Patent Grant
10227193
The present teaching relates to a feed apparatus for feeding a sheet supported by a support section and an image recording apparatus provided with the feed apparatus.
Conventionally, a feed apparatus is known, which has a support section for supporting a sheet so that the sheet supported by the support section is fed, for example, to an image recording apparatus. Some of such feed apparatuses are provided with a support section for supporting sheets in a state in which a plurality of sheets are stacked. In this case, a feed roller abuts against the sheet which is disposed on the uppermost side of the sheets supported by the support section so that the sheet disposed on the uppermost side is fed toward the destination.
However, as for the feed roller, rubber such as ethylene propylene diene rubber (EPDM) or the like is used in many cases as a material thereof in order to reliably feed the sheet allowed to abut thereagainst. For this reason, if the feed roller always abuts against the sheet, any foreign matter such as an oil content or the like, which is contained in the rubber used for the feed roller, adheres to the sheet. As a result, the following problems arise. That is, it is impossible to record an image in the area in which the foreign matter adheres to the sheet in some cases. In other cases, even when an image can be recorded, the image quality is deteriorated in the concerning area.
In relation thereto, in the case of the feeding apparatus described above, it is intended to solve the foregoing problems by decreasing the abutment force exerted by the feed roller on the sheet. However, the situation, in which the feed roller always abuts against the sheet, is unchanged. Even if the adhering foreign matter may be able to be reduced, the foregoing problems arise as ever. Therefore, further improvement is required.
Further, in the feeding apparatus described above, in order to avoid such a problem that if the feed roller always abuts against the sheet, the foreign matter such as the oil content or the like, which is contained in the rubber used for the feed roller, adheres to the sheet, a construction is conceived such that the feed roller is lifted up and separated from the sheet. As an example of the construction as described above, the present applicant has contrived a rotationally movable member coupled, for example, to a feed roller to which the rotary driving force is transmitted from a driving source via a torque limiter, or a gear which transmits the rotary driving force from the driving source to the feed roller.
According to this construction, the rotary driving force, which is transmitted from the driving source, rotates the feed roller in one rotating direction, and thus the rotationally movable member is rotationally moved in a predetermined direction. The rotationally movable member abuts against the sheet, and thus the feed roller is lifted up from the sheet. That is, the feed roller is separated from the sheet. Further, the rotary driving force, which is transmitted from the driving source, rotates the feed roller in a reverse rotating direction which is opposite to the one rotating direction, and thus the rotationally movable member is rotationally moved in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction. The rotationally movable member is separated from the sheet, and thus the feed roller abuts against the sheet. After that, the rotary driving force, which has been transmitted to the rotationally movable member, is cut off by the torque limiter, while the transmission of the rotary driving force to the feed roller is continued. Therefore, the sheet is fed.
The rotationally movable member as described above is made of resin which is lighter than metal, for example, for the following reason. That is, the rotatable member abuts against the sheet supported by the support section in the state in which the feed roller is lifted up, and it is necessary to lift up the feed roller by means of the a small quantity of the rotary driving force transmitted from the driving source.
Further, when the basis or reference of the positional adjustment of the sheet supported by the support section is the center in the left-right direction orthogonal to the sense of feeding of the sheet in the feeding apparatus, the following construction is exemplified as the most preferred construction. That is, in this construction, a pair of feed rollers are arranged equivalently in relation to the left and the right at the central portion in the left-right direction, the rotationally movable member, which has a pair of side plates, is arranged between the pair of feed rollers, and a roller gear, to which the driving force is transmitted from the outside and which is rotatable integrally with the feed rollers, is arranged between the pair of side plates of the rotationally movable member. Further, a torque limiter is composed of the rotationally movable member, the roller gear, a compression coil spring, and a felt.
However, in the case of the construction described above, the rotationally movable member, which has the pair of side plates, is made of resin. Therefore, it is feared that the pair of side plates may be widened to the outer side, i.e., to the side of the feed roller by the urging force of the compression coil spring. If such a situation arises, then the compression coil spring is elongated, and the contact force under press, which is exerted between the rotationally movable member and the roller gear, is weakened. As a result, the rotary driving force, which is transmitted from the roller gear to the rotationally movable member, is decreased. It is feared that the rotationally movable member cannot lift up the feed rollers.
The feeding apparatus, which is provided with the rotationally movable member as described above, is sometimes constructed such that a pair of feed rollers are arranged in the direction orthogonal to the direction of feeding. Further, in the construction as described above, if the distances, which range from the portion for the rotationally movable member to abut against the sheet (hereinafter referred to as “abutment portion”) to the respective feed rollers, are different from each other, it is feared that the following problem may arise.
That is, the abutment portion presses the sheet supported by the support section, and the sheet is warped in the pressing direction. The more separated from the abutment portion the position of the warped sheet is, the more floated from the support section the state of the warped sheet is. Therefore, if the feed rollers are rotated in the reverse rotation direction in the state in which the sheet is warped, then the sheet firstly abuts against the feed roller disposed at the position separated from the abutment portion, and the sheet thereafter abuts against the feed roller disposed at the position near to the abutment portion. If such a situation arises, the sheet, which is supported by the support section, is firstly abuts against one feed roller of the pair of feed rollers. It is feared that the sheet may be moved obliquely.
The present teaching has been made taking the foregoing problem into consideration, an object of which is to provide a mechanism that makes it possible to further reduce the adhesion of any foreign matter contained in a feed roller to a sheet.
The present teaching has been made taking the foregoing problem into consideration, an object of which is to provide a mechanism that makes it possible to maintain the position of a rotationally movable member by means of a simple and convenient construction.
The present teaching has been made taking the foregoing problem into consideration, an object of which is to provide a mechanism that makes it possible to avoid or reduce the oblique movement of a sheet in a construction provided with a rotationally movable member capable of lifting up a feed roller.
According to an aspect the present teaching, there is provided a feeding apparatus for feeding a sheet, including:
a support unit configured to support a sheet;
a feed roller configured to feed the sheet supported by the support unit;
an arm configured to rotatably support the feed roller at one end, the arm being swingable by using the other end as a shaft of swing movement;
a driving source configured to perform forward rotation and reverse rotation;
a driving transmission unit configured to transmit a rotary driving force from the driving source to the feed roller;
a swingable member coupled to the feed roller or the arm, the swingable member being configured to swing by the rotary driving force applied from the driving transmission unit;
a first regulating section configured to abut against the swingable member to regulate the swing movement of the swingable member at a first position protruding toward a side of the support section as compared with the feed roller; and
a second regulating section configured to abut against the swingable member to regulate the swing movement of the swingable member at a second position retracted with respect to the support section as compared with the feed roller,
wherein the feed roller is rotated in a rotational direction so that the sheet is fed in a case that the rotary driving force of the forward rotation is applied from the driving source,
wherein the feed roller is rotated in an opposite rotational direction in a case that the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation is applied from the driving source,
wherein the swingable member is swingably moved from the first position to the second position in a case that the rotary driving force of the forward rotation is applied from the driving source, and
wherein the swingable member is swingably moved from the second position to the first position in a case that the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation is applied from the driving source.
