direction until the leading end of the paper roll Rp reaches the upper surface 16a of the base 16b of the protrusion 16.

[0067] Next, an example of the process of feeding the roll of paper Rp from the feed tray 1 will be described. First, in the above-described process, after the roll of paper Rp is placed on the feed tray 1, the feed tray 1 is assembled to the housing 100a without receiving the cut paper Kp into the second receiving part 9. By assembling the feed tray 1 to the housing 100a, the feed roller 2 comes into partial contact with the upper surface 16a of the base 16b disposed in the protrusion 16 of the roll of paper Rp. Then, the feed roller 2 is rotated by driving the feed motor, thereby applying a conveying force to the roll of paper Rp and feeding the roll of paper Rp from the feed tray 1.

[0068] It should be noted that, even when forming an image of the roll paper Rp but not immediately forming an image of the cut paper Kp, the feed tray 1 can be assembled to the housing 100a with the roll paper Rp installed and the cut paper Kp housed in the second housing 9. In this case, when forming an image of the roll paper Rp, the feed tray 1 is pulled out of the housing 100a again and the cut paper Kp is removed from the second housing 9 before the feed tray 1 is assembled to the housing 100a.

[0069] Next, an example of the process of feeding the cut paper Kp from the feed tray 1 will be described. First, the feed tray 1 is pulled out from the housing 100a, and a plurality of cut paper Kp in a stacked state are placed on the upper surface of the support plate 91. Then, the left-right positions of a pair of side guides 17 are adjusted so that the two ends of the cut paper Kp in the width direction abut against the second side contact surface 20a of the second side guide 19. After that, the feed tray 1 is assembled to the housing 100a. By assembling the feed tray 1 to the housing 100a, the feed roller 2 contacts the uppermost cut paper Kp among the plurality of cut paper Kp in the stacked state. Then, the feed roller 2 is rotated by the drive of the feed motor, thereby applying a conveying force to the cut paper Kp and feeding the cut paper Kp from the feed tray 1.

[0070] As described above, the feed mechanism 3 of the printer 100 in this embodiment includes a feed tray 1 capable of receiving a roll R of long-sized paper wound into a roll and being insertable / removable relative to the outer casing 100a of the printer 100. The feed tray 1 includes: a first receiving portion 8 capable of receiving the roll R; a pair of side walls 12, 13 respectively disposed on both sides of the first receiving portion 8 with respect to the axial direction of the roll received in the first receiving portion 8; and a side guide 17 disposed inside the pair of side walls 12, 13, capable of abutting against the left and right ends of the roll R received in the first receiving portion 8 and the roll paper Rp wound out from the roll R.

[0071] With the above structure, the roll body R and the paper roll Rp are positioned in the left-right direction by abutting against the side guide 17 at their left-right ends. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the positional deviation of the roll body R and the paper roll Rp in the left-right direction.

[0072] Furthermore, in the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment, the side guide 17 is movable in the left-right direction. Therefore, the side guide 17 can be moved to match the width of the roll R (paper roll Rp), enabling more accurate positioning of the roll R and paper roll Rp in the left-right direction. Additionally, even when using rolls R (paper roll Rp) of various widths in the printer 100, positioning of the roll R and paper roll Rp in the left-right direction is still possible.

[0073] Furthermore, in the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment, a second receiving portion 9 is provided, capable of receiving the cut paper Kp in an orientation where its width direction is aligned with its left-right direction. The side guide 17 can also abut against the left-right ends of the cut paper Kp received in the second receiving portion 9. Therefore, the same side guide 17 can be used to position the roll paper Rp and the cut paper Kp in the left-right direction.

