MEDIUM TRANSPORT DEVICE AND RECORDING DEVICE

The present application is based on, and claims priority from JP Application Serial Number 2023-046746, filed Mar. 23, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a medium transport device and a recording device.

2. Related Art

An example of this type of device is described in JP-A-2022-90229. JP-A-2022-90229 discloses a feed unit 50 provided with a guide plate 142 as a guide section for guiding a paper sheet toward a nip portion which is a contact section between a retard roller 52 and a feed roller 46. The position of the guide plate 142 can be changed.

It is disclosed that since a second holder 114 to which the retard roller 52 is attached is detachable from and attachable to the feed unit 50 in which the guide plate 142 is provided, it is not necessary to separately adjust the attachment position of the guide plate 142 after the replacement of the retard roller 52 (paragraph 0076).

However, a user often replaces the feed unit 50 as the separation roller unit, but in the above related art configuration, since the guide plate 142 as the guide section is provided in the feed unit 50, there is a problem that the position of the guide section is easily displaced at the time of replacement. As a result, there is a concern that a transport failure may occur.

SUMMARY

In order to solve the above described problem, a medium transport device according to the present disclosure includes a separation roller unit and a unit accommodation section in which the separation roller unit is detachably and attachably provided, wherein the separation roller unit includes a separation roller that is configured to contact a feed roller for feeding the medium and that is provided rotatably around a shaft and a roller holder that is configured to hold the separation roller and that has a guide section for guiding the medium toward the feed roller, and the unit accommodation section is provided with an adjustment section for adjusting the position of the guide section in a direction that intersects an axial direction of the shaft.

And a recording device according to the present disclosure includes the medium transport device described in any one of the first to fourth aspects described below and a recording section configured to perform recording on a medium transported from the medium transport device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an external perspective view of a recording device according to a first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an internal schematic configuration of the recording device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a main part of the medium transport device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the main part of the medium transport device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view showing a separation roller unit of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5B is a partially enlarged view of the separation roller unit.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the separation roller assembly of the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a unit accommodation section of the first embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a part of the separation roller unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a part of the separation roller unit of the first embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional perspective view of a part of the separation roller unit of the first embodiment.

FIGS. 11A and 11B are side sectional views of the separation roller unit of the first embodiment.

FIGS. 12A and 12B are cross-sectional views of main parts showing an adjustment section according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a part of the adjustment section according to a third embodiment in cross-section.

FIG. 14 is a front view of a main part of a separation roller unit according to a third embodiment.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The present disclosure will first be schematically described below.

In order to solve the above problem, a first aspect of a medium transport device according to the present disclosure includes a separation roller unit and a unit accommodation section in which the separation roller unit is detachably and attachably provided, wherein the separation roller unit includes a separation roller that is configured to contact a feed roller for feeding the medium and that is provided rotatably around a shaft and a roller holder that is configured to hold the separation roller and that has a guide section for guiding the medium toward the feed roller, and the unit accommodation section is provided with an adjustment section for adjusting a position of the guide section in a direction that intersects an axial direction of the shaft.

According to the present aspect, the adjustment section is not provided in the separation roller unit, but is provided in the unit accommodation section, and is configured to adjust the position of the guide section in a direction that intersects the axial direction of the shaft. As a result, since the adjustment section is provided in the unit accommodation section, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the position of the guide section is displaced when the separation roller is replaced. As a result, it is possible to suppress a problem in which a transport failure of the medium occurs.

A second aspect of the medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the adjustment section includes a placement surface at a position where the roller holder of the unit accommodation section is placed in a state where the separation roller unit is attached to the unit accommodation section and a spacer that is disposed on the placement surface and that adjusts the position of the guide section.

According to the present aspect, the adjustment section is configured by the placement surface and the spacer provided in the unit accommodation section. As a result, the position of the guide section can be adjusted only by changing the spacer. Therefore, it is possible to perform a minute positional adjustment of the guide section with a simple configuration.

A third aspect of the medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the adjustment section is configured to adjust the position of the guide section by power of a power source.

According to the present aspect, the adjustment section is configured to adjust the position of the guide section by the power of the power source. In this way, by making the position of the guide section adjustable by the power source, it is possible to improve the usability for the user.

In addition, since it is possible to change the position of the guide section for each type of the medium, it is possible to increase the types of the medium which can be handled by the medium transport device. In addition, the position of the guide section can be automatically adjusted each time the separation roller is replaced.

A fourth aspect of the medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the adjustment section is provided with a cam member configured to adjust the guide section to at least two positions.

According to the present aspect, the adjustment section is provided with the cam member configured to adjust the guide section to at least two positions. Accordingly, the position of the guide section can be adjusted with a simple configuration of the cam member.

A fifth aspect of the medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the separation roller unit includes a first pushing member configured to elastically push the separation roller toward the feed roller. This aspect is not limited to the first aspect and may be dependent on any of the second to fourth aspects.

