Image recording device

Abstract

To provide means that eliminates an overlapping of sheets which are conveyed while being overlapped with each other, or means that turns the overlapping upside down.SOLUTION: A complex machine 10 is equipped with: a feeding tray 20; an ejecting tray 21; a conveying passage 65; a feeding part 16; a recording part 24; a conveying roller 60 positioned closer to an upstream side in a conveying direction 15 than the recording part 24; a first ejecting roller 62 positioned closer to a downstream side than the recording part 24; a second ejecting roller 46 positioned closer to the downstream side than the first ejecting roller 62; a sheet sensor 120 that senses an end of a sheet 12, at a position closer to the upstream side than the conveying roller 60; a motor 101 for conveying; and a controller 130. The controller 130 feeds a subsequent sheet 12b so that a tip part 53 of the subsequent sheet 12b overlaps with a lower side of a rear end part 52 of a preceding sheet 12a, on the basis of a sensed signal by the sheet sensor 120, where a rotation speed of the second ejecting roller 46 is faster than a rotation speed of the first ejecting roller 62.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus in which sheets are printed and discharged in a stacked state. [Background technology]

[0002] When printing on a plurality of sheets, in order to shorten the distance the head has to move, printing may be performed with the non-printed areas of the preceding and succeeding sheets overlapping each other.

[0003] For example, the printing device disclosed in Patent Document 1 is equipped with a flap member 550 that can move between a first guide position and a second guide position as an example of a guide member for discharging media from the printing device, and the leading end portion of the following medium P2 is stacked below or above the trailing end portion of the preceding medium P1. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-177620 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, if the leading edge of the succeeding medium P2 is stacked underneath the trailing edge of the preceding medium P1 when the media are discharged, the leading edge of the succeeding medium P2 will overlap the trailing edge of the discharged preceding medium P1 and move in the direction of discharge, which may cause the succeeding medium P2 to buckle or may prevent the succeeding medium P2 from being discharged smoothly, resulting in a paper jam.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a means for eliminating the overlap of overlapping sheets that are transported in overlapping positions when the sheets are discharged, or a means for switching the top and bottom of the overlapping sheets. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] (1) The image recording device of the present invention includes a feed tray, a discharge tray, a conveying path connecting the feed tray and the discharge tray, a feed unit that feeds a sheet supported on the feed tray to the conveying path, a recording unit that records an image on the sheet in the conveying path, a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a conveying direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the conveying direction and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a sensor that detects the edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction, a drive unit, and a controller. Based on the detection signal of the sensor, the controller drives the feeding section to feed the second sheet to the conveying path so that the leading edge of the second sheet supported on the feeding tray overlaps below the trailing edge of the first sheet being conveyed by the first roller, and the driving section transmits driving force to at least the second roller and the third roller, and the rotational speed of the roller surface of the third roller is faster than the rotational speed of the roller surface of the second roller.

[0008] Because the rotational speed of the roller surface of the third roller is faster than that of the second roller, the overlapping first and second sheets are conveyed in the conveying direction by the second and third rollers, and when the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the second roller, the first sheet is conveyed by the third roller, whose roller surface rotates faster, and the second sheet is conveyed by the second roller, whose roller surface rotates slower, thereby eliminating the overlap between the first and second sheets.

[0009] (2) The image recording device according to the present invention includes a feed tray, a discharge tray, a transport path connecting the feed tray and the discharge tray, a feed unit that feeds a sheet supported on the feed tray to the transport path, a recording unit that records an image on the sheet in the transport path, a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a transport direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray and that transports the sheet in the transport direction, a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the transport direction and that transports the sheet in the transport direction, a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the transport direction and that transports the sheet in the transport direction, a sensor that detects an edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the transport direction, a first drive unit that transmits drive force to the second roller, a second drive unit that transmits drive force to the third roller, and a controller. Based on the detection signal of the sensor, the controller drives the feeding section so that the leading edge of the second sheet supported on the feeding tray overlaps below the trailing edge of the first sheet being conveyed by the first roller, thereby feeding the second sheet to the conveying path, and, in response to determining, based on the detection signal of the sensor, that the trailing edge of the first sheet is located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and upstream of the third roller in the conveying direction, drives the first driving section and the second driving section so that the roller surface of the third roller rotates at a faster rotational speed than the roller surface of the second roller.

[0010] The rotation speed of the roller surface of the third roller becomes faster than the rotation speed of the roller surface of the second roller, thereby eliminating the overlap between the first sheet and the second sheet.

[0011] (3) An image recording device according to the present invention includes a feed tray, a discharge tray, a transport path connecting the feed tray and the discharge tray, a feed unit that feeds a sheet supported on the feed tray to the transport path, a recording unit that records an image on the sheet in the transport path, a first roller that is located upstream of the recording unit in a transport direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray and transports the sheet in the transport direction, a second roller that is located downstream of the recording unit in the transport direction and transports the sheet in the transport direction, and a second roller that is located downstream of the second roller in the transport direction and transports the sheet in the transport direction. a third roller that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction; a sensor that detects the edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction; a bypass conveying path that has a path length longer than the path length of the conveying path between the second roller and the third roller and branches and merges between the second roller and the third roller; a guide member that changes its position at a branch position of the conveying path and the bypass conveying path between a first position that guides the sheet to the conveying path and a second position that guides the sheet to the bypass conveying path; a drive unit; and a controller. Based on the detection signal of the sensor, the controller drives the feeding section to feed the second sheet to the conveying path so that the leading edge of the second sheet supported on the feeding tray overlaps below the rear end of the first sheet conveyed by the first roller, and based on the detection signal of the sensor, changes the position of the guide member from the first position to the second position when the leading edge of the first sheet passes the branching position and before the leading edge of the second sheet passes the branching position.

[0012] Between the second roller and the third roller, the first sheet is conveyed along the conveying path, and the second sheet is conveyed along the bypass conveying path. As a result, the conveying distance from when the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the second roller to when it passes the third roller is longer than the conveying distance from when the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the second roller to when it passes the third roller, so that the overlap between the first sheet and the second sheet is eliminated.

[0013] (4) The image recording device according to the present invention includes a feed tray, a discharge tray, a conveying path connecting the feed tray and the discharge tray, a feed unit that feeds a sheet supported on the feed tray to the conveying path, a recording unit that records an image on the sheet in the conveying path, a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a conveying direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the conveying direction and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a moving member located at an abutment position between the second roller and the third roller and movable in a direction that intersects the conveying path, a sensor that detects the edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction, a drive unit, and a controller. The movable member is movable between a first position protruding upward into the conveying path and a second position away from the conveying path, and the controller drives the feeding section to supply the second sheet to the conveying path based on a detection signal from the sensor so that the leading edge of the second sheet supported on the feeding tray overlaps below the trailing edge of the first sheet being conveyed by the first roller, and based on the detection signal from the sensor, moves the movable member from the second position to the first position before the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the second roller and the abutment position, and moves the movable member from the first position to the second position when the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the abutment position.

[0014] With the leading edge of the second sheet overlapping below the trailing edge of the first sheet, the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the second roller, and before passing the contact position, the moving member moves from the second position to the first position, causing the leading edge of the second sheet to move upward in the intersecting direction along the moving member. After the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the contact position, the moving member moves from the first position to the second position, causing the leading edge of the second sheet to return downward and overlap above the trailing edge of the first sheet in the conveying path. This reverses the top and bottom positions of the overlapping first and second sheets.

[0015] (5) The sheet conveying device includes a feed tray, a discharge tray, a conveying path connecting the feed tray and the discharge tray, a feed unit that feeds a sheet supported on the feed tray to the conveying path, a recording unit that records an image on the sheet in the conveying path, a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a conveying direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the conveying direction and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and that conveys the sheet in the conveying direction, a moving member located at an abutment position between the second roller and the third roller and that is movable in a cross direction that intersects the conveying path, a support member located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and upstream of the abutment position in the conveying direction and that is movable in the cross direction, a sensor that detects the edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction, a drive unit, and a controller. The moving member is movable to a third position where it protrudes downward into the conveying path and a fourth position where it is spaced upward from the conveying path, and the support member is movable to a fifth position where it protrudes upward into the conveying path and a sixth position where a support surface is along the conveying path, and the controller drives the feeding unit to feed the second sheet to the conveying path based on a detection signal from the sensor so that a leading edge of the second sheet supported on the feeding tray overlaps a trailing edge of the first sheet being conveyed by the first roller, and Based on the detection signal of the sensor, when the trailing end of the first sheet has passed the second roller but before passing the contact position and the leading end of the second sheet is positioned on the support surface of the support member, the movable member is moved from the fourth position to the third position and the support member is moved from the sixth position to the fifth position, and when the trailing end of the first sheet has passed the contact position, the movable member is moved from the third position to the fourth position and the support member is moved from the fifth position to the sixth position.

[0016] With the leading edge of the second sheet overlapping below the trailing edge of the first sheet, the moving member moves from the fourth position to the third position and the support member moves from the sixth position to the fifth position before the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the second roller and the contact position, whereby the trailing edge of the first sheet is pushed down by the moving member with the leading edge of the second sheet supported by the support member. As a result, the leading edge of the second sheet is positioned higher than the trailing edge of the first sheet. Then, when the trailing edge of the first sheet passes the contact position, the moving member moves from the third position to the fourth position and the support member moves from the fifth position to the sixth position, whereby the trailing edge of the first sheet overlaps below the leading edge of the second sheet. This reverses the top and bottom positions of the overlapping first and second sheets.

