Recording device

Abstract

To provide a recording device capable of stably loading a sheet while preventing ink transfer into a loading tray or between sheets, when placing printed sheets in the loading tray.SOLUTION: There are provided a paper-discharging tray; a movable guide capable of moving to a protruding position of protruding onto the paper-discharging tray and a retreating position of retreating onto an upstream side from the protruding position, that is arranged on an upstream side in a conveyance direction of a sheet in the paper-discharging tray; and a drive part for moving the movable guide to the protruding position when conveying a front end of the sheet along the movable guide, and for moving the movable guide to the retreating position when conveying a rear end of the sheet along the movable guide. The protruding position comprises a first position at which the movable guide presses the sheet to the paper-discharging tray, and a second position between the first position and the retreating position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 25

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a recording apparatus having a stacking device for stacking discharged sheets. [Background technology]

[0002] Typically, large-format inkjet printers use roll paper as the recording medium. After printing, the roll paper is discharged, and the discharged printouts are stored in a basket located at the bottom of the printer. However, the basket has a limited capacity, and the next printout is stacked on top of the curled printout due to the curl of the roll paper. For this reason, it is not suitable for large-volume stacking due to problems such as scratches and creases that are easily caused and poor removal. In recent years, with the increasing demand for large-volume stacking, large-format stackers that address the above problems have appeared.

[0003] A known stacker of this type is equipped with a discharge means for discharging printed materials, and the printed materials discharged by the discharge means are stacked on a stacking tray disposed downstream of the discharge means in the transport direction. The stacking tray for stacking the printed materials is disposed one step lower than the discharge means on the upstream side in the transport direction in order to stack a large number of printed materials, and is inclined upward from there toward the downstream side in the transport direction. When the rear end of the printed material transported by the discharge means passes through the nip of the discharge means, it falls onto the tray and is stacked.

[0004] When stacking printed materials, if a printed material discharged onto the stacking tray is curled, the curled printed material may be pushed out of the stacking tray by a newly discharged printed material. To address this, for example, in Patent Document 1, the rear end of the printed material is pressed down with a pressing member, thereby preventing the curled printed material from being pushed out in the transport direction when the subsequent printed material is discharged, and making it possible to stack the printed materials in an aligned state. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2016-69137 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, in the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, when printing on sheets with poor ink fixation properties and stacking them on a stacking tray, pressing the rear end of the printed matter discharged onto the stacking tray may result in ink transfer between the sheets or onto the stacking tray. One possible solution to this problem is to allow time for the ink to dry between the time the sheet is discharged onto the stacking tray and the time the rear end is pressed in order to prevent ink transfer. However, if such a drying time is provided, the rear end of the printed matter may come into contact with the paper discharge roller if the printed matter is curled, causing the sheet to be pushed out or scratched.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a recording device that can improve the quality of stacked sheets when printed sheets are placed on a stacking tray. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The recording device according to the present invention includes a sheet discharge tray, and a sheet ejection device disposed on the upstream side of the sheet discharge tray in the sheet conveying direction and protruding toward the sheet discharge tray. a first position at which the sheet is pressed against the sheet ejection tray; a retreat position in which the upstream side is retreated from the a second position between the first position and the retracted position; and and a movable guide that is movable along the movable guide. When The movable guide 1. The sheet is moved to a position where the trailing edge of the sheet is conveyed along the movable guide. When a driving means for moving the movable guide to the retracted position, The driving means moves the movable guide from the first position to the retracted position, moves the movable guide from the retracted position to the second position, stops the movable guide at the second position, and then moves the movable guide to the first position. It is characterized by: Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the present invention, when printed sheets are placed on a stacking tray, the quality of the stacked sheets can be improved. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a printing apparatus during top-side paper ejection in one embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet transport path in the printing apparatus during top-side paper ejection. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a printing apparatus during front ejection in one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a sheet transport path in the printing apparatus during front sheet ejection. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit of a printing apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of the top paper ejection section. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a top view of the top-surface paper discharge section with the movable guide in the retracted state. [Figure 8] FIG. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of the vicinity of an air blowing port and a discharge roller. [Figure 10] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the relationship between an air outlet and a paper discharge roller unit. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the movable guide is in a protruding state and pressing the loaded paper. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a retracted state of the movable guide. [Figure 14] FIG. [Figure 15] 4 is a flowchart showing a paper discharge operation. [Figure 16] 6 is a diagram showing selection conditions of a paper discharge sequence according to a paper type and a print mode. [Figure 17] 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of a paper discharge sequence A. [Figure 18] 11 is a flowchart showing the operation of a paper discharge sequence B. [Figure 19]Diagram showing the state when paper ejection starts [Figure 20] 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating a state in which the rear end of a sheet is detected. [Figure 21] FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a sheet is discharged onto a tray. [Figure 22] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable guide starts to retract. [Diagram 23] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable guide has moved to a retracted position. [Figure 24] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable guide starts to press the sheet immediately after the sheet is discharged. [Diagram 25] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable guide has moved to a second pressing position. [Figure 26] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable guide has moved to a first pressing position. [Figure 27] 13 is a diagram showing a state in which the movable guide starts to press the sheet immediately after it is discharged. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although the embodiments describe a number of features, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the features may be combined in any manner. Furthermore, in the attached drawings, the same reference numbers are used for the same or similar configurations, and duplicated descriptions are omitted.

