JP6743575B2 - Inkjet recording device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an inkjet recording device that records an image on a sheet by ejecting ink droplets from a nozzle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an inkjet recording device that ejects ink droplets to record an image on a sheet is known. Image recording in an inkjet recording apparatus is performed by ejecting ink droplets toward a sheet from nozzles formed on a nozzle surface of a recording head.

When the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles land on the sheet in the above-described inkjet recording apparatus, the sheet that has absorbed the ink swells and the recording surface of the sheet deforms so as to bulge upward. When the sheet is thus deformed, the recording surface of the sheet may come into contact with the nozzle surface and become dirty.

In order to solve such a problem, for example, in the ink jet recording apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a supporting member is provided downstream of a supporting member that faces the recording head and supports the sheet, in the sheet conveying direction. A guide member is provided that is inclined from the lower side to the upper side toward the downstream side in the sheet conveying direction and guides the sheet on which the image is recorded on the recording surface to the pair of discharge rollers. The leading end of the sheet that has swollen upward by absorbing ink enters the space above the guide member below the support member, so that the sheet swollen upward causes the sheet to swell upward. Prevents contact with.

JP, 2014-156072, A

Further, when the sheet on which the image is recorded is nipped by the pair of discharge rollers and conveyed, the trailing edge of the sheet hangs down due to the weight of the sheet. The supporting member that faces the recording head and supports the sheet has ink capable of landing ink drops that have been discarded in an area outside the sheet when performing so-called borderless printing in which an image is recorded without providing a margin on the sheet. The discard area is provided, and if the trailing edge of the sheet hangs down as described above, it contacts the ink accumulated in the ink discard area, and the trailing edge of the sheet becomes dirty. Therefore, it is conceivable that a rib for preventing contact between the trailing edge of the sheet and the ink discarding area is provided between the supporting member and the discharge roller pair to support the trailing edge of the sheet. When the rib is provided in a structure in which the space for the leading end of the sheet to enter is provided between the support member and the discharge roller pair as in the recording device disclosed in Document 1, the rib supports the leading end of the sheet. Therefore, the leading end portion of the sheet may not sufficiently enter the space, and it may not be possible to prevent the swollen sheet from contacting the nozzle surface of the recording head.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a space between the support member and the discharge roller pair, into which the leading end of the sheet that has absorbed and swollen ink enters. However, it is still another object of the present invention to provide an inkjet recording apparatus that can prevent the rear end of the sheet from coming into contact with the ink discard area of the support member and becoming dirty.

(1) An inkjet recording apparatus according to the present invention includes a first roller pair that conveys a sheet in a conveyance direction, a recording unit that ejects ink droplets from nozzles onto the sheet that is conveyed by the first roller pair, and the recording unit. A supporting rib that is arranged to face the sheet, is positioned downstream of the supporting rib in the transport direction and below the upper end of the supporting rib, and discharges from the recording unit. A supporting member having an ink receiving portion capable of landing the ejected ink droplets, and is arranged on the downstream side of the supporting member in the transport direction, and at the same height position or above the upper end of the supporting rib. Of the second roller pair that nips and conveys the sheet at the position of, and is provided between the support member and the second roller pair in the conveyance direction, and the second roller pair of the second roller pair is provided from below the ink receiving portion. A guide member that extends toward the nipping position and has a guide surface that guides the sheet, and an upper end of the guide member protrudes with respect to the guide surface of the guide member, and the nipping position of the second roller pair and the ink receiving portion of the second roller pair. A projecting position which is above a virtual straight line connecting the downstream end in the transport direction and below the upper end of the supporting rib or at the same height as the upper end of the supporting rib, and the upper end is the guide. A retractable position for retracting the member with respect to the guide surface, and a movable member movable to the retracted position. The movable member projects from the retracted position before the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction passes through the guide surface of the guide member and before the upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction passes through the support rib. The sheet is moved to the position, and after the upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction passes through the ink receiving portion, the sheet is moved from the protruding position to the retracted position.

According to this configuration, since the movable member can support the rear end of the sheet between the support member and the second roller pair, the rear end of the sheet comes into contact with the ink receiving portion provided on the support member and becomes dirty. Can be suppressed. Further, since the movable member is in the retracted position until the sheet front end passes through the guide surface of the guide member, the movable member does not support the sheet front end. As a result, it is possible to secure a space into which the swollen sheet front end can enter.

(2) The upper end of the movable member is located above the imaginary straight line connecting the sandwiching position of the second roller pair and the upstream end of the ink receiving portion in the transport direction at the protruding position.

According to this configuration, when the trailing edge of the sheet reaches the position facing the ink receiving section, the trailing edge of the sheet comes into contact with and is supported by the movable member at a higher position. The possibility of contact can be reduced.

(3) The movable member is retracted before the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction reaches the holding position of the second roller pair and before the upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction passes through the support rib. From the position to the protruding position.

According to this configuration, the movable member moves to the protruding position after the sheet is nipped by the second roller pair. Further, since the upper end of the movable member at the projecting position is located at the same height as or below the support rib, the sheet does not contact the movable member until the rear end reaches the position where the rear end faces the ink receiving portion. It does not float up by contact. As a result, it is possible to prevent the movable member from abutting on the sheet and floating up the sheet before the rear end of the sheet reaches the position facing the ink receiving portion, and the conveyance accuracy is deteriorated.

(4) The guide surface of the guide member is an inclined surface that inclines upward toward the downstream side in the transport direction.

With this configuration, the sheet can be easily guided to the sandwiching position of the second roller pair along the inclined guide surface.

(5) The movable member is provided in plurality in the width direction.

According to this configuration, since the plurality of movable members are provided in the width direction, the seat can be stably supported.

(6) A plurality of the second roller pairs are arranged at intervals in the width direction intersecting the transport direction. The plurality of second rollers are provided on the downstream side of the recording unit in the transport direction and between the plurality of second roller pairs in the width direction. It further comprises a plurality of spurs that cooperate with the roller pair to impart a corrugated shape to the sheet.

According to this configuration, the sheet has a corrugated shape in which unevenness is alternately repeated along the width direction by the plurality of second roller pairs and the plurality of spurs. As a result, the posture of the sheet is stable, the trailing edge of the sheet can be prevented from hanging down, and the trailing edge of the sheet can be prevented from coming into contact with the ink receiving section.

(7) A plurality of the movable members are provided corresponding to the plurality of spurs in the width direction.

According to this configuration, the movable member is provided at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of spurs in the width direction, that is, a position that supports a concave portion in the corrugated shape of the sheet. As a result, it is possible to prevent the concave portion of the sheet from dropping downward and breaking the corrugated shape of the sheet.

(8) The contact member is provided on the downstream side of the guide surface of the guide member in the transport direction, and has a contact portion capable of contacting the sheet, and the first position and the contact portion are the first portion. A rotation member that is rotatable about a rotation shaft is further provided at a second position located below the position. The movable member is provided on the rotating member at a position opposite to the contact portion with respect to the rotating shaft in the transport direction, and the rotating member is retracted at the first position. The rotary member is in the projecting position at the second position, and the rotary member is at the second position from the downstream end of the support rib in the transport direction in the transport direction. The length to the contact portion is shorter than the length of the sheet in the transport direction, and the rotating member is configured such that the contact portion contacts the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction at the first position. Upon contact, the sheet rotates from the first position to the second position, and when the upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction passes through the contact portion, the sheet rotates from the second position to the first position.

According to this configuration, the leading end portion of the sheet comes into contact with the contact portion, and the rotating member rotates, so that the movable member moves from the retracted position to the protruding position. Accordingly, it is possible to move the movable member from the retracted position to the projecting position with a simple configuration without requiring a complicated mechanism for moving the movable member or a control for detecting the timing for moving the movable member.

(9) A biasing member that elastically biases the rotating member from the second position to the first position is further provided.

According to this configuration, the rotating member is biased to the first position by the elastic force of the biasing member.

(10) The abutting portion is arranged downstream of the second roller pair in the transport direction.