[0017] (6) Preferably, the controller drives the feeding section so that the distance along the conveying direction of the overlap between the rear end of the first sheet and the front end of the second sheet is shorter than the distance along the conveying direction between the second roller and the third roller.

[0018] The sheet is fed to the conveying path by driving the feeding section so that the distance along the conveying direction where the trailing edge of the first sheet and the leading edge of the second sheet overlap is not longer than the distance between the second roller and the third roller. [Effects of the Invention]

[0019] According to the present invention, the overlapping of the sheets conveyed in an overlapping state is eliminated or the overlapping state is reversed when the sheets are discharged. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a multifunction peripheral 10 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating each component for conveying the paper 12 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating each component for conveying the paper 12 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the second embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram schematically illustrating each component for conveying the paper 12 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the third embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a functional block diagram of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the third embodiment. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the third embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of each component for conveying the paper 12 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the fourth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram schematically illustrating each component for conveying the paper 12 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a functional block diagram of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the fifth embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a flowchart of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0021] Each embodiment of the present invention will be described below. It should be noted that each embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In the following description, the direction of movement from the start point of an arrow to the end point is expressed as a "direction," and the movement along the line connecting the start point and end point of an arrow is expressed as a "direction." In the following description, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the state in which the multifunction device 10 is installed and ready for use (the state shown in FIG. 1 ). The front-rear direction 8 is defined with the surface in which the opening 13 is provided as the front surface 23, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction device 10 is viewed from the front. The up-down direction 7, the front-rear direction 8, and the left-right direction 9 are perpendicular to one another.

[0022] [First embodiment] The first embodiment will be described below.

[0023] [Overall structure of the multifunction device 10] As shown in FIG. 1, the multifunction device 10 (an example of an image recording device) has a roughly rectangular parallelepiped housing 14. A printer unit 11 is provided at the bottom of the housing 14. The multifunction device 10 has various functions, such as a facsimile function and a print function. The print function of the multifunction device 10 is to record images on one side of multiple sheets of paper 12 (see FIG. 2, an example of a sheet) that are continuously fed using an inkjet method. Note that the multifunction device 10 may also record images on both sides of the paper 12. An operation unit 17 is provided at the top of the housing 14. The operation unit 17 is composed of buttons that are operated to issue image recording instructions and for various settings, an LCD display that displays various information, and the like. The operation unit 17 is composed of a touch panel that functions as both a button and an LCD display.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a feed tray 20, a feed unit 16, an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19, a pair of transport rollers 59 (an example of a first roller), a first pair of discharge rollers 44 (an example of a second roller), a second pair of discharge rollers 45 (an example of a third roller), a platen 42, a recording unit 24, a sheet sensor 120, a rotary encoder 75 (see FIG. 6), a controller 130 (see FIG. 6), and a memory 140 (see FIG. 6). These components are arranged inside the housing 14. Also arranged inside the housing 14 are various status sensors that detect the status of the multifunction device 10 and output signals according to the detection results. The status sensor is the sheet sensor 120. Note that the status sensor is not limited to the one described above, and may be any of various sensors provided in known multifunction devices 10.

[0025] [Feed Tray 20] As shown in Fig. 1, an opening 13 is formed in the front surface 23 of the printer unit 11. The feed tray 20 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 14 through the opening 13 by moving in the front-to-rear direction 8. The feed tray 20 can be moved between a feed position (the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2) where it is attached to the housing 14 and a non-feed position where it is removed from the housing 14.

[0026] The feed tray 20 is a box-shaped member that is open at the top, and the sheets 12 are supported in a stacked state on a bottom plate 22 of the feed tray 20. The discharge tray 21 is disposed above the front part of the feed tray 20. The sheets 12 that have had images recorded on them by the recording unit 24 and have been discharged are supported on the upper surface of the discharge tray 21.

[0027] As shown in FIG. 2, when the feed tray 20 is in the feed position, the paper 12 supported by the feed tray 20 can be fed to a conveyance path 65 connecting the feed tray 20 and the discharge tray 21 .

[0028] [Feeding section 16] As shown in Fig. 2, the feed unit 16 is disposed below the recording unit 24 and above the bottom plate 22 of the feed tray 20. The feed unit 16 includes a feed roller 25, a feed arm 26, a drive transmission mechanism 27, and a shaft 28. The feed roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip of the feed arm 26. The feed arm 26 rotates in the direction of arrow 29 around the shaft 28 provided at the base end. This allows the feed roller 25 to come into contact with and separate from the feed tray 20 or the paper 12 supported by the feed tray 20.

[0029] The feed roller 25 rotates by receiving the driving force of the feed motor 102 (see FIG. 6) via a drive transmission mechanism 27 made up of multiple gears meshed together. As a result, of the sheets 12 supported on the bottom plate 22 of the feed tray 20 at the feed position, the uppermost sheet 12 in contact with the feed roller 25 is fed to the conveyance path 65. Note that the drive transmission mechanism 27 is not limited to a configuration in which multiple gears mesh together, and may be, for example, a belt stretched between the shaft 28 and the shaft of the feed roller 25.

[0030] [Transport path 65] As shown in Figure 2, a conveying path 65 extends from the rear end of the feed tray 20. The conveying path 65 has a curved portion 33 and a straight portion 34. The curved portion 33 extends upward, making a U-turn from rear to front. The straight portion 34 extends generally along the front-rear direction 8.

[0031] The curved portion 33 is formed by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 that face each other at a predetermined distance. The outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19 extend in the left-right direction 9. The straight portion 34 is formed by the recording unit 24 and a platen 42 that face each other at a predetermined distance at the position where the recording unit 24 is located.

[0032] The paper 12 supported on the feed tray 20 is transported along the curved portion 33 by the feed roller 25 and reaches the pair of transport rollers 59. The paper 12 held between the pair of transport rollers 59 is transported forward along the straight portion 34 toward the recording unit 24. An image is recorded on the paper 12 that has reached directly below the recording unit 24 by the recording unit 24. The paper 12 with the image recorded is transported forward along the straight portion 34 by the first pair of discharge rollers 44, and is further discharged onto the discharge tray 21 by the second pair of discharge rollers 45. As described above, the paper 12 is transported along the transport direction 15 from the feed tray 20 to the discharge tray 21, as indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 2.

[0033] [Conveyance roller pair 59, first discharge roller pair 44, and second discharge roller pair 45] As shown in FIG. 2, a conveying roller pair 59, a first discharge roller pair 44, and a second discharge roller pair 45 that convey the paper 12 in the conveying direction 15 are arranged on the straight section .

[0034] The conveying roller pair 59 is located upstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveying direction 15. The conveying roller pair 59 includes a conveying roller 60 and a pinch roller 61 disposed below the conveying roller 60 so as to face the conveying roller 60. The pinch roller 61 is pressed against the conveying roller 60 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The conveying roller pair 59 can pinch the paper 12.

[0035] The first discharge roller pair 44 is located downstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveying direction 15. The first discharge roller pair 44 includes a first discharge roller 62 and a spur roller 63 disposed above the first discharge roller 62 and facing the first discharge roller 62. The spur roller 63 is pressed toward the first discharge roller 62 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The first discharge roller pair 44 is capable of sandwiching the paper 12.

[0036] The second discharge roller pair 45 is located downstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveying direction 15. The second discharge roller pair 45 includes a second discharge roller 46 and a spur roller 47 disposed above the second discharge roller 46 and facing the second discharge roller 46. The spur roller 47 is pressed toward the second discharge roller 46 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The second discharge roller pair 45 is capable of sandwiching the paper 12. In this embodiment, the second discharge roller 46 has a larger outer diameter than the first discharge roller 62. That is, the outer periphery of a roller surface 48 (an example of a roller surface) of the second discharge roller 46 is longer than the outer periphery of a roller surface 50 (an example of a roller surface) of the first discharge roller 62.

[0037] The conveying roller 60, the first discharge roller 62, and the second discharge roller 46 receive rotational driving force from a conveying motor 101 (see FIG. 6, an example of a drive unit). The conveying roller 60, the first discharge roller 62, and the second discharge roller 46, which are rotated by the driving force transmitted from the conveying motor 101, are synchronized and rotate in the same direction. The first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46 rotate at the same speed. Because the diameter of the second discharge roller 46 is larger than the diameter of the first discharge roller 62, the rotation speed of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46 is faster than the rotation speed of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46. → The following will be explained in 0035. The nipping force of the conveying roller pair 59 is set to be stronger than the nipping force of the first discharge roller pair 44, and the nipping force of the first discharge roller pair 44 is set to be stronger than the nipping force of the second discharge roller pair 45.

[0038] A common motor may be used as the conveying motor 101 and the feeding motor 102. In this case, the drive transmission path from the common motor to each roller is configured to be switchable. Also, conveying belts may be provided in place of the conveying roller pair 59, the first discharge roller pair 44, and the second discharge roller pair 45 to convey the paper 12.

[0039] [Platen 42] 2, the platen 42 is disposed in the straight section 34 of the transport path 65 so as to face the recording unit 24. The platen 42 supports the paper 12 transported along the transport path 65 from below.

[0040] The paper 12 transported along the transport path 65 passes through a medium passage area 36 between the right and left ends of the platen 42 in the left-right direction 9 .

