Image recording apparatus

Abstract

To inhibit a downstream end of a sheet-like medium in a conveying direction from being placed in contact with a housing etc. by movement of a feed tray relative to the housing.SOLUTION: A printer includes: a housing 100A; a feed tray 1 configured to accommodate a roll body R; a cutting part 5; an intermediate roller pair 4A; and a control unit. The control unit controls the intermediate roller pair 4A so that a roll sheet Rs supported by a bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1 is lifted up and controls the cutting part 5 so as to cut the roll sheet Rs in a lifted up state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image recording device including a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll body. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes two paper feed trays (feed trays) that are retractably attached to the device body (housing) of an image processing device and can store roll paper (roll body) of paper (sheet-like medium) wound in a roll. These paper feed trays are arranged in two tiers, one above the other, and each is provided with a feed roller that transports paper unwound from the roll paper, a paper feed path that guides the paper transported by the feed roller, and a cutter (cutting unit) that can cut the paper passing through the paper feed path. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7-187495 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The feed tray described in Patent Document 1 has a cutter, which makes the feed tray itself complicated. In order to simplify the structure of the feed tray itself, the present inventor considered providing the cutter in the housing instead of the feed tray, and discovered the following problem.

[0005] When a cutting unit is provided in the housing, the cutting unit cuts the sheet medium unwound from the roll above the feed tray, and the downstream end of the sheet medium cut by the cutting unit in the transport direction is positioned above the feed tray. In this state, when the feed tray is moved relative to the housing, the downstream end of the sheet medium in the transport direction is likely to come into contact with the housing or a component provided in the housing (e.g., a feed roller). In this case, the downstream end of the sheet medium in the transport direction may bend, causing a jam.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an image recording device that can prevent the downstream end of the sheet medium in the transport direction from contacting the housing or the like due to movement of the feed tray relative to the housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The image recording device of the present invention comprises a housing, a feed tray supported so as to be movable in a direction intersecting the vertical direction relative to the housing, the feed tray being capable of accommodating a roll of sheet-like medium wound into a roll and having a support surface that supports the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll, a cutting unit positioned above the feed tray, a recording unit that records an image on the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll, a drive mechanism that is driven by the transmission of a driving force, and a control unit, wherein the control unit controls the drive mechanism so that the sheet-like medium supported on the support surface of the feed tray is lifted, and controls the cutting unit so that the sheet-like medium is cut in the lifted state. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the image recording device of the present invention, the sheet medium is cut by the cutting unit in a raised state, so that the downstream end in the transport direction of the sheet medium formed by the cutting operation moves downward. Therefore, even if the feed tray is moved relative to the housing after the sheet medium is cut by the cutting unit, it is possible to prevent the downstream end in the transport direction of the sheet medium from contacting the housing or the like. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view showing an internal structure of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the printer shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 2 is a side view of a main part showing a pair of rollers and their periphery shown in FIG. [Figure 4] 11 is a side view of the main part showing the state in which the roll paper is lifted from the bottom surface. [Diagram 5] 13 is a side view of the main part showing the state after the roll paper has been lifted from the bottom surface and cut. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a side view of the main part showing a state when the feeding tray shown in FIG. 5 is moved to an outer position. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a side view of a main part of a printer according to a first modified example. [Figure 8] FIG. 11 is a side view of a main part of a printer according to a second modified example. [Figure 9] FIG. 13 is a plan view of a main portion of a printer according to a third modified example. [Figure 10] 13A and 13B are side views of the main parts of a printer according to a fourth modified example, in which (a) shows the state when the support plate is in an upper position, and (b) shows the state when the support plate is in a lower position. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] A printer 100 (the "image recording device" of the present invention) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. The up-down direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction shown in Fig. 1 are the up-down direction, front-rear direction, and left-right direction of the printer 100. The left-right direction is the direction when viewed from the front of the printer 100, with the front side of the page in Fig. 1 being the right side and the back side of the page in Fig. 1 being the left side.

[0011] (Overall configuration of the printer 100) As shown in Fig. 1, the printer 100 mainly includes a housing 100A, a feed tray 1, a conveying unit 3, a cutting unit 5, a head 6, a paper discharge tray 7, and a control unit 70. The feed tray 1 is disposed below the head 6 inside the housing 100A. The feed tray 1 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100A in the front-rear direction through an opening 101 formed in the front wall of the housing 100A. That is, the feed tray 1 can move in the front-rear direction between an inner position inside the housing 100A (the position shown in Fig. 1) and an outer position outside the housing 100A.

[0012] The feed tray 1 has a first storage section 20 capable of storing a roll R, and a second storage section 30 capable of storing a plurality of cut sheets Ks in a stacked state. The roll R is formed by winding rolled paper Rs ("sheet-like medium" according to the present invention), which is paper longer than the cut sheets Ks, in a roll shape around the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical core member Rc. The roll R is stored in the first storage section 20 such that the axial direction of its central axis Rx coincides with the left-right direction. The cut sheets Ks are, for example, A4-size or letter-size paper, and are stored in the second storage section 30 such that the long dimension direction coincides with the left-right direction.

[0013] 1, for the sake of explanation, the feed tray 1 is shown containing both the roll R and cut paper Ks. However, when recording an image on the roll paper Rs with the printer 100, the roll R is contained in the feed tray 1 and the cut paper Ks is removed from the feed tray 1. On the other hand, when recording an image on the cut paper Ks, the cut paper Ks is contained in the feed tray 1 and the roll R is removed from the feed tray 1 or the roll paper R is removed from the transport path.

[0014] The transport unit 3 transports, in a transport direction, roll paper Rs and cut paper Ks that have been unwound from the roll body R. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the transport unit 3 has a feed roller 2A, an arm 2B, a separation wall 3A, a guide 3B, a pair of intermediate rollers 4A, a pair of transport rollers 4B, a pair of paper discharge rollers 4C, a guide 4D, a feed motor 2M, an intermediate motor 4AM, a transport motor 4BM, and a paper discharge motor 4CM.

