Image forming device

Abstract

To guide a roll medium unrolled from a roll body housed in a feed tray and cut media to a transport path properly in an image formation device having the feed tray which may be inserted into or removed from a housing and can house the roll body and the cut media.SOLUTION: A printer 100 according to an embodiment includes: a housing 100a formed with a transport path; a feed tray 11 which can house a roll body R and cut sheets P2; a first guide member 7 which guides the roll sheet P1a and the cut sheets P2 to the transport path; and a second guide member 8 which guides the roll sheet P1a to the transport path. The second guide member 8 is located at the opposite side of the first guide member 7 across the roll sheet P1a. The second guide member 8 may move between a guide position, in which the second guide member 8 guides the roll sheet P1a to the guide path, and a retreat position which is spaced away from the first guide member 7 farther than the guide position and where the second guide member 8 does not interfere with the cut sheets P2 housed in a second housing part 11b.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image forming apparatus having a feed tray that can accommodate both rolls and cut media. [Background technology]

[0002] Image forming devices that can accommodate both rolls of sheet paper and cut paper are known. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a facsimile (image forming device) that has a paper feed cassette (feed tray) that has a loading section for the roll and a loading section for the cut paper. The feeding tray is insertable into and removable from the facsimile main body (housing). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 02-264556 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The leading edge of the roll paper unwound from the roll body curls in the winding direction, which can cause the roll paper (roll medium) being unwound from the roll body stored in the feed tray and transported to the paper feed path to be incorrectly guided.

[0005] The object of the present invention is to provide an image forming device having a feed tray that can be inserted into and removed from a housing and can store roll bodies and cut media, and that can properly guide roll media and cut media unwound from the roll bodies stored in the feed tray to a transport path. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention comprises a housing in which a transport path is formed, a feed tray which is insertable into and removable from the housing and has a first storage section capable of storing a roll of long sheet medium wound in a roll shape, and a second storage section capable of storing a plurality of stacked cut media, which are sheet medium shorter than the long sheet medium, an image forming section which forms an image on the sheet medium in the transport path, a first guide member which guides the sheet medium to the transport path, and a second guide member which is supported by the housing and guides the roll medium, which is sheet medium unwound from the roll, to the transport path, the second guide member being located on the opposite side of the roll medium from the first guide member, and the second guide member further Tip to the conveying path. No. 1 position and No. 1 a position farther from the first guide member than the position where the sheet medium is not interfered with by the sheet medium accommodated in the second accommodation portion; No. 2 It is movable between positions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present invention, by moving the second guide member to the retracted position, the second guide member does not interfere with the cut media stored in the second storage unit. Therefore, the cut media can be properly stored in the second storage unit, and the cut media stored in the second storage unit can be properly guided to the transport path by the first guide member. Furthermore, by moving the guide member to the guide position, the roll media unwound from the roll can be properly guided to the transport path by the second guide member. This allows the roll media unwound from the roll and the cut media to be properly guided to the transport path in an image forming device having a feed tray that can be inserted into and removed from the housing and can store the roll and the cut media. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a printer according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the printer when cut paper is stored. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing a part of a housing and a feed tray. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the printer when inserting and removing a feed tray. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating the configuration of the retraction mechanism when the feed tray is inserted into the housing. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating a retraction mechanism when inserting or removing a feeding tray. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a main part showing a modified example of the long hole portion. [Figure 8] 10 is an enlarged view of a main portion showing another modified example of the long hole portion and the protrusion portion. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] A printer 100 (image forming apparatus of the present invention) according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 6. The up-down, left-right, and front-rear directions shown in Figure 1 are the up-down, left-right, and front-rear directions of the printer 100.

[0010] (Overall configuration of the printer 100) As shown in FIG. 1, the printer 100 includes a housing 100a, a feed tray 11, a feed roller 2, a pair of transport rollers 3a, a pair of discharge rollers 3b, a cutter mechanism 4, a head 5 (an image forming unit of the present invention), a discharge tray 6, a first guide member 7, a second guide member 8, a pair of intermediate rollers 9, and a control unit 10. The feed tray 11 can be inserted into and removed from the lower part of the housing 100a. The discharge tray 6 forms a front side wall of the upper part of the housing 100a and can be opened and closed relative to the housing 100a. Note that FIG. 3 shows only a portion of the lower part of the housing 100a.

[0011] The feed tray 11 can be inserted and removed from the housing 100a in the front-rear direction. In other words, the "insertion and removal direction of the feed tray" in the present invention refers to the front-rear direction in this embodiment. The feed tray 11 has a first storage section 11a that can store a roll R of long paper P1 (the sheet-like medium of the present invention) wound in a roll, and a second storage section 11b that can store a stack of cut sheets P2 (the sheet-like medium of the present invention; see FIG. 2), which are shorter than the long paper P1. A rear end wall 18 extending upward is formed at the rear end of the feed tray 11, i.e., the upstream end in the direction of removal of the feed tray 11 from the housing 100a. The rear end wall 18 is a member that prevents the cut sheets P2 stored in the second storage section 11b from falling out when the feed tray 11 is inserted and removed from the housing 100a.