According to this configuration, the contact portion and the leading end portion of the sheet are in contact with each other while the sheet is sandwiched by the second roller pair. By sandwiching the sheet by the second roller pair, the leading end portion of the sheet is stretched and the rigidity is increased. Accordingly, the contact portion can be pressed with a large force, and the rotating member can be more surely rotated from the first position to the second position.

(11) At the first position of the rotating member, the contact portion has a portion in contact with a downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction, which is inclined upward toward the downstream side in the transport direction.

According to this configuration, the leading end of the sheet presses the contact portion along the inclination. As a result, the resistance that the front end of the sheet receives from the contact portion is reduced, and the rotating member can be more reliably rotated from the first position to the second position.

(12) A detection unit that detects the position of the sheet in the conveyance direction, a third position that supports the movable member, and that makes the movable member the protruding position, and a third position that makes the movable member the retracted position. It further includes a moving member that is movable to four positions, a driving unit that moves the moving member to the third position and the fourth position, and a control unit that controls the driving unit. The control unit is configured such that the detection unit causes the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction to pass the guide surface of the guide member, and the upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction to pass the support rib. Is detected, the driving unit is driven to move the moving member from the fourth position to the third position, and then the moving member is maintained at the third position, and the sheet is conveyed in the conveyance direction. After the upstream end of the above has passed the ink receiving portion, the driving portion is driven to move the moving member from the third position to the fourth position.

According to this configuration, the rotation of the cam member that moves the movable member is controlled by the drive unit. Accordingly, the position of the movable member can be accurately controlled, so that the movable member can be more reliably moved from the retracted position to the protruding position. Further, based on the position of the sheet detected by the detection unit, the movable member can be moved from the retracted position to the protruding position before the rear end of the sheet reaches the position facing the ink receiving unit.

According to the present invention, even if a space is provided between the support member and the second roller pair for the sheet front end that has absorbed and swollen ink, the rear end of the sheet receives the ink of the support member. It is possible to suppress contact with the part and stain.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the multifunction machine 10. FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view schematically showing the internal structure of the printer unit 11. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a planar structure of the platen 42 arranged inside the printer unit 11. It is a side view which shows the structure of the supporting member 100 and its periphery typically. It is a top view which shows typically the planar structure of the 1st guide member 90, the 2nd guide member 92, and its periphery. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a corrugated shape is formed on the paper P along the left-right direction 9 by the first discharge rollers 62, the first spurs 63, and the second spurs 130. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a corrugated portion of the paper P is supported by the first convex portion 120 of the support member 100. It is a side view which shows typically the state of the supporting member 100 and the paper P when it is located in a predetermined position. FIG. 6A is a side view schematically showing a state in which the support member 100 is located at the support position and the rear end of the paper P is located on the first support portion 80. (B) A side view schematically showing a state in which the support member 100 is located at the support position and supports the paper P. 9 is a side view schematically showing a state in which a support member 100 in Modification 3 is located at a support position and supports a sheet P. FIG. (A) It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd convex part 121 in the modified example 4. (B) It is a schematic diagram which shows the 2nd convex part 121 in the modified example 4. (A) It is a side view which shows typically the state when the supporting member 200 in the modification 9 is in a predetermined position. (B) It is a side view which shows typically the state when the supporting member 200 in the modification 9 is in a supporting position. 16 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of a control unit 140 in Modification 9. FIG. 13 is a flowchart for explaining a printing process of the multi-function peripheral 10 in Modification 9. It is a side view which shows typically the structure of the support member 100 located in a support position, and its periphery. 13 is a side view schematically showing the structure of a supporting member 200 and its surroundings in a modification 9. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described. The embodiment described below is merely an example of the present invention, and it goes without saying that the embodiment of the present invention can be appropriately changed without changing the gist of the present invention. Further, in the following description, the up-down direction 7 is defined based on the state where the multi-function device 10 is installed so as to be usable (the state of FIG. 1), and the side provided with the opening is the front side (front side) and the front-back direction. 8 is defined, and the left-right direction 9 is defined when the multifunction peripheral 10 is viewed from the front side (front side).

[Complex machine 10]
As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-function peripheral 10 (an example of the inkjet recording apparatus of the present invention) is formed in a substantially thin rectangular parallelepiped. A printer unit 11 is provided below the multifunction machine 10. The multifunction device 10 has various functions such as a facsimile function, a scanner reading function, and a printing function. The multi-function device 10 has a print function of recording an image on one side of a sheet P (an example of the sheet of the present invention, see FIG. 2) by an inkjet recording method. The multifunction device 10 may record images on both sides of the paper P.

As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a paper feed unit 16 that feeds the paper P to the conveyance path 65 and a pair of conveyance rollers 58 that conveys the paper P fed to the conveyance path 65 (of the present invention). An example of a first roller pair), a first discharge roller pair (an example of a second roller pair of the present invention) that discharges the paper P, a second discharge roller pair 150, and a paper P that is transported through the transport path 65. A platen 42 that supports (an example of a support member of the present invention), a recording unit 24 that records an image on a sheet P supported by the platen 42, and the like are provided. In addition, in FIG. 2, a support member 100 described later is omitted.

[Paper tray 20]
As shown in FIG. 1, the printer unit 11 has a housing 13 having an opening 12 formed in the front surface. By moving the paper feed tray 20 in the front-rear direction 8, the paper feed tray 20 can be inserted into and removed from the printer unit 11 through the opening 12. The paper feed tray 20 is a box-shaped member having an open top. As shown in FIG. 2, the paper P is supported on the bottom plate 22 of the paper feed tray 20 in a stacked state. A paper discharge tray 21 is supported above the front of the paper feed tray 20. The paper discharge tray 21 moves in the front-rear direction 8 together with the paper feed tray 20. The paper P on which an image has been recorded by the recording unit 24, which will be described later, is discharged onto the upper surface of the paper discharge tray 21. The paper discharge tray 21 may be supported by the printer unit 11. It should be noted that the size of the paper P in the present embodiment refers to a paper of a predetermined size that is set to be printable by the multifunction machine 10 among the sizes (A4, A3, etc.) defined by the JIS standard.

[Operation section 17]
As shown in FIG. 1, an operation unit 17 such as a touch panel is provided on the upper front surface of the multifunction machine 10. When the user inputs information necessary for printing to the operation unit 17, the multi-function peripheral 10 executes image recording based on the input information. The image recording by the multifunction device 10 may be executed based on the input information from the external device connected to the multifunction device 10 through the communication line (whether wired or wireless).

[Paper feeder 16]
As shown in FIG. 2, the paper feed unit 16 is provided above the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed unit 16 includes a paper feed roller 25, a paper feed arm 26, a drive transmission mechanism 27, and a shaft 28. The paper feed roller 25 is rotatably supported at the tip of the paper feed arm 26. The paper feed arm 26 rotates about a shaft 28 provided at the base end in the direction of arrow 29. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 can contact and separate the paper feed tray 20 or the paper P supported by the paper feed tray 20. The paper feed roller 25 is rotated by the drive force of the paper feed motor 71 (see FIG. 13) being transmitted by the drive transmission mechanism 27 formed by meshing a plurality of gears. As a result, the paper feed roller 25 feeds the uppermost paper P of the papers P supported by the bottom plate 22 of the paper feed tray 20 to the transport path 65.

[Conveyance path 65]
As shown in FIG. 2, the transport path 65 extends from the rear end of the paper feed tray 20. The transport path 65 includes a curved portion 65A and a straight portion 65B. The curved portion 65A extends while curving with the rear side being the curved outer side and the front side being the curved inner side. The straight portion 65B extends along the front-rear direction 8. The transport path 65 is formed by an outer guide member 18 and an inner guide member 19 that face each other with a predetermined distance therebetween. The paper P fed from the paper feed tray 20 to the conveyance path 65 by the paper feed unit 16 is conveyed so as to make a U-turn from the lower portion to the upper portion of the curved portion 65A, and then is conveyed on the linear portion 65B and then the recording portion 24. Be transported to. The paper P on which the image is recorded by the recording unit 24 is conveyed through the linear portion 65B and is ejected to the paper ejection tray 21. As described above, the paper P is transported in the transport direction 15 (an example of the transport direction of the present invention) indicated by the one-dot chain line arrow in FIG. 2.

