Conveying device and recording device

Abstract

To provide a conveyance device in which detecting means for a recording medium is hard to be damaged.SOLUTION: One embodiment of the present invention is a conveyance device including: a first guide fixed to a body, a position forming a conveyance path along which a recording medium is conveyed together with the first guide; a second guide movable to a position for opening the conveying path; a first lever provided on the body, and for detecting whether or not the recording medium exists in the conveyance path; and a second lever for shielding light. The first lever and the second lever can swing integrally or independently according to the position of the second guide.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a conveying device for conveying a recording medium, and more particularly to a detecting means for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium in a conveying path inside the device.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in a conveying device for conveying a sheet-like recording medium, a detecting means for detecting the recording medium is provided in the conveying path of the recording medium, and after detecting the presence or absence of the recording medium, a predetermined process for the detected recording medium is performed. As such a detecting means, a detecting lever for detecting the contact of the recording medium is known.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a guide for a recording medium that can be opened by rotation with respect to a conveying path and a detecting lever. In Patent Document 1, due to the positional relationship between the guide and the rotation axis of the detecting lever, when the guide is opened during paper jam processing, the detecting lever retreats inside the guide.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, in Patent Document 1, the detecting lever and the light shielding lever move integrally regardless of the position of the guide. Therefore, when opening the guide for the purpose of eliminating abnormal conveyance of the recording medium, etc., it may accidentally Detection lever give an impact to, and there is a risk that the detecting lever may come off and fall, leading to damage to the detecting means.

[0006] Therefore, an object of an embodiment of the present invention is to provide a conveying device in which the detecting means for the recording medium is less likely to be damaged. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One embodiment of the present invention includes a first guide fixed to a main body, a second guide mounted on the main body that forms a transport path for transporting a recording medium together with the first guide and is removed from the main body to open the transport path, a first lever provided on the main body that contacts the recording medium being transported along the transport path, and a second lever that shields light. A lever protection section housing the first lever, The second guide is the main body The device switches between a non-contact state in which the first lever does not come into contact with the device when the device is attached to the main body, and a contact state in which the second guide comes into contact with the first lever when the second guide is removed from the main body. A conveying device comprising a switching means configured as such, wherein the switching means is Non-contact state When in this position, the first lever and the second lever swing together, and the switching means Contact state If it is located, The switching means is activated when the first lever is pressed. The first lever swings relative to the second lever. The position of the first lever can move between a first position in which the tip of the first lever protrudes into the transport path when the second guide is attached, and a second position in which the first lever, retracted from the transport path when the second guide is removed, is stored in the lever protection section. This is a conveying device characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to one embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a transport device in which the detection means for the recording medium is less likely to be damaged. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0009] [Figure 1] (a) Perspective view showing the external appearance of the recording device 1 in a closed state, (b) Perspective view showing the external appearance of the recording device 1 in an open state [Figure 2] (a) Perspective view showing the internal mechanism of the recording device 1 in the open state, (b) Cross-sectional view showing the internal mechanism of the recording device 1 in the open state [Figure 3] (a) Perspective view of the intermediate transport section 90 and the sheet material detection section 80, (b) Perspective view of the sheet material detection section 80 [Figure 4] (a) Explanatory diagram of the first possible position of the sheet material detection unit 80, (b) Perspective view of the sheet material detection unit 80 in the first position [Figure 5] (a) Explanatory diagram of the second position that the sheet material detection unit 80 can take, (b) Perspective view of the sheet material detection unit 80 in the second position [Figure 6](a) Explanatory diagram of the third position the sheet material detection unit 80 can take, (b) Perspective view of the sheet material detection unit 80 in the third position [Figure 7] Block diagram of the control unit [Figure 8] Flowchart for the initialization process of the sub-scanning system [Figure 9] Flowchart for paper feed preparation process [Figure 10] Diagram illustrating each state of recording device 1. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0010] [First Embodiment] <Overall configuration of the recording device> Figure 1(a) is a perspective view showing the external appearance of a recording device 1 having a recording medium transport device according to the first embodiment. The recording device 1 has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape as a whole, with a reading device 3 provided on the upper part of the main body 2 so as to be openable and closable, and a touch panel type display device 4 for receiving user operations provided on the front of the main body 2.