According to the present aspect, the separation roller unit includes the first pushing member configured to elastically push the separation roller toward the feed roller. Accordingly, since the first pushing member is incorporated into the separation roller unit, maintainability is improved. Specifically, it is possible to easily perform adjustments such as an increase or decrease in the elastic force as a response to settling or deformation of the pushing member such as a spring, which is a typical defect, or a response to the user who wants to use an unexpected type of medium.

A sixth aspect of the medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the fifth aspect, wherein the first pushing member is a torsion coil spring provided along the axial direction, one end section of the torsion coil spring is exposed to the outside of the separation roller unit, and the separation roller unit includes a holding section configured to hold the one end section.

Here, the “holding section” means a structural section that holds the one end section of the torsion coil spring so as to maintain a state in which it is not inadvertently moved even when a force is applied from the outside by being exposed to the outside of the separation roller unit.

According to the present aspect, since the torsion coil spring is provided along the axial direction, it is possible to reduce the size of the separation roller unit in the height direction compared to a configuration in which is provided in a direction that intersects the shaft.

In addition, although the one end section of the torsion coil spring is exposed to the outside of the separation roller unit, the separation roller unit includes the holding section configured to hold the one end section. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the number of parts is increased by providing the member for covering the one end section of the torsion coil spring so as not to be touched by the user and the possibility that the one end section is disengaged when the user touches the separation roller unit at the time of replacement of the separation roller unit, jam release, or the like.

A seventh aspect of the medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the separation roller unit includes a first locking section that locks with a first locked section provided in the unit accommodation section and that is provided at both end sections of the separation roller unit in the axial direction and the first locking section is detachable and attachable by being separated from the first locked section. This aspect is not limited to the first aspect and may be dependent on any of the second to fourth aspects.

According to the present aspect, the separation roller unit can be detachable and attachable by separating the first locking section from the first locked section provided in the unit accommodation section. In other words, by adopting a locking structure of the first locking section and the first locked section such as a snap fit structure, the separation roller unit can be easily replace.

An eighth aspect of the medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the seventh aspect, wherein the separation roller unit includes a second locking section that is configured to be locked with a second locked section provided in the unit accommodation section and that is for positioning the separation roller unit with respect to the unit accommodation section and a position at which the second locking section and the second locked section are locked is positioned, with respect to the transport direction of the medium, at a position at which the first locking section and the first locked section are locked and upstream of the shaft.

According to the present aspect, the separation roller unit includes the second locking section that is configured to be locked with the second locked section provided in the unit accommodation section and that is for positioning the separation roller unit with respect to the unit accommodation section. As a result, since the second locking section is provided in addition to the first locking section, the posture of the separation roller unit at the time of mounting is stabilized.

In addition, the position at which the second locking section and the second locked section are locked is positioned, with respect to the transport direction of the medium, at the position at which the first locking section and the first locked section are locked and upstream of the shaft. As a result, when the separation roller unit is inserted from the transport direction, the separation roller unit can be easily fitted to the positioned position accurately. Here, as a locking structure between the second locking section and the second locked section, when a structure in which a boss is dropped into a positioning hole is adopted, an angle change is small, and rattling after mounting can be reduced.

A ninth aspect of the medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the adjustment section includes a second pushing member that is provided in the unit accommodation section and that is configured to elastically push the separation roller unit toward the feed roller and a positioning section that is provided in the unit accommodation section and that is configured to stop and position, at a predetermined position, the separation roller unit pushed by the second pushing member, the separation roller unit is configured to be displaceable in a direction that intersects the axial direction of the shaft by the second pushing member and the positioning section, the feed roller is detachable from and attachable to a rotation shaft along the axial direction, and the guide section overlaps with the feed roller in a direction that intersects the axial direction of the shaft.

According to the present aspect, the adjustment section is configured to include the second pushing member provided in the unit accommodation section and the positioning section similarly provided in the unit accommodation section. This makes it possible to realize the adjustment section with a simple structure.

In addition, the guide section so as to overlap with the feed roller in a direction that intersects the axial direction of the shaft. As a result, the separation performance by the feed roller and the separation roller is improved.

On the other hand, considering the replaceability of the separation roller, when the overlapping structure, the feed roller and the guide section are in a positional relationship of interfering, so the replaceability deteriorates. However, according to the present aspect, since the guide section is displaceable, that is, can be retreatable, it is possible to suppress the feed roller from interfering with the guide section at the time of the replacement, and thus, it is possible to suppress a decrease in replaceability.

A tenth aspect of a medium transport device according to the present disclosure is an aspect dependent on the first aspect, wherein the separation roller unit is detachable and attachable along the transport direction of the medium at a nip position between the feed roller and the separation roller. This aspect is not limited to the first aspect and may be dependent on any of the second to fourth aspects.

