Image forming apparatus

Abstract

An image forming apparatus has a feed tray that can be inserted and removed relative to a housing and can accommodate a roll and a cutting medium, and can properly guide the roll medium and the cutting medium unwound from the roll medium housed in the feed tray to a transport path. The printer (100) of this embodiment has: a housing (100a) with a transport path formed therein; a feed tray (11) capable of accommodating a roll (R) and a cutting paper (P2); a first guide member (7) for guiding the roll paper (P1a) and the cutting paper (P2) to the transport path; and a second guide member (8) for guiding the roll paper (P1a) to the transport path. The second guide member (8) is located on the side opposite to the first guide member (7) across the roll paper (P1a). Furthermore, the second guide member (8) is movable between a guide position and a retraction position, the guide position being the position that guides the roll of paper (P1a) toward the transport path, and the retraction position being the position that is farther away from the first guide member (7) than the guide position and does not interfere with the cut paper (P2) housed in the second housing (11b).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a feed tray capable of accommodating both a roll body and a cutting medium. Background Technology

[0002] Image forming apparatuses are known to house both a roll of sheet paper wound into a cylindrical shape and a paper cutter. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a fax machine (image forming apparatus) having a paper feed tray (feed tray) that includes a section for holding the roll and a section for holding the paper cutter. The feed tray can be inserted into and removed from the fax machine body (housing).

[0003] Existing technical documents

[0004] Patent documents

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 02-264556 Summary of the Invention

[0006] The problem that the invention aims to solve

[0007] Here, the top of the roll of paper unwound from the roll body curls along the winding direction. Therefore, the roll of paper (roll media) being conveyed after being unwound from the roll body housed in the delivery tray may not be properly guided into the conveying path.

[0008] The object of the present invention is to provide an image forming apparatus that, in an image forming apparatus having a feed tray that can be inserted and removed relative to a housing and can accommodate a roll body and a cutting medium, can properly guide the roll medium and the cutting medium unwound from the roll body housed in the feed tray to a transport path.

[0009] Technical solutions for solving the problem

[0010] The image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises: a housing having a transport path; a supply tray insertable and removable relative to the housing, having a first receiving portion and a second receiving portion, the first receiving portion being capable of receiving a roll of a strip of sheet medium wound into a cylindrical shape, and the second receiving portion being capable of receiving a sheet of cutting medium in a stacked state, the sheet of cutting medium being shorter than the strip of sheet medium; an image forming unit for forming an image on the sheet of medium within the transport path; a first guiding member for guiding the sheet of medium toward the transport path; and a second guiding member supported on the housing for guiding the sheet of medium unwound from the roll of medium, i.e., the roll of medium, toward the transport path, the second guiding member being located on the opposite side from the first guiding member across the roll of medium, and the second guiding member being movable between a guiding position and a retraction position, the guiding position being the position for guiding the roll of medium toward the transport path, and the retraction position being a position farther away from the first guiding member than the guiding position and not interfering with the cut medium received in the second receiving portion.

[0011] Invention Effects

[0012] According to the present invention, by moving the second guide member to the retracted position, the second guide member will not interfere with the cutting medium housed in the second receiving portion. Therefore, the cutting medium can be properly housed in the second receiving portion, and the cutting medium housed in the second receiving portion can be properly guided to the transport path using the first guide member. Furthermore, by moving the guide member to the guide position, the roll medium unwound from the roll body can be properly guided to the transport path using the second guide member. Thus, in an image forming apparatus having a feed tray that can be inserted and removed relative to the housing and can house the roll body and the cutting medium, the roll medium unwound from the roll body and the cutting medium can be properly guided to the transport path. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the printer's structure when housing the cut paper.

[0015] Figure 3 It is a schematic perspective view showing a portion of the housing and the delivery pallet.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the printer's structure when the feed tray is plugged in and out.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the retraction mechanism when the supply tray is inserted into the housing.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the retraction mechanism when inserting or removing the supply tray.

[0019] Figure 7 This is an enlarged view of the main part of a modified example showing the elongated hole.

[0020] Figure 8 This is an enlarged view of the main parts showing other variations of the elongated hole and the protrusion. Detailed Implementation

[0021] The following is for reference Figures 1-6 The printer 100 (image forming apparatus of the present invention) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described. Furthermore, the following will be... Figure 1 The up / down, left / right, and front / back directions shown are set as the up / down, left / right, and front / back directions of printer 100.

[0022] (Overall structure of Printer 100)

[0023] like Figure 1 As shown, the printer 100 includes a housing 100a, a feed tray 11, a feed roller 2, a pair of transport rollers 3a, a pair of paper discharge rollers 3b, a cutter mechanism 4, a head 5 (the image forming unit of the present invention), a paper discharge tray 6, a first guide member 7, a second guide member 8, an intermediate roller pair 9, and a control unit 10. The feed tray 11 can be inserted and removed from the lower part of the housing 100a. The paper discharge tray 6 forms the front side wall of the upper part of the housing 100a and can be opened and closed relative to the housing 100a. Furthermore, in Figure 3 The diagram only shows a portion of the lower side of the housing 100a.

