JP2023051123A - Image recording device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an image recording device in which an abnormality hardly occurs in a rotary encoder that detects rotation to a cutting unit.SOLUTION: An image recording device comprises: a conveyance unit which conveys a sheet 16 in the conveyance direction; a recording unit which records an image on the sheet 16; a cutting unit which cuts the sheet 16 in the movement direction P2 intersecting the conveyance direction; and a drive mechanism which transmits the driving force of a drive source 116 to the cutting unit. The drive mechanism comprises: a rotational shaft 110 to which drive is transmitted from the drive source 116 and which rotates; a drive pulley 102 to which drive is transmitted from the drive source 116 and which rotates; a driven pulley 103; a belt 90 which is laid between the drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103; and a rotary encoder 120 which has an encoder disk 121 attached to the rotational shaft 110. The encoder disk 121 is located on the upper side of the belt 90.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

The present invention relates to an image recording apparatus having a cutting section for cutting a recording medium.

2. Description of the Related Art As an image recording apparatus having a cutting section for cutting a sheet, for example, an image forming apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 is known. The image forming apparatus disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 includes a cutting section for cutting copy paper on which an image is formed, and can cut and discharge printed copy paper in the image forming apparatus. This image forming apparatus has a mechanism for vertically moving an upper cutter with respect to a lower cutter to cut copy paper.

JP-A-9-22153

As a configuration other than that of Patent Document 1, for example, the cutting unit may have a configuration in which a cutter moves along the width direction of the housing to cut the sheet. In order to control the movement of the cutter, the driving force (rotation) transmitted to the cutter may be detected by a rotary encoder.

If dust adheres to the encoder disk of the rotary encoder, there is a possibility that the detection of the encoder disk will be abnormal.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide an image recording apparatus in which a rotary encoder for detecting rotation to a cutting portion is unlikely to malfunction.

(1) An image recording apparatus according to the present invention comprises: a conveying section that conveys a recording medium along a conveying direction; an image recording section that records an image on the recording medium conveyed by the conveying section; a cutting portion that moves in a moving direction to cut the recording medium; and a driving transmission portion that transmits a driving force of a driving source to the cutting portion, wherein the driving transmission portion transmits driving force from the driving source. a rotating shaft that rotates by being driven by the drive source; a first pulley that rotates by being driven by the drive source; a second pulley; an endless belt that is stretched between the first pulley and the second pulley; a rotary encoder having an encoder disc attached to the encoder disc, the encoder disc being positioned above the endless belt.

Since it is difficult for dust to move from the belt to the encoder disk, the rotary encoder is unlikely to malfunction.

(2) Preferably, the encoder disk rotates with the vertical direction as the axial direction.

It is possible to reduce the size of the image recording apparatus in the vertical direction.

(3) Preferably, the first pulley and the second pulley rotate with the vertical direction as the axial direction.

It is possible to reduce the size of the image recording apparatus in the vertical direction.

(4) Preferably, the first pulley may be attached to the rotating shaft.

Space for installing the encoder disk and the first pulley can be reduced.

(5) Preferably, the image recording apparatus further includes a cover that covers the encoder disk.

Since the encoder disk is covered with the cover, it is possible to prevent the encoder from getting dirty.

(6) Preferably, the encoder disk is positioned above a cutting position where the cutting portion cuts the recording medium.

Dust is less likely to move from the recording medium to the encoder disk.

(7) Preferably, the image recording apparatus may further include a gear that is driven and rotated by the drive source, and the encoder disk may be positioned above the gear.

It is difficult for dust to move from the gear to the encoder disk.

(8) Preferably, the gear may be attached to the rotating shaft.

The installation space for the encoder disk and gear can be reduced.

(9) Preferably, the cutting section may have a cutter, a cutter carriage that holds the cutter, and a guide rail that guides the cutter carriage in the moving direction, and the guide rail includes: A sliding portion on which the cutter carriage slides and a supporting portion located below the sliding portion may be provided. The drive source may be attached to the support section.

By attaching the driving source to the supporting portion located below the sliding portion, it is possible to reduce the size of the image recording apparatus in the vertical direction.

(10) Preferably, the guide rail may further have a connecting portion that connects the sliding portion and the supporting portion, and the connecting portion is a pair of side walls arranged in the front-rear direction. may At least a portion of the gear may intersect the side wall when viewed in the front-rear direction.

In the process of bending a steel plate to fabricate the guide rail, the gear can be arranged near the sliding portion while securing a chucking area, thereby miniaturizing the guide rail in the moving direction.

According to the present invention, it is possible to stably control the operation of the cutting section because the detection of the rotary encoder is less likely to be abnormal.

