JP5859095B2 - Recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a recording apparatus including a feeding unit that feeds a recording medium and a recording unit that records an image (printing, printing, printing, etc.) on the recording medium.

  An ink jet recording apparatus is an example of a recording apparatus that includes a feeding unit that feeds a recording medium and a recording unit that records an image on the recording medium. As a configuration of a feeding unit and a recording unit of an ink jet recording apparatus, a configuration in which a feeding unit is arranged at the upper rear portion of the apparatus main body and a recording unit is arranged in front of the feeding unit is common. The recording medium set in the feeding unit is fed to the recording unit by the feeding unit, and the recording operation is performed on the recording medium while the recording medium is conveyed by the conveying unit in the recording unit. Later, the recording medium is discharged from the front of the apparatus main body to the outside of the apparatus. Further, the feeding unit regulates the end of the recording medium in the direction transverse to the feeding direction (hereinafter, abbreviated as the side end of the recording medium) on the mounting table on which the recording medium is set. A side guide member is disposed. Both side guide members are moved in accordance with the size of the recording medium set by the user of the apparatus and are brought into contact with the side edges of the recording medium, thereby restricting the position of the recording medium in the width direction. ing.

  The side guide member guides the side edge of the recording medium, so that the feeding operation of the recording medium from the feeding unit to the recording unit can be performed with high accuracy while preventing lateral displacement and the like. It has become a structure.

  In an apparatus for recording on a recording medium of a wide size such as L size to A3 size, in the case of a recording medium having a short length in the longitudinal direction such as L size, the side guide member Until the recording member guided at the end is fed to the recording unit, the recording member may pass through the restricting portion by the side guide member, and the lateral displacement may occur. This cannot be prevented, and this contributes to the deterioration of image quality. In the case of a recording medium having a long length in the feeding direction such as A3 size, the frictional resistance between the side guide member and the side edge of the recording medium acts as a back tension during the recording operation. This affects the transport accuracy in the transport direction of the recording medium during the recording operation, which also contributes to the degradation of image quality.

  For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-131422 (Patent Document 1) discloses a problem of back tension due to frictional resistance between the side guide member and the side end portion of the recording medium. This apparatus is provided with a side guide member on a pressure plate on which a recording medium is placed, swinging in the vertical direction and contacting / separating the feeding means, and along the guide portion when the pressure plate swings in the vertical direction. The side guide member is moved by the lateral movement, and the side guide member is separated from the side end portion of the recording medium.

  Further, for the problem that the recording medium having a short length in the longitudinal direction, such as the L size, is not supplied to the restriction portion by the side guide member while being fed to the recording portion, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-2006. -96490 (patent document 2) has been disclosed. In this apparatus, when the side guide member is moved to an area of a certain width or less, the auxiliary guide protrudes downstream of the side guide along the guide groove provided in the pressure plate to regulate the paper side end.

JP2007-131422A JP 2006-96490 A

  However, in the conventional example shown in Patent Document 1, since the pressure plate itself is moved in the lateral direction, there is a possibility that the loading of the recording medium placed on the pressure plate is disturbed with the movement of the pressure plate.

  Further, in the conventional example shown in Patent Document 2, in the case of a paper size of a certain width or less, the auxiliary guide protrudes downstream of the side guide along the guide groove provided in the pressure plate and guides the paper side end. Therefore, when the paper size is less than a certain width, the auxiliary guide guides the side edge of the recording medium when feeding. Since the side guide member guides the side edge of the recording medium during recording, this frictional resistance acts as a back tension, which may affect the conveyance accuracy in the recording medium conveyance direction during recording operations. was there.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a recording apparatus capable of recording recording media of various sizes, which reliably guides the lateral end of the recording medium during feeding to prevent lateral displacement and provides back tension during recording operations. An object of the present invention is to achieve a good transport accuracy by reducing the recording medium and to achieve a stable recording medium stacking property in which the side end portions of the recording medium are not uneven and the end portions are not easily bent.