[Recording unit 24]
As shown in FIG. 2, the recording unit 24 is provided above the linear portion 65B of the transport path 65. The recording unit 24 includes a carriage 40 and a recording head 38. The carriage 40 is arranged inside the printer unit 11 at a predetermined interval in the front-rear direction 8 and is supported by a pair of guide rails (not shown) extending in the left-right direction 9. The carriage 40 is movable in the left-right direction 9 (an example of the width direction of the present invention) on the two guide rails so as to straddle the two guide rails. The carriage 40 moves when a driving force is applied from a carriage driving motor (not shown).

The recording head 38 is mounted on the carriage 40. Ink is supplied to the recording head 38 from an ink cartridge (not shown) that stores ink. A plurality of nozzles 39 are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 38. During the reciprocating movement of the carriage 40 in the left-right direction 9, the recording head 38 ejects ink droplets from the nozzle 39 toward a platen 42 described later. The sheet P transported in the transport direction 15 is supported by the platen 42.

As described above, while the carriage 40 reciprocates in the left-right direction 9, the suitable ink is ejected from the nozzles 39 formed on the recording head 38 toward the paper P guided along the linear portion 65B on the platen 42. .. As a result, the image is recorded on the paper P.

[Conveying roller pair 58, first discharging roller pair 59, second discharging roller pair 150]
As shown in FIG. 2, a transport roller pair 58 is provided on the transport path 65 upstream of the platen 42 in the transport direction 15. The conveyance roller pair 58 includes a conveyance roller 60 arranged above the conveyance path 65 and a pinch roller 61 arranged below the conveyance path 65 so as to face the conveyance roller 60. The pinch roller 61 is pressed against the roller surface of the transport roller 60 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first discharge roller pair 59 is provided on the downstream side of the transport path 65 in the transport direction 15 with respect to the platen 42. The first discharge roller pair 59 includes a first discharge roller 62 disposed below the transport path 65 and a first spur 63 disposed above the transport path 65 and facing the first discharge roller 62. ing. The first spur 63 is pressed against the roller surface of the first discharge roller 62 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring.

As shown in FIG. 2, a second discharge roller pair 150 is provided on the downstream side of the first discharge roller pair 59 in the transport direction 65 in the transport direction 15 in the transport path 65. The second discharge roller pair 150 includes a second discharge roller 152 disposed below the transport path 65, and a third spur 151 disposed above the transport path 65 and facing the second discharge roller 152. ing. The third spur 151 is pressed against the roller surface of the second discharge roller 152 by an elastic member (not shown) such as a spring.

The transport roller 60, the first discharge roller 62, and the second discharge roller 152 rotate by the rotation driving force transmitted from the transport motor 72 (see FIG. 13) via a drive transmission mechanism (not shown). When the transport roller 60 rotates while the paper P is held between the transport roller pair 58, the paper P is transported by the transport roller pair 58 onto the platen 42, that is, in the transport direction 15. When the first ejection roller 62 rotates while the sheet P is held by the first ejection roller pair 59, the sheet P is conveyed in the conveyance direction 15 by the first ejection roller pair 59. When the second discharge roller 152 rotates while the sheet P is held between the second discharge roller pair 150, the sheet P is conveyed in the conveyance direction 15 by the second discharge roller pair 150. As shown in FIG. 2, the platen 42 is sandwiched between the transport roller pair 58, the first discharge roller pair 59, and the paper sheet P by the second discharge roller pair 150. Above. As described above, the transport roller pair 58, the first discharge roller pair 59, and the second discharge roller pair 150 transport the paper P in the transport direction 15 by sandwiching the paper P. The nipping position of the paper P by the conveying roller pair 58, the nipping position of the paper P by the first ejection roller pair 59, and the nipping position of the paper P by the second ejection roller pair 150 are at the same height as the upper end of the platen 42. May be

As shown in FIG. 2, the discharge roller 62 includes a shaft 64 and a roller portion 54 having a diameter larger than that of the shaft 64. A plurality of roller portions 54 are provided so as to be separated from each other in the left-right direction 9. A shaft 64 is inserted through each roller portion 54. When the paper P is conveyed in the conveyance direction 15 by being sandwiched by the discharge roller pair 59, the peripheral surface of each roller portion 54 contacts the paper P.

[Registration sensor 110]
As shown in FIG. 2, the printer unit 11 includes a registration sensor 110 at a predetermined position of the curved portion 65A between the paper feed roller 25 and the transport roller pair 58. The registration sensor 110 detects the presence or absence of the sheet P at a predetermined position and outputs a signal (detection signal) according to the detection result. For example, the registration sensor 110 outputs a High level signal when a part of the paper P is passing the registration sensor 110, and outputs a Low level signal when the paper P is not passing the registration sensor 110.

The resist sensor 110 includes a rotating member 112 having detectors 112A and 112B, a light emitting element (for example, a light emitting diode), and a light such as a photo interrupter having a light receiving element (for example, a phototransistor) that receives light emitted from the light emitting element. It is composed of a sensor 111. The rotating member 112 is rotatably provided around the shaft 113. The detector 112A projects from the shaft 113 to the transport path 65.

When the front end (downstream end in the transport direction 15) of the paper P transported on the transport path 65 contacts the detector 112A of the rotating member 112 and pushes the detector 112A, the detector 112B of the rotating member 112 becomes a light emitting element. It deviates from the optical path to the light receiving element. Therefore, light passes through the optical path. At this time, the light receiving element outputs a high level signal. On the other hand, when the trailing edge of the sheet P (the upstream edge in the transport direction 15) transported on the transport path 65 passes the detector 112A of the rotating member 112, the rotating member 112 returns to the state shown in FIG. At this time, the detector 112B of the rotating member 112 enters the optical path between the light emitting element and the light receiving element and blocks the light passing through the optical path. At this time, the light receiving element outputs a Low level signal. The optical sensor 111 outputs an analog electric signal corresponding to the intensity of the light received by the light receiving element as a detection signal. The control unit 140 (see FIG. 13) that controls the overall operation of the multifunction machine 10 detects the presence or absence of a sheet at a predetermined position based on the difference in the electrical signal output from the optical sensor 111.

As described above, as an example of the registration sensor 110 in the present embodiment, the contact type registration sensor 110 that detects the presence or absence of the paper P by the contact of the paper P with the rotating member 112 has been described. It is not limited to the contact type. For example, an optical registration sensor may be used that irradiates light toward the conveyance path 65 and detects the presence or absence of the paper P based on the change in the intensity of the light when reflected by the surface of the paper P.

[Platen 42]
As shown in FIG. 2, the platen 42 is arranged below the linear portion 65</b>B of the transport path 65 so as to face the recording portion 24 with a predetermined gap. As shown in FIG. 3, the platen 42 includes a first support portion 80, a second support portion 81 (an example of the ink receiving portion of the present invention) located in front of the first support portion 80, and a second support portion. It is configured by a housing portion 85 located in front of the portion 81.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first support portion 80 is formed with a plurality of upstream ribs 82 (an example of the support ribs of the present invention) arranged at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction 9. The upstream rib 82 is erected from the upper surface of the first support portion 80. The upstream rib 82 extends in the front-rear direction 8 and supports the sheet P conveyed in the conveyance path 65 from below.

The second support portion 81 has an ink landing portion 84 and a downstream rib 83. A plurality of ink landing portions 84 are arranged on the second support portion 81 at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction 9. As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surface of the ink landing portion 84 is formed on the lower surface of the recording head 38 so as to be capable of facing the area of the nozzle 39 located downstream of the nozzle 39 in the transport direction 15. There is. When the recording unit 24 performs so-called borderless printing in which ink droplets are ejected to the edge of the paper P, the ink landing unit 84 is located immediately below the edge of the paper P in the transport direction 15, the right edge, and the left edge. This is the area to be located. The recording head 38 uses the nozzles 39 in the area facing the ink landing portion 84 among the nozzles 39 to perform borderless printing on the end portion, the right end portion, and the left end portion of the paper P in the transport direction 15.