[0012] The first storage section 11a has a cylindrical core member Rc, two rollers 14 and 15, and a roll cover 16. The roll body R is formed by winding a long sheet of paper P1 in a roll shape around the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical core member Rc. The roll body R is arranged so that its axial direction (perpendicular to the plane of the paper in FIG. 1) along its rotation axis Rx (the central axis of the core member Rc) is parallel to the left-right direction. The axial direction of the rotation axis Rx also corresponds to the width direction of the long sheet of paper P1 and the cut paper P2.

[0013] The two rollers 14, 15 extend longitudinally in the left-right direction and are slightly longer than the width of the roll R. The roller 15 is disposed behind the roller 14. The rotation axes of the rollers 14, 15 are parallel to the rotation axis Rx. These two rollers 14, 15 support the roll R from below while in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower portion of the roll R.

[0014] When the long sheet of paper P1 is unwound from the roll R, the two rollers 14, 15 rotate in response to the rotation of the roll R, which rotates counterclockwise (indicated by the solid arrow in FIG. 1). In this embodiment, the long sheet of paper P1 unwound from the roll R housed in the first storage section 11a is referred to as roll paper P1a (the roll medium of the present invention). The roll paper P1a unwound from the roll R housed in the first storage section 11a is sent to the feed roller 2 through a path below the bottom surface 17 (described below) of the second storage section 11b.

[0015] The roll cover 16 is a member that covers the roll R stored in the first storage section 11a. The roll cover 16 extends in the left-right direction and is formed to be longer than the width of the rollers 14, 15. The roll cover 16 is also arranged so that it can come into close proximity with the outer peripheral surface of the largest size roll R that can be stored in the first storage section 11a. As a result, even if the roll R loosens and the outer diameter of the roll R attempts to increase, the outer peripheral surface of the roll R comes into contact with the inner surface of the roll cover 16, making it possible to prevent the outer diameter from increasing.

[0016] The second storage section 11b is located behind the first storage section 11a and has a bottom surface 17 that supports the cut sheet P2 from below. The bottom surface 17 extends elongatedly in the left-right direction and is formed to be slightly longer than the width of the cut sheet P2.

[0017] The second storage section 11b is also provided with a mark 51 that indicates the maximum height position when the maximum number of cut sheets P2 is stored. The mark 51 is, for example, a rib-like shape that protrudes inward from the inner surface of the feed tray 11. The mark 51 is formed along the front-to-rear direction. The maximum number of cut sheets P2 that can be stored is, for example, 500 sheets.

[0018] Furthermore, a notch is formed in the rear end portion of the bottom surface 17 of the second storage section 11b, in the center in the left-right direction. When printing on roll paper P1a, as described above, roll paper P1a is unwound from the roll body R and fed to the feed roller 2 through a path below the bottom surface 17 of the second storage section 11b. Then, when no cut paper P2 is stored in the second storage section 11b, the roll paper P1a comes into contact with the feed roller 2 from the notched portion of the bottom surface 17, and is fed toward the transport path. When printing on cut paper P2, multiple stacks of cut paper P2 on the bottom surface 17 are sent to the transport path by the feed roller 2.

[0019] In this embodiment, roll paper P1a unwound from the roll R stored in the first storage section 11a is fed toward the transport path by the feed roller 2, and is sent to the paper output tray 6 via the intermediate roller pair 9, the transport roller pair 3a, the head 5, and the paper output roller pair 3b. The transport path for the roll paper P1a is defined by the feed roller 2, the intermediate roller pair 9, the transport roller pair 3a, and the paper output roller pair 3b. Also, cut paper P2 stored in the second storage section 11b is fed toward the transport path by the feed roller 2, and is sent to the paper output tray 6 via the intermediate roller pair 9, the transport roller pair 3a, the head 5, and the paper output roller pair 3b. The transport path for the cut paper P2 is defined by the feed roller 2, the intermediate roller pair 9, the transport roller pair 3a, and the paper output roller pair 3b. Therefore, transport paths for the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 are formed inside the housing 100a.

[0020] In this embodiment, when printing on roll paper P1a, cut paper P2 is not stored in second storage section 11b. Furthermore, when printing on cut paper P2, roll paper P1a is not unwound from the roll R stored in first storage section 11a, or the roll R is not stored in first storage section 11a. Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the feed tray 11 is inserted into the housing 100a, at least a portion of first storage section 11a and all of second storage section 11b are contained within the housing 100a.

[0021] The feed roller 2 is located behind the first storage section 11a, near the rear end of the second storage section 11b. The feed roller 2 is rotated by a feed motor (not shown), and feeds the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 from the feed tray 11 to the transport path. As described above, the transport path for both the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 are defined by the feed roller 2, the pair of intermediate rollers 9, the pair of transport rollers 3a, and the pair of discharge rollers 3b. Therefore, the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 along the common transport path.

[0022] The printer 100 according to this embodiment also has a swing arm 20a that rotatably supports the feed roller 2, and a swing shaft 20b that swingably supports the swing arm 20a on the housing 100a. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the swing arm 20a has two protrusions 21 that extend to the right and left in the left-right direction from the swing arm 20a. The protrusions 21 will be described later when describing the second guide member 8. The rotation axis of the swing shaft 20b is parallel to the left-right direction. The swing shaft 20b may support the swing arm 20a directly or indirectly on the housing 100a.

