Recording device

Abstract

This invention provides a technology that enables suitable handling of transport errors in a recording device that can selectively switch between recording cut sheets and recording continuous sheets. [Solution] A recording device comprising a recording unit for recording images on a sheet, a first transport path through which a cut sheet is transported toward the recording unit, a second transport path through which a continuous sheet is transported toward the recording unit, and a common transport path through which a sheet is transported in the transport direction from the confluence point where the first and second transport paths merge to the recording unit. After an abnormality in sheet transport is detected, if no sheet is detected in the second transport path but a sheet is detected in the common transport path, an ejection operation is performed in which a cut sheet is transported from the first transport path toward the recording unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus that records on a sheet.

Background Art

[0002] As an example of a sheet jam processing method for a recording apparatus that records (prints) on a sheet such as recording paper, when a sheet remains on a sheet conveyance path for a predetermined time or longer, it is determined that a jam has occurred as a conveyance abnormality of the sheet, and a conveyance roller is rotated in the paper discharge direction to perform jam processing by discharging. Patent Document 1 discloses a recording apparatus that performs conveyance control to discharge a detected subsequent sheet when a subsequent sheet that has been double-fed remains within the detection range of a sheet detection sensor.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In recent recording apparatuses, there is a demand for recording apparatuses that can handle recording of various types of recording paper, such as not only cut sheets such as single sheets but also continuous sheets such as roll paper. The above control described in Patent Document 1 is control premised on single sheets that are cut sheets separated in advance, and it is not control that can be directly applied to continuous paper, which is a continuous sheet in which a recorded area is separated from a non-recording area and discharged. If the above control is directly applied when passing continuous paper, the continuous paper will be discharged more than necessary, resulting in an increase in waste paper.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that enables suitable conveyance abnormality processing in a recording apparatus capable of selectively switching between recording of cut sheets and recording of continuous sheets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] To achieve the above objective, the recording device in the present invention is A recording unit that records images on a sheet, A first transport path through which a cut sheet is transported toward the recording unit, A second transport path through which a continuous sheet is transported toward the recording unit, A recording device comprising: a common transport path from a junction where the first transport path and the second transport path merge to the recording unit, through which the sheet is transported in the transport direction; The system is characterized in that, after an abnormality in sheet transport is detected, if no sheet is detected in the second transport path and a sheet is detected in the common transport path, an ejection operation is performed in which the cut sheet is transported from the first transport path toward the recording unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, suitable handling of transport errors becomes possible in a recording device that can selectively switch between recording cut sheets and recording continuous sheets. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] External perspective view of a recording device according to one embodiment of the present invention [Figure 2] Perspective view showing the internal mechanism of the recording device in Figure 1. [Figure 3] Cross-sectional view of the recording paper transport path in this embodiment [Figure 4] Perspective view of the single-sheet paper feeding unit of this embodiment [Figure 5] Cross-sectional view of the single-sheet paper feeding unit of this embodiment [Figure 6] A perspective view showing the state in which the flange is set on the roll paper of this embodiment. [Figure 7] A perspective view showing the roll paper of this embodiment set in the roll set section. [Figure 8]Block diagram of the control unit of this embodiment [Figure 9] Diagram showing the single-sheet recording flow of this embodiment. [Figure 10] Diagram showing the continuous paper recording flow of this embodiment. [Figure 11] A schematic diagram showing a jam condition expected in the recording device of this embodiment. [Figure 12] A diagram showing an example of the jamming process flow in this embodiment. [Figure 13] This figure shows another example of the jamming process flow in this embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The embodiments for carrying out this invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings, based on examples. The dimensions, materials, shapes, and relative arrangements of the components described in these embodiments should be appropriately modified depending on the configuration of the device to which the invention is applied and various conditions. In other words, the scope of this invention is not intended to be limited to the following embodiments. While multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, identical or similar components are given the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] (Embodiment) <Overview of the recording device> Figure 1 is an external perspective view of a recording device (printing device) 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, as seen from the front of the device. Figure 1, and Figures 2 and 3 described later, show the configuration arrangement when the recording device 1 is placed on a horizontal surface, which is a commonly assumed installation state. That is, the X and Y directions in each figure correspond to mutually orthogonal horizontal directions. In particular, the X direction is the width direction (left-right direction) of the recording device 1, and the Y direction is the depth direction of the recording device 1 (+Y direction is the front side of the device, and -Y direction is the back side of the device). The Z direction corresponds to the vertical direction of the device (+Z direction is the upward direction, and -Z direction is the downward direction), that is, the direction of gravity or the vertical direction.