As shown in FIG. 3, the ink landing portion 84 has a plurality of grooves extending in the front-rear direction 8. When borderless printing is performed on the sheet P from the recording unit 24, among the ink droplets ejected from the nozzles 39, the ink droplets ejected outside the edge of the sheet P land on the ink landing unit 84. Then, the ink that has landed on the ink landing portion 84 flows forward through the plurality of grooves and is absorbed by the ink absorbing material 86 that is housed in the housing portion 85. The ink absorbing material 86 will be described later.

The second support portion 81 is provided with a plurality of downstream ribs 83 at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction 9. Each downstream rib 83 stands from the upper surface of the second support portion 81 and extends from the rear end portion of the second support portion 81 to the front end portion of the second support portion 81. The upper surface of the downstream rib 83 is located above the upper surface of the ink landing portion 84. As a result, the downstream rib 83 supports the paper P from below so that the paper P conveyed through the conveyance path 65 does not come into contact with the ink landing portion 84 and is not contaminated by the ink landed on the ink landing portion 84 due to the borderless printing. To do.

As shown in FIG. 4, the upper surfaces of the upstream ribs 82 are located above the upper surfaces of the downstream ribs 83. That is, the height of the upstream rib 82 in the vertical direction 7 is higher than that of the downstream rib 83.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the housing portion 85 extends in front of the second support portion 81. The accommodating portion 85 is arranged below the upper surface of the ink landing portion 84 of the second support portion 81. As shown in FIG. 4, the ink absorbing material 86 is stored in the storage portion 85. The ink absorbing material 86 is made of a porous material such as polyurethane foam. The ink that has landed on the ink landing portion 84 flows along the plurality of grooves formed in the ink landing portion 84 into the storage portion 85, is guided to the ink absorbing material 86, and is absorbed by the ink absorbing material 86.

[First guide member 90, second guide member 92]
As shown in FIG. 4, the first guide member 90 (an example of the guide member of the present invention) is provided in front of the platen 42. The upper surface of the first guide member 90 is an inclined surface 91 (an example of the guide surface of the present invention) whose rear end is located below the front end. That is, the first guide member 90 has the inclined surface 91. The rear end of the inclined surface 91 is located below the upper surface of the ink landing portion 84 of the second support portion 81 and above the ink absorbing material 86.

As shown in FIG. 4, a second guide member 92 extends from the front end of the first guide member 90. The second guide member 92 is a linear member that extends horizontally from the front end of the inclined surface 91 toward the front. Both the first guide member 90 and the second guide member 92 are formed such that the length in the left-right direction 9 is longer than the length in the left-right direction 9 of the paper P. The upper surface of the second guide member 92 is located at the same height as the upper end of the first support portion 80 of the platen 42, that is, the upper end of the upstream rib 82 in the up-down direction 7. The leading end of the paper P that has passed through the platen 42 is guided to the nipping position D1 (hereinafter, nipping position D1) of the paper P by the first discharge roller pair 59 by the first guide member 90 and the second guide member 92. After that, after being conveyed toward the second discharge roller pair 150 by the first discharge roller pair 59, the sheet is discharged to the discharge tray 21 by the second discharge roller pair 150. The second discharge roller pair 150 is omitted in FIG. Similarly, the second discharge roller pair 150 is omitted in FIGS. 8 to 11 described later.

[Supporting member 100]
As shown in FIG. 4, the support member 100 is arranged in front of the platen 42. The support member 100 is rotatable in the direction of arrow 105 about a shaft 103 (an example of the rotating shaft of the invention). The support member 100 includes a first convex portion 120 (an example of a movable member of the present invention) and a rotating portion 160 (an example of a rotating member of the present invention). Further, the rotating portion 160 has a second convex portion 121 (an example of a contact portion of the present invention), arm portions 101A and 101B, and a connecting portion 102. A shaft hole 104 is formed in the connecting portion 102, and the shaft 103 is inserted into the shaft hole 104. The shaft 103 is attached to a frame (not shown) in the main body of the multifunction machine 10.

The arm portion 101A extends rearward from the connection portion 102. The first protrusion 120 is provided at the extending end of the arm 101A. Further, the arm portion 101B extends forward from the connection portion 102. The second convex portion 121 is provided at the extending end of the arm portion 101B. The support member 100 can rotate between a predetermined position shown by a solid line in FIG. 4 and a support position shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 by rotating the rotating portion 160 about the shaft 103. The support member 100 is biased by a torsion coil spring (an example of a biasing member of the present invention, not shown) attached to the shaft 103 so as to be located at a predetermined position.

[First convex portion 120]
As shown in FIG. 4, when the support member 100 is located at the predetermined position, the upper end 120</b>A of the first protrusion 120 is located below the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90. On the other hand, when the support member 100 is located at the support position, the upper end 120A of the first protrusion 120 is located above the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90. The height position of the upper end portion 120A of the first convex portion 120 in the up-down direction 7 at the supporting position is a virtual straight line 122 connecting the front end portion of the upper surface of the downstream rib 83 of the second supporting portion 81 and the holding position D1. And a virtual straight line 121 that extends horizontally in the front-rear direction 8 from the upper end of the upstream rib 82 of the first support portion 80. The position of the first convex portion 120 when the support member 100 is at the predetermined position is the retracted position, and the position of the first convex portion 120 when the support member 100 is at the support position is the protruding position.

[Second convex portion 121]
As shown in FIG. 4, the rotating portion 160 has a second convex portion 121. When the support member 100 is located at the predetermined position, the second convex portion 121 partially protrudes above the upper surface of the second guide member 92 in front of the first discharge roller pair 59. In the support member 100, at the predetermined position, the front end of the paper P conveyed on the upper surface of the second guide member 92 abuts on the second convex portion 121, and the paper P is second convex with a force equal to or greater than the biasing force of the torsion coil spring. By pressing the portion 121, it is rotated from the predetermined position to the support position. The upper end of the second convex portion 121 when the supporting member 100 is located at the supporting position is located below the paper P conveyed on the upper surface of the second guide member 92, and contacts the lower surface of the paper P. The supporting member 100 is located at the supporting position by the weight of the sheet P until the rear end of the sheet P passes the second convex portion 121, and when the rear end of the sheet P passes the second convex portion 121, the torsion coil spring It returns to the default position by the biasing force. The position of the second convex portion 121 when the supporting member 100 is located at the predetermined position is the abutting position, and the position of the second convex portion 121 when the supporting member 100 is located at the supporting position is the tilted position. Further, the position of the rotating portion 160 when the second convex portion 121 is located at the contact position is the first position, and the position of the rotating portion 160 when the second convex portion 121 is located at the tilted position is the second position. Position.

As described above, when the second convex portion 121 is located at the abutting position, the first convex portion 120 is located at the retracted position, and the second convex portion 121 at the abutting position comes into contact with the sheet P to support the second convex portion 121. The member 100 rotates from the predetermined position to the support position, and the first protrusion 120 moves to the protruding position. The rotating unit 160 and the torsion coil spring constitute the moving mechanism of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of first discharge roller pairs 59 and the support members 100 are arranged in the left-right direction 9. A plurality of openings 106 are formed in the first guide member 90 at positions corresponding to the first protrusions 120 in the left-right direction 9. The length of the opening 106 in the left-right direction 9 is formed longer than the length of the first protrusion 120 in the left-right direction 9. Further, the opening 106 is formed to have a length in the front-rear direction 8 longer than the length in the left-right direction 9, and the first protrusion 120 can move from the retracted position to the protruding position via the opening 106. The second guide member 92 has a plurality of openings 107 formed at positions corresponding to the second protrusions 121 in the left-right direction 9. The length of the opening 107 in the left-right direction 9 is formed longer than the length of the second protrusion 121 in the left-right direction 9. The opening 107 is formed to have a length in the front-rear direction 8 longer than the length in the left-right direction 9, and the second convex portion 121 can move from the contact position to the tilted position via the opening 107. Note that the support member 100 may be provided in only one instead of a plurality provided in the left-right direction 9.