[0024] The feed tray 11 can be inserted and removed relative to the housing 100a in the front-back direction. That is, the "insertion and removal direction of the feed tray" in this invention is the front-back direction in this embodiment. The feed tray 11 has: a first receiving portion 11a, which can receive a roll body R formed by winding a strip of paper P1 (the sheet medium of this invention) into a roll shape; and a second receiving portion 11b, which can receive a cut paper P2 (the sheet medium of this invention, referring to...) that is shorter than the strip of paper P1. Figure 2 The sheets are stored in a stacked state. Furthermore, a rear end wall 18 extending upwards is formed at the rear end of the supply tray 11, that is, at the upstream end of the supply tray 11 in the direction of being pulled out from the housing 100a. The rear end wall 18 is a component used to prevent the cut paper P2 stored in the second receiving portion 11b from falling out when the supply tray 11 is inserted or removed relative to the housing 100a.

[0025] The first receiving section 11a has a cylindrical core component Rc, two rollers 14 and 15, and a roll cover 16. The roll body R is a component formed by winding a strip of paper P1 into a roll shape on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical core component Rc. The roll body R is configured to rotate axially along its axis of rotation Rx (the central axis of the core component Rc). Figure 1 The direction perpendicular to the paper surface is parallel to the left-right direction. The axis of rotation Rx also corresponds to the width direction of the long strip of paper P1 and the cut paper P2.

[0026] Two rollers 14 and 15 extend relatively long in the left-right direction, forming a length slightly longer than the width of the roll body R. Roller 15 is positioned behind roller 14. The rotation axes of rollers 14 and 15 are parallel to the rotation axis Rx. Furthermore, these two rollers 14 and 15 support the roll body R from below in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll body R.

[0027] As the long strip of paper P1 is unwound from the roll body R, the two rollers 14 and 15 are driven to rotate counterclockwise. Figure 1 The roll body R (with solid arrows in the diagram) rotates. In this embodiment, the long strip of paper P1 unwound from the roll body R housed in the first housing section 11a is called roll paper P1a (the roll medium of the present invention). The roll paper P1a unwound from the roll body R housed in the first housing section 11a is conveyed to the feed roller 2 via a path below the bottom surface 17 (described later) of the second housing section 11b.

[0028] The roll cover 16 is a component that covers the roll body R housed in the first receiving portion 11a. The roll cover 16 extends in the left-right direction and is longer than the width of the rollers 14 and 15. In addition, the roll cover 16 is configured to approach the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R with the largest size that can be housed in the first receiving portion 11a. As a result, even if the winding of the roll body R becomes loose and the outer diameter of the roll body R increases, the outer peripheral surface of the roll body R will contact the inner surface of the roll cover 16, thus limiting the increase in the outer diameter.

[0029] The second receiving section 11b is located behind the first receiving section 11a and has a bottom surface 17 that supports the cut paper P2 from below. The bottom surface 17 extends relatively long in the left-right direction and is formed to be slightly longer than the width of the cut paper P2.

[0030] Additionally, a mark 51 is formed in the second receiving section 11b, which indicates the maximum height position when the maximum number of cut paper P2 is received. Mark 51 is, for example, a rib shape protruding inward from the inner side of the supply tray 11. Mark 51 is formed along the front-to-back direction. Furthermore, the maximum number of cut paper P2 that can be received is, for example, 500 sheets.

[0031] Furthermore, a notch is made at the rear end of the bottom surface 17 of the second receiving section 11b and at the center in the left-right direction. When printing on the roll paper P1a, as described above, the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll body R is conveyed to the feed roller 2 via a path below the bottom surface 17 of the second receiving section 11b. Then, the roll paper P1a is fed towards the transport path through the notch-made portion of the bottom surface 17 of the second receiving section 11b, which has never contained cut paper P2, abutting against the feed roller 2. When printing on the cut paper P2, multiple sheets of cut paper P2 stacked on the bottom surface 17 are conveyed to the transport path by the feed roller 2.

[0032] In this embodiment, the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll body R housed in the first housing section 11a is fed by the feed roller 2 toward the transport path, and is conveyed to the discharge tray 6 via the intermediate roller pair 9, the transport roller pair 3a, the head 5, and the discharge roller pair 3b. The transport path of the roll paper P1a is defined by the feed roller 2, the intermediate roller pair 9, the transport roller pair 3a, and the discharge roller pair 3b. Meanwhile, the cut paper P2 housed in the second housing section 11b is fed by the feed roller 2 toward the transport path, and is conveyed to the discharge tray 6 via the intermediate roller pair 9, the transport roller pair 3a, the head 5, and the discharge roller pair 3b. The transport path of the cut paper P2 is defined by the feed roller 2, the intermediate roller pair 9, the transport roller pair 3a, and the discharge roller pair 3b. Therefore, the transport paths for the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 are formed inside the housing 100a.

[0033] Furthermore, in this embodiment, when printing on the roll paper P1a, the cut paper P2 is not housed in the second receiving portion 11b. Additionally, when printing on the cut paper P2, the roll paper P1a is not unwound from the roll body R housed in the first receiving portion 11a, or the roll body R is not housed in the first receiving portion 11a. Moreover, in this embodiment, when the feed tray 11 is inserted into the housing 100a, at least a portion of the first receiving portion 11a and the entirety of the second receiving portion 11b are housed inside the housing 100a.

[0034] The feed roller 2 is positioned behind the first receiving section 11a and near the rear end of the second receiving section 11b. Driven by a feed motor (not shown), the feed roller 2 rotates, thereby feeding the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 from the feed tray 11 onto the transport path. As described above, the transport paths of the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 are defined by the feed roller 2, the intermediate roller pair 9, the conveyor roller pair 3a, and the discharge roller pair 3b. Therefore, the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 along a common transport path.