[0011] The recording apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is an inkjet (liquid ejection) recording apparatus that ejects ink as a recording liquid and performs recording on a sheet as a recording medium. However, the present invention is applicable to various recording apparatuses other than inkjet recording apparatuses.

[0012] Note that "recording" includes not only the case of forming significant information such as characters and graphics, but also widely forming images, patterns, patterns, etc. on a recording medium, or performing processing on the medium, regardless of whether it is significant or not, and whether it is manifested so that a human can perceive it visually. Also, in the present embodiment, a cut sheet, which is a single-sheet recording medium, is assumed to be a single-sheet paper, and a continuous sheet, which is a continuous recording medium, is assumed to be continuous paper. A single-sheet paper is a recording paper that is separated from subsequent recording papers before conveyance starts. Continuous paper is recording paper that is not separated from subsequent recording papers at least at the start of conveyance and is held and stored in a storage unit. Typically, a roll sheet such as a roll paper around which a continuous sheet is wound can be mentioned, but it may be held and stored in the form of a folded sheet such as a folded paper. Further, the effects of the present invention are not limited to the case where the recording medium is paper, and are also applicable to a film-like recording medium, cloth, etc.

[0013] The recording apparatus 1 has an overall flat rectangular parallelepiped shape and includes an apparatus main body 2 and a main body cover portion 3 composed of a plurality of covers. The main body cover portion 3 is provided so as to cover the apparatus main body 2 and constitutes the top portion of the recording apparatus 1. In the main body cover portion 3 of the present embodiment , there are a paper feed cover 301 for setting a recording medium, an access cover 302 for performing maintenance work inside the apparatus, and a tank access cover 303 for covering a portion that supplies ink to a tank of the apparatus. Further, a reading unit (scanner unit) 3a for reading an image of a document is provided, and the entire reading unit 3a may be configured to open and close and move in the same manner as the access cover 302, enabling maintenance work inside the apparatus. At the front of the recording apparatus 1, a discharge portion 10 for discharging a recorded recording medium is formed. At the front of the recording apparatus 1, an operation unit 36 for receiving an operation by an operator (user) is provided. The operation unit 36 includes a display unit in a touch panel format, and in addition to receiving an input operation by the operator, it displays information to the operator. In the present embodiment, the operation unit 36 functions as a notification unit that performs a notification prompting a jam process as conveyance abnormality processing to the user, which will be described later, and an input unit that receives an input of completion of the jam process from the user.

[0014] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the internal mechanism of the recording apparatus 1 will be described. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the internal mechanism of the recording apparatus 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-section showing the internal mechanism of the recording apparatus 1. The recording apparatus 1 includes a discharge head 4 that discharges a liquid.

[0015] The discharge head 4 of the present embodiment is a recording head that discharges ink supplied from a container 5 onto a recording medium to perform recording. The discharge head 4 has a discharge surface 4a formed with a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink. Each nozzle is provided with, for example, an electrothermal conversion element (heater), and the electrothermal conversion element is heated by energization to foam the ink, and the ink is discharged by the foaming energy.

