Medium transport apparatus and recording apparatus

Abstract

To suppress an increase in the size of a medium conveying device including a cleaning part for cleaning a detection surface of a detection part.SOLUTION: The medium-transporting device 1 includes the transporter 120 that transports the media P, the detector 101 that detects the media P transported by the transporter 120 via the detection surface 101A, the cleaner 110 that cleans the detection surface 101A, the housing 53 that houses the transporter 120, the detector 101, and the cleaner 110, and the door 6 that opens and closes the housing 53, and the cleaner 110 slides with respect to the detection surface 101A in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door 6.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a medium transport device and a recording device. [Background technology]

[0002] Various media transport devices for transporting media, such as inkjet printers, have been used in the past. Among these, there are media transport devices equipped with a detection unit that detects the transported medium. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a color laser printer equipped with a sensor that detects the transported paper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-13361 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The color laser printer of Patent Document 1 is configured so that by moving the sensor to a shielding position, the sensor can be brought into contact with a cleaning member attached to the shielding member, thereby cleaning the sensor's detection surface. In other words, the sensor is moved to clean the detection surface. However, depending on the type of sensor, the sensor itself may become large. Therefore, in a configuration in which the sensor is moved to clean it, as in the color laser printer of Patent Document 1, the sensor itself becomes large, which in turn increases the size of the mechanism for moving the sensor relative to the cleaning member, potentially resulting in an increase in the size of the device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problem, the media conveying device of the present invention comprises a conveying unit that conveys a medium, a detection unit having a detection surface that detects the medium conveyed by the conveying unit via the detection surface, a cleaning unit that cleans the detection surface, a housing that houses the conveying unit, the detection unit and the cleaning unit, and a door unit that opens and closes the housing, and is characterized in that the cleaning unit slides against the detection surface in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door unit. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0006] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of a recording apparatus as a medium transport device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the internal configuration of a part of the recording device in FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the periphery of a support unit having a detection unit and a cleaning unit of the recording apparatus of FIG. 1. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a front view of the support portion and the opening / closing cover of the recording apparatus shown in FIG. 1. [Figure 5] 2 is a front view of the vicinity of the support unit of the recording device in FIG. 1, showing the state when the opening / closing cover is closed. FIG. [Figure 6] 2 is a front view of the vicinity of the support unit of the recording device in FIG. 1, showing the state when the access cover is open. FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lever and its surroundings of the support portion of the recording apparatus in FIG. 1. [Figure 8] 2 is a side view of the vicinity of the lever of the support part of the recording device in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the tip of the lever is separated from the frame part because the opening / closing cover is closed. FIG. [Figure 9] 2 is a side view of the vicinity of the lever of the support part of the recording device in FIG. 1, showing a state in which the tip of the lever abuts on the frame part due to the opening and closing cover being open. FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the periphery of a support portion of the recording device in FIG. 1. [Figure 11] 2 is a side view of the vicinity of the support unit of the recording device in FIG. 1, showing the state when the opening / closing cover is closed. FIG. [Figure 12]2 is a side view of the vicinity of the support unit of the recording device in FIG. 1, showing the state when the access cover is open. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0007] The present invention will be briefly described below. A medium conveying device according to a first aspect of the present invention comprises a conveying unit that conveys a medium, a detection unit having a detection surface that detects the medium conveyed by the conveying unit via the detection surface, a cleaning unit that cleans the detection surface, a housing that houses the conveying unit, the detection unit, and the cleaning unit, and a door unit that opens and closes the housing, and is characterized in that the cleaning unit slides against the detection surface in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door unit.

[0008] According to this aspect, the cleaning unit slides against the detection surface in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door unit. That is, because the cleaning unit slides against the detection surface of the detection unit, the space inside the housing for cleaning can be reduced, and the size of the medium conveying device can be prevented from increasing. Furthermore, because cleaning is performed in conjunction with the opening and closing of the door unit, no dedicated power source is required, and costs can be reduced.

[0009] A medium conveying device according to a second aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, characterized in that the conveying unit has a route member that forms a conveying path for the medium, the route member has a conveying surface, the medium is conveyed opposite the conveying surface, the detection unit is provided on the opposite side of the route member from the conveying surface, and the cleaning unit slides against the detection surface by moving in a direction along the conveying surface through a gap between the route member and the detection unit.

[0010] According to this aspect, the detection unit is provided on the opposite side of the conveyance surface relative to the path member, and the cleaning unit slides against the detection surface by moving in a direction along the conveyance surface through a gap between the path member and the detection unit. This configuration allows the detection unit to be disposed inside the conveyance surface of the path member, and reduces a decrease in detection accuracy due to the detection unit rubbing against the medium.

[0011] A medium conveying device according to a third aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the first or second aspect, characterized in that the conveying unit has a route member that forms a conveying path for the medium, the route member has a conveying surface, the medium is conveyed opposite the conveying surface, and the detection unit is provided on the route member.

[0012] According to this aspect, the detection unit is provided on a path member that forms a media transport path. When the detection unit is provided on the path member, depending on the device configuration, cleaning the detection unit may require moving the entire path member, which may result in an increase in the size of the path member movement space and the structure for moving the path member. However, because the cleaning unit can be configured to slide relative to the detection unit, the size of the media transport device can be reduced.