[0035] Furthermore, the printer 100 according to this embodiment includes: a swing arm 20a that supports the feed roller 2 in a rotatable manner; and a swing shaft 20b that supports the swing arm 20a in a swingable manner to the housing 100a. Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the swing arm 20a has two protrusions 21 extending to the right and left in the left-right direction. The protrusions 21 will be described in the second guide member 8, which will be discussed later. The rotation axis of the swing shaft 20b is parallel to the left-right direction. Furthermore, the swing shaft 20b can directly support the swing arm 20a to the housing 100a, or indirectly support the swing arm 20a to the housing 100a.

[0036] Furthermore, the printer 100 includes a retraction mechanism 40 that moves the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a to a position that does not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed relative to the housing 100a. The retraction mechanism 40 includes a horizontal surface 41a, inclined surfaces 41b and 41c, and a cylindrical component 43 of the side wall 41 of the feed tray 11.

[0037] like Figure 3 and Figure 5 As shown, the cylindrical member 43 is supported at the top of the extension 42, which extends from the swing arm 20a to the right and left sides of the sidewalls 41 of the supply tray 11. Furthermore, a horizontal surface 41a and inclined surfaces 41b and 41c are formed on the upper part of the sidewalls 41 of the supply tray 11. Inclined surface 41b is located near the center of the horizontal surface 41a, which extends horizontally across the entire upper part of the sidewall 41, and slopes downwards from front to rear. Inclined surface 41c is located near the center of the horizontal surface 41a and is positioned rearward of the inclined surface 41b, and slopes upwards from front to rear. The rear end of inclined surface 41b is connected to the front end of inclined surface 41c, the front end of inclined surface 41b is connected to the horizontal surface 41a, and the rear end of inclined surface 41c is connected to the horizontal surface 41a. The cylindrical member 43 is movable along the horizontal surface 41a, inclined surfaces 41b, and 41c.

[0038] When the supply tray 11 has been inserted into the housing 100a, such as Figure 5 As shown, the cylindrical component 43 is positioned near the connection point of the inclined surfaces 41b and 41c. At this time, the feed roller 2 moves to a position abutting against the roll paper P1a or the cut paper P2. On the other hand, when the feed tray 11 is pulled out of the housing 100a, or when the feed tray 11 is inserted into the housing 100a while still pulled out, as the feed tray 11 moves forward relative to the housing 100a, as... Figure 6As shown, the cylindrical component 43 is positioned on the horizontal surface 41a, which is located further back than the inclined surface 41c. Thus, as... Figure 4 As shown, when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a, the retraction mechanism 40 can move the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a to a position where they do not interfere with the feed tray 11. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the "position where the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a do not interfere with the feed tray 11" is a position above the rear end wall 18 of the feed tray 11. However, if there is a component of the feed tray 11 located above the rear end wall 18 on the rear side of the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a in the front-rear direction, then the position above that component of the feed tray 11 becomes the "position where they do not interfere with the feed tray 11".

[0039] The cutter mechanism 4 is positioned downstream of the feed roller 2 in the conveying direction (hereinafter also referred to as the "conveying direction") along the conveying path of the roll paper P1a and the cutting paper P2, and upstream of the head 5 described later in the conveying direction. The cutter mechanism 4 includes, for example, a cutter 4a consisting of two rotating blades and a cutting motor (not shown) that drives the cutter 4a axially. By controlling the cutting motor using the control unit 10, the roll paper P1a, unwound from the roll body R and conveyed along the conveying path, is cut by the cutter 4a along the width direction of the roll paper P1a. Thus, the roll paper P1a conveyed to the paper discharge tray 6 forms its rear end.

[0040] The intermediate roller pair 9 is located downstream of the cutter mechanism 4 in the conveying direction and upstream of the head 5 in the conveying direction. The intermediate roller pair 9 conveys the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 to the conveyor roller pair 3a. The intermediate roller pair 9 consists of a drive roller that rotates by an intermediate motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates in conjunction with the drive roller.

[0041] The conveyor roller pair 3a consists of a drive roller that rotates via a conveyor motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates in conjunction with the drive roller. The discharge roller pair 3b consists of a drive roller that rotates via a discharge motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates in conjunction with the drive roller. By controlling the conveyor motor and discharge motor (not shown) using the control unit 10, the conveyor roller pair 3a and the discharge roller pair 3b rotate while holding the roll paper P1a (or the cut paper P2), thereby conveying the roll paper P1a (or the cut paper P2). Alternatively, the drive roller of the conveyor roller pair 3a and the drive roller of the discharge roller pair 3b may also be driven by a common conveyor motor (not shown). In this case, for example, the conveyor roller pair 3a and the discharge roller pair 3b are belt-connected.

[0042] The head 5 is a component that forms an image on the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2. It is positioned downstream of the conveyor roller pair 3a in the conveying direction and upstream of the discharge roller pair 3b in the conveying direction. The head 5 includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) formed on its lower surface and a driver IC. When the driver IC is driven by the control unit 10, ink is ejected from the nozzles. As the roll paper P1a (or cut paper P2) conveyed by the conveyor roller pair 3a passes a position opposite to the lower surface of the head 5, ink is ejected from the nozzles of the head 5 to form an image on the strip paper P1a and the cut paper P2. In addition, the head 5 can be either a linear type in which ink is ejected from the nozzles when the position is fixed, or a serial type in which ink is ejected from the nozzles while moving axially along the rotation axis Rx. The roll paper P1a (or cut paper P2) with the image formed by the head 5 is received by the discharge tray 6, which is in an open state relative to the housing 100a.