[0016] The ejection head 4 is mounted on a carriage 6. The carriage 6 reciprocates in the X direction (main scanning direction) by a drive unit (not shown). The drive unit comprises a drive pulley and a driven pulley 7b (not shown) spaced apart in the X direction, an endless belt 7c wound around these pulleys, and a carriage motor 7a (not shown in Figure 2, see Figure 8) which is a drive source for rotating the drive pulley. The carriage 6 is connected to the endless belt 7c, and the carriage 6 moves in the X direction by running the endless belt 7c. During the movement of the carriage 6, ink is ejected from the ejection head 4 onto the recording medium, thereby recording an image on the recording medium. This operation is sometimes called recording scanning.

[0017] As described above, the recording device 1 of this embodiment is a serial-type inkjet recording device in which an ejection head 4 is mounted on a reciprocating carriage 6. However, the recording devices to which the present invention can be applied are not limited to this. For example, it can be applied to other recording devices such as an inkjet recording device equipped with a so-called full-line head ejection head (recording head) in which a plurality of nozzles for ejecting liquid are provided over an area corresponding to the width of the recording medium.

[0018] The recording device 1 includes a single-sheet feeding unit 8a for transporting single sheets of paper, a continuous-sheet feeding unit 8b for transporting continuous sheets of paper, and a transport unit 9. Single sheets of paper are first transported by the single-sheet feeding unit 8a towards the recording section where the discharge head 4 is located, and then transported by the transport unit 9 while image recording is performed. In the case of continuous sheets, if they are roll paper, the sheet portion drawn from the roll portion of the roll paper is first transported by the continuous-sheet feeding unit 8b towards the recording section, and then transported by the transport unit 9 while image recording is performed. The transport paths for single sheets and continuous sheets merge before reaching the recording section, and from the merging point to the recording section and subsequent paper discharge, they form a common transport path. Further details will be described later.

[0019] The single-sheet paper feeding unit 8a includes a loading section 810 as a first storage section, capable of loading and storing multiple single sheets of paper, and a separation and supply section 820 capable of separating the multiple single sheets loaded in the loading section 810 one by one and supplying them to the transport path. The separation and supply section 820 is powered and operated by a drive source (not shown).

[0020] The continuous paper feeding unit 8b includes, as a second storage section, a roll set section 8c which serves as a holding section for rotatably holding and installing a roll of continuous paper wound in a roll shape, and a continuous paper feeding mechanism 835 (see Figure 7). The continuous paper feeding mechanism 835 rotates the roll portion Ra of the roll paper R held in the roll set section 8c and performs a paper feeding operation in which the sheet portion Rb drawn out from the roll portion Ra is supplied toward the recording section. The continuous paper feeding mechanism 835 also performs an operation to wind the sheet portion Rb onto the roll portion Ra by rotating the roll portion Ra in the opposite direction to the paper feeding operation. The continuous paper feeding mechanism 835 rotates the roll portion Ra of the roll paper R by transmitting the driving force generated by the motor 834, which serves as a power source, to the flange 830, which will be described later, via the gear train 832.

[0021] The single-sheet paper feeding unit 8a in this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the single-sheet paper feeding unit, and Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the single-sheet paper feeding unit.

[0022] The single-sheet paper feeding unit 8a has a pressure plate 811 as part of the loading section 810, which is rotatable around a pivot axis 811a parallel to the width direction (X direction) of the recording paper and perpendicular to the conveying direction of the recording paper. The pressure plate 811 has a separation pad 812 at the center in the width direction of the downstream end in the conveying direction of the single-sheet paper. The separation supply section 820 has a pickup roller 821 at a position corresponding to the separation pad 812 in the width direction, and a separation roller 822 is provided downstream of the separation pad 812 in the conveying direction and at a position opposite to the pickup roller 821. The pickup roller 821 and the separation roller 822 are rotatable around pivot axes 821a and 822a parallel to the width direction (X direction), respectively, and the separation roller 822 is configured to rotate in accordance with the rotation of the pickup roller 821.