[0015] The feeding roller 2A feeds the roll paper Rs, unwound from the roll R stored in the first storage section 20, along a first path L1 from the feeding tray 1 toward the cutting section 5 and the intermediate roller pair 4A. The first path L1 is the path shown in FIG. 1 along which the roll paper Rs fed by the feeding roller 2A extends from the roll R to the cutting section 5. The feeding roller 2A also feeds the cut paper Ks stored in the second storage section 30 from the feeding tray 1 along the downstream portion of the first path L1. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the cut paper Ks and the roll paper Rs, they will be referred to as "paper S."

[0016] The feed roller 2A is axially supported at the tip of the arm 2B. The feed roller 2A rotates about a shaft extending in the left-right direction when driven by a feed motor 2M.

[0017] The arm 2B is supported by a support shaft 2C so as to be freely rotatable. The support shaft 2C is supported by the housing 100A. The arm 2B is biased by a biasing member (not shown) so that the feed roller 2A approaches the bottom surface 11A (the "support surface" of the present invention) of the feed tray 1. The arm 2B rotates about the support shaft 2C, so that the feed roller 2A can move between a contact position where the arm 2B contacts a roller (not shown) arranged on the bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1 and a separated position (see FIG. 6) where the arm 2B is separated from the roller. The arm 2B can be retracted by a retraction mechanism (not shown) to a first retraction position where the tray body 10 of the feed tray 1 and the feed roller 2A do not interfere with each other in conjunction with the feed tray 1 moving from an inner position in the housing 100A to an outer position outside the housing 100A. The separated position is a position to which the feed roller 2A moves when the arm 2B moves to the first retraction position, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0018] The feed roller 2A selectively takes a first feed position or a second feed position between the contact position and the separated position. The first feed position (the "first position" of the present invention) is a position where the feed roller 2A comes into contact with the roll paper Rs supported on the bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1. The second feed position is a position where the feed roller 2A comes into contact with the cut paper Ks stored in the second storage section 30.

[0019] When the feed motor 2M is driven under the control of the control unit 70, the feed roller 2A rotates and a conveying force is applied to the sheet S in contact with the feed roller 2A in a direction from the front to the rear. As a result, the sheet S is sent out from the feed tray 1.

[0020] The separation wall 3A is for preventing double feeding when the cut sheets Ks are fed from the feed tray 1. The separation wall 3A extends obliquely upward from the bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1. The separation wall 3A is provided in the housing 100A. As shown in FIG. 1, the separation wall 3A is located at the rear end of the feed tray 1 in the front-rear direction.

[0021] Between the guide 3B and the separation wall 3A, a guide path is formed that guides the paper S toward the cutting section 5. The guide path forms the downstream portion of the first path L1 and a second path L2 (described later) in the conveying direction. The rear end of the guide 3B is supported by a support shaft 3C in the front-rear direction so as to be rotatable. The support shaft 3C is supported by the housing 100A. In addition, the front portion of the guide 3B is supported by the arm 2B so as to be rotatable relative to the arm 2B and movable in the extension direction of the arm 2B.

[0022] The guide 3B is movable between a lower limit position and a second retracted position (see FIG. 6), and moves in conjunction with the movement of the arm 2B. The second retracted position is a position to which the arm 2B moves when the arm 2B retracts to the first retracted position, as shown in FIG. 6. The lower limit position is a position when the feed roller 2A is in the contact position. The guide 3B selectively takes a first guide path forming position and a second guide path forming position between the lower limit position and the second retracted position. The first guide path forming position (the "third position" of the present invention) is a position when the feed roller 2A is in the first feeding position. The second guide path forming position is a position when the feed roller 2A is in the second feeding position.

[0023] The intermediate roller pair (the "drive mechanism" and "conveyor roller pair" of the present invention) 4A is composed of a drive roller that rotates when the driving force of the intermediate motor 4AM is transmitted thereto, and a driven roller that rotates along with the drive roller. When the intermediate motor 4AM is driven under the control of the control unit 70, the intermediate roller pair 4A rotates while sandwiching the paper S to convey the paper S. The intermediate roller pair 4A is located above the separation wall 3A. The intermediate roller pair 4A conveys the paper S upward while sandwiching the paper S sent out from the feed tray 1 by the feed roller 2A. The guide 4D is located above the intermediate roller pair 4A. The guide 4D guides the paper S conveyed upward by the intermediate roller pair 4A forward.

[0024] The conveying roller pair 4B is composed of a driving roller that rotates by the driving force of the conveying motor 4BM being transmitted thereto, and a driven roller that rotates with the driving roller. The paper discharge roller pair 4C is composed of a driving roller that rotates by the driving force of the paper discharge motor 4CM being transmitted thereto, and a driven roller that rotates with the driving roller. When the conveying motor 4BM and the paper discharge motor 4CM are driven by the control of the control unit 70, the conveying roller pair 4B and the paper discharge roller pair 4C rotate while sandwiching the paper S to convey the paper S. The conveying roller pair 4B is located behind the head 6, and the paper discharge roller pair 4C is located in front of the head 6. The conveying roller pair 4B sandwiches the paper S guided forward by the guide 4D and conveys it forward. The paper discharge roller pair 4C sandwiches the paper S conveyed forward by the conveying roller pair 4B and conveys it forward.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, the cutting unit 5 is located between the separation wall 3A and the intermediate roller pair 4A. The cutting unit 5 includes a fixed blade 5A that is elongated in the left-right direction, a disk-shaped rotary blade 5B that can move in the left-right direction while in contact with the fixed blade 5A, and a cutting motor 5M. The rotary blade 5B rotates when the cutting motor 5M is driven, and moves back and forth in the left-right direction. The roll paper Rs that is unwound from the roll body R and transported is cut in the left-right direction by the fixed blade 5A and the rotary blade 5B when the cutting motor 5M is driven under the control of the control unit 70. As a result, a rear end is formed in the roll paper Rs that is sent to the paper discharge tray 7, and a leading end (downstream end in the transport direction) is formed in the roll paper Rs that is connected to the roll body R.