[0074] In addition, in the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment, the second receiving section 9 has a support plate 91 that supports a plurality of cut papers Kp placed in a stacked state from below. A pair of side guides 17 are provided on both sides of the support plate 91 in a left-right direction, and each has a second side abutment surface 20a that abuts against the left-right ends of the paper P and a lower abutment surface 21a connected to the second side abutment surface 20a and abutting against the lower surface of the paper P. The roll of paper Rp wound from the roll body R passes below the support plate 91. The side guides 17 can move from a non-overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a does not overlap with the support plate 91 when viewed from above, to an overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a is located below the support plate 91, by moving towards the center of the roll of paper Rp in a left-right direction. Therefore, the side guide 17 can move toward the center of the paper P in the left-right direction, and move to the overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a is located below the support plate 91, so it can also handle narrower roll paper Rp.

[0075] Furthermore, in the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment, when the side guide 17 is in the non-overlapping position, the upper surface of the support plate 91 and the lower abutment surface 21a of the side guide 17 are substantially located in the same plane. Therefore, when the side guide 17 is in the non-overlapping position, the upper surface of the support plate 91, which abuts against the lower surface of the cutting paper Kp, and the lower abutment surface 21a of the side guide 17 are in the same plane, thus enabling stable support of the cutting paper Kp.

[0076] Furthermore, in the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment, the side guide 17 has a limiting portion 19a that restricts the upward rotation of the support plate 91. When the support plate 91 is pushed upward by the paper roll Rp and rotates to a position above the second side contact surface 20a of the side guide 17, the left and right ends of the paper roll Rp cannot contact the second side contact surface 20a of the side guide 17, potentially preventing proper positioning of the paper roll Rp in the left and right directions. In this embodiment, since the upward rotation of the support plate 91 is restricted by the limiting portion 19a formed on the side guide 17, reliable positioning of the paper roll Rp in the left and right directions is possible.

[0077] In addition, in the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment, the width W of the portion of the support plate 91 located between a pair of second side guides 19 is less than or equal to the minimum width of the roll paper Rp used in the printer 100. Therefore, the left and right ends of the roll paper Rp (roll body R) used in the printer 100 can be reliably guided by the side guides 17 to position the roll paper Rp (roll body R).

[0078] Furthermore, the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment includes: a feeding roller 2, which contacts the uppermost of a plurality of cut paper Kp placed in a stacked state on the support plate 91 to feed the cut paper Kp; and a separating piece 31, located downstream of the support plate 91 with respect to the feeding roller 2's transport direction of the cut paper Kp, contacting the center portion of the cut paper Kp in the width direction to separate the cut paper Kp in contact with the feeding roller 2 from the other cut paper Kp. The feeding tray 1 has a protrusion 16 provided on the transport surface of the roll paper Rp, i.e., the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1, and protruding upward. A cutout 91b is formed in the center portion in the left-right direction of the downstream end of the support plate 91 related to the transport direction, and the protrusion 16 is located in the cutout 91b. The height position H1 of the upper surface 16a of the protrusion 16 is higher than the height position H2 of the upper surface of the support plate 91 and the lower abutment surface 21a of the second side guide 19. Therefore, the downstream end of the cutting paper Kp placed on the support plate 91 in the transport direction is raised upward from the protrusion 16 to the central part in the left-right direction, forming an upward convex shape. As a result, the cutting paper Kp delivered from the supply tray 1 can be properly separated by contacting the separating plate 31 at a desired angle.

[0079] In addition, the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment includes: a first side guide 18 having a first side contact surface 18a capable of abutting against the left-right end of the roll R housed in the first receiving portion 8; and a second side guide 19 having a second side contact surface 20a capable of abutting against the roll paper Rp rolled out from the roll R. The first side guide 18 and the second side guide 19 move in conjunction with each other in the left-right direction. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the position of the first side contact surface 18a of the first side guide 18 and the second side contact surface 20a of the second side guide 19 from shifting, and to suppress the application of a transport load to the roll paper Rp or the roll paper Rp from moving obliquely.

[0080] While embodiments of the present invention have been described above based on the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the specific structure is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is defined not by the description of the above embodiments but by the claims, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope equivalent to the claims.