According to this construction, when the sheet supported by the support section is fed, the rotary driving force of the forward rotation is applied to the feed roller and the swingable member. Accordingly, the swingable member is rotationally moved to the second position, and hence the feed roller abuts against the sheet. Then, the feed roller feeds the sheet. On the other hand, when the feeding of the sheet is not performed, the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation is applied to the feed roller and the swingable member. Accordingly, the swingable member is rotationally moved to the first position. During the process of the rotational movement, the arm and the feed roller are lifted up by the swingable member. As a result, the feed roller is separated from the sheet supported by the support section. According to the above, the feed roller can be separated from the sheet in the situation other than the situation in which the sheet is fed.
According to the present teaching, the feed roller can be separated from the sheet in the situation other than the situation in which the sheet is fed. Therefore, it is possible to further reduce the adhesion of the foreign matter contained in the feed roller to the sheet.
An explanation will be made below about a multi-function peripheral 10 according to an embodiment of the present teaching. It goes without saying that the embodiment explained below is merely an example of the present teaching, and the embodiment can be appropriately changed within a range without changing the gist or essential characteristics of the present teaching. Further, in the following explanation, the up-down direction 7 of the multi-function peripheral 10 is defined on the basis of the state (state depicted in
<Overall Construction of Multi-Function Peripheral 10>
As depicted in
The printer unit 11 has a casing or housing body 14 which has an opening 13 formed on its front surface. A feed tray 20 and a discharge tray 21, which are capable of accommodating the recording sheet S of various sizes, can be inserted into and withdrawn from the casing 14 via the opening 13 in the front-rear direction 8. The bottom surface of the casing 14 abuts against the placement surface on which the multi-function peripheral 10 is placed.
As depicted in
As depicted in
<Printer Unit 11>
The structure of the printer unit 11 will be explained in detail below. The printer unit 11 is an example of the image recording apparatus of the present teaching.
<Feed Tray 20>
The feed tray 20 depicted in
<Feed Unit 15>
As depicted in
The driving force of a motor (not depicted) is transmitted to the feed roller 25 via the driving transmission mechanism 27. The driving transmission mechanism 27 transmits the rotation transmitted to the rotational shaft 28 to the shaft of the feed roller 25 by means of a gear array including a plurality of gears. When the feed roller 25 is rotated in a state in which the feed roller 25 abuts against the recording sheet S disposed on the uppermost side of the recording sheets S supported on the support surface of the feed tray 20, the uppermost recording sheet S is thereby fed toward a conveyance path 65. When the recording sheet S is fed toward the conveyance path 65, the forward end of the recording sheet S abuts against a separation member 197 provided on the back side in the front-rear direction 8 of the feed tray 20. As a result, only the recording sheet S, which is disposed on the uppermost side, is conveyed while being separated from the recording sheets S which are disposed on the lower side. The recording sheets S, which are disposed on the lower side of the recording sheets S disposed at the uppermost side, are retained in the feed tray 20 without being dragged by the recording sheet S which is disposed on the uppermost side.
[Conveyance Path 65]
As depicted in
The curved passage 65A is defined by an outer guide member 18, an inner guide member 19 and a guide member 31. The outer guide member 18 and the inner guide member 19, the inner guide member 19 and the guide member 31, and the guide member 31 and the outer guide member 18 are respectively opposed to each other while being separated by the space through which the recording sheet S can pass. The straight passage 65B is defined, for example, by the recording unit 24, a platen 42, a guide member 34 and a guide member 33. The recording unit 24 and the platen 42 are opposed to each other while being separated by the space through which the recording sheet S can pass, and the guide member 34 and the guide member 33 are opposed to each other while being separated by the space through which the recording sheet S can pass.
The recording sheet S, which is fed to the conveyance path 65 by the feed roller 25 of the feed tray 20, is conveyed along the curved passage 65A from the lower side to the upper side. In this procedure, the conveyance direction 17 is reversed from the backward direction to the forward direction. After that, the recording sheet S is conveyed from the back side to the front side without reversing the conveyance direction 17 through the straight passage 65B.
The outer guide member 18 constitutes the outer guide surface of the curved passage 65A when the recording sheet S is conveyed via the curved passage 65A. The inner guide member 19 constitutes the inner guide surface of the curved passage 65A when the recording sheet S is conveyed via the curved passage 65A. Each of the guide surfaces may be constructed by one surface, or each of the guide surfaces may be constructed as an enveloping surface of forward ends of a plurality of ribs.
The guide member 31 is arranged over or above the inner guide member 19 just upstream from (on the back side of) the first conveyance roller pair 59. The outer guide member 18 and the guide member 31 also define a bypass route 182 described later on.
<Back Surface Cover 22>
As depicted in
The outer guide member 18 is also swingably supported with respect to the casing 14 at the both left and right ends on the lower side in the same manner as the back surface cover 22. The outer guide member 18 is also swingable so that the upper side thereof is allowed to incline backwardly about the rotational shaft in the left-right direction 9 on the lower side in a state in which the back surface cover 22 is swung so that the back surface cover 22 is allowed to incline backwardly. When the outer guide member 18 is swung so that the outer guide member 18 is allowed to incline backwardly, at least a part of the curved passage 65A is thereby released (exposed). As depicted in
<First Conveyance Roller Pair 59 and Second Conveyance Roller Pair 180>
As depicted in
<Recording Unit 24>
As depicted in
The recording head 39 is carried on the carriage 40. A plurality of nozzles 38 are formed on the lower surface of the recording head 39. Inks are supplied from ink cartridges (not depicted) to the recording head 39. The recording head 39 selectively discharges the inks as minute ink droplets from the plurality of nozzles 38. The ink droplets are discharged to the recording sheet S supported by the platen 42 from the nozzles 38 when the carriage 40 is moved in the left-right direction 9. The discharged ink droplets adhere to the recording sheet S on the platen 42, and thus an image is recorded on the recording sheet S.