[0026] The head (the "recording unit" of the present invention) 6 includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) formed on the bottom surface, and a driver IC 6A (see FIG. 2). The head 6 records an image on the paper S transported by the transport unit 3. When the driver IC 6A is driven under the control of the control unit 70, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and an image is formed on the paper S when the paper S transported by the transport unit 3 passes an image recording position facing the bottom surface of the head 6. The head 6 may be either a line type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while being fixed in position, or a serial type in which ink is ejected from nozzles while moving left and right.

[0027] The paper discharge tray 7 is disposed in front of the head 6 within the housing 100A and above the feed tray 1. The paper discharge tray 7 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100A in the front-rear direction through an opening 102 formed in the front wall of the housing 100A. The paper discharge tray 7 receives paper S on which an image is formed by the head 6 and which is transported forward by the pair of paper discharge rollers 43.

[0028] Next, the control configuration of the printer 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The control unit 70 of the printer 100 controls the entire printer 100 and includes a CPU 71, a ROM 72 and a RAM 73, an ASIC 74, a flash memory 75, and the like, which are connected to each other by a bus 76A. The ASIC 74 of the control unit 70 is also connected to a driver IC 6A, a feed motor 2M, an intermediate motor 4AM, a conveying motor 4BM, a paper discharge motor 4CM, and a cutting motor 5M by a bus 76B. The CPU 71, the ROM 72 and the RAM 73, the ASIC 74, and the flash memory 75 cooperate to control the operations of the driver IC 6A, the feed motor 2M, the intermediate motor 4AM, the conveying motor 4BM, the paper discharge motor 4CM, the cutting motor 5M, and the like.

[0029] The control unit 8 may be one in which only the CPU 71 performs various processes, one in which only the ASIC 74 performs various processes, or one in which the CPU 71 and the ASIC 74 work together to perform various processes. The control unit 70 may be one in which one CPU 71 performs processes independently, or one in which multiple CPUs 71 share the processes. The control unit 70 may be one in which one ASIC 74 performs processes independently, or one in which multiple ASICs 74 share the processes.

[0030] (Feed Tray 1 Configuration) Next, the configuration of the feed tray 1 will be described with reference to FIG. 1. As described above, the feed tray 1 is configured to be insertable and removable in the front-rear direction with respect to the housing 100A. The position when the feed tray 1 is at the rearmost position in the housing 100A is defined as the inner position. The position when the feed tray 1 is forward of the inner position is defined as the outer position. In addition, the feed tray 1 in this embodiment is configured to be removable in its entirety from the housing 100A, but the feed tray 1 may be configured so that it can only be removed from the housing 100A to the extent that a part of the feed tray 1 (for example, the rear end portion) is within the housing 100A.

[0031] The feed tray 1 has a tray body 10. The tray body 10 has a bottom wall 11 and four side walls 13 to 15 provided on the peripheral edge of the bottom wall 11, and is formed in a box shape that opens upward. Of the four side walls, three side walls 13 to 15 are shown in FIG. 1. The remaining side walls face side wall 13 in the left-right direction and are disposed between side walls 14 and 15.

[0032] The bottom wall 11 extends in the front-rear and left-right directions. An upper surface of the bottom wall 11 forms a bottom surface 11A of the feed tray 1. As shown in Fig. 1, the bottom surface 11A supports the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R from below.

[0033] Of the four side walls 13 to 15, a pair of side walls 13 arranged on the left and right sides extend upward from both left and right ends of the bottom wall 11. The pair of side walls 13 also extend in the front-to-rear direction from the front end to the rear end of the bottom wall 11. The side wall 14 extends upward from the front end of the bottom wall 11. The side wall 14 extends in the left-to-right direction from the right end to the left end of the bottom wall 11.

[0034] Two side walls 15 are provided at the rear end of the bottom wall 11. The two side walls 15 are located at both left and right ends of the rear end of the bottom wall 11. The two side walls 15 are arranged apart from each other in the left and right direction, and when the feeding tray 1 is attached to the housing 100A, a separation wall 3A (see FIG. 1) is located between the two side walls 15 aligned in the left and right direction.

[0035] The first storage section 20 stores the roll R in a position in which the axial direction of the central axis Rx coincides with the left-right direction. The first storage section 20 and the second storage section 30 are aligned in the front-rear direction. The first storage section 20 is located forward of the second storage section 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the first storage section 20 has a support section 29 that supports the roll R from below.

[0036] The support portion 29 has two holders 21, 22 and two rollers 23, 24. The two holders 21, 22 are disposed spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The holder 21 is located forward of the holder 22. Both of the two holders 21, 22 extend along the left-right direction.

[0037] Roller 23 is attached to holder 21 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction. Roller 24 is attached to holder 22 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction. Rollers 23, 24 are arranged spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. Roller 23 is located above roller 24. The two rollers 23, 24 support roll body R from below while being in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the lower portion of roll body R.

[0038] 1, the holder 21 has a curved surface 21A that covers the outer peripheral surface on the front side of the roll body R. The holder 22 has a curved surface 22A that covers the outer peripheral surface on the rear side of the roll body R (mainly the lower part of the roll body R). The holder 22 is also arranged so that a passage 25 for passing the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R is formed between the lower surface of the holder 22 and the bottom surface 11A. The roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R stored in the first storage section 20 passes through the passage 25 from between the two holders 21, 22 and is pulled out along the bottom surface 11A to a roller (not shown).