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of an image recording apparatus 10 according to one embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the image recording apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the main configuration of the image recording apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. 4 is a side view of the cutting section 45 of the image recording apparatus 10. FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of the driving mechanism 101 of the image recording apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing part of the guide rail 81 of the image recording apparatus 10. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view showing part of the guide rail 81 of the image recording apparatus 10 according to the modification.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. It should be noted that the embodiment described below is merely an example in which the present invention is embodied, and it goes without saying that the embodiment can be changed as appropriate without changing the gist of the present invention. In the following description, the direction in which the opening 13 faces in the printer section 11 is forward 51 , and the opposite direction is backward 52 . Front and rear directions are defined as front and rear directions 51 and 52 . Vertical directions 53 and 54 are defined as vertical directions perpendicular to the front-rear directions 51 and 52 . The directions orthogonal to the front-rear directions 51 and 52 and the up-down directions 53 and 54 are defined as left-right directions 55 and 56 . The upward direction of the vertical directions 53 and 54 is defined as an upward direction 53 and the downward direction is defined as a downward direction 54 . When the image recording apparatus 10 is viewed backward 52 , leftward direction 55 and rightward direction 56 are defined as the leftward direction and the rightward direction 55 , 56 , respectively.

As shown in FIG. 1, the image recording apparatus 10 is a multifunction device integrally including a printer section 11 provided at the bottom and a scanner section 12 provided at the top. The image recording apparatus 10 has a print function, a scan function, a copy function, and a facsimile function. Note that the image recording apparatus 10 does not necessarily have the scanner unit 12, and may be implemented as a single-function printer that does not have a scan function or a copy function.

The image recording apparatus 10 is mainly used while being connected to an external information device (not shown) such as a computer. The printer unit 11 records an image on the sheet 16 based on the print data received from the external information device and the image data of the document read by the scanner unit 12 . An operation panel 19 is provided on the front upper portion of the image recording apparatus 10 . The operation panel 19 has a display for displaying various information and an input key for accepting input of information. The image recording apparatus 10 operates based on instruction information input from the operation panel 19 or instruction information transmitted from an external information device through a printer driver, scanner driver, or the like.

The scanner section 12 is positioned above the printer section 11 . The scanner unit 12 is a so-called flatbed scanner. The scanner section 12 has a scanner main body 12a provided above the printer section 11 and a document cover 12b provided above the scanner main body 12a. A platen glass (not shown) on which a document is placed is provided on the upper surface of the scanner main body 12a. An image sensor (not shown) capable of optically reading the image of the document on the platen glass is provided inside the scanner main body 12a. The document cover 12b is provided with an ADF 12c, which is an automatic transport mechanism for picking up and transporting a plurality of documents whose images are to be read one by one.

[Printer unit 11]
The configuration of the printer unit 11 will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. FIG. In FIG. 2, illustration of the paper feed cassette 14 is omitted for simplification of explanation.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the printer section 11 has a housing 20 . The housing 20 includes the paper feed cassette 14, the paper feed cassette 15, the recording section 17 (an example of an image recording section), the cutting section 45, the drive mechanism 101, and other functional components. An opening 13 is positioned below the operation panel 19 on the front surface of the housing 20 . The opening 13 is positioned substantially at the center in the left-right direction 55 and 56 on the front surface of the housing 20 . The opening 13 is formed in a rectangular shape elongated in the left and right directions 55 and 56 . The opening 13 extends from the upper end to the lower end on the front surface of the housing 20 .

The housing 20 has an internal space 20a extending rearward from the opening 13 . The internal space 20a communicates with a transport path 21, which will be described later. The upper end of the internal space 20 a is defined by an upper wall portion 71 extending rearward 52 from the upper end of the opening 13 . The internal space 20 a extends to the lower end of the housing 20 . The upper wall portion 71 partitions the substrate accommodation space 65 arranged behind the operation panel 19 and the internal space 20a. The substrate accommodation space 65 accommodates a control substrate 66 (not shown) on which electronic circuits electrically connected to the operation panel 19, the recording head 37, the sensor 38, the rotary encoder 120, the motor drive circuit, etc. are mounted. ing.