[0012] 1 to 5 are diagrams showing the configuration of an inkjet printing apparatus which is an embodiment of the recording apparatus of the present invention. The printing apparatus of this embodiment includes a sheet supplying device for supplying sheets as printing media, a printing section for printing images on the sheets, and a paper discharge section for selectively discharging the sheets to two locations, the top section of the printing apparatus and the front section of the printing apparatus.

[0013] 1 is a schematic diagram of a printing device 100 capable of holding two roll sheets, each of which is a sheet 1 wound into a roll, during top-surface paper discharge. An image is printed on a sheet 1 that is selectively pulled out from two roll sheets set in a sheet supply device 200 arranged above and below. The sheet on which printing has been completed is discharged to a stacker 28 provided on the top of the printing device. Using various switches and the like provided on the operation panel 2, a user can input various commands to the printing device 100, such as specifying the size of the sheet 1, switching between online and offline, and setting the paper discharge destination.

[0014] FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main part of the printing apparatus 100 during top-surface paper ejection. Two sheet supply devices 200 corresponding to two rolls R are arranged one above the other. The sheet 1 pulled out from the roll R by the sheet supply device 200 is transported by a sheet transport unit (transport mechanism) 300 along a sheet transport path to a printing unit 400 capable of printing an image. The printing unit 400 prints an image on the sheet 1 by ejecting ink from an inkjet print head 18. The print head 18 ejects ink from an ejection port using an ejection energy generating element such as an electrothermal conversion element (heater) or a piezoelectric element. The print head 18 is not limited to an inkjet type, and the printing type of the printing unit 400 is not limited either. For example, a serial scan type or a full line type may be used. In the case of the serial scan type, an image is printed by the transport operation of the sheet 1 and the scanning of the print head 18 in a direction intersecting the transport direction of the sheet 1. In the case of the full-line method, a long print head 18 extending in a direction intersecting the conveying direction of the sheet 1 is used, and an image is printed while the sheet 1 is conveyed continuously.

[0015] The sheet 1 guided to the printing unit 400 is conveyed in the conveying direction indicated by the arrow F1 by the conveying roller 14. The nip roller (driven roller) 15 facing the conveying roller 14 can rotate following the rotation of the conveying roller 14. A cutter 21 is disposed downstream of the print head 18 in the conveying direction (direction of the arrow F1), and operates to cut the sheet 1 when printing is completed. Further downstream of the cutter 21, a discharge switching flap 22 is disposed which can rotate in the directions of the arrows E1 and E2 in the figure, and its position is switched based on the control of the CPU 201 (see FIG. 5). The discharge switching flap 22 is located at a position rotated in the direction of the arrow E1 during top-surface discharge. The sheet 1 that has passed through the discharge switching flap 22 is discharged by the top-surface discharge unit 500 to the stacker 28 installed above the printing unit 400. Between the top discharge section 500 and the stacker 28, there are provided a discharge roller 25 and a discharge nip roller (driven roller) 26, which grip the cut sheet 1 and discharge it in the discharge direction indicated by the arrow F2. The discharged sheet 1 is stored in the stacker 28 and stacked on top of the tray (discharge tray) 29 and the stack of paper 1a.

[0016] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the printing device 100 during front discharge. The printed sheet 1 is discharged from a front discharge support section 161 provided at the front of the printing device 100. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the main parts of the printing device 100 during front discharge. The discharge switching flap 22 arranged downstream of the cutter 21 is located at a position rotated in the direction of the arrow E2. The sheet 1 that has passed the discharge switching flap 22 passes over the top of the front discharge support section 161 and is discharged to the front of the printing device 100. The cut sheet 1 after printing is discharged by its own weight and is stored in the front discharge storage section 30 that can be pulled out from the bottom of the printer.

[0017] FIG. 5 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the configuration of a control system in the printing apparatus 100. The CPU 201 controls each part of the printing apparatus 100, including the sheet supply device 200, the sheet transport unit 300, the printing unit 400, and the top discharge unit 500, according to a control program stored in the ROM 204. The type, width, and various setting information of the sheet 1 are input to the CPU 201 from the operation panel 2 via the input interface 202. The CPU 201 also writes and reads information about the sheet 1 to the RAM 203. The discharge roller drive motor 34 is a motor for rotating the discharge roller 25 forward and backward. The transport roller drive motor 35 is a motor for rotating the transport roller 14 forward and backward. The discharge switching flap drive motor 36 rotates the discharge switching flap in the direction indicated by the arrow E1 or the direction indicated by the arrow E2.