[0023] Furthermore, the printer 100 includes a retraction mechanism 40 that moves the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a to a position where they do not interfere with the feed tray 11 when inserting or removing the feed tray 11 into or from the housing 100a. The retraction mechanism 40 includes a horizontal surface 41a, inclined surfaces 41b and 41c, and a cylindrical member 43 of a side wall 41 of the feed tray 11.

[0024] As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 , a cylindrical member 43 is supported on the tip of an extension 42 extending from the swing arm 20a to the right and left in the left-right direction to the sidewalls 41 on both sides of the feed tray 11. A horizontal surface 41a and inclined surfaces 41b and 41c are formed on the upper part of the sidewall 41 of the feed tray 11. The inclined surface 41b slopes downward from the front to the rear near the center of the horizontal surface 41a, which extends horizontally across the entire upper part of the sidewall 41. The inclined surface 41c slopes upward from the front to the rear near the center of the horizontal surface 41a and at a position rearward of the inclined surface 41b. The rear end of the inclined surface 41b is connected to the front end of the inclined surface 41c, and the front end of the inclined surface 41b is connected to the horizontal surface 41a, while the rear end of the inclined surface 41c is connected to the horizontal surface 41a. The cylindrical member 43 is movable along the horizontal surface 41a and the inclined surfaces 41b and 41c.

[0025] When the feed tray 11 is inserted into the housing 100a, as shown in FIG. 5, the cylindrical member 43 is positioned near the connection point between the inclined surfaces 41b and 41c. At this time, the feed roller 2 is moved to a position where it abuts the roll paper P1a or the cut paper P2. In contrast, when the feed tray 11 is removed from the housing 100a, or when the removed feed tray 11 is inserted back into the housing 100a, the feed tray 11 moves forward relative to the housing 100a, and as shown in FIG. 6, the cylindrical member 43 is positioned on the horizontal surface 41a behind the inclined surface 41c. As a result, the retraction mechanism 40 can move the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a to positions where they do not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a, as shown in FIG. 4. In this embodiment, the "position where the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a do not interfere with the feed tray 11" refers to a position above the rear end wall 18 of the feed tray 11. However, if there is a component of the feed tray 11 located above the rear end wall 18 behind the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a in the front-to-rear direction, the "position where the feed tray 11 does not interfere with the feed tray 11" will be a position above the component of the feed tray 11.

[0026] The cutter mechanism 4 is located downstream of the feed roller 2 in the transport direction (hereinafter simply referred to as the "transport direction") along the transport path of the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2, and upstream of the head 5, which will be described later, in the transport direction. The cutter mechanism 4 includes, for example, two rotary blades, a cutter 4a, and a cutting motor (not shown), which drives the cutter 4a back and forth in the axial direction. The roll paper P1a, which has been unwound from the roll R and transported along the transport path, is cut widthwise by the cutter 4a under the control of the control unit 10. This forms a trailing edge on the roll paper P1a that is sent to the paper output tray 6.

[0027] The intermediate roller pair 9 is located downstream in the transport direction from the cutter mechanism 4 and upstream in the transport direction from the head 5. The intermediate roller pair 9 transports the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 to the transport roller pair 3a. The intermediate roller pair 9 is composed of a drive roller that is rotated by the drive of an intermediate motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates along with the drive roller.

[0028] The conveying roller pair 3a is composed of a drive roller that is rotated by the drive of a conveying motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates along with the drive roller. The paper discharge roller pair 3b is composed of a drive roller that is rotated by the drive of a paper discharge motor (not shown) and a driven roller that rotates along with the drive roller. The conveying motor and paper discharge motor (not shown) are driven under the control of the control unit 10, and the conveying roller pair 3a and paper discharge roller pair 3b rotate while sandwiching the rolled paper P1a (or cut paper P2), thereby conveying the rolled paper P1a (or cut paper P2). Note that the drive roller of the conveying roller pair 3a and the drive roller of the paper discharge roller pair 3b may be driven by a common conveying motor (not shown). In this case, for example, the conveying roller pair 3a and the paper discharge roller pair 3b are connected by a belt.

[0029] The head 5 forms images on the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2 and is located downstream of the pair of transport rollers 3a in the transport direction and upstream of the pair of discharge rollers 3b in the transport direction. The head 5 includes multiple nozzles (not shown) formed on its underside and a driver IC. When the driver IC is driven under the control of the control unit 10, ink is ejected from the nozzles. When the roll paper P1a (or the cut paper P2) transported by the pair of transport rollers 3a passes a position facing the underside of the head 5, ink is ejected from the nozzles of the head 5, forming an image on the long paper P1 or the cut paper P2. The head 5 may be either a line type, in which ink is ejected from the nozzles while remaining fixed in position, or a serial type, in which ink is ejected from the nozzles while moving in the axial direction of the rotation axis Rx. The roll paper P1a (or the cut paper P2) on which the image has been formed by the head 5 is received in the paper ejection tray 6, which is open relative to the housing 100a.

[0030] In this embodiment, the horizontal component of the transport direction of roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 fed by feed roller 2 is from front to back in the front-to-back direction, and the horizontal component of the transport direction of roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 discharged to the outside from the open paper output tray 6 after passing a position facing the underside of head 5 is from back to front in the front-to-back direction. In other words, the printer 100 of this embodiment has a so-called U-turn path configuration in which the transport direction is turned back midway.