As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of second spurs 130 (an example of spurs of the present invention) are arranged in front of the first discharge roller pair 59 at predetermined intervals in the left-right direction 9. The positions of the plurality of second spurs 130 in the left-right direction 9 are between the plurality of first discharge roller pairs 59. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower end of the second spur 130 is below the holding position D1 of the first discharge roller pair 59. Therefore, when the second spur 130 comes into contact with the upper surface of the paper P nipped by the first discharge roller pair 59, the paper P has a corrugated shape in which unevenness is alternately repeated along the left-right direction 9. In the corrugated shape, a portion sandwiched by the first discharge roller pair 59 has a convex shape, and a portion contacting the second spur 130 has a concave shape. As shown in FIG. 5, the first convex portion 120 is arranged at a position corresponding to the second spur 130 in the left-right direction 9. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the first convex portion 120 is arranged at a position where the concave portion of the corrugated sheet P can be supported from below. The second spur 130 is omitted in FIGS. 4 and 8 to 12.

Next, the state of the sheet P when the support member 100 moves from the predetermined position to the support position will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the leading edge of the paper P is conveyed on the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90. As described above, the support member 100 is located at the predetermined position until the leading edge of the paper P contacts the second convex portion 121. Therefore, while the leading edge of the paper P is being conveyed on the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90, the first convex portion 120 is located at the retracted position. The leading edge of the sheet P that has passed through the platen 42 hangs downward due to the weight of the sheet P and enters the space 5 above the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90. As a result, even if the tip of the paper P that has absorbed the ink droplets ejected from the nozzle 39 of the recording head 38 swells upward, the distance between the tip of the paper P and the nozzle 39 can be secured. Further, since the support member 100 is located at the predetermined position until the front end of the paper P passes through the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90, the first protrusion 120 of the support member 100 moves the front end of the paper P downward. There is no risk of contact with the nozzle 39 by lifting it from above.

The leading edge of the paper P that has been transported by the transport roller pair 58 and has passed through the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90 is transported forward along the second guide member 92 and is nipped by the first discharge roller pair 59. .. Then, it is conveyed further forward and abuts on the second convex portion 121 of the support member 100. The support member 100 rotates when the second convex portion 121 is pressed by the leading end of the paper P, and moves to the support position as shown in FIG. 9A. As shown in FIG. 9A, the supporting member 100 moves from the predetermined position to the supporting position in a state where the rear end of the sheet P is supported by the first supporting portion 80. That is, the supporting member 100 moves from the predetermined position to the supporting position before the rear end of the sheet P reaches the position facing the second supporting portion 81. The position of the support member 100 is set so that the front end of the paper P contacts the second convex portion 121 before the rear end of the paper P reaches the position facing the second support portion 81. Further, in order to cope with the paper P of various sizes that are set to be printable in the multifunction machine 10, the support member 100 is the paper P having the shortest length in the front-rear direction 8 and the rear end is the second support portion. The tip may be arranged so as to contact the second convex portion 121 before reaching the position facing 81. The support member 100 may be arranged so as to be moved from the predetermined position to the support position before the rear end of the paper P reaches the position facing the second support portion 81. The second convex portion 121 may be arranged so as to contact the leading end of the paper P in a state in which the edge is on the upstream side in the transport direction 15 with respect to the first support portion 80.

As described above, since the support member 100 moves from the predetermined position to the support position with the rear end of the paper P supported by the first support portion 80, the support member 100 is The distance L (see FIG. 15) in the front-rear direction 8 from the front end of the second convex portion 121 to the front end of the upstream rib 82 at the tilted position within the various sizes of the paper P set to be printable in the multifunction machine 10. The length of the paper P having the shortest length in the front-rear direction 8 is arranged to be shorter than the length of the paper P in the front-rear direction 8. As a result, before the trailing edge of the paper P passes through the upstream rib 82, the second convex portion 121 moves from the contact position to the tilted position, and the support member 100 moves from the default position to the support position.

As described above, the upper end portion 120A of the first convex portion 120 located at the protruding position is located below the upper end of the upstream rib 82 of the first support portion 80. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9A, the first protrusion 120 does not come into contact with the paper P when the rear end of the paper P is supported by the upstream ribs 82. Accordingly, there is no possibility that the first convex portion 120 lifts the paper P and the posture of the paper P changes. The upper end 120A of the first protrusion 120 located at the protruding position may be located at the same height as the upper end of the upstream rib 82 of the first support 80. Even in this case, the first convex portion 120 does not lift the paper P above the upper end of the upstream rib 82, so that the posture of the paper P does not change.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the paper P is conveyed in the conveyance direction 15 by the first discharge roller pair 59 or the second discharge roller pair 150, and the rear end thereof passes through the first support portion 80, When it reaches the position facing the support portion 81, it is supported from below by the first protrusion 120 located at the protruding position. As described above, the upper ends of the downstream ribs 83 and the ink landing portions 84 of the second support portion 81 are located below the upper ends of the upstream ribs 82 of the first support portion 80. Therefore, when the trailing edge of the sheet P passes through the first support portion 80, the trailing edge of the sheet P hangs down due to its own weight. There is a possibility that ink ejected from the nozzles 39 when the borderless printing is performed by the recording head 38 adheres to the ink landing portion 84. Therefore, when the trailing end of the drooping paper P comes into contact with the ink landing portion 84 of the second support portion 81, there is a risk that it may become soiled with ink. As described above, the second support portion 81 is provided with the plurality of downstream ribs 83, and supports the paper P so that the paper P does not come into contact with the ink landing portion 84. However, the ink ejected from the nozzle 39 during the borderless printing adheres not only to the ink landing portion 84 but also to the plurality of downstream ribs 83. Then, the paper P may be contaminated with the ink even when the paper P comes into contact with the plurality of downstream ribs 83. Even when a plurality of downstream ribs 83 are provided, a part of the paper P that is not directly supported by the downstream ribs 83 may hang down and come into contact with the ink landing portion 84. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rear end portion of the paper P serves as the downstream rib 83 and the ink landing portion 84 of the second support portion 81 by supporting the paper P from below by the first convex portion 120 located at the protruding position. The contact can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to prevent the rear end of the paper P from being soiled with ink.

After that, the supporting member 100 maintains the supporting position until the rear end of the paper P passes the second convex portion 121, and when the rear end of the paper P passes the second convex portion 121, the supporting member 100 twists. It returns to the default position by the biasing force of the coil spring.

[Effect of Embodiment]
According to the present embodiment, the first convex portion 120 of the support member 100 can support the rear end portion of the paper P between the platen 42 and the first discharge roller pair 59. As a result, the rear end of the paper P is prevented from coming into contact with the downstream rib 83 and the ink landing portion 84 of the second support portion 81, and the rear end of the paper P is attached to the downstream rib 83 and the ink landing portion 84. Staining with ink can be suppressed. Further, since the first convex portion 120 is located at the retracted position until the front end of the paper P passes through the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90, the first convex portion 120 does not support the front end of the paper P. .. Thereby, the space 5 into which the front end of the swollen sheet P enters can be secured.

Further, according to the present embodiment, after the paper P is nipped by the first discharge roller pair 59, the first protrusion 120 moves to the protruding position. Further, since the upper end portion 120A of the first convex portion 120 at the protruding position is located at the same height position or below the upstream rib 82, the paper P reaches the position where the rear end faces the second support portion 81. Does not float upward due to the contact of the sheet P with the first convex portion 120. As a result, before the rear end of the paper P reaches the position facing the second support portion 81, the first convex portion 120 abuts on the paper P and the paper P floats up, deteriorating the conveyance accuracy. Can be suppressed.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the first guide member 90 has the inclined surface 91 that is inclined upward toward the front. As a result, the paper P can be easily guided to the holding position D1 along the inclined surface 91.