[0018] Next, the detailed configuration and operation of the top-surface paper ejection section of printing apparatus 100 will be described.

[0019] 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the detailed configuration of top-surface paper ejection section 500. Inside top-surface paper ejection section 500, sheet 1 passes through semicircular top-surface paper ejection path 502 and reaches tray 29. In a printing device that ejects paper at high speed, printing of subsequent sheets is carried out during the paper ejection operation.

[0020] The printing device 100 of this embodiment has a movable guide 510 for pressing the rear end of the stack of paper 1a, and presses the rear end of the stack of paper 1a during the paper discharge operation. After the sheet 1 is discharged to the tray 29, the movable guide 510 retreats from the stack of paper 1a once, and is protruded to press the rear end of the sheet 1 (stack of paper 1a) again before the succeeding sheet is discharged. The protruding movable guide 510 and the stack of paper 1a are in contact with each other at a contact point 511, and the stack of paper 1a is pressed and pressed by the tray 29 at this point. This suppresses curling of the stack of paper 1a placed on the tray 29, and ensures a path for discharging the succeeding sheet 1 discharged from the paper discharge roller 25 and the paper discharge nip roller 26. At the same time, when the stack of paper 1a on the tray 29 comes into contact with the sheet 1 being discharged, the stack of paper 1a is displaced in the direction of movement of the sheet 1 due to frictional force, and the alignment in the tray 29 is prevented from being disturbed.

[0021] Movable guide 510 is switched between a protruding state and a retracted state by CPU 201 driving movable guide drive motor 513. Top-surface paper discharge path 502 is formed by top-surface paper discharge outer guide 502a and top-surface paper discharge inner guide 502b, and movable guide 510 is disposed so as to be generally contained within top-surface paper discharge inner guide 502b.

[0022] FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of top-surface paper-ejection inner guide 502b and tray 29 in the X and Y directions when viewed from above in the Z-axis direction in FIG.

[0023] Fig. 7(a) shows the retracted state of movable guide 510. Fig. 7(b) shows the state in which movable guide 510 is in the protruding state and there is no paper stack 1a on tray 29. Fig. 7(c) shows the state in which movable guide 510 is in the protruding state and paper stack 1a is stacked on tray 29.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 7(b), the multiple paper discharge nip rollers 26, the movable guides 510, and the air outlet 533 are arranged with a phase shift in the X-axis direction. The multiple movable guides 510 are configured to be movable independently. FIG. 7(c) shows a state in which the remaining movable guides 510 that are not pressing the stack of paper 1a protrude compared to the eighth movable guides 510 from the right in the X-axis direction in a state in which the stack of paper 1a is pressed. In this way, by making the multiple movable guides 510 independent of each other, the total force with which the movable guides 510 press the stack of paper 1a increases as the width of the stack of paper 1a increases. Therefore, the pressing force of each movable guide 510 can be set to a relatively weak constant force, and the risk of scratches due to the pressing force can be reduced.

[0025] Next, a detailed configuration of the air blowing mechanism 530 will be described with reference to Fig. 8. Fig. 8(a) is a schematic diagram of the air blowing mechanism 530. The air blowing mechanism 530 includes an air blowing fan 531, and air from the air blowing fan 531 passes through an air blowing duct 532 extending in the width direction of the printing device 100 and is commonly exhausted from a plurality of air blowing openings 533.

[0026] Here, the number and positions of the blower fans are not limited, and for example, a configuration in which the wind from multiple blower fans is sent to one blower duct and exhausted from the blower outlet may be used. In this embodiment, the wind speed from the blower outlet 533 is approximately 6.0 m / s directly below the blower outlet 533, but the wind speed is not limited. This wind speed is not necessary as long as the sheet 1 can float stably. In addition, the blower speed is not limited to a constant value, and for example, a mechanism may be provided in which the operating duty of the blower fan is variable and the blower volume is changed depending on the paper type of the sheet 1 and the print contents.

[0027] 8(b) is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the air blowing mechanism 530 and the movable guide 510. The movable guide 510 is disposed in the width direction taking into consideration the paper width of the discharged sheet 1, and therefore the air blowing openings 533 are provided in the vicinity of the movable guide 510. This makes it possible to effectively float the discharged sheet.

[0028] 9 is a schematic diagram of the peripheral mechanism of discharge rollers 25 of top-surface discharge section 500. An air outlet 533 is disposed between tray 29 and sheet 1 that has passed through discharge rollers 25 and discharge nip roller 26. Sheet 1 discharged from discharge rollers 25 is transported and stacked on tray 29 with the contact pressure with tray 29 reduced by air blown from air outlet 533.

[0029] A third direction 536 which is the direction of the air blown from the air outlet 533 is at an angle intermediate between a first direction 534 in which the sheet 1 is discharged from the paper discharge roller 25 and a second direction 535 in which the sheet 1 is stacked on the tray 29.