One aspect of the present invention provides at least one of a feeding unit that feeds a recording medium placed on a placement unit for placing the recording medium, and a recording medium placed on the placement unit. And a first guide member and a second guide member for guiding a side end of the recording medium fed by the feeding means, the first guide member being the second guide member. A side guide unit that is relatively movable with respect to the feeding device, and
And a recording unit that performs recording on the recording medium fed by the feeding unit with conveyance of the recording medium.
In particular, in the recording apparatus of the above aspect, the second guide member is provided further to the downstream side in the feeding direction of the recording medium than the first guide member,
When recording on the first recording medium , the first guide member is positioned closer to the recording medium than the second guide member and is fed with the first length. the side edge of the recording medium is guided by the first guide member, when performing recording on the first guide member is guided feeding it to said first length of the recording medium, before Symbol first The guide member is positioned so as not to protrude to the recording medium side than the second guide member , whereby the second guide member and the side edge of the recording medium having the first length are separated from each other. I taken, performs a recording operation to the first recording medium, when recording to the second recording medium is shorter in length in the feeding direction than the first recording medium, The first guide member is positioned so as not to protrude to the recording medium side than the second guide member. The side end of the second recording medium to be fed is guided by the second guide member, and the rear end of the second recording medium is the second guide member in the feeding direction. The recording operation to the second recording medium is performed after passing through the leading end .

  According to the present invention, in the case of a recording medium having a size larger than a predetermined width, the lateral side of the recording medium can be moved by the first guide member that can move in the contact / separation direction with respect to the lateral end of the recording medium. By guiding the end portion, before the recording operation, the side end portion of the recording medium is surely guided, so that the position is not fed and the first guide member is used for recording. Back tension can be eliminated by separating from the center.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ink jet recording apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a detailed view of a paper feed tray used in the present invention. The schematic perspective view of the connection mechanism of the left-right side guide unit used for this invention. The front view which looked at the left side guide unit shown in FIG. 2 from the side edge part side of a recording medium. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the left side guide unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the direction facing the recording surface upper surface of the recording medium. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the left side guide unit shown in FIG. 2 as viewed from the recording medium feeding direction. The schematic cross section after operating the 1st guide member of the left side guide unit shown in FIG. Sectional drawing around the feeding unit in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view around a feeding unit illustrating a state before recording in the case of a sheet having a size larger than a postcard width in the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view around a feeding unit illustrating a recording state in the case of a sheet having a size larger than a postcard width in the present embodiment. The figure which showed the movement process of the side guide unit when setting the paper below a postcard width in this embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which a paper leading end Pa having a postcard width or less is fed to a pair of conveying rollers in the present embodiment. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a state where a paper front end Pa having a postcard width or less is conveyed to a printing start point in the present embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment applied to an ink jet recording apparatus will be described as an example of an embodiment of the present invention, and will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the basic configuration of the ink jet recording apparatus will be described first according to the recording medium conveyance path, and then the characteristic configuration of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present embodiment. The recording apparatus includes a recording unit 2 that performs recording on a recording medium, and a feeding unit 1 that feeds the recording medium to the recording unit 2. The feeding unit 1 includes a paper feed tray 3 and a paper feed roller pair 4. The recording unit 2 includes a conveyance roller pair 5, a platen 6, a carriage unit 7, a paper discharge roller pair 8, and a paper discharge tray 9. The conveying roller pair 5 is a recording medium conveying unit that conveys a recording medium such as a film or paper supplied from the paper feeding roller pair 4 while being sandwiched between the rollers. The platen 6 supports the recording medium being conveyed and recorded flatly. The carriage unit 7 is mounted with an ink jet head for ejecting ink droplets to form an image on a recording medium, and is movable in a direction perpendicular to the recording medium conveyance direction.

  In FIG. 1, the direction indicated by the symbol A is the sheet conveyance direction, the feeding unit 1 is disposed at the upper rear part of the main body of the ink jet recording apparatus, and the recording unit 2 is disposed at the lower front part of the main body of the feeding unit 1. . The paper stacked on the paper feed tray 3 is conveyed one by one to the conveyance roller pair 5 by the paper supply roller pair 4 and printed on the platen 6 by an ink jet head (not shown) mounted on the carriage unit 7. The paper is discharged onto the paper discharge tray 9 by the paper discharge roller pair 8. Since specific operations of paper feeding, conveyance, and printing are the same as in the conventional example, they are omitted here.

  FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the paper feed tray 3. The paper feed tray 3 includes a pressure plate 11 on which paper is placed, and left and right side guide units 12 and 13 that are attached on the pressure plate and guide left and right side edges of the paper.

  The left and right side guide units 12 and 13 are attached so as to be movable in the lateral direction of the paper (that is, the direction parallel to the pressure plate and intersecting the recording medium feeding direction), and the paper to be placed The configuration allows the user to operate according to the width.

  Here, FIG. 3 shows an overall perspective view of the left and right side guide units 12 and 13. As shown in FIG. 3, the left and right side guide units 12 and 13 are configured integrally with the left and right side guide racks 14 and 15, respectively, and the left and right side guide racks 14 and 15 mesh with the pinion gear 16. . The pinion gear 16 is rotatably attached to the back surface of the pressure plate 11 shown in FIG. For this reason, in this apparatus, when the left and right side guide units 12 and 13 are operated, the other side guide unit is also moved in conjunction. For example, when one of the left and right side guide units 12 and 13 is operated so as to be close to the other, the other is close to one in conjunction with this.

  FIG. 4 is a front view of the left side guide unit 12 as viewed from the side end of the recording medium. The left side guide unit 12 includes a second guide member 17 having a case structure, a first guide member 18 serving as first guide means, and a guide shift member 19. The second guide member 17 is provided with a second guide surface 17a as second guide means, and an auxiliary roller 20 having a rotation center shaft pivotally supported by the guide shift member is provided below the guide shift member 19. Is provided. The second guide surface 17a has a guide surface that can guide the first guide member 18 to the downstream side in the paper transport direction. Although not shown, the right side guide 13 has the same configuration.

  The guide shift member 19 is attached so as to be movable in the vertical direction (orthogonal direction) with respect to the sheet placement surface of the pressure plate 11 (see FIGS. 6 and 7). Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the first guide member 18 is urged by a coil spring 23 so as to rotate and move in the direction indicated by the symbol B in FIG. The position can be displaced to the position indicated by the two-dot chain line.

  Next, the moving means of the 1st guide member 18 is demonstrated using FIG. 6, FIG. In FIG. 6, since the first guide member 18 and the guide shift member 19 are in contact with each other at the position of D, the first guide member 18 rotates in the direction of B (the direction from the front to the back of the page). Is regulated. As a result, the first guide member 18 protrudes from the second guide surface 17a and comes into contact with the side edge of the paper P. Here, when the guide shift member 19 is urged in the direction indicated by symbol E in FIG. 6, the contact portion between the first guide member 18 and the guide shift member 19 is separated so that the first guide member 18 is denoted by the symbol. Rotates and moves in the direction of B and separates from the side edge of the paper P. At this time, the 1st guide member 18 moves to the position (position shown with the dashed-two dotted line in FIG. 5) which does not protrude rather than the 2nd guide surface 17a.

  FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing the periphery of the feeding unit in the present embodiment. In FIG. 8, a guide shift lever 21 and a guide shift stay 22 are configured on the pressure plate 11 on the opposite side of the sheet P placement surface. Since the paper P generally used in the printer tends to have a larger width as the length in the paper feeding direction is longer, the length can be determined almost accurately by defining the width direction.

  Here, the case where a paper having a size larger than the postcard width is set will be described with reference to FIGS. In FIG. 8, the guide shift lever 21 is separated from the guide shift member 19 and the auxiliary roller 20. Therefore, before the recording operation, the first guide member 18 protrudes from the second guide surface 17a. That is, the first guide member 18 is defined in a state where the first guide member 18 protrudes from the second guide surface 17a by a certain amount, and the first guide member 18 contacts and guides the side edge of the sheet. Since the feeding operation is performed in this state, the left and right side edges of the sheet can be reliably guided until the end of feeding, and the sheet can be prevented from being displaced in the lateral width direction during the feeding process. . Further, during printing (during recording operation), the guide shift lever 21 is rotated by a driving force (not shown) in the direction indicated by D in FIGS. The guide shift member 19 is displaced in contact with the lower surface. Thereby, as mentioned above, the 1st guide member 18 moves to the position which does not protrude rather than the 2nd guide surface 17a. Accordingly, the first guide member 18 is in a state of being separated from the side edge of the sheet. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the back tension on the paper during printing, and it is possible to realize good conveyance accuracy. The right side guide 13 also has the same function as the left side guide 12.