[0043] In this embodiment, the horizontal component of the conveying direction of the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 fed by the feed roller 2 is from the front to the rear in the front-to-back direction. The horizontal component of the conveying direction of the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 discharged from the open paper tray 6 after passing a position opposite to the lower surface of the head 5 is from the rear to the front in the front-to-back direction. That is, the printer 100 of this embodiment has a so-called U-shaped turning path structure where the conveying direction reverses midway.

[0044] The control unit 10 is connected to the feed motor, intermediate motor, conveyor motor, paper output motor, driver IC, and cut-off motor 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 the programs and data used by the CPU for various control operations. The RAM temporarily stores data used by the CPU when executing programs.

[0045] The first guide member 7 is supported on the housing 100a. The first guide member 7 is located behind the feed roller 2 and upstream in the conveying direction from the cutter mechanism 4. The first guide member 7 is used to guide the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 fed by the feed roller 2 along the conveying path towards the cutter mechanism 4. Figure 1 As shown, the first guide member 7 is inclined upwards from the front to the rear in the front-to-back direction. The first guide member 7 extends relatively long in the left-to-right direction, and is formed to be slightly longer than the width of the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2. A fine embossed pattern repeating along the conveying direction is formed on the surface of the first guide member 7. Here, short-sized papers such as the cut paper P2 are separated, thereby preventing overlapping conveying.

[0046] The second guide member 8 is supported by the housing 100a. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the second guide member 8 is located forward of the first guide member 7. That is, the second guide member 8 is located on the opposite side of the first guide member 7, separated from the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll body R. Two second guide members 8 are arranged on the outer sides of both ends in the left-right direction of the swing arm 20a, and each extends relatively long in the left-right direction. The length from the left end of the second guide member 8 located to the right end of the second guide member 8 located to the left side of the swing arm 20a is formed to be slightly longer than the width of the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 in the transport path. In addition, the second guide member 8 is inclined upward as it moves from the front to the rear in the front-rear direction. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the second guide member 8 with respect to the vertical direction is larger than the inclination angle of the first guide member 7 with respect to the vertical direction. The second guide member 8 is located at one end on the downstream side along the transport direction of the transport path, i.e. Figure 1 The second guide member 8 has a rotating shaft 31 at one end near the cutter mechanism 4. The axis of the rotating shaft 31 is parallel to the left-right direction. The second guide member 8 is capable of rotating about the rotating shaft 31.

[0047] Additionally, the second guide member 8 has an elongated hole portion 32 formed along a direction orthogonal to the extending direction (left-right direction) of the protrusion 21 of the swing arm 20a and inserted into the protrusion 21. For example... Figure 3 As shown, a portion of the elongated hole 32 in the second guide member 8 does not extend in the left-right direction. By moving the protrusion 21 along the inner side of the elongated hole 32, the second guide member 8 can move in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a.

[0048] The second guide member 8 rotates about the rotation axis 31 in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a, thereby enabling it to be positioned in the guide position. Figure 1 (state) and retreat position ( Figure 2 The second guide member 8 moves between the following states: the guide position is the position where the roll of paper P1a is guided along the conveying path toward the cutter mechanism 4; the retraction position is the position further away from the guide position than the first guide member 7 and does not interfere with the cut paper P2 housed in the second receiving part 11b. In this embodiment, the "position further away from the guide position than the first guide member 7" means a position that is above and forward of the guide position. When the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, as... Figure 1As shown, a portion of it is disposed in the second receiving section 11b, in a receiving area A capable of receiving the cut paper P2. The receiving area A is the region in the second receiving section 11b that is above the bottom surface 17 and below the mark 51, and includes the two ends and their inner sides in the front-back direction, and the two ends and their inner sides in the left-right direction of the cut paper P2 placed on the bottom surface 17. Furthermore, when the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, as... Figure 2 As shown, they are all positioned outside the containment area A and above the mark 51.

[0049] When conveying the roll of paper P1a, such as Figure 1 As shown, the feed roller 2 swings about the swing shaft 20b via the swing arm 20a, thereby contacting the roll of paper P1a unwound from the roll body R housed in the first receiving part 11a. The second guide member 8 moves to the guide position in conjunction with the swing of the swing arm 20a. When the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, the feed roller 2 is positioned between the rotation shaft 31 and the swing shaft 20b in the front-back direction. When the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, the conveying path of the roll of paper P1a between the first guide member 7 and the second guide member 8 narrows as it approaches the cutter mechanism 4. This facilitates the guidance of the top-curled roll of paper P1a onto the conveying path. When conveying the cut paper P2, as... Figure 2 As shown, the feed roller 2 swings about the swing shaft 20b via the swing arm 20a, thereby contacting the cut paper P2, which is housed in the second receiving section 11b in a stacked state. The second guide member 8 moves to the retracted position in conjunction with the swing of the swing arm 20a. Furthermore, as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the second guide member 8 bends in the direction from the guide position toward the retraction position. In this embodiment, when viewed from right to left in the left-right direction, the second guide member 8 is inverted U-shape.