[0030] The third direction 536 is a direction connecting the contact point between the sheet 1 and the tray 29 and the air outlet 533. The first direction 534 and the second direction 535 are inclined at approximately 45 degrees, and their extensions intersect. However, the inclination between the tray 29 (second direction 535) and the conveying direction (first direction 534) of the paper discharge nip roller 25 is not limited to 45 degrees, and may be greater or smaller than 45 degrees. In this case, by providing a mechanism for adjusting the inclination of the air blower 530, the third direction can be adjusted, and air can be blown in the optimal direction depending on the type and length of the sheet 1 to be discharged.

[0031] 10 is a schematic diagram showing the structure near the air outlet 533 and the discharge roller 25. The air outlet 533 is arranged so as not to protrude beyond the outer shape of the discharge nip roller 26. This makes it possible to prevent the discharged sheet from riding up onto the air outlet 533. Note that when the discharge roller 25 and the discharge nip roller 26 are switched and the discharge roller 25 is positioned below the paper surface, the air outlet 533 is arranged so as not to protrude beyond the outer shape of the discharge roller 25.

[0032] Next, the detailed configuration of the movable guide 510 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the detailed configuration of the movable guide 510. The flap portion 510a located at the tip of the movable guide that holds the stack of papers 1a is connected to the slide portion 510b so as to be rotatable in the directions indicated by the arrows F1 and F2 around the rotation center 510d. As shown in FIG. 11(b), the flap portion 510a is urged in the direction indicated by the arrow F1 by the urging spring 510e attached between the flap portion 510a and the slide portion 510b. The state in FIG. 11(b) shows the state in which the flap portion 510a abuts against the slide portion 510b and stops, but when a force is applied to the flap portion 510a in the Z-axis direction, it can rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow F2.

[0033] Because the flap portion 510a is movable in this way, the movable guide 510 functions as follows: When the movable guide 510 holds down the sheet 1 and the stack of paper 1a, it functions to crush the curls of the sheet 1 and the stack of paper 1a from above. On the other hand, when the movable guide 510 is retracted, the weight of the sheet 1 causes the flap portion 510a to rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow F2, and the flap portion 510a functions to be pulled out from the sheet 1 and the stack of paper 1a.

[0034] The slide portion 510b can move along an arc-shaped trajectory in the directions indicated by the arrows S1 and S2 relative to the drive connection portion 510c, and is biased in the direction indicated by the arrow S1 by a biasing spring (elastic member) 510f. In the state of FIG. 11, the slide portion 510b hits a stopper provided on the drive connection portion 510c and stops. Then, when the movable guide 510 presses the sheet 1 and the stack of papers 1a, the slide portion 510b integrated with the flap portion 510a moves in the direction indicated by the arrow S2. On the other hand, since the slide portion 510b is pressed in the direction indicated by the arrow S1 by the biasing spring 510f, the sheet 1 and the stack of papers 1a can be gripped between the movable guide 510 and the tray 29. When the thickness of the stack of papers 1a increases, the amount of movement of the slide portion 510b in the direction indicated by the arrow S2 increases, and the spring force generated by the biasing spring 510f also increases. Therefore, when the paper stack 1a has a large curling force, such as when the paper stack 1a is thick paper or there are a large number of sheets, a stronger pressing force can be generated.

[0035] Fig. 12(a) shows a first protruding state in which there is one sheet of paper 1a on the tray 29 and the movable guide 510 protrudes until the paper 1a is in close contact with the tray 29 (to the first protruding position). Fig. 12(b) shows a second protruding state in which there is one sheet of paper 1a on the tray 29 and the movable guide 510 protrudes (to the second protruding position) so that a gap indicated by Lt is formed between the flap portion 510a and the tray 29. Fig. 16(c) shows a state in which there are about 100 sheets of paper 1a on the tray 29 and the movable guide 510 protrudes. Fig. 13 also shows a state in which the movable guide 510 has been retracted.

[0036] In Fig. 12, the ridge of the drive connecting part 510c in the retracted state is shown by a dotted line, and the same ridge as the dotted line of the drive connecting part 510c in the protruding state (protruding position) is shown by a dashed line. In Fig. 12(a) and Fig. 12(c), the angle θ1 formed by the dotted line and the dashed line is the same, but in Fig. 12(c), the flap part 510a and the slide part 510b slide in the direction indicated by the arrow S2 according to the number of stacked sheets.

[0037] In the first protruding state in Fig. 12(a), the stack of papers 1a is pinched between the flap portion 510a and the tray 29 at the contact point 511 and gripped by the movable guide 510. Therefore, when the sheets 1 pass over the stack of papers 1a, the stack of papers 1a does not move due to friction generated between the sheets 1 and the stack of papers 1a. On the other hand, in the second protruding state in Fig. 12(b), the stack of papers 1a is not gripped by the movable guide 510, and a gap indicated by Lt is formed between the flap portion 510a and the tray 29.