<Bypass Route 182>
As depicted in
The recording sheet S, which is accommodated in the bypass tray 71 described later on, is guided obliquely downwardly along the bypass route 182. The recording sheet S is guided along the straight passage 65B of the conveyance path 65, and the recording sheet S is conveyed by the first conveyance roller pair 59. Further, the image recording is performed on the recording sheet S by the recording unit 24, and the recording sheet S is discharged to the discharge tray 21. In this way, the recording sheets S, which are accommodated in the bypass tray 71, are each conveyed via the route having the substantially straight shape (route in which the front surface and the back surface of the recording sheet S are not reversed in the up-down direction 7).
<Feed Apparatus 70>
The printer unit 11 is provided with the feed apparatus 70. The feed apparatus 70 is constructed by the bypass tray 71 and a feed unit 72. As depicted in
<Bypass Tray 71>
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
The feed arm 76 is swingably supported by the rotational shaft 66. That is, the feed arm 76 is swingable about the rotational shaft 66. The feed rollers 75 are rotatably supported on the forward end side of swing movement of the feed arm 76. The feed arm 76 is allowed to extend downwardly from the rotational shaft 66 toward the support surface 188 of the support member 189. The feed arm 76 is arranged at the center in the left-right direction 9 of the fixed unit 185. The construction of the feed arm 76 will be described in detail later on.
The feed rollers 75 are coupled to the rotational shaft 66 by a plurality of gears 48C, 48D, 48E, 49 (see
As depicted in
The upstanding state is the state which is provided to decrease the space for the movable unit 186 on the back surface side of the casing 14, and the upstanding state is the state in which the bypass tray 71 is not used. The back surface of the movable unit 186 in the upstanding state is substantially parallel to the back surface of the casing 14. As for the movable unit 186 in the upstanding state, the forward end of swing movement is positioned upwardly as compared with the proximal end of swing movement. The inclined state is the state in which the movable unit 186 is inclined obliquely upwardly toward the outside of the casing 14, and thus the inclined support surfaces 188, 198 are substantially provided as one flat surface, and the inclined state is the state in which the bypass tray 71 can be used. As for the movable unit 186 in the inclined state, the forward end of swing movement is separated from the back surface of the casing 14 as compared with the proximal end of swing movement. Whether the movable unit 186 is in the upstanding state or in the inclined state can be selected in accordance with the operation of a user.
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
The side guide 194 has a support surface 196 which extends along the support surface 193 of the support member 192. In other words, the side guide 194 has a substantially L-shaped form in which the guide surface 195 and the support surface 196 are orthogonal to one another. Although a slight difference in height exists between the support surface 196 and the support surface 193, the support surface 196 and the support surface 193 form substantially the same flat surface to support the recording sheet S together with the support surfaces 188, 193. The distance, by which the pair of side guides 194 are separated from each other in the left-right direction 9, is variable. Accordingly, the side edges of the recording sheet S having various sizes supported by the support surfaces 193, 196 can be guided by the guide surfaces 195 of the side guides 194.
<Feed Roller 75 and Feed Arm 76>
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
The right feed roller 75, which is included in the pair of feed rollers 75, is supported rotatably at the one end of the right side plate 111. The left feed roller 75, which is included in the pair of feed rollers 75, is supported rotatably at the one end of the left side plate 111.
As depicted in
The feed arm 76 and the rotational shaft 66 are coupled to one another by a torsion spring (not depicted). Accordingly, as depicted in
<Lower Guide Member 97>
As depicted in
When the feeding of the recording sheet S is started in the feed direction 87 by the feed rollers 75, the lower guide member 97 guides the forward end of the recording sheet S abutting against the lower guide member 97 along the upper surface 69. The separation member 132 (see
As depicted in
<Driving Transmission Mechanism 79>
The feeding motor 78 (see
As depicted in
As depicted in
The gears 47D, 47E are arranged at the other end of the gear train. The gears 47D, 47E are arranged while being aligned in the thrust direction, and they are rotated integrally about the same rotational shaft. The gear 47D is meshed with the gear 47C. The gear 47E is meshed with the intermediate gear 46. According to the above, the first driving transmission unit 35 transmits the rotary driving force from the feeding motor 78 to the intermediate gear 46.
As depicted in
The gears 48C to 48E constitute a gear train in which they are meshed with each other. The gear 48C, which is arranged at one end of the gear train, is attached to the left end of the rotational shaft 66, and the gear 48C is rotatable integrally with the rotational shaft 66. The gear 48E, which is arranged at the other end of the gear train, is meshed with the roller gear 49. The gears 48D, 48E are rotatably supported by the feed arm 76. In other words, the second driving transmission unit 36 is provided with the gear train supported by the feed arm 76 in which the gears are meshed with each other. The roller gear 49 is attached to the rotational shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 between the pair of feed rollers 75, and the roller gear 49 is rotatable integrally with the rotational shaft 83.
According to the above, the second driving transmission unit 36 transmits the rotary driving force from the intermediate gear 46 to the feed rollers 75. The feed rollers 75, to which the rotary driving force of the forward rotation is transmitted from the feeding motor 78 via the second driving transmission unit 36, is rotated so that the recording sheet S, which is supported by the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71, is fed in the feed direction 87.
As depicted in
As depicted in
Conversely to the above, it is also allowable that the key groove 74 is provided on the rotational shaft 66 and the key 73 is provided on the gear 48B. Further, it is also allowable that the key 73 and the key groove 74 are provided at positions other than right end of the rotational movement shaft 66 and the gear 48B of the driving transmission mechanism 79, in addition to or in place of the key 73 and the key groove 74 of right end of the rotational movement shaft 66 and the gear 48B. For example, it is also allowable that the key 73 is provided at the left end of the rotational shaft 66 and the key groove 74 is provided on the gear 48C. Alternatively, it is also allowable that the key groove 74 is provided at the left end of the rotational shaft 66 and the key 73 is provided on the gear 48C.
As depicted in
The gears 77A, 77B constitute a gear train in which they are meshed with each other. The gear 77A, which is arranged at one end of the gear train, is meshed with the intermediate gear 46. The gear 77B, which is arranged at the other end of the gear train, is coupled to the right end of the rotational shaft 50 via a torque limiter 127 as described later on. Accordingly, the gear 77B is rotatable integrally with the rotational shaft 50, and the gear 77B is also rotatable independently from the rotational shaft 50. As depicted in
The number of the gears of the driving transmission mechanism 79 is not limited to the number depicted in
<Swingable Member 30>
As depicted in
The swingable element 91 is provided with a pair of side plates 94, a connecting plate 95 which mutually connects parts of the pair of side plates 94 and a protruding part 96 which protrudes from the connecting plate 95. The material of the swingable element 91 is a resin such as POM (polyacetal or polyoxymethylene) or the like.
