Feeding tray and image recording device

Abstract

To suppress increase in a carrying load while suppressing curling of a roll medium unwound from a roll body.SOLUTION: A feeding tray is equipped with a bottom wall 11 that has a bottom surface 11a that is a feeding surface capable of supporting roll paper that is paper unwound from a roll body, and a supporting plate 91 that is located at an interval from the bottom surface 11a of the bottom wall 11, and defines a feeding path I of the roll paper between the bottom wall 11 and the supporting plate 91. An area where a downstream end portion 91e that is an end portion on a downstream side in a feeding direction in the supporting plate 91 is projected in a lateral direction, is not overlapped with an area where an opposite par 11c opposing to the downstream end portion 91e of the supporting plate 91 on the bottom wall 11 is projected in a lateral direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll of sheet-like medium, and an image recording device. [Background technology]

[0002] The facsimile (image recording device) disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided with a support unit for roll paper (roll medium) and includes a paper feed cassette (feed tray) capable of accommodating the roll paper. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2-264556 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] A roll medium unwound from a roll body in which a sheet-like medium is wound into a roll is curled in the longitudinal direction. In order to feed the roll medium curled in the longitudinal direction in a feed tray, it is possible to provide a feed path for the roll medium defined by a path member. However, if the transport load applied to the roll medium in the feed path is large, the feed performance is reduced.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a feed tray and an image recording device that can suppress curling of a roll medium unwound from a roll body while suppressing an increase in the transport load. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The feed tray of the present invention is a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll body in which sheet-like medium is wound into a roll, and comprises a bottom wall having a feed surface capable of supporting the roll medium, which is sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body, and a route member positioned at a distance from the feed surface of the bottom wall and defining a feed path for the roll medium between itself and the bottom wall, wherein an area obtained by projecting an end of the route member downstream in the feed direction of the roll medium in the axial direction of the roll body does not overlap with an area obtained by projecting an opposing portion of the bottom wall that faces the end of the route member downstream in the feed direction.

[0007] The image recording device of the present invention comprises the above-mentioned feed tray, a housing to which the feed tray can be attached and detached, a feed roller that applies a conveying force to the roll medium supported by the feed tray attached to the housing to feed the roll medium, and a recording unit that records an image on the roll medium fed by the feed roller and sent out from the feed tray.

[0008] According to another aspect, an image recording device of the present invention includes a housing, a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll body of a sheet-like medium wound in a roll shape, the feed tray being movable in a first direction from an outer position outside the housing to an inner position inside the housing, a feed roller rotatable about an axis along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, the feed roller feeding the roll medium, which is the sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body, in the feed tray located at the inner position, and a recording unit recording an image on the roll medium fed by the feed roller and sent out from the feed tray. The feed tray has a bottom wall having a feed surface capable of supporting the roll medium, and a path member positioned at an interval from the feed surface of the bottom wall and defining a feed path for the roll medium between the bottom wall and the path member, and an area obtained by projecting an end of the path member in the first direction in the second direction does not overlap an area obtained by projecting an opposing portion of the bottom wall facing the end of the path member in the first direction in the second direction. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the feeding tray and image recording device of the present invention, the bottom wall and the path member can guide the upper and lower surfaces of the roll medium fed through the feeding path, so that the roll medium can be fed while suppressing curling of the roll medium unwound from the roll body. Also, if the roll medium is bent in the axial direction (second direction) in the feeding path, the transport load applied to the roll medium increases. In the present invention, the area obtained by projecting the downstream end of the path member in the axial direction (second direction) does not overlap with the area obtained by projecting the opposing part of the bottom wall that faces the downstream end of the path member in the feeding direction in the axial direction (second direction), so that the roll medium is less likely to be bent in the axial direction (second direction), and an increase in the transport load can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view showing the internal structure of a printer according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the feed tray shown in FIG. [Diagram 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the feeding tray taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a top view of the feeding tray shown in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] 5A is a cross-sectional view taken along line Va-Va of the feed tray shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along line Vb-Vb of the feed tray shown in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a feeding tray according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 7 is an enlarged view of a downstream side portion in the feeding direction in a cross-sectional view taken along line VII-VII of the feeding tray shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 13A and 13B are diagrams for explaining a relationship between a bottom wall and a support plate at an end position of the feed tray according to the first modified example of the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 13 is a diagram for explaining a relationship between a bottom wall and a support plate at an end position of the feed tray according to a second modified example of the first embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] First Embodiment A printer 100 (image recording device of the present invention) according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. The up-down, front-back, and left-right directions shown in Fig. 1 are the up-down, front-back, and left-right directions of the printer 100.

[0012] (Overall configuration of the printer 100) The printer 100 mainly includes a housing 100a, a feeding mechanism 3, a conveying mechanism 4, a cutter 5, a head 6 (corresponding to the "recording unit" of the present invention), a paper discharge tray 7, and a control unit 10. The feeding mechanism 3 has a feeding tray 1, a feeding roller 2, and a separation piece 31. The feeding tray 1 is detachable from the lower part of the housing 100a. The feeding tray 1 is disposed below the head 6 in the housing 100a. The paper discharge tray 7 is disposed in front of the head 6 and above the feeding tray 1 in the housing 100a. The feeding tray 1 can be inserted and removed from the housing 100a in the front-rear direction through an opening 101 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a. The direction in which the feeding tray 1 moves from an outer position outside the housing 100a to an inner position inside the housing 100a corresponds to the "first direction" of the present invention. The paper discharge tray 7 can be inserted and removed from the housing 100a in the front-rear direction through an opening 102 formed in the front wall of the housing 100a.