[0041] [Records 24] 2, the recording unit 24 is disposed above the platen 42 and facing the platen 42. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40 that is supported movably along a left-right direction 9 perpendicular to the conveyance direction 15 by guide rails 56, 57 that are spaced apart in a front-rear direction 8, a head 38 that is supported by the carriage 40 and faces the platen 42, and a storage unit 80 that supplies ink to a plurality of nozzles 39 provided in the head 38.

[0042] [Seat Sensor 120] 2, the sheet sensor 120 (an example of a sensor) is located upstream of the pair of conveying rollers 59 in the conveying path 65 in the conveying direction 15. More specifically, the sheet sensor 120 is located a distance D1 upstream from the conveying roller 60 in the conveying direction 15. The sheet sensor 120 is a sensor for detecting that the edge of the paper 12 is located at the arrangement position of the sheet sensor 120. Note that the sheet sensor 120 is not limited to the one described in this embodiment, and any known sensor may be used. For example, the sheet sensor 120 includes a shaft 121, a detector 122 rotatable around the shaft 121, and an optical sensor 123 having a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element that receives light emitted from the light-emitting element.

[0043] One end of the detector 122 protrudes into the transport path 65. When no external force is applied to one end of the detector 122, the other end of the detector 122 enters the optical path from the light-emitting element to the light-receiving element of the optical sensor 123, blocking the light passing through the optical path. At this time, the optical sensor 123 outputs a low-level signal (a no-medium signal, an example of a detection signal) to the controller 130 (see FIG. 4). When one end of the detector 122 is pushed by the leading edge of the paper 12 and rotates (see the detector 122 depicted by the dashed line in FIG. 2), the other end of the detector 122 moves out of the optical path, allowing light to pass through the optical path. At this time, the optical sensor 123 outputs a high-level signal (a medium-present signal, an example of a detection signal) to the controller 130. The detector 122 is biased by a spring or the like to the position depicted by the solid line in FIG. 2.

[0044] [Rotary Encoder 75] The rotary encoder 75 shown in FIG. 4 is composed of an encoder disk that is attached to the shaft of the conveying roller 60 and rotates together with the conveying roller 60, and an optical sensor. The encoder disk has a pattern in which transmissive sections that transmit light and non-transmissive sections that do not transmit light are alternately arranged at equal pitches in the circumferential direction. As the encoder disk rotates, a pulse signal (an example of a detection signal) is generated each time the optical sensor detects a transmissive section or a non-transmissive section. The generated pulse signal is output to the controller 130 (see FIG. 6). The controller 130 calculates the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 based on the pulse signal. The rotary encoder 75 may also be provided in the conveying motor 101.

[0045] [Controller 130] The configurations of the controller 130 and memory 140 will be described below with reference to Fig. 4. The present invention is realized by the controller 130 performing processing in accordance with the flowchart described below. The controller 130 controls the overall operation of the multifunction peripheral 10. The controller 130 includes a CPU 131 and an ASIC 135. The memory 140 includes a ROM 132, a RAM 133, and an EEPROM 134. The CPU 131, ASIC 135, ROM 132, RAM 133, and EEPROM 134 are connected by an internal bus 137.

[0046] The ROM 132 stores programs and the like for the CPU 131 to control various operations. The RAM 133 is used as a storage area for temporarily recording data, signals, and the like used when the CPU 131 executes the programs, or as a work area for data processing. The EEPROM 134 stores settings, flags, and the like that should be retained even after the power is turned off.

[0047] The ASIC 135 is connected to the conveyance motor 101, the feed motor 102, and the carriage drive motor 103. The ASIC 135 incorporates a drive circuit for controlling each motor. The CPU 131 outputs a drive signal for rotating each motor to the drive circuit corresponding to each motor. The drive circuit outputs a drive current corresponding to the drive signal acquired from the CPU 131 to the corresponding motor. This causes the corresponding motor to rotate. In other words, the controller 130 controls the feed motor 102 to cause the feed unit 16 to feed the paper 12. The controller 130 also controls the conveyance motor 101 to cause the conveyance roller pair 59, the first discharge roller pair 44, and the second discharge roller pair 45 to convey the paper 12. The controller 130 also controls the carriage drive motor 103 to move the carriage 40.

[0048] The ASIC 135 is also connected to the sheet sensor 120. When the controller 130 receives a high-level signal from the sheet sensor 120, it detects that the leading edge of the paper 12 has passed the position where the sheet sensor 120 is located. On the other hand, when the controller 130 receives a low-level signal from the sheet sensor 120, it detects that the trailing edge of the paper 12 has passed the position where the sheet sensor 120 is located.

[0049] The ASIC 135 is also connected to the optical sensor of the rotary encoder 75. The controller 130 calculates the amount of rotation of the conveyance roller 60 based on the electrical signal received from the optical sensor of the rotary encoder 75.

[0050] The controller 130 can recognize the position of the paper 12 based on the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 after the electrical signal received from the sheet sensor 120 changes from low level to high level (i.e., after it is detected that the leading edge of the paper 12 has reached the position where the sheet sensor 120 is located).

[0051] The controller 130 may be configured such that only the CPU 131 performs various processes, or such that only the ASIC 135 performs various processes, or such that the CPU 131 and the ASIC 135 work together to perform various processes. The controller 130 may be configured such that one CPU 131 performs processes independently, or such that multiple CPUs 131 share the processes. The controller 130 may be configured such that one ASIC 135 performs processes independently, or such that multiple ASICs 135 share the processes.

[0052] [Control of Image Recording and Transport by Controller 130] In the multifunction device 10 configured as described above, the controller 130 drives the conveying rollers 60, the first discharge rollers 62, and the second discharge rollers 46 via the conveying motor 101, and performs image recording. The paper 12 on which the image has been recorded is discharged to the discharge tray 21 by the rollers. Hereinafter, the control of image recording and conveyance on the preceding sheet 12a (an example of a first sheet) and the following sheet 12b (an example of a second sheet) by the controller 130 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0053] Immediately after receiving an input operation to start image recording from the user via the operation unit 17, the controller 130 stores image recording data in the memory 140 (S101).

[0054] Next, the controller 130 determines whether the image recording data stored in the memory 140 is to be image-recorded on multiple sheets of paper 12 (S102). When the controller 130 determines that the image recording data stored in the memory 140 is to be image-recorded on one sheet of paper 12 (S102: No), the controller 130 drives the feeding unit 16 to feed the paper 12 in the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S103).

[0055] The controller 130 acquires a detection signal when the sheet sensor 120 detects the leading edge of the paper 12 (S104). In response to acquiring the detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101, and causes the conveyance roller pair 59 to perform cueing to position the leading edge of the paper 12 below the recording unit 24 (S105).

[0056] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to move the carriage 40 while ejecting ink from the nozzles 39 of the head 38 to perform pass printing (S106). The controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 to transport the paper 12 intermittently at predetermined line feed amounts directly below the recording unit 24, thereby performing line feeds (S107). When pass printing and line feeds are performed and the paper 12 is transported downstream in the transport direction 15, the paper 12 is transported to the transport roller pair 59, the first discharge roller pair 44, the second discharge roller pair 45, and the discharge tray 21. At this time, the force with which the second discharge roller pair 45 pinches the paper 12 is set to be weaker than the force with which the first discharge roller pair 44 pinches the paper 12, and from after the leading edge of the paper 12 is conveyed to the second discharge roller 46 until the trailing edge of the paper 12 passes the first discharge roller 62, the paper 12 is conveyed in accordance with the rotational drive of the first discharge roller 62, and the second discharge roller 46 is in a sliding state relative to the paper 12. After the trailing edge of the paper 12 passes the first discharge roller 62, the rotation speed of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46 is faster than the roller surface 50 of the first discharge roller 62, so the paper 12 is discharged at an increased speed by the second discharge roller 46 (S108). Note that the discharge of the paper 12 may be performed by switching the drive of the conveyance roller 60, the first discharge roller 62, and the second discharge roller 46 from intermittent conveyance to continuous conveyance.

[0057] In step S102, when the controller 130 determines that the image recording data stored in the memory 140 is to be image-recorded on multiple sheets of paper 12 (S102: Yes), the controller 130 drives the feeding section 16 and feeds the preceding sheet 12a in the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S110).

[0058] The controller 130 acquires a detection signal when the sheet sensor 120 detects the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a (S111). In response to acquiring the detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 drives the conveying motor 101 and causes the conveying roller pair 59 to perform cueing to position the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a below the recording unit 24 (S112).

[0059] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to move the carriage 40 while ejecting ink from the nozzles 39 of the head 38 to perform pass printing (S113). The controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 to intermittently transport the preceding sheet 12a directly below the recording unit 24 to start a line feed (S114).

[0060] While pass printing (S113) and line feed (S114) are being performed, the controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S115). If the sheet sensor 120 has not detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S115: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S113) and line feed (S114) for the preceding sheet 12a. On the other hand, if the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S115: Yes), the controller 130 drives the feed unit 16 to feed the following sheet 12b from the feed tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S116).

[0061] At this time, the trailing sheet 12b is positioned so that its leading edge 53 is located below the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and is sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 59. The leading edge 53 of the trailing sheet 12b is the area that overlaps with the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a during conveyance, and the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a is the area that overlaps with the leading edge 53 of the trailing sheet 12b during conveyance. In other words, the leading edge 53 of the trailing sheet 12b and the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a are areas that overlap with each other during conveyance. Furthermore, the leading edge 70 of the trailing sheet 12b is the leading edge portion on the downstream side in the conveyance direction 15 of the trailing sheet 12b, and the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a is the leading edge portion on the upstream side in the conveyance direction 15 of the preceding sheet 12a. The controller 130 controls the timing and speed to drive the feeding section 16 so that the distance D2 (see Figure 3) along the conveying direction 15 of the overlap between the rear end 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and the front end 53 of the following sheet 12b is shorter than the distance D1 (see Figure 3) along the conveying direction 15 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46.