  Next, the operation of the side guide units 12 and 13 when a sheet having a postcard width or less is set will be described with reference to FIG. Although only the left side guide unit 12 is shown in FIG. 11, the right side guide unit 13 performs the same operation. The user moves the side guide units 12 and 13 in the direction indicated by symbol E in FIG. In this process, the outer peripheral surface of the auxiliary roller 20 provided at the lower portion of the guide shift member 19 contacts the slope portion 22 a of the guide shift stay 22. When the side guide units 12 and 13 are further moved in the same direction in this state, the guide shift member 19 is moved upward by the slope portion 22a. Accordingly, as described above, the first guide member 18 moves to a position where it does not protrude from the second guide surface 17a. In the region where the side guide units 12 and 13 are equal to or smaller than the postcard width, the first guide member 18 is in a position that does not protrude from the second guide surface 17a, so that the side edge of the sheet is guided by the second guide surface 17a. It is configured.

  FIG. 12 shows a state in which the leading edge Pa of the paper having the postcard width or less has reached the conveying roller pair 5, and FIG. 13 shows a state in which the leading edge Pa of the paper having the postcard width or less has reached the printing start point. As shown in FIG. 12, for a paper that is relatively short in the feeding direction, such as a postcard, the leading edge Pa of the fed paper reaches the conveying roller pair 5 and the registration operation (that is, the paper at the nip portion of the roller pair The rear end Pz of the paper P comes out of the guide portion of the first guide member 18 before the front end is abutted to correct the paper position. For this reason, the first guide member 18 cannot guide the side edge of the sheet having a width less than the postcard width at the time of registering, and there is a possibility that a positional deviation in the width direction may occur. In the present invention, since the second guide surface 17a is configured as a guide for the side edge of the sheet to a position downstream of the first guide member 18, the sheet is relatively short in the feeding direction, such as a postcard. Even in this case, the side edge of the sheet can be reliably guided until the registration is completed, so that it is possible to prevent the sheet from being displaced in the width direction during the registration. Further, as shown in FIG. 13, the paper P guided by the second guide surface 17a is separated from the second guide surface 17a by the trailing edge Pz of the paper when the front end Pa of the paper reaches the printing start point. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the back tension on the paper and to realize good conveyance accuracy.

  In the above-described embodiment, the guide means at the side edge of the paper is changed when the paper size is smaller than the postcard and larger than the postcard, but the setting of the paper size for changing the guide means is arbitrary.

  The above configuration eliminates back tension when transporting paper of a predetermined width or more, and also reliably guides the side edge of the paper to the vicinity of the print start point for paper of a predetermined width or less. It is possible to provide a device that can eliminate the problem. In other words, in the present embodiment, the first guide means 18 that can be moved in and out in the contact / separation direction and the second guide means 17a configured integrally with the side guide are provided at the side end of the recording medium. When the recording medium is larger than a predetermined lateral width, the first guide means 18 guides the side edge of the recording medium to perform a feeding operation, and during the recording operation, the first guide means 18 moves to the side of the recording medium. Separate from the end. When the width is equal to or smaller than the predetermined lateral width, the second guide means 17a guides the side edge of the recording medium. Further, the second guide means 17a is configured to guide the rear end of the recording medium to a position downstream of the first guide means 18, and even in the case of a recording medium that is short in the longitudinal direction, the feeding is performed. Sometimes it is possible to reliably guide the recording medium. During recording, the recording medium is transported downstream from the second guide means 17a, so that the rear end of the recording medium is not guided and no back tension is applied.