According to the present aspect, the separation roller unit is configured to be detachably and attachably along the transport direction of the medium at the nip position between the feed roller and the separation roller. Thus, the space required for replacing the separation roller unit can be reduced, and as a result, the device can be downsized.

An aspect of the recording device according to the present disclosure includes the medium transport device of the first aspect and a recording section configured to perform recording on the medium transported from the medium transport device. This aspect is not limited to the first aspect and may include the medium transport device according to any one of the second to fourth aspects.

According to this aspect, as a recording device, it is possible to obtain the effects of the aspects in the medium transport device.

EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of a medium transport device according to the present disclosure and a recording device such as an inkjet printer provided with the medium transport device will be specifically described with reference to the drawings.

In the following description, three axes orthogonal to each other are referred to as an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis, as shown in each drawing. The direction indicated by the arrows of the three axes (X, Y, Z) is the +direction of each direction, and the opposite direction is the −direction. The Z−axis direction corresponds to a vertical direction, that is, a direction in which gravity acts, a +Z direction indicates a vertically upward direction, and a −Z direction indicates a vertically downward direction. The X−axis direction and the Y−axis direction correspond to a horizontal direction. The +Y direction indicates the front direction of the device, and the −Y direction indicates the rear direction of the device. The +X direction indicates the right direction of the device, and the −X direction indicates the left direction of the device.

First Embodiment
Recording Device

A recording device 1 according to the present embodiment is an inkjet printer as an example.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the recording device 1 includes a medium transport device 7 that transports a medium 3 placed on a placement tray 50, a recording section 5 that performs recording on the medium 3 such as a paper sheet transported by the medium transport device 7, and a medium accommodation section 11. A recording execution operation of the recording section 5 on the medium 3 and a transport operation of the medium 3 by the medium transport device 7 are performed by a control section (not shown). The control section includes a CPU, a flash ROM, and a RAM. The CPU performs various arithmetic processing according to a program stored in the flash ROM and controls the operation of the entire recording device 1. A flash ROM, which is an example of the storage unit, is a nonvolatile memory capable of reading and writing. Various kinds of information are temporarily stored in the RAM, which is an example of the storage unit. The recording section 5 is a line head here, but may be a serial type head or the like which reciprocates in the width direction (Y-axis direction) of the medium 3. A platen that supports the medium 3 in a recording execution region 8 of the recording section 5 is an endless transport belt 2 in this case. The transport belt 2 is wound around a pulley 4 and a pulley 6, and the transport belt 2 is rotated by the rotation of both the pulleys 4 and 6, thereby transporting the medium 3 in a transport direction F. The transport belt 2 forms a part of a transport path 9 along which the medium 3 is transported.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the recording device 1 is provided with a door section 17 forming a part of a device main body 34. The door section 17 has a structure of opening and closing by rotating in the horizontal direction. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the door section 17 has a pivot shaft (not shown) at the position of an end section in the −Y direction and pivots around the pivot shaft as a pivot fulcrum.

It is composed that, when the door section 17 is opened, the transport path 9 is exposed so that the user can dispose of the jammed medium 3, that is, the jam.

In the recording device 1, the medium 3 picked up by a pickup roller 10 from the cassette-type medium accommodation section 11 that accommodates the medium 3 such as the paper sheet is transported in the transport direction F on a first transport path 91 by a feed roller pair 13. In the following description, a “pair of rollers” is composed of a drive roller driven by a motor (not shown) and a driven roller that is driven to rotate in contact with the drive roller, unless otherwise specified.

A second transport path 92 is merged to downstream position of the feed roller pair 13 of the first transport path 91. The transport path 9 positioned closer to the recording section 5 than the merging point P of the first transport path 91 and the second transport path 92 is referred to as a third transport path 93 in the following description.

A switching section 19 is disposed at the merging point P. The switching section 19 is configured to be displaceable between a first state in which the first transport path 91 is opened and a second state in which the second transport path 92 is opened. That is, it is composed that, when the medium 3 is transported on the first transport path 91 in the transport direction F, it takes a position so as to enable the transport, and when the medium 3 is transported on the second transport path 92, it takes a position so as to enable the transport.

In the present embodiment, when the door section 17 is in the closed state, the switching section 19 is configured to be displaceable between the first state and the second state.

A transport roller pair 15 is disposed between the merging point P and the recording section 5. The medium 3 is transported on the third transport path 93 in the transport direction F by the transport roller pair 15. When single-sided recording only on the front surface of the medium 3, recording is executed on the front surface of the medium 3 in the recording execution region 8 and is discharged to a discharge tray 16 by receiving the transporting force of transport roller pairs 12, 14.

When double-sided recording, the medium 3 is guided to a switchback path 20 by a flap 18 at a position downstream of the transport roller pair 12. Transport roller pairs 22, 24 are disposed in the switchback path 20. The medium 3 guided to the switchback path 20 is guided to the second transport path 92, which is an inversion path, by a guide member (not shown) at the branch point K by controlling the transport roller pairs 22, 24 to rotate in reverse. In the second transport path 92, transport roller pairs 26, 28, an inversion roller 30, which is a driven roller, and a drive roller 32 are disposed.

