Supply device and recording device

Abstract

To provide a supply device which achieves miniaturization.SOLUTION: A supply device of the present invention includes: a tray on which a sheet is placed; a first supply roller for conveying the sheet placed on the tray; and a second supply roller for conveying the sheet placed on the tray. The tray moves between a first position in which the first supply roller conveys the sheet, and a second position in which the second supply roller conveys the sheet.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a supply device that supplies a sheet from a tray and a recording device that records an image on the sheet supplied from the tray.

Background Art

[0002] A supply device that supplies a sheet from a tray may include a plurality of supply units to accommodate different types of sheets. In such a supply device, the supply units are selectively used depending on the size or thickness of the sheet. Patent Document 1 describes a printer that includes a plurality of supply units and trays for placing sheets of a predetermined size. Sheets supplied from the plurality of trays are recorded with an image by a recording unit and discharged outside the printer.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the case of a recording device in which sheets are placed on a plurality of trays as in Patent Document 1, a volume corresponding to the plurality of trays is required both when an image is recorded on the sheet and when the sheet is stored without recording an image. The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and an object thereof is to provide a supply device or a recording device that achieves miniaturization.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0005] The present invention provides a supply device comprising: a tray for placing sheets; a first supply roller for transporting the sheets placed on the tray; and a second supply roller for transporting the sheets placed on the tray, wherein the tray has a first position where the first supply roller transports the sheets, and a second position where the second supply roller transports the sheets. and third position Move to Furthermore, in the third position, the end of the tray opposite the second supply roller is lower than in the second position. It is characterized by the following: [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a supply device or recording device that achieves miniaturization. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] This is a perspective view showing the main parts of the recording device. [Figure 2] This is a side view showing a first embodiment in which the sub-tray is stored. [Figure 3] This is a side view showing a second embodiment of supplying sheets from a first supply unit. [Figure 4] This is a side view showing a third embodiment in which a sheet is supplied from an inclined position. [Figure 5] This is a side view showing a fourth embodiment in which the sheet is supplied from a horizontal position. [Figure 6] This is a perspective view showing the sub-tray in its stored position. [Figure 7] This is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the main tray and sub-tray. [Figure 8] This is a side view showing the position of the sub-tray relative to the main tray. [Figure 9] This is a side view showing the location of the main tray. [Figure 10] This is a perspective view showing the area where the main tray and guides are adjacent. [Figure 11] This flowchart shows the procedure for using a recording device. [Figure 12] This is a perspective view showing the main parts of the recording device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 13] This is a side view of the recording device according to the second embodiment. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the following embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention, and not all combinations of features described in these embodiments are essential to the solutions of the present invention. Identical components will be denoted by the same reference numerals. Furthermore, the relative arrangements, shapes, etc., of the components described in the embodiments are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of this invention to them alone.

[0009] <First Embodiment> <Recording device> A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is a perspective view showing the main part of the recording device. Figure 2 is a side view showing a first embodiment in which the sub-tray is housed. Figure 3 is a side view showing a second embodiment in which a sheet is supplied from a first supply unit. Figure 4 is a side view showing a third embodiment in which a sheet is supplied by the supply unit K2 from an inclined position. Figure 5 is a side view showing a fourth embodiment in which a sheet is supplied by the supply unit K2 from a horizontal position. The dashed lines in Figures 3 to 5 indicate the transport path through which the sheet is transported.

[0010] A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 5. The recording device 1 is provided with a first supply unit K1 that supplies a sheet, which is a recording medium, to the recording unit 6, and a second supply unit K2 that supplies thicker sheets that cannot be supplied by the first supply unit K1 to the recording unit 6. The mounting unit S on which the sheet is placed is composed of a main tray S1 and a sub-tray S2. The first supply unit K1 has an internal tray 701 that supports the sheet together with the sub-tray S2, a side guide 702 that restricts the width direction of the sheet, and a supply roller 3 which is a supply means for supplying the sheet. The supply roller 3 is composed of a roller pair (3a, 3b) of a drive roller and a driven roller. The supply means may also include a separation roller. The internal tray 701 is fixed inside the recording device 1. The side guide 702 is arranged on the internal tray 701. The mounting unit S, the first supply unit K1, and the second supply unit K2 are the supply devices of the present invention.

[0011] The second supply unit K2 has a supply roller 301, which is a supply means for supplying the sheet placed on the mounting section S to the recording section 6. The second supply unit K2 forms a transport path below the first supply unit K1. The supply roller 301 is composed of a roller pair (301a, 301b) consisting of a drive roller and a driven roller arranged on a guide 706 that guides the sheet. The supply means may also include a separation roller. The sheet supplied by the supply roller 3 or the supply roller 301 is transported by the first transport roller 4, which is a transport means. After an image is recorded on the sheet transported by the first transport roller 4, it is transported by the second transport roller 5, which is a transport means. The first transport roller 4 and the second transport roller 5 are each composed of a roller pair consisting of a driven roller and a drive roller. The sheet transported by the second transport roller 5 is discharged outside the recording device through an opening 1a on the front of the recording device 1. The opening may have a tray to receive the sheet.