[0013] A medium conveying device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the third aspect, and is characterized in that the path member is displaceable between a conveying position where the medium is conveyed and a retracted position where the path member is retracted from the conveying position, and takes the conveying position when the door section is closed and takes the retracted position when the door section is opened.

[0014] According to this aspect, the path member assumes the transport position when the door is closed and assumes the retracted position when the door is opened. With this configuration, the path member retracts when the door is opened, which makes it easier to perform maintenance such as clearing jams.

[0015] A media transport device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the fourth aspect, characterized in that the transport section has a pair of transport rollers that nip and transport the medium, the route member holds one of the pair of transport rollers, and the nip of the pair of transport rollers is released when the route member is displaced to the retracted position.

[0016] According to this aspect, the path member holds one of the pair of conveying rollers, and the nip between the pair of conveying rollers is released when the path member is displaced to the retracted position. With this configuration, the path member is retracted when the door section is opened, releasing the nip between the pair of conveying rollers, which makes maintenance such as jam removal easier.

[0017] A media conveying device according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the fifth aspect, characterized in that the pair of conveying rollers is a pair of registration rollers that corrects skew of the media, and the detection unit is a sensor that can detect the arrival of the leading edge of the media being conveyed to the pair of registration rollers.

[0018] According to this aspect, the conveying roller pair is a registration roller pair that corrects skew of the medium, and the detection unit is a sensor that can detect when the leading edge of the medium has reached the registration roller pair. This configuration makes it possible to release the nip of the registration roller pair and to clean the detection unit upstream of the registration roller pair.

[0019] A media conveying device according to a seventh aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on any one of the fourth to sixth aspects, and is characterized in that the cleaning unit slides against the detection surface in conjunction with the displacement of the path member between the conveying position and the retracted position.

[0020] According to this aspect, the cleaning unit slides relative to the detection surface in conjunction with the displacement of the path member between the transport position and the retracted position. This configuration allows the path member to be retracted when the door is opened, and the cleaning unit to slide in conjunction with the retraction of the path member, so the sliding movement of the cleaning unit can be linked to the opening and closing of the door. This allows for efficient operation and improves usability.

[0021] An eighth aspect of the medium transport device of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the seventh aspect, and is characterized in that the cleaning unit has a cleaning member that cleans the detection surface, a holding unit that holds the cleaning member, and a sliding unit that rotates relative to the route member to slide the holding unit, and when the route member is displaced to the retracted position with the sliding unit abutting against the abutment portion of the housing, the sliding unit rotates relative to the route member to slide the cleaning member against the detection surface.

[0022] According to this aspect, when the path member is displaced to the retracted position with the sliding part abutting the abutting part of the housing, the sliding part rotates relative to the path member to slide the cleaning member against the detection surface. With this configuration, the sliding part is rotated using the displacement of the path member, and the rotation of the sliding part cleans the detection part, so that the displacement of the path member and the sliding of the cleaning member can be linked with a simple configuration.

[0023] A media conveying device according to a ninth aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on the eighth aspect, characterized in that the cleaning unit is biased by a biasing unit, and the biasing unit biases the cleaning unit in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the cleaning unit when the path member is displaced from the conveying position to the retracted position.

[0024] According to this aspect, the biasing portion biases the cleaning portion in the direction opposite to the direction of movement of the cleaning portion when the path member is displaced from the transport position to the retracted position. With this configuration, the cleaning portion can be returned to the desired position when the door portion is closed, and the cleaning portion can be moved by switching from the closed state to the open state of the door portion, thereby effectively cleaning the detection surface.

[0025] The medium conveying device according to the 10th aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on any one of the 2nd to 9th aspects, and is characterized in that the cleaning section overlaps with the conveying surface when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying surface.

[0026] According to this aspect, the cleaning unit overlaps with the transport surface when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the transport surface. This configuration allows the cleaning unit to fit within the width of the transport path, thereby preventing the medium transport device from becoming larger.

[0027] The medium conveying device according to the 11th aspect of the present invention is an aspect dependent on any one of the 1st to 10th aspects, and is characterized in that the cleaning unit slides along a width direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the medium.

[0028] According to this aspect, the cleaning unit slides along the width direction perpendicular to the medium transport direction. By configuring the cleaning unit to slide in the width direction, it is possible to prevent the medium transport device from becoming large.

[0029] A recording device according to a twelfth aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising a medium conveying device according to any one of the first to eleventh aspects, and a recording unit that records on the medium conveyed by the medium conveying device.

[0030] According to this aspect, the recording unit further includes a recording section that records on the medium transported by the medium transport device, which makes it possible to record on the medium transported by a small-sized medium transport device.

[0031] A recording device 1, which is one embodiment of a medium conveying device of the present invention, will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. In the XYZ coordinate system shown in each figure, the X axis direction indicates the front and back directions of the device and the width direction of the medium, the Y axis direction indicates the side direction of the device, and the Z axis direction indicates the height direction of the device and the direction of gravity. The direction in which the medium P is conveyed is referred to as "downstream," and the opposite direction is referred to as "upstream." In addition, in each figure, some components may be omitted or simplified to make the internal configuration easier to understand.