[0031] The control unit 10 is connected to the feed motor, intermediate motor, transport motor, paper discharge motor, driver IC, cutting motor, etc. 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 programs.

[0032] The first guide member 7 is supported by the housing 100a. The first guide member 7 is located behind the feed roller 2 and upstream of the cutter mechanism 4 in the conveyance direction. The first guide member 7 guides the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 fed by the feed roller 2 along the conveyance path to the cutter mechanism 4. As shown in FIG. 1, the first guide member 7 is inclined so that it is positioned higher from front to rear in the front-to-rear direction. The first guide member 7 extends elongatedly in the left-to-right direction and is slightly longer than the width of the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2. The surface of the first guide member 7 has a fine uneven pattern formed repeatedly along the conveyance direction. This separates short sheets of paper, such as cut paper P2, to prevent double feeding.

[0033] The second guide member 8 is supported by the housing 100a. As shown in FIG. 1, the second guide member 8 is located forward of the first guide member 7. That is, the second guide member 8 is located on the opposite side of the first guide member 7 across the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll R. Two second guide members 8 are located on both left and right outer sides of the swing arm 20a, and each extends longitudinally in the left-right direction. The length from the left end of the second guide member 8 on the left side of the swing arm 20a to the right end of the second guide member 8 on the right side of the swing arm 20a is slightly longer than the width of the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 in the transport path. The second guide member 8 is also inclined so that it is positioned upward from front to rear in the front-to-rear direction. In this embodiment, the inclination angle of the second guide member 8 relative to the vertical direction is greater than the inclination angle of the first guide member 7 relative to the vertical direction. The second guide member 8 has a rotation shaft 31 at one end on the downstream side in the conveying direction along the conveying path, i.e., at one end on the side closer to the cutter mechanism 4 in FIG. 1. The axial direction of the rotation shaft 31 is parallel to the left-right direction. The second guide member 8 is rotatable about the rotation shaft 31.

[0034] The second guide member 8 is formed in a direction perpendicular to the extension direction (left-right direction) of the protrusion 21 of the swing arm 20a, and has an elongated hole portion 32 into which the protrusion 21 is inserted. As shown in FIG. 3, the portion of the second guide member 8 that defines the elongated hole portion 32 does not extend in the left-right direction. The second guide member 8 can move in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a as the protrusion 21 moves along the inner surface of the elongated hole portion 32.

[0035] The second guide member 8 rotates about the rotation shaft 31 in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a, thereby moving between a guide position (the state in FIG. 1 ) where it guides the roll paper P1a along the conveyance path to the cutter mechanism 4 and a retracted position (the state in FIG. 2 ) where it is farther from the first guide member 7 than the guide position and does not interfere with the cut paper P2 stored in the second storage unit 11b. In this embodiment, the "farther from the first guide member 7 than the guide position" refers to a position above and forward of the guide position. When the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, as shown in FIG. 1 , a portion of it is located in a storage area A in the second storage unit 11b that can store the cut paper P2. The storage area A is an area in the second storage unit 11b that is above the bottom surface 17 and below the mark 51, and includes both the front-to-rear and left-to-right ends and the insides thereof of the cut paper P2 placed on the bottom surface 17. When the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, as shown in FIG. 2, the entire second guide member 8 is located outside the storage area A and above the mark 51.

[0036] When transporting roll paper P1a, as shown in FIG. 1, the swing arm 20a swings around the swing shaft 20b, causing the feed roller 2 to come into contact with the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll R stored in the first storage section 11a. The second guide member 8 moves to the guide position in conjunction with the swing of the swing arm 20a. When the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, the feed roller 2 is positioned between the rotation shaft 31 and the swing shaft 20b in the front-to-rear direction. When the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, the transport path for the roll paper P1a between the first guide member 7 and the second guide member 8 narrows as it approaches the cutter mechanism 4. This makes it easier to guide roll paper P1a with a curled leading edge into the transport path. When conveying cut sheet P2, as shown in Fig. 2, the swing arm 20a swings about the swing shaft 20b, causing the feed roller 2 to come into contact with the cut sheet P2 stored in a stack in the second storage section 11b. The second guide member 8 moves to the retracted position in conjunction with the swing of the swing arm 20a. Note that the second guide member 8 is bent in the direction from the guide position toward the retracted position, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In this embodiment, the second guide member 8 has an inverted V-shape when viewed from right to left in the left-right direction.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 6 , the second guide member 8 can move to a retracted position in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a. As described above, the swing arm 20a is moved by the retraction mechanism 40 to a position where it does not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a. At this time, the protrusion 21 provided on the swing arm 20a moves along the elongated hole portion 32 of the second guide member 8, causing the second guide member 8 to move to the retracted position. Note that, when the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, it does not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a. Note that, in this embodiment, "not interfering with the feed tray 11" has the same definition as the "position where it does not interfere with the feed tray 11" of the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a described above.