[0012] The placement unit S places the sheet P supplied from the first supply unit K1 or the second supply unit K2 by changing its form on the back surface 1d of the recording device 1. In the storage state where the sub tray S2 is stored, the inner surface of the main tray S1 with respect to the recording device 1 is the placement surface for placing the sheet. On the other hand, the outer surface becomes the exterior surface which is the back surface 1d of the recording device 1. The main tray S1 rotates by a rotation axis S3 and can rotate to a vertical position (first angle), an inclined position (second angle), and a horizontal position (third angle). The position of the end of the main tray S1 becomes lower in the order of the first angle, the second angle, and the third angle. The main tray S1 can hold the sub tray S2 movably. Therefore, the main tray S1 corresponds to the holding means for holding the sub tray S2 movably. The sub tray S2 can move to a storage position where it is housed in the main tray S1, a protruding position where it protrudes from the main tray S1, and a rotating position where it rotates with respect to the main tray S1. The user can select the first supply unit K1 or K2 by changing the positions of the main tray S1 and the sub tray S2. Note that a detection sensor for detecting the angle of the main tray S1 may be provided. Also, a sheet sensor for detecting the presence or absence of a sheet may be provided in the internal tray 701 and the guide 706.

[0013] Between the first conveyance roller 4 and the second conveyance roller 5, a recording unit 6 is arranged which reciprocates in the crossing direction (the width direction of the sheet, direction B in FIG. 1) crossing the conveyance direction of the sheet P and discharges ink onto the sheet P to record an image on the sheet P. Here, an image is recorded by a recording head 6a mounted on a carriage that moves in the width direction of the sheet P. Note that recording by a line head corresponding to the maximum width of the sheet P may also be possible. Also, the recording method is not limited to the inkjet method and may be an electrophotographic method or the like.

[0014] The control of the recording device 1 is performed by a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the recording unit 6, various conveyance rollers, various supply rollers, and the carriage according to a control program. Further, the control unit acquires signals from encoders of various motors and sensors. Further, the control unit receives instructions from an operation panel disposed on the front surface 1a or a PC connected to the recording device 1, etc.

[0015] The user selects the first supply unit K1 or the second supply unit K2 according to the type, size, thickness, hardness, etc. of the sheet on which an image is to be recorded. The first supply unit K1 is a supply unit suitable for placing a plurality of relatively thin sheets and separating them one by one by the action of the supply roller 3 and sending them to the recording unit. The second supply unit K2 is a supply unit suitable for setting relatively thick and hard-to-bend sheets one by one and sending them to the recording unit. Among thick sheets, those that can be set with a certain degree of bending are used in the inclined position, and those that are more difficult to bend or plate materials that do not bend can be used in the horizontal position. Note that the use of the main tray S1 in the inclined position results in a smaller occupied area of the recording device compared to the horizontal position.

[0016] Here, the mode of the placement unit S will be described. The placement unit S can take four modes shown in FIGS. 2 to 5 depending on the combination of the position and angle of the main tray S1 and the sub tray S2. The first mode is the case where the sub tray is stored (FIG. 2). The second mode is the case of supplying a sheet from the first supply unit K1 (FIG. 3). The third mode is the case of supplying a sheet from the inclined position by the second supply unit K2 (FIG. 4). The fourth mode is the case of supplying a sheet from the horizontal position by the second supply unit K2 (FIG. 5).

[0017] The first mode (FIG. 2) when the sub tray S2 is stored in the main tray S1 is a state where the recording device 1 is not in use. At this time, the main tray S1 is locked at the vertical position of the first angle. The sub tray S2 is stored inside the main tray S1. Therefore, the sheet P is not supplied to the recording unit 6. Also, the back surface side of the main tray S1 becomes the exterior of the recording device 1.

[0018] The second embodiment (Figure 3), in which the sheet is supplied by the first supply unit K1, is used when supplying relatively thin sheets. The main tray S1 is locked in a vertical position at a first angle. The sub-tray S2 is pulled out by the user to the end opposite to the pivot axis S3 of the main tray S1. The sub-tray S2 then rotates outward from the recording device 1 relative to the main tray S1 and is held by the main tray S1 at a rotational position at a predetermined angle. In this case, the sheet P1 is supported by the sub-tray S2 and the internal tray 701. The widthwise end of the sheet P1 is also restricted by the side guide 702.