[0032] First, an overview of the recording device 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 1 and 2. As shown in Figure 1, the recording device 1 of this embodiment is configured as a multifunction device equipped with a device main body 35 and a scanner unit 3. The device main body 35 is equipped with a plurality of media cassettes 10 that store media P. As shown in Figure 1, the recording device 1 of this embodiment is equipped with the media cassettes 10 as media cassette 10A, media cassette 10B, media cassette 10C, and media cassette 10D, all of which can be attached and detached by opening and closing along the X-axis direction.

[0033] As shown in Figure 1, on the side of the housing 53 on the -Y direction side of the recording device 1 of this embodiment, there are provided an opening / closing cover 6 that can rotate in a rotation direction D2 around a swing axis 6a extending in the Z axis direction, an opening / closing cover 71 that can rotate in a rotation direction D3 around a swing axis 71a extending in the X axis direction, and an opening / closing cover 72 that can rotate in a rotation direction D4 around a swing axis 72a extending in the X axis direction.

[0034] The user can access the media transport path from medium cassette 10A by rotating and opening access cover 6 horizontally from front to back based on pivot shaft 6a. The user can access the media transport path from medium cassette 10A and medium cassette 10B by tilting access cover 71 downward based on pivot shaft 71a. The user can access the media transport path from medium cassette 10C and medium cassette 10D by tilting access cover 72 downward based on pivot shaft 72a. By accessing these media transport paths, the user can remove media P that has jammed in these media transport paths. Also, as shown in FIG. 2, access cover 6 is provided with a manual feed tray 41. The manual feed tray 41 swings around pivot shaft 41a, allowing it to be opened and closed relative to access cover 6.

[0035] In addition, in the Z-axis direction, which corresponds to the height direction of the device main body 35, a discharge mechanism 36 that discharges the medium P on which recording has been performed by the line head serving as the recording head 8, and a discharge tray 4 on which the medium P discharged from the discharge mechanism 36 is placed are provided between the scanner unit 3 and the medium cassette 10. Also, an operation unit 5 is provided on the front side of the device main body 35. The operation unit 5 is provided with a display means such as a liquid crystal panel. By operating the operation unit 5, the user can input instructions for recording operations and image reading operations to the recording device 1.

[0036] 2, recording device 1 has three medium feeding paths: a feeding path from medium cassette 10A corresponding to cassette feeding locus S1; a feeding path from medium cassettes 10B, 10C, and 10D corresponding to lower cassette feeding locus S2; and a feeding path from manual feed tray 41 on which medium P is placed corresponding to manual feed path S3. Recording device 1 has three medium ejection methods: face-up ejection, which corresponds to face-up ejection locus T1 and ejects the most recently printed first side facing up; face-down ejection, which corresponds to face-down ejection locus T2 and ejects the first side facing down; and ejection to a post-processing device that performs post-processing on medium P when connected downstream of recording device 1, which corresponds to finisher ejection locus T3.

[0037] The recording device 1 is equipped with a face-up paper output tray 7 that receives media P that are discharged face-up. The face-up paper output tray 7 can be placed in a stored state shown in Figure 2 or in an open state (not shown) by rotating about a rotation axis 7a. The recording device 1 also has six media transport paths: a recording transport path R1, a switchback path R2, a reversing path R3, a face-down discharge path R4, a face-up discharge path R5, and a finisher discharge path R6.

[0038] The most downstream part of the face-down discharge path R4 is made up of the discharge mechanism 36. In the region J1 in Fig. 2, a plurality of spurs, which are driven rollers, are provided.

[0039] The control unit 9, which performs various controls, acquires recording data, which is data for recording, generated by a printer driver running on an external computer (not shown) or a printer driver included in the control unit 9. Based on the recording data, it controls the inkjet recording head 8, various media transport rollers driven by motors (not shown), and flaps, which are path switching members. The control unit 9 performs necessary control based on the detection status of various sensors, such as a sensor that detects the passage of the medium P. The control unit 9 is conceptually shown in FIG. 2 and is actually configured by a circuit board installed in a predetermined position within the device main body 35.

[0040] Here, we will explain the medium feeding path up to the pair of registration rollers 17. Medium cassette 10A, which is detachably mounted on device main body 35, is equipped with hopper 11, and as hopper 11 swings around axis 11a, medium P stored in medium cassette 10A moves toward and away from feed roller 12, which is driven to rotate by a motor (not shown).

[0041] The medium P sent out from media cassette 10A by feed roller 12 passes through a nip position formed by separation roller pair 13 to prevent double feeding, and then receives a feeding force from transport roller pair 14 and reaches registration roller pair 17. Media cassettes 10B, 10C, and 10D are also equipped with feed roller 12 and separation roller pair 13, and the medium P sent out from each of media cassettes 10B, 10C, and 10D receives a feeding force from transport roller pair 14 shown in FIG. 2 and reaches registration roller pair 17. Manual feed path S3, which is the media feed path from manual tray 41, is provided with feed roller 15 and separation roller 16, and the medium P set in manual tray 41 reaches registration roller pair 17 by the rotation of these rollers.