[0038] As described above, the printer 100 of this embodiment includes a housing 100a having a transport path formed therein, a feed tray 11 capable of housing the roll R and cut paper P2, a first guide member 7 that guides the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 to the transport path, and a second guide member 8 that guides the roll paper P1a to the transport path. The second guide member 8 is located on the opposite side of the roll paper P1a from the first guide member 7. The second guide member 8 is movable between a guide position where it guides the roll paper P1a to the transport path and a retracted position that is farther from the first guide member 7 than the guide position and does not interfere with the cut paper P2 stored in the second storage unit 11b. In this embodiment, moving the second guide member 8 to the retracted position prevents the second guide member 8 from interfering with the stacks of cut paper P2 stored in the second storage unit 11b. As a result, the cut paper P2 can be properly stored in the second storage section 11b, and the cut paper P2 stored in the second storage section 11b can be properly guided to the transport path by the first guide member 7. Furthermore, by moving the second guide member 8 to the guide position, the second guide member 8 can properly guide the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll R to the transport path. More specifically, the leading edge of the roll paper P1a curls along the winding direction of the roll R, i.e., upward. When in the guide position, the second guide member 8 can properly guide the leading edge of the curled roll paper P1a along the transport path to the cutter mechanism 4. This allows the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 unwound from the roll R to be properly guided to the transport path inside the housing 100a in a printer 100 that has a feed tray 11 that can be inserted into and removed from the housing 100a and that can store the roll R and cut paper P2.

[0039] Furthermore, when the second guide member 8 of this embodiment is in the retracted position, it does not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a. This makes it possible to avoid interference between the protruding portion of the feed tray 11 (such as the rear end wall portion 18) and the second guide member 8 when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed.

[0040] In addition, in this embodiment, when the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, a portion of it is located in the storage area A, and when the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, the entirety of it is located outside the storage area A. When transporting roll paper P1a, the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, and cut paper P2 is not stored in the storage area A of the second storage section 11b. In other words, the storage area A is empty space. Therefore, by locating at least a portion of the second guide member 8 in the guide position in the storage area A, the printer 100 can be made more compact. On the other hand, if the second guide member 8 is located in the storage area A, the cut paper P2 and the second guide member 8 will interfere with each other when storing the cut paper P2, preventing the cut paper P2 from being stored. According to this embodiment, by locating the entire second guide member 8 in the retracted position outside the storage area A, the printer 100 can be made more compact while preventing contact between the second guide member 8 and the cut paper P2 when storing the cut paper P2. Furthermore, when the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, it is positioned above a mark 51 that indicates the maximum height position when the maximum number of cut sheets P2 is stored in the second storage section 11b. Although it is possible to store cut sheets P2 up to below the second guide member 8, if the second guide member 8 in the retracted position is below the mark 51, it is not possible to store the maximum number of cut sheets P2. According to this embodiment, by moving the second guide member 8 to the retracted position, it is possible to store the maximum number of cut sheets P2.

[0041] Furthermore, the second guide member 8 of this embodiment has a rotation shaft 31 at one end on the downstream side in the conveying direction along the conveying path. The second guide member 8 can move between the guide position and the retracted position by rotating around the rotation shaft 31. This allows for easy movement between the guide position and the retracted position.

[0042] The printer 100 of this embodiment also includes a feed roller 2, a swing arm 20a, a swing shaft 20b, and a retraction mechanism 40 that moves the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a to a position where they do not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a. The swing arm 20a is provided with a protrusion 21 extending in the left-right direction, and the second guide member 8 has an elongated hole 32 into which the protrusion 21 is inserted. When the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a, the protrusion 21 moves along the elongated hole 32, allowing the second guide member 8 to move in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a. This allows the second guide member 8 to move to the retracted position in conjunction with the swing arm 20a in the printer 100, which is configured so that the feed roller 2 and the swing arm 20a move to a position where they do not interfere with the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted or removed from the housing 100a. This makes it possible to avoid contact between the second guide member 8 and the cut paper P2, or interference between the second guide member 8 and the protruding portion of the feed tray (such as the rear end wall portion 18) when inserting or removing the feed tray 11.

[0043] In this embodiment, two second guide members 8 are arranged on both left and right outer sides of the swing arm 20a. This allows the roll paper P1a to be guided by the two second guide members 8. This makes it possible to more appropriately guide the roll paper P1a to the transport path inside the housing 100a.

[0044] In this embodiment, the second guide member 8 is bent in the direction from the guide position toward the retracted position. This makes it possible to prevent the second guide member 8 in the retracted position from coming into contact with the cut sheet P2 even when there is a large number of cut sheets P2 stacked in the second storage section 11b. Furthermore, even when the leading edge of the cut sheet P2 stored in the second storage section 11b is curled upward, the cut sheet P2 is conveyed without coming into contact with the second guide member 8 in the retracted position. The degree of bending of the second guide member 8 may be adjusted as appropriate depending on the degree of curl of the cut sheet P2.

[0045] In the above-described embodiment, the elongated hole portion 32 of the second guide member 8 guides the convex portion 21 along a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the rotation shaft 31. However, as shown in FIG. 7, the elongated hole portion 232 may have a first portion 232a that guides the convex portion 21 along the one direction and a second portion 232b that guides the convex portion 21 in a direction intersecting the one direction. In this modification, the first portion 232a of the elongated hole portion 232 extends linearly along the one direction. The second portion 232b is formed by extending in the intersecting direction (downward in FIG. 7) from the end of the first portion 232a that is farthest from the rotation shaft 31. The extension length of the second portion 232b is shorter than the extension length of the first portion 232a and is approximately the same as the radius of the convex portion 21.