[0062] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to move the carriage 40 while ejecting ink from the nozzles 39 of the head 38 to perform pass printing on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b (S117). The controller 130 drives the transport motor 101 to move the following sheet 12b together with the trailing end 52 of the preceding sheet 12a to a new line just below the recording unit 24 (S118). At this time, from after the leading end 68 of the preceding sheet 12a is transported to the second discharge roller 46 until the trailing end 69 passes the first discharge roller 62, the preceding sheet 12a is transported in accordance with the rotational drive of the first discharge roller 62, and the second discharge roller 46 is in a sliding state relative to the preceding sheet 12a. After the trailing end of the preceding sheet 12a passes the first discharge roller 62, the rotational speed of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46 is faster than that of the roller surface 50 of the first discharge roller 62, so the preceding sheet 12a is discharged at an increased speed by the second discharge roller 46 (S124).

[0063] The controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b while pass printing and line feed are being performed on the subsequent sheet 12b (S119). When the sheet sensor 120 has not detected the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b (S119: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S117) and line feed (S118) on the subsequent sheet 12b. On the other hand, when the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b (S119: Yes), the controller 130 determines whether there is data to be image-recorded on the next page (S120).

[0064] When the controller 130 determines that there is data to be image-recorded on the next page (S120: Yes), it feeds the paper 12 as the sheet 12b following the subsequent sheet 12b (S116). Thereafter, the controller 130 repeats the above steps (S116 to S120) until there is no data to be image-recorded on the next page. On the other hand, when the controller 130 determines that there is no data to be image-recorded on the next page (S120: No), it drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing on the subsequent sheet 12b (S121). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to place the subsequent sheet 12b directly below the recording unit 24 and perform a line feed (S122).

[0065] The controller 130 determines whether to end image recording on the subsequent sheet 12b (S123). If there is data to be image-recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b (S123: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S121) and line feed (S122). On the other hand, if there is no data to be image-recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b and the controller 130 determines that image recording should be ended (S123: Yes), the subsequent sheet 12b is discharged at an increased speed by the second discharge roller 46 (S108). Note that the discharge of the paper 12 may be performed by switching the drive of the conveyance roller 60, the first discharge roller 62, and the second discharge roller 46 from intermittent conveyance to continuous conveyance.

[0066] [Effects of the first embodiment] The first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46 receive drive power from the conveyance motor 101 and rotate in synchronization, but because the outer diameter of the second discharge roller 46 is larger than that of the first discharge roller 62, the rotation speed of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46 is faster than the rotation speed of the roller surface 50 of the first discharge roller 62. Therefore, the overlapping leading sheet 12a and trailing sheet 12b are conveyed in the conveying direction 15 by the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46, and when the trailing end 69 of the leading sheet 12a passes the first discharge roller 62, the leading sheet 12a is conveyed by the second discharge roller 46, whose roller surface 48 rotates faster, and the trailing sheet 12b is conveyed by the first discharge roller 62, whose roller surface 50 rotates slower. As a result, the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a is transported faster than the leading edge 70 of the following sheet 12b, eliminating the overlap between the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b. As a result, it is possible to prevent the preceding sheet 12a from being pushed and bent by the following sheet 12b and buckling, or to prevent the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b from being stacked upside down on the discharge tray 21.

[0067] The feeding section 16 is driven to feed the paper 12 to the conveying path 65 so that the distance D1 along the conveying direction 15 at which the rear end 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and the front end 53 of the following sheet 12b overlap is not longer than the distance D2 along the conveying direction 15 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46.

[0068] In the embodiment, an example has been described in which the outer diameter of the second discharge roller 46 is made larger than the outer diameter of the first discharge roller 62 and the outer periphery of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46 is made longer than the outer periphery of the roller surface 50 of the first discharge roller 62 in order to make the rotation speed of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46 faster than the rotation speed of the roller surface 50 of the first discharge roller 62. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. For example, the second discharge roller 46 may be configured to be driven in accordance with the drive of the first discharge roller 62 via a gear, thereby driving the second discharge roller 46 so that the rotation speed of the second discharge roller 46 is faster than the rotation speed of the first discharge roller 62.

[0069] Second Embodiment The second embodiment will be described below.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 6, the printer unit 11 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the second embodiment includes a feed tray 20, a feed unit 16, an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19, a conveyance roller pair 59, a first discharge roller pair 44, a second discharge roller pair 200, a platen 42, a recording unit 24, a sheet sensor 120, a rotary encoder 75 (see FIG. 7), a controller 130 (see FIG. 7), and a memory 140 (see FIG. 7). Unlike the first embodiment, the second discharge roller pair 200 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the second embodiment is driven by a second conveyance motor 206 (see FIG. 7), which is different from the first conveyance motor 205 (see FIG. 7) that drives the conveyance roller pair 59 and the first discharge roller pair 44. The configurations of the conveyance roller pair 59 located upstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 15 and the first discharge roller pair 44 located downstream of the recording unit 24 in the conveyance direction 15 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0071] The second discharge roller pair 200 includes a second discharge roller 201 and a spur roller 202 disposed above the second discharge roller 201 and facing the second discharge roller 201. The spur roller 202 is pressed toward the second discharge roller 201 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a coil spring. The second discharge roller pair 200 can hold the paper 12. The second discharge roller 201 has the same outer diameter as the first discharge roller 62. In other words, the outer periphery of a roller surface 203 of the second discharge roller 201 is the same as the outer periphery of a roller surface 204 of the first discharge roller 62.

[0072] 7, the conveying roller 60 and the first discharge roller 62 are provided with a rotational driving force from a first conveying motor 205. The second discharge roller 201 is provided with a rotational driving force from a second conveying motor 206.

[0073] The first conveyor motor 205 and the second conveyor motor 206 are driven separately, so they can be driven at different rotational speeds. The rotational speeds of the first conveyor motor 205 and the second conveyor motor 206 are controlled. The rest of the configuration is the same as in the first embodiment, so a description thereof will be omitted.

[0074] [Controller 130] The configuration of the controller 130 and the memory 140 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0075] The controller 130 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 131 and an ASIC 135, similar to the first embodiment, and the memory 140 includes a ROM 132, a RAM 133, and an EEPROM 134. The CPU 131, the ASIC 135, the ROM 132, the RAM 133, and the EEPROM 134 are connected by an internal bus 137.

[0076] A first conveyor motor 205 and a second conveyor motor 206 are connected to the ASIC 135. A drive circuit incorporated in the ASIC 135 outputs drive currents to the first conveyor motor 205 and the second conveyor motor 206 in accordance with drive signals acquired from the CPU 131. As a result, the first conveyor motor 205 drives the conveyor rollers 60 and the first discharge rollers 62, and the second conveyor motor 206 drives the second discharge rollers 201. In other words, the controller 130 controls the feed motor 102 to feed the paper 12 to the feed unit 16, then controls the first conveyor motor 205 to cause the conveyor roller pair 59 and the first discharge roller pair 44 to convey the paper 12, and controls the second conveyor motor 206 to discharge the paper 12 using the second discharge roller pair 200.

[0077] [Control of Image Recording and Transport by Controller 130] Hereinafter, the control of image recording and transport on the preceding sheet 12a and the succeeding sheet 12b by the controller 130 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0078] Immediately after receiving an input operation to start image recording from the user via the operation unit 17, the controller 130 stores image recording data in the memory 140 (S201).

[0079] Next, the controller 130 determines whether the image recording data stored in the memory 140 is to be image-recorded on multiple sheets of paper 12 (S202). When the controller 130 determines that the image recording data stored in the memory 140 is to be image-recorded on one sheet of paper 12 (S202: No), it drives the feeding unit 16 to feed the paper 12 in the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S203). Steps S204 to S208 are the same as those in the first embodiment described above, and therefore will not be described here.

[0080] In step S202, when the controller 130 determines that the image recording data stored in the memory 140 is to be image-recorded on multiple sheets of paper 12 (S202: Yes), the controller 130 drives the feeding section 16 and feeds the preceding sheet 12a in the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S210).

[0081] The controller 130 acquires a detection signal when the sheet sensor 120 detects the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a (S211). Upon acquiring the detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 temporarily stops the rotation of the conveyance roller 60 and then rotates it by a predetermined angle, causing the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a to be sandwiched between the pair of conveyance rollers 59, and starts counting the amount of rotation of the first conveyance motor 205 (S212). In response to acquiring the detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 drives the first conveyance motor 205, and causes the pair of conveyance rollers 59 to perform cueing so that the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a is positioned below the recording unit 24 (S213).

[0082] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing (S214). The controller 130 drives the first conveying motor 205 to convey the preceding sheet 12a intermittently to start a line feed (S215).

[0083] While pass printing and line feed are being performed, the controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S216). If the sheet sensor 120 has not detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S216: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S214) and line feed (S215) for the preceding sheet 12a. On the other hand, if the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S216: Yes), the controller 130 feeds the following sheet 12b to the conveying path 65 (S219).