[0039] As shown in Fig. 1, the second storage section 30 has a support plate 31 that supports the cut paper Ks from below. The support plate 31 is a plate-like member that extends in the front-rear and left-right directions, and its upper surface serves as a support surface 31A. A part of the front end of the support plate 31 is inserted into the lower part of the holder 22, and the support plate 31 is disposed on the bottom surface 11A. The support plate 31 is configured such that the rear end of the support plate 31 can swing up and down, with the part inserted into the holder 22 as a fulcrum. The support plate 31 extends rearward from the fulcrum to the vicinity of the rear end of the bottom surface 11A.

[0040] 1, the support plate 31 and the bottom wall 11 define a path 27. The path 27 is part of a first path L1 through which the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R passes. In other words, the support plate 31 is disposed opposite the bottom surface 11A so that the roll paper Rs can pass between the support plate 31 and the bottom surface 11A. The support plate 31 also has the function of restricting curling of the roll paper Rs passing between the support plate 31 and the bottom surface 11A.

[0041] A cutout 32 is formed at the rear end of the support plate 31. The cutout 32 is located in the center of the support plate 31 in the left-right direction. The cutout 32 is located on the movement path of the feed roller 2A moving from the contact position to the separated position. The roller is located within the cutout 32 of the support plate 31 when viewed from above.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 3, the printer 100 further includes a pair of rollers 61, 62 and a biasing mechanism 9. The pair of rollers (the "roller pair" of the present invention) 61, 62 are disposed in a lower portion of the holder 22. The pair of rollers 61, 62 are disposed side by side one above the other. The roller 61 is rotatable about a rotation shaft 61A extending in the left-right direction. Both ends of the rotation shaft 61A are rotatably supported by the left and right side walls 13. The roller 61 rotates together with the rotation shaft 61A. A lower portion of the roller 61 is disposed below the lower surface of the holder 22 and located within the passage 25.

[0043] The roller 62 is rotatable about a rotation shaft 62A extending in the left-right direction. The pair of rollers 61, 62 are disposed so as to be able to clamp the roll paper Rs, and are driven rollers that rotate as the roll paper Rs is transported. The roller 62 is rotatably supported by a holder 91 of the biasing mechanism 9 via the rotation shaft 62A.

[0044] The biasing mechanism (the "biasing section" of the present invention) 9 moves the roller 62 between the nip position and the release position in conjunction with the movement of the feed tray 1 between the inner position and the outer position. In this embodiment, the release position is a position where the rollers 61 and 62 are separated from each other, but the release position may be any position where the nip pressure by the pair of rollers 61, 62 is smaller than that at the nip position.

[0045] As shown in FIG. 3, the biasing mechanism 9 has a holder 91 that supports the roller 62, a moving member 92, and a biasing member 93. The holder 91 is disposed in a through hole 11D formed in the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1. The through hole 11D is formed at a position that overlaps with the roller 61 in the up-down direction. The holder 91 also has a holder body 91A that rotatably supports the roller 62, and an extension portion 91B that extends rearward from the rear end of the holder body 91A. The holder body 91A supports both ends of the rotation shaft 62A. The outer peripheral surface 91A1 of the holder body 91A is formed in an arc shape that can abut against the upper surface 92A of the moving member 92. The extension portion 91B is formed with a rotation shaft 91C that extends in the left-right direction.

[0046] The holder 91 is rotatable about a rotation shaft 91C. As shown in Fig. 3, both ends of the rotation shaft 91C are rotatably supported by the bottom wall 11. As a result, when the outer circumferential surface 91A1 of the holder 91 is in contact with the moving member 92, the holder 91 rotates to a nip position where the roller 62 contacts the roller 61. On the other hand, when the outer circumferential surface 91A1 of the holder 91 is not in contact with the moving member 92, the holder 91 rotates to a release position where the roller 62 is separated from the roller 61.

[0047] The movable member 92 is disposed in a recess 100A2 formed in the bottom surface 100A1 of the housing 100A. The recess 100A2 opens upward. The recess 100A2 is formed in an area that overlaps with the roller 61 of the bottom surface 100A1 in the up-down direction when the feed tray 1 is attached to the housing 100A and in the inner position.

[0048] An upper surface 92A of the moving member 92 is a surface that comes into contact with the holder 91. An upper end of a biasing member 93 is connected to a lower surface 92B of the moving member 92. A lower end of the biasing member 93 is connected to the bottom surface of the recess 100A2. As a result, the moving member 92 is biased upward by the biasing member 93 so as to jump out of the recess 100A2. The biasing member 93 in this embodiment is a coil spring, but may be another elastic member, and may be anything that can bias the moving member 92 toward the holder 91.

[0049] In such a configuration of the biasing mechanism 9, when the feed tray 1 moves forward from the inner position toward the outer position, the contact between the moving member 92 and the holder 91 is released. This causes the holder 91 to rotate downward. This displacement causes the holder 91 to position the roller 62 from the nip position to the release position. At this time, the clamping of the roll paper Rs by the pair of rollers 61, 62 is also released.

[0050] On the other hand, when the feeding tray 1 moves from the outer position to the inner position, the moving member 92 comes into contact with the holder 91, causing the holder 91 to rotate upward. This displacement causes the holder 91 to position the roller 62 from the release position to the nip position. The roll paper Rs held between the pair of rollers 61, 62 is subjected to back tension (load) by the pair of rollers 61, 62 during transport. In other words, when the intermediate roller pair 4A transports the roll paper Rs under the control of the control unit 70, the transport path of the roll paper Rs is changed from the first path L1 to the second path L2.

[0051] <Printing control> Next, the control during printing when an image is recorded on the roll paper Rs will be described. In the printer 100, when a recording command to execute printing is received, the control unit 70 starts control to execute printing. When the control unit 70 receives the recording command, it first starts transporting the roll paper Rs toward the head 6 by the transport unit 3.

[0052] More specifically, the control unit 70 drives the feed motor 2M to transport the roll paper Rs along the first path L1 to the pair of intermediate rollers 4A. At this time, a transport load is applied to the roll paper Rs by the pair of rollers 61, 62, but the transport direction of the roll paper Rs by the feed roller 2A is the rear direction along the bottom surface 11A, so the roll paper Rs is transported along the first path L1.