[0050] In addition, such as Figure 6 As shown, when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a, the second guide member 8 can move to a retracted position in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a. As described above, when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a, the swing arm 20a moves to a position that does not interfere with the feed tray 11 via the retraction mechanism 40. At this time, the second guide member 8 moves to the retracted position by the movement of the protrusion 21 provided on the swing arm 20a along the elongated hole portion 32 of the second guide member 8. Furthermore, when the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, it does not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a. In addition, in this embodiment, the term "does not interfere with the feed tray 11" is the same as the definition of "position that does not interfere with the feed tray 11" for the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a described above.

[0051] As described above, the printer 100 of this embodiment includes: a housing 100a with a transport path formed inside; a feed tray 11 capable of accommodating a roll of paper R and cut paper P2; a first guide member 7 for guiding the roll of paper P1a and cut paper P2 toward the transport path; and a second guide member 8 for guiding the roll of paper P1a toward the transport path. The second guide member 8 is located on the side opposite to the first guide member 7, separated by the roll of paper P1a. Furthermore, the second guide member 8 is movable between a guide position, which is the position where the roll of paper P1a is guided toward the transport path, and a retraction position, which is a position further away from the first guide member 7 than the guide position and does not interfere with the cut paper P2 accommodated in the second receiving portion 11b. According to this embodiment, by moving the second guide member 8 to the retraction position, the second guide member 8 will not interfere with the multiple sheets of cut paper P2 stacked in the second receiving portion 11b. Therefore, the cut paper P2 can be properly housed in the second housing section 11b, and the cut paper P2 housed in the second housing section 11b can be properly guided to the transport path using the first guide member 7. Furthermore, by moving the second guide member 8 to the guide position, the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll body R can be properly guided to the transport path using the second guide member 8. More specifically, the top end of the roll paper P1a is curled along the winding direction of the roll body R, i.e., in the upward direction. When the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, it can properly guide the curled top end of the roll paper P1a along the transport path to the cutter mechanism 4. Thus, in the printer 100 having a feed tray 11 that can be inserted and removed relative to the housing 100a and can house the roll body R and the cut paper P2, the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll body R and the cut paper P2 can be properly guided to the transport path inside the housing 100a.

[0052] Furthermore, when the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, it does not interfere with the supply tray 11 when it is inserted or removed from the housing 100a. Therefore, interference between the protruding portion (rear end wall 18, etc.) of the supply tray 11 and the second guide member 8 can be avoided when the supply tray 11 is inserted or removed.

[0053] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a portion of the second guide member 8 is disposed in the receiving area A when it is in the guide position, and the entire portion is disposed outside the receiving area A when it is in the retracted position. During the feeding of the roll paper P1a, the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, and the cut paper P2 is not received in the receiving area A of the second receiving section 11b. That is, the receiving area A becomes an empty space. Therefore, by disposing at least a portion of the second guide member 8 in the guide position in the receiving area A, the printer 100 can be made more compact. On the other hand, when the second guide member 8 is present in the receiving area A, the cut paper P2 interferes with the second guide member 8 when receiving the cut paper P2, hindering the receipt of the cut paper P2. According to this embodiment, the printer 100 can be made more compact, and by disposing the entire second guide member 8 in the retracted position outside the receiving area A, contact between the second guide member 8 and the cut paper P2 when receiving the cut paper can be avoided. Furthermore, when the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, it is positioned above the mark 51, which indicates the maximum height position when the second receiving portion 11b contains the maximum number of cut paper pieces P2. Although the cut paper pieces P2 can be received below the second guide member 8, if the second guide member 8 in the retracted position is below the mark 51, the maximum number of cut paper pieces P2 cannot be received. According to this embodiment, by moving the second guide member 8 to the retracted position, the maximum number of cut paper pieces P2 can be received.

[0054] Furthermore, the second guide member 8 in this embodiment has a rotating shaft 31 at one end on the downstream side of the conveying direction along the conveying path. The second guide member 8 can move between a guide position and a retractable position by rotating about the rotating shaft 31. Therefore, movement between the guide position and the retractable position can be easily performed.

[0055] Furthermore, the printer 100 of this embodiment includes a feed roller 2, a swing arm 20a, a swing shaft 20b, and a retraction mechanism 40. This retraction mechanism 40 moves the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a to a position where they do not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a. The swing arm 20a has a protrusion 21 extending in the left-right direction, and the second guide member 8 has an elongated hole 32 into which the protrusion 21 is inserted. When the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a, the protrusion 21 moves along the elongated hole 32, thereby enabling the second guide member 8 to move in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a. Thus, in the printer 100 configured to move the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a to a position where they do not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed, the second guide member 8 can be moved to the retraction position in conjunction with the swing arm 20a. Therefore, it is possible to avoid contact between the second guide member 8 and the cutting paper P2 or interference between the second guide member 8 and the protruding part (rear wall 18, etc.) of the supply tray when inserting or removing the supply tray 11.

[0056] Furthermore, in this embodiment, two second guide members 8 are arranged on the outer sides of both ends in the left-right direction of the swing arm 20a. Therefore, the roll paper P1a can be guided using two second guide members 8. Consequently, the roll paper P1a can be appropriately guided through the transport path inside the housing 100a.