An opening/closing cover 41 is attached to the right side of the opening 13 on the front surface of the housing 20 . As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the opening/closing cover 41 is opened, the cartridge mounting space is opened, and the ink cartridge 40 storing ink can be mounted to or removed from the housing 20 . The ink cartridge 40 is positioned forward of the recording section 17 in the housing 20 . In this embodiment, four ink cartridges 40 each holding four types of ink of different colors can be attached to the housing 20 . Each ink cartridge 40 supplies ink to the recording head 37 of the recording section 17 through a tube 44 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , paper feed cassette 14 and paper feed cassette 15 are attached to housing 20 while being inserted into opening 13 . The paper feed cassette 14 and the paper feed cassette 15 can be inserted into and removed from the housing 20 along the front-rear directions 51 and 52 . The paper feed cassette 14 is positioned below the paper feed cassette 15 when attached to the housing 20 . As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed cassette 15 accommodates a plurality of standard-sized sheets 16 (an example of recording media) in a stacked state. The standard size of the sheet 16 is A3 size, A4 size, B5 size, etc. of Japanese Industrial Standards. A paper discharge tray 18 is positioned above the paper feed cassette 15 . The discharge tray 18 supports sheets discharged from the transport path 21 . Although two types of paper feed cassettes 14 and 15 are provided in this embodiment, the paper feed cassette 14 may be omitted.

A paper feed cassette 15 holds a plurality of sheets 16 . The paper feed cassette 15 is formed in a container shape with a part of the rear side (the left side in FIG. 2) of the image recording apparatus 10 being opened. The sheets 16 are held in a stacked state in the internal space of the paper feed cassette 15 . A paper discharge tray 18 of the paper feed cassette 15 is formed on the front side of the image recording apparatus 10 (on the right side in FIG. 2). FIG. 2 shows a state in which the paper feed cassette 15 is inserted into the housing 20. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the housing 20 is provided with a transport section 43 that transports the sheet 16 from the paper feed cassette 15 to the discharge tray 18 along the transport path 21 . Inside the housing 20 , the transport path 21 makes a U-turn while curving upward 53 and forward 51 from the paper feed cassette 15 to reach the recording head 37 , and from the recording head 37 toward the discharge tray 18 forward 51 . This is a so-called U-turn path extending linearly. A downstream end of the transport path 21 communicates with the internal space 20a. The direction from the paper feed cassette 15 to the discharge tray 18 is called a transport direction P1 (see FIG. 2, also referred to as the transport direction). The PF roller pair 25, the recording head 37, the platen 36, the PF roller pair 25, the cutting unit 45, and the second discharge roller pair 28 are positioned in this order from the upstream in the transport direction P1.

The paper feed roller 32 is positioned above the paper feed cassette 15 . The paper feed roller 32 is provided at the tip of the arm 33 so as to be rotatable about the lateral directions 55 and 56 as axial directions. A base end of the arm 33 is rotatable around an axis 34 . By rotating the arm 33 , the paper feed roller 32 moves in the direction of contacting and separating from the paper feed cassette 15 . The arm 33 is rotated toward the paper feed cassette 15 by the weight of the paper feed roller 32 . As a result, the sheet feed roller 32 contacts the uppermost sheet 16 among the plurality of sheets 16 stacked in the sheet feed cassette 15 . When the paper feed roller 32 rotates in this state, the uppermost sheet 16 is fed from the paper feed cassette 15 to the transport path 21 .

The PF roller pair 25 is positioned near the downstream end of the curved portion of the transport path 21 in the transport direction P1 (an example of the transport direction). The PF roller pair 25 is rotatable with the lateral directions 55 and 56 as axial directions. The PF roller pair 25 is rotated by being driven by a motor (not shown). The sheet 16 sent out by the paper feed roller 32 is sandwiched between the PF roller pair 25 and conveyed below the recording head 37 in the conveying direction P1. Although not shown in the drawing, the amount of rotation of the PF roller pair 25 is detected by, for example, a rotary encoder. A detection signal from the rotary encoder is output to the control board 66 .

The first discharge roller pair 27 is positioned downstream of the PF roller pair 25 and the recording head 37 in the transport direction P1 in the transport path 21 . The first discharge roller pair 27 rotates in synchronization with the PF roller pair 25 by transmission of the driving force of a motor (not shown). The sheet 16 conveyed by the PF roller pair 25 is sandwiched between the first discharge roller pair and conveyed in the conveying direction P1.

The second discharge roller pair 28 is located downstream of the cutting section 45 in the transport direction P1 in the transport path 21 . The driving force of a motor (not shown) is transmitted to the second discharge roller pair 28 to rotate. The second discharge roller pair 28 conveys the sheet 16 sandwiched between the first discharge roller pair 27 and conveyed in the conveying direction P<b>1 to the paper discharge tray 18 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the recording unit 17 is positioned between the PF roller pair 25 and the first discharge roller pair 27 on the transport path 21 . The recording unit 17 has a carriage 35 positioned above the transport path 21 , a platen 36 positioned below the transport path 21 , and a recording head 37 mounted on the carriage 35 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the recording head 37 is supplied with cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and black (Bk) color inks from an ink cartridge 40 through a tube 44. It is a so-called ink-jet system that ejects the ink in the form of fine ink droplets. While the carriage 35 reciprocates in the left-right direction 55 and 56 , ink droplets are ejected from the recording head 37 to record an image on the sheet 16 conveyed over the platen 36 .