[0013] The feed tray 1 can accommodate both cut sheets Kp and the roll R, and has a first storage section 8 capable of accommodating the roll R, and a second storage section 9 capable of accommodating a plurality of cut sheets Kp stacked vertically. The roll R is a roll of paper longer than the cut sheets Kp wound around the outer circumferential surface of a cylindrical core member Rc. The width direction of the cut sheets Kp in the feed tray 1 and the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll R coincides with the left-right direction.

[0014] The feeding roller 2 feeds the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R stored in the first storage section 8 or the cut paper Kp stored in the second storage section 9 from the feeding tray 1. In the following description, when there is no need to distinguish between the cut paper Kp and the roll paper Rp, they will be referred to as "paper P."

[0015] The feed roller 2 is composed of two rollers 2a axially supported at the tip of an arm 2b. The two rollers 2a are lined up in the left-right direction with the arm 2b in between, and are spaced apart from each other (see FIG. 4). That is, the two rollers 2a are disposed on both sides of the arm 2b. The two rollers 2a rotate about an axis along the left-right direction (corresponding to the "second direction" of the present invention) by the drive of a feed motor (not shown).

[0016] The arm 2b is supported rotatably on the support shaft 2c. The arm 2b is biased by a biasing member (not shown) so that the feed roller 2 approaches the bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1. When the feed motor is driven under the control of the control unit 10, the feed roller 2 rotates and a conveying force is applied from the front to the rear to the paper P in contact with the feed roller 2. This causes the paper P to be sent out from the feed tray 1. The arm 2b is configured to be able to retreat upward when the feed tray 1 is attached to or detached from the housing 100a.

[0017] The separation piece 31 is intended to prevent double feeding when the cut paper Kp is fed from the feed tray 1. The separation piece 31 is located downstream of the feed tray 1 in the feeding direction of the paper P by the feed roller 2 (direction from the front to the rear: hereinafter simply referred to as the "feeding direction") The separation piece 31 is inclined so that the rear end is located higher than the front end.

[0018] As shown in Fig. 4, a separation surface 31a is provided on the surface of the separation piece 31. A fine uneven pattern (not shown) is formed on the separation surface 31a. When the feed tray 1 is attached to the housing 100a and in the inner position, the separation surface 31a is located at the center in the left-right direction of the feed tray 1 and extends along a direction perpendicular to the left-right direction. The separation surface 31a comes into contact with the center in the width direction of the cut sheets Kp, and separates the stacked cut sheets Kp into the cut sheets Kp that come into contact with the feed roller 2 and the other cut sheets Kp. The paper P that is sent out from the feed tray 1 and comes into contact with the separation surface 31a is guided diagonally upward.

[0019] The conveying mechanism 4 has an intermediate roller pair 41, a conveying roller pair 42, a paper discharge roller pair 43, and a guide member 44. The intermediate roller pair 41 is composed of a drive roller that rotates by driving an intermediate motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the drive roller. When an intermediate motor (not shown) is driven by the control of the control unit 10, the intermediate roller pair 41 rotates while sandwiching the paper P to convey the paper P. The intermediate roller pair 41 is located above the separation piece 31. The intermediate roller pair 41 conveys the paper P upward while sandwiching the paper P that is guided diagonally upward by the separation piece 31 after being sent out from the feed tray 1 by the feed roller 2. The guide member 44 is located above the intermediate roller pair 41. The guide member 44 guides the paper P conveyed upward by the intermediate roller pair 41 forward.

[0020] The conveying roller pair 42 is composed of a drive roller that rotates by the drive of a conveying motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the drive roller. The paper discharge roller pair 43 is composed of a drive roller that rotates by the drive of a paper discharge motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates with the drive roller. When the conveying motor and the paper discharge motor (not shown) are driven by the control of the control unit 10, the conveying roller pair 42 and the paper discharge roller pair 43 rotate while sandwiching the paper P to convey the paper P. The conveying roller pair 42 is located behind the head 6, and the paper discharge roller pair 43 is located in front of the head 6. The conveying roller pair 42 sandwiches the paper P guided forward by the guide member 44 and conveys it forward. The paper discharge roller pair 43 sandwiches the paper P conveyed forward by the conveying roller pair 42 and conveys it forward.

[0021] The cutter 5 is located between the separation piece 31 and the pair of intermediate rollers 41. The cutter 5 is made up of, for example, a disk-shaped rotating blade and a driven blade. Alternatively, the cutter 5 may be made up of a rotating blade and a fixed blade. The rotating blade of the cutter 5 is rotated by driving a cutting motor (not shown) and the cutter 5 moves back and forth in the left-right direction. The roll paper Rp that has been unwound from the roll body R and transported is cut in the width direction of the roll paper Rp by the cutter 5 when the cutting motor is driven under the control of the control unit 10.

[0022] The head 6 includes a plurality of nozzles (not shown) formed on the lower surface, and a driver IC (not shown). The head 6 records an image on the paper P that is fed by the feed roller 2, sent out from the feed tray 1, and conveyed by the conveying mechanism 4. When the driver IC is driven under the control of the control unit 10, ink is ejected from the nozzles, and an image is formed on the paper P when the paper P conveyed by the conveying mechanism 4 passes an image recording position facing the lower surface of the head 6. The head 6 may be either a line type that ejects ink from the nozzles while being fixed in position, or a serial type that ejects ink from the nozzles while moving in the left-right direction. The paper P on which the image is formed by the head 6 is received in the paper output tray 7.

[0023] The control unit 10 is connected to the feed motor, intermediate motor, transport motor, discharge motor, cutting motor, and driver IC via an internal bus (not shown). The control unit 10 has a CPU (Central Processing Unit), ROM (Read Only Memory), and RAM (Random Access Memory). The ROM stores programs and data for the CPU to perform various controls. The RAM temporarily stores data used when the CPU executes a program.