[0011] Figure 1(b) is a perspective view showing the reading device 3 and the ink tank cover 5 in the rotated and open state (referred to as the open state). An ink inlet 6 for injecting ink is provided on the front of the recording device 1. In Figures 1(a) and 1(b), the coordinate axes are as follows: arrow X indicates the width direction of the recording device 1, arrow Y indicates the depth direction of the recording device 1, and arrow Z indicates the vertical direction (height direction of the recording device 1). These directions are perpendicular to each other. For explanatory purposes, the same coordinate axes as in Figures 1(a) and 1(b) will be set in other figures described later as needed.

[0012] The recording device 1 is a serial inkjet recording device that ejects ink supplied from the ink tank 7 onto a recording medium to record an image. However, this embodiment is also applicable to other types of serial recording devices. Note that "recording" includes not only the case of forming meaningful information such as characters and graphics, but also widely includes forming images, patterns, patterns, etc. on a recording medium regardless of whether they are meaningful or not, or performing processing on the medium, regardless of whether they are manifested so that they can be visually perceived by humans. In this embodiment, a sheet-like paper is assumed as the "recording medium", but it may also be cloth, plastic film, or the like.

[0013] FIG. 2(a) is a perspective view showing the internal mechanism of the recording device 1, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view showing the internal mechanism of the recording device 1. The recording device 1 includes a recording unit 10, feeding units 20A to 20C, a conveyance unit 30, and a discharge unit 40.

[0014] The feeding units 20A, 20B, and 20C, the conveyance unit 30, and the discharge unit 40 are mechanisms for conveying the recording medium. The conveyance direction of the recording medium is called the "sub-scanning direction", and the side of the conveyance source (loading table side) may be called the "upstream side", and the side of the conveyance destination (discharge tray side of the discharge unit) may be called the "downstream side". The sub-scanning direction of this embodiment includes the +Y direction (feeding direction) and the -Y direction (return direction) in the plan view of the recording device 1.

[0015] The recording device 1 has three feeding paths. Specifically, one of the feeding paths is constituted by the feeding unit 20A, another one is constituted by the feeding unit 20B, and still another one is constituted by the feeding unit 20C. The feeding unit 20A has a feeding roller 21 extending in the X direction. The feeding roller 21 rotates by a driving force generated by a driving source 25 (a motor in this embodiment) and can convey the recording medium loaded on the loading table 22. The loading table 22 is disposed at the rear of the main body 2 and can be deployed so as to change from the stored state shown in FIG. 1(a) to the deployed state shown in FIGS. 1(b), 2(a), and 2(b).

[0016] Each of the feeding units 20B and 20C has a feeding cassette 24 that is detachably attached to the bottom of the recording device 1 from the front, and the recording medium stored in the feeding cassette 24 is sent to an intermediate transport unit 90 located at the rear of the recording device 1. The intermediate transport unit 90 is equipped with an intermediate roller 91 and an intermediate driven roller 92 opposite it. The transport path of the intermediate transport unit 90 is composed of an inner guide 93 and an outer guide 94, and a sheet material detection unit 80 for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium P is provided near the intermediate roller 91. The outer guide 94 is configured to be detachable from the recording device 1, taking into consideration the process of removing recording media that have caused transport problems such as paper jams (so-called jam processing). When the user opens the outer guide 94 during jam processing, a part of the transport path is exposed.

[0017] The transport unit 30 is located downstream of the intermediate transport section 90. The transport unit 30 has a transport roller 31 that extends in the X direction. The transport roller 31 rotates due to the driving force of the drive source 32 (a motor in this embodiment) and transports the recording medium supplied from the supply unit 20A, supply unit 20B, or supply unit 20C along the Y direction. A driven roller is pressed against the transport roller 31, and the recording medium is transported while being held between the nip portion between the transport roller 31 and the driven roller.

[0018] The discharge unit 40 is located downstream of the transport unit 30. The discharge unit 40 has a discharge roller 41 that extends in the X direction. The discharge roller 41 rotates due to the driving force of the drive source 32 and discharges the recording medium being transported from the transport unit 30.

[0019] The recording unit 10 shown in Figure 2 has a drive mechanism that moves the carriage 11 back and forth in a predetermined direction. The direction in which the carriage 11 moves back and forth is called the main scanning direction, and in this embodiment, the main scanning direction is the X-axis direction. The movement of the carriage 11 is called (main) scanning, and the act of recording an image by the recording head 12 while the carriage 11 is moving is sometimes called recording scanning.