[0057] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the second guide member 8 is bent in the direction from the guide position toward the retracted position. Therefore, even when a large number of sheets of cut paper P2 are loaded in the second receiving section 11b, contact between the second guide member 8 in the retracted position and the cut paper P2 can be avoided. Additionally, even if the tip of the cut paper P2 housed in the second receiving section 11b is curled upwards, the cut paper P2 will not contact the second guide member 8 in the retracted position and will not be conveyed. Furthermore, the degree of bending of the second guide member 8 can be appropriately adjusted according to the degree of curling of the cut paper P2.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the elongated hole portion 32 of the second guide member 8 guides the protrusion 21 along a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rotation axis 31, but as... Figure 7 As shown, the elongated hole portion 232 may also have a first portion 232a guiding the protrusion 21 along one direction and a second portion 232b guiding the protrusion 21 along a direction intersecting that one direction. In this modified example, the first portion 232a of the elongated hole portion 232 extends linearly along one direction. The second portion 232b is formed from the end of the first portion 232a furthest from the rotation axis 31 toward the intersecting direction ( Figure 7(In the downward direction) it extends. In addition, the extension length of the second part 232b is shorter than the extension length of the first part 232a, and is the same as the radius of the protrusion 21.

[0059] like Figure 7 As shown, the second part 232b has an abutment surface 232b1. When the roll paper P1a is fed by the feed roller 2, the top end of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8. When the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position, the abutment surface 232b1 abuts against the protrusion 21. When the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position due to the top end of the roll paper P1a contacting the second guide member 8, the abutment surface 232b1 abuts against the intersection point G. The intersection point G is the point where the imaginary straight line L passing through the center of the protrusion 21 and the center of the swing axis 20b intersects the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 21. The abutment surface 232b1 is formed such that, in the state of abutting against the protrusion 21 at the intersection point G, it includes a tangential direction relative to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical protrusion 21 in the in-plane direction. In other words, the protrusion 21 and the abutment surface 232b1 are formed in the following shape: when the roll paper P1a is fed by the feed roller 2, the top end of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8. When the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position toward the retraction position, a force from the abutment portion (intersection point G) of the protrusion 21 and the abutment surface 232b1 toward the center of the swing shaft 20b in the direction D1 (the first direction of the present invention) acts on the swing arm 20a.

[0060] By forming the protrusion 21 and the elongated hole 232 as described above, even when the second guide member 8 rotates towards the retracted position due to contact with the roll paper P1a during feeding, it is possible to prevent the torque that would cause the swing arm 20a to rotate upward from acting on the swing arm 20a. Therefore, the feed roller 2 is less likely to float, and a predetermined feeding force can be applied to the roll paper P1a. In addition, the contact portion between the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 is shaped such that when the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position towards the retracted position due to contact with the roll paper P1a during feeding by the feed roller 2, a force from the contact portion between the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 in the direction toward the center of the swing shaft 20b acts on the swing arm 20a. Therefore, even when the second guide member 8 is about to rotate toward the retracted position due to contact with the roll of paper P1a during feeding, the swing arm 20a can be prevented from rotating upward and downward. Thus, a predetermined feeding force can be effectively applied to the roll of paper P1a. Furthermore, when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a, the second guide member 8 moves smoothly in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a (i.e., the movement of the protrusion 21).

[0061] As another variation, the protrusion 21 and the abutment surface 232b1 can also be formed in the following shape: when the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a, the top end of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8, and when the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position toward the retraction position, the abutment portion (intersection point G) of the protrusion 21 and the abutment surface 232b1 moves toward a direction D2 (below the center of the swing shaft 20b). Figure 7 The direction indicated by the dashed line (the second direction of the present invention) is the force acting on the swing arm 20a. In this case, even if the second guide member 8 is about to rotate toward the retracted position due to contact with the roll of paper P1a during feeding, it is possible to prevent the torque that would cause the swing arm 20a to rotate upward from acting on the swing arm 20a. Therefore, a predetermined feeding force can be applied to the roll of paper P1a.

[0062] In another variation, the protrusion 21 and the abutment surface 232b1 can also be formed in the following shape: when the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a, the top end of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8, and when the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position toward the retraction position, the horizontal direction and the direction D2 (parallel to the horizontal direction) are both upwards. Figure 7 A force in any of the directions (indicated by the dashed line) acts on the swing arm 20a. As a result, the torque that causes the swing arm 20a to rotate downward is less likely to act on the swing arm 20a, thus preventing excessive feeding force from the swing arm 20a onto the roll paper P1a.

[0063] In addition, as another variation, such as Figure 8 As shown, a cylindrical protrusion 21 may be formed on the second guide member 8, and an elongated hole portion 332 may be formed on the swing arm 20a. The protrusion 21 is formed at the end of the second guide member 8 furthest from the rotation axis 31, protruding towards the swing arm 20a and parallel to the left-right direction. The elongated hole portion 332 has a first portion 332a guiding the protrusion 21 along the extension direction of the swing arm 20a and a second portion 332b guiding the protrusion 21 in a direction intersecting the extension direction. The first portion 332a extends linearly along the extension direction of the swing arm 20a. The second portion 332b extends from the end of the first portion 332a furthest from the swing axis 20b in the intersecting direction ( Figure 8 It extends in the direction of the upper right of the center. In addition, the extension length of the second part 332b is shorter than the extension length of the first part 332a, and is the same as the radius of the protrusion 21.