[0023] The method for separating and feeding single sheets of paper will now be described. When a drive source (not shown) rotates, the pickup roller 821 begins to rotate around the pivot axis 821a. At the same time, the pressure plate 811, which was held down by a cam (not shown), rotates toward the pickup roller 821 in the direction of the arrow in Figure 5 due to the pressing force of a spring (not shown), causing the loaded single sheets of paper to be pressed against the pickup roller 821. As a result, the uppermost single sheet of paper from the multiple single sheets loaded in the loading section 810 is fed downstream in the transport direction. The fed single sheet of paper approaches the nip formed by the contact between the pickup roller 821 and the separation roller 822. The separation roller 822 is equipped with a torque limiting mechanism and rotates along with the pickup roller 821 when a single sheet of paper enters the nip. When two sheets of paper enter the nip together, the sheets slide against each other, preventing rotational force from being transmitted to the separation roller 822, which remains stationary. The lower sheet is blocked by the separation roller 822, and only the upper sheet is transported. This separates and transports the sheets.

[0024] In this embodiment, a separation mechanism using friction as described above is used, but the separation mechanism that can achieve the effects of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the effects of the present invention can also be obtained in a device that uses adsorption separation with air.

[0025] The continuous paper feeding unit 8b in this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 6 and 7. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the state in which the flange is set on the roll paper as continuous paper. Figure 7 is a perspective view showing the state in which the roll paper as continuous paper is set in the roll setting section.

[0026] In this embodiment, the continuous paper used is a roll of long recording paper wound into a roll. However, in order to obtain the effects of the present invention, the continuous paper is not limited to roll paper. Instead, for example, a continuous sheet of paper in the form of a long sheet of paper folded might also be acceptable.

[0027] As shown in Figure 6, flanges 830 are set on both ends of the roll paper R. With the flanges 830 set, the roll paper R is set in the roll setting section 8c as shown in Figure 7. The roll paper R is rotatably supported by the flanges 830 attached to both ends of the roll paper R relative to the roll setting section 8c. The roll paper R rotates as the flanges 830 rotate under the driving force. A flange gear 831 is provided at one end of the flange 830 and is driven and connected to the gear train 832 of the continuous paper feeding mechanism 835. As a result, the rotational driving force supplied from the motor 834 as a power source is transmitted to the roll paper R via the flange gear 831 and flange 830, performing forward feeding and reverse winding operations. After setting the roll paper R, when the paper feed cover 301 is closed, the nip roller 833 presses against the roll paper R. This makes it possible to apply a transport force to the roll paper R when it rotates, and to feed the sheet-like portion Rb, separated from the roll-like portion Ra, toward the continuous paper transport path with its leading edge.

[0028] As shown in Figure 3, the recording paper transport path of the recording device 1 is configured as follows. Single sheets of paper transported from the single sheet feeding unit 8a via the separation supply unit 820 are transported through a single sheet transport path 840, which is defined as a first transport path extending from the loading unit 810 to the confluence point 850, and is located between the separation supply unit 820 and the confluence point 850. After passing the confluence point 850, the single sheets are sent to the transport rollers 9a of the transport unit 9, which will be described later. Continuous paper supplied from the continuous paper feeding unit 8b is transported through a continuous paper transport path 860 (second transport path), which is defined as a second transport path extending from the roll set unit 8c to the confluence point 850, and is located between the continuous paper insertion opening 861 near the roll set unit 8c and the confluence point 850. The sheet-like portion Rb of the continuous paper, which is stretched from the roll-like portion Ra, is sent to the transport rollers 9a after passing the confluence point 850.

[0029] Downstream from the confluence point 850 in the paper transport direction, there is a common transport path 890 where single sheets and continuous sheets are transported, respectively. Upstream from the transport roller 9a in the common transport path 890, there is a paper detection sensor 870 that detects single sheets and continuous sheets. The paper detection sensor 870 detects the leading and trailing ends of the paper and plays a role in triggering operations such as leading-out operation and trailing-end processing during recording operation control, as well as paper feeding and paper ejection operations.