[0042] The medium transport path is provided with a registration roller pair 17, transport roller pairs 20-24, transport roller pairs 26-31, and a discharge roller pair 25 as a discharge unit that discharges the medium P. Each roller pair has a drive roller driven by a motor (not shown) and a driven roller that can nip the medium P between itself and the drive roller and that contacts the medium P and rotates in response to the rotation. A recording transport path R1 as a first transport path passes under a recording head 8 as a recording unit that records on the medium P, and extends upstream and downstream of the recording head 8. In the recording transport path R1, the medium P receives a feed force from the registration roller pair 17 and a belt unit 18. The belt unit 18 has an electrostatic attraction belt 181 that transports the medium P, a drive roller 182 and a driven roller 183 between which the electrostatic attraction belt 181 is stretched, and a charging roller 184 that charges the electrostatic attraction belt 181.

[0043] One roller constituting the pair of registration rollers 17 is formed on a support section 100. The support section 100 is displaced by a displacement mechanism (not shown) in response to the opening and closing of the open-close cover 6. The detailed configuration of the support section 100 will be described later. The support section 100 is provided with a detection section 101, which is a key section of the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment, for detecting the medium P, and a cleaning section 110 for cleaning the detection surface 101A of the detection section 101. In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 , the detection sections 101 are provided upstream and downstream of the pair of registration rollers 17 in the transport direction D1 of the medium P. The detection section 101 provided upstream of the pair of registration rollers 17 in the transport direction D1 of the medium P can detect when the leading edge of the medium P reaches the pair of registration rollers. Based on the detection result of the detection section 101 provided downstream of the pair of registration rollers 17 in the transport direction D1 of the medium P, ink is ejected from the recording head 8 (described later).

[0044] The recording head 8 of this embodiment is a so-called line head in which nozzles that eject ink are arranged to cover the entire width of the medium, and is configured as a recording head that can record across the entire width of the medium without moving in the width direction of the medium. However, if the recording unit records by ejecting liquid such as ink onto the medium P, it is not limited to a line head. Furthermore, instead of a recording unit that ejects liquid ink, a recording unit that records using toner may be provided. The recording device 1 of this embodiment is provided with a discharging brush 60 upstream of the recording head 8 in the transport direction D1 of the medium P, which removes charge from the surface of the medium P as it is transported.

[0045] The switchback path R2 as the second transport path is a medium transport path that connects to the recording transport path R1, and after feeding the medium P that has passed under the recording head 8 to the left in FIG. 2, it switches back and transports the medium P to the right in FIG. 2, which is the opposite direction to the feeding direction, and is located inside the curve of the face-down discharge path R4, which will be described later. In the switchback path R2, the medium P receives a transport force from the transport roller pair 26.

[0046] The reverse path R3 as a third transport path is a medium transport path that connects to the switchback path R2, and reverses the medium P transported in the reverse direction, which is to the right in FIG. 2, by detouring above the recording head 8 and merging with the recording transport path R1 at a position upstream of the recording head 8, which in this embodiment is a position upstream of the registration roller pair 17. In the reverse path R3, the medium P receives a feeding force from the transport roller pairs 27, 28, and 29.

[0047] The face-down discharge path R4, which serves as the fourth transport path, is a medium transport path that connects to the recording transport path R1 and is a path for curving the medium P that has passed under the recording head 8 so that the surface facing the recording head 8 is inward, inverting it, and discharging it. In the face-down discharge path R4, the medium P receives a feeding force from the pairs of transport rollers 20, 21, 22, 23, and 24 and the pair of discharge rollers 25. As described above, the most downstream side of the face-down discharge path R4 is configured by the discharge mechanism unit 36. At the connection points of the respective medium transport paths, flaps are provided as path switching members that switch the medium transport paths. The path along which the medium P travels is determined by the flaps.

[0048] As described above, the face-up discharge path R5, which serves as the fifth transport path, is a path that discharges the medium P that has passed under the recording head 8 onto the face-up paper output tray 7 so that the surface facing the recording head 8 faces upward. The face-up discharge path R5 is provided with a transport roller pair 30. As described above, the finisher discharge path R6, which serves as the sixth transport path, is a discharge path to a post-processing device that performs post-processing on the medium P when such a device is connected downstream of the recording device 1. The finisher discharge path R6 is provided with a transport roller pair 31.

[0049] 2, the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment includes a transport unit 120 for transporting the medium P, which includes an electrostatic attraction belt 181, a pair of registration rollers 17, pairs of transport rollers 20-24, pairs of transport rollers 26-31, and a pair of discharge rollers 25 as a discharge unit for discharging the medium P. As described above, the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment also includes a support unit 100, a housing 53 that houses the transport unit including the electrostatic attraction belt 181 and the support unit 100, and an opening / closing cover 6 as a door for opening and closing the housing 53. The support unit 100 also includes rollers 171 that form the pair of registration rollers 17, and can be considered to constitute the transport unit 120. Next, the detailed configuration of the support unit 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12.