[0046] 7, the second portion 232b has a contact surface 232b1 that contacts the protrusion 21 when the leading edge of the roll paper P1a comes into contact with the second guide member 8 as the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a and the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position. When the leading edge of the roll paper P1a comes into contact with the second guide member 8 and the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position, the contact surface 232b1 comes into contact with an intersection G where an imaginary line L passing through the center of the protrusion 21 and the center of the pivot shaft 20b intersects with the outer circumferential surface of the protrusion 21. When the contact surface 232b1 contacts the protrusion 21 at the intersection G, the in-plane direction is tangent to the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical protrusion 21. In other words, the convex portion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 are formed in a shape such that when the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a, the leading edge of the roll paper P1a comes into contact with the second guide member 8, and when the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position toward the retracted position, a force acts on the swing arm 20a in direction D1 (the first direction of the present invention) from the point of contact (intersection G) between the convex portion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 toward the center of the swing shaft 20b.

[0047] The formation of the protrusion 21 and the elongated hole 232 in this manner prevents a moment acting on the swing arm 20a to rotate upward, even if the second guide member 8 attempts to rotate toward the retracted position due to contact with the paper roll P1a when the paper roll P1a is being fed. This makes it difficult for the feed roller 2 to lift up, making it possible to apply a predetermined feeding force to the paper roll P1a. The contact point between the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 is shaped so that when the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position toward the retracted position due to contact with the paper roll P1a when the feed roller 2 feeds the paper roll P1a, a force acts on the swing arm 20a in a direction from the contact point between the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 toward the center of the swing shaft 20b. This prevents the swing arm 20a from swinging upward or downward even if the second guide member 8 tries to swing toward the retracted position due to contact with the roll paper P1a when feeding the roll paper P1a. This makes it possible to effectively apply a predetermined feeding force to the roll paper P1a. When inserting or removing the paper feed tray 11 into or from the housing 100a, the second guide member 8 also moves smoothly in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a (i.e., the movement of the protrusion 21).

[0048] As another variation, the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 may be shaped so that when the leading edge of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8 during feeding of the roll paper P1a by the feed roller 2, and the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position toward the retracted position, a force acts on the swing arm 20a from the point of contact (intersection G) between the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 in direction D2 (the direction indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 7; the second direction of the present invention) pointing downward from the center of the swing shaft 20b. Even in this case, even if the second guide member 8 attempts to rotate toward the retracted position due to contact with the roll paper P1a during feeding, it is possible to prevent a moment that rotates the swing arm 20a upward from acting on the swing arm 20a. This makes it possible to apply a predetermined feeding force to the roll paper P1a.

[0049] Furthermore, in this other modified example, the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 232b1 may be shaped so that when the leading edge of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8 as the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a and the second guide member 8 rotates from the guiding position to the retracted position, a force acts on the swing arm 20a in either the horizontal direction or in direction D2 (the direction shown by the dashed line in FIG. 7) that points upward from the horizontal direction (a direction parallel to the front-to-rear direction). This makes it difficult for a moment that rotates the swing arm 20a downward to act on the swing arm 20a, preventing the feeding force applied to the roll paper P1a from becoming too large.

[0050] As yet another modification, as shown in FIG. 8, a cylindrical protrusion 21 may be formed on the second guide member 8, and an elongated hole 332 may be formed on the swing arm 20a. The protrusion 21 is formed at the end of the second guide member 8 farthest from the rotation shaft 31, protruding parallel to the left-right direction toward the swing arm 20a. The elongated hole 332 has a first portion 332a that guides the protrusion 21 along the extension direction of the swing arm 20a, and a second portion 332b that guides the protrusion 21 in a direction intersecting the extension direction. The first portion 332a extends linearly along the extension direction of the swing arm 20a. The second portion 332b is formed to extend in the intersecting direction (diagonally upward to the right in FIG. 8) from the end of the first portion 332a farthest from the swing shaft 20b. The extension length of the second portion 332b is shorter than the extension length of the first portion 332a and is approximately the same as the radius of the protrusion 21.

[0051] 8, the second portion 332b has a contact surface 332b1 that contacts the protrusion 21 when the leading edge of the roll paper P1a comes into contact with the second guide member 8 as the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a and the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position. When the leading edge of the roll paper P1a comes into contact with the second guide member 8 and the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position, the contact surface 332b1 comes into contact with an intersection H where the imaginary line L intersects with the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 21. When the contact surface 332b1 is in contact with the protrusion 21 at the intersection H, the in-plane direction is tangent to the outer peripheral surface of the protrusion 21. In other words, the convex portion 21 and the abutment surface 332b1 are formed in a shape such that when the feed roller 2 feeds the roll paper P1a, the leading edge of the roll paper P1a comes into contact with the second guide member 8, and when the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position toward the retracted position, a force acts on the swing arm 20a in direction D3 (the first direction of the present invention) from the point of abutment (intersection H) between the convex portion 21 and the abutment surface 332b1 toward the center of the swing shaft 20b.