[0024] (Feed Tray 1 Configuration) Next, the configuration of the feed tray 1 will be described with reference to Figs. 2 to 5. In the following description, the direction of each part of the feed tray 1 will be described based on the orientation of the feed tray 1 when it is attached to the housing 100a. The feed tray 1 has a substantially rectangular shape when viewed from above. The feed tray 1 has a bottom wall 11 and side walls 12 to 15 provided on the edges of the bottom wall 11, and is formed in a box shape that opens upward.

[0025] As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. 5(a) and (b), the bottom wall 11 extends in a plane perpendicular to the up-down direction. The upper surface of the bottom wall 11 is the bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1 (corresponding to the "feed surface" of the present invention). The bottom surface 11a is perpendicular to the up-down direction. The side walls 12 and 13 extend upward from both left and right end edges of the bottom wall 11. Furthermore, the side walls 12 and 13 extend in the front-rear direction from the front end to the rear end of the bottom wall 11. The side wall 14 extends upward from the front edge of the bottom wall 11. Furthermore, the side wall 14 extends in the left-right direction from the right end to the left end of the bottom wall 11.

[0026] Four side walls 15 are provided on the rear edge of the bottom wall 11. The side walls 15 have guide surfaces 15a that are connected to the rear end of the bottom surface 11a and are inclined so that their upper ends are located rearward of their lower ends. The four side walls 15 are spaced apart from one another in the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 4, when the feed tray 1 is attached to the housing 100a, the separation piece 31 is located between two of the four side walls 15 that are aligned in the left-right direction and that are located on the inside. The guide surfaces 15a of the side walls 15, together with the separation piece 31, guide the paper P that is transported rearward by the feed roller 2 obliquely upward.

[0027] The feeding tray 1 is disposed inside the pair of side walls 12, 13, and has a pair of side guides 17 spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The side guides 17 are supported by the bottom wall 11 so as to be movable in the left-right direction, and are disposed facing each other in the left-right direction. One side guide 17 and the other side guide 17 are interlockingly movable in the directions of approaching and separating from each other by a known interlocking mechanism (not shown) consisting of, for example, racks facing each other and pinions meshing with both racks.

[0028] The side guide 17 is composed of a first portion 17a parallel to the side walls 12, 13, and a second portion 17b parallel to the bottom wall 11. As shown in FIG. 5(b), the second portion 17b extends rightward or leftward from the lower end of the first portion 17a toward the opposing side guide 17. Each first portion 17a of the pair of side guides 17 can abut against an edge of the paper P in the width direction. By guiding the paper P with the pair of side guides 17, the paper P can be positioned in the left-right direction within the feed tray 1.

[0029] As described above, the feeding tray 1 has the first storage section 8 capable of storing the roll R, and the second storage section 9 capable of storing a plurality of cut sheets Kp stacked in the vertical direction. The first storage section 8 and the second storage section 9 are aligned in the feeding direction. The second storage section 9 is located downstream of the first storage section 8 in the feeding direction.

[0030] The first storage section 8 stores the roll R in a position in which the axial direction coincides with the left-right direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the first storage section 8 has a support table 81 that supports the roll R and two rollers 81a and 81b. The support table 81 extends in the left-right direction. The rollers 81a and 81b both extend in the left-right direction and are spaced apart from each other in the front-rear direction. The rollers 81a and 81b are both supported on the upper end of the support table 81 so as to be rotatable around a rotation axis that extends in the left-right direction. The rollers 81a and 81b support the roll R from below while being in contact with the outer circumferential surface of the lower portion of the roll R.

[0031] A gap G is formed between the lower surface of the support base 81 and the bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1. The roll paper Rp pulled out from the roll body R passes through the gap G and is pulled out from the front side of the support base 81 to the rear side of the support base 81.

[0032] As shown in FIG. 3, the first storage section 8 has a cover 82 consisting of a rear portion 82a that covers the rear of the roll body R supported by the support base 81, and an upper portion 82b that covers the upper part of the roll body R supported by the support base 81. The rear portion 82a extends in a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction. The upper portion 82b is connected to the upper end of the rear portion 82a and extends in a plane perpendicular to the up-down direction. The cover 82 can be rotated rearward about a rotation shaft (not shown) that extends in the left-right direction and is located at the lower end of the rear portion 82a. By rotating the cover 82, which is in a position covering the roll body R supported by the support base 81, rearward, the storage space for the roll body R above the support base 81 can be exposed.

[0033] The second storage section 9 has a support plate 91 (corresponding to the "path member" of the present invention) that supports from below the multiple cut sheets Kp placed in a stacked state. When the roll sheet Rp unwound from the roll R stored in the first storage section 8 is sent from the feed tray 1 to form an image, the cut sheet Kp is removed from the second storage section 9.

[0034] The support plate 91 is located at its front end and can rotate up and down around a rotation shaft 91a extending in the left-right direction. The support plate 91 extends from the rotation shaft 91a toward the downstream side in the feeding direction to the position of the end of the bottom wall 11 of the feeding tray 1 on the downstream side in the feeding direction.

[0035] The side walls 12 and 13 are formed with restricting portions 12b and 13b, respectively, that restrict the downward rotation of the support plate 91. As shown in FIG. 4, the restricting portions 12b and 13b are provided upstream of the side guide 17 in the feeding direction. As shown in FIG. 5(a), the restricting portion 12b protrudes from the lower end of the side wall 12 toward the side wall 13. The restricting portion 13b protrudes from the lower end of the side wall 13 toward the side wall 12. The left-right ends of the support plate 91 abut against the upper surfaces of the restricting portions 12b and 13b, thereby restricting the downward rotation of the support plate 91.