As can be understood from the above description, the first transport path 91 is the feed path for feeding the medium 3 accommodated in the medium accommodation section 11 to the third transport path 93, the second transport path 92 is the inversion path for inverting the medium 3 on which recording is performed by the recording section 5 and transporting the medium 3 to the third transport path 93, and the third transport path 93 is a recording-time transport path including a recording position by the recording section 5.

In FIG. 2, reference symbol 36 denotes ink containers for containing a plurality of kinds of inks. Each ink container 36 is detachably and attachably mounted. The ink ejected from the recording section 5 is supplied to the recording section 5 from each ink container 36 via a tube (not shown). Reference symbol 38 denotes a waste liquid container. Reference symbol 42 denotes a detection section. The detection section 42 detects the presence or absence of the medium 3 in the inversion path 92 and detects the width of the medium 3 by detecting the edge section of the medium 3 in the width direction (Y-axis direction).

The recording device 1 includes another medium accommodation section (not shown) below the medium accommodation section 11. The medium 3 in the other medium accommodation section is also picked up by the pickup roller, and is merged to the second transport path 92 upstream of the nip position of the inversion roller 30 by a transport roller pair 40.

Placement Tray

As shown in FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the present embodiment, the placement tray 50, which is also referred to as a manual feed tray, is provided so as to be displaceable between a closed state (FIG. 1) and an open state (FIG. 2 and FIG. 3) with respect to the device main body 34. Here, the placement tray 50 is provided on the door section 17 positioned on a side surface of the device main body 34 so as to pivot with a lower end section as the pivot fulcrum and an upper end as a free end.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, with respect to the medium 3 placed on the placement tray 50 in the open state, one sheet of the medium 3 at a position in contact with a feed roller 52 is separated from the plurality of multi-feed medium 3 by the pair of the feed roller 52 and a separation roller 54. The separated one medium 3 is transported on a path 94, sent to the second transport path 92 before the inversion roller 30, and transported in the transport direction F.

The feed roller 52 is a drive roller that is rotated by the power of a drive source (not shown) and transports the medium 3 in the transport direction F. The separation roller 54 is a drive roller that is rotated by the power of another drive source and is a roller that serves to separate one medium from the plurality of medium 3.

Here, the separation roller 54 is provided with a torque limiter 63 (FIG. 6, to be described later), and when it is in a state of transporting one separated sheet of the medium 3, a torque exceeding a set value is applied to the torque limiter 63, so that it is driven to rotate in the rotational direction of feeding the medium 3 in the transport direction F. On the other hand, when a plurality of medium 3 are transported, since a torque exceeding the set value is not applied to the torque limiter 63, the separation roller is not driven to rotate, and one medium is separated from the plurality of medium.

Medium Transport Device

As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, the medium transport device 7 includes a separation roller unit 51 and a unit accommodation section 71 in which the separation roller unit 51 is detachably and attachably provided. That is, the configuration is such that the separation roller unit 51 can be removed from the unit accommodation section 71 and the separation roller 54 can be replaced.

The separation roller unit 51 includes the separation roller 54 that is configured to contact the feed roller 52 for feeding the medium 3 and that is provided rotatably around a shaft and a roller holder 53 that is configured to hold the separation roller 54.

As shown in FIG. 5A, the roller holder 53 has rib-shaped guide sections 55 for guiding the medium 3 toward a nip position 64 (FIG. 4) between the feed roller 52 and the separation roller 54 on both sides of the separation roller 54. In FIG. 4 and FIG. 6, reference numeral 56 denotes a shaft, and the separation roller 54 is rotatable around the shaft 56. The guide sections 55 are provided in order to reduce the number of multi-fed sheets by performing preliminary separation prior to separation of the plurality of multi-fed medium 3 at the nip position 64 between the feed roller 52 and the separation roller 54.

As shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the unit accommodation section 71 is provided in the door section 17 of the recording device 1. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, when the placement tray 50 is in the open state, it is provided at a position where it can be accessed by the user.

As shown in FIG. 8, the unit accommodation section 71 is provided with two adjustment sections 72 for adjusting the position of the guide sections 55 in a direction (Z-axis direction) that intersects the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the shaft 56. The adjustment sections 72 will be described later.

Separation Roller Unit

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5A and FIG. 6, the separation roller unit 51 is composed a separation roller assembly 57 in which the separation roller 54 is assembled, and the roller holder 53 mounted on the separation roller assembly 57.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the separation roller assembly 57, both end sections of the shaft 56 of the separation roller 54 are fixed to a left wall 65 and a right wall 66 of a base section 58. The base section 58 has a pair of mounted sections 59, 59 on the outer side surfaces of the left wall 65 and the right wall 66 at both end sections thereof. The pair of mounted sections 59, 59 are sections to which base end sections 48, 48 of the roller holder 53 are attached.