[0081] In the above embodiment, the case where the support plate 91 can rotate up and down around the rotation axis 91a extending in the left and right direction has been described, but the support plate 91 may not be configured to be rotatable. However, from the viewpoint that a paper jam can be eliminated if a paper roll Rp occurs below the support plate 91, the support plate 91 is preferably configured to be detachable from the feed tray 1.

[0082] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the side guide 17 was described as being able to move in the left and right directions, but the position of the side guide 17 in relation to the left and right directions can also be fixed.

[0083] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the side guide 17 can abut against the left and right ends of the roll body R housed in the first housing section 8 and the roll paper Rp rolled out from the roll body R, and the left and right ends of the cut paper Kp housed in the second housing section 9 has been described, but it is not limited to this. The side guide 17 can at least abut against the left and right ends of the roll body R housed in the first housing section 8 or the roll paper Rp rolled out from the roll body R.

[0084] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the second side guide 19 was described as being able to move from a non-overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a does not overlap with the support plate 91 in top view to an overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a is located below the support plate 91, but this is not a limitation. The second side guide 19 may also be a structure that cannot move to an overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a is located below the support plate 91.

[0085] In addition, Figure 9 In the first modified embodiment of the present invention, the supply tray 201 has limiting portions 212b and 213b formed on the side walls 12 and 13, respectively, to restrict the downward rotation of the support plate 291. The limiting portion 212b protrudes from the lower end of the side wall 12 toward the side wall 13. The limiting portion 213b protrudes from the lower end of the side wall 13 toward the side wall 12. The downward rotation of the support plate 291 is restricted by the contact between its two ends in the left-right direction and the upper surfaces of the limiting portions 212b and 213b. In this modified embodiment, since the downward rotation of the support plate 291 is restricted by the limiting portions 212b and 213b, the bottom surface 11a of the supply tray 201 and the support plate 291 are isolated, ensuring space between the bottom surface 11a and the support plate 291.

[0086] In the supply pallet 201, when the support plate 291 is in a restricted state where its downward rotation is limited by the limiting parts 212b and 213b, the support plate 291 is positioned such that the direction connecting its front and rear ends is approximately the same as the transport direction. The height H3 of the lower surface of the support plate 291 in the restricted state is higher than the height H4 of the lower abutment surface 21a of the second side guide 19. Therefore, the second side guide 19 will not contact the support plate 291 when it is in an overlapping position where the lower abutment surface 21a overlaps with the support plate 291 in a top view.

[0087] In the feed tray 201, space is ensured between the bottom surface 11a and the support plate 291. Therefore, transport resistance caused by friction between the rolled paper Rp and the bottom wall 11a and support plate 291, which occurs between the bottom surface 11a and support plate 291, can be suppressed. Furthermore, when the second side guide 19 is in the overlapping position, space is ensured between the lower abutment surface 21a of the second side guide 19 and the support plate 291. Therefore, transport resistance caused by friction between the rolled paper Rp and the lower abutment surface 21a and support plate 291, which occurs between the lower abutment surface 21a and support plate 291, can be suppressed. Moreover, in the feed tray 201, even when the second side guide 19 is in the overlapping position, the support plate 291 does not rotate upwards; it is in a position where the direction connecting the front and rear ends is approximately the same as the transport direction. Therefore, even when the second side guide 19 is in the overlapping position, the cutting paper Kp can be fed normally, and it can handle cutting papers Kp with relatively narrow widths.

[0088] Furthermore, in the feeding mechanism 3 of the above-described embodiment, a limiting portion 19a is formed on the second-side guide 19, protruding from its downstream end in the transport direction toward the downstream side of the transport direction and restricting the upward rotation of the support plate 91. The description focuses on the case where, when the support plate 91 rotates upward, the portion of the support plate 91 that is downstream in the transport direction from the cutout 91c abuts against the lower end of the limiting portion 19a. However, this is not a limitation. For example, a structure where the limiting portion 19a is not formed and the upward rotation of the support plate 91 is not restricted may also be possible.