[0050] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the support unit 100 is provided with a detection unit 101, which is a sensor capable of detecting the arrival of the leading edge of the transported medium P and has a detection surface 101A, and a cleaning unit 110 that cleans the detection surface 101A. The cleaning unit 110 can move from the position shown in FIG. 11 to the position shown in FIG. 12 to clean the detection surface 101A. Specifically, the cleaning unit 110 can move, for example, from the position shown in FIG. 11 to the position shown in FIG. 12 in conjunction with the opening and closing of the openable cover 6. As the cleaning unit 110 moves, a cleaning member 114 provided on the cleaning unit 110 slides against the detection surface 101A, thereby cleaning the detection surface 101A. By configuring the cleaning unit 110 to slide against the detection surface 101A of the detection unit 101, as in the recording device 1 of this embodiment, the internal space required for cleaning in the housing 53 can be reduced, thereby preventing the medium transport device from becoming larger. Furthermore, the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment is configured to perform cleaning in conjunction with the opening and closing of the opening and closing cover 6, which is an example of a door, so that a dedicated power source is not required, thereby reducing costs. As described above, in this embodiment, the detection units 101 are provided in two locations, upstream and downstream of the pair of registration rollers 17 in the transport direction D1 of the medium P, but the cleaning unit 110 can clean both detection units 101 simultaneously. In other words, the detection unit 101 of this embodiment can clean multiple detection units 101 simultaneously.

[0051] The recording device 1 of this embodiment is a medium transport device and also a printer that includes a recording head 8 as a recording unit that records on a medium P transported by a transport unit such as an electrostatic adsorption belt 181. Therefore, it can be described as a device that can perform recording on a medium P transported by a small medium transport device.

[0052] Here, a mechanism by which the cleaning unit 110 moves in conjunction with the opening and closing of the opening-closing cover 6 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 6, a frame unit 108 that pivotally holds the support unit 100 is provided with a push-in lever 131 that is connected to the support unit 100 via a connection unit 132. Here, the support unit 100 and the connection unit 132 are both connected to a first rotating unit 134 at a rotation shaft 134A, the first rotating unit 134 and the second rotating unit 135 are connected at a rotation shaft 135A, and the second rotating unit 135 and the push-in lever 131 are connected at a rotation shaft 131A. When the opening-closing cover 6 is closed as shown in FIG. 4, the push-in lever 131 is pushed in the +Y direction by the opening-closing cover 6.

[0053] Because the recording device 1 of this embodiment is configured as described above, when the open-close cover 6 is opened and the push-in lever 131 moves in the -Y direction, the recording device 1 transitions from the state shown in FIG. 5 to the state shown in FIG. 6. In other words, the rotation shafts 134A, 135A, and 131A transition to a state in which they move in the -Y direction. Note that the second rotation unit 135 is rotatably held relative to the frame unit 108 at the rotation shaft 135B. Therefore, the rotation shaft 135B does not move in the Z-axis direction, which corresponds to the up-and-down direction. As a result, when the rotation shafts 134A, 135A, and 131A move in the -Y direction, these rotation shafts move upward in the +Z direction, and the support unit 100 also moves upward.

[0054] 4, that is, when the opening / closing cover 6 is closed, the push-in lever 131 is pushed in the +Y direction by the opening / closing cover 6. FIGS. 3 to 5 show a state in which the push-in lever 131 is pushed in the +Y direction by the opening / closing cover 6. In this state, the support member 100 is pushed downward in the -Z direction by the connection member 132 and the first rotation member 134. When the support member 100 is pushed in the -Z direction, the roller 171 provided on the support member 100 that constitutes the registration roller pair 17 is nipped by the roller 172 that also constitutes the registration roller pair 17 and whose position is fixed inside the housing 53. The position of the support member 100 in FIGS. 3 to 5 corresponds to the transport position to which the medium P is transported.

[0055] Meanwhile, second pivoting portion 135 is provided with spring 133 that biases second pivoting portion 135 so that spring pressure is applied to push-in lever 131 in the -Y direction, and when opening / closing cover 6 is open, push-in lever 131 moves in the -Y direction due to the spring pressure received from spring 133 attached to second pivoting portion 135. FIG. 6 shows a state in which push-in lever 131 has moved in the -Y direction due to the spring pressure received from spring 133. In this state, support portion 100 is pulled upward in the +Z direction by connection portion 132 and first pivoting portion 134. When support portion 100 is pulled in the +Z direction, roller 171 moves away from roller 172. When the open / close cover 6 is opened and the roller 171 is separated from the roller 172, it becomes easy to remove the medium P that has been nipped between the rollers 171 and 172, for example, the medium P that has jammed on the recording transport path R1 or the reversal path R3. The position of the support part 100 in FIG. 6 corresponds to the retracted position retracted from the transport position.