Shafts 62, 62 are provided on the inner sides of the left wall 65 and the right wall 66, respectively. Torsion coil springs 60, 60 are attached to the respective shafts 62, 62 via their coil sections 61, 61. The role of the torsion coil springs 60, 60 (to be described later). Reference symbol 63 denotes the torque limiter described above.

Adjustment Section

As shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, the two adjustment sections 72, 72 include placement surfaces 67, 67 provided on a bottom surface 69 of the unit accommodation section 71 and spacers 68, 68 for adjusting the position of the guide sections 55 in a state where the roller holder 53 is placed on the placement surfaces 67, 67 (FIG. 8). The placement surfaces 67, 67 are the bottom surface 69 of the unit accommodation section 71 in a state where the separation roller unit 51 is attached to the unit accommodation section 71 and are provided at positions where foot sections 80, 80 of the roller holder 53 are mounted. The foot sections 80, 80 are provided so as to be positioned on substantially the same Y-axis line as the shaft 56 of the separation roller 54 as viewed in the Z-axis direction.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, mounting sections 82, 82 on which other foot sections 81, 81 of the roller holder 53 are mounted are provided at positions different from the bottom surface 69 of the unit accommodation section 71. The other foot sections 81, 81 and the mounting sections 82, 82 are positioned at the base end section 48 of the roller holder 53. In this way, since the roller holder 53 is placed on the unit accommodation section 71 at two positions of the foot section 80 and the other foot section 81, the stability in the mounted state is good.

In FIG. 8, only one of the adjustment sections 72, 72 is shown in a sectional view.

Here, the spacer 68 is formed of a sheet material. The spacer 68 made of a sheet material is stuck on the placement surface 67. In the state of FIG. 8, the position of the guide sections 55 with respect to the nip position 64 of the feed roller 52 is adjusted by changing the number of sheet materials. In other words, the number of the spacers 68 made of the sheet material is determined so that the position of the guide sections 55 in the Z-axis direction becomes a design position. In the present embodiment, the design position of the guide sections 55 is designed such that a position at which the guide sections 55 overlap the feed roller 52 in the Z-axis direction, that is, so that the height overlap, at the nip position 64 of the feed roller 52.

When the position of the guide sections 55 in the Z-axis direction is the design position in a state where the roller holder 53 is placed on the placement surface 67, the number of spacers 68 is zero. In other words, the adjustment section 72 is in a state of being constituted by the placement surface 67 and zero sheets of spacers 68. Therefore, it is desirable that the height position of the placement surface 67 is designed so that the position of the guide sections 55 does not exceed the design position in a state where the roller holder 53 is mounted on the placement surface 67.

In order to replace the separation roller 54, the separation roller unit 51 is detached from the unit accommodation section 71 and the separation roller unit 51 is attached to the unit accommodation section 71 again in place of another separation roller 54 as follows.

Even when the separation roller 54 is replaced and changed, when the roller holder 53 remains the same, it is normally mounted in the unit accommodation section 71 as is. Thus, the position of the guide sections 55 becomes the design position. Even when the roller holder 53 is replaced with another roller holder, the separation roller unit 51 is attached to the unit accommodation section 71 as is when the position of the guide sections 55 is the design position.

When the guide sections 55 are different from the initial state due to some causes such as abrasion, the position of the guide sections 55 does not become the design position even when they are mounted in the unit accommodation section 71 as is. Therefore, adjustment such as increasing the number of the spacers 68 is performed so that the position of the guide sections 55 becomes the design position. It is desirable that this adjustment be performed by a service person.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B in the present embodiment, the separation roller unit 51 includes a first pushing member 70 configured to elastically push the separation roller 54 toward the feed roller 52. Here, the first pushing members 70 is constituted by the above described torsion coil springs 60 attached to the shaft 62 via the coil sections 61, 61. That is, the torsion coil spring 60, which is the first pushing member 70, is provided along the direction of the shaft 56.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 and FIGS. 11A and 11B a base end section 74, which is one of the end sections extending from the coil section 61 of the torsion coil spring 60, is locked to a locking section 75 provided on the left wall 65 and the right wall 66 of the base section 58. As shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B and FIGS. 11A and 11B one end section 76, which is the other end section extending from the coil section 61, is held in a groove-shaped holding section 77 provided in the roller holder 53 in a state where an elastic force of the torsion coil spring 60 is compressed.

Accordingly, the elastic force acts in a direction in which the base end section 74 and the one end section 76 of the torsion coil spring 60 are separated from each other with the coil section 61 as a base point, so that the separation roller 54 into a state where it is elastically pushed toward the feed roller 52.