[0019] A third embodiment (Figure 4), in which sheet P2 is supplied from an inclined position by a second supply unit K2, is used when supplying sheet P2 which is thicker than sheet P1. The main tray S1 rotates from a first angle to a second angle and is locked in the inclined position at the second angle. The sub-tray S2 is pulled out to any position on the end side of the main tray S1 and is held in a protruding position parallel to the main tray S1. That is, the main tray S1 and the sub-tray S2 are arranged in a straight line. In addition, the widthwise end of sheet P1 is restricted by a side guide 704.

[0020] A fourth embodiment (Figure 5), in which sheet P3 is supplied from a horizontal position by the second supply unit K2, is used when supplying a sheet P3 that is difficult to bend, such as cardboard, to sheet P2. The main tray S1 rotates from a second angle and locks in a horizontal position, which is the third angle. The third angle is the angle of the extension of the guide 706 and is parallel to or slightly inclined with respect to the bottom 1b. The sub-tray S2 is pulled out from the main tray S1 and held in a protruding position parallel to the main tray S1. In addition, the widthwise end of sheet P1 is restricted by the side guide 702.

[0021] <Mounting section> Here, the configuration of the mounting section S, including the main tray S1 and the sub-tray S2, will be explained in detail with reference to Figures 6 to 11. Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the sub-tray housed in the main tray. Figure 7 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the main tray and the sub-tray. Figure 8 is a side view showing the position of the sub-tray relative to the main tray. Figure 9 is a side view showing the position of the main tray.

[0022] As described above, the mounting section S consists of a main tray S1 and a sub-tray S2. The main tray S1 rotates relative to the recording device 1 using a pivot shaft S3a provided at one end in the width direction of the sheet and a pivot shaft S3b provided at the other end as pivot axes. The pivot shaft S3a is rotatably supported in a hole 40a of the side plate 40, and the pivot shaft S3b is rotatably supported in a hole 41a of the side plate 41.

[0023] The main tray S1 is provided with arms S1(c,d) having spherical projections S1(a,b) at their tips. The spherical projections S1(a,b) of the main tray S1 engage with the fitting holes of the side plates 40 and 41. As a result, the main tray S1 is locked in place at three angles, from the first to the third angle. The first angle, when the spherical projections S1(a,b) are engaged with the fitting holes 40b and 41b respectively, is the vertical position where the main tray S1 is perpendicular to the bottom 1b. Similarly, the third angle, when engaged with the fitting holes 40d and 41d, is the horizontal position where the main tray S1 is parallel to or slightly inclined to the bottom 1b. The third angle may also be parallel to the guide 706. Similarly, the second angle, when engaged with the fitting holes 40c and 41c, is the inclined position where the main tray S1 is inclined relative to the bottom 1. The second angle is the angle between the first and third angles.

[0024] The sub-tray S2 can move parallel to the main tray S1 via a groove S5 that is parallel to the sheet mounting surface of the main tray S1. Therefore, when the projection S7 of the sub-tray S2 moves from the storage position to the protruding position, it slides along the groove S5 in the C direction parallel to the main tray S1 (Figures 2 and 8). The sub-tray S2 is held by frictional force at any protruding position between the storage position and the maximum protruding position on the main tray S1. When the sub-tray S2 reaches the maximum protruding position, the projection S7 of the sub-tray S2 disengages from the groove S5. As a result, the sub-tray S2 rotates in the D direction away from the recording device 1 (Figures 3 and 10) and is held at a predetermined angle.

[0025] Figure 10 shows the region where the main tray S1 and the guide 706 are adjacent. The main tray S1 and the guide 706 are connected by a comb-tooth shape S1a on the main tray S1 and a comb-tooth shape 706a on the guide 706, respectively. The comb-tooth shapes S1a and 706a are arranged alternately in the width direction of the sheet. Therefore, when projected in the transport direction, the comb-tooth shapes S1a and 706 overlap. For this reason, even when the main tray S1 is at the second and third angles, the sheet P will not fall between the main tray S1 and the guide 706.

[0026] Here, the procedure for operating the recording device will be explained using the flowchart in Figure 11.

[0027] In step 801, the user prepares the sheet on which they want to record images and the images to be recorded, and selects the supply unit to be used from a PC connected to the recording device 1 or from the control panel of the recording device 1.

[0028] In step 802, the user places the main tray S1 and sub-tray S2 in positions corresponding to the selected supply unit. Recommended tray placements corresponding to the sheets are described, for example, in the manual. When using the first supply unit K1, the user places the main tray S1 in the vertical position and pulls the sub-tray S2 out from the main tray S1 to the rotated position. When using the supply unit K2, the user places the main tray S1 in the inclined or horizontal position and pulls the sub-tray S2 out from the main tray S1 to the protruding position.