[0053] When the roll paper Rs is transported to the intermediate roller pair 4A, the control unit 70 sequentially controls the intermediate motor 4AM, transport motor 4BM, and discharge motor 4CM to transport the roll paper Rs toward the head 6. At this time, the control unit 70 controls the rotation of the intermediate roller pair 4A so as to generate a transport force greater than the back tension of the pair of rollers 61, 62. Therefore, when the roll paper Rs is sandwiched between the intermediate roller pair 4A and transported, a relatively large tension is generated in the roll paper Rs between the pair of rollers 61, 62 and the intermediate roller pair 4A, and the transport path of the roll paper Rs is changed from the first path L1 to the second path L2 shown in FIG.

[0054] Here, the second path L2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the second path L2 is a path along which the roll paper Rs extends from the roll body R to the cutting section 5, similar to the first path L1. The second path L2 is a path along which the roll paper Rs supported on the bottom surface 11A is transported in a state where it is lifted from the bottom surface 11A due to the tension of the roll paper Rs between the pair of rollers 61, 62 and the intermediate roller pair 4A, which is generated when the roll paper Rs is transported by the intermediate roller pair 4A. The path length of the second path L2 is shorter than the path length of the first path L1. The length obtained by subtracting the roll paper length of the roll paper Rs transported on the second path L2 from the roll body R to the cutting position of the cutting section 5 from the roll paper length of the roll paper Rs transported on the first path L1 is equal to or longer than the length along the transport path from the upper end of the rear part of the feed tray 1 to the cutting position at the cutting section 5.

[0055] When the transport path of the roll paper Rs is changed from the first path L1 to the second path L2, a certain amount of tension is applied to the roll paper Rs, so that the roll paper Rs lifts the feed roller 2A to an upper position (the "second position" of the present invention) farther from the bottom surface 11A than the first feeding position, as shown in Fig. 4. At this time, the arm 2B also rotates by lifting the feed roller 2A, so that the guide 3B is lifted to a position (the "fourth position" of the present invention) above the first guide path configuration position, which is the position where the feed roller 2A is positioned when it is lifted. At this time, the support plate 31 is also lifted upward so as to rotate around the part inserted into the holder 22 as a fulcrum.

[0056] The back tension (load) on the roll paper Rs may be increased by further increasing the biasing force on the pair of rollers 61, 62. The tension on the roll paper Rs between the pair of rollers 61, 62 and the pair of intermediate rollers 4A may be increased by controlling the rotation of the pair of intermediate rollers 4A by the control unit 70. This makes it possible to lift the feed roller 2A even higher.

[0057] When the roll paper Rs reaches a position facing the head 6, the control unit 70 controls the driver IC6A to eject ink from the nozzles onto the roll paper Rs to record an image. Then, when the rear end of the roll paper Rs (the planned cutting position) reaches the cutting position of the cutting unit 5, the control unit 70 controls the transport unit 3 to temporarily stop transport of the roll paper Rs.

[0058] Next, the control unit 70 drives the cutting motor 5M, and the cutting unit 5 cuts the roll paper Rs. Then, the tension between the pair of rollers 61, 62 of the roll paper Rs and the pair of intermediate rollers 4A disappears. This causes the force of the roll paper Rs to lift the feed roller 2A, the guide 3B, and the support plate 31 to disappear. Therefore, the roll paper Rs connected to the roll body R moves downward due to the weight of the feed roller 2A, the guide 3B, and the support plate 31, as shown in FIG. 5. At this time, a load is applied to the pair of rollers 61, 62. Therefore, even if the roll paper Rs is pressed downward by the feed roller 2A, the roll paper Rs is not unwound from the roll body R. As a result, the leading edge of the roll paper Rs formed by the cutting operation moves toward the feed tray 1. In this embodiment, the leading edge of the roll paper Rs is placed in the feed tray 1.

[0059] Next, the control unit 70 controls the intermediate motor 4AM, the transport motor 4BM, and the discharge motor 4CM to discharge the cut roll paper Rs (the roll paper Rs downstream in the transport direction from the cutting unit 5) onto the discharge tray 7. In this way, control during printing is completed.

[0060] Next, the operation when the feed tray 1 moves between the inner position and the outer position with the roll paper Rs cut by the cutting unit 5 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0061] In the printer 100 of this embodiment, when the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5, the leading edge of the roll paper Rs formed by the cutting operation returns to the inside of the feed tray 1 as described above. In this state, when the feed tray 1 is moved from the inner position to the outer position as shown in FIG. 6, the arm 2B rotates by a retraction mechanism (not shown), and the feed roller 2A and the guide 3B are retracted to a position where they do not interfere with the tray body 10. In addition, since the leading edge of the roll paper Rs is already positioned inside the feed tray 1, the roll paper Rs does not come into contact with the housing 100A, the feed roller 2A, the guide 3B, etc. In addition, the movement of the feed tray 1 to the outer position causes the roller 62 to move from the nip position to the release position.

[0062] Then, when the feed tray 1 is moved from the outer position to the inner position, the roller 62 is moved from the release position to the nip position by the biasing mechanism 9. Also, as shown in Fig. 5, the arm 2B rotates and the feed roller 2A is positioned at the first feed position where the roll paper Rs is sandwiched between the arm 2B and the feed roller 2A. This makes it possible to feed the roll paper Rs.

[0063] As described above, in the printer 100 of this embodiment, the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5 while it is lifted from the bottom surface 11A, so that the leading edge (the downstream end in the transport direction) of the roll paper Rs formed by the cutting operation moves downward. Therefore, even if the feed tray 1 is moved relative to the housing 100A after the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the roll paper Rs from coming into contact with the housing 100A, etc. This makes it possible to prevent the leading edge of the roll paper Rs from bending and causing a transport jam.