As shown in FIG. 3, the carriage 35 is supported by guide frames 61, 62 which are spaced apart in the front-rear direction 51, 52 and extend in the left-right direction 55, 56, respectively. The carriage 35 is mounted so as to be able to reciprocate in left and right directions 55 and 56 so as to straddle the guide frames 61 and 62 . The guide frame 61 disposed at the rear is a flat plate whose length in the left-right direction 55 and 56 is longer than the reciprocating range of the carriage 35 . movably supported. As shown in FIG. 4, the front end portion 35a of the carriage 35 has a portion overlapping the guide frame 62 in the vertical direction 53, 54, thereby preventing the carriage 35 from coming off the guide frame 62 upward. there is

As shown in FIG. 3, the guide frame 62 positioned in front is a flat plate having lengths in the left-right direction 55 and 56 that are substantially the same as the length of the guide frame 61, and supports the front end of the carriage 35. The edge 63 is bent upward 53 at a substantially right angle. The carriage 35 is slidably supported on the upper surface of the guide frame 62, and has the edge 63 sandwiched by rollers (not shown). Therefore, the carriage 35 is slidably supported on the guide frames 61 and 62 and can reciprocate in the left and right directions 55 and 56 with the edge 63 of the guide frame 62 as a reference.

A belt drive mechanism 46 is arranged on the upper surface of the guide frame 62 . The belt driving mechanism 46 comprises an endless ring-shaped belt 49 having teeth on the inner side thereof stretched between pulleys 47 and 48 provided near both ends in the left and right directions 55 and 56 of the conveying path 21 . A driving force is input to the shaft of the pulley 47 from a CR motor (not shown), which is a driving source, to rotate the pulley 47 . Rotation of the pulley 47 causes the belt 49 to rotate, and the pulley 48 is driven by the belt 49 at that time. In addition, the belt 49 may be an endless annular belt, or a belt having ends fixed to the carriage 35 at both ends thereof.

Carriage 35 is secured to belt 49 . Although the connection between the carriage 35 and the belt 49 is not shown in detail in each drawing, the belt 49 is slightly pulled upward while being connected to the carriage 35 . As a result, tension is generated in the belt 49 to elastically return downward, and the carriage 35 is elastically biased toward the guide frames 61 and 62 by this tension. When the belt 49 rotates as described above, the carriage 35 reciprocates on the guide frames 61 and 62 with the edge 63 as a reference. The recording head 37 is mounted on such a carriage 35 so that the recording head 37 can reciprocate in the horizontal directions 55 and 56 of the transport path 21 as main scanning directions.

The tube 44 is a synthetic resin tube, and has flexibility such that it bends as the carriage 35 reciprocates. Four tubes 44 are provided corresponding to the four ink cartridges 40 . One end of each tube 44 is connected to a case (not shown) that houses the ink cartridge 40 . The other end of the tube 44 is connected to the recording head 37 on the carriage 35 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the cutting section 45 is positioned above the transport path 21 in front of the recording section 17 . The cutting portion 45 is positioned to the left of the image recording area A1 when stopped. The image recording area A1 is the maximum width for recording an image on the sheet 16 by ejecting ink from the recording head 37 that reciprocates together with the carriage 35 . If the maximum size recordable by the printer unit 11 is A4 size, the image recording area A1 is slightly wider than the width of A4 size.

The cutting unit 45 cuts the sheet 16 conveyed by the conveying unit 43 along the moving direction P2 (see FIG. 3) intersecting the conveying direction P1. In this embodiment, the movement direction P2 is parallel to the left-right directions 55 and 56 . The cutting section 45 cuts the sheet 16 by moving rightward 56 from the stop position (the position of the cutting section 45 indicated by the dashed line in FIG. 3) to the left of the image recording area A1. For example, one A4 size sheet 16 is cut into two A5 size sheets 16 by cutting by the cutting unit 45 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the cutting unit 45 includes guide rails 81 extending in the left and right directions 55 and 56, a cutter carriage 82 that moves guided by the guide rails 81, and a cutter 83 that is mounted on the cutter carriage 82. and a fixed blade 95. In FIG. 4, the endless belt 90, which will be described later, is shown in cross section for easy understanding of the structure of the cutting portion 45. As shown in FIG. Further, in FIG. 2, the cutting portion 45 is simply shown with the detailed configuration omitted.