[0038] In this embodiment, the maximum number of sheets that can be stacked on the tray 29 is set to 100, and the stack of paper 1a with a thickness of approximately 10 mm is stacked on the tray 29. Therefore, by setting the dimension of Lt to 10 mm or more, the stack of paper 1a can be prevented from being gripped by the movable guide 510, regardless of the number of sheets of the stack of paper 1a.

[0039] 12(b), the movable guide 510 is positioned so that the dashed line, which is the lower ridge of the flap portion 510a in the Z-axis direction, is located to the left of the contact point between the discharge roller 25 and the discharge nip roller 26 in the Y-axis direction, so that the end 1b of the stack of papers 1a is separated from the contact point between the discharge roller 25 and the discharge nip roller 26. Since the end 1b of the sheet 1 immediately after discharge is located at the contact point between the discharge roller 25 and the discharge nip roller 26, when the movable guide 510 is moved to the second protruding state, the end 1b of the stack of papers 1a comes into contact with the flap portion 510a and is pushed out as shown in FIG. 12(b). As a result, the end 1b of the stack of papers 1a is separated from the contact point between the discharge roller 25 and the discharge nip roller 26.

[0040] As can be seen from the angles θ1 and θ2 formed by the dotted line and the ridge line of the drive connector 510c in Fig. 12(a) and Fig. 12(b), the switching of the position of the movable guide 510 shown in Fig. 12(a) and Fig. 12(b) is performed by changing the rotation phase of the drive connector 510c. In Fig. 12(a) and Fig. 12(b), the relationship of the rotation phase angles is θ1>θ2. The positioning of the rotation phase of the movable guide 510 is performed as follows. That is, first, the position detection sensor 515 (see Fig. 5) that detects the position of the movable guide 510 detects that the drive connector 510c is in the retracted position of Fig. 13. Then, the movable guide 510 is positioned by rotating the movable guide 510c by a predetermined angle (θ1 or θ2) with the position as the origin. If the drive means of the movable guide 510 is a pulse motor, the predetermined angle may be managed by the number of drive pulses, etc. Also, if it is a DC motor, an encoder or the like may be attached to manage it. Also, a detection means may be provided that detects that the drive connector 510c is at the angle θ1 or angle θ2.

[0041] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the configuration of the drive unit of the movable guide 510. The movable guides 510 arranged in the X-axis direction are attached to the movable guide shaft 514 in a uniform direction. The gear attached to the movable guide shaft 514 is connected to the movable guide drive motor 513 via the drive unit 512 consisting of a gear train. By driving the movable guide drive motor 513 to rotate the movable guide shaft 514 in the direction indicated by the arrow P1, the movable guides 510 protrude in parallel, and by rotating the movable guide shaft 514 in the direction indicated by the arrow P2, the movable guides 510 retract. The movable guides 510 are rotated in parallel by the drive amount of the movable guide shaft, but since the movable guide 510 includes the biasing spring 510f, the displacement of the tip of the movable guide 510 is allowed according to the thickness of the stack of paper 1a. When the movable guide 510 protrudes to hold down the sheet 1 and the stack of paper 1a, the drive connection unit 510c receives the reaction force of the biasing spring 510f. Therefore, movable guide shaft 514 connected to drive connector 510c receives pressing torque Tn that tends to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow P2. When pressing torque Tn exceeds the static torque generated by drive unit 512 and movable guide drive motor 513, movable guide shaft 514 rotates in the direction indicated by arrow P2. Therefore, the force of bias spring 510f pressing the sheet is weakened, and as a result, the force pressing sheet 1 and stacked paper 1a becomes insufficient.

[0042] Therefore, in this embodiment, the drive unit 512 is provided with a torque limiter 512a and a one-way clutch 512b. The torque limiter 512a slips when a torque equal to or greater than a predetermined torque acts on the torque limiter 512a, and the slip torque value Tl is set to be equal to or less than the maximum torque value Tmax when the movable guide drive motor 513 is driven. In addition, the one-way clutch 512b provided in connection with the torque limiter 512a cuts off the drive connection between the torque limiter 512a and the movable guide drive motor 513 and the movable guide shaft 514 when the movable guide shaft 514 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow P1. In addition, the one-way clutch 512b maintains the drive connection between the torque limiter 512a and the movable guide drive motor 513 and the movable guide shaft 514 when the movable guide shaft 514 is rotated in the direction indicated by the arrow P2. As a result, when the movable guide 510 is protruded to press down on the stack of paper 1a, the movable guide drive motor 513 is not subjected to the load of the slip torque value Tl of the torque limiter 512a, and the drive torque can be set to a value that is reduced by that amount from the maximum torque value Tmax.

[0043] Here, the mechanical load torque value Tm when the movable guide shaft 514 rotates is defined as the drive load torque required to purely drive the drive unit 512 and the movable guide 510, excluding the slip torque value Tl of the torque limiter 512a, without pressing the sheet 1. In addition, the static torque value of the movable guide drive motor 513 is defined as Td.

[0044] When all torque values ​​are converted into torque values ​​on the movable guide shaft 514, the following relational expression holds true.