[0084] At this time, the trailing edge 53 of the succeeding sheet 12b is positioned below the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and is sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 59. The controller 130 also controls the timing and speed to drive the feeding unit 16 so that the distance D2 along the conveying direction 15 of the overlap between the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and the leading edge 53 of the succeeding sheet 12b is shorter than the distance D1 along the conveying direction 15 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 201.

[0085] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b (S218). The controller 130 drives the first conveyance motor 205 to start a new line for the following sheet 12b together with the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a (S219). At this time, the second conveyance motor 206 is driven at the same speed as the first conveyance motor 205 that drives the conveyance rollers 60 and the first discharge rollers 62. In other words, the controller 130 controls the rotation speed of the roller surface 203 of the second discharge roller 201 to be the same as the rotation speed of the roller surface 204 of the first discharge roller 62.

[0086] The controller 130 determines whether the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a is located downstream of the first discharge roller 62 in the conveying direction 15 and upstream of the second discharge roller 201 in the conveying direction 15 (S220). Specifically, the controller 130 determines whether the trailing edge of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the first discharge roller 62. That is, the controller 130 determines whether the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 since the preceding sheet 12a was sandwiched between the conveying roller pair 59 (S212) has reached the sum of the distance D3 from the conveying roller pair 59 to the first discharge roller pair 44 and the length of the preceding sheet 12a in the conveying direction 15, which are stored in advance in the memory 140. When the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has not passed the first discharge roller pair 44, the controller 130 continues pass printing (S218) and line feed (S219) (S220: No). On the other hand, when the controller 130 determines that the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the first discharge roller pair 44 (S220: Yes), it controls the second conveyance motor 206 to increase the speed of the second discharge roller 201 for a certain period of time (S221). In this embodiment, the increase in speed may be achieved by simply switching the second discharge roller 201 from an intermittent line feed state to a continuous rotation state, in addition to increasing the speed of the second conveyance motor 206. By increasing the speed of the second discharge roller 201, the preceding sheet 12a that has passed the first discharge roller pair 44 is discharged to the discharge tray 21 without overlapping with the succeeding sheet 12b. At this time, the controller 130 controls the roller surface 203 of the second discharge roller 201 to rotate faster than the rotation speed of the roller surface 204 of the first discharge roller 62.

[0087] After the preceding sheet 12a is discharged, the controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 detects the trailing edge 71 of the remaining subsequent sheet 12b, which will continue to undergo pass printing and line feeds (S222). While the sheet sensor 120 does not detect the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b (S222: No), the controller 130 continues line feeds and pass printing on the subsequent sheet 12b and continues detecting the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b. On the other hand, when the sheet sensor 120 detects the trailing edge 71 of the remaining subsequent sheet 12b (S222: Yes), the controller 130 determines whether there is data to be image-recorded on the next page (S223).

[0088] When the controller 130 determines that there is data to be image-recorded on the next page (S223: Yes), it feeds the paper 12 as the sheet 12b following the subsequent sheet 12b (S217). Thereafter, the controller 130 repeats the above steps (S217 to S223) until there is no data to be image-recorded on the next page. On the other hand, when the controller 130 determines that there is no data to be image-recorded on the next page (S223: No), it drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing on the subsequent sheet 12b (S224). The controller 130 drives the first conveyance motor 205 to place the subsequent sheet 12b directly below the recording unit 24 and start a new line (S225).

[0089] The controller 130 determines whether the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b is located downstream of the first discharge roller 62 in the conveying direction 15 and upstream of the second discharge roller 201 in the conveying direction 15 (S220). Specifically, the controller 130 determines whether the trailing edge of the subsequent sheet 12b has passed the first discharge roller 62. That is, the controller 130 determines whether the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 since the leading edge 70 of the subsequent sheet 12b passed the conveying roller pair 59 has reached the sum of the distance D3 from the conveying roller pair 59 to the first discharge roller pair 44 and the length of the subsequent sheet 12b in the conveying direction 15, which are stored in advance in the memory 140.

[0090] When the controller 130 determines that the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b has not passed the first discharge rollers 62 (S226: No), it continues pass printing (S224) and line feed (S225) for the subsequent sheet 12b. On the other hand, when the controller 130 determines that the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b has passed the first discharge rollers 62 (S226: Yes), it controls the second conveyance motor 206 to increase the speed of the second discharge rollers 201 for a certain period of time (S221). By increasing the speed of the second discharge rollers 201, the subsequent sheet 12b that has passed the first discharge roller pair 44 is discharged to the discharge tray 21.

[0091] [Effects of the second embodiment] The second conveyance motor 206, which applies a rotational driving force to the second discharge roller 201, is driven separately from the first conveyance motor 205, which applies a rotational driving force to the conveyance roller 60 and the first discharge roller 62. Therefore, the controller 130 can control the rotation speed of the roller surface 203 of the second discharge roller 201 to be faster than the rotation speed of the roller surface 204 of the first discharge roller 62. By making the rotation speed of the roller surface 203 of the second discharge roller 201 faster than the rotation speed of the roller surface 204 of the first discharge roller 62, the leading sheet 12a can be discharged at a faster speed than the trailing sheet 12b, thereby preventing the leading sheet 12a and the trailing sheet 12b from overlapping. As a result, it is possible to prevent the leading sheet 12a from being pushed and bent by the trailing sheet 12b and from being upside down swapped with the trailing sheet 12b.

[0092] Third Embodiment The third embodiment will be described below.

[0093] 9, the printer unit 11 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the third embodiment includes, as in the first embodiment, a feed tray 20, a feed unit 16, an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19, a conveyance roller pair, a first discharge roller pair 44, a second discharge roller pair 45, a platen 42, a recording unit 24, a sheet sensor 120, a rotary encoder 75 (see FIG. 10), a controller 130 (see FIG. 10), and a memory 140 (see FIG. 10). The printer unit 11 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to this embodiment further includes a guide member 300.

[0094] [Transport path 65] A detour conveying path 301 branching off from the conveying path 65 is disposed within the housing 14 of the multifunction peripheral 10. A branch position P1 where the detour conveying path 301 branches off from the conveying path 65 is located between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46. The detour conveying path 301 is located on the straight portion 34 of the conveying path 65. More specifically, the detour conveying path 301 is a path formed between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46 along which the paper 12 is conveyed, and branches off from the conveying path 65 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46 and then rejoins the path. The detour conveying path 301 is longer than the path length of the conveying path 65 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46.

[0095] As in the first embodiment, the straight section 34 is provided with a transport roller pair 59 that transports the paper 12 in the transport direction 15, a first discharge roller pair 44, and a second discharge roller pair 45. The second discharge roller 46 in this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it has the same outer diameter as the first discharge roller 62. That is, the outer periphery of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46 is the same as the outer periphery of the roller surface 50 of the first discharge roller 62, which is the same as in the second embodiment. The configurations of the components of the transport roller pair 59, the first discharge roller pair 44, and the second discharge roller pair 45 are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0096] [Guide member 300] The guide member 300 guides the paper 12 conveyed along the conveying path 65 to the conveying path 65 or the bypass conveying path 301. The guide member 300 is a pointed plate member, and its central portion is rotatably supported by a shaft portion 303. As shown by the solid line in FIG. 9 , the guide member 300 rotates around the axis of the shaft portion 303 to change its position between a second position in which a leading end portion 304 on the downstream side in the conveying direction 15 protrudes into the conveying path 65, and a first position in which the leading end portion 304 is retracted from the conveying path 65 as shown by the dashed line in FIG. 9 . When in the first position, the guide member 300 guides the paper 12 to the conveying path 65, and when in the second position, the guide member 300 guides the paper 12 to the bypass conveying path 301. The guide member 300 is driven by an actuator 305 (see FIG. 10 ) to change its position between the first position and the second position.

[0097] [Controller 130] The configuration of the controller 130 and the memory 140 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0098] The controller 130 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 131 and an ASIC 135, similar to the first embodiment, and the memory 140 includes a ROM 132, a RAM 133, and an EEPROM 134. The CPU 131, the ASIC 135, the ROM 132, the RAM 133, and the EEPROM 134 are connected by an internal bus 137.

[0099] The ASIC 135 is connected to a conveying motor 101, a feeding motor 102, and a carriage driving motor 103. In this embodiment, an actuator 305 is also connected to the ASIC 135. The actuator 305 drives the guide member 300 when power is supplied to a coil portion (not shown).

[0100] [Control of Image Recording and Transport by Controller 130] The control of image recording and transport on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b by the controller 130 will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 11. When image recording is performed on one sheet of paper 12, the paper 12 is discharged without driving the actuator 305. That is, the paper 12 is discharged by being transported along the transport path 65 in the same manner as steps S103 to S108 in the first embodiment described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted below.

[0101] When the controller 130 receives an input operation to start image recording from the user via the operation unit 17, it drives the feeding unit 16 to feed the preceding sheet 12a on the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S301).

[0102] The controller 130 acquires a detection signal when the sheet sensor 120 detects the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a (S302). When the controller 130 acquires the detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 temporarily stops the rotation of the conveying roller 60 and then rotates it by a predetermined angle, causing the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a to be sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 59, and starts counting the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 (S303).

[0103] In response to receiving a detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 drives the conveying motor 101, and causes the conveying roller pair 59 to position the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a below the recording unit 24 (S304).

[0104] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing (S305). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to convey the preceding sheet 12a intermittently to start a line feed (S306).