[0052] Even with the protrusion 21 and the elongated hole 332 formed in this manner, the same effect as in the above-described modified example can be achieved. Note that, in this modified example, the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 332b1 may be shaped so that when the leading edge of the roll paper P1a contacts the second guide member 8 during feeding of the roll paper P1a by the feed roller 2 and the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position, a force acts on the swing arm 20a from the contact point (intersection H) between the protrusion 21 and the contact surface 332b1 in a direction downward from the center of the swing shaft 20b, or a force acts in either the horizontal direction or a direction upward from the horizontal direction. This also achieves the same effect as in the above-described modified example. Note that when inserting or removing the paper feed tray 11 into or from the housing 100a, the second guide member 8 (protrusion 21) also moves smoothly in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a (i.e., the movement of the elongated hole 332).

[0053] Furthermore, in each of the above-mentioned modified examples, the convex portion 21 has a cylindrical shape, but it may also have an oval or a rectangular column shape with rounded corners, and when the second guide member 8 rotates from the guide position to the retracted position due to contact with the roll paper P1a, the point where the convex portion 21 abuts against the long hole portions 232, 332 should be formed in a shape that causes a force to act on the swing arm 20a in the above direction.

[0054] (Other variations) Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the patented invention.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the first guide member 7 is supported by the housing 100a. However, the first guide member 7 may be supported by the sheet tray 11.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the second guide member 8 can move to the retracted position in conjunction with the insertion and removal of the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a. However, the second guide member 8 does not have to be able to move to the retracted position when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a. In this case, even if the second guide member 8 is in the guide position, it is preferable that the second guide member 8 and the protruding portion of the feed tray 11 do not interfere with each other when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a. For example, it is preferable that the second guide member 8 in the guide position is positioned so as not to overlap the protruding portion of the feed tray 11 in the left-right direction when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. Furthermore, the second guide member 8 may be able to move to the retracted position without being linked to the insertion and removal of the feed tray 11 when the feed tray 11 is inserted into or removed from the housing 100a.

[0057] In the above embodiment, the second guide member 8 is configured to be movable in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a. However, the second guide member 8 may be configured to be movable independently of the swing arm. In this case, for example, the second guide member 8 may be configured to move in conjunction with a component of the feed tray 11, or may be configured to automatically move to the retracted position by being driven by a motor when a sensor or the like detects the insertion or removal of the feed tray 11. Furthermore, the second guide member 8 may be configured to be movable in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm 20a in a manner different from the configuration in which the protrusion 21 moves along the elongated hole portion 32 as in the above embodiment.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the second guide member 8 may have a long groove portion into which the protrusion 21 is inserted, instead of the long hole portion 32. The long hole portions 232 and 332 in the above-described modified examples may also be formed as long groove portions into which the protrusion 21 can be inserted and guided.

[0059] The second guide member 8 may also be manually movable between the guide position and the retracted position. In this case, the second guide member 8 is manually moved to the retracted position when inserting or removing the feed tray 11 or when storing the cut sheet P2. Furthermore, the second guide member 8 may be configured to be biased toward the guide position by an elastic member such as a spring. In this case, when storing the cut sheet P2 in the second storage section 11b, a force is applied to the second guide member 8 in the direction opposite to the biasing direction to move the second guide member 8 to the retracted position, and then the cut sheet P2 is stored. At this time, when the second guide member 8 is in the retracted position, it abuts against the upper surface of the cut sheet P2 stored in the second storage section 11b. In this case, it is preferable to adjust the biasing strength of the elastic member so that the second guide member 8, biased toward the guide position, does not press down too strongly on the cut sheet P2.

[0060] In the above embodiment, two second guide members 8 are arranged on both left-right outer sides of the swing arm 20a, and each extends long in the left-right direction. However, the two second guide members 8 may partially overlap with the swing arm 20a when viewed from the top-bottom direction. Alternatively, only one second guide member 8 may be arranged. In this case, the second guide member 8 extends long in the left-right direction and is preferably formed slightly longer than the width of the roll paper P1a and the cut paper P2.

[0061] In the above embodiment, the second guide member 8 may or may not be entirely disposed in the storage area A when in the guiding position.

[0062] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the second guide member 8 does not have to be bent. For example, the second guide member 8 may extend straight, or may be curved in the direction from the guiding position to the retracted position.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the second storage section 11b is located behind the first storage section 11a. However, the second storage section 11b may be located in front of the first storage section 11a. In this case, for example, the roll paper P1a unwound from the roll R stored in the first storage section 11a may be fed from back to front in the front-to-back direction and then fed by a feed roller. In this case, the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 may be fed from back to front by the feed roller, then fed from front to back by rollers located downstream in the transport direction along the transport path, and then further fed from back to front by rollers located downstream in the transport direction and guided to the head. In other words, the transport path for the roll paper P1a and cut paper P2 may be S-shaped.

[0064] In the first and second embodiments, the feed tray is insertable and removable in the front-rear direction relative to the housing. However, the feed tray may be insertable and removable in the left-right direction relative to the housing.