[0045] P1 rotation direction: Tmax>Tn+Tm …(1) Stopped in protruding state: Tl+Tm+Td>Tn …(2) P2 rotation direction: Tmax>Tl+Tm …(3) From equations (1) and (3), it is understood that the pressing torque Tn and the slip torque Tl can be set to be approximately equal. It is also understood that the mechanical load torque Tm and the motor stationary torque Td required while the movable guide 510 is stopped in the protruding state can be set to values ​​lower than the pressing torque Tn.

[0046] On the other hand, when the torque limiter 512a is not provided, the slip torque Tl is eliminated from the formula (2), so the mechanical load torque Tm and the motor stationary torque Td must be set to exceed the holding torque Tn. In other words, when the holding torque Tn increases, the mechanical load torque Tm and the motor stationary torque Td must be increased. When the mechanical load torque Tm is to be increased, the maximum torque Tmax of the movable guide drive motor 513 required from the formulas (1) and (3) also increases. When the motor stationary torque Td is to be increased, a configuration is required that increases the power consumption of the motor, such as exciting the movable guide drive motor 513 even during stoppage. In contrast, in the present embodiment, such a configuration is not necessary, and it is possible to select the movable guide drive motor 513 having the minimum required maximum torque value Tmax.

[0047] 15 is a flow chart showing the operation of the paper ejection section in the printing sequence of the printing apparatus 100.

[0048] When a print job is received, the paper type and ink discharge density used for printing are detected (step S201), and it is determined whether or not the conditions are such that ink transfer to other contacting sheets 1, tray 29, etc. will occur (step S202). For example, with reference to the table shown in Fig. 16, it is determined whether or not the conditions are such that ink transfer will occur depending on the ink fixability and ink discharge mode.

[0049] Then, based on the result of the determination in step S202, paper discharge sequence A (step S203) or paper discharge sequence B (step S204) is selected. Detailed operations of paper discharge sequence A and paper discharge sequence B will be described later. When paper discharge sequence B is selected, a waiting time Tc of the movable guide 510, which will be described later, is also determined. Based on the selected paper discharge sequence, the paper discharge operation is performed in parallel with the printing operation.

[0050] When the paper discharge operation is completed, preparation for discharging the next paper is performed. In order to start discharging the succeeding paper while the movable guide 510 holds down the rear end of the sheet 1 stacked on the tray 29, it is determined whether the leading edge position of the succeeding paper exceeds the paper discharge roller 25 based on the conveyance length of the succeeding paper (step S205).

[0051] It is detected whether the movable guide 510 is in the first protruding state (step S206), and if the movable guide 510 is not in the first protruding state, transport of the paper is stopped until the movable guide 510 moves to the first protruding state (step S207).

[0052] After the movable guide 510 presses the rear end of the sheet 1 in the first protruding state, the succeeding paper is transported to the next ink ejection position (step S208), and ink is ejected by the print head 18 (step S209).

[0053] A determination is made as to whether printing is complete (step S210), and if printing is not complete, steps S205 to S210 are repeated.

[0054] After printing is completed in step S210, the paper is transported to the cutting position and cut (step S211). After the paper is cut, if a waiting time Tc is required when the movable guide 510 protrudes in the paper discharge sequence determined in step S202, the waiting time Tc is counted before paper transport is resumed after the paper is cut (step S212), and then paper transport is resumed (step S213).

[0055] After the paper has been discharged, it is checked whether or not there is an unfinished print job remaining (step S214). If there is an unfinished print job remaining, the process returns to step S201, and if there is no unfinished print job remaining, printing ends.

[0056] Next, the discharge sequence A selected in step S203 will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Also, the discharge sequence B selected in step S204 will be described with reference to Fig. 18.

[0057] The paper discharge sequence A will now be described. At the start of the paper discharge operation, the movable guide 510 is moved to a position where its leading end contacts the tray 29, or to a first pressing position where the movable guide 510 is in a first protruding state where the rear end of the stacked paper 1a is pressed, as shown in Fig. 19. At this time, the excitation of the movable guide drive motor 513 is turned off after it is driven, thereby reducing power consumption (step S1).

[0058] After the movable guide 510 reaches the first protruding state, the discharge rollers 25 start to be driven (step S2) to perform the discharge operation. During the discharge operation, the blower fan 531 is turned on to supply air from the vicinity of the discharge rollers 25 to the printed surface for the purpose of drying the printed surface (step S3). In this state, the machine waits until cutting after printing is completed (step S4).

[0059] As shown in Fig. 20, after the trailing edge of sheet 1 is detected by discharged paper sensor 520 located upstream of discharge rollers 25 (step S5), the flow waits for a specified time for sheet 1 to be discharged onto tray 29 to elapse as shown in Fig. 21. Then, blower fan 531 is turned off to stop the supply of air (step S6). If blower fan 531 is not turned off after discharge, too much air may enter the lower part of sheet 1 discharged onto movable guide 510 when movable guide 510 retracts, which may cause adverse effects such as the movable guide 510 hitting the sheet in the air when pressing it again.