[0030] The specific configuration of the recording paper detection sensor 870 is not particularly limited, but for example, an optical sensor may be used. That is, it may be configured to have a light-emitting unit and a light-receiving unit, and when the detection light emitted from the light-emitting unit toward the transport path is blocked by the recording paper, the light-receiving state of the light-receiving unit changes, thereby performing the desired detection. Alternatively, a mechanical sensor may be used in which a contactor that is provided to move back and forth relative to the transport path comes into contact with the recording paper to detect the presence or absence of recording paper. The same applies to the continuous paper detection sensor 880 described later.

[0031] A continuous paper detection sensor 880 is provided upstream of the confluence point 850 on the continuous paper supply path 860. The continuous paper detection sensor 880 is used when switching between recording single sheets and continuous paper. For example, when switching from continuous paper recording to single sheet recording, the continuous paper is rewound until the continuous paper detection sensor 880 detects that there is no recording paper. Then, the continuous paper is fed again by the continuous paper feeding mechanism 835 and fed until the continuous paper detection sensor 880 detects that there is recording paper. When performing a recording operation on continuous paper again, the continuous paper feeding mechanism 835 is operated to feed the continuous paper to the transport roller 9a.

[0032] While it is possible to achieve the same operation by managing the winding amount from the recording paper detection sensor 870 located downstream of the confluence point 850 if only continuous paper needs to be rewound, the position of the leading edge of the continuous paper becomes uncertain when the power is turned off, making it impossible to feed it again. In this configuration, which is equipped with a continuous paper detection sensor 880, after the power is turned on, the continuous paper detection sensor... When the presence of paper is detected by the SA880 and recording is to be performed on continuous paper, the continuous paper feeding mechanism 835 is activated, allowing for automatic feeding without requiring any user intervention.

[0033] The transport unit 9 is a mechanism that transports recording paper fed from the single-sheet paper feeding unit 8a or the continuous paper feeding unit 8b in the Y direction (sub-scanning direction). The transport unit 9 includes a transport roller 9a and a transport motor 9b (see Figure 8), which is the drive source for rotating the transport roller 9a. A pinch roller 9c (see Figure 2) is pressed against the transport roller 9a, and the recording paper is held in the nip formed between them. The rotation of the transport roller 9a intermittently transports the recording paper to the recording area facing the discharge surface 4a of the discharge head 4. The recording operation is performed by alternately repeating the transport operation of the transport unit 9 and the recording scan. When the recording operation is finished, the recorded recording paper is held in the discharge nip formed by the discharge roller 9d located downstream of the recording area and a pinch roller (not shown) pressed against it, and is discharged to the discharge section 10 by the rotation of the discharge roller 9d.

[0034] In this embodiment, the ink containers 5 (5C, 5M, 5Y, 5Bk) are stationary containers fixed to the recording device 1. When the ink level drops, the operator replenishes the ink in the containers 5 without removing them from the recording device 1. Containers 5C, 5M, 5Y, and 5Bk are identical in structure, differing only in the color of the ink they contain. As shown in Figure 2, they are arranged in a row along the Y-direction on the right side of the front of the recording device 1. The tops of each container 5C to 5Bk are covered by a common tank cover section 13.

[0035] Figure 8 is a block diagram of the control unit 30 of the recording device 1. The MPU 31 is a processor that controls the operation of the liquid dispensing unit 1 and processes data. The MPU 31 controls the entire recording device 1 by executing programs stored in the storage device 32. The storage device 32 is composed of, for example, ROM or RAM. The storage device 32 stores various data necessary for processing, such as programs executed by the MPU 31 and data received from the host computer 100.

[0036] The MPU 31 controls the discharge head 4 via driver 34a. The MPU 31 controls the carriage motor 7a via driver 34b. The MPU 31 also acts as a transport control unit, controlling the transport motor 9b, single-sheet paper feeding unit 8a, and continuous paper feeding unit 8b via drivers 34c, 34d, and 34e. The MPU 31 also controls the cutting operation by the cutter 11 via driver 34f.