[0020] The drive mechanism for the carriage 11 includes, for example, a guide rail that guides the movement of the carriage 11 in the main scanning direction, and a belt transmission mechanism that transmits driving force from the drive source 13 (motor in this embodiment) to the carriage 11 to move in the main scanning direction.

[0021] The recording of an image on the recording medium by the recording device 1 can be performed, for example, as follows: The recording medium fed from the feeding unit 20A, feeding unit 20B, or feeding unit 20C is intermittently transported by the transport unit 30, and the transport of the recording medium and the recording of an image on the recording medium by the recording unit 10 are performed alternately. More specifically, the transport unit 30 transports the recording medium in the sub-scanning direction and stops so that the row position where an image is formed on the recording medium becomes the image recording position (specifically, directly below the ink ejection surface). Then, while the transport of the recording medium is stopped, the carriage 11 is moved to perform a recording scan. Subsequently, the transport unit 30 transports the recording medium and stops so that the next row position where an image is formed on the recording medium becomes the image recording position. Then, while the transport of the recording medium is stopped, the carriage 11 is moved to perform a recording scan. The same procedure is repeated thereafter. In this way, an image can be recorded on the entire recording medium. When the recording of the image is finished, the recording medium is ejected by the ejection unit 40.

[0022] <Configuration of the sheet material detection unit> Next, the configuration of the sheet material detection unit 80 provided in the intermediate transport unit 90, which is a feature of this embodiment, will be explained using Figures 3(a) and 3(b). Figure 3(a) is a perspective view of the configuration of the intermediate transport unit 90, which transports the recording medium by an intermediate transport roller 91 located between an outer guide 94 and an inner guide (not shown), and the sheet material detection unit 80, in a ready-to-use recording device 1. Figure 3(b) is a rear view of the sheet material detection unit 80 in the state shown in Figure 3(a), viewed from the rear side, and by not showing the outer guide 94, the configuration of the sheet material detection unit 80 alone is shown.

[0023] The sheet material detection unit 80 includes a sheet material detection lever 81 that protrudes into the transport path of the intermediate transport unit 90 and can contact the recording medium, an optical sensor 87, and a shielding lever 82 that shields the optical path of the optical sensor 87. As shown in Figure 3(b), the sheet material detection lever 81 and the shielding lever 82 are pivotable around the same axis of rotation 88. By biasing the spring attachment portion 81a of the sheet material detection lever 81 and the spring attachment portion 82a of the shielding lever 82 with a detection lever connecting spring 85, the sheet material detection lever 81 and the shielding lever 82 pivot together as long as no external force is applied to each lever simultaneously. In addition, the sheet material detection lever 81 has a spring attachment portion 81b at its end, separate from the spring attachment portion 81a, and one end of the detection lever spring 84 is attached to the spring attachment portion 81b. The other end of the detection lever spring 84 is attached to the spring attachment portion 96a of the fixing portion 96 to which the sheet material detection unit 80 is attached.

[0024] The detection lever spring 84 biases the integrally rotating sheet material detection lever 81 and shielding lever 82 in a counterclockwise direction with respect to the rotation axis 88 (CCW direction when viewed in the +X direction in Figure 3(a)). As a result, the shielding lever 82 abuts against the optical sensor 87 attached to the fixed part 96. At this time, as shown in Figure 3(a), the tip of the sheet material detection lever 81 protrudes from the outer guide 94 and blocks the transport path, so the sheet material detection lever 81 rotates due to the feeding recording medium. The load on the recording medium at this time is equal to the pressure of the detection lever spring 84.

[0025] Next, the switching mechanism 83 will be described. The sheet material detection lever 81 and the shielding lever 82, which are configured as separate components and rotate integrally, are rotatable on the same rotation axis 88 and are attached to the fixed part 96 at positions offset in the X-axis direction, as shown in Figure 3(b). The switching mechanism 83 also has a spring attachment part 83a, to which one end of the switching spring 86 is attached. On the other hand, the other end of the switching spring 86 is attached to the spring attachment part 96b of the fixed part 96, and the switching spring 86 is biased clockwise around the rotation axis 88 (CW direction when viewed in the -X direction in Figure 3(b)).