[0064] like Figure 8As shown, the second part 332b has an abutment surface 332b1. When the roll paper P1a is fed by the feed roller 2, the top end of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8. When the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position, the abutment surface 332b1 abuts against the protrusion 21. When the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position due to the top end of the roll paper P1a contacting the second guide member 8, the abutment surface 332b1 abuts at the intersection point H where the imaginary straight line L intersects with the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 21. The abutment surface 332b1 is formed such that, in the state of abutting against the protrusion 21 at the intersection point H, it includes a tangential direction relative to the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 21 in the in-plane direction. In other words, the protrusion 21 and the abutment surface 332b1 are formed in the following shape: when the roll paper P1a is fed by the feed roller 2, the top end of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8. When the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position toward the retraction position, a force from the abutment portion (intersection H) of the protrusion 21 and the abutment surface 332b1 toward the center of the swing shaft 20b in the direction D3 (the first direction of the present invention) acts on the swing arm 20a.

[0065] Even with the protrusion 21 and elongated hole portion 332 formed as described above, the same effect as the modified example described above can be obtained. Furthermore, in this modified example, the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 332b1 can also be formed such that when the roll paper P1a is fed by the feed roller 2, the top end of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8, and the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position towards the retraction position, a force acts on the shape of the swing arm 20a in either the direction of the contact point (intersection H) between the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 332b1, in a direction lower than the center of the swing shaft 20b, or in either the horizontal direction or in a direction higher than the horizontal direction. In this case, the same effect as the modified example described above can also be obtained. Additionally, when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a, the second guide member 8 (protrusion 21) moves smoothly in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a (i.e., the movement of the elongated hole portion 332).

[0066] In addition, in the above-mentioned variations, the protrusion 21 has a cylindrical shape, but it may also have an elliptical or prismatic shape with rounded corners, as long as the part of the protrusion 21 that abuts against the elongated hole portions 232, 332 is shaped to exert a force on the swing arm 20a in the above-mentioned direction when the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retraction position due to contact with the roll paper P1a.

[0067] (Other variations)

[0068] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications can be made as long as they are within the scope of the claims.

[0069] In the above embodiment, the first guide member 7 is supported on the housing 100a. However, the first guide member 7 may also be supported on the feed tray 11.

[0070] In the above embodiment, the second guide member 8 can move to a retracted position in conjunction with the insertion or removal of the supply tray 11 relative to the housing 100a. However, it is also possible that the second guide member 8 cannot move to the retracted position when the supply tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a. In this case, a structure is preferred in which the second guide member 8 does not interfere with the protrusion of the supply tray 11 when the supply tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a, even when the second guide member 8 is in the guide position. For example, it is preferable that, when viewed from the front-rear direction, the second guide member 8 in the guide position is positioned so as not to overlap with the protrusion of the supply tray 11 in the left-right direction. Alternatively, it is also possible that the second guide member 8 can move to the retracted position without being in conjunction with the insertion or removal of the supply tray 11 when the supply tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the second guide member 8 is a structure capable of moving in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a. However, the second guide member 8 may also be a structure capable of moving independently of the swing arm. In this case, for example, the second guide member 8 may move in conjunction with the components of the supply tray 11, or it may automatically move to a retracted position by a motor drive when the insertion or removal of the supply tray 11 is detected by a sensor or the like. Alternatively, the second guide member 8 may be able to move in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a by a structure different from the structure in the above embodiment where the protrusion 21 moves along the elongated hole portion 32.

[0072] Alternatively, in the above embodiment, the elongated slot portion into which the protrusion 21 is inserted can be formed in the second guide member 8 instead of the elongated hole portion 32. Furthermore, the elongated hole portions 232 and 332 in the above variations can also be formed as elongated slot portions capable of guiding the protrusion 21 while it is being inserted.

[0073] Alternatively, the second guide member 8 can be manually moved between a guide position and a retracted position. In this case, the second guide member 8 is manually moved to the retracted position when inserting or removing the supply tray 11 or when receiving the cut paper P2. Furthermore, the second guide member 8 can also be a structure in which a force is applied towards the guide position by an elastic member such as a spring. In this case, when receiving the cut paper P2 into the second receiving portion 11b, the second guide member 8 is moved to the retracted position by applying a force in the opposite direction to the applied force, and then the cut paper P2 is received. At this time, the second guide member 8, in the retracted position, abuts against the upper surface of the cut paper P2 received in the second receiving portion 11b. Additionally, in this case, it is preferable to adjust the intensity of the force applied by the elastic member so that the second guide member 8, which is forceped towards the guide position, does not excessively restrict the cut paper P2.

[0074] In the above embodiment, two second guide members 8 are arranged on both outer sides of the swing arm 20a in the left-right direction, and each extends relatively long in the left-right direction. However, when viewed from the top-bottom direction, a portion of the two second guide members 8 may overlap with the swing arm 20a. Alternatively, only one second guide member 8 may be arranged. In this case, it is preferable that the second guide member 8 extends relatively long in the left-right direction, forming a shape slightly longer than the width of the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2.

[0075] In the above embodiments, when the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, it may be entirely disposed in the receiving area A, or it may not be disposed in the receiving area A.

[0076] Alternatively, in the above embodiment, the second guide member 8 may not be bent. For example, the second guide member 8 may extend straight or be bent in the direction from the guide position toward the retraction position.

[0077] In the above embodiment, the second receiving section 11b is located behind the first receiving section 11a. However, the second receiving section 11b may also be located in front of the first receiving section 11a. In this case, for example, the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll body R housed in the first receiving section 11a may be fed by the feed roller after being conveyed from the rear to the front direction in the front-rear direction. Alternatively, in this case, the structure may be such that after the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 are conveyed from the rear to the front by the feed roller, they are conveyed from the front to the rear by a roller arranged on the downstream side of the conveying direction along the conveying path, and further guided to the end by a roller arranged on the downstream side of the conveying direction from the rear to the front. That is, the conveying path of the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 may also be S-shaped.