[0105] While pass printing and line feed are being performed, the controller 130 determines whether the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the branch position P1 (S307). The controller 130 determines whether the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the branch position P1 based on whether the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 since the preceding sheet 12a was sandwiched between the conveying roller pair 59 (S303) has reached the distance D4 from the conveying roller pair 59 to the branch position P1, which is stored in advance in the memory 140. If the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a has not passed the branch position P1 (S307: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S305) and line feed (S306) for the preceding sheet 12a. On the other hand, when the controller 130 determines that the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the branch position P1 (S307: Yes), it drives the actuator 305 to change the position of the guide member 300 from the first position to the second position (S308). Thereafter, the preceding sheet 12a that passed the branch position P1 before the guide member 300 changed its position to the second position is conveyed along the conveying path 65 as a pass is printed (S305) and a line feed is performed (S306), and the sheet is discharged onto the discharge tray 21.

[0106] The controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S309). If the sheet sensor 120 has not detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S309: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S305) and line feed (S306) until the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a is detected. On the other hand, if the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge of the preceding sheet 12a (S309: Yes), the controller 130 drives the feeding unit 16 to feed the following sheet 12b from the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S310). At this time, the following sheet 12b is positioned so that its leading edge 53 is located below the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and is sandwiched between the conveying roller pair 59. In addition, the controller 130 drives the feeding section 16 by controlling the timing and speed so that the distance D2 along the conveying direction 15 of the overlap between the rear end 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and the front end 53 of the following sheet 12b is shorter than the distance D1 along the conveying direction 15 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46.

[0107] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b (S311). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to feed the following sheet 12b together with the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a (S312). Here, when the leading edge 70 of the following sheet 12b is positioned at the branch position P1, the guide member 300 is in the second position indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 9 , so the following sheet 12b is guided to the bypass conveyance path 301. The following sheet 12b guided to the bypass conveyance path 301 passes through a path longer than the conveyance path 65 and is conveyed a longer distance than the preceding sheet 12a. Therefore, the leading edge 53 of the following sheet 12b, which has been conveyed while overlapping the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a, is released from the overlap with the preceding sheet 12a and is discharged to the discharge tray 21. After this, only the succeeding sheet 12b is printed with a pass and a line feed is started.

[0108] The controller 130 determines whether to end printing on the subsequent sheet 12b depending on whether there is data to be image-recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b (S313). If there is data to be image-recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b and printing on the subsequent sheet 12b does not end (S313: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing and line feeds on the subsequent sheet 12b. On the other hand, if there is no data to be image-recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b and image recording is to end (S313: Yes), the controller 130 ejects the subsequent sheet 12b (S314). Note that the ejection of the subsequent sheet 12b may be performed by switching the drive of the conveyance roller 60, the first ejection roller 62, and the second ejection roller 46 from intermittent conveyance to continuous conveyance.

[0109] [Effects of the third embodiment] A bypass conveyance path having a path length longer than the path length of the conveyance path 65 is located between the first discharge rollers 62 and the second discharge rollers 46, and the leading sheet 12a is conveyed along the conveyance path 65 between the first discharge rollers 62 and the second discharge rollers 46, while the trailing sheet 12b is conveyed along the bypass conveyance path 301. As a result, the conveyance distance from when the leading end 70 of the trailing sheet 12b passes the first discharge rollers 62 to when it passes the second discharge rollers 46 is longer than the conveyance distance from when the trailing end 69 of the leading sheet 12a passes the first discharge rollers 62 to when it passes the second discharge rollers 46, so that the overlap between the leading sheet 12a and the trailing sheet 12b is eliminated. This prevents the leading sheet 12a from being pushed and bent by the trailing sheet 12b and buckling, or prevents the leading sheet 12a and the trailing sheet 12b from being swapped upside down.

[0110] [Fourth embodiment] The fourth embodiment will be described below.

[0111] 12, the printer unit 11 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the fourth embodiment includes, similarly to the first embodiment, a feed tray 20, a feed unit 16, an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19, a conveying roller pair, a first discharge roller pair 44, a second discharge roller pair 45, a platen 42, a recording unit 24, a sheet sensor 120, a rotary encoder 75 (see FIG. 13), a controller 130 (see FIG. 13), and a memory 140 (see FIG. 13). The printer unit 11 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to this embodiment further includes a moving member 400.

[0112] As in the first embodiment, the straight section 34 is provided with a transport roller pair 59 that transports the paper 12 in the transport direction 15, a first discharge roller pair 44, and a second discharge roller pair 45. The second discharge roller 46 in this embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that it has the same outer diameter as the first discharge roller 62. That is, the outer periphery of the roller surface 48 of the second discharge roller 46 is the same as the outer periphery of the roller surface 50 of the first discharge roller 62, which is the same as in the second embodiment. The configurations of the components of the transport roller pair 59, the first discharge roller pair 44, and the second discharge roller pair 45 are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0113] [Moving member 400] The movable member 400 is a tapered plate member that tapers from bottom to top and is movable in a transverse direction that intersects with the conveying path 65. The movable member 400 is located at an abutment position P2 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46. The transverse direction in which the movable member 400 moves is the up-down direction 7. The movable member 400 is movable between a first position P3 where it protrudes upward into the conveying path 65 and a second position P4 where it is spaced downward from the conveying path 65. When the movable member 400 is located at the first position P3, the leading edge of the paper 12 being conveyed through the conveying path 65 abuts against the movable member 400. The movable member 400 is housed in a housing member 402 disposed in the housing 14 in a state in which it can retract and retract along the up-down direction 7. The movable member 400 is driven in the up-down direction 7 by an actuator 403 (see FIG. 13 ).

[0114] [Controller 130] The configuration of the controller 130 and the memory 140 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0115] The controller 130 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 131 and an ASIC 135, similar to the first embodiment, and the memory 140 includes a ROM 132, a RAM 133, and an EEPROM 134. The CPU 131, the ASIC 135, the ROM 132, the RAM 133, and the EEPROM 134 are connected by an internal bus 137.

[0116] The ASIC 135 is connected to a conveying motor 101, a feeding motor 102, and a carriage driving motor 103. In this embodiment, an actuator 403 is also connected to the ASIC 135. The actuator 403 drives the moving member 400 when power is supplied to a coil portion (not shown).

[0117] [Control of Image Recording and Transport by Controller 130] The control of image recording and transport on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b by the controller 130 will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 14. When image recording is performed on one sheet of paper 12, the paper 12 is discharged without driving the actuator 403. That is, the paper 12 is discharged by being transported along the transport path 65 in the same manner as steps S103 to S108 in the first embodiment described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted below.

[0118] When the controller 130 receives an input operation to start image recording from the user via the operation unit 17, it drives the feeding unit 16 to feed the preceding sheet 12a on the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S401).

[0119] The controller 130 acquires a detection signal generated when the sheet sensor 120 detects the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a (S402). When the controller 130 acquires the detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 temporarily stops the rotation of the conveying roller 60 and then rotates it by a predetermined angle, causing the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a to be sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 59, and starts counting the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 (S403).

[0120] In response to receiving a detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 drives the conveying motor 101, and causes the conveying roller pair 59 to position the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a below the recording unit 24 (S404).

[0121] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing (S405). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to convey the preceding sheet 12a intermittently to start a line feed (S406).

[0122] The controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S407). If the sheet sensor 120 has not detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S407: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S405) and line feed (S406) until the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a is detected. On the other hand, if the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge of the preceding sheet 12a (S407: Yes), the controller 130 drives the feeding unit 16 to feed the following sheet 12b from the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S408). At this time, the following sheet 12b is positioned so that its leading edge 53 is located below the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and is sandwiched between the conveying roller pair 59. In addition, the controller 130 drives the feeding section 16 by controlling the timing and speed so that the distance D2 along the conveying direction 15 of the overlap between the rear end 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and the front end 53 of the following sheet 12b is shorter than the distance D1 along the conveying direction 15 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46.

[0123] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing on the preceding sheet 12a and the succeeding sheet 12b (S409). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to start a new line for the succeeding sheet 12b together with the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a (S410).

[0124] The controller 130 determines whether the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the first discharge roller 62 before passing the contact position P2 (S411). Specifically, the controller 130 determines whether the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed a first set position Q1 (see FIG. 12) that is arbitrarily set between the first discharge roller 62 and the contact position P2, and determines whether the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 from when the preceding sheet 12a was sandwiched between the conveying roller pair 59 (S403) has reached a distance D6 in the conveying direction 15 from the conveying roller pair 59 to the first set position Q1, which is stored in advance in the memory 140. Before the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a passes the contact position P2 but has not yet passed the first discharge roller 62 (S411: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S409) and line feed (S410) for the following sheet 12b together with the preceding sheet 12a. On the other hand, before the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a passes the contact position P2 but has passed the first discharge roller 62 (S411: Yes), the controller 130 drives the actuator 406 to move the moving member 400 from the second position P4 to the first position P3 (S412).

[0125] The controller 130 determines whether the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the contact position P2 (S413). The controller 130 determines that the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the contact position P2 when the amount of rotation of the conveyance roller 60 since the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a passed the sheet sensor 120 (S407) reaches the distance D7 from the sheet sensor 120 to the contact position P2 in the conveyance direction 15, which is stored in advance in the memory 140. If the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has not passed the contact position P2 (S413: No), the controller 130 performs pass printing on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b (S414) and starts a new line on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b (S415). On the other hand, when the trailing end 69 of the preceding sheet 12a passes the contact position P2 (S413: Yes), the controller 130 drives the actuator 406 to move the moving member 400 from the first position P3 to the second position P4 (S416).