Further, according to this embodiment, the plurality of first discharge roller pairs 59 and the plurality of second spurs 130 cause the paper P to have a corrugated shape along the left-right direction 9. As a result, the posture of the paper P is stabilized, the sagging of the rear end of the paper P can be suppressed, and the rear end of the paper P is prevented from coming into contact with the downstream ribs 83 of the second support 81 and the ink landing portion 84. it can.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the first convex portion 120 is provided at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of second spurs 130 in the left-right direction 9, that is, a position that supports a concave portion in the wave shape. .. As a result, it is possible to prevent the concave portion of the paper P from falling downward and the corrugation of the paper P from collapsing. Further, since the plurality of first convex portions 120 are provided in the left-right direction 9, the sheet P can be stably supported.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the leading end of the paper P contacts the second convex portion 121, and the rotating portion 160 moves from the first position to the second position, so that the first convex portion 120 moves from the retracted position. Move to the protruding position. This eliminates the need for a complicated mechanism for moving the first protrusion 120 to the projecting position, a control for detecting the timing for moving the first protrusion 120, and the like, and allows the first protrusion 120 to be retracted with a simple configuration. It can be moved from the position to the protruding position.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the rotating coil 160 is biased to the first position by the torsion coil spring. Thereby, the rotating portion 160 can be biased to the first position by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in the state where the paper P is sandwiched by the first discharge roller pair 59, the second convex portion 121 at the contact position and the leading end of the paper P contact each other. The sheet P is pinched by the first discharge roller pair 59, so that the leading end portion is stretched and the rigidity is increased. Accordingly, the paper P can press the second convex portion 121 with a large force, and the rotating portion 160 can be more reliably moved from the first position to the second position.

[Modification 1 of Embodiment]
In the embodiment described above, the upper surface of the first guide member 90 is the inclined surface 91. However, the upper surface of the first guide member 90 need not be the inclined surface 91 as long as it guides the paper P to the holding position D1. For example, it may be a curved surface that curves upward toward the front. In this case, the curved surface is an example of the guide surface of the present invention.

[Modification 2 of Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the downstream ribs 83 that support the paper P from below and suppress the contact between the paper P and the ink landing portion 84 are provided in the second support portion 81. The ribs 83 may not be provided. Further, in the above-described embodiment, the height position of the first protrusion 120 in the up-down direction 7 at the protruding position is defined based on the height of the upper surface of the downstream rib 83, but in the configuration of Modification 2, Based on the height of the upper surface of the ink landing portion 84, the height in the vertical direction 7 of the first convex portion 120 at the protruding position may be defined. That is, the height position of the first protrusion 120 in the up-down direction 7 at the protruding position is above the imaginary straight line connecting the front end portion of the upper surface of the ink landing portion 84 and the holding position D1, and the first support portion. It may be the same as or below the virtual straight line 121 that extends horizontally in the front-rear direction 8 from the upper end of the upstream rib 82 of 80.

[Modification 3 of Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the height position of the upper end 120A of the first protrusion 120 of the support member 100 in the up-down direction 7 at the support position is sandwiched by the front end of the upper surface of the downstream rib 83 of the second support 81. It is above the virtual straight line 122 connecting the position D1 and is the same as or below the virtual straight line 121 extending horizontally from the upper end of the upstream rib 82 of the first support portion 80 in the front-rear direction 8. However, as shown in FIG. 10, the height position of the upper end 120A of the first protrusion 120 of the support member 100 in the up-down direction 7 at the support position is the rear of the upper surface of the downstream rib 83 of the second support 81. It is above a virtual straight line 123 that connects the end portion and the holding position D1, and is the same as or below the virtual straight line 121 that extends horizontally from the upper end of the upstream rib 82 of the first support portion 80 in the front-rear direction 8. Good.

According to the modified example 3, when the trailing edge of the sheet P passes through the first supporting portion 80 and reaches the position facing the second supporting portion 81, the trailing edge of the sheet P is at a higher position. Since the sheet P is brought into contact with and supported by the first protrusion 120, it is possible to further prevent the rear end of the sheet P from being contaminated by the ink attached to the downstream rib 83 of the second support 81 and the ink landing portion 84.

[Modification 4 of Embodiment]
In the embodiment described above, as shown in FIG. 4, the second convex portion 121 of the support member 100 located at the predetermined position extends upward in the direction perpendicular to the front-rear direction 8, but FIG. ), it may be extended so as to incline upward toward the front. Further, as shown in FIG. 11(b), only the portion that comes into contact with the leading end of the paper P may be formed as an inclined surface that inclines upward toward the front. In this case, since the paper P presses the second convex portion 121 along the inclination, the resistance that the paper P receives from the second convex portion 121 can be reduced.

[Modification 5 of Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the second convex portion 121 of the support member 100 is arranged on the downstream side of the first discharge roller pair 59 in the transport direction 15. Therefore, in order to discharge the paper P passing through the second convex portion 121 to the paper discharge tray 21, the second discharge roller pair 150 is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction 15 with respect to the second convex portion 121. However, in the support member 100, if the first convex portion 120 is at a position where the rear end portion of the sheet P conveyed on the inclined surface 91 can be supported from below, the second convex portion 121 will be the first discharge roller pair. It may be arranged between 59 and the first guide member 90. That is, the first protrusion 120 may move from the retracted position to the protruding position when the leading edge of the paper P passes through the inclined surface 91. In this case, it is not necessary to provide the second discharge roller pair 150, and the paper P is discharged to the discharge tray 21 by the first discharge roller pair 59.

[Modification 6 of the embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the second spur 130 that comes into contact with the paper P and imparts the corrugated shape is provided on the downstream side in the transport direction 15 with respect to the first discharge roller pair 59. The position of the second spur 130 is not limited to this as long as the corrugation can be imparted to the paper P in cooperation. For example, it may be configured to be provided at the same position as the nipping position D1 of the paper P by the first discharge roller pair 59 in the front-rear direction 8.

[Modification 7 of Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the second spur 130 that comes into contact with the sheet P and cooperates with the first discharge roller pair 59 to impart the corrugated shape to the sheet P is provided, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the second spur 130 may be provided. The configuration may be omitted. Even if the second spur 130 is not provided, the sheet P can be stably supported by providing the plurality of support members 100 in the left-right direction 9.

[Modification 8 of Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, the rotation of the support member 100 from the support position to the predetermined position is performed by the bias of the torsion coil spring, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the rear side of the shaft 103 of the support member 100 may be heavier than the front side. In this case, the support member 100 is rotated from the support position to the predetermined position by the weight on the rear side with respect to the shaft 103. In the modified example 8 in which the torsion coil spring is not used, the rotating portion 160 constitutes the moving mechanism of the present invention.

[Modification 9 of Embodiment]
In the above-described embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the rotatable support member 100 supports the rear end of the sheet P conveyed on the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90 from below. However, it is not limited to this. For example, instead of the support member 100, a support member 200 as shown below may be used.

Modification 9 of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. In Modification 9, the support member 200, which will be described later, is arranged on the upstream side in the transport direction 15 with respect to the first discharge roller pair 59, and therefore, as in Modification 5 described above, the first discharge roller pair 59. In the following description, the second discharge roller pair 150 is not provided on the downstream side in the transport direction 15, and the paper P is directly discharged to the paper discharge tray 21 by the first discharge roller pair 59. As shown in FIG. 12A, the support member 200 according to the modified example 9 includes a support portion 130 (an example of a movable member of the present invention) and a cam member 131. The cam member 131 has a cam portion 131A and a fixed plate 131B. The fixed plate 131B is a plate member to which the support portion 130 is fixed, and the cam portion 131A abuts the lower surface of the fixed plate 131B to support the fixed plate 131B from below. The cam member 131 is an example of the moving member in the present invention.