The guide rail 81 has a flat shape extending along the left-right directions 55 and 56 . The guide rail 81 guides the cutter carriage 82 in the movement direction P1. As shown in FIG. 5, the guide rail 81 has a sliding portion 104, a support portion 105, and a connecting portion 106. As shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the sliding portion 104, the supporting portion 105, and the connecting portion 106 are formed by bending a single steel plate. Both ends of the guide rail 81 in the left-right direction 55 and 56 are fixed to side frames that support the rotating shafts of the second discharge roller pair 28 . The length of the guide rail 81 in the left-right direction 55 , 56 is longer than the length of the transport path 21 in the left-right direction 55 , 56 . The left and right ends of the guide rail 81 extend outward beyond the image recording area A1.

The sliding portion 104 is positioned on the right side of the guide rail 81 in the left-right directions 55 and 56 . The cutter carriage 82 slides on the sliding portion 104 . The sliding portion 104 includes a substrate 81a extending in the left and right directions 55 and 56, a first standing plate 81b extending upward from the rear end of the substrate 81a, and a first extending plate extending rearward 52 from the upper end of the first standing plate 81b. 81c, a second standing plate 81d extending upward from the front end of the substrate 81a, and a second extending plate 81e extending forward 51 from the upper end of the second standing plate 81d. The substrate 81a, the first standing plate 81b, the first extending plate 81c, the second standing plate 81d, and the second extending plate 81e are formed by bending one rectangular steel plate.

The cutter carriage 82 has a cutter holding portion 82 a that holds the cutter 83 and a carriage body 82 b assembled to the sliding portion 104 . The cutter holding portion 82 a is positioned behind the sliding portion 104 . Note that the cutter holding portion 82 a may be positioned in front of the sliding portion 104 . The cutter holding portion 82 a extends below the sliding portion 104 . The cutter 83 is supported by the cutter holding portion 82a while protruding downward from the lower end of the cutter holding portion 82a. The cutter 83 has a disk shape and is rotatably supported by the cutter holding portion 82a with the longitudinal directions 51 and 52 as axial directions.

The carriage body 82 b extends forward 51 from the cutter holding portion 82 a and is connected to the sliding portion 104 . The carriage body 82b includes a first contact portion 84 that contacts the upper surface of the first extension plate 81c, a second contact portion 85 that can contact the lower surface of the second extension plate 81e, and a first standing plate 81b. The third contact portion 86 contacts the surface facing the rearward 52, the fourth contact portion 87 contacts the surface facing the forward 51 of the first standing plate 81b, and the upper surface of the second extending plate 81e. It has a fifth contact portion 88 and a sixth contact portion 89 capable of contacting the lower surface of the first extending plate 81c.

The sliding portion 104 supports the cutter carriage 82 downward by coming into contact with the first contact portion 84 and the fifth contact portion 88 . Thereby, the cutter carriage 82 is positioned in the vertical directions 53 and 54 . The sliding portion 104 positions the cutter carriage 82 in the front-rear direction 51 and 52 by contacting the third contact portion 86 and the fourth contact portion 87 respectively. When the cutter carriage 82 moves upward with respect to the sliding portion 104 , at least one of the second contact portion 85 and the sixth contact portion 89 contacts the sliding portion 104 . This prevents the cutter carriage 82 from coming off the sliding portion 104 upward.

The cutter holding portion 82a has an inclined surface 82c on the upper portion of the outer surface. The inclined surface 82 c faces backward 52 and upward 53 . The inclined surface 82 c overlaps the front end 35 a of the carriage 35 in the vertical directions 53 and 54 and the front-to-rear directions 51 and 52 when viewed from the left-right directions 55 and 56 . As a result, the image recording apparatus 10 is downsized in the vertical direction 53, 54 and the front-rear direction 51, 52. As shown in FIG. By providing the cutter holding portion 82a with the inclined surface 82c, the front portion of the cutter holding portion 82a, i.e., the portion near the carriage body 82b, is thickened in the vertical direction 53, 54 and the front-rear direction 51, 52 to give strength. At the same time, the gap between the cutter carriage 82 and the carriage 35 can be reduced.