[0037] The MPU 31 also acquires detection results from various sensor groups 35 provided in the recording device 1 and performs control operations. The sensor group 35 includes a recording paper detection sensor 870, a continuous paper detection sensor 880, and a cover detection sensor 35a. The MPU 31 also controls the display on the display unit of the operation unit 36 ​​and accepts user operations to the operation unit 36.

[0038] The host computer 100 is, for example, a personal computer or mobile device (such as a smartphone or tablet) used by the user. The host computer 100 has a printer driver 101 installed that communicates between the host computer 100 and the recording device 1. The recording device 1 is equipped with an interface unit 33, and communication between the host computer 100 and the MPU 31 is performed via the interface unit 33. For example, when the user inputs a recording operation to the host computer 100, the printer driver 101 collects the image data to be recorded and settings related to recording (information such as the quality of the recorded image) and instructs the recording device 1 to perform the recording operation.

[0039] Referring to Figures 9 and 10, the recording operation flow and jam detection in this embodiment will be explained.

[0040] Figure 9 shows the flow of the recording operation (printing) on ​​a single sheet of paper. Paper feeding is performed in S101. Then, in S102, it is determined whether the leading edge of the single sheet of paper has reached the detection position of the recording paper detection sensor 870. If the single sheet of paper has reached the detection position, the process proceeds to the recording operation in S103. If the single sheet of paper has not reached the detection position, that is, if the recording paper detection sensor 870, which is the first detection means, does not detect the recording paper even after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the start of transporting the recording paper to the recording unit during the recording operation, the paper feeding retry operation in S105 is performed. Then, in S106, it is determined again whether the single sheet of paper has reached the recording paper detection sensor 870, and if it has not reached the detection position, it is determined in S107 to be a paper jam error due to a transport abnormality. In addition, after the recording operation is completed, in S104, it is determined whether the trailing edge of the single sheet of paper remains at the detection position of the recording paper detection sensor 870. If a single sheet of paper remains, that is, if the paper detection sensor 870 detects a sheet of paper even after a predetermined period has elapsed since the ejection operation to transport the recorded paper outside the machine began, a paper jam error is determined in S108.

[0041] Figure 10 shows the recording operation flow for continuous paper. The recording operation flow up to S203 is the same as the single-sheet recording flow, so the explanation is omitted. After recording, if the recording paper is continuous paper, the continuous paper cutting operation is performed. That is, the cutter 11 separates the recorded area of ​​the continuous paper from the unrecorded area of ​​the continuous paper as recorded recording paper. The cutter 11 is located downstream of the recording unit in the transport path, and transports the continuous paper in the paper discharge direction until the boundary position between the recorded area and the unrecorded area mentioned above coincides with the cutting position by the cutter 11. The cutter 11 is configured to move forward and backward relative to the transport path, and separates the recorded area from the unrecorded area at the boundary position.

[0042] Once the cutting operation by the cutter 11 is complete, the recorded area of ​​the continuous paper, which is the recorded area separated from the continuous paper, is ejected from the machine, and in S204, a continuous paper ejection operation is performed to rewind the unrecorded area of ​​the continuous paper. At this time, the leading edge of the continuous paper is moved to the upstream of the confluence point 850 so as not to interfere with the recording of single sheets. During this retraction and rewinding operation, in S205, it is determined whether the continuous paper has passed the detection position of the recording paper detection sensor 870. If it has not passed normally, that is, if the recording paper detection sensor 870 is still detecting the recording paper after a predetermined period has elapsed since the reverse transport of the continuous paper began, it is determined that the continuous paper is stuck or remaining somewhere, and a paper jam error is detected.

[0043] The predetermined period used to determine a paper jam error by the recording paper detection sensor 870 described above may be set according to the device configuration, for example, as a threshold time obtained from the recording paper transport speed and the transport distance between each component in the transport path.