[0126] The controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b (S417). If the sheet sensor 120 has not detected the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b (S417: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing and line feeds until it detects the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b. On the other hand, if the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge of the subsequent sheet 12b (S417: Yes), the controller 130 determines whether there is data to be image-recorded on the next page (S418).

[0127] When the controller 130 determines that there is data to be image-recorded on the next page (S418: Yes), it feeds the paper 12 as the sheet 12b following the subsequent sheet 12b (S408). Thereafter, the controller 130 repeats the above steps (S408 to S418) until there is no data to be image-recorded on the next page. On the other hand, when the controller 130 determines that there is no data to be image-recorded on the next page (S418: No), it drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing on the subsequent sheet 12b (S419). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to place the subsequent sheet 12b directly below the recording unit 24 and perform a line feed (S420).

[0128] The controller 130 determines whether to end image recording on the subsequent sheet 12b (S421). If there is data to be image recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b (S421: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S419) and line feed (S420). On the other hand, if there is no data to be image recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b and the controller 130 determines that image recording should be ended (S421: Yes), the controller 130 ejects the subsequent sheet 12b (S422).

[0129] [Effects of the fourth embodiment] The movable member 400, which is movable in the intersecting direction of the conveying path 65 at the contact position P2, can move between a first position P3 where it protrudes upward into the conveying path 65 and a second position P4 where it is spaced downward from the conveying path 65. Therefore, when the movable member 400 moves from the second position P4 to the first position P3, the leading end 53 of the trailing sheet 12b moves upward in the intersecting direction along the movable member 400. On the other hand, when the movable member 400 moves from the first position P3 to the second position P4, the leading end 53 of the trailing sheet 12b returns downward and overlaps the rear end 52 of the leading sheet 12a in the conveying path 65. This causes the leading sheet 12a and the trailing sheet 12b to be vertically interchanged. As a result, it is possible to prevent the leading sheet 12a from being pushed and bent by the trailing sheet 12b, and to prevent the leading sheet 12a and the trailing sheet 12b from being vertically interchanged.

[0130] In the embodiment, the case where the intersecting direction intersecting the conveying path 65 is the vertical direction 7 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The intersecting direction may be the diagonal vertical direction 7, or the moving member 400 may move diagonally relative to the conveying path 65.

[0131] In addition, in the embodiment, the case where the movable member 400 is housed in the housing member 402 arranged in the housing 14 in a state where it can move in and out along the vertical direction 7 has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this configuration. The movable member 400 may use a cam mechanism that is movable in the vertical direction 7.

[0132] Fifth Embodiment The fifth embodiment will be described below.

[0133] 15, the printer unit 11 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to the fifth embodiment includes, as in the first embodiment, a feed tray 20, a feed unit 16, an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19, a conveying roller pair, a first discharge roller pair 44, a second discharge roller pair 45, a platen 42, a recording unit 24, a sheet sensor 120, a rotary encoder 75 (see FIG. 16), a controller 130 (see FIG. 16), and a memory 140 (see FIG. 16). The printer unit 11 of the multifunction peripheral 10 according to this embodiment further includes a moving member 500 and a supporting member 501.

[0134] The arrangement and configuration of the conveying roller pair 59, the first discharge roller pair 44, and the second discharge roller pair 45 are the same as those in the first, third, and fourth embodiments, and therefore description thereof will be omitted.

[0135] [Moving member 500] The movable member 500 is a plate-shaped member and is movable in a direction intersecting the conveying path 65. The movable member 500 is located at a contact position P5 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46. The movable member 500 is movable to a third position P6 where it protrudes downward into the conveying path 65, and to a fourth position P7 where it is spaced upward from the conveying path 65. The intersecting direction in which the movable member 500 moves is a direction inclined with respect to the vertical direction 7. The movable member 500 is housed in a housing member 503 disposed in the housing 14 in a state in which it can be moved obliquely in and out of the vertical direction 7. The movable member 500 is moved to the third position P6 or the fourth position P7 by being driven by a first actuator 504 (see FIG. 16 ).

[0136] [Support member 501] The support member 501 is a block-shaped member. The support member 501 is located downstream of the first discharge roller 62 in the conveying direction 15 and upstream of the contact position P5 in the conveying direction 15. The support member 501 is movable in the intersecting direction. The support member 501 has, on its upper surface, a flat support surface 506 that supports the paper 12 conveyed through the conveying path 65. The upstream side of the support member 501 in the conveying direction 15 is supported via a shaft portion 507 disposed in the housing 14. The support member 501 is movable between a fifth position P8 where it protrudes upward into the conveying path 65 and a sixth position P9 where the support surface 506 is aligned with the conveying path 65. The support member 501 is moved to the fifth position P8 or the sixth position P9 by being driven by a second actuator 505 (see FIG. 16 ).

[0137] [Controller 130] The configuration of the controller 130 and the memory 140 will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0138] The controller 130 according to this embodiment includes a CPU 131 and an ASIC 135, similar to the first embodiment, and the memory 140 includes a ROM 132, a RAM 133, and an EEPROM 134. The CPU 131, the ASIC 135, the ROM 132, the RAM 133, and the EEPROM 134 are connected by an internal bus 137.

[0139] The ASIC 135 is connected to a conveying motor 101, a feeding motor 102, and a carriage drive motor 103. In this embodiment, a first actuator 504 and a second actuator 505 are also connected. The first actuator 504 drives the moving member 500 when power is supplied to a coil portion (not shown). The second actuator 505 drives the supporting member 501 when power is supplied to a coil portion (not shown).

[0140] [Control of Image Recording and Transport by Controller 130] The control of image recording and transport on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b by the controller 130 will be described below with reference to the flowchart in Fig. 17. When image recording is performed on one sheet of paper 12, the paper 12 is discharged without driving the first actuator 504 and the second actuator 505. That is, the paper 12 is discharged by being transported along the transport path 65 in the same manner as steps S103 to S108 in the first embodiment described above, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted below.

[0141] When the controller 130 receives an input operation to start image recording from the user via the operation unit 17, it drives the feeding unit 16 to feed the preceding sheet 12a on the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S501).

[0142] The controller 130 acquires a detection signal generated when the sheet sensor 120 detects the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a (S502). When the controller 130 acquires the detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 temporarily stops the rotation of the conveying roller 60 and then rotates it by a predetermined angle, causing the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a to be sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 59, and starts counting the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 (S503).

[0143] In response to receiving a detection signal from the sheet sensor 120, the controller 130 drives the conveying motor 101, and causes the conveying roller pair 59 to perform a cueing operation to position the leading edge 68 of the preceding sheet 12a below the recording unit 24 (S504).

[0144] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing (S505). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to convey the preceding sheet 12a intermittently to start a line feed (S506).

[0145] The controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S507). When the sheet sensor 120 has not detected the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a (S507: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S505) and line feed (S506) until the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a is detected. On the other hand, when the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge of the preceding sheet 12a (S507: Yes), the controller 130 drives the feeding unit 16 to feed the following sheet 12b in the feeding tray 20 to the conveying path 65 (S508). The controller 130 acquires a detection signal indicating that the sheet sensor 120 has detected the leading edge 70 of the following sheet 12b (S509). Thereafter, the succeeding sheet 12b is positioned so that its leading edge 53 is positioned below the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and is sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 59. At this time, the controller 130 drives the feeding unit 16 by controlling the timing and speed so that the distance D2 along the conveying direction 15 of the overlap between the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a and the leading edge 53 of the succeeding sheet 12b is shorter than the distance D1 along the conveying direction 15 between the first discharge roller 62 and the second discharge roller 46.

[0146] The controller 130 drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing on the preceding sheet 12a and the succeeding sheet 12b (S410). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to start a new line for the succeeding sheet 12b together with the trailing edge 52 of the preceding sheet 12a (S411).

[0147] The controller 130 determines whether the trailing end 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the first discharge roller 62 before passing the contact position P5, and further whether the leading end 70 of the following sheet 12b is positioned on the support surface 506 of the support member 501 (S512). Specifically, the controller 130 determines whether the trailing end 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed a second set position Q2 (see FIG. 15) that is arbitrarily set between the first discharge roller 62 and the contact position P2, and determines whether the amount of rotation of the conveying roller 60 from when the preceding sheet 12a was sandwiched between the pair of conveying rollers 59 (S503) has reached a distance D8 in the conveying direction 15 from the pair of conveying rollers 59 to the second set position Q2, which is stored in advance in the memory 140. When the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has not yet passed the contact position P5 but has not yet passed the first discharge roller 62 (S512: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S510) and line feed (S511) for the following sheet 12b together with the preceding sheet 12a. On the other hand, when the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has not yet passed the contact position P5 but has passed the first discharge roller 62 and the leading edge of the following sheet 12b is positioned on the support surface of the support member 501 (S512: Yes), the controller 130 drives the first actuator 504 to move the moving member 500 from the fourth position P7 to the third position P6 (S513), and drives the second actuator 505 to move the support member 501 from the sixth position P9 to the fifth position P8 (S514).