[0078] In the first and second embodiments described above, the supply tray can be inserted and removed relative to the housing in the front-to-back direction. However, the supply tray may also be a structure that can be inserted and removed relative to the housing in the left-to-right direction.

[0079] The image forming apparatus of this invention can be applied not only to printer 100, but also to multifunction printers, copiers, etc. Furthermore, the printer is not limited to inkjet type, but can also be laser type. Moreover, the sheet medium involved in this invention can be not only paper, but also cloth or labels, etc.

[0080] Label Explanation

[0081] 2. Feeding rollers

[0082] 5 heads

[0083] 7 First guiding component

[0084] 8 Second guide component

[0085] 11. Pallet delivery

[0086] 11a First Containment Department

[0087] 11b Second Containment Department

[0088] 20a Swing Arm

[0089] 20b Swing axis

[0090] 21 convex part

[0091] 31 Rotation axis

[0092] 32, 232, 332 elongated hole sections

[0093] 40. Retreat Organizations

[0094] 41a Horizontal plane

[0095] 40b, 40c inclined surfaces

[0096] 42 Extension

[0097] 43 Cylindrical components

[0098] 51 mark

[0099] 100 printers

[0100] 100a housing

[0101] A containment area

[0102] R Roll body

[0103] P1 Long strips of paper (long strips of sheet media)

[0104] P1a roll paper (roll media)

[0105] P2 Cutting Paper (Cutting Medium)

Claims

1. An image forming apparatus characterized by comprising: have: The casing has a conveying path. The feeding tray is pluggable relative to the housing and has a first receiving part and a second receiving part. The first receiving part is capable of receiving a roll body formed by winding sheet media into a roll shape, and the second receiving part is capable of receiving sheet media in a stacked state. The image forming unit forms an image of the sheet-like medium within the transport path; The first guiding component guides the sheet-like medium toward the conveying path; and The second guiding component, supported by the housing, guides the sheet-like medium, i.e., the roll medium, unwound from the roll body, toward the conveying path. The second guide member is located on the opposite side of the first guide member, separated from the reel medium. The second guide member is also movable between a guide position and a retractable position. The guide position is the position where the roll of media is guided toward the delivery path. The retractable position is a position further away from the first guide member than the guide position and without interfering with the sheet-like media housed in the second receiving portion. When the second guide component is in the retracted position, it does not interfere with the supply tray when the supply tray is inserted or removed relative to the housing.

2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that, When the second guide member is in the guide position, at least a portion thereof is disposed in the receiving area of ​​the second receiving portion capable of receiving the sheet-like medium. When the second guide component is in the retracted position, it is entirely positioned outside the receiving area.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 2, characterized in that, When the second guide member is in the retracted position, it is positioned above the maximum height position when the second receiving portion contains the maximum number of the sheet media.

4. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second guide member has a rotating shaft at one end on the downstream side along the conveying direction of the conveying path. The second guide component can move between the guide position and the retraction position by rotating about the rotation axis.

5. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The second guide component is capable of moving to the retracted position in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the supply tray relative to the housing.

6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 5, characterized in that, The image forming apparatus further comprises: A feed roller supplies the sheet-like medium from the feed tray to the conveying path; A swing arm supports the feed roller in a rotatable manner; A swing shaft that supports the swing arm in a swing-like manner; and The retraction mechanism moves the feed roller and the swing arm to a position that does not interfere with the feed tray when the feed tray is inserted or removed relative to the housing. The second guide component can move to the retraction position in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm.

7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that, One of the swing arm and the second guide member has a protrusion extending in a direction orthogonal to the insertion / removal direction of the supply tray. The other of the swing arm and the second guide member has an elongated hole portion formed along a direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the protrusion, into which the protrusion is inserted. When the supply tray is inserted or removed relative to the housing, the protrusion moves along the elongated hole portion, thereby enabling the second guide member to move in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm.

8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that, The second guide member has a rotating shaft at one end on the downstream side along the conveying direction of the conveying path. The second guide component can move between the guide position and the retracted position by rotating about the rotation axis. When the second guide member is in the guide position, the feed roller is positioned below the rotating axis and the swing axis, and between the rotating axis and the swing axis in the insertion / extraction direction. The protrusion and the elongated hole are formed in such a shape that when the second guide member rotates from the guide position toward the retraction position due to contact with the roll medium when the feed roller feeds the roll medium, a force is applied to the swing arm in either a first direction from the contact portion of the protrusion and the elongated hole toward the center of the swing shaft or in a second direction from the contact portion toward a direction lower than the center of the swing shaft.

9. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The second direction is either the horizontal direction or a direction that is above the horizontal direction.

10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that, The contact portion is shaped such that when the second guide member rotates from the guide position toward the retraction position due to contact with the roll medium while the feed roller is feeding the roll medium, a force in the first direction acts on the swing arm.

11. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 10, characterized in that, The protrusion is formed on the swing arm. The elongated hole portion is formed in the second guide member.

12. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 10, characterized in that, Two of the second guide components are arranged on the outer sides at both ends in a direction orthogonal to the insertion and removal direction of the supply tray than the swing arm.

13. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, 6 to 10, characterized in that, The second guide member bends in a direction from the guide position toward the retraction position.

Images