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
As depicted in
The swingable element 91 of the swingable member 30 is coupled to a roller gear 49 via a torque limiter 32 as described later on. In this arrangement, as described above, the rotational shaft 83 of the feed rollers 75 is inserted into the roller gear 49, and the roller gear 49 and the feed rollers 75 are integrally rotatable with the rotational shaft 83 as the center of rotation. In other words, the swingable member 30 is coupled to the feed rollers 75 via the torque limiter 32 and the roller gear 49. Further, the rotary driving force of the feeding motor 78 is applied to the swingable member 30 from the roller gear 49 of the second driving transmission unit 36 via the torque limiter 32. Accordingly, the swingable member 30 is swung in the directions of the arrows 105, 106 (see
As depicted in
As depicted in
As described above, the feed arm 76 is urged toward the side of the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 by the torsion spring. Therefore, when the swingable member 30 is disposed at the first position, the roller 92 abuts against the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45. On the other hand, the feed roller 75 is separated from the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45 by being lifted up by the swingable member 30.
As depicted in
When the swingable member 30 is disposed at the second position, the roller 92 is separated from the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. On the other hand, the feed rollers 75 abut against the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45, because the feed arm 76 is urged toward the side of the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 by the torsion spring.
According to the above, as for the swingable member 30, the swing movement thereof is regulated by the first regulating section 107 and the second regulating section 108, and thus the swingable member 30 is swingable within only the range between the first position and the second position.
<Torque Limiter 32>
The torque limiter 32 transmits the rotary driving force from the second driving transmission unit 36 to the swingable member 30. Further, when the swing movement of the swingable member 30 is regulated by the first regulating section 107 or the second regulating section 108, the torque limiter 32 cuts off the transmission of the rotary driving force from the second driving transmission unit 36 to the swingable member 30.
As depicted in
The friction member 113 is the member having a columnar shape with a thin thickness. The shape of the friction member 113 is arbitrary. The friction member 113 is arranged between the roller gear 49 and the right side plate 94 of the swingable element 91. In other words, the torque limiter 32, which is provided with the friction member 113, is provided between the swingable member 30 and the second driving transmission unit 36 provided with the roller gear 49. As depicted in
As depicted in
It is also allowable that the friction member 113 is arranged between the roller gear 49 and the left side plate 94. Alternatively, it is also allowable that two friction members 113 are provided, one friction member 113 is arranged between the roller gear 49 and the right side plate 94, and the other friction member 113 is arranged between the roller gear 49 and the left side plate 94.
The compression coil spring 114 is arranged in the recess 54 of the roller gear 49. One end of the compression coil spring 114 abuts against the bottom surface 110 of the roller gear 49 (inner side surface in the recess 54). The other end of the compression coil spring 114 abuts against the left side plate 94 of the swingable element 91. The rotational shaft 83 of the feed rollers 75 is inserted into the central portion of the compression coil spring 114.
It is also allowable that the roller gear 49 is arranged while right and left are reversed. In this arrangement, the bottom surface 110 is positioned on the left side of the roller gear 49. Therefore, one end of the compression coil spring 114 abuts against the right side plate 94 of the swingable element 91, and the other end of the compression coil spring 114 abuts against the bottom surface 110 (inner side surface in the recess 54). According to the above, the compression coil spring 114 is arranged between one side plate 94 and the roller gear 49.
The compression coil spring 114, which is arranged in the recess 54 of the roller gear 49, exerts the force in the right direction and the left direction in the left-right direction 9 so that the compression coil spring 114 is the free length. Then, the bottom surface 110 of the roller gear 49 tightly abuts against the friction member 113 by the force exerted in the right direction. In other words, the compression coil spring 114 urges the roller gear 49 toward the friction member 113.
In the state depicted in
When the projection 109 of the swingable member 30 abuts against the second regulating section 108, i.e., when the swingable member 30 arrives at the second position (see
On the other hand, when the feed rollers 75 are rotated in the direction of the arrow 126 (see
When the projection 109 of the swingable member 30 abuts against the first regulating section 107, i.e., when the swingable member 30 arrives at the first position (see
<Movable Member 64>
As depicted in
As depicted in
The slide member 116 is movable in the front-rear direction 8 along the bottom surface 84 of the recess 86. A first recess 118 and a second recess 119 are provided on the surface 120 of the slide member 116, i.e., on the surface 120 disposed on the side opposite to the surface of the slide member 116 brought in contact with the bottom surface 84 of the recess 86. The projection 51 of the third driving transmission unit 37 is inserted into the first recess 118. A projection 58 of the abutment member 117 can be inserted into the second recess 119 as described later on.
The abutment member 117 abuts against the surface 120 of the slide member 116. The abutment member 117 is provided with the projection 58 which protrudes toward the slide member 116. The abutment member 117 is movable based on the movement of the slide member 116 to the protruding position protruding from the upper surface 69 of the lower guide member 97 (position of the abutment member 117 in the state depicted in
A detailed explanation will be described below. As depicted in
In this state, when the gear 77B of the third driving transmission unit 37 is rotated in the direction of the arrow 124, then the slide member 116 is pushed by the projection 51 swung integrally with the rotating gear 77B, and the slide member 116 is moved toward the second side surface 123 of the recess 86. Accordingly, the projection 58, which has been inserted into the second recess 119, is allowed to escape from the second recess 119, and the projection 58 is supported by the surface 120 as depicted in
The slide member 116 can be moved until the slide member 116 abuts against the second side surface 123. In other words, the second side surface 123 abuts against the slide member 116 of the movable member 64 to regulate the movement of the slide member 116, and thus the movement of the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 is regulated at the protruding position.
When the gear 77B is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 124 in the state in which the slide member 116 abuts against the second side surface 123 and the abutment member 117 is disposed at the protruding position as depicted in
The slide member 116 can be moved until the slide member 116 abuts against the first side surface 122. In other words, the first side surface 122 abuts against the slide member 116 of the movable member 64 to regulate the movement of the slide member 116, and thus the movement of the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 is regulated at the retracted position.
The torque limiter 127 (see
The torque limiter 127 is provided with a flange section 128 (see
When the slide member 116 is in a movable state in the operation of the movable member 64 described above, the torque limiter 127 transmits the rotary driving force from the gear 77B via the friction member to the flange section 128. In other words, the gear 77B and the rotational shaft 50 provided with the flange section 128 are rotated integrally by the aid of the torque limiter 127.