[0148] The controller 130 determines whether the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the contact position P5 (S515). The controller 130 determines that the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has passed the contact position P5 when the amount of rotation of the conveyance roller 60 since the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a passed the sheet sensor 120 (S507) reaches the distance D9 in the conveyance direction 15 from the sheet sensor 120 to the contact position P5, which is stored in advance in the memory 140. If the trailing edge 69 of the preceding sheet 12a has not passed the contact position P5 (S515: No), the controller 130 performs pass printing on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b (S416) and starts a new line on the preceding sheet 12a and the following sheet 12b (S416). On the other hand, when the trailing end 69 of the preceding sheet 12a passes the abutment position P5 (S515: Yes), the controller 130 drives the first actuator 504 to move the movable member 500 from the third position P6 to the fourth position P7 (S518), and drives the second actuator 505 to move the support member 501 from the fifth position P8 to the sixth position P9 (S519).

[0149] The controller 130 determines whether the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b (S520). If the sheet sensor 120 has not detected the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b (S520: No), the controller 130 continues line feeds and pass printing until it detects the trailing edge 71 of the subsequent sheet 12b. On the other hand, if the sheet sensor 120 has detected the trailing edge of the subsequent sheet 12b (S520: Yes), the controller 130 determines whether there is data to be image-recorded on the next page (S521).

[0150] When the controller 130 determines that there is data to be image-recorded on the next page (S521: Yes), it feeds the paper 12 as the sheet 12b following the subsequent sheet 12b (S508). Thereafter, the controller 130 repeats the above steps (S508 to S521) until there is no data to be image-recorded on the next page. On the other hand, when the controller 130 determines that there is no data to be image-recorded on the next page (S521: No), it drives the carriage drive motor 103 to perform pass printing on the subsequent sheet 12b (S522). The controller 130 drives the conveyance motor 101 to place the subsequent sheet 12b directly below the recording unit 24 and perform a line feed (S523).

[0151] The controller 130 determines whether to end image recording on the subsequent sheet 12b (S524). If there is data to be image recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b (S524: No), the controller 130 continues pass printing (S522) and line feed (S523). On the other hand, if there is no data to be image recorded on the subsequent sheet 12b and the controller 130 determines that image recording should be ended (S524: Yes), the controller 130 ejects the subsequent sheet 12b (S525).

[0152] [Effects of the Fifth Embodiment] The movable member 500, which can move in a direction intersecting the conveying path 65 at the contact position P5, can move to a third position P6 where it protrudes downward into the conveying path 65 and a fourth position P7 where it is spaced upward from the conveying path 65. The support member 501, which can move in a direction intersecting the conveying path 65 upstream of the contact position P5 in the conveying direction 15, can move to a fifth position P8 where it protrudes upward into the conveying path 65 and a sixth position P9 where the support surface 506 is along the conveying path 65. Therefore, when the movable member 500 moves from the fourth position P7 to the third position P6 and the support member 501 moves from the sixth position P9 to the fifth position P8, the trailing end 52 of the leading sheet 12a is pushed down by the movable member 500 with the leading end 53 of the trailing sheet 12b supported by the support member 501. As a result, the leading end 53 of the trailing sheet 12b is positioned higher than the trailing end 52 of the leading sheet 12a. Then, as the moving member 500 moves from the third position P6 to the fourth position P7 and the support member 501 moves from the fifth position P8 to the sixth position P9, the rear end 52 of the leading sheet 12a overlaps the lower part of the leading end 53 of the trailing sheet 12b. This causes the leading sheet 12a and the trailing sheet 12b to be swapped upside down. As a result, it is possible to prevent the leading sheet 12a from being pushed and bent by the trailing sheet 12b and buckling, or the leading sheet 12a and the trailing sheet 12b from being swapped upside down. [Explanation of symbols]

[0153] 10. Multifunction printer (image recording device) 12. Paper (sheet) 16... Feeding section 20 Feeding tray 21. Output tray 24 Recording section 46···Paper ejection roller (third roller) 48... (third roller) roller surface 50... (second roller) roller surface 52... (the rear end of the preceding sheet) 53 Leading edge (of subsequent sheet) 60....Transport roller (first roller) 62 Discharge roller (second roller) 65...Transport path 101: Conveyor motor (drive unit) 120 Sheet sensor (sensor) 130 Controller

Claims

1. A feed tray; An output tray; a conveyance path connecting the feeding tray and the ejection tray; a feeding unit that feeds the sheet supported on the feeding tray to the conveying path; a recording unit that records an image on a sheet in the conveying path; a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a conveying direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray, and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a sensor that detects an edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction; A drive unit; a controller; the controller drives the feeding unit to feed the subsequent sheet to the conveying path based on the detection signal of the sensor so that the leading edge of the subsequent sheet supported by the feeding tray overlaps the trailing edge of the preceding sheet being conveyed by the first roller; the drive unit transmits driving force to at least the second roller and the third roller; The force with which the third roller holds the sheet is weaker than the force with which the second roller holds the sheet, The image recording device wherein the rotation speed of the roller surface of the third roller is faster than the rotation speed of the roller surface of the second roller.

2. A feed tray; An output tray; a conveyance path connecting the feeding tray and the ejection tray; a feeding unit that feeds the sheet supported on the feeding tray to the conveying path; a recording unit that records an image on a sheet in the conveying path; a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a conveying direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray, and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a sensor that detects an edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction; a first drive unit that transmits driving force to the second roller; a second drive unit that transmits driving force to the third roller; a controller; The above controller is Based on a detection signal from the sensor, the feeding unit is driven so that the leading edge of the following sheet supported on the feeding tray overlaps the trailing edge of the preceding sheet being conveyed by the first roller, thereby feeding the following sheet to the conveying path; An image recording device that, based on the detection signal of the sensor and the amount of rotation of the first roller, determines that the rear end of the preceding sheet is located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and upstream of the third roller in the conveying direction, and drives the first drive unit and the second drive unit so that the roller surface of the third roller rotates at a faster rotational speed than the roller surface of the second roller.

3. A feed tray; An output tray; a conveyance path connecting the feeding tray and the ejection tray; a feeding unit that feeds the sheet supported on the feeding tray to the conveying path; a recording unit that records an image on a sheet in the conveying path; a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a conveying direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray, and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a sensor that detects an edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction; a bypass conveying path having a path length longer than a path length of the conveying path between the second roller and the third roller, the bypass conveying path branching and merging between the second roller and the third roller; a guide member that changes its position between a first position for guiding the sheet to the conveying path and a second position for guiding the sheet to the bypass conveying path at a branch position between the conveying path and the bypass conveying path; A drive unit; a controller; The above controller is Based on a detection signal from the sensor, the feeding unit is driven to feed the subsequent sheet to the conveying path so that the leading edge of the subsequent sheet supported by the feeding tray overlaps the trailing edge of the preceding sheet conveyed by the first roller; an image recording device that changes the position of the guide member from the first position to the second position based on the detection signal of the sensor when the leading edge of the preceding sheet passes the branching position and before the leading edge of the succeeding sheet passes the branching position.

4. A feed tray; An output tray; a conveyance path connecting the feeding tray and the ejection tray; a feeding unit that feeds the sheet supported on the feeding tray to the conveying path; a recording unit that records an image on a sheet in the conveying path; a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a conveying direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray, and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a moving member located at a contact position between the second roller and the third roller and movable in a direction intersecting the conveying path; a sensor that detects an edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction; A drive unit; a controller; the movable member is movable between a first position where it protrudes upward into the transport path and a second position where it is spaced downward from the transport path, The above controller is Based on a detection signal from the sensor, the feeding unit is driven to feed the subsequent sheet to the conveying path so that the leading edge of the subsequent sheet supported on the feeding tray overlaps the trailing edge of the preceding sheet being conveyed by the first roller; an image recording device that, based on a detection signal from the sensor, moves the movable member from the second position to the first position before the trailing end of the preceding sheet passes the second roller and the contact position, and moves the movable member from the first position to the second position when the trailing end of the preceding sheet has passed the contact position.

5. A feed tray; An output tray; a conveyance path connecting the feeding tray and the ejection tray; a feeding unit that feeds the sheet supported on the feeding tray to the conveying path; a recording unit that records an image on a sheet in the conveying path; a first roller located upstream of the recording unit in a conveying direction from the feed tray to the discharge tray, and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a second roller located downstream of the recording unit in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a third roller located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and configured to convey the sheet in the conveying direction; a moving member located at a contact position between the second roller and the third roller and movable in a direction intersecting the conveying path; a support member located downstream of the second roller in the conveying direction and upstream of the contact position in the conveying direction, the support member being movable in the intersecting direction; a sensor that detects an edge of the sheet upstream of the first roller in the conveying direction; A drive unit; a controller; the movable member is movable between a third position where it protrudes downward into the transport path and a fourth position where it is spaced upward from the transport path, the support member is movable between a fifth position where it protrudes upward into the transport path and a sixth position where a support surface is aligned with the transport path; The above controller is Based on a detection signal from the sensor, the feeding unit is driven to feed the subsequent sheet to the conveying path so that the leading edge of the subsequent sheet supported on the feeding tray overlaps the trailing edge of the preceding sheet being conveyed by the first roller; an image recording device that, based on the detection signal of the sensor, moves the movable member from the fourth position to the third position and moves the support member from the sixth position to the fifth position when the leading end of the preceding sheet is positioned on the support surface of the support member after the trailing end of the preceding sheet has passed the second roller and before passing the contact position, and moves the movable member from the third position to the fourth position and moves the support member from the fifth position to the sixth position when the trailing end of the preceding sheet has passed the contact position.

6. The above controller is An image recording device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the feeding section is driven so that the distance along the conveying direction of the overlap between the rear end of the preceding sheet and the front end of the following sheet is shorter than the distance along the conveying direction between the second roller and the third roller.

Images