[0064] The control unit 70 controls the rotation of the intermediate roller pair 4A so that the roll paper Rs is lifted up from the bottom surface 11A. With such a relatively simple configuration, it is possible to lift up the roll paper Rs from the bottom surface 11A.

[0065] Furthermore, the control unit 70 controls the rotation of the intermediate roller pair 4A while the roll paper Rs is sandwiched between the pair of rollers 61, 62 and the intermediate roller pair 4A. With such a simple configuration, it is possible to apply a transport load to the roll paper Rs and provide tension that stably lifts the roll paper Rs from the bottom surface 11A.

[0066] The control unit 70 also controls the rotation of the intermediate roller pair 4A so that tension is applied to the roll paper Rs that can lift the feed roller 2A to a position higher than the first feed position. This allows the weight of the feed roller 2A to effectively move the leading edge of the roll paper Rs downward when the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5 in a lifted state. In this embodiment, the support plate 31 is also lifted upward in the same manner as the feed roller 2A. This allows the weight of the support plate 31 to effectively move the leading edge of the roll paper Rs downward when the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5.

[0067] Furthermore, the guide 3B is connected to the feed roller 2A via an arm 2B. Therefore, when the feed roller 2A is lifted upward by the roll paper Rs, the guide 3B also moves to a position above the first guide path forming position. Therefore, when the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5 in the lifted state, the weight of the feed roller 2A and the weight of the guide 3B can more effectively move the leading edge of the roll paper Rs downward.

[0068] Furthermore, the length obtained by subtracting the length of roll paper Rs transported along second path L2 from the roll body R to the cutting position of cutting unit 5 from the length of roll paper Rs transported along first path L1 to the cutting position of cutting unit 5 is equal to or greater than the length along the transport path from the top end of the rear part of feed tray 1 to the cutting position at cutting unit 5. As a result, when roll paper Rs is cut by cutting unit 5 in a lifted state, the leading edge of roll paper Rs moves downward and is placed inside feed tray 1. Therefore, even if feed tray 1 is moved relative to housing 100A after roll paper Rs is cut by cutting unit 5, the leading edge of roll paper Rs is less likely to come into contact with housing 100A, etc.

[0069] Instead of the roller 62 and the biasing mechanism 9 in the above-described embodiment, a roller 261 and a biasing member 262 may be provided as shown in FIG. 7. The roller 261 in this first modified example is arranged to be rotatable around a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction and to be movable in the up-down direction. The roller 261 is arranged in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the roll body R. The biasing member 262 in this modified example is a coil spring, but may be another elastic member, and may be anything as long as it can bias the roller 261 toward the center of the roll body R. In this way, the biasing member 262 biases the roller 261, and the roller 261 can apply a load to the rotation of the roll body R.

[0070] As a result, when the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R is conveyed by the intermediate roller pair 4A under the control of the control unit 70, back tension due to the rotation load of the roll body R is applied to the roll paper Rs, as in the above-mentioned embodiment. At this time, the control unit 70 controls the rotation of the intermediate roller pair 4A so that a conveying force larger than the back tension is generated. Therefore, when the roll paper Rs is sandwiched between the intermediate roller pair 4A and conveyed, a relatively large tension is generated in the roll paper Rs between the roll body R and the intermediate roller pair 4A, and the conveying path of the roll paper Rs is changed from the first path L1 to the second path L2 shown in FIG. 4. In other words, the roll paper Rs is lifted up from the bottom surface 11A. Then, as in the above-mentioned embodiment, the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5 in a state where the roll paper Rs is lifted up from the bottom surface 11A, so that the first modified example can also achieve the same effect as the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0071] 8, a friction member 361 may be provided instead of the roller 62 and the biasing mechanism 9 in the above-described embodiment. The friction member 361 in this second modified example is disposed on the curved surface 22A of the holder 22 so as to be able to come into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the roll body R. In addition, the friction member 361 may be any member capable of applying a load to the rotation of the roll body R by coming into contact with the outer circumferential surface of the roll body R.

[0072] As a result, when the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll body R is transported by the intermediate roller pair 4A in the same manner as in the first modified example, the roll paper Rs is lifted up from the bottom surface 11A in the same manner as in the first modified example. Then, as in the embodiment described above, the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5 in a state in which the roll paper Rs is lifted up from the bottom surface 11A, so that the second modified example can also achieve the same effect as the embodiment described above.

[0073] 9, a pair of friction members 461 may be provided instead of the roller 62 and the biasing mechanism 9 in the above-described embodiment. The pair of friction members 461 in this third modified example are disposed in regions that face the core member Rc in the left-right direction of the two side walls 12, 13 disposed on the left and right sides of the tray main body 10. In addition, the friction members 461 may be any member that can apply a load to the rotation of the roll body R by contacting both the left and right ends of the core member Rc.

[0074] As a result, when the roll paper Rs unwound from the roll R is transported by the intermediate roller pair 4A in the same manner as in the first modified example, the roll paper Rs is lifted up from the bottom surface 11A in the same manner as in the first modified example. Then, as in the embodiment described above, the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5 in a state in which the roll paper Rs is lifted up from the bottom surface 11A, so that the third modified example can also achieve the same effect as the embodiment described above.

[0075] As a fourth modified example, the biasing mechanism 9 may further include a cam 591, a support plate 592, and a cam motor 591M (shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. 10. The support plate 592 is connected to the lower end of the biasing member 93 and is disposed between the biasing member 93 and the bottom surface of the recessed portion 100A2. The cam (the "driving mechanism" of the present invention) 591 is disposed between the support plate 592 and the bottom surface of the recessed portion 100A2. The cam 591 is disposed rotatably around a rotation axis extending along the left-right direction. The cam motor 591M is driven by the control unit 70 to rotate the cam 591. The cam 591 rotates to selectively move the support plate 592 between an upper position and a lower position.