[0060] After the sheet 1 is discharged to the tray 29, the driving of the discharge roller 25 is stopped (step S7), and the movable guide 510 is retracted. At this time, the movable guide 510, which is under the sheet 1 discharged to the tray 29 as shown in FIG. 22, is rotated toward the discharge roller 25 side and retracted to a retracted position where it is completely removed from the sheet 1 as shown in FIG. 23. As shown in FIG. 22, the flap portion 510a of the movable guide 510 rotates to escape due to the weight of the sheet 1, so that the movable guide 510 can be pulled out without pinching and damaging the sheet 1 between the flap portion 510a and the downstream guide 521. In the state shown in FIG. 23, the edge curl of the sheet 1 is not pressed at all by the movable guide 510, but the downstream guide 521 regulates the edge position of the sheet 1.

[0061] After moving movable guide 510 to the retracted position, excitation of movable guide drive motor 513 that operates movable guide 510 is turned off (step S8). The sequence of steps S6 to S8 is set so that even if the rear end of sheet 1 is curled, the rear end of sheet 1 will not come into contact with discharge roller 25 when movable guide 510 is retracted, and sheet 1 will not be pushed out in the conveyance direction or damaged.

[0062] With the movable guide 510 in the retracted state, it is checked whether an unfinished print job remains (step S9). If an unfinished print job remains, it is checked whether to select paper discharge sequence A or paper discharge sequence B for the next print (step S10). If paper discharge sequence A is selected, the process returns to step S1 again, and if paper discharge sequence B is selected, the process proceeds to step S101 for paper discharge sequence B.

[0063] When the movable guide 510 is moved from the retracted position to the first pressing position, the movable guide 510 pushes in the curled rear end of the sheet 1 as shown in FIG. 24, passes through the state shown in FIG. 25, and finally presses the sheet 1 with the tip of the movable guide 510 as shown in FIG. 26.

[0064] FIG. 27 is an enlarged view of the periphery of the discharge roller 25 in FIG. 24. The rear end 1b of the curled sheet 1 near the downstream guide 521 comes into contact with the flap portion 510a that has rotated past the side of the discharge roller 25. The angle θ3 formed by the dashed line that is the tangent of the flap portion 510a and the rear end 1b of the curled sheet 1 is slightly smaller than 90°, and the contact is at an acute angle, so the rear end 1b escapes in the direction indicated by the arrow J without crushing the curl from above. Therefore, the sheet 1 moves as shown in FIG. 26 from FIG. 25. At this time, by making the gap Lc between the tray 29 and the downstream guide 521 smaller than the possible curl radius R of the sheet 1, the angle θ4 formed by the tangent of the rear end 1b and the tray 29 becomes smaller than approximately 90°.

[0065] In this embodiment, in the phase of FIG. 27 in the rotational trajectory of the flap portion 510a, the tray 29 and the pressing surfaces of the flap portion 510a are approximately parallel, so that the angle θ3 can be kept smaller than approximately 90°.

[0066] If there are no uncompleted print jobs remaining in step S9, the paper discharge sequence A ends. In the paper discharge sequence A, the movable guide 510 moves to the first protruding state again immediately after the movable guide 510 is in the retracted state, so the time during which the sheet 1 and the stack of papers 1a are not gripped by the movable guide 510 is short. This has the advantage that the stack of papers 1a is less likely to move due to disturbances (vibrations of the printing device 100, shaking caused by a user removing the stack of papers 1a, or the force of air currents from air conditioning, etc.), and the series of operations can be completed in a short time.

[0067] Next, a description will be given of the discharge sequence B. Steps S101 to S108, which are performed from the start of the discharge sequence to moving the movable guide to the retracted state, are similar to steps S1 to S8 of the discharge sequence A.

[0068] With the movable guide 510 in the retracted state, it is confirmed whether or not there is an uncompleted print job remaining (step S109).

[0069] If an unfinished print job remains, the movable guide 510 is rotated to the second pressing position in the second protruding state as shown in FIG. 25, and the excitation of the movable guide drive motor 513 is turned off (step S110).

[0070] In order to discharge the succeeding paper, the paper discharge rollers 25 are driven with the movable guide 510 in the second pressing position (step S111), and printing is resumed (step S112).

[0071] The movable guide 510 waits at the second pressing position to prevent ink transfer (step S113), and returns to the first pressing position after the waiting time Tc has elapsed (after stopping for a predetermined time). Note that since the ink drying state differs depending on the type of paper, the waiting time Tc is set according to the type of paper.

[0072] It is checked whether discharge sequence A or discharge sequence B is to be selected for the next print (step S114), and if discharge sequence A is selected, the process returns to step S1 for discharge sequence A, and if discharge sequence B is selected, the process returns to step S101.

[0073] If there are no uncompleted print jobs remaining in step S109, the paper discharge sequence B ends.