  In the above embodiment, the ink jet recording apparatus has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the ink jet recording method, and the recording medium in any recording method such as a thermal transfer method or a wire dot method is used. It is applicable to the feeding guide mechanism.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Feeding part 2 Recording part 3 Paper feed tray 4 Feeding roller pair 5 Conveying roller pair 7 Carriage unit 11 Pressure plate 12 Left side guide unit 13 Right side guide unit 17 Second guide member 18 First guide member 19 Guide shift Element

Claims (7)

Feeding means for feeding the recording medium placed on the placing portion for placing the recording medium, and a support portion for supporting at least a part of the recording medium placed on the placing portion And a first guide member and a second guide member for guiding a side end of the recording medium fed by the feeding means, the first guide member being in relation to the second guide member A feeding device having a side guide unit that is relatively movable;
A recording device that performs recording on the recording medium fed by the feeding unit with conveyance of the recording medium,
The second guide member is provided further to the downstream side in the recording medium feeding direction than the first guide member,
When recording on the first recording medium , the first guide member is positioned closer to the recording medium than the second guide member and is fed with the first length. the side edge of the recording medium is guided by the first guide member, when performing recording on the first guide member is guided feeding it to said first length of the recording medium, before Symbol first The guide member is positioned so as not to protrude to the recording medium side than the second guide member , whereby the second guide member and the side edge of the recording medium having the first length are separated from each other. I taken, performs a recording operation to the first recording medium, when recording to the second recording medium is shorter in length in the feeding direction than the first recording medium, The first guide member is positioned so as not to protrude to the recording medium side than the second guide member. The side end of the second recording medium to be fed is guided by the second guide member, and the rear end of the second recording medium is the second guide member in the feeding direction. A recording apparatus that performs a recording operation on the second recording medium after passing through the leading end . Wherein during corrective operation of the position of the by feeder first recording medium, the have the first guide member guides the side edge of the first recording medium, the first after the corrective operation side of the guide member and the first spaced from the recording medium, the feeding during the corrective operation of the position of said second recording medium by the apparatus and the second guide member and the second recording medium end and guides the recording apparatus according to claim 1, the rear end of said second recording medium by the feeding after the corrective operation is characterized Rukoto exit the distal end of the second guide member. Before SL side guide unit recording apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it is arranged to be positioned on opposite sides of the placed recording medium. Without the movement of the support portion, said first guide member said first by rotationally moves the guide member according to claim 1 to 3, characterized in that apart from the first recording medium The recording apparatus according to any one of the above.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a pair of side guide units for guiding both side ends of a recording medium fed by the feeding unit.   The recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the placement unit includes a pressure plate, and the side guide unit that is supported by the pressure plate and is movable on the pressure plate. . Feeding means for feeding the recording medium placed on the placing portion for placing the recording medium, and a support portion for supporting at least a part of the recording medium placed on the placing portion And a first guide member and a second guide member for guiding a side end of the recording medium fed by the feeding means, and the support portion and the second guide member are fixed to each other, a feeding device for the first guide member is closed and the side guide unit is movable relative to the second guide member,
A recording device that performs recording on the recording medium fed by the feeding unit with conveyance of the recording medium,
The second guide member is provided further to the downstream side in the recording medium feeding direction than the first guide member,
When recording on the first recording medium , the first guide member is positioned closer to the recording medium than the second guide member and is fed with the first length. the side edge of the recording medium is guided by the first guide member, when performing recording on the first guide member is guided feeding it to said first length of the recording medium, before Symbol first The guide member is positioned so as not to protrude to the recording medium side than the second guide member , whereby the second guide member and the side edge of the recording medium having the first length are separated from each other. I taken, performs a recording operation to the first recording medium, when recording to the second recording medium is shorter in length in the feeding direction than the first recording medium, The first guide member is positioned so as not to protrude to the recording medium side than the second guide member. The side end of the second recording medium to be fed is guided by the second guide member, and the rear end of the second recording medium is the second guide member in the feeding direction. A recording apparatus that performs a recording operation on the second recording medium after passing through the leading end .

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