[0044] <Jam Processing Method> Referring to Figures 11 to 13, the method for handling jams after jam formation in the recording device of this embodiment will be described. Figure 11 is a schematic diagram showing the jam state expected in the recording device of this embodiment. Figure 12 is a diagram showing an example of the jam handling flow of this embodiment. Figure 13 is a diagram showing another example of the jam handling flow of this embodiment.

[0045] As shown in Figure 11, the following are some typical jam patterns for the recording device of this embodiment. 1) A jam in which recorded paper becomes jammed in the paper output section (Figure 11(a)) 2) Interference between the carriage 6 and the recording paper due to the recording paper lifting in the recording area (Figure 11(b)) 3) Jamming within the single-sheet paper transport path 840 (Figure 11(c)) 4) Jam within the continuous paper transport path 860 (Figure 11(d))

[0046] The jamming procedure in this recording device is typically performed when the jamming condition is as described above. First, in the case of a continuous paper jam, the user cuts the continuous paper near the roll. Then, the recording paper is removed by pulling the continuous paper in the discharge direction. If necessary, the access cover 302 is opened and the remaining paper is removed. In the case of single sheets, recording paper that can be pulled in the direction of the paper discharge is removed by pulling it in that direction, and recording paper remaining near the stacking section 810 is jammed by pulling it towards the rear of the recording device.

[0047] When jamming is performed using the procedure described above, there is a very rare possibility that the recording paper may become torn or otherwise remain in a location upstream of the transport roller 9a that is inaccessible to the user. Also, if recording paper smaller than the specified size is fed from the single-sheet paper feeding unit 8a, the recording paper may not reach the transport roller 9a and remain there, resulting in a jam.

[0048] The method for handling such cases will be explained using an example of a jam processing flow shown in Figure 12. In the recording device of this embodiment, in S301, the display unit of the operation unit 36 ​​displays the procedure for jam processing to be performed manually by the user and notifies the user to perform jam processing. Once the user has processed all the processingable recording paper, they input processing to the input unit of the operation unit 36 ​​indicating that jam processing is complete. Then, in S302, it is first determined whether there is any recording paper remaining at the detection position of the continuous paper detection sensor 880, and if there is, the user is again prompted to process the jam on the continuous paper transport path 860.

[0049] In this case, without prompting the user to perform jam processing, the system may automatically rewind the roll as in S304, for example, as in another example of the jam processing flow shown in Figure 13. This operation removes the continuous paper from the common transport path 890, preventing the continuous paper from being pulled out by the subsequent paper transport operation of the transport roller 9a. In this case, in S305, the system determines whether there is any paper remaining at the detection position of the continuous paper detection sensor 880, and if the roll rewinding was not performed correctly and paper remains, the system prompts the user again to perform jam processing on the continuous paper transport path 860.

[0050] Next, in S303, the remaining recording paper is detected by the recording paper detection sensor 870 near the transport roller 9a. If no remaining recording paper is detected, the jam processing is completed here, and the device initialization operation is performed. If remaining recording paper is detected, in S306, one sheet of recording paper is fed from the single-sheet paper feeding unit 8a, and a jam paper removal operation is performed to eject any remaining paper fragments and small-sized paper outside of specifications that are on the recording paper detection sensor 870 upstream of the transport roller 9a. This operation is performed with the expectation that the remaining paper fragments will be moved in the ejection direction by the friction and catching of the fed recording paper. After that, the sensor status is checked again, and if there is no recording paper on each sensor, the jam processing flow is completed.

[0051] In the jam processing flow shown in Figure 13, if the roll is automatically rewound in S304, as described above, there may be cases where the roll cannot be rewound properly. For example, this could occur if the roll tip is caught in the transport roller 9a, or if the roll tip is stuck on the continuous paper transport path 860. In such cases, the continuous paper feeding mechanism 835, which is the drive means for rewinding the roll, may be configured to detect whether an overload has occurred and to stop the rewinding operation and prompt the user to process the jam as a paper jam error. An overload may be detected by the MPU 31 as a third detection means, by detecting whether the control PWM of the motor 834 exceeds a specified value. That is, the MPU 31 may detect whether an overload has occurred in the motor 834 (that the load on the motor 834 has exceeded a specified value) by detecting the drive current flowing to the motor 834 and whether the detected current value exceeds a predetermined threshold. If an overload is detected, the rewinding operation is stopped and the user is again prompted to process the jam. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 1…Recording device, 4…Discharge head, 8a…Single-sheet paper feeding unit, 8b…Continuous paper feeding unit, 840…Single-sheet paper transport path, 850…Confluence point, 860…Continuous paper transport path, 890…Common transport path