FIGS. 11A and 11B shows a state in which the separation roller unit 51 is detached from the unit accommodation section 71. FIG. 11A shows a state in which the base section 58 is pushed up in the +Z direction by the elastic force of the torsion coil spring 60. As shown in the same drawing, the outer surface of the separation roller 54 slightly protrudes from the guide sections 55 in the +Z direction. The base section 58 is held in this position by contacting a restricting section (not shown) inside the roller holder 53.

FIG. 11B shows a state in which the separation roller 54 is pushed in the −Z direction while the position of the roller holder 53 in the Z-axis direction is fixed. This state corresponds to a state in which the separation roller unit 51 is mounted in the unit accommodation section 71 and the feed roller 52 and the separation roller 54 are in contact with each other. In this state, since the separation roller 54 is pushed in the −Z direction by the feed roller 52, the outer surface of the separation roller 54 changes from the state of in FIG. 11A in which the outer surface slightly protrudes in the +Z direction from the guide sections 55 to the state of in FIG. 11B in which the outer surface does not protrude. As a result, the separation roller 54 is elastically pushed toward the feed roller 52 by the first pushing member 70 which is the torsion coil spring 60.

As shown in FIG. 5A and FIGS. 11A and 11B in the present embodiment, the torsion coil springs 60, 60 provided along the axial direction are attached to the shafts 62, 62 via the coil sections 61, 61. The one end section 76 of the torsion coil spring 60 is exposed to the outside of the separation roller unit 63. Therefore, the user may carelessly touch the one end section 76.

Therefore, as shown in an enlarged view of the main part of FIG. 5B, the holding section 77 that holds the one end section 76 of the torsion coil spring 60 is formed so that even if the user carelessly touches the one end section 76, the one end section 76 is formed in a deep groove shape so that it hardly detached from the holding section 77. Further, an insertion path 78 is provided for inserting the one end section 76 of the torsion coil spring 60 into the groove-shaped holding section 77. A weir wall 79 is disposed at a connecting section between the holding section 77 and the insertion path 78. That is, it is composed that, the one end section 76 of the torsion coil spring 60 is first aligned with the insertion path 78, then the one end section 76 is moved so as to ascend along the insertion path 78, and further it can be dropped into the groove-shaped holding section 77 over the weir wall 79.

In an enlarged view of FIG. 5B, an arrow denoted by reference symbol 46 is a movement locus when the one end section 76 is inserted into the holding section 77. In other words, the holding section 77 is configured so that even when a user carelessly touches the one end section 76 of the torsion coil spring 60, the one end section 76 is not easily removed due to the presence of the weir wall 79.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the separation roller unit 51 includes first locking sections 84, 84 which are locked to first locked sections 83, 83 provided in the unit accommodation section 71. The first locking sections 84, 84 are provided at both end sections of the separation roller unit 51 in the direction of the shaft 56 of the separation roller 54. In FIG. 10, only the first locking section 84 and the first locked section 83 positioned at one of the both end sections are shown in a visible state. The first locking sections 84, 84 are formed in a snap fit structure and are attached to and detached from the first locked sections 83, 83 by this snap-fit structure.

The separation roller unit 51 can be removed from the unit accommodation section 71 by removing the first locking sections 84, 84 of the separation roller unit 51 from the first locked sections 83, 83 of the unit accommodation section 71 and pulling out the separation roller unit 51 in the +X direction.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 9, the separation roller unit 51 is provided with second locking sections 86, 86 for locking with second locked sections 85, 85 provided in the unit accommodation section 71 and for positioning with respect to the unit accommodation section 71. Here, it is composed that, the convex-shaped second locking sections 86, 86 are fitted to the concave-shaped second locked sections 85, 85 so that positioning in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction can be performed. As described above, it is configured that, since positioning is performed by the second locking sections 86, 86 and the second locked sections 85, 85 the first locking sections 84, 84 and the first locked sections 83, 83 may not have a positioning function.

Furthermore, the position P2 at which the second locking sections 86, 86 and the second locked sections 85, 85 are locked is disposed so as to be located at the position P1 (FIG. 10) at which the first locking sections 84, 84 and the first locked sections 83, 83 are locked and at the upstream side of the position of the shaft 56, in the transport direction F of the medium 3. In FIG. 9, among the two second locking sections 86, 86 and the two second locked sections 85, 85, one second locking section 86 and one second locked section 85 are shown in a visible state.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, the separation roller unit 51 is configured to be detachably and attachably along the transport direction F of the medium 3 at the nip position 64 between the feed roller 52 and the separation roller 54.

Specifically, in a state where the feed roller 52 is detached, the separation roller unit 51 is slightly lifted to detach the second locking sections 86, 86 from the second locked sections 85, 85, and then it is pulled in the front direction (+X direction), so that the first locking sections 84, 84 are detached from the first locked sections 83, 83 and can be detached from the unit accommodation section 71. Thereafter, it is taken out to the outside along a placement surface 45 of the placement tray 50.