[0036] When the downward rotation of the support plate 91 is restricted by the restricting portions 12b and 13b, the support plate 91 is in a position in which the direction connecting the front end and the rear end is substantially the same as the feeding direction. In addition, since the downward rotation of the support plate 91 is restricted by the restricting portions 12b and 13b, the support plate 91 is positioned with a space between it and the bottom surface 11a of the feeding tray 1.

[0037] 3 and 5(a) and (b), the bottom wall 11 and support plate 91 of the feed tray 1 define a feed path I for the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll R stored in the first storage section 8. That is, the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll R passes below the second storage section 9. The bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1 serves as a feed surface capable of supporting the roll paper Rp.

[0038] 2 and 4, a notch 91b is formed in the support plate 91. The notch 91b is formed at both ends of the support plate 91 in the left-right direction. The first portion 17a of the side guide 17 is located within the notch 91b. The lower end of the first portion 17a is located below the support plate 91, and the upper end of the first portion 17a is located above the support plate 91. The first portion 17a of the side guide 17 moves in the left-right direction within the range of the notch 91b.

[0039] As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, two openings 91c are formed in the end portion of the support plate 91 on the downstream side in the feeding direction (area surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3; simply referred to as "downstream end portion 91e of the support plate 91" in the following description). Each of the openings 91c has a rectangular shape surrounded on all four sides when viewed from above. The two openings 91c are aligned in the left-right direction and are spaced apart from each other. As shown in FIG. 4, the two openings 91c are formed at positions facing the two rollers 2a of the feed roller 2, respectively. The two rollers 2a of the feed roller 2 located above the support plate 91 are inserted downward from above the support plate 91 through the openings 91c. The areas facing the two openings 91c in the bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1 are contact areas 11b that can contact the two rollers 2a of the feed roller 2. 2 to 4, the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 overlaps with the side guide 17 in the feeding direction.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 3, the portion of the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1 that faces the support plate 91 in the vertical direction and is upstream of the portion where the contact area 11b is located (portion indicated by A in the figure) has a bottom surface 11a whose height is constant in the feed direction.

[0041] The feed roller 2 comes into contact with the cut paper Kp to feed the cut paper Kp when the cut paper Kp is placed on the support plate 91. When the cut paper Kp is not placed on the support plate 91 and the roll paper Rp is placed in the contact area 11b on the bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1, the feed roller 2 comes into contact with the roll paper Rp to feed the roll paper Rp.

[0042] A base pad 92 is provided between the two openings 91c on the upper surface of the support plate 91. The static friction coefficient of the base pad 92 is greater than the static friction coefficient of the upper surface of the support plate 91. The relationship between the coefficients of friction between the base pad 92 and the upper surface of the support plate 91 may be determined not only by the static friction coefficients as in this embodiment, but also by the kinetic friction coefficients, or by one static friction coefficient and the other kinetic friction coefficient. The base pad 92 prevents the lowermost cut sheet Kp of the multiple cut sheets Kp stacked on the support plate 91 from moving, thereby preventing double feeding of the cut sheets Kp.

[0043] 4, the base pad 92 extends in the feeding direction in a top view and is provided at a position overlapping with an imaginary straight line S passing through the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31. That is, the base pad 92 is provided at a position aligned with the separation surface 31a in the feeding direction. Moreover, both of the two openings 91c are formed at positions not aligned with the separation surface 31a in the feeding direction.

[0044] Here, as shown in FIG. 5(b), which is a cross-sectional view of the feed tray 1 at the end position where the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 is located in the feed direction, the lower surface 91f of the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 is flat in the left-right direction. In addition, in the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1, the upper surface (bottom surface 11a) of the facing portion 11c (the portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 5(b)) facing the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 in the up-down direction is flat in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the bottom wall 11 is flat over the entire length in the left-right direction at the portion where the facing portion 11c is located. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the area where the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 is projected in the left-right direction (the area shown by diagonal lines in the figure) does not overlap with the area where the facing portion 11c of the bottom wall 11 is projected in the left-right direction (the area shown by hatching in the figure).

[0045] 2 and 4, the pair of side guides 17 are in a position where the second portions 17b do not overlap the support plate 91 in top view. The pair of side guides 17 move in a direction approaching each other from the positions shown in Figures 2 and 4, so that the second portions 17b overlap the support plate 91 in top view.

[0046] As shown in Fig. 5(b), a height position H1 of the lower surface of the support plate 91 in the state restricted by the restricting portions 12b and 13b is higher than a height position H2 of the upper surface of the second portion 17b of the side guide 17. Therefore, even when the second portion 17b of the side guide 17 is in a position where it overlaps with the support plate 91 in a top view, the side guide 17 does not come into contact with the support plate 91. In addition, as shown in Fig. 3, a region obtained by projecting the downstream end portion 91e of the support plate 91 in the left-right direction does not overlap with the second portion 17b of the side guide 17 projected in the left-right direction.

[0047] Here, an example of the procedure for setting the roll paper Rp on the feed tray 1 will be described. First, the feed tray 1 is pulled in the direction from rear to front to remove it from the housing 100a. Then, the cover 82 of the first storage section 8 is rotated to expose the storage space for the roll body R in the first storage section 8, and the roll body R is supported by the support base 81. Next, the roll body R is manually rotated to unwind the roll paper Rp from the roll body R, and the leading end of the roll paper Rp is fed to the contact area 11b on the bottom surface 11a.

[0048] The roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R is first sent from the front side of the support stand 81 to the rear side of the support stand 81 through the gap G below the support stand 81. The roll paper Rp is then sent into the feeding path I defined by the bottom wall 11 of the feeding tray 1 and the support plate 91. The roll paper Rp is then sent along the feeding path I to the contact area 11b.