[0076] The upper position is a position where the moving member 92 protrudes above the bottom surface 100A1, as shown in Fig. 10(a). When the support plate 592 is in the upper position and the feed tray 1 is in the inner position, the moving member 92 abuts against the holder 91, and the roller 62 is positioned at the nip position. The roll paper Rs held between the pair of rollers (the "load members" of the present invention) 61, 62 generates back tension (load) due to the pair of rollers 61, 62 during transport. In other words, when the intermediate roller pair 4A transports the roll paper Rs under the control of the controller 70, the transport path of the roll paper Rs is changed from the first path L1 to the second path L2, and the roll paper Rs is lifted from the bottom surface 11A.

[0077] 10(b), the lower position is a position where the movable member 92 is below the bottom surface 100A1. When the support plate 592 is in the lower position, even if the feed tray 1 is in the inner position, the movable member 92 does not urge the holder 91 to position the roller 62 at the nip position. In other words, the roller 62 is placed in a release position separated from the roller 61. As a result, even if the roll paper Rs is transported by the intermediate roller pair 4A, no tension sufficient to lift the feed roller 2A and the like upward is generated in the roll paper Rs, and the transport path for the roll paper Rs becomes the first path L1.

[0078] In this way, the cam 591 can selectively take a state in which the pair of rollers 61, 62 can be positioned in the release position (the "first state" of the present invention) and a state in which the pair of rollers 61, 62 can be positioned in the nip position and a greater load is applied to the roll paper Rs than when the pair of rollers 61, 62 are positioned in the release position (the "second state" of the present invention).

[0079] In this modified example, the control unit 70 controls the cam motor 591M during printing control to move the support plate 592 from the lower position to the upper position just before cutting the roll paper Rs. In this modified example, just before cutting the roll paper Rs refers to the period from when the planned cutting position of the roll paper Rs passes the feed roller 2A to when it reaches the cutting point of the cutter 5. When the control unit 70 controls the cam motor 591M during the above period to move the support plate 592 from the lower position to the upper position, the roll paper Rs transported by the intermediate roller pair 4A is given a tension sufficient to lift the feed roller 2A and the like, and the transport path of the roll paper Rs is changed from the first path L1 to the second path L2. Note that when the support plate 592 is positioned in the lower position, the roll paper Rs is not subjected to a tension sufficient to lift the feed roller 2A and the like upward, even if the roll paper Rs is transported by the intermediate roller pair 4A. In other words, the control unit 70 controls the pair of intermediate rollers 4A so that the roll paper Rs is transported in a state where it is not lifted from the bottom surface 11A, and then controls the cam 591 so that the roll paper Rs transitions to a state where it is lifted from the bottom surface 11A.

[0080] Thereafter, when the planned cutting position of the roll paper Rs reaches the cutting position of the cutting unit 5, the control unit 70 controls the transport unit 3 to temporarily stop transport of the roll paper Rs. Then, as in the above embodiment, the control unit 70 cuts the roll paper Rs with the cutting unit 5. As a result, the leading edge of the roll paper Rs formed by the cutting operation moves toward the feed tray 1. In this modified example as well, the leading edge of the roll paper Rs is positioned within the feed tray 1.

[0081] Next, after cutting the roll paper Rs, the control unit 70 controls the cam motor 591M to move the support plate 592 from the upper position to the lower position. After this, the control unit 70 controls the intermediate motor 4AM, the transport motor 4BM, and the discharge motor 4CM to discharge the cut roll paper Rs (the roll paper Rs downstream in the transport direction from the cutting unit 5) onto the discharge tray 7. This ends the control during printing.

[0082] In this modified example, as in the above embodiment, the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5 while being lifted from the bottom surface 11A, so that the leading edge (the downstream end in the transport direction) of the roll paper Rs formed by the cutting operation moves downward. Therefore, even if the feed tray 1 is moved relative to the housing 100A after the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5, it is possible to prevent the leading edge of the roll paper Rs from contacting the housing 100A, etc.

[0083] Furthermore, since no large tension is applied to the roll paper Rs during transport of the roll paper Rs until just before it is cut by the cutting unit 5, the transport accuracy of the roll paper Rs by the transport unit 3 can be maintained.

[0084] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims. In the above embodiment and each modification, tension is applied to the roll paper Rs between the roll body R and the cutting section 5 by applying a transport load to the upstream portion of the roll paper Rs in the transport direction from the cutting section 5, and the roll paper Rs supported on the bottom surface 11A can be lifted up. However, a support plate capable of directly lifting the roll paper Rs between the roll body R and the cutting section 5 from below to above may be provided on the feed tray. The support plate is configured to selectively take either a supported state in which the roll paper Rs is supported on the bottom surface 11A or a lifted state in which the roll paper Rs is lifted up from the bottom surface 11A by transmitting power from a drive unit driven by a control unit. In addition, a feed roller is disposed above the feed tray, and the roll paper Rs lifted by the support plate comes into contact with the feed roller, so that the roll paper Rs is fed by the feed roller. The control unit moves the support plate upward so that the roll paper Rs is in a lifted state before the roll paper Rs is cut by the cutting unit 5, thereby lifting the roll paper Rs from the bottom surface 11A. Then, after cutting the roll paper Rs, the control unit lowers the support plate so that the roll paper Rs is in a supported state, thereby moving the roll paper Rs downward. The connection between the drive unit and the transmission mechanism that transmits the power from the drive unit to the support plate may be performed only when the feed tray is in the inner position, and the connection may be released when the feed tray moves from the inner position to the outer position. The support plate may be configured to be forced to take the supporting state by releasing the connection. In this way, even if the control unit does not control the support plate to take the supporting state after the roll paper Rs is cut, or even if the control is not executed for some reason, the leading edge of the roll paper Rs formed by the cutting operation moves toward the inside of the feed tray when the feed tray moves from the inner position to the outer position. Even in this case, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0085] Without providing the pair of rollers 61, 62 and the biasing mechanism 9, the control unit 70 may simply control the rotation of the intermediate roller pair 4A to lift up the rolled paper Rs supported on the bottom surface 11A, and the rolled paper Rs in this lifted state may be cut by the cutting unit 5. Note that since the roll R itself has a certain amount of weight, by transporting the rolled paper Rs with the intermediate roller pair 4A at a relatively slow speed, tension is generated in the rolled paper Rs between the rolled body R and the intermediate roller pair 4A, and the rolled paper Rs can be lifted up from the bottom surface 11A. This can also achieve the same effect as described above.