The support portion 105 has a flat plate shape extending leftward 55 from the left end of the sliding portion 104 . The support portion 105 is positioned below the sliding portion 104 . The support portion 105 has through holes 108 penetrating in the vertical directions 53 and 54 . A motor 116 (see FIG. 6), which is a driving source, is attached to the lower surface of the support portion 105, and the rotating shaft of the motor 116 extends upward through the through hole 108 of the support portion. The support portion 105 has a through hole 111 at a position closer to the sliding portion 104 than the through hole 108 and through which the rotating shaft 110 is inserted. The rotary shaft 110 is supported by bearings (not shown) provided on the guide rails 81 and the cover 123, and the rotary shaft of the motor 116 is supported by bearings (not shown) provided on the guide rails 81. there is

The connecting portion 106 connects the left end of the sliding portion 104 and the right end of the supporting portion 105 . The connecting portion 106 has a pair of side walls 112 and 113 extending in the front-rear directions 51 and 52 and the up-and-down directions 53 and 54 , and a through hole 119 opening between the side walls 112 and 113 . A pair of side walls 112 and 113 are positioned in front of and behind the guide rail 81, respectively. The through-hole 119 penetrates the connecting portion 106 in the left-right directions 55 and 56 .

The FIG. 3 cutter carriage 82 is driven by a drive mechanism 101 (an example of a drive transmission unit). The driving mechanism 101 transmits the driving force of the motor 116 to the cutter carriage 82 . The driving mechanism 101 includes a rotating shaft 110, a gear 115, a driving pulley 102 (an example of a first pulley) and a driven pulley 103 (an example of a second pulley) arranged on the upper surface of the substrate 81a, the driving pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 (an example of a second pulley). and a belt 90 (an example of an endless belt) stretched over the pulley 103 .

As shown in FIG. 6, the motor 116 is arranged below the support portion 105 . Rotation of motor 116 is transmitted to gear 115 via drive gear 118 .

The rotating shaft 110 is arranged on the supporting portion 105 at a position closer to the connecting portion 106 than the motor 116 . The rotary shaft 110 rotates with the vertical directions 53 and 54 as axial directions. A gear 115 is provided on the rotating shaft 110 . The gear 115 meshes with the driving gear 118, and is rotated by the driving force transmitted from the motor 116. As shown in FIG. The diameter of the gear 115 is larger than the diameter of the drive gear 118, and the rotation of the motor 116 is transmitted to the rotary shaft 110 with the rotation speed reduced.

The drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 are arranged at both ends in the left and right directions 55 and 56 on the upper surface of the substrate 81a. Drive pulley 102 is provided above gear 115 on rotating shaft 110 . Therefore, the driving pulley 102 rotates around the rotating shaft 110 in synchronization with the gear 115 . The driven pulley 103 is supported by a support shaft 107 parallel to the rotating shaft 110 . The support shaft 107 is supported by bearings (not shown) provided on the guide rails and the cover 123 . Therefore, the drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 rotate with the vertical directions 53 and 54 as axial directions. The driving pulley 102 is positioned above the substrate 81 a of the sliding portion 104 .

The belt 90 is a ring-shaped endless belt and is stretched over the drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 . The belt 90 is connected to the cutter carriage 82 in front of the fourth contact portion 87 of the carriage body 82 b of the cutter carriage 82 . When the driving pulley 102 rotates, the belt 90 rotates, and the driven pulley 103 rotates accordingly. The circumferential motion of the belt 90 causes the cutter carriage 82 to reciprocate along the sliding portion 104 in the left and right directions 55 and 56 .

A fixed blade 95 is positioned below the cutter holding portion 82 a of the cutter carriage 82 . The fixed blade 95 is supported by the side frames and extends in the left and right directions 55 and 56 over the image recording area A1. The cutting edge of the fixed blade 95 contacts the cutter 83 from behind. The sheet 16 is cut by being sandwiched between the cutter 83 and the fixed blade 95 .

[Rotary encoder 120]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, the cutting section 45 has a rotary encoder 120 for detecting the amount of movement in the movement direction P2. The rotary encoder 120 outputs pulse signals as the rotating shaft 110 rotates. The rotary encoder 120 has an encoder disk 121 that rotates together with the rotary shaft 110, and an optical sensor 122 that sandwiches the encoder disk 121 from the thickness direction.

The encoder disk 121 is attached to the upper end of the rotating shaft 110 . The encoder disk 121 rotates with vertical directions 53 and 54 as axial directions. The encoder disk 121 has a disc shape, and light-transmitting portions and non-light-transmitting portions are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction at equal pitches. The optical sensor 122 emits light from the light emitting portion toward the encoder disk 121 and receives the light that has passed through the encoder disk 121 with the light receiving portion.

A cover 123 is arranged above the encoder disk 121 and the optical sensor 122 . The cover 123 covers substantially the entire guide rail 81 from above and is fixed to the guide rail 81 . Therefore, the cover 123 covers the encoder disk 121 and the optical sensor 122 entirely.