[0049] Next, an example of a procedure for feeding the roll paper Rp from the feed tray 1 will be described. First, after the roll paper Rp is set in the feed tray 1 by the above-mentioned procedure, the left-right positions of the pair of side guides 17 are adjusted so that both ends of the roll paper Rp in the width direction abut against the first portion 17a of the side guide 17. Then, the feed tray 1 is attached to the housing 100a without storing the cut paper Kp in the second storage section 9. By attaching the feed tray 1 to the housing 100a, the feed roller 2 is inserted from above to below the support plate 91 through the opening 91c and contacts the portion of the roll paper Rp located in the abutment area 11b. Then, the feed motor is driven to rotate the feed roller 2, thereby applying a conveying force to the roll paper Rp, and the roll paper Rp is fed from the feed tray 1.

[0050] Note that when an image is not immediately formed on the roll paper Rp or when an image is formed on cut paper Kp, after the roll paper Rp has been set, the feed tray 1 can be attached to the housing 100a with the cut paper Kp stored in the second storage section 9. In this case, when an image is to be formed on the roll paper Rp, the feed tray 1 is pulled out from the housing 100a again, the cut paper Kp is removed from the second storage section 9, and then the feed tray 1 is attached to the housing 100a.

[0051] Next, an example of a procedure for feeding the cut sheets Kp from the feed tray 1 will be described. First, the feed tray 1 is pulled out from the housing 100a, and a plurality of stacked cut sheets Kp are placed on the upper surface of the support plate 91. Then, the left-right positions of the pair of side guides 17 are adjusted so that both ends of the cut sheets Kp in the width direction abut against the first portions 17a of the side guides 17. Then, the feed tray 1 is attached to the housing 100a. By attaching the feed tray 1 to the housing 100a, the feed roller 2 comes into contact with the uppermost cut sheet Kp among the plurality of stacked cut sheets Kp. Then, the feed motor is driven to rotate the feed roller 2, thereby applying a conveying force to the cut sheets Kp, and the cut sheets Kp are fed from the feed tray 1.

[0052] (Effects of the first embodiment) As described above, the feeding tray 1 of the first embodiment is capable of accommodating the roll R in which paper P is wound in a roll shape, and is equipped with a bottom wall 11 having a bottom surface 11a that is a feeding surface capable of supporting roll paper Rp, which is paper P unwound from the roll R, and a support plate 91 that is positioned at a distance from the bottom surface 11a of the bottom wall 11 and defines a feeding path I for the roll paper Rp between itself and the bottom wall 11. A downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 is flat in the left-right direction, and an opposing portion 11c of the bottom wall 11 that faces the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 is flat in the left-right direction, and the area obtained by projecting the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 in the left-right direction does not overlap with the area obtained by projecting the opposing portion 11c of the bottom wall 11 in the left-right direction.

[0053] With the above-described configuration, the bottom wall 11 and the support plate 91 can guide the top and bottom surfaces of the roll paper Rp fed through the feeding path I, so that the roll paper Rp can be fed while suppressing curling after being unwound from the roll body R. Furthermore, if the roll paper Rp is bent left-right in the feeding path I, the transport load applied to the roll paper Rp increases. In the above-described embodiment, the area obtained by projecting the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 in the left-right direction does not overlap with the area obtained by projecting the opposing part 11c of the bottom wall 11 in the left-right direction, so the roll paper Rp fed into the contact area 11b is less likely to be bent left-right, and an increase in the transport load can be suppressed.

[0054] Furthermore, the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 overlaps with the side guide 17 in the feeding direction. The area obtained by projecting the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 in the left-right direction does not overlap with the second portion 17b of the side guide 17 projected in the left-right direction. This prevents the roll paper Rp from being sent slantedly into the contact area 11b, and also prevents the roll paper Rp sent into the contact area 11b from being easily bent in the left-right direction, thereby preventing an increase in the transport load.

[0055] The feed tray 1 of the above-described embodiment is mounted on a printer 100 equipped with a feed roller 2 that applies a conveying force to the roll paper Rp to feed the roll paper Rp. The support plate 91 has an opening 91c formed at its downstream end 91e, and the area of ​​the bottom surface 11a of the bottom wall 11 facing the opening 91c of the support plate 91 is a contact area 11b that can come into contact with the feed roller 2. Therefore, the feed roller 2 inserted from above the support plate 91 downward through the opening 91c can apply a conveying force to the roll paper Rp located between the bottom wall 11 and the support plate 91. Therefore, the roll paper Rp can be fed by the feed roller 2 while the bottom wall 11 and the support plate 91 suppress curling of the roll paper Rp.

[0056] Furthermore, in the feed tray 1 of the embodiment described above, the height of the bottom surface 11a is constant in the feed direction in the portion of the bottom wall 11 of the feed tray 1 that faces the support plate 91 and is upstream in the feed direction from the portion where the contact area 11b is located. If there is a step in which the height of the bottom surface 11a, which is the feed surface that supports the roll paper Rp, changes in the feed direction, the roll paper Rp may be damaged. In this embodiment, the height of the bottom surface 11a is constant in the feed direction, so damage to the roll paper Rp can be suppressed.

[0057] Additionally, in the feeding tray 1 of the above-described embodiment, the support plate 91 can support from below a plurality of cut sheets Kp stacked vertically, and the cut sheets Kp placed on the support plate 91 are fed by the feeding roller 2. Therefore, both the rolled paper Rp and the cut sheets Kp can be fed by the same feeding roller 2, which prevents the device from becoming too large.