[0026] The biasing force of the switching spring 86 is greater than the combined biasing force of the detection lever spring 84 and the detection lever connecting spring 85. When the outer guide 94 is attached to the recording device 1, the pushing portion 94A of the outer guide 94 shown in Figure 3(a) pushes the switching means 83 shown in Figure 3(b) in the RP direction (same as the +Y direction).

[0027] Figure 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of the area around the sheet material detection unit 80 in the recording device 1 with the outer guide 94 attached and no recording medium being fed, and Figure 4(b) is a perspective view showing only the sheet material detection unit 80 in this state.

[0028] Figure 4(a), similar to Figures 3(a) and 3(b), shows the usable state of the recording device 1 with the external guide 94 attached. When the switching means 83 is pushed in the RP direction by the external guide 94, the switching means 83 and the sheet material detection lever 81 are not in contact, so the sheet material detection lever 81 and the shielding lever 82 can swing together around the rotation axis 88. When the recording medium is not present in the transport path, as shown in Figure 4(a), the biasing force of the detection lever spring 84 causes the tip of the sheet material detection lever 81 to enter the transport path, while the shielding lever 82 shields the optical axis of the optical sensor 87. The control unit 100 (see Figure 7), which will be described later, can determine that the recording medium is not in the transport path of the intermediate transport section 90 when it detects optical axis shielding by the shielding lever 82. The position of the sheet material detection section 80 shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b) is defined as the "first position of the sheet material detection section 80".

[0029] If a transport abnormality such as a jam occurs in the intermediate transport section 90, the user removes the outer guide 94 from the recording device 1. This exposes the transport path of the intermediate transport section 90, allowing the user to access and remove the recording medium within the transport path. Figure 5(a) is a cross-sectional view of the area around the sheet material detection section 80 in the recording device 1 with the outer guide 94 removed, and Figure 5(b) is a perspective view showing only the sheet material detection section 80 at this time.

[0030] By removing the movable outer guide 94 from the main body 2 of the recording device 1, the push-in portion 94A moves away from the switching means 83 of the sheet material detection portion 80. At this time, the switching means 83 is linked to the removal operation of the outer guide 94. Specifically, the switching means 83 rotates clockwise around the rotation axis 88 by the biasing force of the switching spring 86, that is, in the direction that contacts the sheet material detection lever 81 (clockwise (CW) direction when viewed in the +X direction in Figure 5(b)), and rotates the sheet material detection lever 81. The recording device 1 is provided with a lever protection portion 95, and the sheet material detection lever 81, which has been rotated by the switching means 83, abuts against the stop portion 95a inside the lever protection portion 95 and is stored in the lever protection portion 95. Furthermore, the shielding lever 82 rotates together with the sheet material detection lever 81 until it reaches a predetermined position where it escapes from the optical sensor 87. However, once the shielding lever 82 contacts the abutment portion 96c of the fixing portion 96, the shielding lever 82 cannot rotate any further. Therefore, thereafter, only the sheet material detection lever 81 rotates independently by the switching means 83. The position of the sheet material detection unit 80 shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b) is defined as the "second position of the sheet material detection unit 80".

[0031] Next, the sheet material detection unit 80 when the recording operation is started from the state shown in Figures 4(a) and 4(b) and the recording medium P is fed from the feeding unit 20B will be explained using Figures 6(a) and 6(b). When the recording medium P enters the transport path of the intermediate transport unit 90 and comes into contact with the tip of the sheet material detection lever 81, and pushes down the sheet material detection lever 81, the sheet material detection lever 81 and the shielding lever 82 swing together, and the shielding lever 82 escapes from the optical sensor 87. As a result, the optical axis is no longer shielded by the shielding lever 82, and when the optical axis is detected, it can be determined that the recording medium P is in the transport path of the intermediate transport unit 90. The position of the sheet material detection unit 80 shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b) is defined as the "third position of the sheet material detection unit 80". At this time, as mentioned above, the switching means 83 is not in contact with the sheet material detection lever 81. Therefore, the sheet material detection lever 81 and the shielding lever 82 can be easily swung when the recording medium P being transported along the intermediate transport path 90 comes into contact with the sheet material detection lever 81, or conversely, when it ceases to come into contact with the sheet material detection lever 81.

[0032] <Control Unit> The configuration of the control system of the recording device 1 (see Figure 1) will be explained below using Figure 7. Figure 7 is a block diagram of the control unit 100 that controls the recording device 1. The control unit 100 is a control circuit that controls the operation of each mechanism of the recording device 1.