[0056] In the recording device 1 of this embodiment, the transport unit 120 has a support unit 100 as a path member that constitutes a medium transport path. As shown in FIGS. 3 to 12, the support unit 100 has a transport surface 100A that faces the transported medium P when the medium P is transported. As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the detection unit 101 is provided on the support unit 100 as a path member. In a configuration in which the detection unit 101 is provided on a path member, depending on the device configuration, the path member may need to be moved when cleaning the detection unit 101, which may result in an increase in the size of the path member movement space and the structure for moving the path member. However, in the recording device 1 of this embodiment, the cleaning unit 110 can be configured to slide relative to the detection unit 101, thereby preventing the recording device 1 from becoming larger.

[0057] It should be noted that the above description does not deny that the detection unit 101 and the path member may move together. For example, in the configuration of this embodiment, the support unit 100 and the detection unit 101 move together when releasing the nip between the rollers 171 and 172, but this does not deny that the detection unit 101 may move for purposes other than cleaning.

[0058] The support unit 100 of this embodiment is displaceable between a transport position where the medium P is transported as shown in Figures 3 to 5, and a retracted position retracted from the transport position as shown in Figure 6. As described above, the support unit 100 assumes the transport position when the open-close cover 6 is closed, and assumes the retracted position when the open-close cover 6 is opened. With this configuration, the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment can easily perform maintenance such as clearing jams because the support unit 100 retracts when the open-close cover 6 is opened.

[0059] As described above, the transport unit 120 of this embodiment has the registration roller pair 17 as a transport roller pair that nip and transport the medium P. Furthermore, the support unit 100 of this embodiment holds one roller 171 of the registration roller pair 17, and as shown in FIG. 6, the nip of the registration roller pair 17 is released when the support unit 100 is displaced to the retracted position. With this configuration, the recording apparatus 1 of this embodiment can easily perform maintenance such as jam clearance because the support unit 100 is retracted by opening the openable cover 6, releasing the nip of the registration roller pair 17.

[0060] Here, the pair of registration rollers 17 in this embodiment are a pair of registration rollers that are struck by the leading edge of the medium P being transported to correct skew of the medium P, and the detection unit 101 in this embodiment is a sensor that can detect when the leading edge of the medium P being transported reaches the pair of registration rollers 17. With this configuration, the recording device 1 in this embodiment can release the nip of the pair of registration rollers 17 and can clean the detection unit 101 upstream of the pair of registration rollers 17 in the transport direction D1. In particular, paper dust is generally likely to be generated when the medium P strikes the pair of registration rollers 17, but the ease of cleaning as described above improves usability.

[0061] Here, a sliding mechanism by which the cleaning unit 110 slides relative to the detection surface 101A of the detection unit 101 will be described. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 12, the cleaning unit 110 of this embodiment includes a lever 111 that rotates about a rotation axis 111A. At a transport position corresponding to the state of FIG. 7, the tip 111B of the lever 111 is separated from the frame unit 108. However, when the open-close cover 6 is opened and the support unit 100 begins to move to the retracted position, the tip 111B of the lever 111 abuts against the frame unit 108. Then, when the support unit 100 further moves to the retracted position with the tip 111B of the lever 111 abutting against the frame unit 108, the lever 111 rotates in a rotation direction D5. Although the state in Figure 8 is a little difficult to see, it shows the state in which the opening / closing cover 6 is closed, similar to the state in Figure 7, with the support part 100 positioned downward and the tip 111B of the lever 111 separated from the frame part 108.

[0062] On the other hand, the state in Fig. 9 shows a state in which the open-close cover 6 is open, the support part 100 is positioned upward, and the tip 111B of the lever 111 is in contact with the frame part 108. As is clear from a comparison between Fig. 8 and Fig. 9, when the state in Fig. 8 changes to the state in Fig. 9, the lever 111 rotates in the rotation direction D5.

[0063] As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the lever 111 is connected to the slider 115 at its lower end 111C. Therefore, when the lever 111 rotates in the rotation direction D5 around the rotation axis 111A, the slider 115 moves in the sliding direction D6. A flat plate portion 113 is connected to the slider 115, and a cleaning member 114 made of a sponge, fabric, or the like is attached to the tip of the flat plate portion 113 in the sliding direction D6. As described above, the detection unit 101 of this embodiment can simultaneously clean multiple detection units 101. In this embodiment, the slider 115 is provided with a flat plate portion (not shown) separate from the flat plate portion 113, and a cleaning member (not shown) separate from the cleaning member 114 is provided on the flat plate portion. The cleaning member 114 cleans the detection unit 101, which is provided upstream of the registration roller pair 17 in the transport direction D1 of the medium P. A cleaning member (not shown) cleans the detection unit 101 provided downstream of the pair of registration rollers 17 in the transport direction D1 of the medium P. This configuration makes it possible to clean multiple detection units 101 with a simple configuration. However, multiple cleaning members may be provided on the same flat plate portion 113, or multiple detection units 101 may be cleaned with the same cleaning member 114.

[0064] 11 and 12, the flat plate portion 113 and the cleaning member 114 are provided in a gap G between the plate member 100B and the detection surface 101A of the detection unit 101 as viewed from the Y-axis direction. The cleaning member 114 moves in the gap G in a sliding direction D6 to clean the detection surface 101A.