The cam portion 131A is rotationally driven by a cam motor 134 (an example of a driving portion of the present invention, see FIG. 13) around a rotary shaft 132 extending in the left-right direction 9. When the cam portion 131A rotates, the fixed plate 131B moves in the up-down direction 7, and the support portion 130 also moves in the up-down direction 7 as the fixed plate 131B moves. As described above, in the support member 200, the upper end portion 130A of the support portion 130 is located below the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90 by the rotation of the cam motor 134, and the support member 200 does not come into contact with the paper P at a predetermined position (see FIG. a)) and the upper end portion 130A of the support portion 130 are positioned above the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90, and the support position (FIG. 12B) at which the paper P can be supported from below. Moving. The position of the support portion 130 when the support member 200 is located at the support position is the protruding position, and the position of the support portion 130 when the support member 200 is at the predetermined position is the retracted position. Further, the position of the cam member 131 when the support member 200 is in the support position is the third position, and the position of the cam member 131 when the support member 200 is in the predetermined position is the fourth position.

The height position in the vertical direction 7 of the upper end portion 130A of the support portion 130 at the protruding position is the same as the height position in the vertical direction 7 of the upper end portion 120A of the first convex portion 120 located at the protruding position in the above-described embodiment. Is set.

The rotation drive of the cam motor 134 for moving the support member 200 between the predetermined position and the support position is controlled by the controller 140. Here, the electrical configuration of the control unit 140 in Modification 9 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. As shown in FIG. 13, the control unit 140 is configured as a microcomputer mainly including a CPU 141, a ROM 142, a RAM 143, an EEPROM 144, and an ASIC 145.

The ROM 142 stores a program for operating the multifunction device 10, and the RAM 143 temporarily stores data, signals, etc. used when the CPU 141 executes the program. The EEPROM 144 stores settings that should be retained even after the power is turned off. The control unit 140 executes a paper feed operation of the paper P, a transport operation, a rotational drive of the cam unit 131A, and the like according to various stored data and various programs. Note that the ROM 142 stores the carry amount of the paper P set so that the leading end of the paper P is carried to a position R described later.

The paper feed motor 71 is electrically connected to the ASIC 145 of the control unit 140 via an internal interface (not shown). The controller 140 outputs a drive control signal to the paper feed motor 71. The paper feed motor 71 drives the paper feed roller 25 to convey the paper P based on the drive control signal from the control unit 140. The encoder 151 is electrically connected to the ASIC 145 of the control unit 145. The encoder 151 is a rotary encoder for detecting the rotation of the output shaft of the paper feed motor 71, and outputs a signal indicating the rotation speed of the paper feed motor 71 to the control unit 140. The control unit 140 measures the carry amount of the paper P based on the signal from the encoder 151.

The carry motor 72 is electrically connected to the ASIC 145 of the control unit 140 via an internal interface (not shown). The controller 140 outputs a drive control signal to the carry motor 72. The carry motor 72 drives the carry roller 60 or the first discharge roller 62 to carry the paper P based on a drive control signal from the control unit 140. An encoder 152 is electrically connected to the ASIC 145 of the control unit 140. The encoder 152 is a rotary encoder for detecting the rotation of the output shaft of the carry motor 72, and outputs a signal indicating the rotation speed of the carry motor 72 to the control unit 140. The control unit 140 measures the carry amount of the paper P based on the signal from the encoder 152.

The registration sensor 110 is electrically connected to the ASIC 145 of the control unit 140 via an internal interface (not shown). As described above, the registration sensor 110 outputs a signal indicating the presence/absence of the paper P to the control unit 140.

The cam motor 134 is electrically connected to the ASIC 145 of the control unit 140 via an internal interface (not shown). The control unit 140 outputs a drive control signal to the cam motor 134. The encoder 153 is electrically connected to the ASIC 145 of the control unit 140. The encoder 153 is a rotary encoder for detecting the rotation of the rotation shaft of the cam motor 134, and outputs a signal indicating the rotation speed of the cam motor 134 to the control unit 140. Based on the signal from the encoder 153, the control unit 140 rotationally drives the cam motor 134 and rotates the cam unit 131A so as to move the support member 200 to the predetermined position or the support position.

Next, the operation when the multifunction peripheral 10 of Modification 9 executes the printing process will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. In addition, in the complex machine 10 before printing, the support member 100 is located at a predetermined position. First, when the multifunction device 10 receives a print instruction from the user from the operation unit 17 (S10), the image data to be recorded on the paper P is stored in the RAM 143. Here, the image data is, for example, image data obtained by reading an original by a scanner provided in the multifunction machine 10, or sent from an external device such as a PC connected to the multifunction machine 10 through a communication line. It is image data. Next, the control unit 140 drives the paper feed motor 71 to rotate the paper feed roller 25, thereby performing the paper feed operation of transporting the paper P supported by the paper feed tray 20 in the transport direction 15 (S20). ).

The sheet P conveyed by the sheet feed roller 25 is eventually detected by the registration sensor 110. When the registration sensor 110 detects the sheet P, the encoder 151 starts measuring the amount of conveyance of the sheet P. Then, the control unit 140 determines whether the paper P reaches the conveyance roller pair 58 (S30), and continues the paper feeding operation until the paper P reaches the conveyance roller pair 58 (S30: No), and the paper P When it is determined that the sheet has reached the pair of transport rollers 58 (S30: Yes), the controller 140 stops the driving of the sheet feeding motor 71 (S40).

After that, the control unit 140 drives the carry motor 72 to rotate the carry roller 60, and at the same time, starts the measurement of the carry amount of the paper P by the encoder 152, and the recording head 38 starts the image recording of the paper P. It is conveyed to a predetermined position (S50). Thereafter, the recording head 38 causes the sheet P to perform image recording with a predetermined line feed width (S60). Next, the control unit 140 determines whether the image data to be recorded on the paper P remains, that is, whether the printing is completed (S70). When it is determined that the image data to be recorded remains (S70: Yes), the control unit 140 causes the leading edge of the paper P to move from the inclined surface 91 of the first guide member 90 based on the output signal from the encoder 152. It is determined whether or not the predetermined position R on the downstream side in the transport direction 15 (FIG. 12B) is on the upstream side in the transport direction 15 (S80). When it is determined that the leading edge of the paper P is upstream of the position R in the transport direction 15 (S80: Yes), the control unit 140 drives the transport motor 72 to transport the paper P by a predetermined line feed width. (S90).

Next, the control unit 140 determines whether the leading edge of the paper P has reached the position R based on the output signal from the encoder 152 (S100). When it is determined that the leading edge of the paper P has reached the position R (S100: Yes, see FIG. 12A), the control unit 140 drives the cam motor 134 and, based on the output signal from the encoder 153, the cam unit. The support member 200 is moved to the support position by rotating 131A (S110). After that, the process returns to S60, and the recording of the image data corresponding to the predetermined line feed width is executed. On the other hand, if it is determined that the leading edge of the paper P has not reached the position R (S100: No), the process returns to S60 without executing S110.

In S80, when it is determined that the leading edge of the paper P is not located upstream of the position R in the transport direction 15, that is, located downstream (S80: No), the control unit 140 drives the transport motor 72. The paper P is conveyed by a predetermined line feed width (S120), and the process returns to S60. That the leading edge of the paper P is located downstream of the position R in the transport direction 15 means that S110 has already been executed and the support member 200 is located at the support position.

The multi-function device 10 repeats the above processing to record an image on the paper P. When it is determined in S70 that there is no image data to be recorded on the paper P, that is, when the printing is completed (S70: No), the control unit 140 determines the paper P based on the output signal from the encoder 152. It is determined whether or not the leading edge of is on the upstream side of the position R in the transport direction 15 (S130). When it is determined that the leading edge of the paper P is on the upstream side of the position R in the transport direction 15 (S130: Yes), the control unit 140 drives the transport motor 72 to move the paper P along the transport direction 15. A carrying operation for carrying is carried out (S140).

Next, the control unit 140 determines whether the leading edge of the paper P has reached the position R based on the output signal from the encoder 152 (S150). The carrying operation of S140 is repeated until the leading edge of the sheet P reaches the position R (S150: No), and when it is determined that the leading edge of the sheet P reaches the position R (S150: Yes), the control unit 140 causes the cam motor to move. 134 is driven, and the cam portion 131A is rotated based on the output signal from the encoder 153 to move the support member 200 to the support position (S160). After that, the controller 140 drives the carry motor 72 to rotate the carry roller 60 or the first discharge roller 62, and discharges the paper P to the paper discharge tray 21 (S170). Then, the cam motor 134 is driven, and the cam portion 131A is rotated based on the output signal from the encoder 153 to move the support member 200 to the predetermined position (S180). Then, the printing process ends.