On the other hand, in the operation of the movable member 64 described above, when the slide member 116, which is moved toward the first side surface 122, abuts against the first side surface 122, or when the slide member 116, which is moved toward the second side surface 123, abuts against the second side surface 123, then the torque limiter 127 cuts off the transmission of the rotary driving force from the gear 77B to the rotational shaft 50. In other words, the rotation of the rotational shaft 50 is regulated by the abutment of the slide member 116 against the first side surface 122 or the second side surface 123. Therefore, the rotation of the rotational shaft 50 is stopped, and the gear 77B idles with respect to the rotational shaft 50. That is, the gear 77B is rotated independently from the rotational shaft 50. According to the above, when the movement of the movable member 64 is regulated by the first side surface 122 or the second side surface 123, the torque limiter 127 cuts off the transmission of the rotary driving force in the third driving transmission unit 37.
The position, at which the torque limiter 127 is provided, is not limited to the position between the gear 77B and the rotational shaft 50. For example, it is also allowable that the torque limiter 127 is provided between the gear 77B and the rotational shaft of the gear 77B.
When the abutment member 117 is disposed at the protruding position, the recording sheet S, which is fed in the feed direction 87, can abut against the surface 121 (example of the restraining surface of the present teaching) of the abutment member 117 (see
<Operation of Feed Apparatus 70>
An explanation will be described below about the operation of the feed apparatus 70 when the feeding motor 78 is rotated forwardly and reversely. It is assumed that the initial state is the state depicted in
At first, an explanation will be made about the operation of the feed apparatus 70 when the feeding motor 78 is rotated forwardly in the initial state depicted in
When the feeding motor 78 is rotated forwardly in this state, the rotary driving force of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted to the feed rollers 75 via the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46 and the second driving transmission unit 36. Further, the rotary driving force of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 is also transmitted to the swingable member 30 via the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, the second driving transmission unit 36 and the torque limiter 32. Furthermore, the rotary driving force of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 is also transmitted to the movable member 64 via the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46 and the third driving transmission unit 37.
When the rotary driving force of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted, then the feed rollers 75 are thereby rotated in the direction of the arrow 125 (in the direction to feed the recording sheet S in the feed direction 87, see
When the swingable member 30 is swung from the first position toward the second position, the roller 92 is separated from the recording sheet S. Accordingly, the feed arm 76 is urged by the torsion spring, and the feed arm 76 is swung in the direction of the arrow 67. As a result, the feed rollers 75, which have been lifted up by the swingable member 30, are moved from the separated position (position of the feed roller 75 in the state depicted in
In the state depicted in
Further, the rotary driving force of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted to the rotational shaft 50 of the third driving transmission unit 37, and thus the rotational shaft 50 of the third driving transmission unit 37 is rotated in the direction opposite to the direction of the arrow 124 as depicted in
In this arrangement, as described above, as for the second driving transmission unit 36, the play in the circumferential direction is given to the coupling of the gear 48B and the rotational shaft 66 owing to the construction including the key 73 and the key groove 74. Accordingly, the delay arises in the transmission of the rotary driving force from the gear 48B to the rotational shaft 66. As a result, after the start of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78, the timings, at which the rotation of the feed rollers 75 is started and the swing movement of the swingable member 30 is started come after the timing at which the movement of the movable member 64 is started. Further, the time, which elapses from the start of the swing movement of the swingable member 30 to the abutment of the feed rollers 75 against the recording sheet S, is different from the time which elapses from the start of the movement of the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 from the protruding position toward the retracted position to the arrival at the retracted position.
The lengths of the key 73 and the key groove 74 in the circumferential direction of the gear 48B are determined to fulfill the following condition on the basis of the difference in the timing and the difference in the time as described above.
The condition resides in that the abutment member 117 is moved from the protruding position to the retracted position before the feed rollers 75 are moved from the separated position to the abutment position. More specific explanation is as follows. The forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 is started to transmit the driving force to the swingable member 30 via the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46 and the second driving transmission unit 36 in the state in which the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 is disposed at the protruding position and the feed rollers 75 are disposed at the separated position (see
According to the above, the timing, at which the feed rollers 75 abut against the recording sheet S, comes after the timing at which the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 arrives at the retracted position. In other words, when the feeding motor 78 starts the forward rotation in the state depicted in
The recording sheet S, against which the feed rollers 75 abut, is fed in the feed direction 87 in accordance with the rotation of the feed rollers 75 in the direction of the arrow 125 (see
Next, an explanation will be made about the operation of the feed apparatus 70 when the feeding motor 78 is reversely rotated in the state depicted in
When the feeding motor 78 is reversely rotated in this state, the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted to the feed rollers 75 via the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46 and the second driving transmission unit 36. Further, the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation of the feeding motor 78 is also transmitted to the swingable member 30 via the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46, the second driving transmission unit 36 and the torque limiter 32. Furthermore, the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation of the feeding motor 78 is also transmitted to the movable member 64 via the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46 and the third driving transmission unit 37.
When the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted, then the feed rollers 75 are thereby rotated in the direction of the arrow 126 (direction in which the recording sheet S is fed in the direction opposite to the feed direction 87, see
When the swingable member 30 is swung from the second position toward the first position, the roller 92 firstly abuts against the recording sheet S. When the swingable member 30 is further swung from the second position toward the first position, then the roller 92 lifts up the feed rollers 75, and hence the feed arm 76 is swung in the direction of the arrow 68 against the urging action brought about by the torsion spring. As a result, the feed rollers 75 are moved from the abutment position to the separated position. According to the above, when the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation is applied from the feeding motor 78, the swingable member 30 moves the feed rollers 75 from the abutment position to the separated position.
When the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation of the feeding motor 78 is transmitted, the rotational shaft 50 of the third driving transmission unit 37 is thereby rotated in the direction of the arrow 124 as depicted in
In this arrangement, as described above, as for the second driving transmission unit 36, the play in the circumferential direction is given to the coupling of the gear 48B and the rotational shaft 66 owing to the construction including the key 73 and the key groove 74. Accordingly, the delay arises in the transmission of the rotary driving force from the gear 48B to the rotational shaft 66 in the same manner as in the case in which the feeding motor 78 is rotated forwardly. As a result, after the start of the reverse rotation of the feeding motor 78, the timings, at which the rotation of the feed rollers 75 is started and the swing movement of the swingable member 30 is started come after the timing at which the movement of the movable member 64 is started. Further, the time, which elapses from the start of the swing movement of the swingable member 30 to the separation of the feed rollers 75 from the recording sheet S, is different from the time which elapses from the start of the movement of the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 from the retracted position toward the protruding position to the arrival at the protruding position.