[0065] As described above, in the recording device 1 of this embodiment, the transport unit 120 has the support unit 100 that forms the transport path of the medium P, the support unit 100 has the transport surface 100A, and the medium P is transported facing the transport surface 100A. The detection unit 101 is provided on the opposite side of the transport surface 100A with respect to the plate-shaped member 100B of the support unit 100, and the cleaning unit 110 slides against the detection surface 101A by moving in a sliding direction D6 that corresponds to the direction along the transport surface 100A through the gap G between the plate-shaped member 100B and the detection unit 101.

[0066] In other words, the detection unit 101 is configured integrally with the support unit 100, and the detection surface 101A is recessed from the transport surface 100A. Generally, this configuration makes it difficult to clean the detection surface 101A. Therefore, in the recording device 1 of this embodiment, the cleaning unit 110 is configured to slide against the detection surface 101A by moving in the gap G between the support unit 100 and the detection unit 101 in a direction along the transport surface 100A. This configuration makes it possible to effectively clean the detection surface 101A, and also allows the detection unit 101 to be positioned inside the transport surface 100A of the support unit 100, which makes it possible to suppress a decrease in detection accuracy due to the detection unit 101 rubbing against the medium P.

[0067] On the other hand, a configuration in which the detection unit 101 moves to perform cleaning, as in the prior art, may lead to an increase in the size of the device. However, the recording device 1 of this embodiment is configured so that the cleaning unit 110 slides relative to the detection unit 101 between the support unit 100 and the detection unit 101, which makes it possible to prevent the device from becoming larger.

[0068] Furthermore, in the recording device 1 of this embodiment, the support unit 100 is displaced between a transport position and a retracted position as the opening / closing cover 6 is opened and closed, and the cleaning unit 110 slides relative to the detection surface 101A in conjunction with the displacement of the support unit 100 between the transport position and the retracted position. With this configuration, the support unit 100 is retracted by opening the opening / closing cover 6, and the cleaning unit 110 can slide in conjunction with the retraction of the support unit 100, so the sliding operation of the cleaning unit 110 can be linked to the opening and closing of the opening / closing cover 6. This allows for efficient operation and improves usability.

[0069] As described above, the cleaning unit 110 of this embodiment includes the cleaning member 114 that cleans the detection surface 101A, the slider 115 as a holder that holds the cleaning member 114, and the lever 111 as a sliding member that rotates relative to the support unit 100 to slide the slider 115. When the support unit 100 is displaced to the retracted position with the lever 111 abutting against the frame unit 108 that serves as a contact unit of the housing 53, the lever 111 rotates relative to the support unit 100 to slide the cleaning member 114 against the detection surface 101A. With this configuration, the lever 111 is rotated using the displacement of the support unit 100, and the detection unit 101 can be cleaned by the rotation of the lever 111, and the displacement of the support unit 100 and the sliding of the cleaning member 114 can be linked with each other with a simple configuration.

[0070] 11 and 12, the cleaning unit 110 of this embodiment has a spring 112 as a biasing unit, and the slider 115 is biased by the spring 112. In detail, the spring 112 biases the slider 115 of the cleaning unit 110 in the direction opposite to the sliding direction D6, which is the movement direction of the cleaning unit 110 when the support unit 100 is displaced from the transport position to the retracted position.

[0071] With this configuration, cleaning unit 110 can be returned to a desired position as shown in Fig. 11 when opening / closing cover 6 is closed, and cleaning unit 110 can be moved by changing from the closed state of opening / closing cover 6 shown in Fig. 11 to the open state of opening / closing cover 6 shown in Fig. 12, so that detection surface 101A can be effectively cleaned. Note that while slider 115 is biased in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and for example, a configuration in which lever 111 is biased or a configuration in which flat plate portion 113 is biased may also be used.

[0072] Here, the cleaning unit 110 of this embodiment overlaps with the conveying surface 100A when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying surface 100A. In other words, in FIG. 10, the length L1 of the cleaning unit 110 in the medium width direction is within the range of the length L2 of the conveying surface 100A in the medium width direction. This configuration allows the cleaning unit 110 to fit within the width of the medium conveying path, thereby preventing the device from becoming larger. While not limited to this configuration, it is particularly preferable that the cleaning unit 110, including the lever 111 and the flat plate portion 113, fit within the width of the medium conveying path.

[0073] As described above, the cleaning unit 110 of this embodiment slides along the media width direction, which is perpendicular to the transport direction D1 of the medium P. By configuring the cleaning unit 110 in this manner and sliding the cleaning unit 110 in the media width direction, it is possible to prevent the device from becoming too large. Specifically, if the media transport path is curved as seen from a direction intersecting the transport direction D1, as in the transport surface 100A of this embodiment, sliding along the transport direction D1 may require the cleaning unit 110 to also curve its sliding space depending on the shape of the media transport path. This may require a larger sliding space for the cleaning unit 110. On the other hand, when the cleaning unit 110 slides along the media width direction, as in this embodiment, there is no need to curve the sliding space for the cleaning unit 110, so the sliding space for the cleaning unit 110 can be reduced.