[0086] The biasing mechanism 9 may have only a biasing member capable of biasing one of the pair of rollers toward the other.

[0087] Also, the feed roller 2A does not have to be provided. Also, the guide 3B does not have to be provided. The roll paper Rs cut by the cutting unit 5 moves downward by its own weight even without being pressed down by the feed roller 2A. In other words, the leading edge of the roll paper Rs (connected to the roll body R) moves toward the inside of the feed tray 1 after being cut. Therefore, the same effect as in the above-mentioned embodiment can be obtained.

[0088] Furthermore, the length obtained by subtracting the length of roll paper Rs transported along second path L2 from the roll body R to the cutting position of cutting unit 5 from the length of roll paper Rs transported along first path L1 to the cutting position of cutting unit 5 may be less than the length along the transport path from the top end of the rear part of the feed tray 1 to the cutting position at cutting unit 5. Even in this case, the leading edge of the roll paper Rs formed by the cutting operation moves toward the inside of the feed tray 1. Therefore, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

[0089] The pair of rollers 61, 62 may be disposed upstream of the cutting unit 5 in the transport direction, or downstream of the holder 22 in the transport direction. The intermediate roller pair 4A does not have to be provided. In this case, the control unit 70 may control the transport roller pair 4B or the discharge roller pair 4C located downstream of the cutting unit 5 in the transport direction, instead of the intermediate roller pair 4A.

[0090] In the above embodiment, the cutting unit 5 has the fixed blade 5A, but a rotary blade that can move in the left-right direction together with the rotary blade 5B may be provided instead of the fixed blade 5A. The rotary blade may be a blade that does not rotate.

[0091] The present invention can be generally applied to image recording devices equipped with a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll R. In other words, the feed tray 1 may not be capable of accommodating cut paper Ks. In other words, the feed tray 1 may not have the second accommodating section 30. In addition, the support plate 31 may not be provided. The feed tray 1 may be supported movably in directions intersecting the front-rear and up-down directions relative to the housing 100A.

[0092] For example, the present invention can be applied not only to inkjet printers equipped with a head that ejects ink from a nozzle as a recording unit, but also to electrophotographic printers equipped with a recording unit of a laser type in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoconductor to a laser, or an LED type in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoconductor to an LED. Also, the sheet-like medium is not limited to paper, and may be cloth, a resin material such as a film, or the like, as long as it is in sheet form. [Explanation of symbols]

[0093] 1 Feeding tray 2A Feeding roller 3B Guide 4A Intermediate roller pair (drive mechanism, conveyor roller pair) 5 Cut section 6 Head (recording section) 9 Biasing mechanism (biasing section) 11A Bottom surface (support surface) 61 Laura 62 Lola 70 Control section 100 Printer (image recording device) 100A housing 591 Cam (driving mechanism) R Roll Body Rs Roll paper (sheet media)

Claims

1. A housing and a feed tray supported movably in a direction intersecting a vertical direction with respect to the housing, the feed tray being capable of accommodating a roll of sheet-like medium and having a support surface for supporting the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll; A cutting section disposed above the feed tray; a recording unit that records an image on the sheet medium unwound from the roll; a drive mechanism that is driven by a driving force transmitted thereto; A control unit, The control unit is controlling the drive mechanism so as to lift the sheet medium supported on the support surface of the feed tray; an image recording apparatus that controls the cutting unit so as to cut the sheet medium in the lifted state;

2. the drive mechanism includes a pair of transport rollers that transport the sheet medium unwound from the roll in a transport direction, the pair of transport rollers being disposed downstream of the cutting unit in the transport direction; The image recording device according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit controls the rotation of the pair of conveying rollers so as to apply tension to the sheet medium, thereby lifting the sheet medium from the support surface of the feed tray.

3. a roller pair disposed upstream of the cutting portion in the conveying direction; a biasing portion that biases one of the two rollers constituting the roller pair toward the other, 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control unit controls rotation of the pair of transport rollers while the sheet medium is sandwiched between the pair of transport rollers.

4. a feed roller that contacts the sheet of medium unwound from the roll and supported on the support surface of the feed tray at a first position and feeds the sheet of medium toward the cutting section; 3. The image recording device according to claim 2, wherein the feed roller is lifted by tensioned sheet media to a second position that is farther from the support surface of the feed tray than the first position.

5. a guide that guides the sheet medium unwound from the roll toward the cutting section, 5. The image recording device according to claim 4, wherein the guide is movably connected to the feed roller between a third position that is positioned when the feed roller is in the first position and a fourth position that is positioned when the feed roller is in the second position and is above the third position.

6. a load member disposed upstream of the cutting unit in the conveying direction and configured to apply a load to the sheet medium conveyed by the conveying roller pair; the drive mechanism is capable of selectively taking a first state and a second state in which a load greater than that in the first state is applied to the sheet-like medium by the load member; The image recording device according to claim 2, characterized in that the control unit controls the drive mechanism to transport the sheet medium in the first state, and then controls the drive mechanism to transition from the first state to the second state, and then cuts the sheet medium in the cutting unit.

7. The image recording device described in claim 1, characterized in that the length of the sheet medium supported on the support surface of the feed tray from the roll body to the cutting portion before being lifted minus the length of the sheet medium from the roll body to the cutting portion in the lifted state is greater than or equal to the length along the transport path of the sheet medium from the top end of the feed tray to the cutting portion.

Images