[0033] The CPU 101 controls the entire recording device 1. The controller 102 assists the CPU 101 and controls the drive of various motors 107 and the recording head 12 according to the detection results of various sensors 105.

[0034] ROM 103 stores various data and control programs for the CPU 101, while EEPROM 104 stores various data. EEPROM 104 includes storage means 110A to 110C for storing information about the presence or absence of a recording medium in the transport path, which will be described later. Note that other storage devices may be used instead of ROM 103 and EEPROM 104.

[0035] The driver 108 drives the various motors 107. The various motors 107 include, for example, the motor of the drive source 25, the motor of the drive source 32, the motor of the drive source 13, etc. The driver 106 drives the recording head 12. The various sensors 105 include a sensor for detecting the position of the carriage 11, a sensor arranged in the transport path of the recording medium to detect the leading and trailing ends of the recording medium, a leading and trailing end detection unit 34 (see Figure 2(b)), and a sheet material detection unit 80.

[0036] <Means for storing information about the existence of a medium> As described above, the recording device 1 has physical sensors for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium in the transport path, such as an end-point detection unit 34 (see Figure 2(b)) and a sheet material detection unit 80. However, these sensors cannot detect a recording medium unless the recording medium is in direct contact with each sensor. Therefore, the recording device 1 of this embodiment maintains information (referred to as media presence information) indicating whether or not there is a possibility of a recording medium being present in the transport path. The media presence information is stored in the media presence information storage means 110 (see Figure 7).

[0037] More specifically, the storage means 110A for media presence information stores information indicating whether or not a recording medium may be present in the transport path when paper is fed from the paper feeding unit 20A. Specifically, it stores a flag value (set to ON) indicating that a storage medium may be present, or a flag value (set to OFF) indicating that a storage medium is not present.

[0038] Similarly, the media presence information storage means 110B stores a flag value (ON or OFF) indicating whether or not there is a possibility of a recording medium being present in the transport path when paper is fed from the paper feeding unit 20B. In addition, the media presence information storage means 110C stores a flag value (ON or OFF) indicating whether or not there is a possibility of a recording medium being present in the transport path when paper is fed from the paper feeding unit 20C.

[0039] As an example, consider the case where the recording device 1 is operating normally and the flag value OFF is stored in each of the media presence information storage means 110A to 110C. In this case, when paper feeding begins from the feed unit 20B, the value stored in the media presence information storage means 110B is updated from OFF to ON. However, at this time, the flag values ​​stored in the media presence information storage means 110A and 110B remain OFF and are not updated.

[0040] <Initialization process for the sub-scanning system> The recording device 1, which is started by the user pressing a power button or the like, selectively performs an initialization process based on the signal values ​​obtained from various sensors 105 and the flag values ​​stored in each of the storage means 110A to 110C for media presence information. This initialization process includes an initialization process for the recording system including the recording head 12 (referred to as the main scanning system initialization process) and an initialization process for the transport system including the transport path of the recording medium (referred to as the sub-scanning system initialization process).

[0041] The initialization process of the sub-scanning system will be explained below with reference to Figures 7 and 8. When the user turns on the power to the recording device 1, the control means 100 starts the initialization process of the sub-scanning system shown in Figure 8.

[0042] In S81, the CPU 101 acquires information from the detection results (signal values) from the various sensors 105 and the flag values ​​stored in the storage means 110A to 110C for media presence information.

[0043] In S82, the CPU 101 uses the information acquired in S81 to determine whether all transport paths are normal (i.e., whether no recording medium is present in any of the transport paths). In this embodiment, the CPU 101 determines that all transport paths are normal if the detection results from the various sensors 105 indicate that no recording medium is present in the transport paths, and the flag values ​​stored in each of the storage means 110A to 110C for media presence information are OFF. If the determination result in this step is true, the initialization process of the sub-scanning system is completed successfully. On the other hand, if the determination result in this step is false, the process proceeds to S83.

[0044] In step S83, the CPU 101 executes initialization processing according to the information obtained in step S81. The specific content of the combinations of information that may be obtained in step S81 and the specific content of the initialization processing executed in this step are predetermined by the designer.