Description of Effects of First Embodiment

(1) In the present embodiment, the adjustment section 72 is not provided in the separation roller unit 51, but is provided in the unit accommodation section 71, and is configured to adjust the position of the guide section 55 in a direction (Z-axis direction) that intersects the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the shaft 56. As a result, since the adjustment section 72 is provided in the unit accommodation section 71, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the position of the guide section 55 is displaced when the separation roller 54 is replaced. As a result, it is possible to suppress a problem in which the transport failure of the medium 3 occurs.

(2) In addition, in the embodiment, the adjustment section 72 is configured by the placement surface 67 and the spacer 68 provided in the unit accommodation section 71. As a result, the position of the guide section 55 can be adjusted only by changing the spacer 68. Therefore, it is possible to perform a minute positional adjustment of the guide section 55 with a simple configuration.

(3) In the present embodiment, the separation roller unit 51 includes the first pushing member 70 configured to elastically push the separation roller 54 toward the feed roller 52. Accordingly, since the first pushing member 70 is incorporated into the separation roller unit 51, maintainability is improved. Specifically, it is possible to easily perform adjustment such as an increase or a decrease in the elastic force as a response to settling or deformation of the first pushing member 70 such as a spring, which is a typical defect, or a response to the user who wants to use an unexpected type of medium.

(4) Further, in the present embodiment, since the torsion coil spring 60 is provided along the direction of the shaft 56 (Y-axis direction), it is possible to reduce the size of the separation roller unit 51 in the height direction compared to a configuration in which it is provided in a direction that intersects the shaft 56 (Z-axis direction).

Although the one end section 76 of the torsion coil spring 60 is exposed to the outside of the separation roller unit 51, the separation roller unit 51 includes the holding section 77 that holds the one end section 76. As a result, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the number of parts is increased by providing the member for covering the one end section 76 of the torsion coil spring 60 so as not to be touched by the user and the possibility that the one end section 76 is disengaged when the user touches the separation roller unit 51 at the time of replacement of the separation roller unit 51, jam release, or the like.

(5) Further, in the present embodiment, the separation roller unit 51 can be detachable and attachable by separating the first locking section 84 from the first locked section 83 provided in the unit accommodation section 71. In other words, by adopting a locking structure of the first locking section 84 and the first locked section 83 such as a snap fit structure, the separation roller unit 51 can be easily replace.

(6) In addition, in the present embodiment, the separation roller unit 51 is provided with the second locking section 86 for locking with the second locked section 85 provided in the unit accommodation section 71 and for positioning with respect to the unit accommodation section 71. As a result, since the second locking section 86 is provided in addition to the first locking section 84, the posture of the separation roller unit 51 at the time of mounting is stabilized.

In addition, a position where the second locking section 86 and the second locked section 85 are locked is positioned upstream of a position where the first locking section 84 and the first locked section 83 are locked in the transport direction F of the medium 3. As a result, when the separation roller unit 51 is inserted from the transport direction F, the separation roller unit 51 can be easily fitted to the positioned position accurately. Here, as a locking structure between the second locking section 86 and the second locked section 85, when a structure in which a boss is dropped into a positioning hole is adopted, an angle change is small, and rattling after mounting can be reduced.

Further, the first locking section 84 and the first locked section 83 are configured to be locked by a snap fit structure, whereas the second locking section 86 and the second locked section 85 are configured such that a boss is dropped into the positioning hole. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of the separation roller unit 51 can be improved by the second locking section 86 and the second locked section 85.

(7) In the embodiment, the separation roller unit 51 is configured to be detachably and attachably along the transport direction F of the medium 3 at the nip position 64 between the feed roller 52 and the separation roller 54. Thus, the space required for replacing the separation roller unit 51 can be reduced, and as a result, the device can be downsized.

Second Embodiment

Next, the medium transport device 7 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12A and 12B. The same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference symbol, and the description of the configuration and the corresponding effects is omitted.

In the present embodiment, the adjustment section 72 is constituted by a cam member 33. The cam member 33 is capable of adjusting the guide sections 55 to at least two positions. Here, the cam member 33 is formed in a stepped shape and is composed of a first step section 35 and a second step section 37 higher than the first step section 35. The cam member 33 may be formed of a disc-shaped member having a variable thickness.

The position of the guide sections 55 is adjusted by sliding the stepped cam member 33 in the Y-axis direction on the bottom surface of the unit accommodation section 71 and switching the foot section 80 of the roller holder 53 between a case where it is placed on the first step section 35 (FIG. 12A) and a case where it is placed on the second step section 37 (FIG. 12B). Here, the cam member 33 has two steps, but it is needless to say that it may be configured to have three or more steps.

In the present embodiment, it is composed that, the sliding of the cam member 33 is performed by the power of a power source 39, thereby adjusting the position of the guide sections 55. Here, the control unit (not shown) adjusts the position of the guide sections 55 by sliding according to set information in a printer driver of the recording device 1. As the power source 39, a solenoid, a motor, or the like can be used.