[0074] In discharge sequence B, by providing a time during which sheet 1 and stacked paper 1a are not gripped by movable guide 510, it is possible to dry sheet 1 that is discharged immediately after printing. This makes it possible to prevent ink transfer between sheets or to the stack tray. On the other hand, because sheet 1 and stacked paper 1a are not gripped by movable guide 510 until the ink has dried, there are more opportunities for the sheet to move due to disturbance than in discharge sequence A. Also, because the next sheet 1 cannot be discharged onto tray 29 until the ink has dried and movable guide 510 has reached the first pressing state, the time required for the series of operations is longer.

[0075] As described above, according to this embodiment, printed sheets can be stacked stably and quickly for sheets with good ink fixation in the discharge sequence A. Also, in the discharge sequence B, even for sheets with poor ink fixation, the movable guide is stopped at the second pressing position, so that ink transfer between sheets or onto the stacking tray can be prevented, and stable stacking of sheets can be performed without damaging the sheets.

[0076] (Other embodiments) The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) for realizing one or more functions.

[0077] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0078] 1: sheet, 1a: loaded paper, 14: transport roller, 15: nip roller, 18: print head, 21: cutter, 25: paper discharge roller, 26: paper discharge nip roller, 29: tray, 100: printing device, 510: movable guide, 530: ventilation mechanism, 531: ventilation fan, 533: ventilation port

Claims

1. A paper output tray; a movable guide disposed on the upstream side of the discharge tray in a sheet transport direction, the movable guide being movable between a first position where the movable guide protrudes toward the discharge tray and presses the sheet against the discharge tray, a retracted position where the movable guide retracts from the first position to the upstream side, and a second position between the first position and the retracted position; a driving means for moving the movable guide to the first position when the leading edge of the sheet is transported along the movable guide, and for moving the movable guide to the retracted position when the trailing edge of the sheet is transported along the movable guide, a driving means for moving the movable guide from the first position to the retracted position, moving the movable guide from the retracted position to the second position, stopping the movable guide at the second position, and then moving the movable guide to the first position.

2. 2. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable guide is a plurality of movable guides arranged in a width direction of the sheet.

3. 3. The recording apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the driving means drives a plurality of the movable guides in parallel.

4. 4. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a discharge roller for discharging the sheet onto the paper discharge tray, and the second position is a position between the first position and the discharge roller.

5. 5. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable guide is stopped at the second position for a predetermined time, the predetermined time being set depending on the type of the sheet to be discharged.

6. 6. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the sheet ejection tray is disposed so that the sheet is placed thereon in an inclined state.

7. A paper output tray, a movable guide disposed on an upstream side of the discharge tray in a sheet transport direction, the movable guide moving between a protruding position protruding toward the discharge tray and a retracted position retracted from the protruding position to the upstream side; a driving means for moving the movable guide to the protruding position when the leading edge of the sheet is transported along the movable guide, and for moving the movable guide to the retracted position when the trailing edge of the sheet is transported along the movable guide, The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the movable guide includes an elastic member that allows a movement amount of the tip of the movable guide to differ in accordance with a drive amount by the drive means.

8. A paper output tray, a movable guide disposed in a width direction of the sheet on an upstream side of the sheet conveying direction of the sheet ejection tray, the movable guide moving between a protruding position protruding toward the sheet ejection tray and a retracted position retracted from the protruding position to the upstream side; a driving means for moving the movable guide to the protruding position when the leading edge of the sheet is transported along the movable guide, and for moving the movable guide to the retracted position when the trailing edge of the sheet is transported along the movable guide; a blower arranged near a discharge roller that discharges a sheet and below the discharged sheet, for blowing air between the sheet discharged onto the discharge tray and the discharge tray; A recording device characterized in that the discharge roller is in contact with an opposing driven roller across the sheet, and the air blowing means is positioned so as not to protrude beyond the outer shape of the discharge roller or the driven roller that is located below the sheet.

9. The recording device according to claim 8, characterized in that the air blowing means blows air in a third direction which is a direction connecting a point connecting the extension of the discharged sheet and the extension of the paper output tray and the air outlet of the air blowing means, and the third direction is a direction between a first direction in which the sheet is discharged and a second direction in which the sheet is loaded onto the paper output tray.

10. 10. The recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein an extension line in the first direction and an extension line in the second direction intersect with each other.

11. 11. The recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the air blowing unit has a plurality of air blowing openings provided between the plurality of movable guides.

12. 12. The recording apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the air blowing unit has one fan that blows air commonly to the plurality of air outlets.

13. 13. The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the driving means comprises a driving motor, a gear train, and a torque limiter disposed in the gear train and slipping when a load equal to or greater than a predetermined torque is applied.

14. The recording device according to claim 13, further comprising a one-way clutch between the torque limiter and a gear connected to the torque limiter, the one-way clutch cutting off the connection with the torque limiter when the gear rotates in a direction that moves the movable guide to a protruding state, and maintaining the connection with the torque limiter when the gear rotates in a direction that moves the movable guide to a retracted state.

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