[Layout of Rotary Encoder 120 and Gear 115]
As shown in FIG. 3, the drive mechanism 101 is positioned in front of the carriage 35 . The encoder disc 121 of the rotary encoder 120 is positioned to the left of the cutting section 45 in the rest position. As shown in FIG. 6, encoder disc 121 is positioned above gear 115 and drive pulley 102 . Further, the encoder disk 121 is positioned above the cutting position P3 of the cutting portion 45 where the cutter 83 and the fixed blade 95 cut the sheet 16 . Also, the encoder disk 121 is positioned above the belt 90 .

As shown in FIG. 6 , gear 115 has a right portion that enters through-hole 119 of connecting portion 106 . Accordingly, a right portion of gear 115 is positioned to the right of side walls 112 and 113 of connecting portion 106 . In other words, the gear 115 is located at a position where a portion on the right side intersects the side walls 112 and 113 when viewed from the front-rear direction 51 and 52 .

[Operation of image recording apparatus 10]
The operation of the image recording apparatus 10 for cutting one A4 sheet 16 into two A5 recording sheets will be described below.

When the paper feed roller 32 rotates, the uppermost A4 sheet 16 is fed from the paper feed cassette 15 to the transport path 21 . The sheet 16 fed from the paper feed cassette 15 to the transport path 21 is transported below the recording head 37 by the PF roller pair 25 . The sheet 16 conveyed below the recording head 37 is supported from below by the platen 36 . While the conveyance of the sheet 16 is stopped, ink is ejected from the recording head 37 toward the sheet 16 while the carriage 35 moves in the left and right directions 55 and 56 . As a result, an image for one pass is printed on the sheet 16 . The sheet 16 is repeatedly conveyed and stopped, and image recording for a predetermined number of passes is performed, thereby completing image recording on the sheet 16 . Here, image recording for two sheets of A5 recording paper is performed on the A4 sheet 16 . During image recording, the sheet 16 that has passed through the platen 36 is conveyed below the cutting section 45 by the first discharge roller pair 27 .

When the center of the sheet 16 is conveyed below the cutting section 45, the cutter carriage 82 moves rightward 56 along the guide rail 81 from the stop position (see the chain line in FIG. 3) as the drive pulley 102 rotates. . The first contact portion 84 and the fifth contact portion 88 of the cutter carriage 82 slide on the upper surface of the first extension plate 81c and the upper surface of the second extension plate 81e of the guide rail 81, respectively. At this time, the encoder disk 121 of the rotary encoder 120 also rotates to detect the position of the cutter carriage 82 on the guide rail 81 . The A4 sheet 16 is sandwiched between the cutter 83 and the fixed blade 95 and cut along the left and right directions 55 and 56 into two A5 sheets. The two A5 sheets are discharged from the conveying path 21 to the discharge tray 18 by the second discharge roller pair 28 .

[Action and effect of the embodiment]
In the drive mechanism 101 of the cutting unit 45, the encoder disk 121 of the rotary encoder 120 is positioned above the belt 90 that is stretched over the drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103. Therefore, wear between the drive pulley 102 and the belt 90 Since the generated dust is less likely to move from the belt 90 to the encoder disk, the rotary encoder 120 is less likely to malfunction due to dust.

By arranging the axes of the encoder discs 121 in the vertical directions 53 and 54, it is possible to reduce the size of the image recording apparatus 10 in the vertical directions 53 and 54. FIG.

By arranging the axes of the drive pulley 102 and the driven pulley 103 in the vertical direction 53 and 54, the size of the image recording apparatus 10 can be reduced in the vertical direction 53 and 54. FIG.

Since the drive pulley 102 is attached to the rotating shaft 110 having the encoder disk 121, the space for installing the encoder disk 121 and the drive pulley 102 can be reduced.

Since the upper side of the encoder disk 121 is covered with the cover 123, contamination is suppressed.

Since the encoder disk 121 is positioned above the gear 115 that is rotated by being transmitted from the drive source, dust is less likely to move from the gear to the encoder disk.

Since gear 115 is attached to rotating shaft 110 having encoder disk 121, the space for installing encoder disk 121 and gear 115 can be reduced.

Since the encoder disk 121 is positioned above the cutting position P3 of the sheet 16 cut by the cutting section 45, dust is less likely to move from the sheet 16 to the encoder disk 121. FIG.

By attaching the drive source for driving the rotary shaft 110 to the support portion 105 positioned below the sliding portion 104, the size of the image recording apparatus 10 in the vertical direction 53, 54 can be reduced.