Therefore, the timing, at which the feed rollers 75 are separated from the recording sheet S, comes after the timing at which the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 arrives at the protruding position. In other words, when the feeding motor 78 starts the reverse rotation in the state depicted in
The swingable member 30 arrives at the first position simultaneously with the arrival of the feed rollers 75 at the separated position or after the arrival of the feed rollers 75 at the separated position. Further, the slide member 116 of the movable member 64 abuts against the second side surface 123 simultaneously with the arrival of the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 at the projection position or after the arrival of the abutment member 117 of the movable member 64 at the protruding position (see
According to the embodiment of the present teaching, the clipping member 93 made of metal interposes the pair of side plates 94. Therefore, the widening of the pair of side plates 94 toward the sides of the feed rollers 75, which is caused by the compression coil spring 114 to urge the roller gear 49 toward the side of the friction member 113, can be regulated by the clipping member 93. Further, the thickness, which is obtained by totalizing those of the clipping member 93 and the side plate 94, can be made smaller than the thickness of the side plate 94 to be provided when the widening toward the sides of the feed rollers 75 caused by the urging force is regulated by only side plates 94 made of resin. According to the above, it is possible to maintain the position of the rotationally swingable member 30 by using the simple and convenient construction by arranging the clipping member 93 made of metal.
Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the compression coil spring 114 is arranged in the recess 54 of the roller gear 49. Therefore, it is possible to use the long compression coil spring 114 as compared with a case in which a compression coil spring 114 is arranged between the side plate 94 and the roller gear 49. As a result, it is possible to decrease the amount of change of the urging force with respect to the amount of expansion and contraction of the compression coil spring 114 and the dimensional error of the member including, for example, the side plate 94 and the roller gear 49. Further, the compression coil spring 114 is arranged in the recess 54 of the roller gear 49, and hence it is possible to decrease the space required to arrange the compression coil spring 114.
When one end portion of the feed arm 76 is arranged between the pair of side plates 94 and the pair of feed rollers 75 as in the embodiment of the present teaching, if the clipping member 93 made of metal is not provided in the construction, then it is feared that the side plates 94 may be brought in contact with one end portion of the feed arm 76 due to the widening toward the sides of the feed rollers 75 caused by the compression coil spring 114 to urge the roller gear 49 toward the friction member 113. Further, for this reason, it is feared that the rotary driving force of the rotationally swingable member 30 may be decreased. However, according to the embodiment of the present teaching, as described above, it is possible to regulate the widening of the pair of side plates 94 toward the sides of the feed rollers 75 by means of the clipping member 93 made of metal. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the side plates 94 from being brought in contact with one end portion of the feed arm 76.
According to the embodiment of the present teaching, the time, which elapses until the feed rollers 75 arrive at the abutment position after the start of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 in the state in which the movable member 64 is disposed at the protruding position and the feed rollers 75 are disposed at the separated position, is longer than the time which elapses until the movable member 64 arrives at the retracted position after the start of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 in the state in which the movable member 64 is disposed at the protruding position and the feed rollers 75 are disposed at the separated position. Therefore, the feed rollers 75 abut against the recording sheet S supported by the bypass tray 71 after the movable member 64 is moved to the retracted position. Accordingly, when the recording sheet S supported by the bypass tray 71 is fed in the feed direction 87 by the feed rollers 75, it is possible to prevent the recording sheet S from being brought in contact with the movable member 64.
Further, according to the embodiment of the present teaching, the application of the rotary driving force to the swingable member 30 is delayed by the time corresponding to the play existing between the rotational shaft 66 and the gear 48B of the second driving transmission unit 36. Accordingly, it is possible to delay the timing for the feed rollers 75 to start the movement from the separated position to the abutment position. As a result, it is possible to prolong the time until the feed rollers 75 arrive at the abutment position after the start of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 73 in the state in which the movable member 64 is disposed at the protruding position and the feed rollers 75 are disposed at the separated position.
Further, according to the embodiment of the present teaching, it is possible to delay the timing for the feed rollers 75 to start the movement from the separated position to the abutment position. Therefore, the separated position and the abutment position of the feed rollers 75 can be near to one another without shortening the time until the feed rollers 75 arrive at the abutment position after the start of the forward rotation of the feeding motor 78 in the state in which the movable member 64 is disposed at the protruding position and the feed rollers 75 are disposed at the separated position. As a result, it is possible to shorten the distance of movement of the feed rollers 75 brought about by the swingable member 30.
Further, according to the embodiment of the present teaching, the feed rollers 75 and the feed arm 76 can be lifted up to move the feed rollers 75 to the separated position by swinging the swingable member 30 to the first position. Further, according to the embodiment of the present teaching, the feed rollers 75 can be moved to the abutment position by swinging the swingable member 30 to the second position.
Further, according to the embodiment of the present teaching, the torque limiter 127, which is provided for the third driving transmission unit 37, is coupled to the swingable member 30 via the intermediate gear 46 and the second driving transmission unit 36. Accordingly, it is possible to avoid the rotation of the gear of the second driving transmission unit 36 which would be otherwise caused when the feeding motor 78 is stopped in the state in which the feed rollers 75 are disposed at the separated position (state in which the feed rollers 75 are not connected to the feeding motor 78). As a result, it is possible to avoid such a situation that the feed rollers 75 disposed at the separated position are erroneously moved to the abutment position.
In the embodiment described above, the key 73 is provided for the rotational shaft 66, the key groove 74 is provided for the gear 48B, and thus the play in the circumferential direction of the gear 48B is formed between the rotational shaft 66 and the gear 48B. However, it is also allowable that the play as described above is formed between the feed rollers 75 and the roller gear 49.
An explanation will be made in detail below about an exemplary construction in which the play is formed between the feed rollers 75 and the roller gear 49. In the embodiment described above, the roller gear 49 is attached to the rotational shaft 83 of the feed roller 75, and the roller gear 49 is rotatable integrally with the rotational shaft 83. However, in this embodiment, the roller gear 49 is coupled to the rotational shaft 83 by the key and the key groove provided for the rotational shaft 66 and the gear 48B of the embodiment described above. In other words, a key having a construction same as that of the key provided for the rotational shaft 66, is provided for the rotational shaft 83 of the feed rollers 75, and a key groove to which the key is fitted or inserted, i.e., the key groove having a construction same as that of the key groove provided for the gear 48B, is provided at a position of the roller gear 49 corresponding to the key.