On the other hand, if it is determined in S130 that the leading edge of the paper P is located downstream of the position R in the transport direction 15 (S130: No), as described above, S110 has already been executed and the support member 200 is in the support position. Since it is located at, the control unit 140 executes S170 and S180 described above, and ends the printing process.

In the modification 9, the registration sensor 110, the encoder 151, and the encoder 152 constitute the detection unit of the present invention. Further, the detection unit, the cam member 131, the cam motor 134, and the control unit 140 constitute the moving mechanism of the present invention.

As described above, when the cam member 131 is located at the fourth position, the support portion 130 is located at the retracted position, the cam portion 131A is rotated by the driving of the cam motor 134, and the cam member 131 is moved to the third position. Then, the supporting member 200 moves from the predetermined position to the supporting position, and the supporting portion 130 moves to the protruding position.

The controller 140 drives the cam motor 134 to move the support member 200 from the predetermined position to the support position in S110 or S160, and then drives the cam motor 134 again in S180 to move the support member 200 from the support position to the predetermined position. The drive of the cam motor 134 is stopped until the support member 200 is maintained at the support position until the support member 200 is moved to the support position. As a result, the rear end of the paper P is supported by the support portion 130 of the support member 200 until the rear end of the paper P passes through the second support portion 81. It is possible to prevent the portion 81 from coming into contact with and becoming dirty.

In Modification 9 described above, the support member 200 is moved from the support position to the predetermined position on the condition that the paper P is discharged to the paper discharge tray 21, but the rear end of the paper P is the second support portion 81. The present invention is not limited to this as long as the support member 200 is moved from the support position to the predetermined position after passing through. For example, when the control unit 140 determines that the rear end of the paper P has passed the position Q (see FIG. 16) which is the front end of the second support unit 81 based on the output signal from the encoder 152, the cam unit 131A is rotated. Then, the supporting member 200 may be moved from the supporting position to the predetermined position.

In Modification 9, the support member 200 is moved from the default position to the support position when the leading edge of the sheet P reaches the position R. However, the leading edge of the sheet P passes through the guide surface 91 of the guide member 90. However, the present invention is not limited to this as long as the support member 200 can be moved from the predetermined position to the support position before the rear end of the paper P passes through the upstream rib 82. For example, the position S (see FIG. 16) is set at a predetermined position in the upstream rib 82 along the transport direction 15, and the control unit determines that the leading edge of the paper P has passed the position R by the output signal from the encoder 152. The support member 200 may be moved from the predetermined position to the support position when it is detected and the output signal from the encoder 152 detects that the rear end of the paper P has passed the position S.

According to the modified example 9, the rotation of the cam portion 131A that moves the support portion 130 from the retracted position to the support position is controlled by the cam motor 134. Accordingly, the position of the support part 130 can be accurately controlled, and thus the support part 130 can be reliably moved from the retracted position to the protruding position. In addition, based on the position of the paper P detected by the registration sensor 110, the encoder 151, and the encoder 152, the support part 130 is moved from the retracted position before the rear end of the paper P reaches the position facing the second support part 81. It can be moved to the protruding position.

10... Multifunction device (inkjet recording device)
P: Paper (sheet)
15: Transport direction (transport direction)
24... Recording unit 42... Platen (support member)
82... upstream rib (support rib)
81... Second support portion (ink receiving portion)
59... First discharge roller pair (second roller pair)
90... First guide member (guide member)
91... Inclined surface (guide surface)
100... Support member 160... Rotating part (rotating member)
120... 1st convex part (movable member)
121... Second convex portion (contact portion)
130...Second spur (spur)

Claims (12)

A first roller pair for conveying the sheet in the conveying direction,
A recording unit for ejecting ink droplets from nozzles onto the sheet conveyed by the first roller pair;
The recording sheet is disposed so as to face the recording portion, supports the sheet, and is positioned downstream of the supporting rib in the transport direction and below the upper end of the supporting rib. A supporting member having an ink receiving portion onto which ink droplets ejected from the portion can land,
A second roller pair that is disposed on the downstream side in the transport direction with respect to the support member, and that sandwiches and transports the sheet at the same height position or a position above the upper end of the support rib,
It has a guide surface that is provided between the support member and the second roller pair in the transport direction, extends from below the ink receiving portion toward the nipping position of the second roller pair, and guides the sheet. A guide member,
The upper end projects from the guide surface of the guide member, is above a virtual straight line connecting the nipping position of the second roller pair and the downstream end of the ink receiving portion in the transport direction, and the support A movable member movable below a top end of the rib or at a protruding position located at the same height as the top end of the support rib, and a retracted position at which the top end retracts with respect to the guide surface of the guide member. And
The movable member is
The downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction passes through the guide surface of the guide member, and the upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction moves from the retracted position to the projecting position before passing through the support ribs, An inkjet recording apparatus in which an upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction moves from the protruding position to the retracted position after passing through the ink receiving portion. The ink jet recording according to claim 1, wherein the upper end of the movable member is located above a virtual line connecting the holding position of the second roller pair and an upstream end of the ink receiving portion in the transport direction at the protruding position. apparatus. In the movable member, the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction reaches the holding position of the second roller pair, and the upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction passes from the retracted position before passing through the support rib. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the inkjet recording apparatus moves to a protruding position. The ink jet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the guide surface of the guide member is an inclined surface that is inclined upward toward a downstream side in the transport direction. The inkjet recording device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the movable members are provided in a width direction that intersects the transport direction. A plurality of the second roller pairs are arranged at intervals in the width direction intersecting the transport direction,
The plurality of second rollers are provided on the downstream side of the recording unit in the transport direction and between the plurality of second roller pairs in the width direction. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of spurs that cooperate with the roller pair to impart a corrugated shape to the sheet. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 6, wherein a plurality of the movable members are provided corresponding to the positions of the plurality of spurs in the width direction. The contact member is provided on the downstream side of the guide surface of the guide member in the transport direction, and has a contact portion that can contact the sheet. Further comprising a rotating member rotatable about a rotating shaft at a second position located below,
The movable member is provided on the rotating member at a position opposite to the contact portion with respect to the rotating shaft in the transport direction, and the rotating member is retracted at the first position. And the rotating member is in the protruding position at the second position,
In the second position of the rotating member, the length from the downstream end of the support rib in the transport direction to the contact portion in the transport direction is shorter than the length of the sheet in the transport direction. ,
The rotating member is rotated from the first position to the second position when the contact portion contacts the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction at the first position, and the rotary member moves in the transport direction of the sheet. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein when the upstream end passes through the contact portion, the upstream end rotates from the second position to the first position. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a biasing member that elastically biases the rotating member from the second position to the first position. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the contact portion is arranged on a downstream side in the transport direction with respect to a nipping position of the second roller pair. At the first position of the rotating member, a portion of the contact portion that contacts the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction is inclined upward toward the downstream side in the transport direction. 10. The inkjet recording device according to any one of 10. A detection unit that detects the position of the sheet in the conveyance direction,
A movable member which supports the movable member and is movable to a third position where the movable member is the protruding position and a fourth position where the movable member is the retracted position;
A drive unit for moving the moving member to the third position and the fourth position;
Further comprising a control unit for controlling the drive unit,
The control unit is
When the detection unit detects that the downstream end of the sheet in the transport direction has passed the guide surface of the guide member and the upstream end of the sheet in the transport direction has not passed the support ribs. First, the drive unit is driven to move the moving member from the fourth position to the third position, and then the moving member is maintained at the third position, and the upstream end of the sheet in the conveyance direction is 8. The inkjet recording apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive unit is driven to move the moving member from the third position to the fourth position after passing through the ink receiving unit.

Images