[0029] In step 803, the user places a sheet P on the placement section S. If the first supply unit K1 is used, multiple sheets are placed on the sub-tray S2. If the second supply unit K2 is used, one sheet of cardboard is placed on the sub-tray S2. If a detection sensor is provided to detect the angle of the main tray S1, the tray configuration can be determined. That is, the main tray S1 can be determined to be in the second configuration, third configuration, and fourth configuration depending on the first, second, and third angles, respectively. If the configuration of the main tray S1 differs from the supply unit selected in step 801, an error is displayed on the operation panel.

[0030] In step 804, the user instructs the recording device 1 to start recording. If the internal tray 701 and guide 706 are equipped with sheet sensors, the user may also determine whether or not to perform a sheet supply operation. If there are no sheets to supply, an error is displayed on the control panel.

[0031] In step 805, the control unit drives the supply roller of the selected supply unit to perform the supply operation. When supplying the sheet P from the first supply unit K1, the control unit drives the supply roller 3. When supplying the sheet from the second supply unit K2, the control unit drives the supply roller 301.

[0032] In step 806, the control unit transports the sheet P to the recording position of the recording unit 6 and records an image on the sheet. In the serial method, the image is recorded on the sheet by alternately performing recording operations by the recording head and transport operations by the transport rollers.

[0033] In step 807, the sheet on which the image is recorded is ejected from the recording device 1, and the recording of the image onto the sheet is completed.

[0034] As explained above, by sharing the mounting section between two supply units, the supply device or recording device can be miniaturized. Although this embodiment describes a recording device, it can also be applied to office automation equipment such as multifunction printers, copiers, and fax machines that have recording devices.

[0035] <Second Embodiment> A second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 12 is a perspective view showing the main part of the recording device of the second embodiment. Figure 13 is a side view of the second embodiment. In this embodiment, a third supply unit K3 is provided in addition to the first embodiment. Parts with the same number as in the first embodiment indicate that they are parts with the same configuration and function. Although Figure 12 only shows the main tray S1 in a horizontal position, it can also take the form of a vertical or inclined position. Furthermore, the supply device of the second embodiment consists of a mounting section S, a first supply unit K1, a second supply unit K2, and a third supply unit K3.

[0036] The supply cassette 402 is located beneath the recording unit 6 and the guide 706. The third supply unit K3 supplies the multiple sheets P4 placed on the supply cassette 402 one by one to the supply roller 301 via the curved section 403 using the supply roller 401. In the second embodiment, the supply roller 301 of the second supply unit K2 is used as a transport roller to transport sheets from the third supply unit K3 to the recording unit 6. Therefore, there is no need to provide a new transport roller for the third supply unit K3. Since the supply cassette 402 is located beneath the recording unit 6, the footprint of the recording device does not increase.

[0037] As described above, by sharing the mounting section between two supply units, it is possible to miniaturize the supply device or recording device. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0038] S1 Main Tray S2 Subtray 3. Supply roller, 301 Supply Roller

Claims

1. A tray for placing the sheet, A first supply roller for transporting the sheet placed on the tray, A supply device comprising a second supply roller for transporting sheets placed on the tray, The tray moves to a first position where the first supply roller conveys the sheet, and to second and third positions where the second supply roller conveys the sheet. The third position is characterized in that the end of the tray opposite to the second supply roller is lower than the second position.

2. The supply device according to claim 1, further comprising a holding means for movably holding the tray in the first position and the second position.

3. The supply device according to claim 2, characterized in that the holding means moves the tray between the first position and the second position by rotating on a pivot shaft.

4. The supply device according to claim 2, characterized in that the tray moves to a storage position where it is stored in the holding means by a groove provided in the holding means.

5. The feeding device according to any one of claims 2 to 4, characterized in that the tray is inclined with respect to the holding means in the first position and parallel to the holding means in the second position.

6. The supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that the holding means supports the sheet together with the tray positioned at the second location.

7. The supply device according to any one of claims 2 to 6, characterized in that the holding means is provided with a regulating means for regulating the position of the sheet in the width direction.

8. Having a guide for guiding the sheet conveyed by the second supply roller, The feeding device according to any one of claims 2 to 7, characterized in that, in the region where the tray and the guide are adjacent, the tray and the guide are provided with a comb-like shape at positions that overlap each other in the width direction of the sheet.

9. A cassette on which the sheet is placed, A third supply roller that transports the sheet placed on the cassette to the second supply roller, A supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized by comprising the above.

10. The supply device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized by having a conveying means for conveying sheets supplied from the first supply roller and the second supply roller.

11. The supply device according to claim 10, A recording device characterized by comprising a recording unit that records an image on a sheet conveyed by the aforementioned conveying means.

Images