In order to manufacture the guide rail 81 so that at least a part of the gear 115 can be arranged at a position where it intersects the side wall when viewed from the front and rear direction, an area that can be chucked is secured in the process of manufacturing the guide rail 81 by bending the steel plate. The gear can be arranged in the vicinity of the sliding portion while keeping the same. As a result, the size of the guide rail 81 can be reduced in the movement direction.

[Modification]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the driving pulley 102 and the encoder disk 121 are attached to the same rotary shaft 110 has been described as an example, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the encoder disk 121A may be attached to a rotating shaft 110A provided separately from the rotating shaft 110. FIG. At this time, the encoder disc 121A is rotated by the driving force from the motor 116 via the gear 115A attached to the rotating shaft 110A. That is, the encoder disk 121A rotates in synchronization with the drive pulley 102 of the drive shaft 110 that rotates by the drive force from the motor 116. As shown in FIG.

Moreover, the cutting unit 45 cuts the sheet 16 with the cutter 83 and the fixed blade 95 . is not particularly limited as long as it is exposed to the outside of the housing 20 . For example, the cutting unit 45 may have two disk-shaped rotary blades such as the cutter 83 mounted on the cutter carriage 82 instead of the fixed blade 95 .

In addition, although the sheet 16 is a sheet of a fixed size and a plurality of sheets are stacked in the paper feed cassette 15, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, a medium pulled out from a roll wound into a roll may be cut into a standard rectangular sheet.

Further, although the case where the transport path 21 is a so-called U-turn path that makes a U-turn while curving upward from the paper feed cassette 15 has been described as an example, the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the transport path 21 may further include a double-sided transport path for recording images on both sides of the sheet 16 .

Further, the cutter holding portion 82a is positioned behind the discharge roller pair 28, but the configuration is not limited to this. For example, the cutter holding portion 82a may be arranged in front of the discharge roller pair 28 near the opening 13 so that the cutter 83 can be easily replaced.

In the above-described embodiment, the connecting portion 106 has the through hole 119 that opens between the pair of side walls 112 and 113, but the configuration is not limited to this. The gear 115 is arranged so as to intersect the connecting portion 106 when viewed from the front and rear directions 51 and 52. For example, the connecting portion 106 is formed with a recess, and the gear 115 is partially surrounded by the recess. It may be something that can be

10... Image recording device 16... Sheet (recording medium)
17 Recording unit (image recording unit)
43... Conveying part 45... Cutting part 81... Guide rail 82... Cutter carriage 83... Cutter 90... Belt (endless belt)
101... drive mechanism (driving transmission unit)
102... drive pulley (first pulley)
103 ... driven pulley (second pulley)
104 Sliding portion 105 Supporting portion 106 Connecting portion 110 Rotating shaft 115 Gear
116 motor (driving source)
120... Rotary encoder 121... Encoder disk 123... Covers 112, 113... Pair of side walls

Claims (10)

a conveying unit that conveys the recording medium along the conveying direction;
an image recording unit that records an image on the recording medium conveyed by the conveying unit;
a cutting unit that moves in a moving direction that intersects with the conveying direction to cut the recording medium;
a drive transmission unit that transmits the driving force of the drive source to the cutting unit,
The drive transmission unit is
a rotary shaft that rotates by being driven by the drive source;
a first pulley that is driven and rotated by the drive source;
a second pulley;
an endless belt stretched over the first pulley and the second pulley;
a rotary encoder having an encoder disk attached to the rotating shaft;
The image recording device, wherein the encoder disk is positioned above the endless belt. 2. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoder disk rotates with the vertical direction as the axial direction. 3. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first pulley and the second pulley rotate with the vertical direction as the axial direction. 4. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first pulley is attached to said rotating shaft. 5. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a cover covering the encoder disk. 6. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the encoder disk is positioned above a cutting position where the cutting portion cuts the recording medium. further comprising a gear that rotates by being driven by the drive source,
7. The image recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said encoder disk is positioned above said gear. 8. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said gear is attached to said rotating shaft. The cutting part is
a cutter;
a cutter carriage that holds the cutter;
a guide rail for guiding the cutter carriage in the moving direction,
The above guide rail is
a sliding portion on which the cutter carriage slides;
a support portion positioned below the sliding portion;
9. The image recording apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the support portion is attached with the drive source. The guide rail further has a connecting portion that connects the sliding portion and the supporting portion,
The connecting portion is a pair of side walls arranged in the front-rear direction,
10. The image recording apparatus according to claim 9, wherein at least a portion of the gear intersects the side wall when viewed from the front-rear direction.

Images