[0089] Additionally, for example, in Figure 10 In the second variation of this embodiment, the supply tray 301 has a limiting portion 319a that protrudes from the upper end of its second side abutment surface 20a in the downstream direction of the transport direction toward the opposing second side abutment surface 20a. Furthermore, in the supply tray 301, cutouts 391c formed at both ends of the support plate 391 in the left-right direction open to the downstream direction of the transport direction. When the second side guide 19 is entirely below the support plate 391 and the support plate 391 rotates upwards, the portion of the support plate 391 located between the pair of second side guides 19 abuts against the lower end of the limiting portion 319a. This restricts the upward rotation of the support plate 391.

[0090] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the width W of the portion of the support plate 91 located between the second side abutment surfaces 20a of the pair of second side guides 19 was described as being less than or equal to the minimum width of the roll paper Rp used in the printer 100, but this is not a limitation. The width W may also be larger than the minimum width of the roll paper Rp used in the printer 100.

[0091] In addition, in the above embodiment, the case where the height position H1 of the upper surface 16a of the protrusion 16 formed on the bottom surface 11a of the supply tray 1 is higher than the height position H2 of the upper surface of the support plate 91 and the lower abutment surface 21a of the second side guide 19 has been described, but the height position H1 may also be lower than the height position H2.

[0092] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the first side guide 18 and the second side guide 19 are integrally formed and move in unison in the left-right direction has been described, but this is not a limitation. It is also possible for the first side guide 18 and the second side guide 19 to be separately provided and linked by a linkage mechanism. Alternatively, the first side guide 18 and the second side guide 19 may not be linked.

[0093] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the first receiving portion 8 has a support platform 81 for supporting the roll body R has been described, but it is not limited to this. The first receiving portion 8 may also have a support portion that supports the core member Rc in a rotatable manner.

[0094] This invention can be applied to image forming apparatuses having a feed mechanism with a feed tray capable of holding at least a roll of media. That is, for example, this invention can be applied not only to inkjet printers, but also to laser-type electrophotographic printers that form electrostatic latent images by exposing a photoreceptor with a laser, and LED-type electrostatic latent images that form electrostatic latent images by exposing a photoreceptor with an LED. Furthermore, the sheet medium is not limited to paper; it can be any sheet, such as cloth.

[0095] Label Explanation

[0096] 1. Supply Pallet

[0097] 2 feed rollers

[0098] 3. Supplying organizations

[0099] 8 First Containment Department

[0100] 9 Second Containment Department

[0101] 12 and 13 side walls

[0102] 16 convex parts

[0103] 17 side guides

[0104] 18 First side guide

[0105] 18a First side contact surface

[0106] 19 Second side guide

[0107] 19a Restriction Section

[0108] 20a Second side contact surface

[0109] 21a Lower contact surface

[0110] 31 Separation Plate

[0111] 91 Support plate (support component)

[0112] 91a rotating shaft

[0113] 91b incision

[0114] 100 printer (image forming device)

[0115] 100a casing

[0116] Kp cutting paper (cutting medium)

[0117] R-volume

[0118] Rp roll paper (roll media).

Claims

1. A feeding mechanism comprising a feeding tray capable of receiving a roll of long sheet-like medium wound into a roll, characterized in that, The delivery pallet has the following features: The first receiving section is capable of receiving the scroll. The second receiving section is capable of receiving the cutting medium in a stacked state, wherein the cutting medium is a sheet medium with a shorter dimension than the long sheet medium; A pair of sidewalls are respectively disposed on both sides of the first receiving portion with respect to the axial direction of the roll body received in the first receiving portion; and A side guide, disposed inside the pair of sidewalls, is capable of abutting against at least one of the roll house housed in the first receiving portion and the sheet medium, i.e., the roll medium, wound out from the roll house. The side guide is movable about the axial direction. The side guide can also abut against the axial end of the cutting medium housed in the second receiving portion. The second receiving portion has a support member that supports the plurality of cutting media, which are stacked in a layered state, from below. The side guides are provided in pairs on both sides of the support member with respect to the axial direction, and have a side abutment surface that abuts against the axial ends of the roll medium and the cutting medium rolled out from the roll body, and a lower abutment surface that connects to the side abutment surface and abuts against the lower surface of the roll medium and the cutting medium. The roll of medium unwound from the roll passes beneath the support member. The side guide can be moved from a non-overlapping position where the lower abutment surface does not overlap with the support member in top view to an overlapping position where the lower abutment surface is located below the support member by moving centrally about the axis toward the roll medium.

2. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower surface of the support member is at a higher elevation than the lower abutment surface of the side guide.

3. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The support member can rotate up and down about a rotation axis parallel to the axial direction.

4. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support member can rotate up and down around a rotation axis parallel to the axial direction, and when the side guide is in the overlapping position, it is pushed upward by the side guide.

5. The feeding mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that, When the side guide is in the non-overlapping position, the upper surface of the support member and the lower abutment surface of the side guide are in the same plane.

6. The feeding mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that, The side guide has a limiting portion that restricts the upward rotation of the support member.

7. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The axially related width of the portion of the support member located between the pair of side guides is less than the width of the roll medium.

8. The feeding mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The axially related width of the portion of the support member located between the pair of side guides is less than 210 mm.

9. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, It also has: The feed roller contacts the uppermost cutting medium among the plurality of cutting media stacked on the support member in the second receiving section and feeds out the cutting medium. and The separating disc, located downstream of the support member with respect to the transport direction of the cutting medium fed by the feed roller, contacts the central portion of the cutting medium along its axial direction to separate the cutting medium in contact with the feed roller from other cutting media. The delivery tray also has an upwardly projecting protrusion on the transport surface where the roll medium is transported after being wound from the roll body. A cut is formed in the central portion of the axial direction at the downstream end of the support member related to the transport direction. The protrusion, when viewed from above, is located within the cutout of the support member. The height of the upper surface of the protrusion is higher than the height of the upper surface of the support member and the height of the lower abutment surface of the side guide.

10. The feeding mechanism according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The side guide includes: The first side guide has a first side abutment surface capable of abutting against the axial end of the roll body housed in the first receiving portion; and The second side guide has a second side contact surface that can abut against the roll medium being wound out of the roll body. The first side guide and the second side guide move in tandem when they move in the axial direction.

11. The feeding mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that, The first side guide and the second side guide are integrally formed.

12. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that, It has a feeding mechanism as described in any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A feeding tray capable of receiving a roll of long sheet-like media wound into a roll shape, characterized in that, have: The first receiving section is capable of receiving the scroll. The second receiving section is capable of receiving the cutting medium in a stacked state, wherein the cutting medium is a sheet medium with a shorter dimension than the long sheet medium; A pair of sidewalls are respectively disposed on both sides of the first receiving portion with respect to the axial direction of the roll body received in the first receiving portion; and A side guide, disposed inside the pair of sidewalls, is capable of abutting against at least one of the axial end of the roll house housed in the first receiving portion and the sheet medium, i.e., the roll medium, wound out from the roll house. The side guide is movable about the axial direction. The side guide can also abut against the axial end of the cutting medium housed in the second receiving portion. The second receiving portion has a support member that supports the plurality of cutting media, which are stacked in a layered state, from below. The side guides are provided in pairs on both sides of the support member with respect to the axial direction, and have a side abutment surface that abuts against the axial ends of the roll medium and the cutting medium rolled out from the roll body, and a lower abutment surface that connects to the side abutment surface and abuts against the lower surface of the roll medium and the cutting medium. The roll of medium unwound from the roll passes beneath the support member. The side guide can be moved from a non-overlapping position where the lower abutment surface does not overlap with the support member in top view to an overlapping position where the lower abutment surface is located below the support member by moving centrally about the axis toward the roll medium.

Images