[0074] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and modifications described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the invention described in the claims, and it goes without saying that these modifications are also included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 1...recording device (media conveying device), 3...scanner unit, 4...output tray, 5...operation unit, 6...opening / closing cover (door unit), 6a...oscillating shaft, 7...face-up output tray, 7a...rotating shaft, 8...recording head (recording unit), 9...control unit, 10...media cassette, 10A...media cassette, 10B...media cassette, 10C...media cassette, 10D...media cassette, 11...hopper, 11a...shaft, 12...feed roller, 13...separation roller pair, 14...transport roller pair, 15...feed roller, 16...separation roller roller, 17... registration roller pair, 18... belt unit, 20... transport roller pair, 21... transport roller pair, 22... transport roller pair, 23... transport roller pair, 24... transport roller pair, 25... discharge roller pair, 26... transport roller pair, 27... transport roller pair, 28... transport roller pair, 29... transport roller pair, 30... transport roller pair, 31... transport roller pair, 35... apparatus main body, 36... discharge mechanism, 41... manual feed tray, 41a... swing shaft, 53... housing, 60... static elimination brush, 71... opening / closing cover , 71a...oscillating shaft, 72...opening / closing cover, 72a...oscillating shaft, 100...supporting portion (pathway member), 100A...conveying surface, 101...detecting portion, 101A...detecting surface, 108...frame portion, 110...cleaning portion, 111...lever, 111A...rotating shaft, 111B...tip, 111C...lower end, 112...spring (urging portion), 113...flat plate portion, 114...cleaning member, 115...slider (holding portion), 120...conveying portion, 131...push lever, 131A...rotating shaft, 132...connecting portion, 133...spring, 134...first rotating portion, 1 34A...rotating shaft, 135...second rotating portion, 135A...rotating shaft, 135B...rotating shaft, 171...roller, 172...roller, G...gap, L1...length, L2...length, P...medium, R1...recording transport path, R2...switchback path, R3...reversal path, R4...face-down discharge path, R5...face-up discharge path, S1...cassette feeding path, S2...lower cassette feeding path, S3...manual feed path, T1...face-up discharge path, T2...face-down discharge path, T3...finisher discharge path

Claims

1. a transport unit that transports the medium; a detection unit having a detection surface and configured to detect the medium conveyed by the conveyance unit via the detection surface; a cleaning unit that cleans the detection surface; a housing that houses the transport unit, the detection unit, and the cleaning unit; a door portion for opening and closing the housing; Equipped with The cleaning unit slides relative to the detection surface in conjunction with opening and closing of the door unit. A medium transport device characterized by:

2. 2. The medium transport device according to claim 1, the transport unit has a path member that forms a transport path for the medium, the pathway member has a conveying surface, The medium is transported facing the transport surface, the detection unit is provided on the opposite side of the path member from the conveyance surface, the cleaning unit slides against the detection surface by moving in a gap between the path member and the detection unit in a direction along the conveyance surface. A medium transport device characterized by:

3. 2. The medium transport device according to claim 1, the transport unit has a path member that forms a transport path for the medium, the pathway member has a conveying surface, The medium is transported facing the transport surface, The detection unit is provided on the path member. A medium transport device characterized by:

4. 4. The medium transport device according to claim 3, The pathway member is The medium conveying mechanism is displaceable between a conveying position where the medium is conveyed and a retracted position where the medium is retracted from the conveying position, When the door portion is closed, the transport position is taken, and when the door portion is opened, the retracted position is taken. A medium transport device characterized by:

5. 5. The medium transport device according to claim 4, the transport unit includes a pair of transport rollers that nip and transport the medium, the path member holds one of the pair of transport rollers; When the path member is displaced to the retracted position, the nip between the pair of conveyance rollers is released. A medium transport device characterized by:

6. 6. The medium transport device according to claim 5, the conveyance roller pair is a registration roller pair that corrects skew of the medium, the detection unit is a sensor capable of detecting the arrival of the leading edge of the medium being transported to the pair of registration rollers; A medium transport device characterized by:

7. 5. The medium transport device according to claim 4, the cleaning unit slides relative to the detection surface in conjunction with the displacement of the path member between the transport position and the retracted position. A medium transport device characterized by:

8. 8. The medium transport device according to claim 7, The cleaning unit includes: a cleaning member that cleans the detection surface; a holding portion that holds the cleaning member; a sliding portion that rotates relative to the path member to slide the holding portion; and When the path member is displaced to the retracted position in a state in which the sliding portion abuts against the abutting portion of the housing, the sliding portion rotates relative to the path member to slide the cleaning member against the detection surface. A medium transport device characterized by:

9. 9. The medium transport device according to claim 8, The cleaning unit is biased by a biasing unit, the biasing portion biases the cleaning portion in a direction opposite to a moving direction of the cleaning portion when the path member is displaced from the transport position to the retracted position. A medium transport device characterized by:

10. 3. The medium transport device according to claim 2, the cleaning unit overlaps with the conveying surface when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying surface; A medium transport device characterized by:

11. 2. The medium transport device according to claim 1, the cleaning unit slides along a width direction perpendicular to a transport direction of the medium; A medium transport device characterized by:

12. a medium transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 11; a recording unit that records on the medium transported by the medium transport device; A recording device comprising:

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