[0058] Furthermore, the printer 100 in which the feeding tray 1 of the above-described embodiment is mounted is provided with a separation piece 31 that is located downstream of the support plate 91 in the feeding direction and has a separation surface 31a that comes into contact with the cut sheets Kp fed from the support plate 91 by the feed roller 2 and separates the stacked cut sheets Kp into the cut sheets Kp in contact with the feed roller 2 and the other cut sheets Kp. The opening 91c is formed in the support plate 91 at a position that is not aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 in the feeding direction.

[0059] When the number of cut sheets Kp stacked on the support plate 91 decreases, the portion of the cut sheet Kp located above the opening 91c is pressed by the feed roller 2 and bends downward. If the opening 91c is formed in the support plate 91 at a position aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 in the feed direction, the portion of the cut sheet Kp aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 in the feed direction will bend downward, changing the angle of contact of the cut sheet Kp with the separation surface 31a and making the separation performance of the separation piece 31 unstable. In this embodiment, the portion of the cut sheet Kp aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 in the feed direction is less likely to bend downward, making it possible to prevent changes in the angle of contact of the cut sheet Kp with the separation surface 31a.

[0060] The feeding tray 1 of the above-described embodiment is provided with a base pad 92 that is provided on the upper surface of the support plate 91 at a position aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 along the feeding direction, and has a static friction coefficient greater than that of the upper surface of the support plate 91. Therefore, the base pad can more reliably separate the multiple cut sheets Kp that are placed in a stacked state on the support plate 91.

[0061] Furthermore, in the feed tray 1 of the embodiment described above, the feed roller 2 has two rollers 2a aligned in the left-right direction and spaced apart from each other. The openings 91c are formed in the support plate 91 at portions facing the two rollers 2a of the feed roller 2, respectively, and the base pad 92 is disposed between the two rollers 2a and the openings 91c facing each other.

[0062] <Second embodiment> Next, a feeding tray 201 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 6 and Fig. 7. Hereinafter, components having the same configuration as those in the first embodiment will be given the same reference numerals and descriptions thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

[0063] In the feed tray 201, a bottom surface 211a of the bottom wall 211 is provided with a contact area 211b that can come into contact with two rollers 2a of the feed roller 2, downstream in the feed direction from an opposing portion 211c that faces a downstream end 291e (a portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIGS. 6 and 7) of the support plate 291 in the up-down direction. A base pad 292 is disposed in the contact area 211b. As shown in FIG. 7, a height position H3 of the contact area 211b is equal to or higher than a height position H4 of an upper surface of the downstream end 291e of the support plate 291.

[0064] The bottom surface 211a of the feed tray 201 has a first surface 216a, a second surface 216b, and a third surface 216c. The first surface 216a is a horizontal surface including the contact area 211b. The second surface 216b is a horizontal surface located upstream of the first surface 216a in the feed direction. The height position H5 of the second surface 216b is lower than the height position H3 of the first surface 216a. The third surface 216c is an inclined surface connecting the first surface 216a and the second surface 216b, and the end portion on the downstream side in the feed direction is located higher than the end portion on the upstream side in the feed direction. The third surface 216c extends along the left-right direction and is flat in the left-right direction over the entire length in the left-right direction. In this embodiment, the angle θ between the second surface 216b and the third surface 216c is 135°. It is preferable that the angle θ is greater than 90°.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 7, in the feed tray 201, the downstream end 291e of the support plate 291 is located above the third surface 216c of the bottom surface 211a of the bottom wall 211. That is, the upper surface of the facing portion 211c of the bottom wall 211 is the third surface 216c. The lower surface of the downstream end 291e of the support plate 291 is composed of an inclined surface 291f1 and a horizontal surface 291f2. The downstream end of the inclined surface 291f1 in the feed direction is located higher than the upstream end of the inclined surface 291f1 in the feed direction. The horizontal surface 291f2 is a horizontal surface and is connected to the upstream end of the inclined surface 291f1 in the feed direction. The inclined surface 291f1 and the horizontal surface 291f2 both extend along the left-right direction and face the third surface 216c of the bottom surface 211a of the feed tray 201 in the up-down direction. The inclined surface 291f1 and the horizontal surface 291f2 are flat in the left-right direction.

[0066] As described above, the third surface 216c, which is the upper surface of the facing portion 211c of the bottom wall 211, is flat in the left-right direction. In addition, the inclined surface 291f1 and the horizontal surface 291f2, which are the lower surfaces of the downstream end portion 291e of the support plate 291, are also flat in the left-right direction. Therefore, the region obtained by projecting the downstream end portion 291e of the support plate 291 in the left-right direction (the region shown by diagonal lines in FIG. 7) does not overlap with the region obtained by projecting the facing portion 211c of the bottom wall 211 in the left-right direction (the region shown by hatching in FIG. 7).

[0067] As described above, the feed tray 201 of the second embodiment, like the feed tray 1 of the first embodiment, suppresses curling of the roll paper Rp unwound from the roll body R, while preventing the roll paper Rp sent into the abutment area 211b from being bent in the left-right direction, thereby suppressing an increase in the transport load.

[0068] In the feed tray 201 of the second embodiment described above, the bottom wall 211 has a contact area 211b that can come into contact with the feed roller 2, downstream of the facing portion 211c in the feed direction. A height position H3 of the contact area 211b is equal to or higher than a height position H4 of the upper surface of the downstream end 291e of the support plate 291. Therefore, when a plurality of cut sheets Kp in a stack placed on the support plate 291 are fed by the feed roller 2, the cut sheets Kp can be reliably nipped between the bottom surface 211a of the bottom wall 211 and the feed roller 2, and the cut sheets Kp can be fed appropriately.