Claims

1. A recording unit that records images on a sheet, A first transport path through which a cut sheet is transported toward the recording unit, A second transport path through which a continuous sheet is transported toward the recording unit, A recording device comprising: a common transport path from a junction where the first transport path and the second transport path merge to the recording unit, through which the sheet is transported in the transport direction; A recording device characterized in that, after an abnormality in sheet transport is detected, if no sheet is detected in the second transport path and a sheet is detected in the common transport path, it performs an ejection operation in which a cut sheet is transported from the first transport path toward the recording unit.

2. A first detection means is arranged in the aforementioned common transport path and detects the sheet, A second detection means is provided in the second transport path for detecting the sheet, A recording device according to claim 1, comprising:

3. The recording device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, if a sheet is detected in the second transport path after an abnormality in sheet transport has been detected, the continuous sheet is transported in the opposite direction to the transport direction.

4. A continuous sheet is a roll sheet in which a continuous sheet is wound, and it has a holding part for holding the roll sheet. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that a continuous sheet is supplied from the roll sheet held by the holding section to the second transport path.

5. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that if a sheet is detected in the common transport path even after a predetermined period has elapsed since the start of the discharge operation, the discharge operation is stopped.

6. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that it is provided with a cutter that is positioned downstream of the recording unit in the aforementioned transport direction and cuts a continuous sheet.

7. The recording device according to claim 6, characterized in that, after cutting a continuous sheet, it performs a return operation to transport the continuous sheet in the opposite direction to the transport direction, and if a sheet is detected in the second transport path after a predetermined period of time has elapsed, it stops the return operation.

8. The recording device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising a notification unit for informing the user of an abnormality in sheet transport.

9. It further includes an input unit that receives input from the user indicating the completion of the transport error processing. The recording device according to claim 8, characterized in that the notification unit provides notification to prompt the user to process a transport abnormality, and after the input unit receives the input, if no recording paper is detected in the second transport path and recording paper is detected in the common transport path, the device performs the ejection operation.

10. The recording device according to claim 9, characterized in that the notification unit makes the notification, and after the input unit receives the input, if recording paper is detected in the second transport path, the notification unit makes the notification again.

11. The recording device according to claim 9, characterized in that, after the notification unit makes the notification and the input unit receives the input, if recording paper is detected on the second transport path, a return operation is performed to transport the continuous sheet in the opposite direction to the transport direction.

12. The system further includes a third detection means for detecting the load generated in the drive means for transporting the continuous sheet during the return operation, The recording device according to claim 11, characterized in that, if the magnitude of the load detected by the third detection means during the return operation exceeds a predetermined magnitude, the return operation is stopped and the notification unit makes the notification again.

13. The driving means includes a motor that generates a driving force for transporting a continuous sheet. The third detection means detects the current value flowing through the motor, The recording device according to claim 12, characterized in that the return operation is canceled when the current value detected by the third detection means exceeds a predetermined threshold during the return operation.

14. A continuous sheet is a roll sheet in which a continuous sheet is wound, and it has a holding part for holding the roll sheet. The driving force generated by the motor is the driving force for rotating the roll sheet held in the holding section. The recording apparatus according to claim 13, characterized in that the return operation is a rewinding operation in which the roll sheet is rotated in the opposite direction to the rotation when the continuous sheet extending from the roll sheet is transported toward the recording unit, thereby winding the continuous sheet onto the roll sheet.

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