[0045] In S84, the CPU 101 determines whether the detection results from the various sensors 105 indicate that no recording medium is present in the transport path. If the determination result in this step is true, the process proceeds to S85. On the other hand, if the determination result in this step is false, the series of processes ends (in this case, a transport error such as a jam has occurred, and a message to that effect is sent to the user).

[0046] In step S85, the CPU 101 updates the flag value stored in the media presence information storage means 110. As a result of this step, the flag value OFF is stored in each of the media presence information storage means 110A to 110C, and the initialization process of the sub-scanning system is completed successfully.

[0047] When the initialization process of the sub-scanning system is completed successfully (YES in S82, or when the process in S85 is completed), the position of the sheet material detection unit 80 is the first position shown in Figure 4(a), and the optical axis of the optical sensor 87 is shielded by the shielding lever 82. The state of the recording device 1 at this time is defined as the "first state". In the first state, the detection result by the optical sensor 87 indicates that there is no recording medium in the transport path (referred to as the light-shielding state, OFF state, etc.), and the flag value OFF is stored in each of the storage means 110A to 110C for media presence information (see Figure 10).

[0048] <Paper feed preparation process> The following describes the processing performed in the recording device 1 in the first state before paper feeding begins (referred to as paper feeding preparation processing), using Figures 6, 9, and 10.

[0049] After the initialization process of the sub-scanning system described above is completed, if the recording device 1 receives a recording start command due to the reception of a print job or the like, a paper feed preparation process is executed to feed the recording medium from one of the designated paper feed units 20A to 20C. In the following explanation, the case in which the recording medium is fed from paper feed unit 20B will be used as an example.

[0050] In S91, the CPU 101 performs a continuous paper feed determination. Specifically, the CPU 101 determines whether the next page is ready for feeding. If the determination in this step is true, the process proceeds to S92; otherwise, it proceeds to S93. The reason for performing the continuous paper feed determination in this step is that the series of paper feed preparation processes shown in Figure 9 are performed not only after the initialization process of the sub-scanning system shown in Figure 8, but also before continuous paper feeding is performed.

[0051] In S92, the CPU 101 executes a series of processes (referred to as the continuous feeding sequence) for continuous paper feeding.

[0052] In S93, the CPU 101 determines whether the flag value stored in the storage means 110B for media presence information is OFF and whether the detection result by the optical sensor 87 indicates an ON (light-receiving) state. If the determination result in this step is true, the series of processes ends; however, if the determination result is false, the process proceeds to S94. For example, if the recording device 1 is in the first state described above, the flag value stored in the storage means 110B for media presence information is OFF, and the detection result by the optical sensor 87 indicates an OFF (light-shielding) state. Therefore, in this case, the determination result in S93 is false, and the process proceeds to S94.

[0053] In S94, the CPU 101 updates the flag value stored in the storage means 110B for media existence information. As a result of this update, the flag value stored in the storage means 110B for media existence information is changed from OFF to ON.

[0054] After S94, the paper feed of the recording medium P from the feed unit 20B begins.

[0055] When the fed recording medium P passes through the sheet material detection unit 80, which is composed of a sheet material detection lever and the like, the sheet material detection lever 81 swings integrally with the shielding lever 82, and the position of the sheet material detection unit 80 becomes the third position described above (see Figure 6(a)). At this time, the shielding lever 82 has escaped from the optical sensor 87, and the detection result by the optical sensor 87 indicates the ON (light-receiving) state in which the recording medium P is present in the transport path. The state of the recording device 1 when the flag value stored in the storage means corresponding to the specified feeding unit is ON, and the detection result by the optical sensor 87 indicates the ON state is defined as the "third state". In addition, even if a transport abnormality such as a jam occurs before the feeding recording medium P reaches but passes through the sheet material detection unit 80, the detection result by the optical sensor 87 will also indicate the ON state, so the state of the recording device 1 will similarly be the third state.

[0056] In this embodiment, the determination of whether or not a transport abnormality has occurred in the transport path is performed using a sensor and control separate from the sensor and control described above.

[0057] <External guide not attached error> The following describes the error handling (referred to as the external guide not attached error handling) that occurs when the recording device 1 receives a recording start command while the external guide 94 is removed from the recording device 1 in the first state, using Figure 9. In the following, as with the explanation of the paper feed preparation process described above, the explanation will be given using the case where the paper feed unit 20B is specified as the paper feed source unit as an example.

[0058] The processing in S91 and S92 is the same as the processing described above.