Accordingly, the roller gear 49 idles with respect to the rotational shaft 83 of the feed rollers 75 in a state in which the key groove 74 does not abut against the key 73 and the key groove 74 does not push the key 73 during the rotation of the roller gear 49. Therefore, the rotational shaft 83 of the feed rollers 75 is not rotated. On the other hand, the rotational shaft 83 of the feed roller 75 is rotated integrally with the roller gear 49 in a state in which the key groove 74 abuts against the key 73 and the key groove 74 pushes the key 73 during the rotation of the gear 48B. According to the above, the rotational shaft 83 of the feed rollers 75 and the roller gear 49 are fitted to one another by means of the key and the key groove having the play in the circumferential direction.
According to the first modified embodiment, the play is provided between the rotational shaft 83 of the feed rollers 75 and the roller gear 49. Therefore, the start of the rotation of the feed rollers 75 is delayed by the time corresponding to the play from the start of the rotation of the roller gear 49. On the other hand, the swingable member 30 starts the swing movement simultaneously with the start of the rotation of the roller gear 49. Accordingly, the start of the rotation of the feed rollers 75 can be delayed from the start of the rotational movement of the rotationally movable member 30. As a result, the rotation of the feed rollers 75 can be started after the swing movement of the swingable member 30 from the first position to the second position. Further, the rotation of the feed rollers 75 can be started after the swing movement of the swingable member 30 from the second position to the first position. As a result, it is possible to avoid the feeding in the opposite direction (reverse direction) of the recording paper S, which would be otherwise caused by the rotation of the feed rollers 75 to which the rotary driving force of the reverse rotation is applied. Further, it is possible to delay the timing for the feed rollers 75 to start the feeding of the recording paper S. Therefore, when the recording paper S, which is supported by the bypass tray 71, is fed in the direction of feeding 87 by the feed rollers 75, it is possible to lower the possibility for the recording paper S to be brought in contact with the movable member 64. Further, the rotation of the feed rollers 75 can be started after the movement of the feed rollers 75 to the separated position. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the feeding in the opposite direction of the recording paper S, which would be otherwise caused by the reverse rotation of the feed rollers 75.
In the embodiment described above, the two feed rollers 75 are provided. However, it is also allowable that the number of the feed roller or feed rollers 75 is any number other than two. For example, it is also allowable that only one feed roller 75 is provided.
In the embodiment described above, the roller gear 49 is arranged between the pair of feed rollers 75. However, it is also allowable that the roller gear 49 is arranged at any position other than the position between the pair of feed rollers 75. For example, it is also allowable that the roller gear 49 is arranged on the right of the feed roller 75.
In the embodiment described above, the swingable member 30 is provided with the roller 92. However, it is also allowable that the swingable member 30 is not provided with the roller 92. In this case, when the swingable member 30 is disposed at the first position, the protruding part 96 abuts against the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45.
In the embodiment described above, the swingable member 30 is swung by applying the rotary driving force from the roller gear 49. However, it is also allowable that the swingable member 30 is swung by applying the rotary driving force from any gear other than the roller gear 49 of the driving transmission mechanism 79. For example, it is also allowable that the swingable member 30 is swung by applying the rotary driving force from the gear 48E. In this case, one surface of the friction member 113 abuts against the gear 48E, and another surface of the friction member 113 disposed on the back of the one surface abuts against the right side plate 94. According to the above, it is appropriate that the torque limiter 32 is provided between the swingable member 30 and any one of the gears for constructing the gear train of the driving transmission mechanism 79.
In the embodiment described above, the feed apparatus 70 is the apparatus for feeding the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. However, the feed apparatus 70 can be an apparatus for feeding the recording sheet S supported by any tray other than the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. For example, the feed apparatus 70 can be an apparatus for feeding the recording sheet S supported by the feed tray 20.
In this case, the feed apparatus 70 is provided with the feed tray 20, the feed roller 25, the feed arm 26 and the separation member 197, in place of the bypass tray 71, the feed roller 75, the feed arm 76 and the lower guide member 97. Further, the swingable member 30 is provided at a forward end portion of the feed arm 26. The first regulating section 107 and the second regulating section 108 are provided for the feed arm 26. The movable members 64 are arranged in recesses (not depicted) provided on the right side and the left side of the separation member 197.
In the embodiment described above, the feed apparatus 70 is provided for the printer unit 11. However, the apparatus or unit, which is provided with the feed apparatus 70, is not limited to the printer unit 11. For example, it is also allowable that the feed apparatus 70 is provided for the scanner unit 12. In this case, the feed apparatus 70 feeds, into the scanner unit 12, the sheet having an image to be read by the scanner unit 12.
In the embodiment described above, the roller 92 is arranged at the intermediate position disposed at the equal distances (L1=L2) from the pair of feed rollers 75 in the left-right direction 9 respectively (see
For example, as depicted in
With reference to
As clarified from
A pair of projecting parts 141, 142, which extend toward the side of the forward end of rotational or swing movement of the swingable member 30, are provided at both left and right end portions of the swingable member 30. The pair of respective rollers 92 are rotatably supported at forward end portions of the pair of respective projecting parts 141, 142.
Also in the eighth modified embodiment, it is also allowable that the swingable member 30 is not provided with the pair of rollers 92 in the same manner as in the fourth modified embodiment. In this case, when the swingable member 30 is disposed at the first position, the pair of projecting parts 141, 142 abut against the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45. In other words, in this case, the pair of projecting parts 141, 142 are examples of the pair of abutment sections of the present teaching.
According to the eighth modified embodiment, the pair of feed rollers 75 and the pair of rollers 92 are arranged symmetrically in the left-right direction 9 with respect to the same orthogonal surface 140. Therefore, the distances in the left-right direction 9 between the pair of respective rollers 92 and the pair of respective feed rollers 75 are identical with each other. Thus, it is possible to avoid or reduce the oblique movement of the recording sheet S in the same manner as in the embodiment described above. Further, the rollers 92, which are arranged at the two positions, hold the recording sheet S with respect to the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71. Therefore, it is possible to decrease the warpage of the recording sheet S.