[0069] Furthermore, in the feeding tray 201 of the second embodiment described above, the bottom surface 211a of the bottom wall 211 has a first surface 216a which is a horizontal surface including the contact area 211b, a second surface 216b which is a horizontal surface located upstream of the first surface 216a in the feeding direction and below the first surface 216a, and a third surface 216c which is an inclined surface connecting the first surface 216a and the second surface 216b. The downstream end 291e of the support plate 291 is located above the third surface 216c of the bottom surface 211a of the bottom wall 211. Therefore, at the downstream end in the feeding direction of the feeding path I defined by the bottom wall 211 and the support plate 291, the roll paper Rp sent out from between the third surface 216c of the bottom wall 211 and the support plate 291 is given a conveying force by the feed roller 2 at the first surface 216a adjacent to the third surface 216c downstream of the third surface 216c in the feeding direction. Therefore, the roll paper Rp is unlikely to be bent in the left-right direction before being fed by the feed roller 2, and an increase in the conveying load can be suppressed.

[0070] In addition, in the feeding tray 201 of the second embodiment described above, the angle between the second surface 216b and the third surface 216c is 135°. Therefore, the roll paper Rp that is unwound from the roll body R and fed on the second surface 216b can be fed to the first surface 216a by the third surface 216c that has a relatively gentle slope. This makes it possible to prevent the roll paper Rp from being damaged between the downstream end 291e of the support plate 291 and the third surface 216c of the bottom wall 211.

[0071] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above based on the drawings, the specific configuration should not be considered to be limited to these embodiments. The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims rather than the description of the above embodiments, and further includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims.

[0072] In the above-described first embodiment, the bottom surface 11a of the feed tray 1 is flat in the left-right direction over the entire left-right length at the portion where the facing portion 11c is located, and the lower surface of the downstream end 91e of the support plate 91 is flat in the left-right direction. In the second embodiment, the third surface 216c facing the downstream end 291e of the support plate 291 in the bottom surface 211a of the feed tray 201 is flat in the left-right direction over the entire left-right length, and the inclined surface 291f1 and the horizontal surface 291f2 formed on the downstream end 291e of the support plate 291 are flat in the left-right direction. However, the present invention is not limited to these. In other words, as long as the area projected in the left-right direction of the downstream end 91e (291e) of the support plate 91 (291) does not overlap with the area projected in the left-right direction of the opposing portion 11c (211c) of the bottom wall 11 (211), unevenness may be formed in the portion of the bottom surface 11a (211a) where the opposing portion 11c (211c) is located in the feed direction and on the underside of the downstream end 91e (291e) of the support plate 91 (291).

[0073] 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion where a downstream end 391e of a support plate 391 of a feed tray 301 which is a first modified example of the first embodiment is located. In the feed tray 301, an opposing portion 311c (a portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 8) on a bottom surface 311a of a bottom wall 311 which faces the downstream end 391e of the support plate 391 in the up-down direction is flat in the left-right direction, but protrusions 316 are provided on both the left and right sides of the opposing portion 311c.

[0074] 9 shows a cross-sectional view of a portion where the downstream end 491e of the support plate 491 of the feed tray 401, which is the second modified example of the first embodiment, is located. In the feed tray 401, a protrusion 416 is provided on a facing portion 411c (a portion surrounded by a dashed line in FIG. 9) of the bottom surface 411a of the bottom wall 411 that faces the downstream end 491e of the support plate 491. Also, protrusions 493 are provided on both ends of the lower surface of the downstream end 491e of the support plate 491. A height position H6 of the tip of the protrusion 416 on the bottom surface 411a is lower than a height position H7 of the lower end of the protrusion 493 of the support plate 491. That is, as shown in FIG. 9, a region B1 obtained by projecting the downstream end 491e of the support plate 491 on a virtual plane F perpendicular to the left-right direction in the direction indicated by the arrow V (direction from right to left) does not overlap with a region B2 obtained by projecting the facing portion 411c of the bottom wall 411 on the virtual plane F in the direction indicated by the arrow V.

[0075] In addition, in the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, a case has been described in which the same feed roller 2 feeds both the roll paper Rp and the cut paper Kp, but a feed roller for feeding the cut paper Kp may be provided separately from the feed roller for feeding the roll paper Rp.

[0076] Furthermore, in the above-described first embodiment, the opening 91c is formed at a position on the support plate 91 that is not aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 along the feeding direction, but this is not limiting. That is, the opening 91c may be formed at a position aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 along the feeding direction.

[0077] In addition, in the above-described first embodiment, the base pad 92 is provided at a position aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 along the feeding direction on the upper surface of the support plate 91, but this is not limited to the above. The base pad 92 may be provided at a position not aligned with the separation surface 31a of the separation piece 31 along the feeding direction. Also, the base pad 92 does not have to be provided.

[0078] In the above-described first embodiment, the opening 91c has a rectangular shape surrounded on all four sides when viewed from above, but is not limited thereto. That is, for example, the opening 91c may be a notch that is open on the downstream side in the feeding direction.

[0079] In the above-mentioned first and second embodiments, the feed roller 2 has two rollers 2a arranged in the left-right direction and spaced apart from each other, but the present invention is not limited to this. That is, for example, the feed roller 2 may be composed of one roller, or may be composed of three or more rollers. In addition, when the feed roller 2 is composed of multiple rollers, the multiple rollers do not have to be arranged in the left-right direction.

[0080] In the above-described second embodiment, the bottom wall 211 has the contact area 211b that can come into contact with the feed roller 2 downstream of the facing portion 211c that faces the downstream end 291e of the support plate 291 in the feed direction, and the height position H3 of the contact area 211b is equal to or higher than the height position H4 of the upper surface of the support plate 291. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the height position H3 of the contact area 211b may be lower than the height position H4 of the upper surface of the support plate 291.