It is composed that, the sliding of the cam member 33 may be manually performed without using the power source 39.

According to the present embodiment, the adjustment section 72 is provided with the cam member 33 configured to adjust the guide section 55 to at least two positions. Accordingly, the position of the guide part 55 can be adjusted with a simple configuration of the cam member 33.

In addition, according to the present embodiment, the adjustment section 72 adjusts the position of the guide section 55 by the power of the power source 39. In this way, by making the position of the guide section 55 adjustable by the power source 39, it is possible to improve the usability for the user.

In addition, since it is possible to change the position of the guide section 55 for each type of the medium 3, it is possible to increase the types of the medium 3 which can be handled by the medium transport device 7. In addition, the position of the guide section 55 can be automatically adjusted each time the separation roller 54 is replaced.

Third Embodiment

Next, the medium transport device 7 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13 and FIG. 14. The same portions as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference symbol, and the description of the configuration and the corresponding effects is omitted.

In the present embodiment, the adjustment section 72 includes a second pushing member 23 that is provided in the unit accommodation section 71 and that is configured to elastically push a pushed section 25 of the separation roller unit 51 toward the feed roller 52 and a positioning section 21 that is provided in the unit accommodation section 71 and that is configured to stop and position the separation roller unit 51 pushed by the second pushing member 23 at a predetermined position. The separation roller unit 51 is displaceable by the second pushing member 23 and the positioning section 21 in a direction that intersects the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the shaft 56, that is, in the Z-axis direction in this case.

The elastic force of the second pushing member 23 is set to be sufficiently larger than the elastic force of the first pushing member 70. That is, the elastic force is set such that the second pushing member 23 is not elastically deformed even if the first pushing member 70 is elastically deformed.

The feed roller 52 is detachable from and attachable to a rotation shaft 31 along the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the shaft 56.

In the present embodiment, the guide sections 55 are disposed so as to overlap with the feed roller 52 in a direction (Z-axis direction) that intersects the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the shaft 56. That is, as the predetermined position, the positioning section 21 is designed so that the position of the guide sections 55 of the separation roller unit 51 becomes the overlapping position.

In FIG. 14, the height of the position of the guide sections 55 is H1, and the height of the nip position 64 of the feed roller 52 is H2. The guide sections 55 overlap the feed roller 52 by a dimension of H1-H2 in the Z-axis direction. Due to this overlap, the preliminary separation performance of the guide sections 55 is improved as compared with the structure of the first embodiment.

When the feed roller 52 is removed from the rotation shaft 31, it cannot be removed as is due to the overlap structure. However, in the present embodiment, the roller holder 53 of the separation roller unit 51 can be pushed downward against the elastic force of the second pushing member 23. Accordingly, since the position of the guide sections 55 can be lowered from the H1 to the H2, the feed roller 52 can be moved along the rotation shaft 31 and removed in the lowered state.

Further, when the separation roller unit 51 is removed from the unit accommodation section 71, the second pushing member 23 is first slightly shrunk and separated from the pushed section 25 of the separation roller unit 51. Next, the separation roller unit 51 can be removed by being pulled out in the +X direction, which is the front direction.

When the separation roller unit 51 is mounted in the unit accommodation section 71 and the feed roller 52 is mounted on the rotation shaft 31 to return to the original usable state, the reverse procedure is performed.

According to the present embodiment, the adjustment section 72 is configured to include the second pushing member 23 provided in the unit accommodation section 71 and the positioning section 21 similarly provided in the unit accommodation section 71. Thus, the adjustment section 72 can be realized with a simple structure.

Further, the guide sections 55 are disposed so as to overlap with the feed roller 52 in a direction (Z-axis direction) that intersects the axial direction (Y-axis direction) of the shaft 56. As a result, the separation performance by the feed roller 52 and the separation roller 54 is improved.

On the other hand, considering the replaceability of the separation roller 54, when the overlapping structure, the feed roller 52 and the guide sections 55 are in a positional relationship of interfering, so that the replaceability is deteriorated. However, according to the present embodiment, since the guide sections 55 are displaceable, that is, can be retreatable, it is possible to suppress the feed roller 52 from interfering with the guide sections 55 at the time of replacement, and thus, it is possible to suppress a decrease in replaceability.

Other Embodiments

The medium transport device 7 and the recording device 1 including the medium transport device 7 according to the present disclosure basically have the configurations of the embodiments described above, but it is of course possible to change or omit a partial configuration without departing from the gist of the present disclosure.

In the above embodiment, the inkjet printer has been described as being provided with the medium transport device 7, but other than this printer may be used. That is, it can be applied to other devices having the medium transport device 7 for transporting the medium 3.

In the above described embodiment, the structure in which the adjustment section 72 adjusts the guide sections 55 in the direction toward the feed roller 52 has been described, but it may be adjusted in the transport direction F.

MEDIUM TRANSPORT DEVICE AND RECORDING DEVICE

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