In ordinary cases, the feed rollers 75 are not completely fixed with respect to the feed arm 76. That is, the positions of the feed rollers 75 are not always identical positions with respect to the feed arm 76, and the feed rollers 75 can be inclined by the so-called slight play and/or the backlash. Accordingly, even when the feed arm 76 is inclined, the both of the pair of feed rollers 75 can abut against the recording sheet S substantially simultaneously. On the other hand, the swingable member 30 is positioned with respect to the rotational shaft 83 of the feed rollers 75. Accordingly, the distance between the center of rotation of the rollers 92 of the swingable member 30 and the center of rotation of the feed rollers 75 can be maintained to be constant. As a result, when the swingable member 30 starts the rotational movement from the first position toward the second position, and the rollers 92 are changed from the state in which the rollers 92 abut against the recording sheet S to the state in which the rollers 92 are separated therefrom, then the pair of feed rollers 75 can abut against the recording sheet S substantially simultaneously. According to the eighth modified embodiments, the pair of rollers 92 are arranged outside the pair of feed rollers 75 in the left-right direction 9. Accordingly, the pair of rollers 92 can hold the recording sheet S at the positions outside the feed rollers 75 in the left-right direction 9. Therefore, even when the warpage (deformation and/or floating) of the recording sheet S arises outside the feed rollers 75, the possibility is reduced for the feed rollers 75 to be brought in contact with the warpage of the recording sheet S.
In the eighth modified embodiment, the pair of rollers 92 are arranged outside the pair of feed rollers 75 in the left-right direction 9 (see
Also in the construction shown in
As clarified from
A pair of projecting parts 143, 144, which extend toward the side of the forward end of the swing movement of the swingable member 30 while intervening between the pair of feed rollers 75 and the roller gear 49, are provided at the both left and right end portions of the swingable member 30. The pair of respective rollers 92 are rotatably supported at the forward end portions of the pair of respective projecting parts 143, 144.
Also in the ninth modified embodiment, it is also allowable that the swingable member 30 is not provided with the pair of rollers 92 in the same manner as in the fourth modified embodiment. In this case, when the swingable member 30 is disposed at the first position, the pair of projecting parts 143, 144 abut against the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 or the recording sheet S supported by the flat surface 45. In other words, in this case, the pair of projecting parts 143, 144 are examples of the pair of abutment sections of the present teaching.
According to the ninth modified embodiment, the pair of rollers 92 are arranged between the pair of feed rollers 75. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the distance between the rollers 92. Accordingly, the distance from the driving transmission mechanism 79 to the pair of rollers 92 is shortened, and hence the torsion between the pair of rollers 92 is decreased. That is, the followability of the pair of rollers 92 to follow the swing movement of the swingable member 30 is enhanced. As a result, it is possible to decrease the influence exerted on the timing for the feed rollers 75 to abut against the recording sheet S. That is, it is possible to avoid or reduce the oblique movement of the recording sheet S.
As depicted in
The pair of projecting parts 145, 146 extend toward the side of the forward end of the swing movement of the swingable member 30.
The pair of projecting parts 145, 146 protrude toward the side of the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 as compared with the feed rollers 75, and the pair of projecting parts 145, 146 are retracted as compared with the pair of rollers 92 with respect to the flat surface 45 when the swingable member 30 is disposed at the first position, i.e., in the state depicted in
In other words, when the swingable member 30 is disposed at the first position, the distance L9 between the protruding forward ends of the pair of projecting parts 145, 146 and the flat surface 45 is longer than the distance between the pair of rollers 92 and the flat surface 45 (which is zero because the both are in abutment). Further, the distance L9 is shorter than the distance L10 between the pair of feed rollers 75 and the flat surface 45.
In the foregoing explanation, the pair of projecting parts 145, 146 are constructed as depicted in
According to the tenth modified embodiment, the pair of rollers 92 are arranged between the pair of feed rollers 75, and the two projecting parts 145, 146 are arranged outside the pair of feed rollers 75 in the left-right direction 9. Accordingly, the effect of the eighth modified embodiment is also provided, while providing the effects which are the same as or equivalent to those of the embodiment described above and the ninth modified embodiment.
As depicted in
On the other hand, as depicted in
According to the eleventh modified embodiment, the recording sheet S, which is inserted toward the bypass tray 71 in order to place the recording sheet S on the flat surface 45 of the bypass tray 71 when the swingable member 30 is disposed at the first position, has the high possibility to be brought in contact with the rib 133 rather than the feed roller 75. Therefore, it is possible to lower the possibility for the recording sheet S to be brought in contact with the feed roller 75 and folded and bent. Further, the insertion of the recording sheet S can be easily executed, because the recording sheet S is hardly brought in contact with the feed roller 75.
In the embodiment described above, the contact-separating mechanism of the present teaching is constructed by the swingable member 30, the first regulating section 107, the second regulating section 108 and the torque limiter 32. However, it is also allowable that the contact-separating mechanism is constructed differently from the embodiment described above, provided that the contact-separating mechanism is coupled to the feed rollers 75 or the feed arm 76, and the feed rollers 75 are moved to the abutment position and the separated position by applying the rotary driving force from the second driving transmission unit 36.
For example, as depicted in
In the construction described above, when the feed arm 76 is disposed at the position depicted in
On the other hand, when the feed arm 76 is disposed at the position depicted in
In the embodiment described above, the feeding motor 78 of the driving transmission mechanism 79 is provided in the printer unit 11, and the driving gear 53, which is attached to the rotational shaft 52 of the feeding motor 78, is meshed with the gear 47A of the first driving transmission unit 35. However, the arrangement of the feeding motor 78 is not limited to this construction. For example, it is also allowable that the feeding motor 78 is arranged at the position of the intermediate gear 46 depicted in
In the embodiment described above, the driving transmission unit, which is constructed by the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46 and the second driving transmission unit 36, can be considered as one driving transmission unit and the driving transmission unit, which is constructed by the first driving transmission unit 35, the intermediate gear 46 and the third driving transmission unit 37, can be also considered as one driving transmission unit. That is, also in the embodiment described above, it is also possible to consider that the driving of the feed rollers 75 and the movable member 64 is performed by the two driving transmission units, i.e., the driving transmission unit which transmits the driving force from the feeding motor 78 to the feed rollers 75 and the driving transmission unit which transmits the driving force from the feeding motor 78 to the movable member 64.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-255906 | Dec 2013 | JP | national |
| 2013-255907 | Dec 2013 | JP | national |
| 2013-255908 | Dec 2013 | JP | national |
| 2013-255910 | Dec 2013 | JP | national |
The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/002,478, filed Jan. 21, 2016, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/501,508, filed on Sep. 30, 2014, which further claims priority from Japanese Patent Application Nos. 2013-255906, 2013-255907, 2013-255908 and 2013-255910, filed on Dec. 11, 2013 the disclosures of all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
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| Office Action issued in related Chinese patent application 201410497625.3, dated May 13, 2016. |
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| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20180162663 A1 | Jun 2018 | US |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parent | 15002478 | Jan 2016 | US |
| Child | 15789403 | US | |
| Parent | 14501508 | Sep 2014 | US |
| Child | 15002478 | US |