[0081] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned second embodiment, the bottom surface 211a of the bottom wall 211 has the first surface 216a which is a horizontal surface including the contact area 211b, the second surface 216b which is a horizontal surface located below the first surface 216a, and the third surface 216c which is an inclined surface connecting the first surface 216a and the second surface 216b, but is not limited thereto. That is, for example, the third surface 216c connecting the first surface 216a and the second surface 216b may be a vertical surface perpendicular to the first surface 216a and the second surface 216b.

[0082] The present invention can be applied to image recording devices in general that are equipped with a feed tray capable of accommodating a roll body. That is, for example, the present invention can be applied not only to inkjet printers, but also to laser-type electrophotographic printers in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoconductor to a laser, and to LED-type electrophotographic printers in which an electrostatic latent image is formed by exposing a photoconductor to an LED. In addition, the sheet-like medium is not limited to paper, and may be cloth or the like as long as it is in sheet form. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1, 201 Feeding tray 2 Feeding roller 2a Laura 6 Head (recording section) 11, 211 Bottom wall 11c, 211c (opposing part) 11b, 211b contact area 11a, 211a bottom 31 Separation piece 31a Separation plane 91, 291 Support plate (path member) 92 Base pad (friction material) 91c aperture 100 Printer (image recording device) 100a housing 216a 1st page 216b 2nd side 216c 3rd page I Feeding Route Kp cut paper (sheet media) R Roll Body Rp roll paper (roll media)

Claims

1. A feed tray capable of accommodating a roll of sheet-like media, a bottom wall having a feed surface capable of supporting a roll medium, which is a sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body; a path member positioned at a distance from the feed surface of the bottom wall and defining a feed path for the roll medium between the bottom wall and the path member; an area obtained by projecting an end portion of the path member on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the roll medium in the axial direction of the roll body does not overlap an area obtained by projecting an opposing portion of the bottom wall that faces the end portion of the path member on the downstream side in the feeding direction in the axial direction, The path member is capable of supporting a plurality of sheet media stacked in a vertical direction from below, The sheet medium conveying device is attached to an image recording device including a feed roller that applies a conveying force to the sheet medium placed on the path member to feed the sheet medium, the bottom wall has a contact area, which is located downstream of the facing portion in the feeding direction and is capable of contacting the feeding roller, A feeding tray according to claim 1, wherein a height position of the contact area of ​​the bottom wall is equal to or higher than a height position of an upper surface of an end portion of the path member on a downstream side in the feeding direction.

2. 2. The feed tray of claim 1, wherein the opposing portions of the bottom wall are flat in the axial direction.

3. the feed surface of the bottom wall has a first surface which is a horizontal surface including the contact area, a second surface which is a horizontal surface located upstream of the first surface in the feed direction and below the first surface, and a third surface which is an inclined surface connecting the first surface and the second surface, 3. The feeding tray according to claim 1, wherein a downstream end of the path member in the feeding direction is located above the third surface of the feeding surface of the bottom wall.

4. 4. The feed tray according to claim 3, wherein an angle between the second surface and the third surface is greater than 90 degrees.

5. A feed tray capable of accommodating a roll of sheet-like medium; a housing to which the feeding tray is detachably attached; a feed roller that applies a conveying force to a roll medium, which is a sheet-like medium unwound from the roll body stored in the feed tray attached to the housing, to feed the roll medium; a recording unit that records an image on the roll medium fed by the feeding roller and sent out from the feeding tray, The feed tray includes: a bottom wall having a feed surface capable of supporting the roll medium; a path member positioned at a distance from the feed surface of the bottom wall and defining a feed path for the roll medium between the bottom wall and the path member; an area obtained by projecting an end portion of the path member on the downstream side in the feeding direction of the roll medium in the axial direction of the roll body does not overlap an area obtained by projecting an opposing portion of the bottom wall that faces the end portion of the path member on the downstream side in the feeding direction in the axial direction, the path member has an opening formed at an end portion on a downstream side in the feeding direction, an area of ​​the bottom wall on the feed surface facing the opening of the path member serving as a contact area capable of contacting the feed roller;

6. 6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the opposing portions of the bottom wall are flat in the axial direction.

7. An image recording device as described in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that the height of the feeding surface is constant with respect to the feeding direction in a portion of the bottom wall facing the path member and upstream of the portion in which the abutment area is located in the feeding direction.

8. The path member is capable of supporting a plurality of sheet media stacked in a vertical direction from below, 8. The image recording device according to claim 5, wherein the sheet medium placed on the path member is fed by the feed roller.

9. a separation piece having a separation surface formed thereon, the separation piece being located downstream of the path member in the feeding direction and contacting the sheet media fed from the path member by the feeding roller to separate the stacked plurality of sheet media into the sheet media in contact with the feeding roller and the other sheet media; 9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the opening is formed in the path member at a position not aligned with the separation surface of the separation piece along the feeding direction.

10. 10. The image recording device according to claim 9, further comprising a friction member provided on an upper surface of the path member in a position aligned with the separation surface of the separation piece along the feeding direction, the friction member having a coefficient of friction greater than that of the upper surface of the path member.

11. The feed roller includes two rollers arranged side by side along the axial direction and spaced apart from each other, the openings are formed in portions of the path member facing the two rollers of the feed roller, 11. The image recording apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the friction members are disposed between the two rollers and the openings facing the two rollers.

12. A feed tray according to any one of claims 1 to 4, a housing to which the feeding tray is detachably attached; a feed roller that applies a conveying force to the roll medium supported by the feed tray attached to the housing to feed the roll medium; a recording unit that records an image on the roll medium fed by the feed roller and sent out from the feed tray.

Images