[0065] The image forming apparatus according to the present invention can be applied to a multifunction machine, a copier, etc. in addition to the printer 100. The printer is not limited to an inkjet type, but may be a laser type. Furthermore, the sheet medium according to the present invention may be a cloth, a label, etc., in addition to paper. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 2 Feeding roller 5 heads 7 First guide member 8 Second guide member 11 Feeder tray 11a First storage section 11b Second storage section 20a Swing arm 20b Oscillating shaft 21 Convex part 31 Rotation axis 32,232,332 Long hole part 40 Evacuation mechanism 41a Horizontal surface 40b, 40c sloped surface 42 Extension part 43 Cylindrical member 51 Landmark 100 printers 100a housing A Containment Area R roll body P1 Long paper (long sheet media) P1a Roll paper (roll media) P2 Cut paper (cut media

Claims

1. a housing in which a transfer path is formed; a feeding tray that is insertable into and removable from the housing and has a first storage section that can store a roll of sheet media wound in a roll shape, and a second storage section that can store a plurality of stacked sheet media; an image forming unit that forms an image on the sheet medium in the transport path; a first guide member that guides the sheet medium to the transport path; a second guide member supported by the housing and configured to guide a roll medium, which is a sheet medium unwound from the roll body, to the transport path; the second guide member is located on the opposite side of the roll medium from the first guide member, The image forming device is further characterized in that the second guide member is movable between a first position in which it guides the leading edge of the roll medium into the transport path, and a second position that is farther from the first guide member than the first position and does not interfere with the sheet-like medium stored in the second storage section.

2. 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, when the second guide member is in the second position, the second guide member does not interfere with the feed tray when the feed tray is inserted into or removed from the housing.

3. The second guide member is When the sheet-like medium conveying device is in the first position, at least a portion of the sheet-like medium conveying device is disposed in a storage area of ​​the second storage unit that can store the sheet-like medium.

3. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the image forming apparatus is in the second position, the entire image forming apparatus is disposed outside the storage area.

4. The second guide member is 4. The image forming apparatus according to claim 3, wherein, when in the second position, the image forming apparatus is positioned above the maximum height position when the maximum number of sheets of sheet media are accommodated in the second storage section.

5. the second guide member has a rotation shaft at one end on a downstream side in a conveying direction along the conveying path, 5. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second guide member is movable between the first position and the second position by rotating about the rotation axis.

6. 6. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second guide member is movable to the second position in conjunction with insertion and removal of the feed tray into and from the housing.

7. a feed roller that feeds the sheet medium from the feed tray to the transport path; a swing arm that rotatably supports the feeding roller; a swing shaft that swingably supports the swing arm; a retraction mechanism that moves the feed roller and the swing arm to positions where they do not interfere with the feed tray when the feed tray is inserted into or removed from the housing, 7. The image forming apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the second guide member is movable to the second position in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm.

8. a protrusion extending in a direction perpendicular to the insertion / removal direction of the feed tray is formed on one of the swing arm and the second guide member; the other of the swing arm and the second guide member has a long hole portion formed along a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the protrusion, and into which the protrusion is inserted, 8. The image forming apparatus according to claim 7, wherein when the feed tray is inserted into or removed from the housing, the convex portion moves along the elongated hole portion, thereby enabling the second guide member to move in conjunction with the movement of the swing arm.

9. the second guide member has a rotation shaft at one end on a downstream side in a conveying direction along the conveying path, the second guide member is movable between the first position and the second position by rotating about the rotation axis, the feeding roller is disposed below the rotating shaft and the swinging shaft and between the rotating shaft and the swinging shaft in the insertion / removal direction when the second guide member is in the first position, The image forming device described in claim 8, characterized in that the convex portion and the long hole portion are formed in a shape such that when the second guide member rotates from the first position to the second position due to contact with the roll medium when the feed roller feeds the roll medium, a force acts on the swing arm in either a first direction from the contact point between the convex portion and the long hole portion toward the center of the swing shaft, or a second direction from the contact point toward a direction downward from the center of the swing shaft.

10. 10. The image forming apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the second direction is either a horizontal direction or a direction above the horizontal direction.

11. The image forming apparatus of claim 9, characterized in that the contact point is formed in a shape that causes a force in the first direction to act on the swing arm when the second guide member rotates from the first position toward the second position due to contact with the roll medium when the feed roller feeds the roll medium.

12. The protrusion is formed on the swing arm, 12. The image forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the elongated hole is formed in the second guide member.

13. The image forming apparatus according to any one of claims 7 to 12, characterized in that the second guide members are arranged in two on both sides outside the swing arm in a direction perpendicular to the insertion and removal direction of the feed tray.

14. 14. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second guide member is bent in a direction from the first position toward the second position.

15. An image forming apparatus as described in claim 1, further comprising a cutter that cuts the roll medium in the conveying path in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction along the conveying path.

16. Further comprising a feed roller that feeds the roll medium to the transport path, 2. The image forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the second guide member has a portion extending from downstream of the feed roller toward the transport path in the direction in which the roll medium is fed into the transport path by the feed roller when in the first position.

17. An image forming apparatus as described in claim 1, characterized in that the second guide member moves upward from the first position to the second position.

18. An image forming apparatus as described in Claim 1, characterized in that when the second guide member is in the first position, it has an inclined surface that slopes upward as it approaches the first guide member in a direction perpendicular to the up-down direction.

Images