[0059] In S93, the CPU 101 determines whether the flag value stored in the storage means 110B for media presence information is OFF and whether the detection result from the optical sensor 87 indicates an ON (light-receiving) state. As mentioned above, the paper feed preparation process is executed after the initialization process of the sub-scanning system, so the flag value stored in the storage means 110B for media presence information should be OFF and the detection result from the optical sensor 87 should indicate an OFF (light-shielding) state. However, in this example, as shown in Figure 5, as a result of the outer guide 94 being removed, the position of the sheet material detection unit 80 becomes the second position, and the detection result from the optical sensor 87 indicates an ON (light-receiving) state. Therefore, the determination result in S93 becomes true, and the recording device 1 enters an error state of not having the outer guide installed. At this time, the CPU 101 notifies the user of the error state by displaying a message indicating that the outer guide 94 is not installed. Furthermore, the state of the recording device 1 when the flag value stored in the storage means 110B for media existence information is OFF, and the detection result by the optical sensor 87 indicates an ON (light-receiving) state is defined as the "second state".

[0060] Figure 10 is a table that holds state information of the recording device 1, which is associated with each combination of the state indicated by the detection result of the optical sensor 87 and the flag value stored in the storage means 110B for media presence information.

[0061] <Effects, etc.> As described above, in this embodiment, when the outer guide 94 is removed from the recording device 1 for jamming or other purposes, the sheet material detection lever 81 is stored in the lever protection unit 95 provided on the recording device 1. This prevents accidental damage to the sheet material detection lever 81 when removing the outer guide 94 from the recording device 1. Furthermore, even if the removed outer guide 94 is accidentally dropped or subjected to impact, the sheet material detection unit 80 is located in the recording device 1, thus maintaining the detection function of the recording medium.

[0062] <Other Embodiments> Furthermore, the present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that implements one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and by having one or more processors in the computer of that system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., an ASIC) that implements one or more functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 2 Main unit 81 Sheet material detection lever 90 Intermediate transport section 93 Internal Guide 94 External Guide

Claims

1. The first guide is fixed to the main body, A second guide is attached to the main body and together with the first guide forms a transport path through which the recording medium is transported, and is removed from the main body to release the transport path. A first lever is provided on the main body and contacts the recording medium being transported along the transport path, A second lever that blocks light, A lever protection section housing the first lever, A conveying device comprising a switching means configured to switch between a non-contact state in which the second guide does not contact the first lever when the second guide is attached to the main body, and a contact state in which the second guide contacts the first lever when the second guide is removed from the main body, When the switching means is in the non-contact state, the first lever and the second lever swing together, and when the switching means is in the contact state, the switching means pushes the first lever, causing the first lever to swing relative to the second lever. The position of the first lever is a first position in which the tip of the first lever protrudes into the transport path when the second guide is attached, A conveying device characterized in that, when the second guide is removed, the first lever, which has been retracted from the conveying path, moves to a second position in which it is stored in the lever protection section.

2. The position of the first lever includes a third position when the first lever is pressed by the recording medium located in the transport path. The conveying device according to feature 1.

3. When the second guide is installed, the position of the first lever is either the first position or the third position. The conveying device according to feature 2.

4. The switching means switches between the non-contact state and the contact state in conjunction with the removal operation of the second guide. The conveying device according to feature 3.

5. The optical sensor further comprises the second lever, When the recording medium is present in the transport path, the light is not blocked by the second lever, and the optical sensor detects the light. If the recording medium is not present in the transport path, the light is blocked by the second lever, and the optical sensor does not detect the light. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. A storage means for storing a flag value indicating whether or not the recording medium may be present in the transport path, A control means that performs control to switch subsequent processing based on the detection result of the optical sensor and the flag value, It also has, The conveying device according to feature 5.

7. The flag value includes ON, which indicates that the recording medium may be present in the transport path, and OFF, which indicates that the recording medium is not present in the transport path. If the flag value is OFF and the optical sensor detects the light, the control means performs control to notify the user of an error indicating that the second guide is not installed. The conveying device according to feature 6.

8. The second guide described above includes a push-in portion for pushing in the switching means, The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The axis of rotation when the first lever rotates and the axis of rotation when the second lever rotates are, They are the same. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. When the second guide is removed, a portion of the transport path is exposed. The conveying device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A recording device comprising a transport device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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